Chapter 4: Observation Is Not Innate
Feeling relatively good, Hikigaya followed the bulletin board's instructions that new students should first attend the opening ceremony in the gymnasium before reporting to their classrooms.
That said, the so-called opening ceremony was just a bunch of useless speeches.
However, Hikigaya still recognized the "mean girl" Horikita Suzune, who had put him in his place at the start of the day. She was standing right beside him. Was she deliberately ignoring him? They had just spoken, and though he knew his presence was low, she was definitely doing it on purpose, right? Absolutely.
Was it because the student council president on the stage was too captivating? That was too unbelievable.
The opening ceremony finally ended. If there was anything successful about it, it was that they weren't forced to stand under the sun and suffer its torment.
As expected of a public school!
Following the instructions of that Horikita-something student council president, their classrooms were in that building. Using the map in the student handbook, Hikigaya quickly found the sign for Class 1-D.
'The next three years will be spent in this class. I hope I don't run into any troublesome people.'
After a moment of silent prayer, the boy finally stepped into the classroom. It seemed he arrived relatively early, as he hadn't been distracted by the useless commercial district on the way, nor did he have any strong desires for the new school. If possible, he just wanted to stay home and become a lifelong househusband.
According to the instructions on the podium, his seat was in the far-left back corner.
'Perfect! This way, I can do things discreetly without being noticed. Sitting in the back row makes me a lucky messenger.'
Hikigaya was naturally very satisfied with this seating arrangement. It not only reduced attention on him but also allowed him to observe every classmate at any time. For someone bad at socializing, this was one of the few ways to gather information.
After finding his seat, the boy didn't linger at the conspicuous podium but quickly went to his spot, hung his bag on the side, and sat down.
Though the class wasn't full yet, and most people sat alone, Hikigaya felt the classroom had a terrifyingly oppressive atmosphere.
A blonde boy had his feet propped on the desk, narcissistically admiring his nails, completely ignoring others. Similarly, a red-haired boy, with comparable muscle mass, had a face that screamed "stay away."
Besides them, there was a blonde ponytail girl who seemed to carry some kind of barrier, and a short-haired girl like Yuigahama, who was already making friends with her sociable nature—the same girl he saw on the bus. Though the classroom wasn't exactly quiet, Hikigaya was curious about who would sit next to him.
'I hope it's not someone particularly troublesome…'
[Sudo: "This is our class, right? I'm not mistaken, am I?"]
[Kushida Kikyo: "When did someone like this show up in our class? I've never seen him."]
[Even someone as socially adept as Kushida Kikyo confirmed she hadn't seen the boy in the video, making the class even more certain they had never seen him in their class.]
[Though they hadn't been together for long, and many didn't truly know each other, even someone with a low presence shouldn't be completely forgotten if they were in the same class.]
[Hirata: "Why, why is this guy named Hikigaya sitting in Ayanokōji's seat?"]
[As a central figure in Class D, Hirata's words instantly made Ayanokōji the focus of the class. At that moment, his seat was exactly the one Hikigaya sat in in the video.]
[However, his reaction was the same as Horikita Suzune's—just a slight shake of his head. Normally, he wasn't a highly noticeable presence in the class, so his reaction didn't disappoint anyone.]
[Should we say that having no expectations prevents disappointment?]
[Ayanokōji Kiyotaka looked at Hikigaya, who had completely replaced him, his expression still unchanged.']
['So, what will you do?']
Hikigaya propped his chin on one hand, slightly closing his eyes but still observing everyone in the class.
'So narcissistic and disregardful of others' opinions, openly showing off. He must be someone hiding his true strength.'
'She seems sociable like Yuigahama, but there's something different. Has she experienced some kind of trauma that made her this way? Like needing friends to feel secure…'
'Not daring to start conversations but trying to go along with others while maintaining some control. Could it be… a history of violence, from family or school? What a pitiful parasite…'
'Such a pretty and cute girl should be in the entertainment industry. Why hide her true self with such clumsy methods? No one could miss that, right?'
'A pathological way of uniting people, just like that Hayama guy… No, maybe even more pathological. This is outright hypocrisy.'
Hikigaya slightly opened his eyes, observing everyone in the class. No matter whose personality it was, with enough observation, he could discern a thing or two.
And Hikigaya was an expert at this.
He roughly guessed the personalities and even thoughts of everyone in the class. Though he couldn't confirm if he was correct, further interactions would verify whether his guesses aligned with reality.
For now, he was more curious about who would sit next to him.
If everyone was as intimidating as these people, spending three years here would be terrifying. He hoped it would be someone simple and cute, like an angel like Saika…
( End of this chapter )