Chapter 11 –Kamuro Masumi
From the dormitory administrator at the front hall, Hikigaya received the key to his room and a dormitory rulebook.
According to the rulebook, male students' rooms are located on the lower floors of the dorm building, while female students' rooms are concentrated on the upper floors.
The fact that both genders share one dorm building was a bit surprising, but there were rules strictly forbidding visits to the opposite sex's rooms at night and prohibiting romantic relationships that are inappropriate for high school students.
Aside from that, most of the rules were about everyday life—things like being careful with electricity, avoiding wasting water, taking out the trash during designated times, and other mundane matters.
After placing his luggage in the room, Hikigaya spent a bit of time cleaning up.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around the room with satisfaction—this place was much better than what he had expected before enrolling.
Each student was assigned a single-person studio-style room.
Though small in size, it was well-equipped and practical.
The setup was clean and tidy, complete with a microwave, refrigerator, air conditioner, and other household appliances. Even the bathroom had a bathtub and a washing machine. It was comfortable—comparable even to hotels advertised as "move-in ready."
After spending a long time cleaning, Hikigaya stood up, put his hand on his shoulder, twisted his neck, and let out a crisp "crack" sound.
Still, the fatigue and drowsiness hadn't lifted much.
This was the moment for the sickeningly sweet MAX Coffee to make its entrance.
Coffee to stay awake. Sugar to recharge energy.
Chiba's soul drink—MAX Coffee. Wipe away your exhaustion and get back to your true self!
Come to think of it, MAX Coffee has caffeine and lots of sweet milk. If it were personified, it'd definitely be sexy. The kind that leans in and says, "You're not getting any sleep tonight ❤," right?
…Has anyone posted a personified MAX Coffee drawing on Pixiv?
Hikigaya left the dorm and happily walked to the convenience store.
He didn't go to the vending machines because, besides the MAX Coffee, he also needed daily necessities like tissues, toothpaste, toothbrush, and body wash.
As he entered, the first thing he saw was a display case with a huge "Free" sign on it, and a senpai student was rummaging through it.
Curious, Hikigaya approached and found it full of daily essentials, with a note on the wall stating, "Maximum three items per month."
To someone unaware of the school's intentionally hidden rules, this setup would seem bizarre and overly generous.
After all, the school had already given each student 100,000 points and was still handing out free goods?
But once you realize that the monthly point distributions could decrease based on performance in special exams, the truth becomes clear: these free items are essentially a welfare system for students who don't earn enough points—those whose class evaluation points have dropped.
Thinking along those lines, maybe the cafeteria also offers some free food.
Hikigaya carefully picked through the products. Since they were free, comfort wasn't expected—like toothbrushes with only passable quality.
Not only that, the free items included many unheard-of brands or unreleased test products.
Finally spotting a brand-name toothpaste, Hikigaya reached out—only to find another boy's hand grabbing it too.
"Ah, sorry."
Not wanting to touch another guy, Hikigaya immediately pulled his hand back.
Come on, normally this is where you and a girl reach for the same item, your hands touch, and a rom-com starts, right?
"No, no, I should be the one apologizing—wait, hey, you're a first-year, aren't you?"
The older student responded politely at first, but upon realizing Hikigaya was a new student, his attitude flipped arrogantly.
To be fair, Hikigaya understood the shift. If he was in the senpai's shoes, he might enjoy the perks too. But when you're the one getting bossed around by senpais using their status, it just sucks.
"You first-years got 100,000 points, right? So don't fight us senpais for free stuff!"
He really emphasized "senpai", trying to sound intimidating—but honestly, it just made him look lame.
After a short standoff, the senpai suddenly relented and pulled his hand back. "Forget it, I'll be generous and let you have the toothpaste. You clueless little freshmen. Hahaha…"
He laughed loudly and walked away.
Hikigaya, holding the toothpaste, knew the senpai was just trying to mess with the new students.
But Hikigaya already knew about the hidden school rules, so he wasn't bothered.
In any case, getting free stuff meant more points saved.
Frugality—an essential skill for any househusband!
As he was putting the free items into his shopping basket, Hikigaya noticed a girl standing in the corner.
She stood with arms crossed, frowning at the display.
Long purple hair tied in a side ponytail, two hairpins on her bangs—giving her a sharp, capable look. She was slim, tall, with long, firm legs that could be called golden ratio perfection.
But it wasn't just her legs—her waist was slender, her curves smooth, ending at a chest that completed her sculpture-like figure. If not for the cold, slightly disdainful expression on her face, she'd probably be even more popular.
No, that cold look might even enhance her appeal—it stirred a man's desire to conquer. Like Venus de Milo's missing arms, the flaw made her even more goddess-like.
Looking at her snowy white long legs, Hikigaya remembered—"That girl... she's from Class A…"
She had been standing at the shelf for a while, not picking anything, just glancing around nervously like she was waiting for a chance.
Hey, hey, hey—what's she planning? Don't tell me she's gonna steal something? There's a hidden camera above you, y'know.
