Uneasy daily life

Damn it! The eyes of the entire classroom are probably on me... Hiss! I can even feel a familiar, more confused, and more wary gaze... It's probably Yuihama.

"Oh."

Hachiman Hikigaya responded.

The girl continued to look at him, only slightly raising her eyebrows, but still didn't speak, as if the first greeting was an illusion.

Something's off about this guy!

Hachiman Hikigaya is on high alert.

Ha! Want to compete in meditation? I'm the kind of person who can compress eight hours into a single moment! I'm probably at the level where I can sit from a monk into a bodhisattva!

Whatever your purpose, I—

They would run away first, and only admit defeat and surrender if they couldn't escape!

not talking?

After I finish eating, I'll say I need to go to the toilet.

"9527! Halt!"

"Ugh?!"

"Sniff sniff—restless boys, clenched teeth girls, silent girls, this is the smell of a battleground!"

"what?!"

Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly realized that his plan had instantly turned into chaos after being mixed with a small variable.

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Debate in the Shura Field!

The atmosphere in the classroom was a little strange.

First, the ordinary people were surprised to discover that there was another student in the class named Hachiman, who was almost invisible on weekdays.

Secondly, the Hayama-Miura social circle was surprised. If you look closely, you'll see they were all surprised. I know you're probably wondering why they were surprised. As a group that more or less considers Hayama their brother and second only to him in popularity, they were naturally surprised to find that someone as unsociable and withdrawn as Hachiman was being pursued by beautiful girls.

What? You don't quite understand? You must have all sorts of classic books at home, right? With so many books, you must have a deep reading background, right? Of course, I know you haven't read them. What I mean is—when you first buy a book, you probably feel a sense of accomplishment that you're no less than the author, just that you haven't written a book.

Then there were us, representing the onlookers, gossiping at the entrance, forming another circle. We were probably a bit too loud, which made others feel strange...

Angelina quickly took a half step back to draw a line, reducing the number of people peeking out from the back door of the classroom from two to one.

As expected! I shouldn't have been distracted yesterday and so carelessly accepted the officer's terrible invitation!

I already feel hopeless about life before rehearsals have even started!

"So how will things unfold next? What methods will Hachiman, who has unknowingly become the protagonist, use?"

Bai Ying pondered with a deep expression, "I guess he wanted to finish eating quickly so he could say he needed to use the restroom and get away smoothly. After all, unless there's a deep-seated hatred, no one would stop someone who needs to use the restroom."

Angelina silently took another step back.

He choked.

Hachiman Hikigaya forced down a bite of bread. "N-no problem," he thought, "the department head's arrived just in time. As a natural spotlight, everyone's attention is drawn to him. This is the perfect opportunity to seize the moment, finish eating quickly, and then..."

"Or slip away quietly while everyone is watching me."

The white figure pushed up non-existent glasses, revealing a wise look in its eyes.

Hachiman Hikigaya has received more attention.

"..."

Hachiman Hikigaya calmed down, finished his bread with composure, and was about to leave by getting up to throw away the plastic bag containing the bread.

"Hey, is that your friend?" the strange girl asked curiously, as if she had timed it perfectly.

First, let's rule out the possibility that she's talking to me... Wait! This is an opportunity to pull myself out of the spotlight!

Hachiman Hikigaya's mind raced, and he quickly replied, "The minister can see anyone as a friend."

Why aren't you replying? Huh?!

Hachiman Hikigaya sensed something was wrong and followed the other person's gaze—the strange girl seemed to be facing him, but in reality, she was looking past him and meeting the eyes of Yui Yuigahama from the popular dating scene.

Ah...Lian...There was a time like that. I wasn't paying attention and suddenly heard a sigh. I thought it was being said to me, so I subconsciously echoed it. When I turned around, I saw two people.

Ding!

HP-1.

As expected, they weren't talking to me. I was mentally prepared, so I wasn't too embarrassed, and even felt a bit relieved. They definitely weren't looking for me, hahaha...

As Hachiman Hikigaya prepared to distance himself from the situation, Yui Yuigahama stepped forward and asked with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, "Excuse me, do you know... Hachiman?"

Huh? Wait, Yuihama, what are you doing? You think not using a nickname makes it seem like we're not close?!

No need to call roll!

