Chapter 012: Wearing Glasses
Time quickly moved to the next day.
During the morning break, Hachiman leaned against the back of his chair, phone in hand. On the screen was a message from Horikita Manabu; it was as brief as the man himself.
[No classes this afternoon. Sports Festival opening ceremony. Do you want to go on stage to give the briefing? Grouping rules and precautions, roughly ten minutes.]
Hachiman stared at the line of text for two seconds before he started typing.
"Nagumo-senpai would probably prefer this kind of thing."
After the message was sent, the other side was silent for about half a minute. Hachiman thought Horikita Manabu wouldn't reply again and was preparing to put his phone away when the screen lit up once more.
[Understood.]
Just those two words. Looking at the period at the end, Hachiman felt that Horikita Manabu had probably let out a soft sigh on the other side of the screen. However, given his personality, he wouldn't write such emotions into a message. Hachiman put his phone back in his pocket and turned a page of his textbook.
Beside him, Ryuji Kanzaki turned his head and lowered his voice. "The President reached out to you?"
"Yeah." Hachiman nodded. "Asked me to go on stage to announce the rules. I declined."
Kanzaki glanced at him, his mouth twitching slightly, but he said nothing. He had likely grown accustomed to Hachiman's "avoid it if you can" style of doing things. After all, for someone who constantly spoke about being a "house-husband," standing in front of the whole school to give a briefing really didn't fit the persona.
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Meanwhile, in the Year 2 Class A classroom.
Nagumo Miyabi was leaning back in his chair, spinning a pen in his hand. Sunlight spilled through the window, falling on his short blonde hair, making him look spirited and triumphant. A textbook lay open on his desk with a few pages turned, but his attention was clearly elsewhere.
His phone vibrated.
He looked down; it was a message from Horikita Manabu.
[Opening ceremony this afternoon. You explain the rules.]
Nagumo arched an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. He was about to reply "Understood, President," but his finger hovered over the screen and suddenly stopped. He thought for a moment and typed another line.
"President, doesn't the Student Council have three Vice Presidents? You could let Hikigaya-kun from the first year try. Young people need opportunities to gain experience."
After sending the message, he leaned back and waited for a reply. He knew, of course, that Horikita Manabu wouldn't actually let Hikigaya go up—that dead-fish-eyed kouhai even wanted to push Student Council work onto the girls. That was why one always saw Ichinose, Kushida, and Karuizawa from Hikigaya's circle looking busy with work. So, how could that guy be willing to go on stage? Therefore, Nagumo knew Hikigaya would definitely refuse; he only said it to appear magnanimous.
As expected, Horikita Manabu's reply came quickly.
[Hikigaya refused. You do it.]
Nagumo stared at those words for two seconds, the smile on his face stiffening slightly.
Because of the speed of the reply, the President definitely hadn't contacted Hikigaya just now.
In other words, the President was notifying him now because Hikigaya didn't want it—giving him the "leftovers"?
The way the President phrased it... although he knew Horikita Manabu didn't mean it that way, a sense of awkwardness still welled up in his heart.
'The President really is grooming Hikigaya-kun as his successor.
In the President's eyes, Hikigaya-kun is ranked at the very top.'
Thinking of this, Nagumo took a deep breath. Originally, he felt the President was strong, but he wasn't weak himself, so he treated the President as a rival. However, because they weren't in the same year, there were few opportunities for a direct confrontation.
And now...
Nagumo quickly suppressed the rising emotions and tapped a few words on the screen.
[Understood. Leave it to me.]
After sending the message, he placed his phone on the desk and leaned back. Beside him, Asahina Nazuna was looking down at a fashion magazine, her long orange hair falling over her shoulders. The sunflower hairclip pinned in her hair was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight. She turned a page, moved her gaze from the magazine, and glanced at Nagumo.
"What's wrong? Your expression looks a bit off."
Nagumo shook his head, his face once again wearing that bright smile. "It's nothing. The President wants me to announce the rules at the opening ceremony this afternoon."
"Oh?" Asahina closed the magazine and turned around, curiosity glinting in her bright eyes. "Isn't that good? An opportunity to show your face in front of the whole school."
Nagumo shrugged. "It's alright. I originally wanted Hikigaya-kun from the first year to go; young people need the exercise. But the President said he refused."
Asahina's eyebrows twitched slightly. "Hikigaya-kun? The one who rose from Class B to Class A?"
"Yeah." Nagumo nodded, his tone carrying a deliberate understatement. "The class representative of Year 1 Class A, and a Student Council Vice President. The President thinks quite highly of him."
