A Suspicious Test

Hikigaya's Route to Senior High Is Not Normal, As I Expected

"The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart." – Robert Green Ingersoll."

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Hachiman's POV

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When it comes to surprises, Hachiman wasn't big on them.

When another person had asked for him to give them his contact information, he shrugged it off. He anticipated nothing would change nor happen.

In short, he expected that the person would never speak to him, and that was that. Hachiman would go back to his normal life, back in the library, and not speak to anyone.

He really didn't think anyone who asked for his contact would respond and continue to speak to him.

Sure, Sudou continued to message and ask him to join a sports club, mentioning how Hachiman should continue to workout if he wanted to be stronger. According to the short-tempered jock, Hachiman had a lot of potential that would be wasted and lost if he didn't continue to try.

But other than that, Hachiman hadn't had anyone message nor attempt to contact him back for reasons other than that.

Yousuke, Kikyou, none of them messaged back. Only Manabu did, but that was only in response to Hachiman asking him questions, and surprisingly, even Nao had yet to message Hachiman, however considering Hachiman had attended every time to work, he figured that she didn't have anything to mention, and thus she was fine.

So, when Hachiman added a girl from Class 1-C, named Hiyori Shiina, he didn't think much of it. In fact, the girl seemed to have forgotten, just like him, to get his contact.

"Although, seeing her light up about exchanging books was pretty cute." Hachiman thought to himself as he got up.

After having lunch with Shiina, Hachiman had continued to work, with Shiina remaining sitting and reading. Hachiman wasn't always outside, but the fact that when he did a bit later, only to see Shiina there made Hachiman wonder if she had even left the library at all.

Unless, perhaps for more typical reasons.

Regardless, once Hachiman finished, Shiina's eyes gazed to him before she approached him.

"There you are." Shiina informed Hachiman, who raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I'm right here." Hachiman nodded slowly, being confused at Shiina's slight "anger?" Is that what she was showing? Hachiman wasn't sure.

"I texted you asking where you were. You didn't answer." Shiina exclaimed to Hachiman, who raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't text me." Hachiman explained, as he pulled out his phone. "You s-" Hachiman never got to finish his statement as, sure enough, Shiina had in fact contacted him at around 2:00pm. For reference, Hachiman had been working since 4pm so far. He had planned to continue until 7pm. Also, for reference, both Hachiman and Shiina had gotten lunch at exactly noon.

However, since it was Saturday, and Nao had anticipated that very little people would show up, she had entrusted Hachiman with securing the library and making sure everything was fine.

"Highly likely that because it's early in the school year, and the lack of assignments or tests to study for, nobody sees fit to use the library." Hachiman though.

"Oh…" Hachiman mumbled, clearly a bit stumped at the fact he had been messaged by someone. Shiina had actually been serious, waiting for Hachiman in the library he had been working in, wanting to continue speaking about books and the likes.

Sure enough, since the conditions worked out for Hachiman, with nobody else likely to come in, and Hachiman just needing to ensure the library was clean, he decided to use the rest of his time hanging out with Shiina.

It was the least he could do after leaving her ignored for around 2 hours.

Still, it surprised Hachiman that anyone would want to hang out with him. While he wasn't exactly eager to speak to people, he had just openly given his contact to those who asked, thinking nobody would really message him.

Shiina had proved that wrong. The very day they got each other's contacts, Shiina had already begun messaging Hachiman, specifically about meeting up in the afternoon in the library to continue their conversation.

And so, even if Hachiman hadn't planned to speak to others, his lax reality when it came to people approaching him guaranteed that someone would find him intriguing, and it seemed Shiina was that individual.

And sure, even Hachiman would agree that Shiina was pretty cute, and emotionally sensitive, at least from an outside perspective.

If she was sad, her eyes would downcast, and she would look like a lost pet. Regardless of the circumstances, you would feel bad for her and want to remove that sad look on her face.

In contrast to when Shiina had gotten happy, it was more relieving if anything.

Shiina didn't smile much. She didn't really smile a lot.

The one time she seemed happy, and beamed, Hachiman had focused on his food, and didn't get to see the genuine feeling Shiina was displaying.

