A/N: Welcome back. The only thing I need to say is that from now on, POV changes will be referred to using the P-system.

1P = 1st Person POV

3P = 3rd Person POV

Hope this prevented some confusion.


To Begin Again...

In any of those old movies from the west, starting from about the 90s, there was a really popular way to begin movies, especially dramatic ones. "Hello, this is me, and you're probably wondering how I got into this situation. Well, it all started with…" It's pretty nonsensical, don't you think?

I mean, putting aside the shameless fourth-wall breaking caused by such a phrase, it's like they're implying, for no reason, that some random event is the cause of their entire peril. Shirking responsibility to blame something else in their life, instead of just focusing on what's happening to them and trying to deal with it.

Real life doesn't work like that. At least, it doesn't often work that way. When things happened to me, it was just because they did.

Girls rejected me. People avoided talking to me. I didn't have any friends. It wasn't really cause-and-effect, but more like a solo effect, with my continued existence itself being an unchanging cause.

Woah. That sounds a lot cooler than what any western filmmaker could come up with. No, screw it, no eastern filmmaker could do that, too. Maybe I should take a shot at making movies? I could start with a documentary on the upright lives of loners in society.

Although, don't filmmakers need really good social skills to communicate with their crew?

…Sayonara, my dreams of movie-making. You were short-lived, and not really that well thought out. You will not be remembered.

Though I think all of this about things like chain events, or stuff like the butterfly effect, to be honest, the beginning of my loops, my specialized 'Hell'? It was just like those movies. There was almost no realism in the situation, looking back on things. It was an insidious, slow buildup, all kick-started by one single ridiculous, seemingly meaningless event.

Everything started from the day of my middle school graduation.

The day was hot, and I was just sitting around the house, enjoying the free, honorable life of the loner like usual…


"Maaaaan, it's hot…" I groaned, talking to myself in the unapologetic, unabashed heat. I tended to do so when I was (mostly) home alone. Even if my mother were to come downstairs, I figured she'd just give me a slightly tired disappointed look and head back up. I tried my best not to think about how I had already conditioned myself to receive disappointment, rather than anger from my parents.

But still, seriously, what was with this stifling heat? It wasn't even fully summer yet, so why the hell did it feel like I was going to melt down into a thousand pieces like a piece of molten glass in a furnace?

Someone needs to seriously turn down the sun a few degrees…although, wouldn't that cause a bunch of huge catastrophes across the whole world? Whatever, wiping out a bit of humanity is nothing compared to not having to fan myself. Having to exert this much energy was honestly already torture.

Today wasn't special only because of the heat, however. It had been my middle school graduation day, evidenced by the diploma sitting down on the couch beside me. I envied the little piece of paper. It didn't sweat, didn't need to fan itself, or be cooled. We should all strive to be a little more like that diploma.

All hail our new certificate overlords!

The fact that I could afford thoughts like these was just proof that I was completely and utterly bored. With good reason, too. While others stayed behind to sign or get each other's signatures, comparing yearbooks and taking special graduation photos, giving last minute confessions and remember-me-by gifts…I just walked straight home.

My parents were too busy to show up (even though I found out that when my mother said 'busy', she just meant taking care of some last minute business at the bank, then immediately returning home), and I definitely didn't have any friends to do any of that with.

The most I had gotten were some pitying stares from my classmates, but even those were sparse. I swear that a few even looked relieved while I left, probably after seeing that I didn't ask them for anything.

But that was fine. This is more or less what I expected my graduation to be like. Uneventful, meaningless, and ultimately, nothing but just another day.

Youth didn't mean anything to me. Graduation, a supposedly lovely and memorable moment in any teenager's life, meant nothing to me. It wasn't like we were done with school, anyway.

I had another three long years to go in highschool. That was certainly something to look forward to (not.) And anyway, it wasn't all dark. There was still one thing I could find solace in on this day. Something I was willing to force myself up off of the couch for, something almost nothing in this world could achieve.

Heading over to the fridge and gingerly sliding the door aside, I stared at my treasure.

Tucked away into one of the fridge's many compartments, neatly organized, shining with a blinding light, was the something in question. Yes, that something was:

A pile of perfectly cooled MAXX Coffee.

The beverage of the gods themselves. One of the things in this world that would never betray you. It deserved all of those titles, and more.

What made this pile an especially sore sight for the eyes, however, was the fact that it had all been free.

Upon leaving, knowing that the beverage was selling horribly among students (and at a loss on how to rid themselves of the stock, considering it couldn't be refunded or resold) the School decided to hand over a sizeable amount of MAXX to someone they were sure would use it - me.

I accepted it without a single thought. I had been the vending machine's biggest buyer of MAXX during my three years there anyways - I considered it something like one of those 1000th customer prizes you hear about.

…even if all 1,000 other purchases were just me. Honestly, I didn't really mind that others seemed to remain ignorant to the heavenly deliciousness of MAXX. Who would say no to free stuff?

