There is something wrong with Hikigaya’s classroom of the Elite, as expected

Chapter 53: The Girl Wants to Take the First Step

“Sorry to ask, but… do we know each other?”

“We don’t.”

“…”

The girl’s answer, given without hesitation, made Hachiman fall into silence.

“But I know you. I’ve been paying attention to you since the beginning of the semester, but back then, I didn’t know your name,” Shiina Hiyori answered with a smile, her expression seeming sincere.

“You’ve been paying attention to me since the start of the semester?”

Hachiman’s expression grew increasingly strange. He hadn’t noticed at all. And could it be that this cute girl had some sort of stalker personality?

“Is it because of the day I was late on the first day of school?”

“Eh? You were late on the first day of school?”

“…”

“Hehe, I actually met you here,” Shiina Hiyori said, looking around the shelves with a smile.

Hachiman froze for a moment, then, as if realizing something, his face lit up with sudden understanding. “So you’ve been here in the library since the start of the semester?”

The girl nodded shyly. “Well, since there weren’t many students in the library at the start of the semester, it was easy to notice you.”

At the same time, she silently added to herself: “And I’ve been watching for quite a while, but I’m not sure why you suddenly stopped coming around.”

“Could it be because of my eyes?”

Upon hearing this, Shiina Hiyori glanced at Hachiman’s eyes and then, with a soft laugh, said, “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to. Oops.”

The girl covered her face, seemingly embarrassed by her earlier impolite remark.

In truth, she had another secret that she didn’t say aloud: she knew this was a place Hachiman often came to, and she had been waiting in this secluded corner, hoping for an opportunity to strike up a conversation. She really didn’t know how to approach others, so she decided to try her luck.

However, when she picked up a book to read, everything else was forgotten, and she became completely absorbed in the world of the book, losing sight of her original purpose.

Now that she reflected on it, she felt an overwhelming sense of shame. “Ugh, I can’t let anyone find out about my little plan. It’s so embarrassing.”

Hachiman couldn’t help but smile bitterly. So it was just a “simple reason”? He felt ashamed of his earlier, darker thoughts.

“I see you really like reading too, right?” Shiina Hiyori asked, already more energized, her eyes now sparkling with anticipation.

“Yeah, I guess.”

After realizing that he had misunderstood the girl in front of him, Hachiman felt an urge to dig a hole and hide in it. He didn’t even want to make eye contact with her.

“I knew it!” Shiina Hiyori said with a delighted smile. “So, what kinds of books do you like?”

“Well, I guess mystery novels…”

Before Hachiman could finish his sentence, the girl excitedly interrupted.

“Eh, me too! My favorite is Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, and Raymond Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely. Of course, I also like local authors’ works, like Yokomizo Seishi’s Kindaichi series, and Miyabe Miyuki’s The Endless Murder and Train… Ah, I’m sorry, I get a bit carried away when I talk about novels.”

Shiina Hiyori realized her enthusiasm might have overwhelmed him and quickly apologized in a quieter voice.

Hachiman could clearly sense the girl’s love for books. Unlike him, who merely saw them as a form of solitary entertainment, the girl in front of him genuinely loved reading, and the passion in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

“It’s okay,” Hachiman said with a slight smile. “I understand the feeling of wanting to share what you love. After all, it’s rare to find someone who shares your interests.”

It was like discovering a new song or stumbling upon a great movie or anime. You just have to share it with someone because the feeling is so overwhelming.

Unfortunately, Hachiman had always been alone, and he never had the chance to share the things he liked. In fact, he even feared that if someone didn’t like something he enjoyed, they might just dismiss it with a light “I don’t care for it.”

“Eh? So, you think like that too, Hachiman-kun?” Shiina Hiyori’s face lit up with surprise. “I’m so glad to be understood. I’ve loved reading since I was little, and every time I read, I get completely immersed in the book’s world. But then, when I look up, I realize… I have no friends. Every time I muster up the courage to share a novel I love, I chicken out and never actually do it. I’m just really bad at talking to people.”

At this point, disappointment was clearly visible on her face, but it quickly melted away as a satisfied smile took its place. “So, meeting you, Hachiman-kun, is really great.”

Hachiman stared blankly at the pure smile on her face and suddenly felt touched. But… wait, isn’t there something wrong here? You’re bad at communicating, girl, but isn’t that a bit of a misunderstanding?

The conversation flowed naturally from here, with Shiina Hiyori doing most of the talking, while Hachiman acted as the listener, quietly absorbing her passionate words about books. Occasionally, he would nod in agreement and share his thoughts.

Gradually, they realized that many of the mystery novels they read were unexpectedly similar. From another perspective, their interests were very much aligned. This discovery made Shiina Hiyori’s smile grow even brighter.

While chatting, Shiina Hiyori suddenly asked, “By the way, Hachiman-kun, have you ever heard of a writer named Kikei Meishi?”

“Kikei Meishi?” Hachiman searched his mind and furrowed his brows. “That name sounds a bit familiar…”

“Eh? Really? Hachiman-kun, you’ve heard of this writer?” The girl quickly asked, her eyes full of expectation.

“I think it’s called The Mystery of the 100-Yen Coin on Windy Hill?”

“Wow! Hachiman-kun really knows about it!”

Shiina Hiyori clapped her hands in excitement, but quickly realized they were still in the library and covered her mouth, though her radiant smile was impossible to hide.

“Uh…”

Hachiman scratched his head. Seeing the girl so excited, he didn’t know how to explain himself. To be honest, he had no real impression of this writer. If it hadn’t been for “fate’s compensation” as he searched his mind, he would never have remembered seeing this author’s name in some forgotten corner. As for the contents of their works, he was completely in the dark.

After a brief silence, Hachiman spoke, “Actually, Shiina-san, I don’t really know much about this author…”

“I see… so you just glanced at it once,” she said, surprisingly without disappointment. Instead, there was a look of relief on her face as if to say, “I knew it.”

“Sorry to ask, but what’s your relationship with this author?”

“Hehe, I think you can probably guess from your expression, right? He’s my father, a completely unknown mystery writer. His works have never been very popular,” Hiyori said, sticking her tongue out and pretending to look embarrassed, though her inner sadness was somewhat concealed.

“Eh! Shiina-san’s father is a writer?” Hachiman said, surprised and genuinely interested.

“Do writers always have beards, and while writing, they smoke hand-rolled cigarettes and sometimes forget to eat or drink for days when they get really into their writing…”

“Father does have a beard, but he doesn’t smoke. Actually, he likes…” Shiina Hiyori paused for a moment, then explained, gradually noticing that the cloud on her face was disappearing, replaced by a brighter smile.

“By the way, Hachiman-kun, why don’t we exchange books? We can recommend our favorite books to each other. This sounds like a great idea, right? I’ve always wanted to try it!”

Her smile, along with the hope in her eyes, was like sunlight on a winter day—warm and bright, as if even the coldest heart would melt. It was only then that Hachiman realized how close they were. The girl’s warm breath and the faint scent she gave off made his heart race without him realizing it.

This was an irresistible, fatal blow!

“Great!”

The girl raised her arm in excitement, but immediately blushed, realizing her enthusiasm had been a bit too much.

“Hachiman-kun, let’s exchange our email addresses.”

“By the way, does your nose still hurt? You really don’t need to go to the health office?”

“Next time, I’ll treat you to something to make up for it.”

“It’s really great to have met you here at school, Hachiman-kun.”

“Goodbye~ See you tomorrow~”