Chapter 6 - Shiina Hiyori
"Sorry, I'm afraid of pain, so please allow me to refuse."
"How boring. Shiina, you stay and chat with him, I'm leaving." Ryuen glanced at Shiina, whose expression remained calm. "He seems to have a lot of novels on his desk. Haven't you always wanted a reading buddy?"
Most students in Class C are athletic types; Shiina Hiyori, who liked spending time in the library, was an outlier. Seeing her always alone, Ryuen had tried to bring her into his group, but noticing her discomfort, he gave up.
Without waiting for her reply, Ryuen left the dorm and shut the door forcefully behind him. The room was now left with only Hikigaya Hachiman and Shiina Hiyori, staring silently at each other.
Her long silver hair flowed down her back, tied in two places with small black ribbons. Her delicate face, usually expressionless, now appeared unsure. Under the white light, her pale skin seemed translucent.
If Shiina Hiyori weren't currently looking at him with a lost expression, Hikigaya felt he could stare at her like this for half an hour—maybe even a full hour.
"What kind of books do you like? I personally prefer literary works."
Shiina, still standing, showed no intention of leaving. Hikigaya realized she indeed wanted a reading companion, just as Ryuen said. Because of her willingness to stay, he didn't have the heart to ask her to leave.
Following his lead, Shiina sat at the desk. There were a few recently borrowed library books scattered on top, made messy from where Ryuen had previously sat.
"The one I just re-read is this, I Am a Cat by Natsume Sōseki." Standing beside her, Hikigaya picked up the book he had been reading last night and placed it in front of her.
Because he stood on her right side, he couldn't see her face clearly, but Shiina gradually relaxed, and the hands she had placed tensely on her lap rose to open the book in front of her.
Familiar passages brought back memories of when she read it before. "So nostalgic. I first read this during summer vacation in my first year of middle school."
Back then, due to her discomfort around people, she had no friends. She spent her time quietly reading beside her father in his study. Her father, a disheveled writer frantically meeting deadlines, was her companion during holidays.
Would Hikigaya be willing to become her next companion?
"You were reading literary works already in first year of middle school? Impressive. I was still mostly reading light novels back then." Hikigaya's voice was low and warm, as if reminiscing.
"I think it wasn't until second year that I got into literature. Do you have any recommendations, Shiina?"
"Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler." Her voice lifted noticeably, carrying traces of excitement.
"There's been a Raymond Chandler craze among second-years lately. I had to visit the library several times before I finally managed to borrow it. It's a really fascinating book."
"Is that so? Then I definitely have to read it. Maybe I can get it from you the day after tomorrow—Saturday?" As student council secretary, Hikigaya remembered he had to start work after school tomorrow, with no idea how busy he'd be.
"I can go get it now from my room."
"No need to go to all that trouble. Running back and forth just to get me a book—if you pamper me like this, I might turn useless."
"You're exaggerating, Hikigaya-kun." Pressed back into the chair by him, Shiina's excitement cooled slightly. "I'll bring it tomorrow."
"Sounds good, sounds good."
After that, Shiina enthusiastically discussed books they'd both read. Although Hikigaya wasn't used to it, he tried his best to respond. Time flew by.
Eventually, Shiina noticed him occasionally checking the time on his phone. Apologizing, she finally left. At the door, she said she'd definitely bring the book tomorrow, clearly reluctant to part.
.
.
.
It was past 9:00 PM now. The time spent discussing books with Shiina had taken more than twice as long as the earlier meeting with Ryuen. The consequence was his phone now buzzing with several impatient messages from Kushida, increasingly blunt in tone.
After replying to Kushida's message, a knock soon came at the door. When he opened it, Kushida, along with Hirata Yosuke and Horikita Suzune, were outside. All three were still in their uniforms—probably hadn't bathed yet.
"You sure made us wait, Loyal Hikigaya-kun."
"Hey, hey, don't give me weird nicknames."
"You're the weird one. Now, how should I describe your strange behavior the other day..."
"Sorry, my bad. Come in, please."
Defeated, Hikigaya didn't hesitate to apologize. Hirata and Horikita sat at the edge of the bed while he and Kushida stood before them.
"I called you all here to sell some intel to Class D. The price is two million private points. I'll leave the point collection to you guys, with Kushida helping out, of course."
He didn't intend to hide the fact that he was planning to change classes—nor could he hide it. Hirata and Horikita were the ones he wanted to push forward as future Class D leaders.
Hirata, a helpful person with broad social connections and charisma, tended to waver when the class was under pressure.
Horikita, on the other hand, had sharp observational skills and an unyielding attitude, but lacked social adaptability and couldn't integrate with the group.
Hikigaya hoped the two could learn from each other through cooperation and lead Class D forward. Despite having some annoying classmates, Class D had some good people too.
"Are you switching classes? Did Yamauchi do something to upset you? I can apologize on his behalf."
Hirata's previously smiling face turned grim. In the past, he had caused his class to fall apart—a trauma he still carried.
It started when a friend of his was bullied and committed suicide. Wracked with guilt, Hirata ruled his class through merciless violence to eliminate bullying. When classmates argued, he punished both parties equally, often with physical force. Slowly, bullying disappeared.
But at the same time, the students changed—they became robotic. There were no more laughs between classes, and even communication grew scarce. No one dared say the wrong thing for fear of punishment.
Without a doubt, he had failed. Since coming to this school, he had tried to start over, guiding classmates through kindness and selflessness.
"It's not that I hate Yamauchi that much. The problem is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka—he's a monster I absolutely cannot coexist with."
From the first day of school, Hikigaya had been quietly observing Ayanokouji's words and actions, trying to infer his thoughts. Comparing them with past memories, he concluded that Ayanokouji was now only human in appearance.
"He has logic but no emotion. Right now, he's just studying how to be a human being. We might just be stepping stones for his growth."