Chapter 9: Hikigaya Hachiman Is a Girl in This Worldline…

Himekoji Akito got through the school day without any trouble. The bell signaling the end of classes rang outside the classroom.

He breathed a sigh of relief. After being so active early in the morning, the Perverse Choice System seemed to have finally quieted down. It hadn’t cooked up any more embarrassing or difficult situations for him.

He packed his bag, grabbed the twenty-thousand-word self-reflection essay he’d copied from the internet, and got up to leave the classroom.

“Um…”

A familiar voice seemed to ring out behind his head, like he’d heard it somewhere recently.

But Himekoji didn’t think the owner of that voice was calling for him. Ever since his “awakening” into a pervert—not to brag—it had been ages since anyone actively tried to talk to him, especially not girls.

“Um… Himekoji…?”

Huh? That time, he was pretty sure he heard his name? Must have been mistaken.

He dismissed it offhand. He gave his head a little shake and didn’t even pause his steps. He scooted right past the corner.

“Eh… seriously?”

The girl’s arm stretched out slightly, and she stood rooted to the spot. Though she had been cleanly ignored, Katou Megumi didn’t seem to feel particularly annoyed or anything. It was more like a reflex; just a soft, faint little murmur.

To be fair, you couldn’t really blame Himekoji. It was really because the girl’s presence was too thin. Even when she called his name, her voice was weak, pale, and powerless, like it might disappear if the wind blew on it.

Anyway, today too, for Himekoji Akito, Katou Megumi was a supporting character with zero presence. The cast list probably just lazily labeled her as “Student A”.

In fact, in most anime, to save money, characters like that wouldn’t even have their faces drawn.

When Himekoji Akito reached the office door, he was surprised to see Sensei Shizuka Hiratsuka already dealing with the class’s other handful besides him—

Hikigaya Hachiman.

She was a very powerful, very strange, and very solitary girl.

Most people avoided her intensely. However, Himekoji Akito had one and only one attitude towards her: respect!

Yes, respect! Without any “help” from the System, relying only on her own strength, she had easily achieved the same amazing accomplishment as Himekoji Akito—”no friends, completely alone”!

It was such an abundant and glorious battle achievement!

Exactly!

Himekoji Akito and Hikigaya Hachiman were a pair of clowns in Class 2-B. Right now, through indisputable skill, they were both ranked in Toyonoshi Academy’s Top 5 List for People Best Left to Themselves.

They firmly held the top spots on the blacklist; no one could shake their position.

Recognizing a kindred spirit… so yeah, Himekoji Akito’s attitude toward Hikigaya Hachiman was definitely like that. Because of the choices in his head, Himekoji Akito often did wildly perverted things. So him getting a small lecture from Sensei Hiratsuka every three days and a big lecture every five days was routine. But Hikigaya Hachiman, using her own unique methods, had managed to compete with him, making them practically neck and neck.

Mm, basically what this meant was that both were frequent visitors to the office.

“Your eyes resemble that, don’t they? Like rotten dead fish eyes,” Sensei Hiratsuka said, rapping her fingernail “tap tap tap” on her desk while simultaneously scolding Hikigaya “blah blah blah.”

“Look that rich in DHA? Seems like you’d be pretty smart.”

This was one of the few chances Himekoji had gotten to see the girl actually speak.

Whoa, who’d have thought she could say something this playful and cute? That was his mind’s automatic reaction.

Then, “pfft,” the reaction hit his face, and he couldn’t hold back a laugh.

It immediately attracted Sensei Hiratsuka’s attention:

“Himekoji, quit loitering around the door! Get in here right now and face the wall! I’ll deal with you after I settle Hikigaya!”

Truly a martial-arts-minded female teacher. Open with words like “settle” and “deal with”? So mob-like. Hey, you’re a teacher! Please watch your words!

Himekoji Akito held his self-reflection essay and stood to the side.

But he just leaned lazily against the wall, striking a pose. Actually facing the wall obediently was just too dumb for him…

“You aren’t in any club, are you?”

“Correct.”

Finishing her question for Hikigaya, Sensei Hiratsuka turned and threw the question at Himekoji.

“What about you?”

“Huh? Me? No, I’m not in one, and I don’t plan to be. Clubs are just a bunch of kids with too much energy getting together to amuse themselves and play house, patting themselves on the back. That kind of thing—”

“Didn’t ask for your opinion!”

Sensei Hiratsuka snapped, cutting Himekoji off mid-sentence.

Meanwhile, Hikigaya Hachiman was nodding her head enthusiastically, clearly strongly agreeing.

Come to think seriously, the girl not having friends didn’t seem related to her looks. At least by Himekoji Akito’s taste, Hikigaya Hachiman’s neatly pretty face combined with her dead fish eyes and slightly gloomy personality actually suited his preferences quite well.

Er, okay, he admitted, it was mostly that feeling of mutual recognition, a comrade-like fondness he felt towards a fellow lonely person without friends.

“Alright! It’s decided then!” Sensei Hiratsuka said, rolling the self-reflection essay Himekoji handed in into a tube and smacking it hard onto her palm.

Decided what? Hey, I put effort into copying that twenty-thousand-word reflection from the net! You didn’t even glance at it! Have some respect for my labor! Himekoji Akito complained silently in his head, bit by bit.

“I command you both to take part in Service Activities!” Sensei Hiratsuka finally unveiled her plan. She sprang to her feet, waved an arm, and announced forcefully.

Standing up revealed the teacher’s compact, alluring figure curves in full.

With nothing better to do, Himekoji seriously sized her up for the first time. And then… he noticed something astonishing—

Her legs were gorgeously slender. Encased in tight suit pants, you could still see how long and slim they were.

How rare! Pulling off well-fitted suit pants requires a great, even demanding physique—it’s common knowledge.

When wearing a skirt, the bare legs or tights can easily add suggestive implications.

But suit pants deliberately hide that kind of appeal and often seem drab. If your legs aren’t long, perfect, and with just the right fullness, it ruins the shape of the suit pants themselves and can even look plain ugly.

But the suit pants here were different!

They boasted a perfect symmetry you could call the golden ratio without the slightest exaggeration.

No, not just the legs! Her taut waist drew a captivating curve, one that climbed intriguingly to bulge impressively at the chest…

Wait, was that Mt. Fuji? What a magnificent, grand sight!

The line from her feet to her chest was like a violin, proud of its perfect curve!

My god, were women this high-caliber struggling to get married now? Too fake! Hey, if you’re all going to ignore her, then leave it to me! I’ll give it a shot, unworthy as I am!

This thought lasted right up until Himekoji followed those alluring lines up to Sensei Hiratsuka’s face… Then he jolted sharply, every trace of the thought vanishing instantly.

She was biting the cigarette filter between her teeth like one of the guys, fiercely. Her expression completely clashed with her Yamato Nadeshiko-like quiet looks. And then there was what came out of her mouth—

“Himekoji, do you have a death wish? Feel like I should rip your eyes out?!”

Frankly, Himekoji believed she meant it…