Hikigaya regretted it. Regretted it so much that he wanted to slam his head into the desk until his brain cells short-circuited and reset his life.
Why, oh why, had he mentioned it?
Why had he shown them?
Sure, Kasumigaoka-senpai and Eriri Spencer Sawamura had backed him into a corner, demanding the truth. But even under pressure, he shouldn't have confessed that he had full-starred Genshin Impact. And he definitely shouldn't have pulled out his phone and revealed his game record.
The moment those two girls—no, those two terrifying creatures—saw the proof, their eyes practically burned holes through his soul.
Now, during morning self-study, Hikigaya felt as if he was being suffocated by invisible pressure.
He could tell. Both of them wanted him—the so-called "gaming god"—to help them clear the dreaded Abyss. Their sharp gazes said it all, but their pride wouldn't allow them to outright beg for his assistance.
So instead, they gave him the silent treatment.
Silent, murderous treatment.
Eriri, who sat in front of him, would occasionally glance over her shoulder. Each time, she would let out a tsundere snort—"hmph!"—like she was trying to puncture his self-esteem. Her twin tails bounced along with every exaggerated movement.
Blonde, tsundere, twin-tailed. Yeah, the holy trinity of disasters. All blondes were born tsunderes, confirmed.
And then there was Kasumigaoka-senpai. She sat behind him, the tip of her fountain pen tapping against her open book. Her long, beautiful black-stockinged legs stretched casually forward, intruding into his absolute territory under the desk.
Not only that, she kept shaking her leg. Back and forth. Back and forth. The subtle movement kept brushing against his awareness like a trap ready to spring.
Oi, oi, oi.
Senpai, are you trying to seduce me?!
This was bad. This was so bad.
All Hikigaya wanted was to reclaim his seat in peace. But now he was caught in a vice between two dangerous Genshin-addicted women, both glaring at him as if he owed them his very soul.
Yukinoshita, save me. These women are too scary!
Naturally, studying was impossible. His textbook blurred before his eyes, his brain overwhelmed by stress.
Finally, the bell rang. Morning self-study was over.
Relief washed over Hikigaya, but only for a moment.
Eriri abruptly stood up, spinning toward him with a hesitant expression. Her blue eyes darted nervously toward his, then away again. For a split second, she looked like she might actually ask him for help.
But when their eyes met, she immediately panicked. Her cheeks flushed red, she puffed out her cheeks in a classic tsundere pout, and she let out a sharp "hmph!" before flicking her twin tails and marching off like she was fleeing the scene of a crime.
"…Sorry, Sawamura-san. Didn't mean to terrify you with my mere existence."
Hikigaya muttered this under his breath, exhaling a long sigh of relief. One disaster temporarily avoided.
But then came the next one.
He could feel them. The legs.
The legs that had trespassed into his sacred desk space were still there, long and slender, wrapped in elegant black stockings. Even though class was over, Kasumigaoka hadn't pulled them back.
Senpai, do you not understand the meaning of personal boundaries?!
As a normal guy, he admitted the temptation was there. Those stockings clung to her legs in a way that screamed, touch me if you dare.
And yet, deep down, some other darker urge stirred within him. Not to touch them, but to…
Be stepped on by them.
Wait. Wait, wait, wait! No!
Am I… am I a masochist?!
Absolutely not!
Hachiman can't be a masochist!
He shook his head furiously, forcing himself to calm down. He needed to think rationally. The best course of action was obvious: politely ask Kasumigaoka-senpai to retract her legs and stop jiggling them.
Before he could open his mouth, however—
"Want to lick them?"
The sultry voice drifted from behind, low and deliberate.
Hikigaya froze.
"Ehh?!" His voice cracked.
Did she just—did she seriously just say that out loud in a classroom full of people?!
His face heated instantly as he accidentally glanced at those long legs again.
Kasumigaoka didn't even look up from her book. She simply flipped a page, her tone calm and teasing. "Oh? Not interested in licking them? Then maybe… you'd prefer to do something even more outrageous?"
Her words slithered into his ears like poison.
Hey, hey, hey, Senpai! What kind of R-rated script are you reciting right now?!
"I-I'm not!!" Hikigaya stammered, snapping his head forward. His cheeks burned so hot he thought smoke might start rising from them. He didn't dare look at her again. Not at her face. Not at her legs. Nothing.
He tried to console himself. She was tall, of course her legs were long. They weren't invading on purpose… probably.
Forget it. If she wanted to occupy his desk space, then fine. He surrendered. He was too weak to resist.
Pulling out his textbook again, Hikigaya sighed and forced his eyes to the page.
Normally, he would just nap during breaks, but this was third year. The university entrance exams loomed closer every day. If he wanted to have any chance of going to university with Yukinoshita, then studying was non-negotiable.
"Hikigaya's surprisingly diligent," Kasumigaoka suddenly remarked, her smooth voice cutting through his thoughts. "I thought you'd spend break time playing games like a shut-in."
Senpai, I beg you. Just leave me alone. You've already conquered my desk space, do you have to conquer my peace of mind too?
