The Suicide Truck of Meritocracy

(Main wives Sakanayanagi, Hiyori, Ichinose, and all other female characters including teachers will be recruited.)

(Yukino and Komachi will be recruited after being properly disciplined.)

(Only writing sweet stories, all heroines will be cute and super sugary. Other characters whose plotlines are unnecessary will be discarded without mercy; for example, characters destined not to be recruited will be handled with an alternative sense of excitement.)

(Gender-bender, love multi-heroine, bloodbath, all those who end up sleeping together in the end stay. Those who aren't into partial gender-bender can leave.)

--

The bus departing from the station was empty.

After all, it had just arrived and was only beginning to take on passengers, so this was to be expected.

I sat in the fourth row from the back, reading a book.

Opening the bus window, the gentle spring breeze brushed against my cheeks, feeling quite comfortable.

At this rate, I might actually fall asleep.

After reading for a while, the number of passengers gradually increased.

Looking around, there were office workers, high school girls in sailor uniforms, and mothers with children; although they each took their seats, they all cast glances in my direction.

Still, there was no helping it, as this uniform of mine was far too conspicuous.

I deliberately ignored those gazes and flipped the page of my book... when suddenly, someone lightly poked my shoulder. I looked up.

"Um... may I sit next to you?"

Standing before me was a young girl with flowing silver hair and a gentle temperament.

Moreover, she was wearing the same uniform as me.

I looked around; besides the two empty seats next to me... ah, now there was only this one left.

(Having a girl sit next to me is such a hassle... whatever.) "Go ahead."

"Thank you! Ah, my name is Shiina Hiyori. Since our uniforms are the same, it seems we are classmates. If we end up in the same class, please take care of me."

"...Hikigaya Hachiman."

After sighing inwardly and agreeing, she thanked me and sat down.

A pleasant fragrance drifted over. I focused my attention on the book, only stating my name.

However, Shiina, sitting next to me, was examining the book in my hands with great interest and suddenly leaned in close.

"A Study in Scarlet? Does Hikigaya-kun like Conan Doyle?"

"Ah, yeah..."

Asked so suddenly, I nodded subconsciously.

"I see, I like him too!"

As she spoke, she pulled out a copy of The Sign of Four.

However, unlike my Japanese translated version, she was holding the original English edition.

This girl was a hardcore bookworm.

"Very few people our age read books nowadays. I'm so happy to meet a fellow enthusiast~"

She smiled from a distance so close it was almost like she was about to kiss me, yet there was no trace of contempt in her eyes.

Is this what a natural-type girl is like...!?

"It's true that in middle school, not many people read..."

There were plenty of people playing mobile games and reading manga, but including me, there were only a few who read books.

Actually, because I was ostracized in middle school due to a certain incident and my personal belongings were always being destroyed, I stopped reading at school.

Just as I was thinking this, the bus slowly started moving.

During this time, the girl next to me kept chatting about Conan Doyle, and I could only bite the bullet and cope.

To be honest, I was nervous as hell, but her soft and gentle temperament made it impossible to refuse, and besides, there was absolutely no contempt in those eyes like the kind I had suffered through in middle school, so I could barely manage to respond.

"...Since you love reading so much, do you plan to become a librarian after graduation?"

"That is one of the options, but since I've been admitted to Advanced Nurturing High School, I want to try out more possibilities."

That's true. The Advanced Nurturing High School that Shiina and I were admitted to is a top-tier school in the country, guaranteeing further education and employment.

Normally, with one's future secure, it's normal to make more plans.

But for me, what mattered was the rule: "After enrollment, you are not allowed to contact the outside world, and leaving the school is prohibited, except in special circumstances."

In middle school, I was forced to join a club, and from the second year until graduation, every day was like hell.

The club members forced me to apologize every day while hurling insults, the advisor teacher would resort to violence at the drop of a hat, classmates spread rumors and slandered me, my younger sister helped the club members pressure me to apologize, and my parents listened only to one side and wanted to kick me out of the house.

It wasn't until I threatened to report them to the Child Consultation Center and the police that I escaped the ordeal.

My parents were overjoyed when I applied to Advanced Nurturing.

I also longed to escape my family, so it could be considered a win-win.

Finally, I would be able to enjoy some peace for the next three years.

My dream was to avoid trouble, focus on my studies, land a job at a good company after graduation, and marry a woman who could support me so I could become a househusband.

"Hikigaya-kun, do you have a career you're interested in?"

"Ah—I haven't decided yet. I just came here for the benefits package."

I gave a perfunctory answer.

To be honest, I didn't want to talk to girls—or anyone, for that matter—but Shiina was just too cute.

She would definitely be a popular figure once school started.

If I treated her poorly, I might end up being resented by others.

That would go against my original intention of pursuing a peaceful life.

From now on, I planned to stick to the principle of "never initiating conversation, responding politely if spoken to, and never getting involved in trouble unless it affects me directly."

Looking out the bus window, a luxury car approached from the front, and suddenly, a dog darted into the lane.

Wait? That car and that dog, could it be...

Thud!

"Sa, Sabre!"

The moment the bus passed the car, the sound of an impact echoed, followed by a familiar cry of alarm.

Perhaps fearing trouble, or because there were cars behind us, the bus didn't stop and continued on its way.

"How pitiful..."

Shiina's face filled with sorrow.

The other passengers whispered among themselves, but I just—

That girl... did she not learn anything from the entrance ceremony in middle school? Keep your dog on a leash.

I felt a deep sense of despair regarding the learning ability of the dog's owner, Yuigahama.

Counting the middle school entrance ceremony and that time at the mall, this was the third time already—they say three strikes and you're out, and it was truly pathetic for Sabre to be stuck with such a foolish owner.

As the bus jolted along, I silently mourned for Sabre and prayed that my upcoming high school life would be calm and uneventful.