Haichiman's Super Strength

Chapter 24: Chapter 024: A Useful ShieldMid-April

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As time flows, the uneasiness people feel in unfamiliar environments gradually fades.

The students of Class B, now settled into their new lives, have made friends and are enjoying campus life. The only oddity is that this class is... too harmonious.

Typically, a class would divide into several social groups—active ones, semi-active ones waiting to take over, and the otaku group that avoids all interaction. Some people have close friends, others form casual alliances, and a handful remain complete loners.

Yet, Class B appears too friendly.

Regardless of their social standing, everyone gets along. Conversations flow naturally between groups, with no visible cliques or divisions. The reason? Ichinose. Her presence single-handedly keeps the class united.

But something about it seems off.

Hikigaya Hachiman, an expert in human behavior (self-proclaimed, at least), found the whole situation utterly baffling.

It was... impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

There was no way an entire class could be this cooperative without some underlying manipulation. Surely someone had to be faking it?

Unless...

Oh.

It turned out that he was the only one left out.

While Ichinose made an effort to greet him, the rest of Class B had seemingly categorized him as "the guy who prefers to be alone" and left him to his own devices. He didn’t mind. His daily routine consisted of only a few key locations—school, dormitory, and, on occasion, the library or club room.

A Trivial Concern: MAX Coffee

The school’s efficiency, or rather its lack of efficiency, was becoming a problem.

With the exception of fresh ingredients, the school seemed to operate on a strict once-a-month supply system. This meant that anything not stocked in bulk was unavailable for long stretches.

Case in point: MAX Coffee.

Today marked the sixteenth day without it.

How did he know this with such precise accuracy?

Simple.

When he submitted his club application, he took the opportunity to ask Commander Horikita about the school’s procurement schedule. She told him, rather bluntly, that club-related equipment wouldn’t be available until all clubs had been officially established—sometime after April ended. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Running a school, it seemed, was not a simple task.

Wool Club: A Sanctuary of Solitude

On the fifth floor of the special teaching building, a sign on a classroom door read: "Wool Club."

Hikigaya sat inside, flipping through a book with one hand while munching on a slice of toast with the other. On the table before him were three neatly arranged nutritious meal packs—one for breakfast, one for dinner, and another for tomorrow’s lunch.

The food wasn’t great, and the portions were meager, but with free toast and eggs available, it was just enough to get by. If he stretched his savings wisely, he could afford to treat himself on weekends.

Life was all about balance.

Just as he was about to turn a page—

"Wow."

The classroom door burst open, and a voice filled with exaggerated curiosity broke the silence.

Hikigaya looked up, unimpressed.

"...What are you doing?"

Standing in the doorway was Juke.

She stepped inside, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Disappointing," she muttered as she took a seat across from him. "I expected you to be doing something shady in an empty classroom, but this? Boring."

"...Heh."

Hikigaya took another bite of his toast. "And what exactly are you doing here?"

The unspoken message was clear: Get lost.

Juke let out a dramatic sigh, slumping over the table. Her arms folded under her head, pushing her chest against the surface in a way that some people might find distracting.

"I’m so done with Ichinose’s endless parties," she grumbled. "They make me go every day. I’m exhausted."

To an outsider, it might have sounded like bragging.

But Hikigaya knew better.

She was here to escape.

He glanced at her lazily. "If they invite you so often, doesn’t that mean they like having you around? Just go along with it."

Juke shot him a glare. "You don’t get it. One party is fine. Two is tolerable. But every night until nine p.m.? Where’s my personal time?"

Nine o’clock, huh.

No wonder she looked fed up.

If it were him, he’d have declined after the first event.

Actually, scratch that. If he attended a party, it would probably kill the mood so fast that a second invitation wouldn’t even exist.

Wait.

That meant—

He was a natural party deterrent?

A weapon against excessive socialization?

Amazing.

Juke rolled her eyes. "I wish I could just refuse."

"Then just do it."

"You know it’s not that simple."

Hikigaya smirked. "And yet, you still asked. Your personality is awful."

"Ugh, whatever."

She sat up, stretching lazily. "Club’s almost over. Walk back with me."

"...Huh?"

Hikigaya raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because if someone finds me alone, they’ll drag me back. If you’re there, they’ll assume I was in the club the whole time."

Ah.

So she was using him as a shield.

How convenient.

Fine.

If all he had to do was walk, he could tolerate it.

Besides, he was heading back to the dorms anyway.

Nutritional Choices and the Pasta Dilemma

Juke eyed his meal packs, unimpressed. "You eat this every day?"

"Pretty much," he replied nonchalantly. "I splurge on weekends."

She frowned. "That can’t be healthy."

"It’s fine," Hikigaya shrugged. "Jiro Ramen is divine, but it’s gonna take a while before the school finishes setting up the shop. Probably not until the second semester."

Juke rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Eventually, she just pulled out her phone and scrolled through it absentmindedly.

Neither of them felt the need to fill the silence.

It was... oddly comfortable.

Post-Club Walk

As the club session wrapped up, Juke stretched dramatically.

"Ugh, I’m so tired."

Hikigaya scoffed. "From what, exactly? You were just playing on your phone."

She ignored the remark.

The two walked side by side, making their way back toward the dorms.

"Want to grab something to eat before heading back?" Juke suggested.

Hikigaya gave her a blank look. "I just ate."

"Oh. Right. That barely qualifies as a meal, though."

"It’s enough."

"Ugh, you really need to eat something normal."

He sighed. "I could just have instant noodles later."

Juke clicked her tongue. "At this rate, Ichinose’s gonna find out and force-feed you proper meals."

"...Please don’t involve her."

Juke smirked. "Oh? Are you scared of her kindness?"

"I fear for my independence."

She laughed.

"Fine. Then let’s just grab a pasta set. I haven’t eaten yet."

Hikigaya glanced at the café she pointed at.

Pasta wasn’t exactly healthy, but it also wasn’t the worst option.

Whatever.

He had no real objections.

At least it wasn’t a party.

[Word Count: ~1800]

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