To work is to lose. Therefore, to use hard-earned money to buy something was a loser's consolation prize. That just meant I had gained a small victory. over this world. This will be a victory signal to loners all over the world - although I have no idea if any of them will actually see it, considering most of them are probably sitting inside, just like me.

My MAXX stash was more than enough to last me well into the summer, if I rationed it well. Having it in the fridge was no problem z either. Even cold, MAXX was good.

'An ice-cold MAXX on a crappy, boring day...this is just what I needed.'

Before I could reach my hand in to take out a can of chilled, sugary, creamy coffee goodness, though; I heard trouble incarnate. Annoyance personified. One of, if not the worst sound to hear when you were an exhausted loner, trying to relax:

The doorbell going off, followed by a light knock a few seconds after.

I let out an audible groan, shutting the fridge with frustration. It was just a knock, but it shattered the entire mood that had been building up. Nobody gets in the way of me and MAXX. Even Komachi would struggle, her cuteness as a little sister be damned.

I trudged over to the front door, imagining who could have dared to disturb my own personal celebration.

I was sweaty, annoyed, disappointed...and sweaty here! If it were something like a salesman, I got the feeling that I might have to self-destruct like Android 16. Cell's self-destruction was a little too much - I didn't want to take out the whole planet…yet. Was Vegeta's even a real self-destruction?

It couldn't be my mother or father, since my mom was in the house (on a day's leave for sickness) and my father was working, as always. Komachi was out doing…something, but I wasn't sure it couldn't be her, either.

She could be an idiot at times. It was totally possible that she lost her key to the house and was now knocking and ringing in desperation to be let inside.

"Yeah, yeah, coming." I roughly replied, opening the door without much care in the world for who was at the other end.

"Ah. Good day, Hikigaya-kun! I'm so sorry for the intrusion."

What greeted me was unlike anything I expected. I couldn't help but just stand there, staring at the person who stood on our doorstep.

It was a girl. But not any girl, a girl from my class (or my former class, I guess), made all too obvious by the girl's school uniform I was used to seeing, and the vague familiarity of her face.

I didn't remember who she was, to be honest, but that wasn't important. What was important was that my heart now felt like it was going to explode in my chest.

'A-an unknown girl coming over to my house after graduation?! She even knows my name, and doesn't look immediately disgusted by me…! No, wait, if she isn't already shuddering from the sight of me, was she really in the same school?'

It was a critical hit. Certainly, it sent my mind reeling for a bit, leaving the girl to just stand there and look at me in confusion, which my rattled mind couldn't help but interpret as 'adorable'.

But, I was a kid who had begun on the path of the loner in earnest, and already made my fair share of mistakes. Both me and my heart rate calmed down soon enough.

A loner was once bitten, twice shy after all.

Rather than a star-crossed confession, this girl was definitely here to either say something mundane, ask for my sister, or relay something to me by the teachers. I opened my mouth to instantly dismiss her, mustering up the most rude words I could, but I stopped halfway through. There was a sudden oppressive force that shut my mouth, drying any moisture behind me.

There was a frightening presence behind my back…I could see an ahoge similar to mine looming over me…my mother. When the heck did she get here? Did she catch wind of the 108 loner skills I'd begun to develop? Was she a ninja? A mind-reader?

Scary. Mothers who could just appear at any moment were scary.

"You're one of Hachiman's classmates, aren't you? Don't apologize, this kid didn't have anything to do after his graduation anyway."

Oi. What the heck happened to personal privacy? I never consented to these details being given out. I'll sue.

"It'll be good for him to have someone to interact with, even for an afternoon. How about you come in and I'll try to brew up some tea for you two."

While her voice sounded almost perpetually tired, thanks to her sickness, and the endless amount of work she and my father dove into, one could still hear that motherly tone in her voice.

Tea? Now that was something, my mom probably wouldn't even pour me out a glass of water if I tried, probably citing something about how Komachi would do it instead, as she was the more responsible sibling, anyways.

While I definitely thought my sister was cute, I couldn't help but figure that they doted on her with rose-tinted lenses a little too much. Maybe I only found it weird because I had never received a shower of familial love the way Komachi did.

Now, if only my mother would treat me like this when there wasn't a classmate over. That was a dream to hold to.

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Hikigaya!" Mystery Girl added, with a bow of her head. I couldn't see it, but I could feel my mom's gaze boring into me.

"Well, well, aren't you a very well-mannered young lady? I wish you could give my lazy, incompetent kid here a lesson or two…"

The girl only chuckled, while I was almost doubled over from my mother's sharp words. I thought I had managed to avoid the worst of the damage earlier, but it seemed like I could never really get away from motherly disappointment. That was a unblockable skill.


It had been about 2 or 3 hours since then, and I, Hikigaya Haciman, loner extraordinare, was losing my mind. If I looked behind me, outside the window that gave a clear view of the outside, I could see the sky becoming slowly tinted with darker shades of yellow and orange, as the sun began to near lowering behind the horizon.

Yet, even as it neares ever closer to night time, right in front of me were my mother and my mystery classmate, chatting away like the sun wasn't about to set. It was completely bewildering: like those videos of cats walking on two legs.

