Hikigaya Hachiman yawned as he prepared to step out of his dorm room, hands in his pockets. The dark circles under his eyes and his usual dead fish eyes made him look even more tired than usual.
Just as he reached the hallway—
Click.
The door right beside his swung open at the exact same moment. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stepped out, his expression unreadable as always.
They both paused mid-step, now awkwardly shoulder-to-shoulder just outside their rooms.
'Seriously? We open our doors at the exact same moment? That's... rather unsettling.'
Hikigaya blinked. "…Oh."
Ayanokoji gave the faintest nod. "Uhm…Good Morning."
There was a short silence.
"…Morning," Hikigaya muttered.
They began walking down the corridor together in silence. Their footsteps echoed lightly on the floor.
He'd long since resigned himself to these little odd coincidences too frequent to be purely random, but too vague to read much into.
Hikigaya rolled his eyes subtly and glanced sideways at Ayanokoji, a passing thought surfacing. 'Still… there's something about him that doesn't sit right with me. Like he's trying not to stand out but somehow ends up doing exactly that in a very strange way. Creepy, but in a completely different way than me.'
Ayanokoji glanced sideways, as if sensing his gaze. "Do you always head out this early, Hikigaya?"
Hikigaya shrugged, his hands still stuffed in his pockets. "I guess you could say I like to get a head start. The day doesn't really wait for anyone."
Ayanokoji's expression remained calm, but his eyes showed a hint of curiosity. "Getting an early start, huh? Seems like you have a reason."
He looked more closely at him. "You look bit worn out Hikigaya. Didn't sleep well?"
Hikigaya gave a small, almost dismissive reply. "Just some late-night studying. Happens sometimes."
They walked side by side in silence until Hikigaya took a subtle detour, heading off toward a narrow path behind the dorm building.
Ayanokoji raised an eyebrow. "Shortcut?"
Hikigaya muttered. "Sort of."
Ayanokoji followed, curiosity mildly piqued. When they rounded the corner and stood before a slightly faded, tucked-away vending machine, Ayanokoji gave it a neutral look.
He tilted his head. "Didn't know there was one here too."
Hikigaya smirked faintly. "That's because most people don't come near it. This one's... special."
"Special?" Ayanokoji repeated, giving the machine another glance. "Looks… pretty normal to me."
"I mean, look at it," Hikigaya continued, facing the machine like it was some sacred monolith. "It's out of the way. The school hides it, like they're ashamed of it. It doesn't offer the 'popular' drinks. No trendy teas or calorie-zero this or vitamin-something that. It sells what no one wants. It's like... the outcast of vending machines."
Ayanokoji gave him strange look. "Outcast vending machine. Sure, that sounds normal."
Hikigaya placed a hand gently on the machine, almost fondly.
"It's like that one old bookshelf in the library no one touches. Dusty, filled with titles no one remembers. You don't know why it's still there, but part of you is glad it hasn't been thrown out."
Ayanokoji replied, "I think your comparison just went somewhere completely unexpected Hikigaya."
Hikigaya nodded to himself while thinking. 'Truly, this vending machine is a monument to the forgotten. The ostracized. The uncool. A kindred spirit. I relate to it more than ninety percent of my classmates. Which… yeah, is pretty sad.'
Ayanokoji stared at the machine, then at him. "You're talking about the vending machine, right?"
"Of course," Hikigaya replied, deadpan. "What else would I be talking about?"
'Guess I can't help myself from diving too deep into dumb stuff. No wonder Komachi always gives me that "you're creepy" look when I start rambling.'
Encouraged by Hikigaya's obvious fondness, Ayanokoji hesitated for a moment before deciding to try one of the unpopular drinks.
His finger inched closer to a strange-looking melon soda when—
Hikigaya suddenly felt a strange sensation, not quite a thought, more like a quiet hunch.
"Wait."
Hikigaya's voice came sharp and low, almost urgent.
Ayanokoji turned. "Huh?"
Before he could react, Hikigaya stepped forward and grabbed his wrist with such suddenness that even Ayanokoji, unreadable as he usually was, blinked and stared at him with faint surprise.
"You're… different from the others, aren't you, Ayanokoji?" Hikigaya said, unusually serious.
Ayanokoji blinked, visibly confused. "What are you talking about?"
"I can feel it. There's something in your demeanour. Your vibe. It's subtle, but it's there. A kind of… resonance."
"A Resonance?" Ayanokoji repeated the word.
He wasn't sure what Hikigaya meant exactly, but it was enough to make him pause and consider was there something about himself that even he hadn't noticed?
Hikigaya continued in a strange tone. "There might be hope this time. I think… it might be different if it's you."
He took a sudden pause. "Wait here."
Before Ayanokoji could protest, Hikigaya pulled out his phone and scanned it against the vending machine. The machine gave a soft mechanical thump.
Clunk.
Clunk.
Two cans dropped into the tray like they had been waiting for this exact moment.
These cans had a Sacred label of MAX Coffee.
Hikigaya turned, one can in each hand, and extended one towards Ayanokoji like a sacred offering.
"Here," he said solemnly. "Try this. And don't worry… it's my treat."
Ayanokoji stared at the can finding this situation bit ridiculous. "…It's just a coffee, right?" he asked, brows furrowed.
Hikigaya didn't blink. "No. It's MAX Coffee."
Then he gave Ayanokoji a very creepy look.
Eyes slightly widened, lips curled into a knowing grin, and the kind of intense expectation that made it feel like this moment meant something.
