Chapter 1: Even so, Hachiman's First Day Of School Is Ruined.

"Oh my god!"

"S-someone call an ambulance!"

Burning, sharp pain surges through my body as I lay still on the rough, hot asphalt of the road. Just what was I doing here? Shouldn't I have been going to school? And why can't I move my body?

At the sound of quick barks, I slowly trailed my eyes towards the source of the noise. With each bark, a small brown dog with a red collar jumped against its leash. From my knowledge of the different breeds of dogs, it must've been a Dachshund. I tried to look up to its owner, but the corners of my vision began to darken and blur. The appearance of the small dog's owner was lost to me.

I remember now. I ran in front of that black limousine to save that little dog. I bleary looked up at the morning blue sky and saw several clouds lazily float by me. It must've been so lovely to have been a cloud. Simply flying high above us lesser mortals and doing nothing without a care in the world. Lucky bastards.

"Hurry! He's over here!" 

"The victims lost a lot of blood! Bring the stretcher!"

I felt myself get jostled and prodded. Above me were two paramedics; they had severe expressions as they moved over me. The one to my right, a young woman with long brown hair tied in a ponytail, had a nervous expression. Her bloodied white glove captured my attention as she brushed a bead of sweat off her face with the back of her forearm. The other paramedic was an older man; his eyes were focused as he worked tirelessly.

Hold on, Were they working on me? I saw my surroundings surge downwards as I was lifted into the air. In the corners of my eye, I saw a significant dent in the front of a black limousine. A large blood splatter dripped down its cracked headlight and a bloodied silver hood ornament that looked like an Angel was bent to the side.

A silver metallic roof quickly replaced the blue sky, and a blinding orange light caused my pupils to grow. This is an ambulance. Am I… dying? The sounds of people muttering and jabbering were the only thing that distracted me from losing myself to directionless panic. On any other occasion, I would have gone off on a long tangent about people talking about others openly and without care, but today, I welcomed it with open arms. 

"Was… was he wearing a Sobu High School uniform?"

Just before the ambulance doors closed, I heard the voice of a scared girl. Or was it from a guy? It was hard to tell; my body had gone numb, and my senses began to grow dull. Regardless, it reminded me that today was the first day of my new high school life, and it looked like it would also be my last day alive. Komachi. Please forgive your sorry excuse of a brother.

My eyelids began to grow too heavy for me, and I began to lose the battle of consciousness I'd been having ever since that small Dachshund had started barking from over the sidewalk. As I drifted to sleep, I saw the female paramedic yell at me. Her mouth moved quickly, and her words were inaudible to me.

I'm tired… I should sleep. I deserve it, right? After all, didn't I save that dog? I deserve to take a small nap. And with that last remaining thought, Hikigaya Hachiman fell asleep.

x x x

"That's totally gross. Quit it, could you?"

"Look at his eyes. They're so ugly!"

"Hikigerma! Hikiguana! Hikifroggy!"

It all started in elementary school. Little kids could be so mean and vicious. I was bullied and isolated simply because my eyes were a little different, but was that really enough reason to ostracize an individual? To children, that was the bare minimum. Girls didn't like to be involved with him because they were under the impression that he was creepy, gross, and strange. I was often avoided and ignored. Any attention I received was usually negative.

"Ew! Hikifroggy wants to play tag!"

To treat me as if I was a virus was cruel. My classmates never wanted to play with or talk to me; even when the teacher tried to force them all to get along with me, they would just barely put up with me.

In middle school, the problems didn't cease. If anything, they became worse. People used to stuff garbage in my shoe locker. The culprits wouldn't even try to hide that it was them. Girls would falsely confess their feelings for me as a penalty for losing at rock-paper-scissors. I would also receive fake love letters written by boys. They would get advice from their female classmates on what to write to make it convincing.

I would wait behind the middle school gym for a confession that would never come. Because I always had a sliver of hope that the confession would be honest. Be genuine. But they never were, So I adopted a new mentality—the mentality of a loner. Partly because of my new loner status, I became the victim of verbal and psychological bullying throughout junior high. 

"He's so creepy."

"Gross! Gross! He tried to talk to me!"

When I was in my second year of middle school, the role of class male representative was dumped onto me by my fellow male classmates. At the same time, a fellow female classmate volunteered to be the girl's representative; that girl frequently talked to him. I foolishly thought she was interested in me, and one day, I decided to ask her who she liked. She replied with the first letter, which was "H". Thinking it was me, I asked her if it was true. The girl was surprised and disgusted.

The next day, when I walked into class, I was shocked to see a drawing on the chalkboard mocking me, and to my horror and dismay, the whole class now knew about my foolish presumption. You would have thought after that incident that I wouldn't chase after any girls in school. But you would be wrong.

"P-please! Go out with me!"

At some point during my second year, I managed to acquire the phone number of a girl I had a crush on. Her name was Kaori Orimoto. A girl I believed liked me back because she would text me back on occasion. Man, I sure was an idiot.

