Chapter 001: Kill the Game from the Start!April.

Cherry blossoms fluttered in the air, their petals swirling like fragments of fleeting dreams.

Inside a bus bound for Advanced Nurturing High School, Hikigaya Hachiman sat in a single seat near the middle, gazing out the window. His dead fish eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Starting today, he wouldn't see his precious little sister, Komachi, for the next three years.

Advanced Nurturing High School

This school, built on an artificial island, was one of the most prestigious institutions in Japan, backed by the government itself. Its allure? A free-spirited academic environment, full scholarships, and the ultimate reward—absolute freedom in choosing one's future. Whether one aimed to be a celebrity, a national athlete, or a politician, everything was possible.

However, there was a catch.

It was a fully closed school.

Unless there were exceptional circumstances, students couldn't contact their families. Even phone calls were restricted. For most people, this might seem like a minor inconvenience, but for Hikigaya—who doted on his sister more than anything—it was an absolute nightmare.

Yet, he had no choice.

He had deliberately handed in a blank exam paper, expecting to be rejected. He had even given a disastrous interview, hoping his parents would reconsider.

And yet—

Somehow, he had still been accepted.

His parents, ever eager to get rid of their "good-for-nothing" son, had seized the opportunity. Under the threat of cutting off his tuition fees, he had no choice but to comply.

"Something is definitely wrong with this school," Hikigaya muttered under his breath, his expression lifeless.

A Small Act of Kindness

The bus came to a halt.

A frail old woman, her hands trembling like withered branches, stepped inside. She clung to the railing for support, her body swaying with each movement of the vehicle.

The other passengers?

They ignored her completely.

Hikigaya stared blankly for a moment, deep in thought.

Should he give up his seat?

He wasn't a hero, nor did he crave attention. But then, an image of Komachi appeared in his mind. If she were in trouble, would he want others to help her?

With a sigh, he stood up and silently moved to the last row.

The old woman glanced at him in surprise. "Oh, thank you, young man—"

But Hikigaya had already turned away, uninterested in any further interaction.

He sat down, resting his forehead against the window.

'The world is a cruel place. What if Komachi gets deceived by some smooth-talking scumbag while I'm stuck here? Damn it… Komachi…'

His eyes burned, and he let out a quiet, pitiful sob.

He might have just secured a moral victory, but his heart felt heavier than ever.

Welcome to the Elite Prison

Upon arrival, Hikigaya stepped off the bus, taking in his new "home."

The Advanced Nurturing High School was practically a self-sustaining city. Beautiful flower-lined streets, modern shopping centers, and various entertainment facilities such as cinemas, karaoke bars, and gyms created an illusion of freedom.

An illusion, indeed.

The school was too perfect.

It felt manufactured, artificial, like a utopia designed to lull its students into complacency.

Yet, something was off.

His instincts as a self-proclaimed loner—his "lone wolf" survival skills, as he called them—screamed at him.

The overwhelming number of surveillance cameras.

The subtle yet deliberate arrangement of shops.

The eerie lack of normalcy.

'This school is suspicious as hell…' Hikigaya thought, his gaze flickering toward a nearby ramen shop.

His stomach growled.

There was only one ramen place—and it was Jiro Ramen.

Unacceptable.

'A school without proper ramen is soulless. What kind of dystopian nightmare is this?'

However, he had no time to investigate further.

Following the admission guidelines, he made his way to the academic building.

Class 1-B: The Battlefield

The school divided students into four classes: A, B, C, and D.

Hikigaya's fate?

Class 1-B.

As he stepped into the classroom, he was immediately met with a scene.

A group of students had gathered around a single girl with long, flowing pink hair. Her cheerful laughter filled the room as she effortlessly controlled the conversation, drawing people in like a gravitational force.

She was stunning—radiant even.

Her uniform barely contained her generous proportions, and her confident posture made it clear she was used to being the center of attention.

"Ichinose-san is amazing!"

"Yeah, she's so friendly!"

The name Ichinose Honami rang a bell.

He vaguely remembered her from middle school rankings—an elite among elites. If this school had a hierarchy, she was already sitting near the top.

Hikigaya scoffed internally.

'I'm not getting involved in that circus.'

His experiences in middle school had taught him well. The moment he mentioned anime to his classmates, their enthusiasm for socializing had vanished. He knew his place.

Instead, he turned his attention to his assigned seat.

His desk partner was a girl with twin ponytails, her delicate features framed by soft waves of dark hair. Her eyes—sharp and filled with something unreadable—lingered on him for a second too long.

Hikigaya froze.

He recognized that look.

That awkward hesitation. That silent judgment.

The same look a girl had given him once before—right before she spread rumors about how "creepy" it was that he texted her every day.

His fists clenched.

Not again.

Without acknowledging her, he slid into his seat, pretending she didn't exist.

His mind, however, continued to churn.

The Rules of the Game

Soon after, the homeroom teacher arrived.

An elegant woman in a professional suit stepped forward, her demeanor strict yet unreadable.

"I am Chabashira Sae, your homeroom instructor." Her voice was cool, devoid of warmth. "First, let me congratulate you on being accepted into Advanced Nurturing High School."

A pause.

"But this school is different from what you're used to."

The classroom fell silent.

Hikigaya's instincts tingled.

"You will not be judged by your individual abilities alone," Chabashira continued. "Instead, your entire class will share the consequences of success or failure."

Murmurs spread through the room.

Hikigaya narrowed his eyes.

"What does that mean exactly?" a blonde student near the front asked.

Chabashira smirked. "Simply put, your entire class is either rewarded together or punished together."

The atmosphere shifted.

Group accountability?

Hikigaya immediately understood the implications.

This was no ordinary school.

This was a battlefield.

A Loner's Survival Strategy

As the teacher continued explaining the rules, Hikigaya leaned back in his seat, eyes drifting toward the blinking red light of the surveillance camera in the corner.

A school where everyone was being watched.

Where friendships were likely a facade.

Where competition wasn't just encouraged—it was enforced.

He let out a dry chuckle.

'A school designed to crush social outcasts like me, huh?'

A normal person would be terrified.

But Hikigaya?

He had spent years perfecting the art of solitude.

If this place wanted to play games—

Then he'd simply refuse to play.