That guy is always alone.

Every morning, he sleeps in class, and sleeps after school. He would wander off during the day and be the first to leave the classroom after school.

During that time, his expression never changed much. Pretty hilarious.

It was only after I talked to him for the first time that I began to look at him like this. I'm not proud of it, but I do get along with people easily. I think my face is pretty good looking, and I can easily get along with girls and boys alike. But he was different.

"Hey, Hikigaya? What are you doing?" I asked, hearing this he lifted his face up.

'What can I do for you?" What?

"No, nothing in particular. Hikigaya, you're always sleeping, and I think it's hilarious."

"I don't think it's funny. If you don't have anything to do, you don't mind? I'm going to sleep." I immediately fell flat with that.

I was a little annoyed, but I later learned that he was like that to everyone, not just to me. Then I started to follow him with my eyes little by little.

Why does he keep people away from me like that?

That was the genuine question.

I'd rather have a lot of friends, and it's definitely more fun to talk to someone. Maybe he just wasn't good at talking, but he wasn't like that at all, and he would always say what was on his mind.

There must be a reason.

That's what I thought.

One day, on the way home from school. Taking a little detour with my friends on the way home, I saw Hikigaya walking down the street. Next to him was a pretty girl, holding his hand.

She looked gloomy at school, but now she had a kind smile on her face. Oh, when she smiles, it's surprising ...no, it doesn't matter. Anyway, I have to make sure they're related!

"Onii-chan, what's for dinner tonight?" Siblings? I thought that Hikigaya had a girlfriend, right?

"I'm thinking about what to eat. Do you have anything you want to eat?"

"Then I want fish!"

"Oh, well, when I get home, we'll go shopping together."

"Yeah!"

Still, that guy's expression changes in a colossal way, unlike when he's at school. I don't know if you've ever heard of him, but he's a great cook. It's kind of funny.

"I'm always thankful for- aren't I?"

"Onii-chan."

"What's up, all of a sudden?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure. I was just thinking how you always come home early. It's for Komachi, right?"

"I'm not. I don't have any friends. I'm bored. So I'm glad that I have Komachi."

"I know it's a little bit of a lark, but that line earns a Komachi point!" What a point system.

"W-Wai-" Hikigaya walks away with a volume of voice that is unimaginable for that guy at school.

Hmm. I didn't know there was a reason for that. The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a chance on a new person and expect them to be happy.

Not sure what to expect, but I'll find a way.

"That concludes our discussion, you may go now."

"Thank you very much."

After a tedious committee meeting, I was having a chat with a friend when I realized I had left something in the classroom and hurried back. When I got to the classroom and entered, I noticed one of the boys lying face down on his desk.

Well, he was asleep the whole time I was greeting him on my way home.

I mean, Hikigaya is kinda cool when he's sleeping- No, no, no! What are you talking about?! I have to wake him up!

"Hikigaya? Don't you have to go home?"

"N…that, why... was I sleeping so much...?" He grunted.

"Haha, you've been asleep since the last math class."

"Don't be funny but I'm okay today." Hikigaya rubs his cloudy eyes and slowly begins to prepare to leave.

Well, is it okay with your sister?

"Is your sister good?"

"What?" He asked, shocked at my question.

"You're leaving early for your sister, aren't you?"

"How did you know?"

"I saw Hikigaya and a girl on the way home the other day, and I overheard them talking- Sorry about that."

I quickly stand up as I finish getting ready to leave. "Well, that's fine as long as you don't go around saying too much."

"I'm sure it's class today."

"She's going home with my parents so I don't have to leave early." He said.

"Hmmm. I see." Oh no, it sounded like I wasn't interested.

What to say…

"I thought Hikigaya was hard to get to know, but he's surprisingly easy to talk to."

"What?"

"Why don't you just act like that all the time, and maybe you'll be more popular?" I said exactly what I was thinking.

"Huh?"

Well, it wasn't a bad reaction, I guess. I said something like, "How can that be?" and left, but my face was bright red.

He changes his facial expressions, he's very sisterly, and he has a surprisingly cute side. It's like I've seen a new side of him and I'm in a bit of a good mood today.

That day, for some reason, we stayed up late, overslept, and went to school later than usual. Then, something was noisy in the classroom. It was always noisy, but today it was even noisier.

When I entered the classroom, I couldn't believe my eyes. On the blackboard, there was a message "HIKIGAYA CONFESSED TO ORIMOTO AND WAS UTTERLY REJECTED!" and it was highlighted.

I froze at the entrance because I couldn't remember anything about it, but everyone was so engrossed in the topic that they didn't notice that I had arrived.

The important thing is that Hikigaya was surrounded by... several boys.

"I don't care, you guys are loud in the morning."

"Haha, you're getting too carried away, telling that guy off." As the boys around him laughed, Hikigaya went straight into a sleeping position.

"Oh, Orimoto! It's a disaster, isn't it, being told off by this guy? I heard you were all red in the face. Like this guy's blush-"

"Shut up for a second."

"What? Ah, Hikigaya. I know, telling someone you don't even know how much you know, it's hilarious-"

"I told you to shut up!" My voice comes out louder than I thought it would, and everyone around me quiets down. Even Hikigaya looks at me in surprise.

"Who did this? It's not funny." I don't remember my voice being this low.

I thought my voice was so low that it sounded like "I'm not a good person." Naturally, no one came forward.

"Hikigaya, why don't you deny it?" Thinking that it is useless to go any further, I asked him.

"Nothing. I'm not going to deny it, because that would just add fuel to the fire. He doesn't want to anyway." He turned away.

Then I realized. "Why doesn't Hikigaya try to get involved with people so much?"

He has given up. To be understood. To be known for who he really is. The real Hikigaya may be kind, and he may act for the sake of others, maybe only for his sister, but I think he is the real him.

Maybe there is something in his past. I don't know that either, but I think it's- a bit of a waste to keep the real him hidden.

I see.

I wanted to know more about Hikigaya. But more than that, I wanted everyone to get to know him better. I wanted to know more about him, but more than that, I wanted everyone to know more about him, like how he seems difficult to talk to but is actually just a little twisted, or how he makes this kind of face in front of his sister.

"Well then…"

And when everyone gets to know his real one, I want to brag that I was the first one. I was the first one of all of you to notice.

At that moment, he smiled at me.

I'm not sure what to do with it. I'm not going to do anything that doesn't have a chance of winning. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but you never know until the very end. You just have to win in the end.

His languid face turned toward me.

"Will you go out with… me?" His face reflected pure surprise, not the usual nanniness.

I wondered if it was a win just to see that.

Maybe not now, but surely someday. I'm pretty obsessive, you know?