"Of course I know you, but Hachiman probably doesn't know me." The girl chuckled softly, her tone carrying a nonchalant, troubled air. "After all, it's quite difficult to take the initiative to talk to someone. You don't know when the other person will be in a good mood, or what attitude to use. Hachiman doesn't know many people, and I'm also the rather withdrawn and socially awkward type... It took a lot of determination for me to come find Hachiman this time—are you really going to run away?"

"?"

Hachiman Hikigaya gave an unnatural laugh, then quickly composed himself—calm down! What am I laughing at? Using my expression to hide my thoughts of running away? The other person isn't talking to me, they're talking to Yui Hama. Anyway, I need to find the time machine first…

What kind of social anxiety or isolation do you have? Do you have a problem with your understanding of the difficulty of social interaction?

Isn't it much harder to just walk into another classroom and stare at someone than to approach them and strike up a normal conversation?

Yui Yuigahama's eye twitched slightly, and a strange sense of crisis and urgency welled up inside her: "Hachi has quite a few friends, like this Shiro..."

"That's right! It's me!" Bai Ying strode into the classroom through the back door, glaring at the girl and demanding in a spirited voice, "Who are you? What's your relationship with Xiao Qi? What do you want?!"

Good! As expected of Xiaobai, you dare to ask such questions directly, it's like you've spoken your mind... Why is that a girl's voice? It can't be my voice, right?

Yui Yuigahama stared in horror at the white figure.

Right? Newbie?!

Bai Ying gave her a thumbs up and grinned.

Guah!

Yui Yuigahama felt her legs tremble slightly and her blood rush to her head, but since it wasn't something she had said, it was only natural for Shiro to do some strange things, and no one would misunderstand! It wasn't a big problem!

“My name isn’t important. As a plain, nobody, no one would usually notice me.” The stranger looked away and glanced at Hachiman Hikigaya, who was walking towards the trash can. Her indifferent tone carried a hint of melancholy. “I’m a reclusive and eccentric person. I’m someone who stays away from everyone else. I’m someone who’s tired of getting to know others. I used to think that finding friends was very important, but then I came to hate the idea of ​​finding friends… because taking the initiative means failure, and failure means pain.”

Yuigahama Yui: “?”

Which version of small business school is this?

Bai Ying said solemnly, "I see, it's a confession scene."

The onlookers were taken aback.

Hachiman Hikigaya: "Uh... is this a rehearsal for a theatrical recitation? Speaking of which, the school festival is coming up soon."

The onlookers are just laughing.

"That's right, this is a rehearsal for a recitation drama."

The girl's tone softened. She gently pressed her left hand to her chest, raised her right hand towards Hachiman Hikigaya, and her bright eyes became slightly misty. In a cold voice, she read, "I, who am no longer willing to take the initiative, only believe in love at first sight between two souls. In that instant of realization, I knew that you felt the same way—passion made me impulsive for a long time. Taking off my glasses and combing my hair wasn't to disguise myself, but to give you another appearance..."

"I should pretend to meet you by chance, but I loathe this cunning and deceit. I should cleverly use the threads between people to get closer to you indirectly, but I suffer from this deliberate and insidious manipulation..."

Hachiman Hikigaya unconsciously took a half step back, his heart filled with dread.

The girl took a half step forward, then suddenly stepped back, her gaze still fixed straight ahead: "I finally understand, and that's why I'm here—I should forge ahead without hesitation, ignoring the gazes of others as always, as lofty and awe-inspiring as a snow-capped mountain range, unstoppable in my presence, making you hesitate and feign composure as you ask..."

"Can we be friends?"

A very simple sentence, almost like a pickup line.

Boldness and sincerity can be condensed into classic declarations of love, or expanded into a lonely love poem.

"?!"

Hachiman Hikigaya noticed that his heart was beating a little faster.

Huh? You're the kind of person who believes in love at first sight? You just randomly popped in without saying a word, waiting for me to fall in love at first sight? That logic is just too absurd!

First, I refuse to initiate interpersonal interactions—I prefer a passive approach.

Let's say I want to initiate social interaction—in a persuasive way.

Combining both conditions... it seems we can indeed conclude that I like love at first sight?

No, impossible! How could I, a lone wolf, do something like that—just popping into a conversation with a pretty girl I see? Hachiman, Hachiman, have you forgotten the tragedy of your past foolish actions…?

Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but take another half step back, his mind frantically searching for ways to solve the problem, but this problem was too difficult, completely outside the scope of life's lessons!

I guess I should just pretend I need to pee and gloss over everything! Or I could call the minister—and have him stir things up into chaos!

"So that's how it is, it's a confession showdown-style battleground? Assistant? Assistant?! 9527?! Too long to say?! Sorry, you are—seriously, where did you go slacking off? You're only showing up now!"

The referee grumbled a few words to his assistant in dissatisfaction, then cleared his throat: "The affirmative debater has finished speaking. The negative debater... the negative debater? Why isn't the Deadly Chef saying a word?"

"what?"

The villainous debater paused for a moment, looking rather dim-witted.

"What kind of debater are you? A real debate should be a back-and-forth exchange between the two sides on stage, seemingly as turbulent as a stormy sea, but with a calm, deep ocean beneath, while the audience below is filled with fervor, gritting their teeth, wishing they could send their mouths up to tear each other apart..."

The referee straightened his clothes, pushed aside the stunned opposing debaters, and rushed onto the track.

"Love at first sight should be a kind of accidental, fateful coincidence and encounter, not something that one deliberately pushes, but rather something that comes from a passive arrangement. Is that what the affirmative debater means?"

The referee spoke up, addressing the opposing side.

“Of course,” the affirmative debater replied.

"Objection! Choosing the lunch break, when the audience is full, to barge into the classroom and deliberately approach the debater, attempting to make him fall in love at first sight, already goes against the principles of chance and fateful coincidence and encounter!"

The referee pointed a finger: "You've violated your own logic!"

Then he reached out and grabbed the stunned head of the debater, and nodded it a few times to show his agreement.

Although Mr. Debate seemed to agree.

"Because I can't forget him, and I'm waiting for luck to smile upon me." The affirmative debater said softly, full of emotion, "I understand him, so I don't want to deceive him, so I'll lay everything bare. I understand him, so I want to amaze him, so I'll show myself and bet he'll fall in love at first sight—why should I care about the gaze of those who have never looked at me directly, why should I let the atmosphere I've never set foot in control of my mind...I'm laying my heart out in front of you, isn't that the truth?"

Mr. Debate was a little confused, unsure whether to shake his head or nod, perhaps his mind was already in a state of utter confusion.

The referee reached out and shook his head in his defense.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Debate does not think so. I hereby declare the opposing debater the loser!"

The affirmative debater seemed to be angered by this answer that was both judge and contestant. She lowered her voice and attacked directly: "Aren't you the same? You deliberately used the guise of joining a club to get close to people!"

"It wasn't me, I didn't do it, don't talk nonsense!"

The referee turned to the opposing team and used a provocation tactic: "Opposing debater, why are you just watching?!"

The opposing debater stammered, seemingly still unorganized.

"Are you all in cahoots? Disturbing the peace and quiet here in the middle of the day!"

The audience member, her blood boiling and teeth clenched, slammed her fist on the table and charged onto the debate stage with her mouth agape!

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Explode! You social butterfly!

"you are?"

The girl's tone was slightly raised, carrying a kind of questioning that was not sharp, but rather indifferent.

Audience member Yumiko Miura instantly became furious, sensing something very familiar—she had already made her stance clear through her tone and expression, launching a powerful attack, only to be met with a dismissive "Oh." attitude, emphasizing that her attack hadn't angered the other party.

"Yui's friend, Miura Yumiko! What are you doing in someone else's class?!"

The audience was aggressive.

"Alright! Here comes the temporary opposing debater, Miura Yumiko!" The judge temporarily removed her judge's robes. "I see! So you're using a 'marginal tactic'? Confessing your feelings to the man in public is somewhat like using the atmosphere to pressure him into agreeing. Either you have ulterior motives, or you're just being foolish and not being sincere!"

Temporary opposing debater: "?"

Is this what I mean?

"Go with the flow, don't spoil the fun—I'm not interested in this kind of thing." The girl sighed softly, only casting a look of mixed resentment and delight at the debate topic. "I'm not interested in people hiding behind others, or groups of people, as long as you understand..."

The referee, grabbing the stunned debater, enthusiastically proclaimed, "Oh! Is this a direct attack? How will the opposing debater respond..."