Chapter 002: She, She, She, and He Who Have Changed
Hasabe Haruka sat in her seat, taking in the entire scene.
It wasn't common for Onodera to approach Horikita to ask a question. According to Hasabe's observations, that girl usually didn't get close to anyone. At the end of last semester, she had even talked back to Chabashira-sensei in class, likely trying to gain some sense of presence. But seeking out Horikita... Hasabe glanced at Horikita's profile; the black-haired girl was looking down at a book, her expression exactly the same as usual, showing no emotion whatsoever.
She withdrew her gaze and scanned the classroom.
With the holidays over, the small cliques had regrouped—this was an annual tradition. Who ate with whom, who walked home together, who spoke in the hallway—these things seemed trivial, but everyone was silently calculating their own position in their hearts.
Leaning against her backrest, Hasabe felt that she, too, should find a group. Not the loose kind of relationship where you "can chat with anyone for a bit," but real friends who could eat together, chat, and do things together.
Her eyes circled the room. There were too many people around Kushida; she couldn't squeeze in. Karuizawa's side was the "gyaru" group, which wasn't her style. Most of the remaining girls were like Onodera or Maeda—low presence and, in her eyes, low visual appeal. Hasabe didn't think that would work.
Then, there was the option of Sakura—
Her gaze landed on Sakura Airi.
Sakura was sitting in a seat by the wall, holding a small notebook, looking down at something. However, Hasabe noticed that Sakura's gaze would occasionally drift toward a certain direction—not out the window, not at the blackboard, but toward a specific seat in the front row. She followed that line of sight. Horikita Suzune.
Sakura was looking at Horikita.
Hasabe was momentarily stunned.
Sakura Airi, the quietest, most timid girl in class who blushed when talking to anyone, was actually friends with Horikita Suzune? She recalled the events of the previous semester—it seemed Sakura really had been getting close to Horikita.
During the uninhabited island exam, when Horikita proposed distribution according to labor and Hikigaya came over, Sakura had also worked hard to speak up and express her opinion. At that time, Karuizawa and Kushida were also speaking together.
Looking back like this, it was clear that Sakura, who seemed the most inconspicuous, already had her own circle.
Hasabe withdrew her gaze and looked down. She thought about PE class, especially swimming. Every time they had to change into swimsuits, Sakura would ask for leave. So would she. Not because they couldn't swim, but because—she glanced down at her own chest and quickly looked away.
Because that sort of thing can only be understood by people who have the same "troubles."
She had always thought Sakura was like her—alone.
It turned out she wasn't.
She looked at Sakura again. Sakura was still looking down at her notebook. Hasabe hesitated, stood up, took two steps in that direction, and then stopped.
She didn't know what to say.
"Hello, we both have big breasts, so let's be friends"?
Too stupid.
She ran that opening line through her head three times, and each time it felt stupider. Moreover, Sakura already had a small group; she guessed she wouldn't be able to join. She was curious how Sakura had managed to join the camp of Horikita, Kushida, and Karuizawa.
She sighed and sat back down. Forget it. Maybe next time. During PE or swimming class, there would surely be an opportunity.
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Over with Class D's gyaru group, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than in the rest of the classroom.
Sato Maya leaned against her backrest, twirling a pen with her fingers. It fell after two rotations; she picked it up and continued twirling. Shinohara Satsuki sat next to her, looking down at a reference book borrowed from the library, her brow slightly furrowed as if reading something difficult to digest. Matsushita Chiaki sat opposite Karuizawa, holding a can of coffee bought from the convenience store; she didn't drink it, just held it.
Her gaze fell on Karuizawa's hands.
"Kei, you're not painting your nails lately?" Matsushita spoke up, her tone casual, as if confirming a minor detail.
Karuizawa was looking down at her phone. Hearing this, her fingers paused slightly. She looked up and met Matsushita's eyes, her expression stiffening for a moment.
Matsushita noticed it.
"Ah... yeah." Karuizawa put her phone down, her fingers subconsciously shrinking back. "The Student Council has grooming requirements. If it's too exaggerated, it's not good."
"Oh—" Sato drawled, her pen dropping again. "Then there's really no helping it. It's the Student Council, after all; there are bound to be more rules than for ordinary students."
Shinohara also looked up and glanced at Karuizawa. "Does that mean you can't paint them anymore?"
"It's not that I can't," Karuizawa's voice was a bit lower than usual. "It's just... nothing too exaggerated. Simple colors should be fine."
