The First Failed Attempt at Friendship

Hikigaya boldly asked Horikita to be his friend. It wasn't that he had suddenly transformed into a social butterfly, doing things completely out of character for him.

Nor had he been possessed by some powerful cultivator from a fantasy novel, destined to dominate the school and all those around him.

No, he was acting purely out of a sense of duty, as a favor to his sister.

Yes, deep down, Hikigaya had absolutely no desire to befriend this sharp-tongued, black-haired girl. But the bizarre nature of this class had made him realize he had no other choice.

In a room full of weirdos and misfits, this girl actually seemed the most normal. It was surreal.

As Hikigaya reluctantly made this attempt at social interaction, he couldn't help but recall a certain moment from his middle school years.

It had been after school, just the two of them left in the classroom.

A gentle breeze rustled the curtains, and the setting sun cast a warm glow over everything. In that moment, a young Hikigaya had gathered all his courage to confess—he still remembered the sound of the girl's response clearly.

"Shall we be friends?"

It had seemed so easy to make friends back then.

Victory!

Except… that memory was actually one of Hikigaya's most cringe-worthy moments—something he desperately wanted to erase from existence.

Not only had they not become friends, Hikigaya never spoke to that girl again.

It had left him with the bizarre impression that maybe friends didn't even need to talk to each other.

Because of this, Hikigaya had developed a massive psychological block when it came to interacting with girls. To avoid further emotional damage, he had become a staunch follower of the "Three Don'ts" when it came to relationships.

Don't fantasize, don't be conceited, and don't initiate.

Don't fantasize about having inappropriate relationships with girls, don't fool yourself into thinking any girl might like you, and never, ever take the initiative with them!

This was the ultimate defense technique for surviving school life—like a martial art secret, the "Nine Yin Manual" of adolescence.

Hikigaya believed that with this technique, even if he were locked in a room with a beautiful girl, no romantic comedy tropes would ever happen.

Unfortunately, reality was harsh, and Hikigaya found himself abandoning his treasured code. Now, he was making an effort to communicate with this girl who looked like someone he could never connect with.

"Starting off by asking to be friends?"

Horikita gave him a strange look.

"Well… isn't that how people usually become friends?" Hikigaya responded, feeling awkward. In truth, he had never really studied how to make friends. How did people usually do it?

Was there a course on this somewhere? If the tuition was under 20,000 yen, I'd sign up right away!

"There's no official process for it…" Horikita mused for a moment. "By the way, how did you know my name? Did I ever tell you?"

"No, but your name was on the class seating chart outside. Horikita Suzune."

"You memorized the seating chart?"

Horikita looked genuinely surprised. She had only glanced at the chart to find her own seat and hadn't bothered to remember the names of the others.

"I just happened to see it."

Hikigaya replied calmly.

In truth, he had memorized the entire seating chart—something he did out of a casual interest in observing people.

"I see." Horikita didn't seem to believe that he had memorized all the names in such a short time. "But why should I be friends with you? I can refuse, right?"

"Yes… you can."

Hikigaya had fully expected rejection. In fact, he thought there was a high chance of it. But for the sake of his beloved sister, Komachi, he had to try.

Judging from Horikita's expression, though, she didn't seem inclined to accept his offer.

Hikigaya sighed inwardly and prepared to walk away.

"My name is Horikita Suzune."

Horikita suddenly spoke again.

This caught Hikigaya off guard.

"…What?"

"Isn't it proper etiquette to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name?"

"Uh…"

Seeing her look as if she was explaining something obvious, Hikigaya hurriedly responded. "I'm Hikigaya Hachiman."

"That's quite an unusual name…"

"Yeah, I've heard that before."

At this point, Hikigaya had no idea what this girl was trying to do.

Was she playing hard to get? Trying to turn him into her servant?

No, that didn't seem right…

Maybe she was just difficult by nature?

That seemed more likely.

Now that they had exchanged names, Hikigaya took a closer look at Horikita. She looked like a model student and a beautiful girl—the type who would naturally draw attention in any class.

It wasn't surprising that someone like her would talk to him. After all, the world doesn't just reject people like Hikigaya, but also those who are exceptional, those who stand out too much.

In a sense, being too excellent or too terrible were both seen as flaws.

As the saying goes, only balance can lead to stability in life. Extremes, on either end, can lead one to fall into the abyss.

And from what Hikigaya could see, Horikita's problem wasn't just her looks. She seemed fragile in a way, like a hollow porcelain figure. On the surface, she appeared strong, but with just a gentle tap, she might crack.

If Hikigaya had been the type of person to take advantage of others, he might have seen this as an opportunity to exploit her weaknesses, to manipulate her for his own gain.

But alas, Hikigaya Hachiman, sometimes known as "Mr. Justice," wasn't the kind of guy to stoop to such underhanded behavior.

While Hikigaya's mind raced with thoughts, Horikita calmly pulled a book out of her bag. She didn't seem interested in continuing the conversation and began reading on her own.

"Anything else?"

Noticing Hikigaya's lingering gaze, Horikita raised her head to ask.

"No, that's all…"

"Good."

Her tone made it clear that she was dismissing him.

Accepting the reality that his first attempt at making a friend had already hit a wall, Hikigaya turned to leave.

But just before he walked away, he caught a glimpse of the title of the book in Horikita's hands—Crime and Punishment.

Hikigaya had read the book before, vaguely remembering that it discussed whether one had the right to kill in the name of justice.

Honestly, it was exactly the kind of book Hikigaya disliked the most.

He had no interest in pure philosophical debates.

As a materialist, Hikigaya firmly believed that the physical outweighed the spiritual.

In his view, killing for justice was, of course, justifiable. Without such consequences, evildoers would escape punishment and commit their crimes without fear, gloating all the while.

After his initial attempt at making friends failed, Hikigaya quickly returned to his seat, watching the chaotic interactions around the classroom, still wondering if he would ever find someone who could become a "friend."

At that moment, a woman in a suit walked into the classroom.

The entire room fell silent.

Judging by her attire, she was clearly a teacher.