Although I guess those videos were usually a little cute, too? Not like the sight in front of me was. It was actually a little bit horrifying. No, scratch that, it was very horrifying.

My mother and father weren't very social people in the first place. They weren't loners, like me, but it wasn't like they went out of their way to strike up conversations or to entertain people for the sake of it.

That's why I found it so odd that my mother could sit there, talk, and laugh with a "classmate" who may as well have been a total stranger to both my family and I.

I considered the thought that my mother may be activating old, lost habits as a riajuu...then discarded it just as quickly.

Regardless of how I felt on the inside, I didn't complain. They never forced me to join in, I didn't force myself to listen, and I finally got to enjoy my MAXX on the couch. All in all, a (mostly) stress free situation, without any of my involvement needed.

I would've preferred being alone, in peace and quiet, but adaptability was the strength of the human race, and loners were almost 1000% more adaptable than your average man. Ignoring others to achieve inner tranquility was something I was well-versed in.

I wondered, for a moment, if I could become a buddhist monk or something.

All of this is of course, without mentioning that the moment I tried to worm away to my room, my mom shot me a glare that could turn my entire body to stone.

What was this girl even here for, anyway? I doubt a classmate of mine came all the way over to my house, just to chat up my mother, who I'm sure nobody at school had ever seen.

I'd get the answer to that soon enough, I guessed. Or not at all. I sort of assumed she'd say, and I was curious, but I wasn't desperate for answers.

"Alright. I'm sorry, *-chan, but I'll have to be getting back to do a bit of online work." My mother would say apologetically, while getting to her feet. "I'm not usually one to listen to such things, but I'll certainly look deeper into this 'group' you mentioned."

She walked away from the table, but not before shooting me a look that screamed,

"You better treat her politely or I'll reduce your food allowance to 500 yen."

500 yen?! Oh, no. That was bad.

My allowance was already teetering on the edge of 1000, so I couldn't afford to immediately kick this girl out, like I wanted to.

By the way, little Komachi's was already 2000. Sometimes she got 2500. The favoritism in this family was blatant, but I was fine with it. It was Komachi, after all.

Right now, though, I had to focus on keeping my measly allowance from becoming even smaller.

"S-so." I cleared my throat, trying my best to continue the conversation where my mom had left it. "Uh…you were talking about some…group, or something?"

My voice sounded hoarse - a result of not using it much over the past few months, and I could hear the shakiness in it when I spoke.

Ah, that's gross. She's going to start calling me gross, isn't she? Let's just prepare ourselves for the usual abuse and think thoughts of MAXX.

Against my expectations, however, her face lit up as soon as I spoke, despite my obviously awkward gestures and forced way of speaking. I couldn't help but wonder why she looked so excited when I'd said a simple sentence.

The wide smile she had was…a little off putting, actually. Despite being a relatively cute girl, something about her just didn't feel right. Still, this entire situation wasn't right, so I guess I could just ignore that.

"I'm so glad that you've shown interest, Hikigaya-kun! This is actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I think this will appeal a lot to someone like you." She got up from her seat and the table and sat down right next to me on the couch. I could smell the fragrance coming from her hair...

Wait, huh? Why was she suddenly speaking about that? Was she some sort of burgeoning middle school saleswoman or something? Maybe I should have just self-destructed earlier after all?

Also, just what did someone like you mean?! This really sounded like some sort of scam waiting to happen, a scam for traumatized, socially defensive loners - a deadly scam, indeed.

Also, also, too close, woman!

"Well, I'm not a fan of being sold anything, especially not when it comes to conforming to random groups, but I can listen for a few seconds, at least." I replied with a sigh, and the girl, completely undeterred, continued on excitedly.

"Right, then, have you ever heard of-"

As the girl continued on, her clear and vibrant articulation slowly turned into what sounded like programmed rambling to me. Each and every word out her lips meant less and less to me. She was speaking about some 'alternative faith' group, the name of which I hadn't even bothered to commit to memory.

It didn't take long for me to understand, even if this particular situation hadn't happened to me before.

This girl was talking about some sort of weird cult - and she'd come to my house to try and talk me up into joining it. A weird situation, but it was honestly just one step down from being hassled by a salesperson.

I didn't feel angry at her, I realized. If anything, I felt relieved. Hearing this girl repeat the tenets and interest of some random organization I could care less about - it made me feel assured in what I already knew.

I hated expecting things of people. It made me feel absolutely miserable.

She hadn't come here for me in specific, probably just because she figured I was an easy target, what with my well-known loner status and all. In fact, she probably hadn't even come on her own behalf, but at the behest of her parents, or some other authority figure.

I could imagine her being told to go out and 'spread the word', or something similar, even on the day of her graduation.

I almost felt a bit sorry for her, but in a way, it was her fault for caving into these kinds of beliefs, even if she was ordered by her own parents. If she was here wasting her graduation day proselytizing, she was, in return, truly wasting away her own youth.

At least I was doing so at my own choice.