As she said this, her fingers rubbed lightly against her knee. Her nails had once been meticulously polished, but now they were clean and bare.
Looking at her fingers, Matsushita suddenly felt a sense of daze.
Since when did Kei become like this? She was no longer the flamboyant, sharp-tongued leader of the gyaru group, but a member—an officer—who dressed properly, had clean nails, and reported to the Student Council every day.
Thinking this, Matsushita withdrew her gaze and looked down at her own fingers, which were painted with a light-colored polish.
Come to think of it, Kei would often encounter Hikigaya Hachiman in the Student Council. So, is it possible that while there are Student Council restrictions, Hikigaya actually doesn't like the gyaru type? That's why Karuizawa changed.
With that thought in mind:
"Then I'm thinking of not painting mine either," Matsushita said, her tone feigning nonchalance.
Sato was stunned. "Eh? Matsushita, you too?"
"Yeah." Matsushita nodded. "It doesn't make a difference anyway. And—" She paused, the corners of her mouth curling slightly. "Since Kei has changed, there's not much point in us continuing to carry the gyaru title, right?"
The words were spoken lightly, but the others understood. After Karuizawa joined the Student Council, the positioning of their small group had become somewhat subtle. Continuing to be gyarus wasn't impossible, but it felt like the vibe wasn't right when standing next to Kei. Rather than forcing it, it was better to let things adjust naturally.
Sato thought about it and put down the pen. "Then I'll change too. How about a white shirt? I think Kushida looks pretty good in those."
"You?" Shinohara looked up and scanned her from top to bottom. "You wearing white? It'll be dirty in three days."
"You're underestimating me!" Sato puffed out her cheeks but didn't argue, because she really wasn't good at taking care of light-colored clothes.
Shinohara didn't reply, looking back down to flip through her book. After two pages, she suddenly sighed.
"Do you guys think there will be a written test for this month's special exam?" Her tone carried a complex mix of anticipation and fear. "I spent a whole month of the holidays in supplementary classes. If there's no written test, I'll feel like I wasted my time. If there is, I'm afraid I'll do poorly..."
"Why think so much?" Sato waved her hand. "If there's a test, there's a test. We've been studying for a month anyway. We're much better off than those who didn't."
"You certainly have a positive outlook." Shinohara laughed, closed the reference book, and leaned back. "I'm just a bit nervous. After all, during the written exams last semester, our class's grades..."
She didn't finish the sentence, but everyone understood. Class D's academic ability was at the bottom of the entire school year. Although Horikita had organized study groups and Karuizawa had taken them to the library, and although they hadn't been idle during the holidays—the foundation was too thin to be fixed in a single month.
Karuizawa listened to their conversation without interjecting.
She kept her head down, swiping her phone screen once, then locking it again.
The chat box on the screen was still empty. Of course, she didn't think Hachiman would message her at this time; she just couldn't help but want to check.
"Kei?" At that moment, Matsushita called out to her.
Karuizawa looked up. "Hmm?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing." She quickly shoved her phone into her pocket. Karuizawa knew Matsushita had feelings for Hachiman, and because of that, she hadn't announced the news that she and Hachiman were dating. She didn't dare say she was checking if Hachiman had messaged her, so she quickly sat up straight. "I was just thinking that if there is a written test, we need to prepare in advance."
Sato blinked. "Aren't you in the Student Council? Do you have any inside information?"
"No." Karuizawa shook her head. "I just joined, how could I have any inside info?"
The words were sincere, and the others nodded. The classroom became lively again; some were chatting quietly, some were flipping through textbooks, and some were napping on their desks. The members of the gyaru group sat in their seats, each occupied with their own thoughts, and no one spoke further.
Just then, footsteps came from the classroom door.
Chabashira Sae walked in.
The classroom went silent for a moment—not the silence of being intimidated by a teacher, but a silence of "Huh?" Everyone's eyes were fixed on the figure on the podium.
Chabashira-sensei was still the same Chabashira-sensei.
Black long hair, a cold expression, holding a folder, walking at a steady pace. But something was different. Her hair tie had changed. The original plain black one was gone, replaced by a dark red one with subtle sparkles, tying her long hair behind her head and revealing a section of her fair neck. It wasn't exaggerated, but compared to her usual "I'm here to teach, nothing else matters" style, today's Chabashira-sensei was, how should one put it—
"Chabashira-sensei seems... a bit different today?" Sato whispered.
Shinohara leaned in and lowered her voice. "She changed her hair tie. It used to be black."
