Hachiman didn't think the New Year's holiday was very enjoyable.
He saw a woman confessing to a man on the street. However, the woman's way of speaking was a bit strange, inexplicably using masculine pronouns for herself.
"Senpai, it's me, it's Nakamura!"
"Senpai, I like you!"
"Senpai, Senpai!"
'Seriously, I can even encounter this kind of thing when I'm just out buying stuff?'
Hachiman Hikigaya unlocked his dorm room door.
The student apartment was better than he expected. Although the soundproofing was a bit poor, it gave him enough room for modifications.
He could buy better non-combustible soundproof cotton from outside the school.
During the day, Miyuki Shirogane, worried about his mental state, wanted to invite him for late-night hot pot to resolve the issue, but Hachiman Hikigaya declined.
He contacted his sister at home and learned that his family had indeed received some money.
After confirming that he was doing alright, other than being unable to leave Academy City, his family easily accepted Hachiman Hikigaya's life for the next three years.
Even though he had already repeated his first year of high school once, the living expenses here were even lower, and he could even send some allowance back home.
Hachiman didn't mention that the allowance amounts varied.
It was better than nothing.
Fortunately, his sisters in Chiba were proactive and made their brother appear valuable enough.
Otherwise, Hachiman Hikigaya didn't think his family would receive that money.
As the saying goes, 'every grain of rice you eat is predestined.'
Another person who came back late, just like Hachiman Hikigaya, was the girl who lived next door. He remembered clearly that the girl also had a metal bracelet on her wrist.
When she was at the door, she smiled and nodded silently at Hachiman Hikigaya.
If Hachiman remembered correctly from when the teacher called roll, the girl seemed to be named Sayu Ogiwara.
Since their dorms were close, Hachiman Hikigaya paid some attention to her situation.
This girl didn't look like a bad person. And she seemed quite cheerful here. The only problem was the metal bracelet, which caused some people to isolate her, while attracting the attention of others.
Hachiman Hikigaya was just unlucky, as he was infected by those bastard guards.
He didn't know how many people had been infected.
After seeing the metal bracelet on the girl's wrist, Hachiman Hikigaya remembered what the Sunbro had said to him.
He pointed at the girl's bracelet, saying, "That, that bracelet can be removed now. It's just a simple patient tag. It can be removed after the checkup."
"Eh? Huh?" She instinctively covered her wrist, hiding the metal bracelet.
Naturally, she had suffered quite a bit because of this thing. But at least she could now live away from her family and her previous environment, having a place to work, earn money, eat, and sleep.
For Sayu Ogiwara, who previously wandered the streets of Tokyo, this place was heaven.
Whether or not she was ostracized here, she didn't want to leave, stubbornly enduring it all.
Hachiman Hikigaya was just giving her a friendly reminder. It was common courtesy as a neighbor.
His gaze was indifferent, and he closed the door and returned to his room after he finished speaking.
Whether or not she believed him had nothing to do with Hachiman Hikigaya.
'Empty eyes, fake smile, an aura of decay amidst the sunshine. Just like rotten meat abandoned on the street. Although I don't know what you've been through to become like this, it has nothing to do with me.'
Hachiman Hikigaya only had one thought now.
Successfully study in this cannibalistic Academy City for three years, then return to his beloved little sister.
.........
Miyuki Shirogane took Hachiman Hikigaya's words to heart.
As his first friend in this place, even knowing that Hikigaya had an 'unspeakable past' (with the metal bracelet),
Miyuki Shirogane never treated him differently, even pulling his friend to find the highest paying 'brick-moving' job.
In reality, Hachiman Hikigaya just didn't realize how conspicuous he was.
In a group, other than the most dazzling people, those lone wolves hiding on the side, minding their own business, were the most conspicuous.
The former seemed amazing, the latter seemed easy to bully.
Miyuki Shirogane was a good person. He didn't let Hachiman Hikigaya fall into such an embarrassing situation.
So, he took the words Hikigaya said to him during the day seriously.
"Can't sleep, might as well take a walk outside."
Miyuki Shirogane was walking down a dark street. The school he and Hachiman Hikigaya were assigned to was closer to the edge of the city. With the huge steel wall blocking the view, it was difficult to see the outside world, also making the night here even darker and quieter.
Sometimes he would feel scared walking down this road alone.
It was rare to have a moon tonight, which made Shirogane feel a bit better.
But even so…
Some things seemed to be unavoidable.
"That's weird. They're asking me to inspect these steel plates again at this hour. Just stick them in the ground, and yet they complain about some creaking sounds. Making me deal with this, how shameless… that bastard. Do they think I don't know about thermal expansion and contraction?"
Even at this hour, Doctor Tesla was still faithfully completing the tasks assigned by Noldrei.
It wasn't just casually sticking the steel city walls down there. She also had to perform secondary cutting and division to prevent them from making strange noises due to thermal expansion and contraction.
These were all things that Tesla had to arrange. She even had to add strange dents on the walls to reduce echoes.
The doctor's work was indeed great, but it was scary when she went out at night.
Anyone who saw a glowing third eye on her forehead at night would be scared.
'What's going on? Who is that? An esper? An alien?'
Miyuki Shirogane froze, staring blankly at the glowing eyeball moving in mid-air.
Doctor Tesla looked up at the city wall, her hands in her white coat pockets, strolling leisurely.
Tesla didn't care how many people saw her on the street.
She no longer cared if people saw her third eye.
What was there to be afraid of? She was a Herrscher now. Others were afraid of her, not the other way around.
So what if she had three eyes? So what if it scared people?
There were great artists who could prove her face was beautiful, and that it was the embodiment of natural beauty.
Miyuki Shirogane watched as this strange person walked past him.
His head buzzed, and he felt nauseous.
After seeing his reaction, Tesla stopped and closed her third eye. Ordinary people couldn't really handle the power from this eye.
She had no choice but to retract her power.
Miyuki Shirogane felt like he had been affected by some kind of evil. He didn't consider any scientific explanations.
After he started feeling better, he turned and ran away in fright.
"Hey… this… sigh… don't run!"
She shouted, but he just ran faster.
Doctor Tesla felt helpless. It was another ordinary person who had been affected by her ability.
"It's just a slight carsickness caused by the magnetic field, there's no need to be like this…"
She muttered, then continued working on the city walls.