Ayanokoji couldn't help but notice the micro-expression. 'Is…Hikigaya trembling slightly?'
He couldn't help it he felt a slight chill crawl down his spine under that unnerving gaze of Hikigaya.
'Why does he look like a cultist looking to convert me…?'
"…Alright," he said, cracking it open. He took a first sip.
'This is… absurdly sweet and bit better.
Then another sip. This one slower. He let it linger, rolling the taste across his tongue like he was analyzing a puzzle.
'It's more sugar than coffee. But strangely… I don't hate it. In fact… it's kind of fascinating. I never knew this kind of taste was supposed to exist.'
Hikigaya watched his expression closely. 'Wait a minute… That pause… That second sip… That fraction-of-a-second eye twitch—could it be? Is he actually… liking it?'
Ayanokoji couldn't deny it there was something oddly interesting about the drink. After a lifetime of bland meals and plain routines in the White Room, this strange sweetness felt… new. He found himself savouring it more.
"It's... certainly something." he said.
Ayanokoji looked down at the can in his hand. "Very sweet. But… strangely addictive."
Then Hikigaya gave him a satisfied smirk. "Guess my gut feeling was on point. You're finally someone who understands what real taste means."
Hikigaya glanced away for a moment, a flash of some sad memory passed behind his eyes.
"Oni-chan… I love you, but that stuff is evil. How do you even survive with taste buds like that?"
"Why do you always drink this overly sweet junk, son? It's not even real coffee."
"Hikigaya, this is so terrible. You seriously like this stuff? Are you okay?"
But still, he'd kept drinking it. He didn't even know why anymore. Maybe because no one else did.
Until now.
He looked back at Ayanokoji, whose face was unreadable… but he was still sipping.
That was enough.
Hikigaya held up his own can of MAX Coffee solemnly. "Welcome to the MAX side, Ayanokoji."
Ayanokoji stared at him, unsure if he was witnessing a moment of insanity or genuine sincerity. Maybe both.
"…You're serious?" he asked and lifted his can too.
"Dead serious," Hikigaya said, tapping his can against Ayanokoji's with a soft clink.
"MAX Coffee isn't just a drink. It's Chiba's sacred sweet nectar."
"…This drink really means that much to you?"
Hikigaya didn't reply right away. He just gave a slow nod, then took a sip.
"In a world this bitter—" he said, voice low.
He looked down at the can in his hand.
"—some things should be unapologetically sweet, at least."
Ayanokoji blinked at the line, quietly taking another sip.
"…That's actually not a bad motto."
Hikigaya turned slightly away, can in hand, "I know. I've been perfecting it for years. No one's ever appreciated it."
Until now.
Then they started walking again toward the school gates.
Ayanokoji glanced sideways, tone casual but eyes sharp.
"So… about yesterday Hikigaya. That little moment you had in class."
Hikigaya didn't look at him. He kept walking, shoulders relaxed, sipping calmly.
"You were going to ask why I suddenly spoke up to Sakagami-sensei," he said flatly. "Or maybe what I was trying to pull. Aren't you?"
"You caught a lot of attention. I don't think that you are someone who is too fond of it."
Hikigaya shrugged, sipping his MAX Coffee. "Well, I didn't think much of it at that time. Just wanted to clear up things which I didn't know. Before it's too late for me to understand."
"You're saying it was just for clarity's sake?"
"Well, I'm not really the type to sit in confusion," he said, his voice nonchalant. "If I don't understand something, I just ask."
"But it wasn't just that. You phrased things too precisely. You knew how to steer the discussion."
Hikigaya gave a faint smile. "You're giving me too much credit, Ayanokoji. I'm just trying to keep up. Before I get too far behind."
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Ayanokoji could tell. He'd already figured out what Hikigaya was really aiming for, but what puzzled him even more was 'why.'
'Looks like he's dodging all my questions, with no intention of revealing anything.'
He hadn't expected someone like Hikigaya to get involved in something like this.
There was a contradiction at the heart of his behaviour: someone who had gone out of his way to remain unnoticed, suddenly and deliberately placing himself in the spotlight.
Ayanokoji studied him for a second, then spoke almost absently.
"You're a very strange person, Hikigaya."
Hikigaya gave a faint smirk, and replied in his deadpan voice. "Funny, coming from someone who's even weirder than me."
That made Ayanokoji blink. "So… you think I'm strange person too?"
Hikigaya glanced at him briefly. "If I didn't, that'd be the weirdest thing of all."
Ayanokoji wasn't sure how to respond. "Well, I'll just take that as a compliment then."
"If that's how you want to see it." Hikigaya said with a shrug.
"…So, Hikigaya" Ayanokoji glanced sideways, "are you going to raise your hand in class again today?"
Hikigaya took a slow sip of his MAX Coffee, expression unreadable. "Well, about that..."
Ayanokoji looked at him, expecting some kind of answer.
"Why don't you just shut up and finish that can in your hand? When you already have an idea regarding that."
"Alright, alright. I won't pry if it's annoying you."
Hikigaya just sipped his coffee, the faintest hint of a smirk lingering on his lips. "Who said I am annoyed. I just don't feel like answering that."
Ayanokoji didn't push further. He simply nodded and took another sip from his can, quietly amused by the whole exchange. He hadn't learned much, but at least he'd discovered this MAX Coffee which was surprisingly pleasant.
'Guess I'll be drinking this MAX Coffee more often. If Hikigaya's plan was to hook me on this stuff, he might've just succeeded.'