The silver-haired girl had only appeared for a moment. Small frame. Delicate. Cane in hand.
But with that presence... that poise...
Hikigaya Hachiman's first instinct betrayed him.
A weak loli.
No, scratch that. She had that fragile aura, yes, but her posture was regal. Her expression calm. That wasn't weakness. That was restraint. Control.
Surrounding her was a group of first-year students, all walking in sync as though they were orbiting around her gravity.
"I'm just lucky," the silver-haired girl said softly, voice like silk over glass.
"Sakayanagi-san is being too humble. Without you, we'd never have earned those points or gathered so much intel."
"If only we hadn't been stopped by the student council president," another added with a sigh. "We could've pushed even further."
"We shouldn't push too hard. Better not to antagonize the seniors too soon."
Their voices were tinted with admiration, but there was also calculation. They weren't just classmates. This was a unit. An entourage.
And the girl at the center—Sakayanagi Arisu—was their general.
The elevator arrived. The group stepped inside. Sakayanagi paused, glanced up at the second floor. Her gaze brushed past Hachiman's direction.
Then she turned away.
He blinked.
Was he staring?
Maybe he looked like a creep. That girl was delicate, sure, but this wasn't some 2D anime setup. Staring at someone like that was just rude.
He averted his gaze and pulled out his phone.
It was time to message Chabashira-sensei.
Just a quick text to say he was free.
Sent.
The reply came within seconds.
Unnaturally fast.
[I'm currently tied up. Meet me at 8 PM near the rest benches by the artificial lake outside the dormitory.]
On the surface, it seemed like she was brushing him off. Too busy.
But Hachiman read between the lines.
She had responded instantly. That kind of availability didn't scream "busy." It screamed "waiting."
Even people in meetings couldn't respond like that unless they were expecting the message.
She was watching him.
No—she was prioritizing him.
That was unsettling.
Back in class, she had looked completely uninterested, even bored. But ever since that first conversation on the rooftop, something had shifted.
And now it was clear.
She was expecting something from him.
Just by observing the school for half a day, he had already seen how bad it was to be in Class D. The seniors were stuck eating relief meals. Many didn't even have enough points to buy daily necessities.
In that context, Chabashira's offer was starting to look better and better.
Two hundred thousand points per student profile?
That was no longer a generous reward.
That was survival.
He opened the school forum again.
The chess match thread posted by Sakayanagi Arisu was gone.
Deleted.
Swept away quietly. No trace.
That meant she really had amassed a large number of points. Enough to threaten someone.
And someone decided to silence it.
That was when shouting erupted from downstairs.
"You're gonna regret that!"
"Idiot!"
Two voices. Angry. Aggressive.
Hachiman leaned forward, looking through the second-floor window.
On the ground floor, he spotted them.
One was tall, stocky, with a red crew cut. A student. Definitely a classmate. Sudo Ken.
He recognized him from earlier. The guy who kicked a desk and yelled about how childish self-introductions were.
But when it came to his turn, he introduced himself anyway.
Loud, brash, insecure.
Now, he was shouting at two senior students who had already walked away.
He kicked a nearby trash can in frustration, sending it clattering across the floor.
Then stormed off.
Hachiman sighed.
This was Class D.
He glanced at the security camera above.
This was a public space. Of course there were cameras.
And that's when he remembered something from Chabashira's message.
[The artificial lake area is one of the few spots on campus without surveillance.]
That wasn't casual.
It was deliberate.
He stood and made his way downstairs. Before leaving, he picked up the knocked-over trash can and set it back in place.
Small acts mattered. Even if no one noticed.
…
It was almost evening now.
Chabashira had said 8 PM.
The artificial lake near the dormitory was quiet, bordered by trees and fencing. Safe, serene. A wind carried across the water's surface, gentle but sharp.
A perfect spot for secrets.
Hachiman went shopping first.
He wasn't used to living alone. The only comparable experience was the elementary school nature course he took in Chiba Village. But that had lasted two nights.
This would last three years.
So he stocked up on essentials—shampoo, soap, toilet paper, towels, pajamas, slippers. Nothing fancy, just everything he'd need to survive.
The convenience store on campus offered point rewards, too. It even had loyalty cards. The ecosystem here was a miniature society. Fully enclosed.
Points replaced currency.
He paid and returned to his dorm, dropped off the bags, and checked the time.
7:15 PM.
Forty-five minutes to go.
The lake wasn't far. A ten-minute walk at most.
He tapped open the GPS function on his phone. If you were friends in the school network, you could track each other's locations.
Chabashira was already there.
Northwest.
Standing still.
That meant she'd been waiting.
Even though she said 8 PM.
He changed and left early, jogging slightly.
Six minutes later, he arrived.
Chabashira Sae stood by the guardrail, facing the lake.
Her black hair was tied into a sharp ponytail with a navy band. Her suit was professional. High heels. A cigarette loosely held between her fingers, unlit.
She didn't turn when he arrived.
Not until his footsteps crunched on the stone path.
Then she turned.
And smiled.
It wasn't a teacher's smile.
It was the kind of smile you see on someone who's just played a long game and watched their piece move into place.
Cool. Calm. Fox-like.
"Chabashira-sensei," Hachiman said, walking up beside her. "You're a little early."
***
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