It's five minutes to the agreed time of the study group, making sure that everything is in order, after all, two girls are going to enter my room.
I hear a knock on my door, I open it and see that it is Sakura.
Sakura: G-Good evening Hikigaya-kun.
Hikigaya: Hello Sakura, you can come in.
I tell her to come in but she looks nervous, MMM, is it really uncomfortable to be in my room?
I tell her to sit around the table and offer her something to drink, but she refuses me.
Hachiman: Sakura, are you well?
Sakura:Y-yes, only that I am a little anxious since it is the first time that she spent time with companions out of the room.
Ahhhhh, Sakura I understand you, at the beginning it was quite difficult for me, it is quite bad since you do not have topic of conversation and you get stressed easily, I suppose that I have to thank Sudo that at least I could get used a little to speak more with the other people.
Hachiman: I don't know about Hasebe-san and Miyake-san, but Sudo looks scary but he's very gentle and also you have me, even if I'm unreliable.
Sakura is a little surprised, but then pouts and raises her hand in the direction of my cheek. She starts to pull it, it hurts, hurts, hurts.
Hachiman: Sakura-san, please could you pull my cheek, it hurts a lot.
Sakura: I won't do it, if you keep talking like that about you, I will pull your other cheek.
Hachiman: I understand, I understand, it was a slip of tongue so please leave my cheek alone.
To tell the truth it didn't hurt much, but it is quite strange, at least for me, that a girl touches my face.
Saying this Sakura, she looks a little proud, Oy Oy I feel like a bad child who was scolded by his parents.
Sakura: It is well as long as you understand it.
I'm a little glad that she opened up to me, maybe she has a chance to keep getting better in her day, at least I can call her a friend.
Again the door rings again and I go to open it, this time it's Hasebe and Miyake.
Hasebe: hellooooooooo.
Miyake: Good evening
Hasebe says cheerfully as if it's her backyard, while Miyake says modestly like a normal person.
Hachiman: Hello, please come in.
Both pass and are a little surprised to see Sakura already here.
Hasebe: Wow, Sakura-san, she was already here, I wondered what she was doing.
She says with a suggestive look and a certain sarcastic tone.
Sakura: No, no, no, I just arrived a little earlier.
Hasebe: Is it true?
For the poor Sakura that doesn't know how to deal with the jokes of Hasebe, I can only apologize, it seems that I couldn't save you from the sad destiny of being teased by Hasebe, so I prayed for your soul.
Miyake: Oy, stop teasing her, Hasebe.
Hasebe: Miyacchi, spoilsport.
Miyake seems to be babysitting, I'm kind of glad to have him to control her a bit.
Another knock is heard, I open the door again, and as expected it's Sudo.
Sudo: Yo, Hikigaya, you don't look too happy to see me, ah, sorry so is your face.
Hachiman: Yo, Sudo, if you have time to think such dull jokes, I think you'd better use your brain cells for study.
Sudo: Tch, what a poisonous tongue.
Hachiman: Sorry Sudo, your place is in basketball and mine is to piss people off.
With that he enters and we sit at the center table, I decide to start with something simple.
Hachiman: We will use these short tests, which will be like a diagnostic, it will allow me to analyze your strong and weak areas, you have fifteen minutes to answer it.
With this he passed each one the sheet with twenty questions, and the time starts to run, meanwhile I just review what I had already seen.
Time is up, the sheets are passed to me and I proceed to grade them. I am going to give my verdict.
Hachiman: Hasebe-san, your basics are very solid, the only thing I would tell you is to put more effort in Japanese and mathematics.
Hasebe: Yes!
She was always this animated, I seem to have caused a scary butterfly effect.
Hachiman: Miyake -san, you have good performance in science and language, but you lack a lot in English.
Miyake: Hmmm, I understand.
Well at least, it's calm, it would be bad if Hasebe's leash also suffers a sudden change.
Hachiman: Sakura, you are not bad in any subject but you are not good in any subject either, you will have to improve in all of them.
Sakura: I-I will do my best.
It's a good thing to see her encouraged to improve, I will help her as much as I can.
Hachiman: Sudo.
Sudo: Y-yes?