In a way, I felt I also hated her for that. Perhaps that was why I didn't completely sympathize with her - she had the path of a "normal youth" open, yet forewent it for someone else's will, which was probably indoctrinated into her.

I didn't know everything, but I didn't need to. Understanding someone like this would just make the rest of my chilled MAXX taste bad.

That one conversation soured the entire mood - but I went along with it, anyway. I couldn't afford to lose any of my already small allowance, after all. I had no idea how my mom had looked so interested in this, but maybe the girl in front of me was better at convincing people than I thought.

By the time she left, I had already forgotten most of the conversation, her name, and her face. I felt that I would surely never see her again, and that it was enough to have humored her by listening to her, instead of following the urge he had to break down her beliefs, and by extension, her.

She left a flier for me, with most of the details about her "alternate belief" group printed on the front. The design was surprisingly professional.

I immediately crumpled it up and threw it away in the trash the moment she left.

In the end, I chose to completely forget this girl, and this useless encounter. I'm sure that if nothing else had happened, it would just remain another bitter, unwanted memory of my middle school youth.

Yet, I had no idea just how much I would regret overlooking this one simple decision until months later.


Things would remaain quiet for the rest of my post-graduation summer. I quietly finished the rest of my pile of MAXX, caught up on a bunch of books and light novels, and spent some time with Komachi (who was now becoming increasingly sassy, as she grew up. Onii-chan was becoming very hurt…and no, I am not a sis-con. One without a little sister would simply not understand.)

It was all normal…and it would continue to be, I believed.

That was, until, one day, I woke up somewhere other than my bed. I doubted that I was even in my house, my neighborhood, or perhaps even the entirety of Chiba.

A metallic smell immediately filled my nostrils - along with a disgusting smell, similar to what food smelled like when hou left it in the fridge for too long.

My mind didn't even have time to catch up with any of its usual monologuing. Wherever I was laying, it was cold and uncomfortable - I reasoned, in my panic, that I was probably pressed against some sort of metal.

I was unsure of how I was postioned in detail, but it felt like that sensation was pressing harshly into my back.

I was unable to move, my vision was totally black, my mouth had been gagged, and worst of all, the thing that confirmed this wasn't just a bad dream - I could feel emotions sinking into me from outside my body, confirming that my power was working as intended.

Even so, the emotions I felt at that moment…the instant I became aware enough to begin detecting the emotions of others around me, it made me feel like I was about to vomit. My head was pounding, and I was sure that I was barely on the edge of consciousness.

Total despair, hopelessness, anger, helplessness, suffering, agony, exhaustion, anxiety, fear…it was overwhelming. It almost made the atmosphere of the crowded classroom feel like it was nothing but a joke in comparison.

Before the oppressive mood overtook me, though, I faintly heard footsteps, momentarily snapping me out of my thoughts. Someone had entered the room.

They had entered the room.

I couldn't see them, and I couldn't speak to them. I was helpless - I had no doubt that I was nothing more than something to observe before whoever, or whatever had walked in. As the presence of another person loomed over me, I became distinctly aware of something I never would have before -

How much I valued my life. If I could talk, I would've pathetically begged for my life. After all, when I got serious, I could offer a pretty mean dogeza. I probably would've offered up every bit of my measly savings, and thrown in all of my personal belongings as a bonus. It was funny, that only in this situation, did I finally realize that I really did hold some value to my life.

There were so many things I hadn't done. I wanted to see Komachi grow up, I wanted to be finished with highschool, and…I wanted, even if it was just for a moment, to taste a genuine life. A life of happiness. Not one defined by society, but one that I found, and struggled for, myself.

There wasn't any point in begging, though. I didn't even have time to react - I was too overwhelmed by everything around me, and I was barely remaining coherent, in the first place.

That was why the pain that soon shot into me felt even sharper than anything I could've imagined. I couldn't scream - my body was completely restrained, and my eyes weren't even allowed to open wide.

There was no reaction, other than the pure agony that undiluted anguish that flooded my thoughts, silencing every useless, meandering train of thought that I had.

I could feel a sharp edge being moved through my flesh. It didn't take a genius to tell that I was being cut open, and by something sharp.

I passed out, then, from the pain. I would soon find out that it was only my introduction to this place.

Time passed.

I had no idea how much.

Minutes, hours, years? It was hard to place time when there was absolutely no point of reference. However, what I did know was that through this entire period, all I felt was pain and suffering. I felt broken. Yet, precisely because I was, my mind desperately absorbed any and all information.

The men who were cutting me open seemed to be doctors, or scientists, of some sort. At first, I thought they were government agents, just like in the movies, who had discovered my powers, and now sought to use me as a lab rat.

That seemed less correct the more I listened. They frequently mentioned a "Church". Yet, despite openly talking about it, they refused to name the place. I was referred to merely by a designation, and it made me think that there were others here.

…Knowing what I knew about the loops, I now couldn't help but wonder if Yumiko was there. Not that it would've quite made a difference, but…it was more than likely.

I, and all the others, were test subjects here. We were all probably forcefully restrained and brought to this place, as people with powers, or the capacity to develop them. What I couldn't understand was why.

