Hachiman Hikigaya felt nothing but calm.
The bus lurched forward along the road.
Utterly bored, Hachiman slipped into his usual "human-watching" mode.
First, his seat neighbor: waist-length straight black hair with a bow and thin braid on the right side, fox-like violet-pink eyes, and an ice-queen aura that screamed "don't talk to me."
She held a dark-blue hardcover that looked plainly serious.
Nietzsche's *The Antichrist*?
Hachiman had actually read it.
Back in his second year of middle school, just to be contrarian.
He'd hunted through the farthest corner of the library for foreign literature most students would never touch.
His classmates decided he was reading some chuunibyou dark-magic grimoire… nonsense!
Diaries of the gods, world-government reports—he'd sealed that stuff away ages ago.
To hide his embarrassment, he forced himself to finish *The Antichrist*.
Honestly, the book's dissection of human nature and good versus evil was pretty interesting.
At some point, the bus cabin started to stir.
The cause: a "suspicious old lady" boarding. Why suspicious?
This was the Koudo Ikusei charter bus; most passengers were students, plus a few adult staff. An infirm grandma made no sense.
"Um, could you give up your seat?"
A short-haired, busty girl in puffy clothes asked the boy in the priority seat: "This is the courtesy seat; the elderly should have it, right?"
"Oh, pretty girl~"
"Courtesy seat or not, the law doesn't force anyone to move."
The tall blond, arms folded, legs crossed, bag on the next seat, hogged two priority chairs like a tyrant.
Where did this arrogant young master come from?
"I should move just because I'm young?"
"Ha! Ridiculous."
"Even if I'm young, standing wastes more energy than sitting."
"Why do something pointless and unrewarding?"
The blond prince rattled on, glancing at the old woman with a sneer.
So he'd noticed too.
Hachiman had also found the grandma dubious.
She seemed frail, but her cheeks were ruddy—clearly a pension-rich, sprightly senior.
"But it could count as social contribution."
"And she looks so uncomfortable."
The short-haired, big-chested girl blinked her watery eyes in worry.
Her kindness instantly won the other passengers' favor.
Helping the old lady while polishing her own image… was he being too cynical? Hachiman's dead fish eyes narrowed.
Two not-so-bright boys started to stand in support, but facing the 180 cm, muscle-packed blond, they shrank back.
"I'm not interested in social contribution."
"Besides, what about everyone in regular seats?"
With a hair-gel flourish, the blond flicked back his bangs and swept his gaze through the cabin.
He pretended to shift blame while testing who else saw through the grandma's act.
Most passengers averted their eyes, minding their own business.
Not wanting trouble, Hachiman looked away too.
Across the aisle, he spotted an expressionless boy doing the same "human-watching."
A kindred spirit?
Hachiman felt an immediate urge to befriend him.
The poker-faced boy sensed the stare and turned his icy, soulless eyes.
"!!!"
Hachiman felt a demon glance back; he jerked his head aside.
D-dangerous!
What was that thing?
A mannequin wearing a high-school skin?
Instinct screamed: stay far, far away!
The expressionless boy studied Hachiman a moment, unsure, then the short-haired, busty girl pleaded again:
"Would anyone be willing to give up a seat for this grandma?"
"I will!"
Hachiman Hikigaya sprang from his seat like a launched rocket.
First Year, First Semester: 002 – Class 1-D
The old woman thanked him, her tremor magically gone, and swiftly claimed the seat Hachiman had vacated.
Far from earning anyone's goodwill, the do-gooder Hachiman was met with looks reserved for fools.
Perfectly normal.
After all, the busty short-haired girl and the blond prince had been negotiating for several minutes; a truly decent person would have stood up long ago. Waiting until now was pure hypocrisy.
In truth, Hachiman thought the same. He hadn't given up his seat for the "sprightly senior"; he'd only wanted to avoid a certain "dangerous life-form."
"Um… thank you for just now."
The short-haired, well-endowed girl approached him.
"No, I'd just been sitting too long and felt carsick; I needed to stand."
Hachiman brushed her off.
"Are you all right, classmate?"
"Do you need me to steady you?"
The short-haired, busty girl batted her big eyes, performing concern once more.
"I'm fine."
Hachiman hastily dodged the hand reaching for him.
Like hell!
Couldn't she see the hostile glares from every guy around?
Especially those two "not-so-bright-looking" dudes now wore green-eyed jealousy, itching to swallow him alive.
Misery… His dead fish eyes drifted to the bus window.
The coach rolled across a sea bridge, revealing a vast artificial island.
A gate of marble columns looked impressively grand.
Hachiman raised an eyebrow, increasingly convinced that this high school—Koudo Ikusei—was off.
The bus stopped at the gate.
Passengers filed out, students cheering in excitement.
"So we're stuck here for the next three years?"
Hachiman slouched, radiating listlessness, his dead fish eyes darker than ever.
You've got to be kidding.
Three whole years without seeing his adorable little sister—worse than Pain's "how many floors for one bag of rice"!
Maybe commit some petty crime, get locked up; at least his sister could visit… He weighed the pros and cons.
"Starting school this apathetic—how did the interviewer ever pass you?"
The black-haired ice-queen opened with a venomous tongue.
"Yeah, I've been wondering the same."
Hachiman nodded in agreement.
To fight his parents' disregard for his wishes, he'd deliberately tanked the interview.
When asked about his hopes for the school and future dreams…
He'd blurted that he looked forward to meeting high-quality females on campus, then declared his ambition to become a househusband and find a future wife here. He still remembered the interviewer's face as if force-fed excrement—sure rejection.
A 99% guarantee Koudo Ikusei would toss his application!
Hachiman didn't even want this weird place.
With his decent entrance scores, attending nearby Sobu High School would be fine.
Maybe he'd even find his "genuine thing" there—slim chance, but still.
Yet, unbelievably, Koudo Ikusei admitted him.
Such a disastrous interview—passed.
Surely the school wasn't doing it on purpose…
Like recruiting oddballs for biodiversity to simulate society—
"By the way, that glance you shot me on the bus—what did it mean?"
The black-haired girl's words snapped him back.
If you weren't looking at me, how would you know I was looking at you?
Logic, but Hachiman didn't want a quarrel. He went for the safest line: "If I offended you, I apologize."
"That's not what I meant…"
His meekness left her razor tongue without a target.
"Why did you offer that old woman your seat?"
Another random question.
"Frankly, I sensed you never intended to give it up—so why did you?"
"What's your reason, then?"
Hachiman never answers obediently.
"I withheld my seat because I act on conviction."
The black-haired ice-queen declared righteously.
That sounded even colder.
(End of Chapter 2 excerpt)