Maybe he sensed my serious tone when I called him, that he stuttered, but this is bad news, very bad news.
Hachiman: You traded your brain for a ball?
Sudo: Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?! You want me to hit you right, I will hit you, I assure you.
Hachiman: But how do you explain such silly answers, even a high schooler would smash you in the studio.
Hearing this, Sudo becomes embarrassed, heh, even he can feel sorry at this stage.
Sudo: Well, I was never good at studies and concentrated on basketball so it's not weird.
Hachiman: But tell me how you made it through the years.
Sudo:.......
Hachiman: Come on, Sudo I'm not going to scold you.
Sudo: there were times when I used to cheat in exams and I used to pay to get my papers done.
Hasebe: hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
My palm meets my face, I feel dizzy from thinking about all the work I got myself into and to top it off Hasebe is laughing so hard she is holding her stomach even I can see Miyake covering his mouth with one hand and Sakura is dismayed.
Hachiman: *sigh* Sudo, I hope you're prepared because we're going to have a lot to do.
Sudo: Y-yes, I'm sorry in a way.
Hachiman: Don't apologize, it's a normal thing to help a friend, if you're really sorry you have to buy me lunch.
Sudo: Done, and now that I think about it, what the hell is wrong with you Hasebe? You were laughing pretty hard.
Hasebe: Haha, sorry, I was just a little surprised.
Sudo: You, damn, alright let's fix this with the upcoming exams, how many points are you going to bet?
Hasebe: Fine by me, 30,000 and up.
Sudo: 30,000?!
Hasebe: Scared?
Sudo: Not at all, did you hear Hikigaya?!
Hachiman: Leave me out of it, it's up to you, besides I'm able to raise your grades a bit but not to do miracles.
Miyake: Hasebe, stop it you too, what will you do if you lose?
Hasebe: Miyacchi, you really turn against me at every turn.
Miyake: If only you wouldn't fool around, I wouldn't be scolding you all the time.
Hasebe: augh, you sound like my father.
Hachiman: Somehow I feel sorry for the poor man.
Hasebe: You too Hikigaya?!
Hasebe finds herself cornered on all sides, so she resorts to the only rope of hope she has left. She throws herself on Sakura and places her arms around her hips, in a desperate voice she says.
Hasebe:Sakura-chan, help me, those three beasts united against me, a delicate little miss.
Sakura is shocked since she never expected that move from Hasebe, very cunning.
Sakura: ehhh, guys please stop bothering Hasebe-san.
She says with a not fierce tone, it's more like a request than an order.
Hachiman: Don't worry Sakura, you have a leech attached to you but soon I will take it off.
Sakura: Hikigaya-kun, don't be cruel to people, you should know how to speak more delicately and much more if it's a girl.
Ehhhhhhhh?! Sakura where did all your composure go, you no longer consider me someone who needs to hold back, I know I'm a hopeless case but being made to look like the bad guy hurts a little.
Hasebe:heeeeeeeee, I knew it, Sakura -chan and Hikigaya get along well.
Sakura: Hikigaya -kun and I... We are....
Sakura bumps her two index fingers and her gaze goes down, I can see a pinkish tint on her cheeks, wait don't tell me..........shame on me?!
Haaaaaaaaaa, this has happened many times, when I've talked to other classmates, and then her friends ask her if they know me, and then flatly deny it.
Sakura: ....we are friends.
Or I was completely wrong, I tend to misunderstand several times, so this is one of them.
Hasebe: Friends, Ehhhhhhh.
Hasebe says in a thoughtful tone, until she starts to speak.
Hasebe: You know, this is the first time I feel so comfortable with other classmates.
Miyake: I won't deny it. It's very entertaining.
Sudo: Well, I'm not complaining about spending time with you guys either, omitting Hasebe's comments.
Sakura: I...I feel good with you guys too.
Everyone turns to look at me waiting for my answer, does it really matter what I say now, the groups that I used to be alone we finished the work until I was isolated again, no, no, no bad thoughts, if I want to change, I have to do it right.
Hachiman: I guess I enjoy this time too.
With this he confirms Hasebe's determination.
