In any case, Hikigaya Hachiman (doesn't) miss his past.

The "eighth-grade syndrome," also known as chuunibyou, is that ridiculous phase that most people prefer to forget, but which, for some, becomes the mainstay of their existence, similar to the smug tendencies of a high salary at the expense of your sleep (No, there are no office romantic comedies). Do you know what I mean? It's that period when you convince yourself that you are special, that the world is full of mysteries that only you can unravel, as well as the latent possibility of going isekai. It's as if you believe yourself to be a protagonist of a dark fantasy anime, walking through life with the arrogance of one who "knows" he is destined to save the world, or a reincarnated entity waiting for the moment to "wake up". Unfortunately, the only world they need to save is that of THEIR reality, because the truth is that they don't have the faintest idea how it works. Moreover, some of them won't even put up with the violence itself towards other people (you know why novice authors of online contests don't get past stage two).

People, who have suffered from it, try to justify it as a growth phase, a need to distinguish themselves in a sea of mediocrity. But at the end of the day, it's just one more way to escape what you can't face: the painful, cold reality that you're not special. No one is waiting for you to pull your magic sword out of thin air and defeat an invisible army. There are no hidden powers or cosmic mysteries. There is no ancient prophecy about your birth, let alone some dimension behind the looking glass. Just you, your ordinary existence, and the certainty that life goes on, as mundane as ever until boredom sets in.

But of course, for some, it's better to live in an illusion, to cling to those youthful fantasies because the alternative - accepting the normal, the every day, the boring - seems unbearable. And therein lies the problem. Even if you think you're unique and different, you're just building a bubble that sooner or later will burst, leaving you in front of a mirror, looking at the real you: the same you that has always been there, without powers, without predetermined destinies. Just someone who is still learning to deal with what it means to exist.

So, in the end, chuunibyou is nothing more than one of those things that someday, when you finally come down from your cloud, you'll laugh at with embarrassment... or at least, I hope so.

"Oi, Zaimokuza, what's this?"

Hikigaya Hachiman, an excellent student in the use of word saving, as well as a communal hero for his signaling service towards the child audience, only knew how to grumble at the generic garbage he read a few days ago. The habit of reading the writings was cemented over time, not necessarily that everything shied away from his sharp gaze meant anything, but worse when it worsened with such fluctuating readings of an amateur writer.

"Oh, Hachiman-dono. I see you have the copy I'm submitting to this week's contest."

"Calling it a story is an insult to my Literature exam."

As much as his mass consumption of light novels destroyed his literary palate, even that flaw did not bias him from criticizing the cohesive attempt to neither order nor follow the established patterns of Japanese scripture. Such "language experimentation," at this point, only frightened the eye of a coherent person.

"Fear not, Hachiman-dono! My story will revolutionize the fantasy genre, this will be a true masterpiece! An epic light novel that will redefine the genre! A dark and mysterious protagonist with a tragic past that hides an insurmountable power. His mission is to save the world from an interdimensional war! Oh, and of course, there are many beautiful heroines to accompany him on his journey! I didn't forget any potential candidates jijijijiji!"

Sometimes, to escape his incessant insistence to review it, he would just stay in the library. Oddly enough, that was also a trigger for him to improve enough before the upcoming exams. This torturous period, by this season, would be easier with all the practice she gained after the first month of her recovery.

If he were still following in his fantasies, he might not make the top 3 in language within his year.

"I see... So you've written another story where the protagonist is an exaggerated version of the cliché, huh? I never would have guessed."

"No! This time it's different! My protagonist isn't like the ones you find in Manga Plus. He's more... cooler, colder, but deep down, he has a warm heart - Plus Ultra Maximilium! And his secret ability is the power to change time... but only for five minutes a day."

"Ah, right. Because limiting that kind of power makes it "balanced," right? Very original. You must have spent hours coming up with that brilliant limitation... And what's that about Time Shifting? I thought you wouldn't fall for building complicated and impractical powers?"

"Quite the opposite! It's to keep up the tension, the excitement! Imagine it, Hachiman. A protagonist who can change time, but he doesn't know it at the start and he can't abuse his power either because... Every minute counts!"

The classroom was gradually filling up, the noise camouflaged the conversation between the two. However, even with some help, it would be difficult to understand them without being close, and to their surprise, an unspoken circle of empty seats surrounded them. The cliques glowed from their natural crowding, like moths in the light.

"Yes, I can imagine it...and I see it predictable from the first chapter. The guy uses his power to save some girl in distress and then spends the rest of the book regretting not doing more. Or he just takes on a powerful enemy and gets spotted by some classmate Haven't you heard of Innovation? ... I was better off that stereotypical romantic comedy attempt, minimum it had girls that would appeal to readers, Zaimokuza."

"Hey, it's not that bad! Isekais are popular for a reason! People love stories where a normal protagonist becomes someone amazing in another world - it's anyone's dream!"

"The problem is that all these isekais are the same. An ordinary guy ends up being the most powerful, surrounded by pretty girls, without any real difficulty. It's predictable, boring, and, honestly, a bit pathetic... You know that hard work doesn't betray you, that's why you're still writing, because you kept developing even with a lousy start. No one gave you a magic pen or you got the power to see the future hits of Shonen Jump."

"Hmm... I think I see what you're saying. But... Awards are always given to those kinds of stories... I'm getting closer and closer, last week I ended up in the final five. Besides, I've always wanted one of my ideas to be like that. I can't back out of my topic and story specialty. It would be like taking away your night trench coat or withdrawing my title of the reincarnated sword god..."

"That sounds more coherent, I suppose. Don't lie or spout lies about my past all the time, though. Eventually, just as you keep giving me these texts, minimum you'll be some writing assistant... and didn't you rise to semi-finalist with that textbook romantic comedy?"