Why?!

Why?

Why.

. .Whywhywhywhywhywhwywhwyhwywhyhy

This pain and suffering, this hurt and anguish - what did any of us do to deserve this? Some days, I felt like the world itself was punishing me. As if I was being corrected for being a failure of a youth by the standards of the world at large.

Perhaps it was a self serving, self centered thought. Still, that self-hatred, in a way, kept me alive and sane. For a short while, anyways.

Eventually, I reached the end of my rope. However, at that point, I realized they already had what they wanted. I couldn't feel emotions anymore - my powers were completely gone.

After my final experiment, I wasn't patched up. I was simply left to slowly and agonizingly bleed out, cut open and exposed.

That was how I, Hikigaya Hachiman, met death for the first time.

And then, I woke up in my bed.

I felt like I was insane - there was absolutely no way that anything I'd just seen was real. Yet, I remembered it all. The memories rushed into my head with a fervor, as if forcing me to recognize them as real.

It was the day of my highschool graduation again. I had either gone back in time, or had a horrible nightmare. Uncaring of which was which…I just decided to skip my graduation entirely.

I stayed there, in my room, longer than I could even think. I didn't even move a single inch. Sometimes, I wasn't even sure if I was still breathing. In my mind, I just tried my best to reject these memories - I treated them as if they were foreign; they were not mine.

I was forced to accept the reality of my situation, when I heard a familiar set of knocks at my door, and the ringing of the doorbell.

That was the end of my first loop. The end of my first life. I guess you could call it Hikigaya Hachiman's true death.

A pathetic end to a pathetic life - I really was the king of loners, till the very end. Alone and miserable, even in death.

Many, many loops later, I found out the full truth of that first loop. That classmate, it turns out, was sent to recruit promising students, who seemed like they had powers useful for her "alternate belief group". In other words, her church.

As stupid as it was, I think she only put me down as a target due to my chuunibyou "dark period", where I used my power to try and show off as a cool mind reader. I wasn't as hated as a regular chuuni, considering I had some actual results, but, well, a fish-eyed creep will always be seen as a fish-eyed creep. Reality can't be so easily changed.

In a way, maybe some of my final thoughts were right? These loops may have not just been an occurrence of random chance - a blooming of a sudden new power, or a rip in spacetime…it may have been a punishment.

A punishment from the world, to me, for failing to ever truly experience "youth".


(3P, Yuigahama Yui)

'Hikki is weird…'

This is what Yuigahama Yui, class 2F's resident clueless, yet kind airhead thought, while staring at a certain black-haired boy, who remained motionless in his seat, head lowered against the desk.

Just like always, he didn't talk to anyone. Just like always, the look in his eyes made it seem like he wasn't even in the present. Just like always, he seemed to be purposefully hiding himself away from everyone else in the class.

And just like always, her heart ached when she saw him.

She had lots of ideas why, but none that she was willing to admit. However, the real reason why Yui found herself particularly fixated on Hachiman was not due to his usual behavior, but instead thanks to something she had seen yesterday.

The bubbly highschooler had been on her way out of school. She needed to make her way to the hang-out spot her clique had decided on. Well, that Yumiko had decided on, about a week earlier.

...

And Yuigahama knew, making Yumiko mad was not something you did, even as her friend.

"I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be sooooo late! Yumiko's gonna be so mad with me!"

She flailed about while trying to dash her way through the school, only to realize, in her anxiety, that she had ended up lost. Her head was spinning.

'E-Ergh…I feel like one of those little bobbleheads people put in their cars.'

Yuigahama walked a little slower while trying to catch her breath, and stop her head from spinning. She knew that running wouldn't get her anywhere right now. Somehow, she'd gotten lost in the school, as a second year…

She felt her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"W-Well, whatever! I just need to find a way outside. Then I can make it from there!" With this simpleminded but cheerful declaration, she began to look around for the nearest exit.

Meanwhile, she fiddled with her phone.

SH Groupchat:

— — —

[Hayato]: Well, I'm here with Hina. Is anyone else on their way, or just arrived? I just got news from Ooka and Yamato that they probably won't come, so we won't quite hold our breath for them.

[Tobe: Yeah, just rode up! Can totes see you over there in the corner man, yo! Yo! Hey, why ain't you saying nothing back?

[Hina: You don't have to type when you're seeing us and shout out at the same time, Tobecchi ._. I think everyone in the area can hear you just fine.

[Hayato: (lol). Then it's just Yumiko-chan and Yui-chan that are missing, right?

[Yumiko: Yeah, sorry guys, but, I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it either. Something suddenly came up at home, so, like, just have fun without me, yeah?

[Hayato: At home, huh? Well, if you say so. I hope everything's fine, Yumiko. Next time, okay?

[Tobe: Yeah, for sure! Meanwhile, we're gonna go on and have some fun without you! Yui-chan, you gotta get on over here! If you're late, we're gonna make you buy drinks at lunch!

[Hina: At least try to have a shred of delicacy, Tobecchi. This is why you're definitely more deserving of being the uke, hehe…

[Yumiko: Like, just 'cause I'm there doesn't mean you get to drop your perverted jokes, Hina!