Towards the end of the second year of junior high, I eventually confessed to Kaori since, according to her, she didn't recall talking to me before and turned me down. She friend-zoned me and altogether avoided me after my heartfelt confession. Even though the confession was private, everyone in class gossiped about it the next day. The gossiping girls felt sorry for Kaori that I was the one to confess to her and were glad they didn't give their contact IDs out to me when I asked.

"Look, it's the guy that confessed to Kaori."

"Oh my god. I feel so sorry for her."

After middle school, I didn't want to have any more contact with my junior high classmates. Because of this, I worked hard to enter Sobu High School, where my middle school classmates would not attend. It wasn't easy to enter the school; I had to work my butt off and study hard every day. That was because the entrance requirements were relatively high. Those who wish to gain admittance must score highly on the entrance exams or receive a recommendation from good junior high schools.

So when I finally received my admittance letter from the school, I couldn't help but feel elated. I could finally start fresh in a new school with completely new classmates. I could escape my past and all the bullying. It was almost as if I hit the proverbial restart button. It was exciting! So exciting that I got up early on the first day and biked to school. The prospect of finally making new friends filled me with hope.

"Sable! Come back!"

But it was not meant to be. When I saw that small brown dog run into traffic, something inside my very soul made me jump into action. I biked after the dog and jumped from my trusty bike to save it. I could still remember the dog's soft fur as I grabbed it and threw the small animal onto the sidewalk. After that, all I could remember was mind-numbing pain and agony. My back and legs felt as if they were blown off my body after I rolled to a stop on the road after being launched several feet in the air.

"Hey, bro? I hope you have a great day at school!"

Komachi. I couldn't help but wonder how my sister was doing. Her expression played through my mind as I remembered the frown on her face, but ultimately, it shifted to a broad smile as she waved me goodbye this morning. She was worried about me but tried to play it off. Don't look at me like that.

Komachi may not have been the brightest bulb when it came to academics. She always borrowed my old school projects and had me help her study. But she was incredibly emotionally intelligent and pretty perspective as well. No matter how much I tried to hide all the abuse I took growing up, she somehow knew something was wrong. It didn't help that she caught me crying into my pillow the day after everyone found out I confessed to Kaori. It still made me recoil in disgust as she hugged and comforted me as I wept into my pillow. Just how much more pathetic could I become? I was the older brother; I should have comforted her. Not the other way around.

"-coma, I'm afraid-…-wake up."

"-ave to do-…-mething!"

That was odd. I could have sworn I heard voices just now. Then again, I was surrounded by pitch-black darkness, so maybe I was starting to hear noises around me. That sensory deprivation thing is no joke. How long had I been in this darkness anyway?

"-bro. Hachiman… please-…-ease, wake up."

It was then that something odd happened. After what felt like forever being in total darkness, something like out of my PSVITA games popped in front of me. It was a large blue, glowing window.

[ Welcome, Player ]

[ You have met all System requirements! ]

[ Begin System Download? ]

[ ACCEPT] or [ REJECT]

The hell is this? Have I finally buckled under the pressure of my mind and gone insane? Regardless, this proved that I was somehow dreaming. So, like any other dream, I went with the flow. I accept.

[ Congratulations on becoming the Player! ]

[ Rewards: ]

[ Welcoming Item: Status Recovery ]

[ Welcoming Item: 5 stat points ]

I couldn't help but be impressed. Two complimentary items off the bat? Whatever game my mind is making up is pretty generous. I tried using the free stat points without much thought, but a red window popped up with a buzzing noise.

[ Player status is currently unavailable ]

Hm, how odd. Well, with that item being unavailable, I went ahead and used the status recovery item. It's not like I had too many options in the first place. After I issued a mental command to click on the status recovery item, the once pitch-black space around me exploded with a blinding blue light. I tried to raise my arms to cover my face from the light but remembered I had no natural body in the space I had been occupying. With no other choice, my vision was enveloped in white light.

x x x

"Damn you, obnoxious light."

I rubbed my eyes gingerly to ease away the eye floaters from my vision. Blinking slowly, I saw two pale hands in front of me. They stopped moving and began to turn slowly as if to show off their soft features. "These… are my hands!"

Gasping in shock, I looked around frantically and took in my surroundings. It was a small white hospital room with its usual tools and equipment. The scent of bitter disinfectants and the undertones of the artificial fragrance contained in the soaps and cleaners the hospital staff use assaulted my nose, causing me to gag. 

After gaining control of my breathing and ensuring I wouldn't throw up on myself, I looked down at my body after pulling off the thin white blanket. A white and blue hospital gown covered my body, and the sight of a thin transparent tube leading to my groin made me cringe and begin to hyperventilate.

"Is that a catheter?!" I yelled loudly and slowly reached towards the clear tube. I stopped when I heard the door to my left slide open. Turning my head, I saw a young male nurse look at me in shock and suddenly run out of the room. It reminded me of the times my elementary school classmates ran from me in mock disgust and fear.