Asahina gave a soft "Oh" and nodded thoughtfully. She leaned back, her gaze falling outside the window as if she were thinking about something.
Looking at her profile, Nagumo suddenly felt a bit nervous. He had known Asahina for too long; they grew up together, and he knew her personality all too well. She wasn't the type of girl to be deceived by appearances, but because of that, she tended to pay more attention to "interesting people."
Asahina withdrew her gaze and glanced at Nagumo. "Speaking of which, we should be able to see that Hikigaya-kun at the opening ceremony this afternoon, right?"
Nagumo's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained the smile on his face. "Probably. All the first years have to attend."
"That's good." Asahina smiled, her eyes carrying a hint of anticipation. "I've always wanted to see what the guy who managed to pin both Sakayanagi-kouhai and Katsuragi-kouhai to the ground actually looks like."
Nagumo's mouth twitched slightly. Just as he was about to say something, a boy in the front row turned around and joined the conversation.
"Is Asahina talking about that Hikigaya Hachiman? I heard he led Class B to Class A in a single semester, breaking the school record."
Another girl leaned in, her eyes shining. "And I heard he became a Student Council Vice President while only in his first year! Just like Nagumo, he rose up from Class B."
"Isn't he like a direct kouhai then?" the boy in the front laughed. "Nagumo, does this count as a 'passing of the torch'?"
Nagumo leaned back with a smile on his face, but a complex emotion flashed in his eyes. A passing of the torch? He wished it were just that. But President Horikita's attitude toward that kouhai was clearly more attentive than toward him.
To some extent, the President didn't just not support him; he even believed Nagumo would lose if he went up against Hikigaya-kun.
"Speaking of which," the girl continued, "for the Sports Festival groupings, our Red Team and Year 1 Class A are teammates, right?"
"Right." The boy in the front row nodded. "The Red Team consists of Class A and Class C. Our Year 2 Class A is also on the Red Team. So Hikigaya-kun is on the same team as us."
"Then doesn't that mean we can observe him up close?" The girl's tone carried a hint of excitement. "I heard he's amazing, but I haven't seen what he looks like in person yet."
Listening to these conversations, the smile on Asahina's face deepened. She turned her head and looked at Nagumo. "Miyabi, you've seen Hikigaya-kun, right? What does he look like?"
Nagumo's heart tightened, but he kept his composed expression. "He's alright. A normal boy."
"Normal?" Asahina arched an eyebrow. "Someone you describe as 'alright' shouldn't be too bad, right?"
Nagumo opened his mouth, wanting to say "dead-fish eyes," but swallowed the words. He didn't want to mention that kouhai too much in front of Asahina; the more he said, the more interested she would become. So he just gave a vague hum. "Anyway, he's not the type you'd like."
Asahina looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
"How do you know what type I like?"
Nagumo was choked up, momentarily unsure of what to say. Several classmates around them started laughing, and someone patted Nagumo on the shoulder.
"Nagumo, you're being too tense. Asahina is just asking casually."
"Exactly, it's not like he's going to steal your childhood friend."
Nagumo glared at that classmate but didn't retort. Asahina laughed gracefully, didn't follow up, and reopened her fashion magazine.
Nagumo leaned back, his gaze falling outside the window. The sunlight was great, and the red track on the field was glowing. In a few hours, the opening ceremony of the Sports Festival would begin. All the students in the school would gather on the field, and he would stand on the stage, reading those long, tedious rules.
He didn't mind that part. Showing his face in front of the whole school was a good thing for anyone. It was just—Asahina's phrase, "should be able to see Hikigaya-kun," was still circling in his head.
He let out a soft sigh and put down his pen.
'Forget it. That kouhai Hikigaya has a pair of dead-fish eyes and always looks like he hasn't slept enough. Asahina's taste has always been good; she shouldn't be interested in that type.'
Thinking this, his mood relaxed slightly.
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And on the other side.
Time quickly arrived at the afternoon.
After the lunch break ended, the Class A classroom didn't ring with the usual bell for class. Instead, assembly notices were broadcast repeatedly. The Soutand of students from other classes walking echoed in the hallway, mixed with scattered conversations, coming from near to far, then far to near.
Hachiman leaned back in his chair, phone in hand. On the screen was his chat log with Karuizawa. The last message was sent at noon—"Attending the opening ceremony this afternoon," and she replied with a "Yeah." He stared at that word for two seconds, locked the screen, and put the phone in his pocket.