— — —

Yuigahama hummed, staring at the screen in surprise. Yumiko was too busy to come to a hangout?! Especially when there were less of them there, meaning she'd have more time with Hayato?

That was like...it was like... Sable, completely ignoring his food bowl!

The very concept was bewildering to her. So bewildering, in fact, that she only noticed she had found her way outside once she was done texting her reply. She looked up, the surprise still visible on her face, then sighed and put her phone in her pocket.

"Tobecchi can be so thoughtless sometimes…he's basically forcing me to get everyone drinks, since he knows I'm gonna be late!"

Yui huffed, quickening her pace. She roughly knew where she was now - around the back of the school. While she didn't memorize the layout or anything, she vaguely remembered there being a back exit to the campus here that not a lot of people used.

On her way out, though, she ran into another obstacle. Or perhaps it would be better to say two of them. Two very surprising obstacles that made her even more confused than she had been before.

Without even realizing why, she had ducked behind a pillar, quietly watching the inexplicable sight in front of her.

'I feel kinda like a stalker for doing this, but…I-I have to know what this is all about!'

In Yuigahama's eyes, her "stalking" was justified, just because of the bizarre sight she saw. Standing besides each other, close enough for their shoulders to touch, and their faces only inches away were Hikki-Hikigaya and Yumiko, nonchalantly chatting.

Yumiko put her phone away, probably just done with the texts she had sent in the group.

'Yumiko, and…H-Hikki?!'

If Yui had thought her brain was fried earlier, then it was like it had been deep-fried now, even if she wasn't sure if that was actually worse or not.

Does that mean, Yumiko had lied and completely ditched hanging out with everyone, just to…just to hang out with Hikki instead? And why did they suddenly seem so close? If she looked closer, she could actually see him responding to her!

That was, totally ignoring the problem of their unexplained physical closeness.

She could only watch as the two wrapped up whatever conversation they had, and only faintly heard Yumiko saying something about,

'...this time…going shopping…mall...you pay.'

Then, she hopped onto Hikigaya's bike, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning against him in an all-too-intimate way that made Yui blush, before the two sped off (well, as fast as a pedal bike could speed off.)

"What…does this even mean?" She murmured after a few long minutes, unsure of just what the heck she had seen.

...

"i…ui…heeeey, earth to Yui-chaaaan?! Oi!"

Tobe's loud voice quickly drew Yuigahama from her semi-conscious state, her peach-red eyes snapping to attention.

"Y-yeah? What is it, Tobe-kun?"

She looked up, the first thing in her vision being Tobe, who bore a smug smile on his face. "Oh, no. No, no, no, Yui-chan! Don't act like you forgot now. You've gotta grab us all drinks, it's lunch! Oh - 'cept for Yumiko, she's apparently gotta meet with one of the teachers for something. You're grabbing me juice! Biggest one you can get, flavor doesn't matter!"

"I'll have an iced tea~!" Hina called out.

"Well…I'm sorry for this, Yui-chan, but a promise is a promise. I'll just have water." Hayato kept his request simple, with an apologetic smile.

After getting Yamato and Ooka's orders as well, Yui was promptly rushed out of the classroom, still in a half-sleepy daze. She tried her best to shrug it off with a yawn, and began to make her way down the hall.

She didn't notice Hayato's gaze lingering on her back, an odd intensity in the usually calm, placid blonde's eyes.

While walking out in the halls, Yuigahama was troubled.

'I'm going to have to ask mama for some more money later…but, still…'

Yes, she was troubled about money, but something more important was on her mind than the hit her wallet would take after buying drinks for everyone.

An uneasy look took over the ditzy girl's face, as the memories of yesterday once again flooded her mind.

'How does Hikki know Yumiko…and…why didn't she say anything to me about it?'

Yuigahama Yui felt absolutely tortured by her own thoughts right now. She wondered, for a moment, if this was how Hikigaya felt all of the time. If so, then she could understand why he was so quiet.

Still, her steps led her forward, even if her mind kept running in circles, like it was on a hamster wheel. That was a refreshingly cute visual that made her smile a little bit.

That smile wasn't meant to last long.

She only meant to find the vending machine…but, once again, she found another sight she didn't understand. There was Hikigaya and Yumiko, standing up by the vending machine and talking.

Hachiman had the same expression as he always did, but Yumiko…she looked like she was practically shining. Yui had never seen that expression on her before, not even in her closest moments with Hayato.

Watching the two of them, an indeterminate expression on her face, Yuigahama Yui couldn't help but finish her earlier thoughts with the question she wanted answered most.

'Hikki…who are you, really?'


(1P, Hikigaya Hachiman)

"Alright, you kids. You're all dismissed for the day." Hiratsuka-sensei's voice roused all the students to their feet, even the ones who were sleeping. Ah, that number of sleeping students includes me, by the way.

Can you really blame me? I was always done with my work ahead of time, and as much of a beautiful woman Hiratsuka-sensei was, nothing said at school really interested me. I could only stare at her for so long until I got bored and sleepy.