"Oh—" Sato realized, then frowned again. "Just changing a hair tie makes the whole person feel different?"
Kushida Kikyo sat in the front row, her gaze sweeping over Chabashira-sensei, the corners of her mouth curling slightly. The charm of an adult woman probably lay in such places. It wasn't about heavy makeup or deliberate dressing up; just a single detail adjustment, and the whole temperament changed. She looked down at her own fingers; there was nothing on them. She didn't paint her nails to begin with, so there was nothing to change.
But Matsushita Chiaki wasn't looking at Chabashira-sensei's hair tie.
She was looking at Chabashira-sensei as a whole.
That face, that hair tie, that exposed neck—she layered these images in her mind with another scene.
Matsushita knew that after the VIP exam ended, on the ship, Chabashira-sensei had given a pair of plain glasses to Hikigaya. Black thin frames, minimalist design; she had seen an almost identical pair in an accessory shop and had originally planned to give them to Hikigaya.
As it turned out, Chabashira-sensei had beaten her to it, and her choice had been the same.
And Hikigaya was already wearing the glasses Chabashira-sensei gave him.
Though she was a step behind, Matsushita had bought the glasses anyway. However, she couldn't find the time to give them—or rather, she could wait until August 8th, which was next week, Hikigaya Hachiman's birthday.
She could give the glasses to him openly as a birthday present.
Moreover, she was the "deterrent" he intended to leave in Class D to keep an eye on Ayanokouji. In a way, she was one of "his people," so he shouldn't be able to refuse a birthday gift from her.
However, it also made Matsushita a bit conflicted. Since Kei had joined the Student Council and was now an officer alongside Hikigaya, were Kei's current changes really just Student Council requirements?
Her instinct told her it wasn't that simple.
She was actually a bit suspicious of the relationship between Kei and Hikigaya.
After all.
Kushida had mentioned it before, and Horikita had said it too—Hikigaya was "recruiting" a romantic partner.
So, was it possible that Kei's current changes were because she had secretly started dating Hikigaya-kun behind their backs?
This thought had been lingering in her mind recently. Just now, she had tried to probe, but now Matsushita's gaze fell on Chabashira-sensei.
Chabashira-sensei had changed her hair tie, and her whole person was a bit brighter, a bit softer, like—like adding color to a white sheet of paper.
This made Matsushita subconsciously grip her canned coffee.
Had Hikigaya changed at all this month? She had been watching.
Though they didn't meet much during the holidays, she had occasionally seen him from a distance in the hallways or the cafeteria. He hadn't changed much; he still had that same look, dead-fish eyes, walking at a leisurely pace with his cowlick sticking up. But something was different. She couldn't quite name it, it was just an intuition—he didn't seem as tense as before, as if he had figured something out, or something had happened.
Thus, a thought suddenly popped into her head.
That is, has Hikigaya... found someone to date?
Once this thought appeared, it could no longer be suppressed.
Watching the teacher on the podium, who had changed her hair tie and seemed brighter, an absurd thought that made a chill run down Matsushita's spine suddenly flashed through her mind.
No way?
She stared at Chabashira-sensei's profile and thought of those glasses again. It wasn't impossible for a teacher to give a student glasses. But that style, that color, that kind of "I
think this suits you" certainty—that wasn't something an ordinary teacher would do for a student.
And Chabashira-sensei's age was exactly that... the final window where one could still be picky about marriage.
Furthermore, Chabashira-sensei was undoubtedly the type who would work, while Hikigaya didn't want to work and only wanted to be a househusband... so...
While it felt incredible, could this be a possible combination?
And now.
A holiday had passed, and both Chabashira-sensei and Hikigaya had changed.
So.
Matsushita looked down at the now-cold can of coffee in her hand. She suddenly felt very stupid. If it really was Chabashira-sensei, how could she compete? She was a high school student, a Class D student, a girl who even had to consider whether to "paint or not paint" her nails. Chabashira-sensei was an adult—mature, charming, a woman who could give glasses to a guy. What did she have to compare?
Unless she was given ten years to mature as well.
Thus, Matsushita-san looked at the teacher on the podium, thinking of a certain someone from the neighboring Class A. Then she sighed again, opened her notebook, and prepared to record the rules of the first special exam of the semester that Chabashira-sensei was about to announce.
Meanwhile, switching perspectives to Class A.
The homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei, was standing at the podium, beginning to announce the start of the new semester and the rules for this month's special exam.
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