"Hikigaya-kun, aren't you leaving yet?" Shibata Souta turned around from the front row, his hands resting on the back of the chair, his face carrying the excitement typical before a Sports Festival. "We have to assemble soon."
Hachiman stood up and pushed his chair back into place. "Let's go."
Honami Ichinose stood up from beside him, holding her notebook. She didn't bring a bag today, just tucked the notebook under her arm.
Her strawberry-blonde hair fell like a waterfall, glowing softly in the afternoon sun.
It had to be said that as the grade's "Archangel," Ichinose was full of charm no matter the time.
She glanced at Hachiman, her mouth curving slightly, and then walked by his side.
The three of them walked out of the classroom; there were already many people in the hallway. Students from Class B were walking toward the stairs in groups of twos and threes. Some were yawning, while others had already started stretching their wrists and ankles as if warming up in advance. Shibata walked in front with a light step, occasionally looking back to see if Hachiman and Ichinose were keeping up.
"Shibata-kun seems very excited," Ichinose said softly.
Hachiman nodded. "It is the Sports Festival, after all. A sports cheat like him has probably been waiting for this day for a long time."
Hearing the words "sports cheat," Shibata turned around with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Hikigaya-kun, saying that makes me blush. But—I am indeed looking forward to it. After all, at my previous school, everyone treated me as a star athlete during the Sports Festival."
"A star athlete?" Ryuji Kanzaki walked up from behind, pushing his glasses up, his tone curious. "So at your old school, you were the focus of every Sports Festival?"
Shibata scratched the back of his head, smiling shyly. "Pretty much. The 100-meter dash, the relay, long jump—I basically placed in every event I entered. So whenever the Sports Festival came around, my classmates would pin their hopes on me."
"That must be a lot of pressure," Kanzaki said immediately.
"It was alright." Shibata thought for a moment. "Once I got used to it, it actually felt pretty good. After all, being able to contribute to the class and being trusted by everyone doesn't feel bad."
Walking beside them, Hachiman listened to Shibata's words and thought silently to himself. A sports cheat is a sports cheat—he was like that in the original world, and he is the same in this one. However, in this meritocratic school, the significance of the Sports Festival went far beyond just "bringing glory to the class." A single exam could create a gap of up to 800 points. And Shibata probably didn't know yet that he would be facing not just opponents from the same year, but also senpais from the second and third years.
However, based on his knowledge of the original work, the only strong individuals among the senpais were Nagumo and President Horikita; the standards of the others weren't particularly outstanding.
"But speaking of which," Shibata suddenly slowed down, walked to Hachiman's side, and turned to look at him, "Hikigaya-kun, is your state of mind a bit strange today?"
Hachiman looked at him. "How so?"
"I can't quite say." Shibata scratched his head, his brow slightly furrowed. "It just feels like you're a bit hesitant. Usually, you're very decisive in everything you do, but today you've been looking at your phone since leaving the classroom, and your pace is a bit slower than usual."
Hachiman's footsteps paused slightly.
Hesitant? He was indeed hesitant about one thing. He had been thinking about it since noon, and he was still thinking about it now.
"Actually..." he began, his tone uncertain, "I was wondering if I should wear an accessory."
Shibata froze. "An accessory?"
Ichinose also turned her head, her gaze falling on Hachiman's face, her bright eyes carrying a hint of curiosity.
Hachiman pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was a pair of black, thin-framed non-prescription glasses, the lenses glinting faintly in the sunlight. He held the box out for the two of them to see clearly.
"This," he said. "I brought it today, thinking about whether to wear it."
Shibata stared at the glasses for two seconds. "Hikigaya-kun, are you nearsighted?"
"No." Hachiman shook his head. "Plain lenses."
"Then why wear them?" Shibata looked puzzled.
Hachiman was silent for a second before he slowly spoke. "The opening ceremony today isn't just for us first years. Second and third-year senpais will also be there. In the Red-White face-off, our Class A is teamed up with Class C, so we'll be meeting senpais from the Class A and Class C of other years, not just our own peers."
He paused, his gaze falling on the glasses in his hand.
"Usually, the impression I give off is... how should I put it? Not very energetic. Dead-fish eyes, messy hair, always looking like I haven't woken up. If I look like this in front of the senpais, they might think I'm not taking things seriously. So, I thought about changing my image slightly."
After listening, Shibata nodded thoughtfully. "I see. In that case, first impressions are indeed quite important."
