Haichiman's Super Strength

Hikigaya looked up.

What caught his eye was a woman with long black hair, a stunning face, and skin as pale and smooth as porcelain. Only her sharp, violet eyes carried a certain chill, making him feel as if winter had arrived early.

"I touched this bottle of shampoo first. You were about 0.5 seconds slower than me, so it belongs to me."

Her voice was cold, her tone calm. It didn't sound like she was arguing—just stating a fact, as if this were some natural law of the universe.

"Ah... uh, yeah, sorry."

Hikigaya instinctively apologized, quickly letting go of the bottle and reaching for another one.

What was that? That was terrifying. Did I just experience absolute zero?

He shuddered. And to think there were so many bottles nearby… was it really necessary to fight over one?

Still, the girl hadn't recoiled from something he had touched. If this were middle school, that alone would've been enough to bring him to tears. Maybe—just maybe—she wasn't such a bad person.

Without dwelling on it, he grabbed a few towels and a toothbrush before turning to leave.

"Wait."

The girl suddenly spoke.

Hikigaya stopped in his tracks and turned around, feeling a little uneasy. Had he unknowingly committed some other social faux pas? He glanced at his shopping basket, wondering if he had picked up anything suspicious.

"What's the matter?" he asked hesitantly.

"I noticed that you only selected free items."

The girl stepped closer, her eyes scrutinizing him as if she were analyzing a puzzle.

"Why?"

"Uh… because I want to save points?" Hikigaya replied uncertainly.

The way she looked at him was unnerving. It was the same cold, judgmental gaze he had received from girls throughout his life. He didn't need to be reminded of that trauma.

"Save points?" She looked puzzled. "Judging by your selections, you should be a freshman like me. The school provided everyone with 100,000 points—more than enough for necessities. There's no real need to be frugal."

"...And yet, you didn't pick all free items either," Hikigaya pointed out dryly.

"I am me, and you are you. There's no comparison."

Her tone was as impassive as ever. Then, as if drawing a conclusion, she continued, "You seem like the type who is content with mediocrity, lacks ambition, and usually spends money recklessly. So why the sudden thriftiness?"

Hikigaya twitched.

This woman... He took back his earlier thoughts—she was not a good person.

Who just says something like that to someone they've barely met? What kind of person delivers a character analysis so brutally?

The worst part? She was right.

While he didn't care much about material luxuries, he had never been the type to save. If not for his goal of accumulating 20 million points, he'd probably be burning through them without a second thought.

Still, how was she able to see through him so easily? Were all students in this school freakishly perceptive?

"By the way, who even are you?" Hikigaya asked, trying to shift the focus.

"First-year, Class D. Horikita Suzune."

"Ah, right. I'm from Class B—Hikigaya Hachiman."

"I didn't ask for your name," she said flatly. "I asked for an answer."

Wow. This girl had zero social awareness. When someone introduces themselves, isn't it basic etiquette to return the courtesy?

"Sorry, since you're from Class D, I can't tell you," Hikigaya said, shaking his head.

Strictly speaking, classes in this school were in competition. He saw no reason to share information with someone from a rival class.

Horikita's eyes narrowed slightly, but she maintained her icy composure. She took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

Then, she grabbed his wrist.

"—Huh?!"

Hikigaya let out an awkward sound and felt his face heat up.

This… this kind of innocent physical contact could be dangerous! It could lead to misunderstandings! It could lead to death!

If girls like her wanted to avoid these kinds of situations, they should follow a few basic rules:

Never touch a guy unless absolutely necessary.

Never sit on a guy's desk after class.

Never borrow things from a guy if they forget their own.

Follow these, and misunderstandings could be avoided.

"What else do you want?" Hikigaya asked with a sigh.

More importantly, why was her grip so strong? He could feel the pressure. Was this school secretly training martial artists?

"Because I'm in Class D, you won't tell me?" she pressed.

"That's right. You're free to interpret that however you want."

Horikita tightened her grip slightly. "Explain."

Too much. This girl definitely has no friends.

"Look, if you want answers, just ask your homeroom teacher," Hikigaya suggested, waving his free hand dismissively.

It was common sense to approach a teacher when you had questions. Yet, she was pressing him of all people for answers. Did she not realize there were upperclassmen she could ask?

Horikita pursed her lips. Clearly, she wasn't satisfied.

"I see. Then how about 20,000 points? Tell me everything you know."

Hikigaya froze.

Huh?

He had already suspected the school used some kind of class ranking system. Given how Class D behaved at the entrance ceremony, they were definitely weaker than Class B.

But… selling information?

That was an interesting idea.

In theory, this information wasn't that valuable—it was only a matter of time before the entire school learned about it. Still, if someone was willing to pay for it, why not charge a little more?

"Make it 25,000."

Horikita didn't even hesitate. "Deal."

"Wait, wait. I meant to say 30,000. It's 30,000!"

"Deal."

"Wait a sec—"

"Thirty thousand is my limit. Information this early into the school year isn't worth more than that."

"..."

Damn it. She was sharp. If her class didn't recognize the value of the info, it would be worthless.

Still, he couldn't help but think this whole conversation was pointless. Looking at how Class D had performed, Horikita's efforts would probably be wasted anyway.

"You want to talk here?" Hikigaya glanced around. The convenience store had plenty of students milling about.

"The information is yours. Where do you think would be best?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Somewhere without people," Hikigaya replied. "I have something else to do first, though, so wait a bit."

"No problem," Horikita said, though her gaze remained calculating.

Even now, she seemed skeptical.

Does she really think I don't know anything useful?

Well, she'd find out soon enough. But whether that information was actually worth her points… that was entirely up to her judgment.

One thing was certain, though.

This girl had no idea what kind of person she was dealing with.