I did have Totsuka in front of me, but...I still could resist, even then. Although if he turned around and smiled at me, I might've been unable to sleep for the next 3 days from all that sweetness.

What did interest me more than my mundane thoughts, though, was the change in Hiratsuka-sensei over the past few days.

It was subtle, something someone other than me likely wouldn't have noticed. Her shoulders sagged ever-so-lower, her voice took on a bit more of a drag, bags formed under her eyes…

If I had to hazard a guess, Hiratsuka-sensei either wasn't sleeping, or was barely getting an hour or two of sleep each day. You tended to look like that after doing that. Source: me.

I might've dismissed it as a particularly bad bout of drinking or overnight shonen-marathons, but Hiratsuka-sensei seemed more genuinely done with things in general than I'd seen her when interacting with me.

And that's saying a lot!

But most worryingly of all: she hadn't made any immature references to decades-old anime or games for an entire week!

In any other world, this would be called her 'decades-late ascension to true adulthood', but when it came to my smoking-addicted, ramen-eating, reference-loving teacher, it was definitely more of a worry than anything else.

Besides, Sensei was the best as she was. It would be a little sad if she just became as tired and jaded as any other adult - even if I thought that was what everyone was fated to eventually become.

This was truly a dilemma of massive proportions…one that I would've honestly coldly and promptly ignored and called off as none of my business, if it wasn't for the emotions I was feeling from her.

Caution, wariness…Sensei was waiting for something. It didn't just feel like any normal anxiety, either. I felt fear mixed in there...a fear that I only knew to feel from others when they were near death and danger.

Or maybe she was just intensely looking out and watching for something? It was hard to completely decipher by just guessing, but her next words only confirmed my first thoughts.

"For once, you guys better hurry on home. The school even canceled all club activities for the day. Get off campus quick, alright? School's orders." She murmured, shooing us away with a single dismissive hand.

For how simple of a gesture it was, Sensei's hand seemed particularly...heavy.

The moment she said those words, I could feel my mind going into overdrive. With how she spoke, he could tell…whatever was causing her to encourage the students to go home quickly, was the same thing that had caused clubs to be canceled.

I didn't exactly understand the nuances of school operation, but I knew that Japanese schools never shut down over just anything. Rain, snow, or overly hot shine, they'd want you to be on campus till the very last moment you no longer had to.

So for someone like Hiratsuka-sensei, so infatuated with making students realize their true 'youthful' potential to hurriedly usher students out like an annoyed, underpaid teacher…? Things had to be a bit serious.

Not that I minded. My goal was always getting home quicker - and it just meant that I wouldn't have to go to the Service Club for the sake of the competition.

Whatever was happeming at school, I and every other student (and presumably faculty) would be leaving ahead of time to avoid it.

Still, I couldn't shake a feeling that came over me…a nagging feeling that tugged at my chest. For anyone else, they would've probably just ignored it, and happily gone on with their day.

For someone like me, ignoring my instincts was absolutely foolish. It was yet another lesson drilled into me by the loops.

That was why, as soon as I felt something off prickling at the back of my neck, making the hairs on my body stand up…I ran out of the room. Nobody bothered to watch me go, although I did think that I noticed Yumiko giving me a worried gaze and getting up from her seat.

But I didn't have time to acknowledge it. I didn't have time to acknowledge her. I had to make time, and make it fast - rushing through the halls as students began to trickle in, sidestepping and weaving around every other student.

I don't know why I ran so hard - life and death had become inconsequential to me, right? The person I was running to might have been completely safe, and, even if they died, it wouldn't really affect me.

We were total strangers up until yesterday. And, to be honest, I didn't expect a single thing from my actions.

Yet, my legs just kept moving. My heart thumped in my chest, preparing my body for what was to come. Even if I hadn't done anything remotely close to this for almost a year now, it was as if it all just began to come back to me.

I wondered if this is what you call 'muscle memory'. If so, I had experienced it many times before in the loops…even then, that time I saved that dog that dog, I had experienced it.

This wasn't something a loner would do. I was cowardly, I was weak, I was defective and insufficient…if I had any common sense left, I'd accept all of that about myself, and ignore what I knew was going to happen.

Call it a momentary defect in my otherwise perfect loner behavior, but, no matter how much had happened to me - I could never do something like that.

Leave a totally innocent person to die? No thanks.

By the time my thoughts began to wander, I had already arrived at where I needed to be. Without hesitation, I opened the door to the service club, to see-

Quiet beauty personified. A slim, elegant figure sitting in the middle of the room, solitary, yet strong. It was almost like watching a statue, strong yet silent in the middle of a blizzard that had yet to fall.

Yukinoshita Yukino was right there, right where I expected her to be. And considering the fact that she had gotten here so quickly, I was also right to expect her to head here right after class.

"Ah. Well, if it isn't Hikigaya-kun. I suppose you're here to-"

"We can do that stuff later, Yukinoshita-san. For now, I just need you to do me a quick favor. Consider it a small favor from a rival."

