Chapter 2: Quantity Matters
A new day had arrived, sunny but not hot, and the occasional breeze brought a sense of coolness. Weather like this should put one in a good mood.
But thinking of last night, the time that could have been happily spent online playing games had to be used rewriting homework instead, it really was hard to feel good.
It's rare to become a High school student again (even if not voluntarily). If he couldn't indulge in the things he wanted to do but couldn't back then, it felt like even the last remaining benefit of this time travel was gone.
Entering the school building, changing shoes, going up the stairs, walking through the corridor, pushing open the classroom door—after completing this series of necessary steps, Hikigaya walked the final stretch, finally reached his seat, and sat down after successfully squeezing out a bit of joy in his heart.
Compared to his original world, the surrounding environment hadn't changed much—not only his family, but even the class and school names were the same. Also, the girls' appearance quality was very high—truly worthy of being another world.
Looking around, it seemed like more than half of the girls were above average in looks.
As background characters, they were extremely qualified.
Before the first class began, the "background" characters were full of vitality. Friends gathered into distinct small cliques in the classroom, chatting about topics they were mutually interested in.
In such an atmosphere, Hikigaya found it hard to blend in. It wasn't that he was unwilling to make friends, but he just wasn't interested in their topics and couldn't join in.
Sighing inwardly with thoughts like "I'm getting old," Hikigaya took out his books and stationery, and of course, among them was a history book he liked to read.
Lately, he had been reading about the history of ancient High Eastern civilizations.
Compared to before, the current Hikigaya excelled in literature and history. Though not excelling in other subjects, he could at least perform slightly above average. From the grades alone, he could be considered one of the better-performing students in the eyes of the teachers.
After time traveling, Hikigaya had found various difference in history, and after studying the subeject he was in the end fascinated by the history of humanity before the Common Era, especially viewpoints that differed from what he had been taught before.
The High East was the earliest cradle of human civilization. While humans elsewhere were still living primitive lives, civilization had already emerged here. Due to how ancient it was, it seemed mysterious to later generations.
Even from an entertainment perspective, these types of books were quite readable.
As usual, he opened the book and started reading with great interest.
The author of the book had a knack for going off the beaten path. They believed that the great Moses was actually a leader of the Hyksos in Egypt at the time. Due to internal Egyptian conflicts and religious differences, Moses negotiated with the pharaohs of Upper Egypt, extorted a massive amount of gold and silver, and then swaggered out of Egypt. It was simply too cool—completely different from the pitiful image described in the Bible.
What's more, the author didn't just write one book, but an entire series. Reportedly, it made the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam quite unhappy—and yet it still became a huge bestseller.
To be honest, Hikigaya didn't really understand a lot of it (actually, most of it). Especially the parts involving capsaicin or other weird terms—he had no clue what they meant. But that didn't stop him from continuing to read with a feeling of "I don't get it, but it must be amazing!"
Not understanding wasn't a problem—because not understanding is what made it seem impressive!
"Hikigaya, reading a book so early in the morning? What a diligent student you are," said the deskmate who leaned over, then exclaimed in surprise, "What the heck is this? I don't understand any of it!"
"How rude," said Hikigaya, annoyed at being interrupted, throwing a reproachful glance. "As a junior, shouldn't you revere your seniors' history?"
"But I'm not Egyptian..." The deskmate gave an awkward smile.
Come to think of it, Hikigaya couldn't remember this guy's name at all. In other words, from a student's perspective, his social life might not be as normal as he thought.
But asking someone "What's your name again?" at a time like this would be even more awkward. So instead, he decided to just act like he wasn't in the mood to talk and slide by.
Feeling that he had successfully avoided the awkwardness, Hikigaya happily made that decision.
It was kind of sad when you thought about it, but not something worth caring about—for him, at least.
After all, mentally he was no longer a High school student. Some things, no matter how nostalgic, couldn't be returned to once changed. It was fine to enjoy them as a background character, but hard to really participate—there was always a sense of forcing it.
In any case, Hikigaya got the quiet time he wanted.
For someone who had something to pass the time with, time always flew. By noon, after eating the lunch his little sister made, Hikigaya grabbed his stuff and slowly walked to the rooftop. Hardly anyone came here, and today's sun wasn't strong—it was a great place to relax.
Finding a clean spot, Hikigaya laid down some newspaper, sat down, opened his book, and continued reading.
But today didn't seem suited for peaceful reading. He soon noticed someone had walked up to him—a shadow blocked the book he had just opened.
Reluctantly shifting his eyes from the page, what entered his view was the most beautiful and best-figured teacher at school: Ms. Shizuka Hiratsuka.
He just couldn't understand—why couldn't she get a boyfriend? Didn't they say men think with what's below their waist?
As a man, Hikigaya thought that saying actually made sense. It wasn't complete nonsense.
"Hikigaya, have you remembered what you forgot today?" Hiratsuka Shizuka's beautiful oval face wore a pleasant yet dangerous smile.
Right—homework! He forgot to hand it in!
For a high school student to be chased down for homework was undoubtedly embarrassing. But given who the chaser was, the shame wasn't so much about not submitting the homework itself.
"Oh? At a time like this, do you really think cracking jokes is more important than your life?" Hiratsuka sighed. "I misjudged you, Hikigaya. Turns out you're unexpectedly a brave little punk."
What the hell? I didn't even say anything!
"I've already finished it. I'll hand it in right away," Hikigaya quickly said.
"Hmm, good. But how boring that you gave in to reality so easily instead of challenging me. Not very interesting." Though it was brief, Hikigaya felt like Hiratsuka looked a bit disappointed. "Actually, you didn't have to give up, you know. I prefer people who don't give up even when they're wrong. Hm, seems I'm a bit twisted myself."
So she does know her personality's messed up? That's rare. I thought she had no self-awareness at all.
Just as he was thinking that, Hikigaya noticed his arm had been grabbed. A strong force attacked his elbow joint the next second.
Then, amidst the clacking sound of high heels on the floor, he was dragged away.