"The genuine feeling…" Hachiman thought back, clearly reminiscent as he sighed, remembering the last time he had been open with his genuine feelings.

Only to be backstabbed and hated for it…

"At the end of the day, being a monster of logic is the best for me." Hachiman mumbled, "If they want to hate me for my apparent, social disasters, they should be glad I was caring enough to do that." Hachiman thought as he sat down and began to speak with Shiina.

They mainly spoke about books, which were typical and expected from Shiina so far, all the while Hachiman also spoke. He made sure to look around, ensuring that the library remained clean if anyone were to enter.

But it was just him and Shiina, in a library, alone, talking together.

In a weird sense, the two of them were in an ideal habitat, for two rather introverted people. One may be shy, and the other may be passively hostile to other people, but somehow, it worked.

To the surprise of Hachiman, they had ended up speaking for the remaining hours. Since it was a Saturday, the library had to close at 7pm, and it was Shiina herself who reminded Hachiman of the time.

In those three hours, both Hachiman and Shiina had talked about their favourite books growing up, their genres, gripes about other genres, or even the authors behind these books, and their personal opinions on them all.

They disagreed on some stuff but found it more entertaining to debate it rather than to fight over it, which Hachiman appreciated, a different approach than from what Yukinoshita would always do.

Even if it was mostly Shiina speaking, it was around a 65 to 35 ratio of Shiina speaking to Hachiman speaking. But even then, Hachiman didn't feel that Shiina was too overbearing, maybe a tad bit, but he deciphered it was just from excitement, which he was fine and capable of handling appropriately.

But overall, Hachiman would say he had a decent time hanging out with Shiina. He was surprised with how fast it was going on, but considering everything, Hachiman thought it was just the rush of shared interests.

Perhaps things would slow down after the initial bombardment.

Hachiman wasn't sure.

But in the end, they both agreed to share books from time to time, as they had mutually agreed interests regarding their desire to expand their outlook.

As Hachiman locked the door to the library, Shiina right behind him was watching everything.

"Do you enjoy working at the library?" Shiina asked curiously.

Hachiman nodded, "Definitely. It's nice and quiet." He briefly explained, all the while Shiina nodded. She then commented.

"Why did you get this part time job?" Shiina asked Hachiman curiously.

Hachiman shrugged, "To let myself work for my private points. I don't want to rely on the rest of my class for private points." He explained.

Shiina's eyes widened slightly, "So you know it too?"

Hachiman turned to face Shiina, "Not necessarily. All I know is that considering I'm in a class full of defects in the eyes of the school, I will suffer the same fate as the rest, no matter what. At least with this I can gain some sense of control for myself."

Shiina hummed, before nodding, "You seem smart."

Hachiman shrugged, "I just questioned it, and when I didn't get an answer, I did my own deciphering and investigation. How did you figure it out?"

Shiina pondered as she spoke, "Well, our professor mentioned that our private points determine our merits. Not only that but the organization of how this school works supports hierarchical representation on a class-by-class level. Therefore, the private points determine how well we are as a class."

Hachiman nodded, "So you recognized it as well… I found everything rather strange." Hachiman explained as he pondered.

Shiina nodded in agreement. When it came to that, Hachiman was reinforced of everything he had learned.

But now, he was also confident that what he had learned was correct. He had pretty much been confided with Shiina regarding the points, and now he had a better understanding of everything.

"So, what if there's a separate indicator telling us our worth?" Hachiman asked Shiina, who tilted her head.

"That is possible. Perhaps there is an indicator the school has that determines our merits, which then controls how many private points we obtain." Shiina explained,

"That's what I've been thinking, but alas I hadn't been able to find any proof, which was why it was difficult, but considering everything that we are being told, it would make perfect sense for that to exist." Hachiman coincided as he looked up.

The sky was dimming as both he and Shiina were walking to their dorms. It was a long Saturday, and Sunday was the only day Hachiman didn't have to be in the library. Instead it was Hachiman's study day, to reflect on the learnings, to study appropriately and review.