Yukino raised an eyebrow at me, incredulity in her expression. She closed her book, gingerly setting it on the table in front of her. "It's quite presumptuous to call yourself a 'rival', but it's just a simple request. Unless it's something perverted, I can entertain it. Though I doubt you have much desire for anything in those dead eyes of yours."

"Ha…" I sighed, holding back any sort of resentment or retort. Now wasn't the time to fire back at Yukinoshita Yukino, as badly as I wanted to call her a living ice statue. I'd have to save that for a later date - of which there actually would be one, thanks to my next words. "So, just listen to me and humor me for a second…would you mind ducking under the desk? You don't have to stay there long, just for about…five seconds."

"...What? Don't tell me you came all the way to this Service Club to make such an idiotic, useless request, Hikigaya-kun. Did you really waste my time simply for a joke?" Yukino sent me a cold glare, one that almost made me feel like I was the ice statue in the middle of a blizzard.

She truly was the ice queen. Her outbursts were frightening, in a different way from Yumiko's. Still, I didn't have time to be scared. If she was going to be this difficult.

I let out a sarcastic chuckle, looking away for a second. "Huh. So I guess there are some things even Yukinoshita Yukino can't do…like just getting under a table for five seconds. Crazy."

That simple sentence, as obviously manipulative as it was, was enough to send Yukino off. I could feel her practically seething, but she seemed to calm herself.

"Fine. I have no idea why you would possibly be requesting such a stupid thing, but if it will satisfy your request…" She sighed, once more giving me a look of cold disdain, which I again promptly ignored.

It was almost a bit funny, seeing Yukinoshita Yukino, the school's Ice Queen, stand up from her seat, slowly tucking herself in under the long desk that sat at the front of the Service Club room.

Good. Now we could avoid the worst case scenario.

"Is this enough, Hiki-oddity-kun?"

"Yes, that's - oi, why did you even call me that?! You think I'm doing this because I want to-!" I felt my voice die in my throat, as it began.

A loud sound echoed through the school grounds like thunder, multiple times in rapid fire succession. Gunshots. Something I knew all too well. Yukino, who had previously looked absolutely pissed, had now gone pale - paler than her natural appearance already was, anyway.

Rather than a proud ice statue, she now looked like a helpless small animal, shivering under the table.

I wondered for second why the great Yukinoshita Yukino was so scared again, but then it hit me.

Right. Nothing was wrong with Yukinoshita, I was just an odd person. Maybe her insult was right.

Even by normal standards, she was still admirable. She already looked to be attempting to gather herself, her strong attitude and presence completely crumbled.

Yet, it would only crumble even further, as pieces of the wall exploded outward from the back of the room.

It looked that way - but having expected it a little, and having my enhanced senses…I could see the source. Three bullets, curving through the air with considerable speed and power. It was right to assume they wouldn't do just a little damage if they hit - they had enough strength to break through who knows how many layers of the wall.

I could vaguely see the path, with two looking like they'd completely miss Yukinoshita, and one looking like it was heading straight…for…her.

Her beautiful blue eyes shrunk to pinpricks, as Yukinoshita herself realized what was about to happen.

I felt time slow down. Not literally, but in a more figurative sort of way, like when you felt your life flash before your eyes. Though, I guess that wouldn't be a normal experience for just anyone.

For me, though, this was just another day. Something else I had already experienced before.

My body moved without me even needing to input anything - no, I had already been moving before the bullets even entered the room. I knew I wasn't getting out of this one with a simple broken leg, especially compared to what had happened at the beginning of the year.

Whew…

I guess this is where things start all over again, huh?

The bullet ripped into my body, tearing deep into my internal organs and flesh. A familiar searing pain filled my chest, and the world began to go dark. I didn't feel the bullet go through me, though. That was a relief.

It meant that this sacrifice wouldn't be a total waste, at least.

I sighed, though that only caused me a considerable amount of pain, and some blood to wash up in my throat.

I felt a little sorry for Yukinoshita - at least, the version of her that was being left behind in this timeline, world, parallel universe…whatever. She'd have to live with the trauma of seeing the pathetic zombie turn into an equally pathetic corpse right in front of her.

But that didn't matter. She was alive, and he was dead. Honestly, more than a fair trade, for just how worthless he was.

'Phew…let's see how things go next time.'

I already had all the information I needed. Let's finish this in one loop, shall we?

I lay there, calmly slipping into death's embrace while conveniently ignoring Yumiko's crying face as she lay over me, tears uncontrollably streaming from her usually fierce olive-green eyes. Wait...Yumiko?

'Huh. When did she get there? If my mind's slipping like this, I must be pretty close to dying. Finally.'

I could even see Yukinoshita behind her, affixing my soon-to be corpse with a complicated expression. Even though I could feel the life slipping away from me, I wondered just what it meant.

Oi...stop that, you guys. Can't you see?

I'm just dying.

Like I always say: nothing of value lost. A fair trade.


Heyo guys, another chapter done. Hope you enjoyed, hope to see your feedback, and hope to see you in the next chapter.