School started again. We'll see what my update schedule looks like as we go.

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I ran into Totsuka the day after the typhoon. Literally. I ran into him in the hallway.

"Uwah!"

"Er, sorry."

I scowled at first before I recognized him.

"Oh, Hachiman. Sorry about that…"

"N-nah! That was my fault. I was kind of out of it for a bit there."

I was on cloud nine. I heard voices. The bugs whispered and tickled. I just didn't care. I think that's what the drugs actually did. I couldn't be one hundred percent sure. Reality was subjective like that.

In fact I was completely out of it right now. Though that might have been a coincidental side effect, right now, I was posed with Saika in my arms.

Totsuka realized that we were suspended in our position and gently took some distance from my chest. "Sorry again, I was kind of in a hurry… Hachiman, were you going somewhere? It's almost time for class, you know?"

"Nothing much." I answered. I'm skipping class to sleep in the infirmary, but I couldn't really say that out loud. Boasting criminal behavior like that should be done on Twitter only.

Saika slightly tilted his head. "But wouldn't it be better to stay? We're going to decide on our duties for the Cultural Festival in the next class."

"Oh, really?" The only thing we were able to decide on in long home room the other day was the theme. They were probably going to discuss in detail about how to proceed forward in the next hour.

"…Well, anything works for me." It's not like I was going to do anything anyway. As always, I would just be present, an existence that served only to exist. Once everyone started on preparations, the only thing I could do was act like a bizarre totem pole and stand still. It didn't matter what job I was given, what I'd do wouldn't change. I didn't have anything to do, but with the so-called preemptive style, I'd find myself standing behind someone, taking a peek at their hands, mumbling 'uh huuuh' with a know-it-all face, and simply wait for them to tell me 'could you do this for me?'

"It's fine if you just pick whatever's available for me." I had no idea whether my thoughts had gotten across to Saika, but he nodded with a curious look.

"Okay, got it."

Thanks, I lightly waved my hand and left the room.

While listening to the bells that signaled the start of class, I headed for the infirmary on the first floor of the special building. I walked in the dead atmosphere, obviously with no students frolicking around given the time. It was slightly relaxing around the infirmary. I lightly knocked on the door in front of me, and when I opened it, the smell of antiseptic solution drifted to my nose.

A female student was chatting with the school nurse inside. But the moment I entered, their talking abruptly stopped. The female student whose name I didn't know dropped her eyes to her cellphone in discomfort. It felt like I did something bad there. Sorry, tee-hee.

"Oh my, aren't you one of Shizuka-chan's kids?" The school nurse, a young woman wearing a white gown, said, looking at me closely. I'm not sure what to think of being considered that.

It's almost like we're parent and child or something, you know? Someone will get mad, okay? For the most part, Hiratsuka-sensei will. Especially regarding her age, that is.

"I think I have a cold." I briefly explained my visit. Of course, I made sure to show how sluggish I was feeling too. Times like these were where I showcased my unrivaled acting skills. I could act sane with the best of them.

"I wouldn't trust an amateur's judgment. Let me have a look." Regardless, the school nurse casually brushed off my full-powered acting.

Tch, you couldn't expect any less from the school nurse, a veteran at handling skipping students. Couldn't you just have pretended to have fallen for my little performance!?

Sensei gave me an intent stare down, as if trying to look past my lie. No, it might be more accurate to say she was leering at me with sharp eyes instead. Had this been the world of Pokémon, my defense would have been lowered.

"…This is definitely a cold."

"That's a rather quick assessment…"

hat the heck was that little charade from earlier then…? I sent her a gaze, both with objection and discontent. Sensei laughed.

"I mean, just look at those dull eyes of yours. There's no way you're not sick." She made it sound like I was afflicted with something around the clock. What exactly did she mean by 'dull,' anyway? Even the dull London became Paris once the weather cleared up, you know?

Sensei looked at me with an "okay" after she finished writing something on her clipboard. "Well? Are you going to rest here?"

"Ah, okay."

"There's a bed further in." She gave a brief answer and I listened obediently. The bed, separated by the curtain, had a neatly folded linen blanket on top. I slid it over my stomach and lied down.

My meds were all sedating. All of them. I was thinking about asking my psychiatrist for something to help perk me up. I mean my sleep schedule was fine. I was sleeping like a normal person. Instead of a maniac. But it was hard to wake up in the morning. I wish something like dextro amphetamine was legal in Japan for my doctor to prescribe.

The chatter beyond the pink curtain started up once again. As I fell asleep, those hazy voices lingered in my ears.

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What… the hell…

It was the end of break.

At some point before I made it back to class I had been forced into the planning committee for the cultral festival.

On the black board was written 'Hikigaya.' And it was under planning committee no less.

I mean granted I did say to toss me whatever position was available. Regardless of what I'd be tasked to do nothing would change so I was ready to accept any kind of work no matter how mind numbing it'd be.

But, but, even so, didn't any of these guys feel any kind of of guilt from pushing a job onto someone because they didn't want to do it?

Wasn't it common sense at times like these to assign loners harmless jobs? As a matter of fact, that was always the case up until now.

I stood in front of the blackboard in dumb amazement until my shoulders were tapped.

"Do you need an explanation?"

It was obvious who it was without turning around.

Sh-She's here~ the female teacher near thirty who can't get married, Hiratsuka Shizuka~

I stood in front of the blackboard in dumb amazement until my shoulders were tapped. "Do you need an explanation?" It was obvious who it was without turning around. Sh-She's here~ the female teacher near thirty who can't get married, Hiratsuka Shizuka~

Hiratsuka-sensei briefly sighed and glanced at the clock. "It's almost time for the next class, yet everyone was still dawdling around. That's why I chose you Hikigaya."

"Sensei, what are you trying to pull…?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that… Just what do you take loners for, sensei!? Forcing loners into things like class events only brings about tragedies, you know!"

These types of events were meant primarily for people who were friendly with each other to enjoy themselves in. If I was there, then they'd have to be considerate of me! Had I been given a worthless position, where my presence had absolutely no influence, then both parties could take it easy and do our own things in peace! While I may not advocate Ghandi's nonviolent civil disobedience doctrine, I did support the nonintervention unnegotiable doctrine, you know!

"I was going to check with you on the matter, but… I believe you're the one that said anything was fine though?"

Oooph… I thought, and let out a sigh. I turned towards the window side of the class and Totsuka clapped his hands together apologetically. Cute. Aah, join your palms together for bliss. Pray, pray.

As I stood there distracted, the wrinkles at Hiratsuka-sensei's brow inched closer and closer until it couldn't anymore. Wriiiiinkles.

"Enough already, I can't start class with you up here so get to your seat. Decide on the rest after school."

Class after school was chaotic.

We were going to decide on all the responsibilities for the Cultural Festival. This was supposed to have been done in the previous class, but it apparently took a long time just trying to pick out the male representative for the planning committee. Ultimately, Hiratsuka-sensei's tyrannical judgment led to the role being pushed onto me. This was what they called power harassment… Argh! If only I had more power! Then I would've been able to pass it onto someone else! This series of power harassment… you couldn't expect nothing less from this vertically structured society of Japan. It was this exact moment today that I truly felt the Japanese in me.

Now then, that's how I was feeling, but we still had to choose the female representative for the planning committee.

At the teacher's lectern was the class officer leading. I didn't know his name. Everyone tended to call them class officers anyway. There was also demand for girl class presidents too, but unfortunately, it was a boy, so class officer was sufficient.

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-WG