"[scared]Whoa!?" I jolted awake. My heart was pounding. I felt like I'd had some weird dream, but I couldn't remember it anymore. My room was the same as always. Light novels piled up on my bed, the half-read *How to Live Without Reading the Room* lying on the floor. Morning light blazed through the gap in the curtains. "…Hah." Another day begins. Depressing. I, Hachiman Hikigaya, stared at the ceiling without doing anything in particular. My unkempt black, frizzy hair fell into my eyes. The usual. With eyes like a dead fish, I glanced blankly at the clock. 7:43 AM. (*Ugh, I don't wanna go to school.*) Talking to people, group work—it's all a pain. I just want to read light novels quietly by myself. That was my happiness. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. My little sister, Komachi. "[excited]Onii-chan, you up? You're gonna be late!" The door slid open with a clatter. Komachi stood there, looking oddly composed for a middle schooler. "Even if you're late, you're still popular, so you're really an enviable onii-chan, huh." Komachi said it with a beaming smile. "…Huh?" I frowned. What the hell was she talking about? "[sarcastic]I'm popular? You still half-asleep, Komachi? Hate to break it to you, but I'm the creature furthest removed from girls in this entire school." I meant it as my usual retort. For a master loner like me, the word "popular" was from another world. But Komachi's reaction was a little strange. "Oh, there you go again. Onii-chan, you just don't get yourself at all. All the girls in your class call you Hikitani-kun, don't they?" Komachi tilted her head. "Hikitani?" That word snagged in my mind. It gave me a seriously bad feeling. Sure, it was my last name, but it had a ring to it like some kind of slur. Yet Komachi had said it completely naturally, as if it were something good. "Whatever. I'm going to school." Without thinking too deeply, I threw on my school uniform jacket. Underneath, a random patterned T-shirt. Not like anyone's looking anyway. —Except. On the way to school, the sense of wrongness only grew. A twelve-minute walk from Mihama Central Station. My usual route to school. It was a morning with a strong wind blowing from Kaihin Makuhari. "[excited]Morning, Hikitani-kun!" Suddenly, a voice called out from behind me. I turned to see a girl running toward me with a piece of bread in her mouth. Her chestnut-brown hair bounced softly, a hairpin glinting on the left side. Her large brown eyes sparkled, like she'd just stepped out of a shoujo manga. "Wha—!?" I stopped dead in my tracks. How do you know my name? And "Hikitani-kun"—that's what Komachi just called me. She stopped right in front of me, took the bread out of her mouth, and grinned. "[excited]So lucky to see you first thing in the morning! Hikitani-kun, you look cool as always!" "Hah!?" My dead fish eyes went even deader. What was this girl suddenly spouting? "[cold]Who are you? And I'm not Hikitani. It's Hikigaya." "Eh, what are you talking about? Hikitani-kun is Hikitani-kun!" She laughed without a trace of shame. That smile was so dazzling it nearly disarmed me. "[sarcastic]…I see. A new form of bullying." "No, it's not! I just called out to you because you're cool! Hey, let's walk to school together!" She tugged firmly on my arm. "Stop it, let go!" "No way. It's fun being with Hikitani-kun." What is going on? Today is a day I'm getting way too much attention. I gave up and started walking, pulled along by her. The wind was strong, making the hem of her skirt flutter lightly. When I got to the classroom, things were even more abnormal. "[excited]It's Hikitani-kun!" "Morning, Hikitani-kun!" "So cool and collected today too!" The girls all looked at me at once, squealing. Their eyes were like they were looking at some celebrity. I was bewildered. This is impossible. Because I'm supposed to be the least noticeable presence in the class. A position where no one cares whether I'm there or not—that was my place. No, more importantly, my seat is at the very back by the window. That's the most inconspicuous spot in the classroom, the sacred sanctuary of the loner. And yet now, only the area around it seemed to shine with an unnatural radiance. "Hey, what the hell is this?" I muttered under my breath. Then, the girl in the seat next to me turned my way. Her name was Yukino Yukinoshita. The top honor student in our grade, distinguished by her straight black hair that reached her waist. Her narrow, lapis lazuli eyes were fixed intently on me. A perfect beauty who normally wouldn't even glance at someone like me. "[gentle]Hikigaya-kun." With a cool expression, but a hint of nervousness, she spoke. "Wh-what?" "Would you like to eat lunch together with me today?" The classroom buzzed. "Hikitani-kun with Yukinoshita-san!" "So the rumors were true after all!" "Aren't they going out?" At this unbelievable turn of events, I was at a loss for words. (*Yukinoshita… is inviting me to lunch…? Impossible.