After accepting the store owner’s apologies along with two thick stacks of discount coupons, Hikigaya Hachiman and Shikimori Miyako walked toward the school side by side.
But just as they neared the school gate, Hachiman deliberately slowed his pace, creating a significant distance between them.
Shikimori noticed and looked back at Hikigaya’s legs with concern.
“Hikigaya-kun, are your legs injured?”
“No, my body is perfectly fine, it’s just…” Hachiman gestured at their surroundings with his eyes, then added: “If the surrounding students see you walking with me, your reputation will drop.
If any rumors or gossip were to start, I’d feel even worse for you, Shikimori-san.”
Hachiman stood still, keeping their distance at about two meters.
Seeing Hachiman’s cautious appearance, Shikimori just gave a hearty laugh.
“Is that so?
But what does that matter?
Or is it that you’re afraid of Yukinoshita-san seeing us walking together?”
Shikimori teased, walking in front of Hachiman and patting his shoulder.
She continued to reassure him: “Besides, with so many people around, who would notice us?”
“Fine, since you put it that way.”
Though he said this, Hachiman lamented the girl’s naivety to himself.
Shikimori-san was still too young.
Humans are a species that never ignores moving objects, especially in a group of adolescents.
Any pair of opposite-sex students walking together is as conspicuous as a tractor parked in a living room.
As expected, many gazes were already fixed on them.
Relying on the efficient information transmission of the student body, within three seconds, their names and classes would be widely publicized.
Two minutes later, gossip would emerge; by tomorrow, an epic romance story—from hate to love and back to hate—would circulate.
And because the male lead was Hikigaya Hachiman, Shikimori’s reputation wouldn’t just drop—it would plummet.
The two stepping into the school gate were so conspicuous.
In no time, Hachiman and Shikimori were at the center of a storm.
The architectural structure of Sobu High School in Chiba City is quite peculiar.
Viewed from above, it forms a “口” shape; with the multimedia building below, it creates a layout of buildings surrounding a vast central atrium.
The two sides of the road leading from the school gate are the classroom buildings and the special building, connected by corridors to form a square.
The atrium encircled by these buildings has always been the holy land for “normies.”
During lunch, boys and girls surround it to enjoy their meals, then play badminton to aid digestion and build connections.
After school, this atrium, dyed golden by the setting sun, is the perfect place for romantic love and basking in the sea breeze.
Only in the early morning, just before the first bell, is the atrium ordinary and empty.
A few students pass through quickly on their way to the classroom buildings, with no one lingering.
And now, Hachiman and Shikimori stepped into the atrium.
Sobu High’s unique structure makes the corridors on every floor excellent observation platforms.
Every student loitering on the walkways, chatting and peering downward, is a natural-born sentry.
On the second-floor corridor, someone noticed the “anomaly” and immediately signaled those around her.
“Look there, look there!” the sharp-eyed sentry cheered, pointing out the direction to her comrades.
Following her lead, other students spotted the target and let out even louder cheers: “Wow!
That girl is so cute!
Is she an idol?”
There was, of course, more than one such sharp-eyed sentry.
In this square corridor, many people discovered the “anomaly” and promptly alerted their companions, pinpointing the target.
As if a beacon had been lit, a certain spot in the atrium gathered the gazes of everyone on the corridors.
High above, information and intelligence were being transmitted at high speed.
“Look at that guy!”
“It’s him?”
“It’s him.”
“Exactly.”
Someone out of the loop, overwhelmed by the rapid-fire information, couldn’t help but ask: “Huh?”
“Who is he?”
“You don’t know him?”
“I don’t.”
“Then I can only say, those who know, know; those who don’t, don’t need to.”
Just as the seeker’s brain was about to explode with frustration, a kind-hearted person finally provided an explanation.
“Him?
You don’t know him?
That’s Hikigaya Hachiman.”
“Who?
Never heard of him.”
“Let’s put it this way: the top of the list for the ‘Most Unpopular Boy at Sobu High’.”
“Oh, oh, I get it now.
Is he that cool?”
“…”
“Cool?
What’s cool about him?
During the cultural festival, he made the executive committee chair cry on the roof and said a lot of harsh things.
Not only that, he also…”
“Roof?
What roof?
Tell me more about the roof.”
Just as the topic began to stray, someone brought it back in time.
“Is it just me, or is the girl really cute?”
“Oh!
Her…
indeed.”
“What’s wrong, brother?
Do you know her?”
“I don’t.”
“You don’t know her, yet you say ‘oh’?”
“Second-year, Class D.
Shikimori Miyako.
School Beauty Ranking, um…
number 11?”
“What?
Is she that cool?”
“Cool?
She is indeed cool.”
“By the way, what actually happened on the roof?”
“Don’t change the subject, the guy is about to make a move.”
“…”
In an instant, everyone shut their mouths.
Some even held their breath, perking up their ears, wanting to hear something.
But the distance was too great; other than the sound of the wind, they couldn’t hear a thing.
Hachiman swept his eyes up toward the floors above, and then a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.
He knew exactly what these people wanted to see.
Now, Hachiman and Shikimori were walking right in the center of the atrium.
Hachiman turned, bowed, opened his mouth, all in one smooth motion.
Shikimori responded with a generous smile.
Hachiman seemed to be saying something excitedly.
Shikimori shook her head, offering some words of consolation.
Then, Hachiman turned and walked away, his figure looking desolate.
Shikimori walked away looking forlorn.
Although they couldn’t hear the sound, the onlookers watching from afar had long ago filled in the details in their imaginations.
“The wind has picked up.
It’s a bit loud, I can’t hear the voice clearly.
But the guy seems to be pleading, trying to keep her.
As for the girl…
the girl, her smile is dignified and generous, and her expression carries a hint of apology.”
“Wow, you can even hear the expressions?”
“Idiot, did you grow those eyes for nothing?”
“I think he’s confessing.”
“Right, right, right.”
“F” (Press ‘F’ to pay respects)
“Eh?
The girl refused.”
“Right, right, right.”
“This Hikigaya, truly worthy of being number one on the unpopular list.
He’s still pestering her; it’s disgusting.”
“Right, right, right.
The Goddess refused well.”
“Shikimori-san is too kind.
She’s still comforting him; she’s a true Goddess.”
“What is this?
It’s just a failed confession.
So boring.”
“Indeed.”
“Break it up, break it up.
Nothing to see here.”
Some people, watching this scene, were reminded of their own experiences of being rejected, and their mood for gossiping vanished.
They walked toward their classrooms in despondency.
Who hasn’t had their own “white moonlight”?
Seeing Hikigaya’s failed confession made them think of their own inevitable future rejections.
Piles of sorrowful literary thoughts flashed through their minds, and more people headed to class, silently resolving to bury their love in the depths of their hearts.
The last ones to leave were those looking for entertainment, but as the crowd dispersed, they felt their own behavior was too tedious.
The drafts they had just edited on their phones felt increasingly like burning coals.
What Hikigaya?
What Shikimori?
What the hell is love?
Let’s look at the School Beauty Rankings instead.