Ichinose stood by, listening quietly without speaking immediately. Her gaze fell on the glasses, then moved to Hachiman's face. Those half-lidded eyes, the slightly pursed lips, and the cowlick that always poked up from his forehead—she was already used to these, even feeling that this was how Hikigaya-kun should look.
But he had a point. In front of outsiders, especially the older senpais, first impressions were indeed very important.
"Hikigaya-kun doesn't give off a cold feeling," Ichinose spoke softly. "However, that's the feeling after spending time with us. For people from other classes, changing your image slightly might indeed be better."
Hachiman glanced at her and nodded. "Then let's try it."
He took the glasses and put them on.
The thin black frames rested gently on the bridge of his nose, the lenses masking those eyes that were always half-lidded. The contours of his entire face became sharper; the original lazy, decadent aura dissipated by more than half, replaced by an indescribable feeling.
Shibata stared at him for two seconds, his eyes widening slightly. "Holy crap."
Hachiman's mouth twitched. "Is that reaction good or bad?"
"Good! Of course it's good!" Shibata's voice went up several notches, his tone full of surprise. "Hikigaya-kun, you look way too good in glasses! You're completely different! I almost didn't recognize you just now!"
Hachiman reflexively raised a hand to adjust the frames, his brow furrowing slightly. He remembered what Matsushita had said when she saw him in glasses back on the ship—"If I can't even recognize you with them on, it's quite a hassle." He had prepared himself to be mocked and even thought of how to respond. But Shibata's reaction was completely beyond his expectations.
"Really?" he asked.
"Really!" Shibata nodded vigorously and turned to Ichinose. "Ichinose-san, you say something too!"
Ichinose's gaze fell on Hachiman's face and stayed there for a second, then two. Her expression didn't change much, but the tips of her ears were quietly stained with a faint pink. In those bright eyes, the silhouette of Hachiman wearing glasses was reflected.
"They suit you very well," she said softly. Her tone was calm, but her voice was lower than usual.
Hachiman looked at her, waiting for her to continue. Based on his understanding of Ichinose, after saying "suit you very well," there should be a "but."
And indeed.
Ichinose was silent for two seconds, then slowly spoke. "But—I don't think they're suitable to wear out."
Hachiman was slightly startled. "Why?"
Ichinose's gaze fell on his face; in those eyes was seriousness, but also something he couldn't quite name.
"Because for a Hikigaya-kun like this, your external image has improved a lot." Her voice was soft, but every word was clear. "It might attract some... well, it might not be good for the girls who care about Hachiman."
When she said the word "care," she paused slightly as if weighing which word would be more appropriate. But Hachiman understood.
It wasn't "care." It was "like."
It wasn't "not good for girls who care about Hachiman." It was "not good for the girl who likes Hachiman."
She didn't say it directly, but the meaning was already very clear. She was talking about Karuizawa.
Hachiman's finger paused on the frame. He knew, of course, who Ichinose was referring to. Since the holidays began, he had been dating Karuizawa. He hadn't deliberately hidden it, but he hadn't publicly announced it either. However, given the sharpness of the girls around him, they had likely sensed it long ago.
Ichinose was one of them.
"I'm just wearing glasses," Hachiman said. "How did it turn into attracting bees and butterflies?"
Ichinose looked at him, her mouth curving slightly into a playful smile. "Hikigaya-kun, you have too little confidence in yourself."
Hachiman opened his mouth to say something but found he didn't know what to say.
Standing nearby, Shibata watched the conversation, his expression shifting from surprise to confusion, then to a subtle "I probably shouldn't be here" look. He looked at Hachiman, then at Ichinose, and finally took a tactful half-step to the side.
"Um..." Shibata spoke up. "I'll go to the field to assemble first. You two take your time."
With that, he turned and walked quickly toward the stairs without even looking back.
Ryuji Kanzaki, who was skilled at reading the atmosphere, also followed behind him. As he passed Hachiman, he glanced at him, his mouth moving slightly, but he said nothing and followed the others out.
Only Hachiman and Ichinose were left in the hallway.
Sunlight flooded in from the window, falling on the floor between them, making that small patch of tile glow. Hachiman leaned against the wall, and Ichinose stood beside him, the distance between them neither too close nor too far.
"Hikigaya-kun," Ichinose suddenly spoke.
"Yeah?"
"Are you really going to wear them?"
Hachiman was silent for a second, then pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the chat with Karuizawa. His fingers tapped quickly on the screen, typing a line.
[I'll be wearing glasses for the opening ceremony this afternoon. Black thin frames, plain lenses. You've seen them before.]