"Textbook romantic comedy? I don't know why you insult me like that, Hachiman-dono. My texts enjoy pure explosiveness and emotion. My pen is too heavy to go around writing about nonsensical dramas with guys luckier than the student council president."

"No, seriously, it wasn't called something like Is My Romantic Comedy as Expected? Or something like that. The descriptions of the girls were standard, but you knew how to accommodate the 2D girl stereotypes into 3D... of course the blonde Riajuu character was supposed to explode. Also, that the amateur designs you got shone through very easily."

Only because the narration was in third person did Hikigaya examine the roncom attempt. Its plot was not unlike some discount Akihabara dating simulators. He understood that the exaggeration of the scenes responded to his shonen tendencies, but the plot escalation served as a cushion to plug holes in character development. However, when Zaimokuza, driven by writer's syndrome desperation, decided to splurge on Pixiv for some designs for his characters, the reading was more bearable. Make no mistake, it was still embarrassing and strange to read the behavior of a self-proclaimed riajuu in search of adventure, but the illustrations of the heroines caught the eye.

"The riajuu must be destroyed! Those beings who live perfect lives, full of romance and happiness, look down on us! They're the problem! ...To be honest with you, I don't remember anything beyond getting my servant to platinum and getting Arleccione-chan's murderous stare! as a top priority."

"Indeed, your priorities lie elsewhere."

"My characteristics have surpassed the design of fate, nothing can stop me from destroying the new abyss of this upgrade."

"Talk about a waste of fortune."

An adult in lab coat and lab coat, even if it wasn't her subject, was entering the classroom. Her presence silenced the tumult. Many returned to their designated positions. The start of classes was not only announced after the bell, but before the arrival of Hiratsuka-sensei. His fame rested on the eccentric punishments to which he subjected the students. It was not due to the lousy mood after a spoiled date, not at all.

"Attention. Take a seat."

After the rattling of folders ceased, the familiar pattern of heads was evident to Hachiman. As a loner, his levels of distraction also fall back on observation. Nothing unusual. Nothing new on this day meant another day of calm beyond the social hierarchies of children in teenage bodies. However, while deciding between buying a loaf of bread at the cafeteria or going for Maxx Coffe near the tennis court; his gaze fell to his left.

The seat was empty.

And that wasn't the only strange fact.

He doubted that his adjoining seat was nothingness itself, even for a fan of solitude like him. There was some premonition of an event behind the dressing room. A sensation tingled his left hand.

"We have a transfer student today. So she's going to introduce herself..."

A young woman entered with the overflowing elegance of a first-rate education. Elegant features. Long ebony hair. Wears a standard uniform, but still looked totally different.

Among the crowd fascinated by his presence, Hikigaya Hachiman also can't help but be surprised, but for different reasons. The mixture between confusion and horror are implicit.

He knows who she is.

She is the student who is important, or rather, catches people's attention and stands out from all the others. Whether it's a regular exam or a grade exam, she is a high achiever who consistently sits at the top of the student chain.

She is that student who captivates everyone with her aura of solitude and multifaceted skills. Even in a new subject, or a new activity, her ability to adapt surpasses the human. Her academic abilities destroyed the track record planted by her mother and sister; which floods her with exaggerated expectations. In short, she is practically the most talented and beautiful girl at the moment.

"Good morning, my name is Yukino Yukinoshita."

Yukino Yukinoshita, the daughter of a prominent local politician in Chiba; she was an ojou-sama on the outside. Raised with a silver spoon, her values and attitudes always kept her from arrogance. Blessed with intellectual superiority, she was accompanied by social awkwardness. Her imminent talent also did not help her connect with her surroundings; which is why she spent most of her time with her family. Unfortunately, certain scenarios in childhood, related to bullying and the failures of her close ones; closed her heart to new friendship experiences; one more reason why she confesses to going abroad in the future.

"Due to the small capacity of class J, she will be in class H for a while. Be polite."

According to her own story, she won the top 3 in character design in the amateur category.

Hachiman feels that this statement should not be true, but to find herself on the first place podium.

The only conclusion Hikigaya Hachiman came to, after regaining his common sense, is the misrepresentation of his world, without giving so much thought to the denialism logic of the result, which pointed to the need to wake up from this strange dream; simply, the scenario lent itself to be most surreal.

If he did not jump up exalted shouting Yukinoshita Yukino's name, it is because, besides breaking the stupid idea that it was a dream; he already overcame his impulsive stage of the chuunibyou and knew that, sooner or later, being aware of this change, would affect him. So, better to postpone it for a better analysis of the situation.

"Why is something as absurd as this happening in my life? It's almost as if the universe is bent on making me the protagonist of one of those cliché stories I hate so much..."

Without giving him time to breathe, Yukino Yukinoshita sat at his side, oblivious to his worries and doubts.

As Zaimokuza Yoshiteru collapsed into meaningless sentences, Hikigaya Hachiman forced his brain to recall his colleague's garbage plot. The gleam in all the eyes that turned to watch him terrified him. He was supposed to recognize many, yet the existence of some looks was completely unfamiliar to him.

This year, or perhaps a decade, would be an exaggeration of his faculties. Perhaps he should have postponed his chuunibyou to have some positivity in this scenario.

"Chuunibyou demo kogai shitaii? Heh."

Indeed, after whispering his thoughts, by force of habit, those blue eyes focused on him.

Hikigaya Hachiman only fell back on the dangerousness of his situation.


PD: Hi, I'm back. Feel free to review me, the next installment will have a double chapter xd

I hope you had fun reading it, see you next time.

Atte: your favorite procrastinator writer