Therefore, after waving a goodbye to Shiina, who once again held the book Hachiman had given her, Hachiman too held onto the book Shiina had given him.

He went in his dorm, placing the book near his bed, and began to make some dinner. After then, he would get an early night sleep, and wake up Sunday to study.

After eating, Hachiman did a bit of stretch and light exercise before he went to bed, not wanting to remain full before he went to read and sleep.

He had gotten through more chapters of the book Shiina had given him before he slept away. When he woke up and began to work, he had, once again gotten a text message from Shiina, clearly messaging about a part of the book she had read.

Hachiman responded, making sure he did.

But what was significant of all of this, was that Hachiman now had someone he was speaking to daily. Hiyori Shiina.

Sure, she was from a different class, but it was someone he talked to regardless. Even if Hachiman was still a bit skeptical, he couldn't lie and say that Shiina was malicious, when clearly, she was only wanting to speak about books and the school.

There didn't seem to be anything harmful about what she wanted to speak about.

And so, while they only texted through Sunday, it showed Hachiman that Shiina was committed through her actions to speak to him.

By the time Monday rolled around, everything seemed normal, or business as usual, until Sae walked into the noisy classroom during the third period of class.

"Alright. Quiet down a little please. Today's lesson will be a bit more serious." Sae commanded the class, with a much more authoritarian voice causing the class to turn to her.

"What do you mean, Chabashira?" One of the classmates asked, clearly a bit nervous as to what this meant.

Sae then explained, "It is almost the end of the month, so we will have a short test. Please pass these to the back."

The class clearly made everyone panic, however, as Hachiman got the paper, he realized it was just from the five main subjects, and that it was all very short as it covered a full page.

"I wasn't listening to the lessons though! This is so unfair!" A student cried, and Hachiman wanted to laugh at the stupidity of that statement.

"This test is just for future reference. It won't be reflected in your report cards, so there is absolutely no risk involved, don't worry. Of course, cheating is prohibited." Sae explained.

However, for Hachiman, the way she worded that implied that they only didn't have to worry about it on their report card.

That implied that there was something else it would be reflected on.

Considering the conversations he had with Shiina before, Hachiman had a better idea of what Sae could be referring to. Say what he anticipated, however, Shiina was a smart girl, both in literature and in academic prowess.

"So, the marks of this test could reflect our merit, huh? If that's the case, then our class's merits will fall due to the likely chance most will barely pass or fail." Hachiman silently shook his head as the pop quiz began.

"Hmmm, pretty straightforward, there isn't anything trying to trick me." Hachiman though to himself, 'If you listened into the lessons, then it should be very easy." Hachiman added as he answered the questions.

The pop quiz had its questions each worth five points. All the questions except for the last five were easy, even easier than the entrance exam questions. Considering there were five subjects, it was pretty much one hard question for each subject.

These subjects included English, Modern Grammar, Chemistry, Civics, and Mathematics.

Hachiman felt he would be fine with English, Modern Grammer, and Civics, he would be fine when it came to Chemistry, but would struggle with Mathematics.

"These questions are way too hard…" Hachiman had heard one of the students mumbled, clearly in agony and worried about everything that suddenly propped up.

Hachiman, meanwhile, pondered as he answered the questions about how he felt.

The easy ones were easier than the entrance exam questions, while the hard ones were amongst the most difficult of the bunch, especially the mathematic question.

"But this begs the question, why would you want to reflect this on our merits?" Hachiman asked as his eyes narrowed to Sae, who seemed to recognize Hachiman's glare. Instead of acting oblivious, she seemed to be smirking at Hachiman, as if she knew what he was thinking.

"Is she taunting me?" Hachiman asked himself, clearly unsure what Sae was giving him some of her attention now.

Now that Hachiman thought about it, wasn't Sae treating Kiyotaka like that during the first period of classes when the school year began?

Hachiman found Sae's behaviour overall weird, especially since Hachiman began to delve into the antics of the school's rules, especially considering he was getting closer to figuring it out.

