Unlikely Duet

Chapter 1: A mere fluke

The Unlikely Duet

Formatting: Unlikely Duet- line break, "What's inside here?"- Dialogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Bocchi the Rock, Oregairu, or any other intellectual properties that may appear in this story. Please don't sue me.

Chapter 1: A mere fluke

[Hachiman POV]

"..."

"..." I gawked, unable to enunciate any thoughts. Some may claim my eyes were rotten and perhaps creepy (read: my sister), but they at least worked. Despite all my sleepless nights... some from crying... I could trust my eyesight. It wasn't trying to fool me or attempting a poor joke... This was, unfortunately, my reality...

Before I continue, I may as well introduce myself. Listening to all of a stranger's worries probably won't mean much... I learned that the hard way after... That's enough over-sharing on my part. My traumatic past isn't a Public Domain entity, but copyright material. No one can profit from it except me!... I mean, it will never be shared under any circumstance.

Regardless of meaningless technicalities, I'm the loner extraordinaire and unassuming third-year middle school student, Hikigaya Hachiman, at your service... Appearance? I have black hair, highly serious (read: dead fish) eyes, and a moderately handsome face. I wasn't some physical marvel, and was rather ordinary, easily blending into any crowd. Without my distinctive eyes, I would struggle to identify myself in old class photos.

My hobbies? Light novels, the heavenly Georgia Max Coffee, and my little- Chiba-related trivia. Dislikes? Tomatoes, crowds, and social hierarchy... the mere thought of groveling to others to have any semblance of popularity sickens me. What happened to the idea of trying your best? You can struggle for years until finally grasping a lead, which... only leads to nowhere.

Got it?... No?... Well, that's not important. Maybe we'll continue talking about me later. Now for more important matters...

"..."

"..." Explaining the metaphorical train derailment: black and blue, with everyone's vocal cords battered and bruised.

[Flashback]

It was just another day. The birds were singing, the sun shined, and I lazily pedaled my bike to school. I eventually entered the classroom, taking my seat while avoiding eye contact with her. After last year's fiasco, I wasn't enthusiastic about sharing the same homeroom... One's dream morphed into another's nightmare. My reputation also wasn't the best, so I sought to minimize my presence. The less attention sent my way, the better.

Fast forward through some uneventful lessons, and it's now the lunch break. Acting on my earlier non-interventionist stance, I started leaving the classroom, not sparing it a second glance... to preserve my physical and mental well-being. My food wouldn't sit well seeing her laughing face, after all... the memories alone might shatter me into a million pieces.

"And now for this week's recommendation..." While moving ever closer to the door, I heard the usual afternoon routine blaring overhead. For some reason, the previous Student Council campaigned to increase student engagement. Something, something, "We're all one big happy family, so let's live our youths to the fullest! Don't feel afraid to be yourself!" Empty platitude, after empty platitude. I don't know why they did it, since the election was hardly competitive. They only had token opposition, so the race was theirs to win. They probably should've made no campaign promises... Especially when a younger Hikigaya Hachiman once proudly dedicated a song to... No! I can feel my heart aching from the thought!...