She scanned the surroundings, then suddenly grabbed a can of beer and tried to slip it into her bag.
Without thinking, Hikigaya stepped forward to interrupt.
"Um, excuse me!"
"Wah?!"
Startled by someone suddenly talking to her, the girl flinched and quickly returned the beer to the shelf.
Just in time.
"Hey, do you know where the MAX Coffee is?"
"T-That stuff? Never heard of it…"
She glanced at Hikigaya and, deciding he wasn't a threat, responded irritably.
Since they were in the same class, Hikigaya figured he'd better say something before she caused the class to lose points—protecting his own savings, after all.
He paused for two seconds, then added, "…You know minors aren't allowed to drink alcohol, right?"
"Huh—? I-I don't know what you're talking about…"
Her eyes darted nervously, sweat forming on her forehead.
"Whew—" Hikigaya sighed, saying nothing more, and picked up the beer.
"Ugh… Y-You saw that?"
Her face twisted in embarrassment. She was so easy to read.
"Not just me," Hikigaya said, pointing up toward the shelf—where a hidden camera was tucked behind a promo sign. Easy to miss unless you looked closely.
"Huh?" She looked up and clearly hadn't noticed the camera before. Surprised, she still tried to act tough. "T-That has nothing to do with you."
"We're in the same class, you know. There's still that behavior assessment test going on. If you really wanted to drink, there were better ways than that."
"…Wait, you're in Class A too?"
I was about to ask you the same thing. Isn't Class A supposed to be full of elite students?
…Did that interviewer put you in the wrong class by mistake?
While Hikigaya was thinking, the girl casually said, "Whatever. I'm Kamuro Masumi. You?"
Talk about thick-skinned.
Normally, if someone calls you out for stealing, you'd be embarrassed or angry. But this girl just goes, "Hi, I'm Kamuro!" Like she wants to be remembered.
"I'm Hikigaya Hachiman."
"Hikigu… Hikitani? Anyway, thanks. I owe you one."
With that awkward line, Kamuro turned and walked toward the store exit.
"Wait…"
But she acted like she didn't hear him and walked off quickly. After hesitating, Hikigaya eventually decided to toss that can of beer into his basket.
At the checkout counter, the clerk scanned items until reaching the beer at the bottom, giving Hikigaya a troubled but polite smile.
"Sorry, students underage can't purchase beer."
Tch. Guess I couldn't sneak it through.
"...Any way we can work something out? I'll... pay extra."
Damn it, why am I buying this beer with my own money and being treated like a sketchy customer? Is this a punishment game?
The clerk gave a knowing smile. "Oh? What do you have in mind? Just so you know, even if you give me all 100,000 points, I still can't break the underage rule."
"No, that's not it. I just want you to buy it and give it to me after. That's all."
"I see—bypassing the rule by using an 'adult'... interesting idea. That'll be 5,000 points."
After ringing up the rest, the clerk took out his phone, used his own points to buy the beer, and showed Hikigaya the receipt.
The screen read: "Beer, one can – 500 points."
Hikigaya twitched at the 10x markup.
The clerk put the beer in a black plastic bag, motioned for Hikigaya to follow him into a dark room.
"This is the staff locker room. No cameras here."
He handed the beer to Hikigaya, then gave him a card with a QR code. "Pay here. It's an untraceable point card. You can get these at the electronics shop—only a few hundred points."
Then he pulled an identical beer from a locker, chugged it, crushed the can, and tossed it in the store trash.
"All done."
"…Thanks."
Walking out with mixed feelings, Hikigaya heard "Please come again" behind him and sighed.
Even if the price was ten times higher… you can buy alcohol. And with those untraceable point cards, you could probably buy even shadier stuff.
Felt like he'd glimpsed the school's dark underbelly.
Wouldn't be surprised if one day someone drugged a rival to win.
"Hey, Hikiguro…"
On the way back to the dorm, Kamuro suddenly called out behind him.
Hikigaya turned around—she'd caught up to him.
"It's Hikigaya. Didn't you leave first?"
"No way. I was just waiting outside."
"Perfect, here you go."
He handed her the black bag.
"Why did you buy this? I didn't even want the beer."
She peeked inside and made a strange face.
"Then why did you…"
"…Try to steal it, right? Actually, I've always been pressured by my parents to study things I hated and get top rankings. It built up so much pressure that I started shoplifting. I'd always leave money or return the item afterward…
It's not that I wanted the item. I just enjoyed the thrill.
I owe you because you helped me back there and stopped our class from getting penalized. But now you're holding a secret that could get me expelled… So? Gonna blackmail me?"
"Who offers themselves up to be blackmailed?!"
"You're… not going to?"
Why do you sound disappointed?
"Hmm? I-It's just… thinking about being ordered around by a deadfish-eyed classmate with zero presence—it's weird, but kind of thrilling… N-Never mind."
What the hell are you saying? Are you me being asked by a barber what hairstyle I want?
Speak clearly, dammit.