Especially since Shiina was open and assisting to him, he had an easier time figuring out everything since they had thought similar with all of what was going on,

And so, as Sae stared at Hachiman, even giving him a small smirk, Hachiman decided to ignore her for now, and focus on this test he knew held some significance towards something.

If not his grades or report, then Hachiman knew better than to discard the importance it may have on their merits.

And so, Hachiman continued with his test. It was somewhat of a rollercoaster due to Sae giving him a stare or her attention, but from the test itself, aside from the difficult math question at the end, Hachiman felt confident he was right with everything he did.

As for the other people around, Hachiman could tell that the stupid, idiot trio of Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi were all likely to struggle, while the others like Kikyou, Yousuke, and the smarter students would fare just fine.

Hachiman had no reason to believe the entire class would fail. Maybe underperform, but not fail.

Eventually, Hachiman sighed as he finished, waiting for the bell to ring.

Hachiman eventually got up once the bell rang, clearly content with his performance as he followed the schedule he had maintained.

Once school was over, he went to the library to began working.

To the surprise of Hachiman, there were a bit more people in the library, clearly making him think that the test his class had just had, was universal for the rest of the class.

"If that is the case, then perhaps this test was meant for a test a merits rather than of academics entirely." Hachiman thought as he went to the office to speak to Nao. Basically plopping himself in for his hours to ensure he was there.

Upon that, Hachiman knew that today would be a bit hectic due to the slight increase in people inside the library.

Thankfully, that didn't bother Hachiman, as once it was later, he had finally come out of the room to organize the books.

Once again, Shiina was there, clearly waiting for him as she walked up to him upon noticing him.

Hachiman noticed her too, and decided to ask her something on his mind, "Did your class have a mock test today?"

Shiina nodded, "We did. It was for the five basic subjects, each question was worth five points, for a total of a hundred points each."

Hachiman eyed Shiina before he asked another one, "Were the final five questions a huge spike in difficulty?"

Shiina's eyes showed a bit of tiredness, but she hid with a bit of agreement. "Yeah, they were. I think I'll at least get part marks for them."

Hachiman pondered, "Well clearly, if that's the case, it could be the school's way of just testing the class by academics before giving private points to the students." Hachiman thought as he made an assumption, one that was further strengthened due to it being a week before the end of the month.

It was too much of a coincidence of a "mock" test.

Therefore, Hachiman gave a nod to Shiina before she asked. "When do you want to hang out again?"

Hachiman turned to Shiina with a bit of confusion, "This girl wants to hang out with me?" He looked confused, before he sighed.

"We can maybe tomorrow or Wednesday, that's when the library is quietest besides Fridays." Hachiman explained.

Shiina smiled, "Of course, thank you Hikigaya." Shiina bowed slightly before she went out the library.

Hachiman pondered all the while about how suspicious that mock test was.

As for Shiina, he didn't really see her as much significance. Sure, she was continuing to speak to him, but it was only a matter of time before she'd lose interest and go hang out with anyone else.

After all, girls will always be girls.

"Hikigaya! Can you help me with this book?" Hachiman's eyes turned to see Nao carrying a very large book, surprising him at the weight once Nao placed it into his hand.

Nao sighed in relief, as Hachiman gritted his teeth, especially when he realized the book had to be placed high in the respective shelf.

"Who in the world would want to place such a large, heavy book that high in the shelf?!" Hachiman groaned in silent fury.

…

We're approaching May, the second month, just the last week before it all crumbles down. Let me know what you think so far of Hachiman's progress and overall character. Do you think it accurately reflects him in this environment? Are there any nuisances you think shouldn't be included (besides what I said would remain)? Let me know what you think. I decided to have Shiina Hiyori be the first "interest," for Hachiman, considering the environment kind of sets them up. I don't entirely know how I will progress their relationship, so we'll see what happens.

Anyways, a question for you all, and this is spoiling a bit for the next chapter or two, but do you think Sae Chabashira should "throw Hachiman under the bus?" I'll let you all figure out what I mean by that. But either give one of three answers:

1. Yes, with no hesitation.

2. Yes, with some restraint.

3. No.

4. Hachiman commits social disasters after some teasing from Sae Chabashira.