*) "[sarcastic]…Is this some new form of torture? Or a penalty game?" I somehow managed to squeeze out some sarcasm. "No. I'm serious." Yukino looked straight at me. In her eyes, there wasn't a trace of a lie or a joke. She was serious. (*What is this world?*) I screamed inside my head. —And after that, even more hell awaited. Lunch break. Seeking a place where I could be alone, I tried to head for the rooftop. The rooftop of Sobu High School's Mihama Branch is technically off-limits, but the lock is broken so you can come and go freely. Eating a melon bread there quietly while looking at the sea was my small pleasure. And yet. "Wait, Hikigaya." I was stopped in the hallway. Turning around, I saw our guidance counselor, Shizuka Hiratsuka-sensei, standing with her arms crossed. A beautiful teacher with straight black hair down to her back, sharp eyes, and a distinctive beauty mark under her eye. But right now, she had the face of a demon. "[cold]You're trying to eat lunch alone again." "So what?" "What do you mean, 'so what'!" A fist came flying. A dull *thunk* echoed through my head. "Ow!" "Are you not aware of the Loner Prohibition Order?! It has been decided that eating alone is forbidden at this school!" "Huh? Loner Prohibition Order…?" My eyes widened. I'd never heard of such a school rule. "Come to the guidance office. You're getting a lecture." She grabbed me by the collar and dragged me along. The guidance office was a small room about six tatami mats in size, with a handwritten poster on the wall that said "Do Youth." A bleak room with just a steel desk and a folding chair. "Sit." Reluctantly, I sat down on the folding chair. "[serious]Listen, Hikigaya. You seem to think of yourself as a loner, but that's just self-indulgence." Hiratsuka-sensei said, tapping the desk. "Youth is about facing things without running away. Making friends, falling in love, getting hurt, and growing. You're avoiding all of that." "[sarcastic]Huh. But sensei, no one particularly likes me anyway." "That's exactly where you're wrong." She chuckled softly. For some reason, that smile was deeply meaningful, and it sent a chill down my spine. "[serious]The more you run, the more popular you become with girls. It's a strange story, I know. That's your charm, and your greatest curse." "…Huh?" "Haven't you noticed? Both Yuigahama and Yukinoshita have feelings for you. The colder you act, the more drawn to you they become. It's as if that's how the system works." I was speechless. Come to think of it—that Yui Yuigahama, the more I tried to get away, the more aggressively she came on. Even Yukinoshita, who's usually so cool, shows her affection so directly only to me. (*Don't tell me… there's some stupid system where the more I run, the more popular I get?*) My heart pounded loudly. "[scared]That's… unreasonable." "Fufu. Youth is unreasonable." Hiratsuka-sensei laughed, amused. That smile was terrifying. "But, Hikigaya. If you truly wish for it, there is a way to end this abnormal situation. That is—to not run away." "Not run away…?" I repeated her words. "Yes. Accept their feelings head-on. If you do, your suffering might end." "Impossible. I love being a loner." "That's what I mean by avoiding youth!" Another fist came flying. "Ow!" In the end, my entire lunch break was consumed by the lecture. Exhausted, I endured classes until the end of the day. Everything was just a pain. I wanted to go home quickly and read light novels. However—. As I opened my shoe locker to change my shoes, there was a letter inside. *If you want to know the truth of this world, come to the rooftop after school.* There was no sender's name. It was written in neat handwriting. "What's this…" I clutched the letter. I figured it was a trap. But—. (*I might be able to get a clue about this abnormal world.*) I made up my mind. At this rate, my loner life would just be completely destroyed anyway. If so, I'll take the plunge. I climbed the stairs of the school building. The after-school hallway was quiet, empty, with only the sound of my footsteps echoing. I opened the rooftop door. A strong wind swept through. Beyond the promenade of Kaihin Makuhari, Tokyo Bay glittered brightly. The fence had a bit of rust on it, illuminated by the setting sun. Someone was there. In the center of the rooftop, there was a single silhouette. Standing with the sunset at their back, I couldn't see their face clearly. But, without a doubt—they were waiting for me. "[serious]…You came." That voice… I felt like I'd heard it before, or maybe not. I swallowed hard. The wind stirred my hair. The scent of the tide from Tokyo Bay filled my nose. "Who… are you?" My voice trembled slightly. From here, everything begins to move—.