"After all, exams are coming up," Hikigaya muttered back. "My grades are average at best. Unlike you, Senpai, I have to put in the work if I want to get into a decent university."
"Senpai?" Kasumigaoka finally lifted her eyes from her book, looking almost amused. "But Hikigaya, we're in the same year. How could I possibly be your Senpai?"
"Kasumigaoka Utaha, last year's top student at Soubu High School," Hikigaya replied smoothly, pushing up his glasses in mock seriousness. "I am very familiar with your esteemed name. It would only be proper for me to call myself your junior."
Hikigaya adjusted his posture, trying to keep his voice steady, but inside, he was sweating bullets.
I might not know mysterious demons like Kato Megumi, but the legendary top student from last year? That name's practically carved into Soubu High history!
Still, one question kept gnawing at the back of his mind—why would someone as excellent as Kasumigaoka-senpai repeat a year? Did geniuses get bored and just hit reset for fun?
Either way, not his problem. But with a formidable Kasumigaoka now in their year, could Yukinoshita even hold her crown as the current grade's top student?
"Oh? How unexpected." Kasumigaoka finally spoke again, still without lifting her gaze from the book in her hands. "I didn't think Air-kun would know so much about me."
There it was again. That cursed nickname.
Air-kun.
Stop calling me that! I'm not an air conditioner!
Hikigaya forced an awkward smile, not daring to actually turn around and face her. His instincts screamed that direct eye contact with Kasumigaoka-senpai was the same as stepping onto a battlefield unarmed.
Danger. Definitely danger.
Sigh.
Suppressing his discomfort, Hikigaya quietly pulled something out from under his desk.
Immediately, her voice drifted over from behind him. "Playing Genshin Impact?"
"…It hasn't even launched yet."
"Oh, I see."
"…"
Oi oi oi!
You clearly wanted to say, 'Air-kun, what did you just pull out?' Then just ask me directly, Senpai! Don't play these weird word games!
Feeling cornered, Hikigaya gave up and admitted, "…Just a light novel. Thought I'd read a little."
The truth was, there was no way he could focus on studying right now. His nerves were already stretched thin from Senpai's black-stockinged feet invading his space. Forcing himself to study would just be pointless. At least with a novel, he could calm down a little.
"Air-kun truly lives up to his reputation as a shut-in otaku," Kasumigaoka remarked in a perfectly casual tone. "So, what light novel is it exactly?"
Shut-in otaku?! Senpai, that extra word was completely unnecessary! Just otaku was enough! Why double the insult?!
"…Kasumigaoka-senpai probably wouldn't be interested in the ones I read."
"Speak."
That tone… why did it sound like she was issuing a royal decree?
"…Love Metronome."
"…"
"You haven't heard of it, have you?" Hikigaya asked, half-expecting her to scoff.
"…I've read it."
Her calm reply landed like a thunderclap.
Wait. What?!
You've read it? Then why did you just call me a shut-in otaku?! Senpai, you're clearly one too! Don't drag me down alone!
Just as he was about to retort in his head, the back of his chair jolted. She had kicked it.
Oi, how did you know I was mentally cursing you?! Do you have ESP now?!
Desperate to defuse, Hikigaya forced a laugh. "As expected of Kasumigaoka-senpai. Truly well-read, to even have read—"
"Yes, it's a very good book."
Her interruption was swift and decisive, and then—without waiting—she began discussing the story's plot. Smooth, articulate, like she had the entire thing memorized.
Hikigaya blinked. You actually know it that well…
It was rare to meet someone at Soubu High who read light novels, much less a girl. Was this what they called… destiny?
After a moment of hesitation, Hikigaya decided he couldn't just ignore this miracle. He cautiously joined in, throwing out comments here and there.
To his own surprise, the two of them ended up chatting quite naturally about Love Metronome.
And, for a fleeting moment, Hikigaya thought—
This isn't so bad.
But then, his fatal flaw kicked in. He got careless.
When they reached an especially pivotal plot point, Hikigaya felt a surge of pride and blurted out, "You know, the second volume turned out so well partly thanks to me. Back in middle school, I actually discussed the story with the author. Some of those plot points? Yeah, those were my ideas!"
The words slipped out before he could stop himself.
"?"
For once, Kasumigaoka's composure cracked. Her shoulders trembled, just slightly, but enough to send a chill down Hikigaya's spine. Slowly, she lifted her gaze, her beautiful eyes narrowing as they locked directly onto him.
"What… did you just say?"
"…Eh? Uh…"
Hikigaya's blood ran cold. That wasn't just a stare. That was the look of someone who was about to interrogate him down to the marrow of his bones.
Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no.
He hadn't meant to! He was just so thrilled to meet another closet otaku that he'd… exposed his embarrassing middle school history!
Just as he scrambled for a way to backpedal, the class bell rang—
Ding-dong!
Salvation. Sweet, merciful salvation.
Hikigaya nearly collapsed in relief. Saved by the bell, quite literally.
Kasumigaoka, however, continued to stare at him, her eyes shimmering with something unreadable.
This… this wasn't over.