Hasebe: Then how about forming our own group, since we are all somewhat lonely, it wouldn't be bad at all if we got together.
Miyake: Well, why not.
Sudo: I've had very few friends, but being in a group would be nice.
Sakura: I want to be part of it too.
Miyake nods softly, Sudo shows quite enthusiasm and Sakura is determined to join. That just leaves me, if I say no it would kill the atmosphere in a second, but I really want to spend time with them, it wouldn't kill me to experience something new.
Hachiman: I agree as well.
Hasebe: Alright, it's decided as of today this will be our group, now all that's missing is the name.
I have a bad feeling, please don't do what I'm thinking.
Sudo: How about the Hikigaya group?
Damn traitor, you inconsiderate bastard how dare you think of something like that.
Hasebe: ohhhhhh, Sudo looks like you started using your brain, good boy.
Sudo: Oy!
Hasebe: Then let's go with the Hikigaya group.
Everyone nods except me, I have to do something.
Hachiman: This Hasebe-san, why don't we better go with the Hasebe group.
Hasebe: I don't want to, in something embarrassing.
Hachiman: You admit it, don't you, you just admitted it, then why do I have to be me?
I turn to look and Sudo and Miyake avert their gazes, but I still have one last hope, my pleading gaze goes to Sakura, but I only see her smile like a father who sees his son making friends, this way I knew, I was abandoned by the so-called friends I just formed.
Hasebe: Come on, come on Hikigaya, you are the only one that would make sense since you are the class leader, if we place another name it would be quite weird.
Hachiman: You forgot to say the temporary after leader.
Hasebe: Details, details, nobody cares.
I care, but I see that I have no way out, I just have to resign myself to my fate.
Hasebe: ready, the name is complete, now we have to decide what to do with the names.
I don't know why this is getting worse and worse.
Hasebe: It's very rare for friends to call each other by last names, so we'll call each other by first names.
Sudo: That's fine, I'll start, Hachiman, Akito, Haruka, Airi.
Miyake: Then me too, Haruka, Hachiman, Airi and Ken.
Sakura: This time I'll go, Ken-kun, Akito -kun, Haruka-chan and Ha-Hachiman-kun.
I stutter a little when I say my name, it hurts a little that it leaves a bad taste in her mouth.
Hasebe: I see, I'm going to attach nicknames to them since it's easier to remember them that way.
Oy Oy Oy Oy Oy Oy Oy Oy Oy Oy, the fate I feared the most is happening right now, but unfortunately I can't do anything.
Hasebe: Miyacchi will stay like this, Ken will be, let's see Kenchin, Airi-chan will stay like this and Hikigaya will be.....
Please let it be a miracle and be like Airi, use my name.
Hasebe: Let's see Hanchin.... Or Gayan.... Mancchi.... Ahhh! Got it Hikki it is!
Hachiman: H-Hikki?
Well it's not that bad, I guess, they all turn to me as if waiting for something.
Hachiman: What's wrong?
Hasebe: You're missing you for saying our names.
Ah, I don't know what to do, it's my first time doing this. I'll try, it can't go that wrong.
Hachiman: H-ha-haru-ka.......A-ai-ai-ai-ai-ri
Ken hits the table wildly, laughing at my misfortune and Akito is with a twisted face, Haruka and Airi look shocked, I failed.
Akito: What the hell man, hahahaha it's just names, it's nothing complicated.
Ken: come on try to say my name.
Hachiman: Hmph, Ken and Akito, it's nothing exciting to call another man by name, plus they are some of my first girl friends, so it's a little weird to call them that.
It's the truth, in my two lives I didn't have any girl friends, and the only one I called by name was my younger sister, so it's no wonder it's so hard for me.
Hachiman: I'm sorry, it will take me a while to call them by name.
Haruka: Well, as long as you learn it.
Airi: Never mind, Hachiman-kun, take your time.
Hachiman: Airi........Haruka.
I feel a small part of my being move forward, I don't know if I'll be making any changes, but a little bit of satisfaction rises over me.
With that done, we went over the study a bit, and arranged better to continue meeting, Ha, I took 60% of future friends away from Ayanokouji, maybe I'll invite him after the exams are over.