Haichiman's Super Strength

Gym No. 1

By the time Hikigaya Hachiman arrived, most of the students were already present.

He quickly found the queue for Class B and positioned himself in the last row, keeping a reasonable distance—three spots behind the others. They seemed to be part of a group, yet there was an unspoken rift, a subtle hesitation in their camaraderie.

At least, that was the impression he got from his brief conversation with Hoshinomiya-sensei earlier.

Not that it mattered.

Hikigaya had no intention of socializing with Class B anyway.

After all, Ichinose and the others were outstanding students. They had likely figured out everything already. And even if they hadn't, they'd realize soon enough.

Besides, Class B had a strong foundation at the start of the school year. With competent classmates like them, the logical choice was to hold onto Ichinose's coattails, ride the wave to Class A, and work toward securing 20 million personal points.

"Man, this school's management is ridiculously loose."

Listening to the principal's endless speech, Hikigaya found himself zoning out. His gaze wandered absently, scanning the surroundings.

Class A and Class B stood in neat formation.

In contrast, Class C and Class D were a mess—some students chatting, others not even pretending to listen, all while the principal continued his speech as if nothing was happening.

Nobody stopped them.

It seemed the school really did operate under a unique set of rules.

Hikigaya sighed and resigned himself to his usual skill—time acceleration, one of his 108 secret techniques. It helped him endure boredom without even realizing it.

Honestly, though, this school had a ridiculously high level of attractiveness.

If he were still in middle school, he'd have already broken a personal record for the number of times he'd been dumped.

And just like that, the opening ceremony ended.

Hikigaya turned on his heel, making his exit.

It wasn't that he didn't want to interact with Class B. But when he recalled Ichika's hesitant glances earlier, it only reinforced his distaste for social cliques.

A Lone Wolf Meets Another

Hikigaya wasn't the only one with this mindset.

As he moved with the dispersing crowd, his gaze landed on a particular figure up ahead—a guy with a strangely styled, slicked-back haircut that somewhat resembled a flying fish.

Good grief.

The guy moved quickly, even faster than Hikigaya himself. A fellow lone wolf?

A kindred spirit who had mastered the art of blending in and avoiding attention?

No.

Just like how Stand users attract other Stand users—lone wolves attract other lone wolves.

There was no escaping Hikigaya's observational prowess.

He stared blankly at the flying fish head in front of him.

For no particular reason.

Simply because he was bored.

Four strands of hair stuck out slightly, swaying as he walked. The texture looked smooth—clearly, he had washed his hair recently. A sign of someone who led a relatively high-quality, disciplined life.

Similar to himself.

A fellow ultimate lone wolf.

What a completely useless observation.

And then—

The flying fish head suddenly turned around.

Their gazes met.

Two pairs of lifeless, dead-fish eyes locked onto each other.

An Unspoken Exchange

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes slightly.

As someone who had grown up in the White Room, raised under constant surveillance, he had developed an extreme sensitivity to being watched.

And ever since earlier—this guy had been staring at him.

Unapologetically.

Without even attempting to be subtle.

Something felt off.

Had he been exposed already, on the very first day of school? Or was there some particular trait about him that stood out from ordinary students?

Ayanokouji tensed slightly.

He had studied a vast amount of theoretical knowledge, yet his social experience was nonexistent. Even his understanding of 'ordinary people' came solely from books.

Could this be…

A stalker?

That was a thing, right?

No, that couldn't be.

He was a guy, after all.

But then again, he had read about people with unusual tastes.

No way.

This was his first day here. Less than two hours in.

And he was already being targeted?

Was the outside world really this terrifying?

A cold shiver ran down his spine.

For the first time in a long while, Ayanokouji felt something close to fear.

It was strange. He thought he had long since discarded such emotions.

Yet now—instinctively—he felt uneasy.

Still, he remained silent. He didn't know how to initiate a conversation. The best course of action was to let the other person speak first and then use his accumulated knowledge to steer the conversation.

Meanwhile—

Hikigaya was equally perplexed.

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

He just turned around and started staring right back at him.

Was there something weird on his face?

No, that couldn't be it.

He was pretty diligent about hygiene, even if people had once told him he smelled like sweat. He made sure to wash himself thoroughly these days.

And it wasn't like he had met any girls today, so there was no reason for him to be nervous enough to sweat.

Then what was this dude's problem?

If he had something to say, he could just say it.

Why just…stare?

Was he crazy?

The surrounding students moved along, dispersing as the two of them continued their silent standoff.

Neither willing to speak first.

Eventually—

Hikigaya gave a small nod.

Ayanokouji, almost instinctively, mirrored the action.

Then Hikigaya simply walked past him.

It was as if they had exchanged some kind of secret code.

"???"

Ayanokouji stood frozen, his mind flooded with questions.

What… what did that even mean?

He had read numerous books, but none had prepared him for something like this.

Convenience Store Musings

Meanwhile, Hikigaya walked away, muttering under his breath.

"What a weirdo."

In the past, people had either ignored him or outright insulted him. This was a first—someone just silently staring back.

Truly a man of culture.

He entered a nearby convenience store.

Shelves lined with various daily necessities greeted him, with a noticeable "FREE" sign displayed prominently.

Ah.

So this was an insurance policy for those who lost all their personal points.

Still, the quality wasn't bad.

Though these brands weren't commonly seen in the market, they were well-known names—most likely experimental products being tested on students.

It made sense. Running an elite school of this scale required massive funding. Collaborating with major corporations for product testing was an obvious strategy.

Hikigaya wasn't particularly bothered.

As long as it was safe enough to reach the launch phase, there wasn't much to worry about. Big companies wouldn't risk their reputations.

Besides, even if there were some issues, at worst, he could probably sue and make a fortune.

And with Ichinose around, there was no real rush to earn personal points.

Hikigaya casually tossed a few items into his basket.

Just then—

A slender, pale hand reached for the same shampoo bottle he was about to pick up.

To be continued…