COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

April. Once again, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. 

Wearing a burgundy school blazer and carrying a deep blue shoulder bag, the dead-eyed boy boarded the Sobu Line early in the morning, heading for Tokyo. From there, he transferred to a short-distance bus that would take him to ANHS 

ANHS was located on a large artificial island off the coast of Tokyo, connected to the mainland by only two bridges. There were no other ways onto the island. 

Sitting on the bus, Hikigaya stared out the window, watching the scenery blur past. His mind started wandering, lost in random thoughts. 

Then, suddenly— 

A loud, sharp noise rang out from outside, followed by a violent jolt. 

Hikigaya quickly grabbed the handrail to keep himself steady as the bus came to a slow stop. 

"No… no way…" 

His face stiffened as a bad feeling crept into his mind. 

"Sorry, kid. Looks like the front right tire blew out…" 

The bus driver, an older man with graying hair, turned back with an apologetic smile. 

Hikigaya could only manage a smile that looked even more miserable than crying. 

Forget the fact that they were stranded in the middle of the bridge, stuck between nowhere and nowhere—what were the chances of a bus getting a flat tire like this? 

Is this a manga? A light novel? 

How is this kind of luck even possible? Why couldn't I be this lucky when buying a lottery ticket?! 

And—of all days—this had to happen on the first day of school! 

Hikigaya suddenly recalled two terrible memories. 

Both in his original world's high school and in this world's middle school, he had been in accidents on the first day of school. By the time he recovered and returned, he was already an outcast, unable to fit into any of the cliques. 

Was he about to face a third downfall?! 

On the bright side, at least he didn't get hit by a car this time… 

Yeah, right. 

According to the nearly-retired bus driver, it would take at least thirty minutes for a replacement vehicle to arrive. Adding that to the remaining travel time, Hikigaya suddenly realized something terrifying— 

He was going to be late! 

And since he was the only student on the bus, that meant… he had already left later than the others. 

Which meant… he might be the only student who would be late on the first day of school. 

Ignoring the driver's apologies and words of comfort, Hikigaya grabbed his bag, jumped off the bus, and started running along the bike lane at the edge of the bridge— 

Classic drama-style sprint to school!

This kind of special treatment only happens to the main character in the final episode of a prime-time TV drama! 

The dead-fish-eyed boy comforted himself with that thought. 

As a loner, Hikigaya never imagined he'd be going to school in such a "dramatic" way. 

But soon, his attention was drawn to the various facilities on the island. Since ANHS High School had a strict three-year no-exit policy and banned all outside communication, the massive artificial island was equipped with many living and entertainment facilities. 

A movie theater, clothing stores, cafés, various restaurants, and even a full-scale shopping mall—it was practically a small commercial district, all built solely for the school. 

A massive area of over 600,000 square meters! 

"In a place like Tokyo, where every inch of land is precious, it's hard to believe that a national high school could take up this much space. Even a private school for the rich wouldn't be able to pull this off, right?" 

Hikigaya couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. Tokyo was truly on another level. 

Just then, a sleek black luxury car sped past him. Within seconds, it was out of sight. 

"That black car..." 

Hikigaya instinctively stopped in his tracks. It had only been a few seconds, but something about that car felt strangely familiar. 

... 

"Damn it! That stupid black car made me waste so much time!" 

Drenched in sweat, Hikigaya finally arrived at the school. He didn't even care about the "no running indoors" rule as he rushed toward his assigned classroom, following the orientation guide. 

While running through the hallways, he couldn't help but notice the sheer number of surveillance cameras around the school. But there was no time to think about that now. 

ANHS had four classes per grade—A, B, C, and D—with 40 students in each. That was only 160 students per grade. Despite the massive campus and ridiculous luxury, the number of students was surprisingly small. What a waste. 

Finally reaching Class 1-D, Hikigaya took a moment to catch his breath before pushing open the door. 

The next second, his face stiffened. 

The thing he dreaded the most had happened. 

The moment he stepped inside, 39 pairs of eyes instantly locked onto him. 

And on top of that, a cold, sharp gaze from the woman standing at the front of the class—who had the undeniable aura of a homeroom teacher—pierced through him. 

Late. 

And… he really wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. 

Hikigaya felt miserable inside, but on the surface, he kept his usual blank expression. 

There's a saying: when entering a new environment, first impressions are everything. They can shape your social life and determine your status in the group. 

Hikigaya used to scoff at that idea. 

Until now. 

Anyone who's ever attended a first-day orientation knows the feeling. Whenever a new student walks into the classroom, they become the center of attention, like a product being inspected. People instantly label them in their minds. 

For socially awkward or introverted people, it's nothing short of torture. 

And if you're late on the first day? That's like stacking all the worst debuffs at once. 

"I..." 

Hikigaya opened his mouth to explain but stopped himself. 

The fact was, he was late. 

Sure, he could try to justify it, but that might just make him look like he was making excuses. 

And honestly, saying something like, "The bus broke down halfway, so I had to run several kilometers to get here," sounded so ridiculous he didn't even want to say it out loud. 

He knew how people worked. 

Most would just laugh at someone else's misfortune. If he told them, his story would quickly become a joke, passed around as a fun topic of conversation. It would turn into material for people to casually bring up whenever they wanted. 

While Hikigaya hesitated, the woman at the front of the room—dressed in a sharp black suit, her long hair tied neatly in a ponytail—spoke. 

"Come in." 

Hikigaya gave a slight bow and muttered a quiet "sorry" before walking in as if nothing had happened. 

For a loner with years of experience in emotional damage, he was already used to being publicly humiliated for no reason. 

Loner's Rule #4: 

If you don't feel embarrassed, the embarrassment belongs to everyone else.

On the first day of school, being late, having a cold and expressionless face, and a pair of dull, lifeless eyes made this new student seem rebellious and hard to approach. But deep inside, he just felt empty and disappointed. 

Failure always follows people throughout life, and regret is just a normal part of youth. 

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