After sending the message, he held the phone in his hand and waited.
The reply came quickly.
[It's fine.]
Just two words. But Hachiman stared at those two words for two seconds, feeling that something else was hidden behind "It's fine."
As expected.
Another message popped up on the screen.
[Those glasses... were they a gift from Matsushita?]
Hachiman's fingers paused slightly. He remembered what Karuizawa had said during the holidays—when she and Sato's group were browsing the accessory shop, the clerk mentioned that Matsushita had come by that afternoon, stood in front of those glasses for a long time, and asked about the price. Eventually, she bought them. That area was the men's eyewear section.
So, Karuizawa had always thought those glasses were a gift Matsushita intended for him.
Hachiman thought for a moment and tapped a few times on the screen.
[No. They were a gift from Chabashira-sensei.]
After the message was sent, the other side went silent. This silence lasted longer than before. It was so long that Hachiman thought she wouldn't reply again and was preparing to put the phone away when the screen suddenly lit up.
Karuizawa's reply was only one line.
[Huh? Chabashira-sensei?]
Hachiman stared at that question mark for two seconds and typed another line.
[Yeah. The day the VIP exam ended, she had the clerk set them aside for me. Said it was a gift to celebrate the class promotion.]
The other side was silent again.
And this time, the silence lasted even longer.
Hachiman could almost imagine Karuizawa on the other side staring at the screen, fingers hovering over the keyboard, not knowing what to say. She probably thought the glasses were from Matsushita and had felt a sense of relief. As it turned out, it wasn't Matsushita, but Chabashira-sensei. A candidate even more unexpected than Matsushita.
Then Hachiman's phone vibrated again.
[Why would Chabashira-sensei give you glasses?]
Hachiman thought and typed a line.
[She said it was to celebrate the promotion. For the details, let's talk when we meet.]
This time the reply was quick.
[Okay.]
Just one word. But looking at that "Okay," Hachiman felt that Karuizawa was probably thinking about something strange.
He put his phone away and looked up to find Ichinose watching him.
And those bright eyes carried a hint of curiosity, along with an unidentifiable emotion.
"Hikigaya-kun," she spoke softly, "what did Karuizawa-san say?"
Hachiman put the phone back in his pocket. "She said it's fine."
Ichinose looked at him, was silent for a second, and then let out a soft laugh. The smile was faint, but her eyes curved into beautiful crescents.
"Then wear them," she said.
Hachiman nodded and raised a hand to adjust the frames. The thin black frames glinted slightly in the sunlight, and the eyes behind the lenses looked much more spirited than usual.
Looking at him, Ichinose suddenly felt an indescribable feeling welling up. Hikigaya-kun really did look good in glasses. So good that when she said "not suitable to wear out" earlier, she wasn't just thinking about Karuizawa-san.
But she wouldn't say that out loud.
"Let's go." She turned and walked toward the stairs. "The opening ceremony is about to start."
Hachiman followed behind her, the two of them walking down the stairs one after the other. The sunlight in the hallway stretched their shadows long, casting them onto the floor, where they walked quietly side-by-side.
On the field, the red track was particularly dazzling under the afternoon sun.
Sunshades had been set up on both sides of the rostrum, and music was blaring from the speakers, echoing across the entire field. Students poured out from various academic buildings, walking toward their class's designated areas.
The Year 1 Class A area was on the east side of the field, near the rostrum. When Hachiman and Ichinose arrived, most of the students were already there. Some were standing in line stretching, some were looking down at their phones, and others were huddled together in low conversation. Seeing Hachiman walk over, several students looked up, their gazes falling on his face, and then—they froze.
"Hikigaya-kun?" Amikura Mako, standing in the front row, stared at him for two seconds as if to confirm. Her eyes went wide. "You're wearing glasses?!"
Hachiman nodded. "Yeah."
"It looks great!" Amikura's voice was full of surprise. "You look completely different! I almost didn't recognize you just now!"
Several girls nearby also crowded around, chattering away.
"It's true, Hikigaya-kun looks so good in glasses!"
"It feels like he's a different person!"
"Why didn't you wear them before?"
Surrounded in the middle, Hachiman's expression shifted from calm to subtle. He reflexively raised a hand to adjust the frames, his gaze sweeping over the excited faces around him, with only one thought in his mind—he really shouldn't have worn them.
Meanwhile, Ichinose stood beside him, watching it all quietly with a faint smile on her lips.
She didn't speak.
But her gaze remained fixed on Hachiman.
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