Monsters Everywhere

The next day was Saturday.

It was the first weekend since Hikigaya had arrived at the school, and he felt a deep sense of comfort and stability.

It was finally a day when he didn't have to face the oddities of Class D!

Early in the morning, Hikigaya was huddled in his dormitory, eagerly watching the Kamen Rider DVDs he had brought from home.

He was convinced that Heisei Kamen Rider was the coolest ever!!

Time slipped away as he watched Kamen Rider battle against various monsters.

By noon, Hikigaya began to feel an unusual sense of irritation. He wasn't sure where it came from, but this strange feeling seemed to rise from the top of his head to his feet.

He felt as if he had forgotten something important.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Hikigaya realized that his peaceful day was bound to be disrupted.

Everyone encounters things that lead to mental strain.

For example, people often worry about forgetting to lock their doors, or leaving the air conditioner on, or even feeling that someone is plotting against them…

These baseless yet recurring thoughts, which are completely unmanageable, are what we call mental strain.

Hikigaya was a severe case of mental strain. Although he didn't indulge in such trivial irrational thoughts, his highly sensitive intuition often made it hard for him to stay calm. He needed to pinpoint the source of this intuition to restore his sense of normalcy.

"Well, I guess I'll go check it out…"

Hikigaya listed a few possible sources of his mental unrest and left his dormitory during the precious weekend break.

He checked his phone to make sure that Horikita and Sakayanagi hadn't sent him any messages.

Next, Hikigaya went to the classroom, but on the weekend, it was empty, and there was no one there who could have drawn his attention.

So where could the problem be?

As he pondered this, Hikigaya continued walking along the path, eventually finding himself at the school library.

When he saw the library, a memory surfaced in his mind of that girl who seemed like a bookish fairy—Shiina Hiyori.

She had previously invited him to read together and even suggested having lunch together.

Hikigaya had intended to go to the library yesterday, but due to Sakayanagi's issue, he missed the opportunity to meet Shiina Hiyori.

"Wait, could it be?"

Hikigaya suddenly had a strange thought.

Could Shiina Hiyori have prepared lunch yesterday and was waiting for him to show up?

No, no, that thought is too self-centered…

I've only met her once; she couldn't possibly be that concerned about me, or even likely to be that attentive.

Despite thinking this, Hikigaya's feet instinctively moved towards the library's door.

Some inexplicable intuition made it impossible for him to ignore.

"Click."

Entering the library, Hikigaya glanced around and saw that the library was almost empty, eerily silent, like a ghost house.

It seemed that most people preferred to take their books back to their dorms rather than reading here.

Horikita Suzune was probably one of those people.

"Hoo."

After searching around and not finding Shiina Hiyori, Hikigaya let out an inexplicable sigh of relief.

It seemed she hadn't been paying much attention to him after all. It was likely she had forgotten about him since their last meeting.

That's for the best; people like me don't deserve too much attention from others…

"Ah!! Hikigaya-kun!!!"

Suddenly, a panicked, almost delighted voice came from the other end of the hallway. The silver-haired girl excitedly rushed towards him.

Is she a fairy from a book?

So fairies really do exist…

The scene before him was so dreamlike that Hikigaya even began to escape reality to some extent.

However, reality cannot be avoided.

Shiina Hiyori's appearance shattered the last bit of Hikigaya's fantasy and made him realize that he had inadvertently breached the 'appointment' from yesterday.

"Sorry, sorry," Hikigaya said, even though he didn't have a clear reason.

"Why are you apologizing?"

Shiina Hiyori looked confused.

Her face showed no signs of reproach or dissatisfaction, only an indescribable joy, as if something long-lost had been found again.

"I'm so glad you came, Hikigaya-kun. I was worried you might never come again," Shiina Hiyori said, her expression turning sorrowful.

Her petite frame seemed delicate, like it could shatter if handled roughly.

"Why would you say that?"

Hikigaya was puzzled, not understanding Shiina Hiyori's reaction.

After all, he was the one who had broken the appointment, and Shiina Hiyori should have been the one to reproach him…

"It's because I must have done something wrong, causing you to be disappointed in me," Shiina Hiyori explained, surprising Hikigaya further. "I was worried that you might have stayed away because you didn't like me."

"No, it's not like that…"

This girl is so intense!

Hikigaya was taken aback.

Shiina Hiyori's reaction was even more exaggerated than he had imagined, or perhaps her level of introspection surpassed even his own.

Although she appeared to be a cute and gentle girl on the outside, her essence was starkly different—a deeply reclusive girl whose emotions were tightly compressed.

Especially the way she induced guilt so effortlessly, it was almost overwhelming if it were a calculated result.

No man could resist that.

Indeed, everyone at this school was an oddity…

They might even rank at the level of demons!

"In any case, I don't dislike you. I just had other matters yesterday that prevented me from coming to the library."

"Really?"

Upon hearing Hikigaya's explanation, Shiina Hiyori's face lit up with a radiant smile. She then picked up a few books from behind her and said eagerly, "Then, would you like to read together?"

"Well…"

No matter how he looked at it, there didn't seem to be any option to refuse now.

Shiina Hiyori, you're terrifyingly charming!!

Hikigaya sighed inwardly, once again deeply aware of the terrifying nature of this school.

Indeed, this place is filled with monsters everywhere!!!