"Doctor! He's awake!" The muffled voice of the male nurse echoed out from the hall. 

I looked back at my catheter and sighed. I'll ignore that for now. I took in my surroundings calmly; the nurse's yell had brought him out of his panicked state and settled his beating heartily slightly. I looked to my right and saw a small table. On top of the table were a few vases filled with slightly dried-out flowers and a few cards.

Before I could reach out to grab the closest card, a small muffled explosion could be heard from the small television that was hanging from the top right corner of the hospital room I was in. Oddly enough, a news channel was reporting about something called a Gate opening in the Nakagyo Ward in Kyoto. The report cut to a live feed of a large blue spinning portal. Several men and women dressed in cosplay then walked inside the portal. Disappearing from sight.

"Some sort of movie?" I said and looked back to the table. Before I could once again try to reach for a card, a man in his late fifties walked into my room alongside the nurse from earlier. The doctor was dressed in a closed white laboratory jacket with a white dress shirt and blue tie sticking out from on top. His hair was almost wholly greyed, but a few remaining black strands hung on bravely from the side of his head. His weathered face looked at me in relief from behind his medical mask.

"I am glad to see you awake, young man." The doctor said and walked up beside my hospital bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine." I said slowly. "What hospital am I in?"

The doctor nodded and accepted the clipboard from the nurse. "You are in the Chiba Kaihin Municipal Hospital, young Hikigaya. And you have been asleep for quite a long time. My name is Akihito Watanabe. I have been your primary doctor while you have been in this hospital. Now tell me, What is the last thing you can remember?"

"The last thing I remember?" I looked down at my lap and thought deeply. "The last thing I remember was pushing that small dog out of the way from an incoming limousine. After that, I can't really recall too much-hold on! You said I was asleep for a long time! Just how long have I been sleeping?"

Doctor Watanabe pressed his lips together and sighed. He raised his clipboard and began reading its contents. "Two broken lower spine vertebrae and a herniated disc, both Tibia bones shattered into several pieces, a severe concussion that required us to open your skull to relieve the pressure, severe internal bleeding in three different locations, and finally damaged skin from when your body was thrown across the rough asphalt. These are the injuries you've suffered from the incident you were in one year ago."

I froze when the doctor finished speaking. The relatively long list of injuries didn't matter to me after I heard the fact that I was asleep for an entire year. Three hundred and sixty-five days of my life were lost to me in the blink of an eye. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it! Doctor Watanabe sat silent as he gave me time to absorb the earth-shattering information. After he deemed enough time, he began speaking.

"We've called your family and informed them of your status. They should be here within the hour. In the meanwhile, young Takashi and I will perform a quick physical; we'll also remove the catheter as well." Doctor Watanabe said and began the physical. 

I let both men work and did as they asked. The Doctor and Nurse tried to talk to me throughout the physical, but I remained silent. I didn't want to talk. No, I was still thinking about all the wasted time. Before I knew it, the examination was over, and that accursed catheter was removed. Both men bid me goodbye and left me and my thoughts alone.

An entire year. God damnit it! I cursed and gripped my bed sheets tightly. Why?! Why was I punished like this? Didn't I do a good thing? So why was a year of my life taken from me? Why has my entire life been one terrible thing after another?! Don't I deserve a break? Before I could dive deeper into my dark thoughts, the door to my hospital room was slammed open.

"Hachiman!" My little sister, Komachi Hikigaya, yelled with tears running down her adorable face. She ran towards me and jumped into my arms with the force of a bullet. I caught her quickly, and she began hugging me with great force. Her warm tears soaked into the shoulder of my gown as she whimpered and repeatedly said my name. 

"Komachi." I said in a whisper and pulled her closer. I looked up from my sister and saw my mother and father walk into the room. Their faces were laced with exhaustion and relief. My father looked like he had aged ten years. New, deep, worry lines marred his face, and grey hairs danced through his once pitch-black hair. A messy beard and mustache stood proudly on his chin and upper lip, which had curled into a smile as he looked at me.

My mother's eyes grew wide, and tears slid down her cheeks. Like my father, my mother's face and hair had also aged. Albeit not as severely as his, her once youthful look was no longer present. It made the already horrible feeling in my stomach grow as the realization that my one-year coma had worried my family to the point of aging them quicker than usual.

"H-Hachiman." My mother whispered through her hands as they rose to cover her mouth. They both walked over and joined Komachi in a tearful hug. Against my better wishes, my eyes began to burn, and hot tears began to flow down my face as well.

"Welcome back, son." My father said with a deep and choked voice, his rough hands rubbing the top of my hair. I wanted to reply, but I couldn't trust my voice to not come out in a garbled, choked mess. So I nodded against his hand and hugged my sister and mother tighter. My father's strong arms followed my example and brought us closer to one another.