Yuuto stared intently at the screen displaying the quest.
"Wait... isn't this the title of the anime from Hikigaya's world? It seems the quest location this time is in his world," Yuuto muttered softly.
Suddenly, a barrage of messages flooded into the chat group.
[Hikigaya]: Hey, what is the meaning of this? Why is my little sister suddenly mentioned? And what does 'Oregairu' even mean?
[Kuroneko]: What should we do, Yuuto? Do I need to explain the truth of his world to him?
[Irene]: Wait a minute, have you two not explained the concept of our worlds to him?
[Hikigaya]: World? What concept? Are there important things you guys are hiding from me?
[Yuuto]: Calm down first. Alright, I'll explain everything, but not right now. Later after school, let's meet directly in the group world, how about it?
[Hikigaya]: Alright. I will meet you there this afternoon.
Amidst his absorption in reading the group chat, Riko, who had been walking ahead, looked back upon realizing Yuuto was left behind.
"Nii-san, what are you doing?" she asked, surprised to see Yuuto standing frozen with his phone.
Hearing the call, Yuuto immediately looked up and neutralized his expression.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just want to call my friend for a moment. You can go ahead to class first."
"Oh, alright then. I'll go ahead," Riko took her leave while continuing her steps.
After making sure Riko's distance was far and safe enough, Yuuto immediately called Kuroneko. It didn't take long for the call to be picked up.
"Yuuto! What should we do?!" Kuroneko's panicked voice was instantly heard from the other end.
"How are we supposed to explain to Hikigaya that his world is just a work of fiction from an anime or Light Novel? If we reveal everything bluntly, his interactions with the heroines there will definitely become very awkward!"
"Yeah... I know. I don't want that to happen either," Yuuto sighed while massaging his throbbing temples.
"I've watched the anime you sent back then, and the story is really good. I don't want to ruin their relationship dynamics."
Yuuto remained silent for a moment.
"Ah, how about this. We reveal half of it, and hide the rest," Yuuto suggested.
"What do you mean?" Kuroneko asked.
"Please edit the Oregairu anime video. Cut out all the scenes showing the romantic development between Hachiman and the heroines, especially with Yuigahama and Yukinoshita."
"Just focus the plot purely on the problem-solving parts. Can you do that?" Yuuto explained.
"Oh, I get what you mean! That's smart too. Alright, I'll do it right away," Kuroneko replied enthusiastically.
"I'll leave it to you, then," Yuuto concluded, then disconnected the call.
The young man stared at his darkened phone screen, then a mischievous smile slowly bloomed on his lips.
"A love story that interesting, there's no way I'd let it be ruined just like that because of a spoiler, hehe~" Yuuto muttered with a soft chuckle that sounded slightly naughty.
"Hikigaya Hachiman, I can't wait to see how your story ends."
With much lighter steps and a joyful heart, he resumed walking down the school hallway.
(Transition)
In a world filled with oceans, there was an artificial island that was incredibly peaceful.
In the middle of an expanse of blooming flower fields under the golden light, towered a giant tree that was very shady and full of the aura of life.
Right under the shade of that tree, there was a round wooden table filled with various kinds of delicious dishes and fruits.
Several people sat surrounding the table.
The atmosphere was so magical; various wild animals, both fierce and tame, could be seen sleeping affectionately on the thick grass around them.
Slam!
The peace was suddenly broken by the sound of a hard slam on the table, startling some animals around them awake.
Yukinoshita had just slammed the round table while breathing heavily.
All pairs of eyes in the place were now focused on her.
"Yukino... please calm down," coaxed Yui who was sitting beside her, trying to calm her best friend with a worried look.
"How can I be calm?!" screamed Yukino.
The rational girl's mental defense finally collapsed.
"You guys just said that our world is just an anime! That the world we've lived in all this time... is nothing more than a fictional show to entertain the otaku out there?!"
"That is the bitter reality, Little Girl. Accept that reality," Irene interrupted.
The witch stared at Yukino with eyes as cold as ice, radiating an incredibly dense aura of intimidation.
Stared down by a dragon existence as strong as Irene, Yukino's body instantly stiffened in horror.
Her words were caught in her throat.
"Maa, maa... Irene, you don't need to be that harsh on her. She's just an ordinary human, you know," reprimanded a casual voice.
Lady Avalon smiled teasingly while slowly sipping red wine from the glass in her hand.
"Besides, your reaction back then was also more or less the same as this kid's when you first learned the truth about your world."
"You even threw a tantrum and almost killed Kuroneko just through the phone, right?"
"Ugh... I still remember it very clearly. At that time Irene used a barrage of deadly harsh words if I recall it again," Miku chimed in while shuddering in horror.
"Eh, was it really that bad? I think Irene's rampage back then still felt pretty normal," Yamato responded casually, her mouth busy chewing a large piece of meat she grabbed from the table.
"You guys shut up! That was because this little girl suddenly said highly absurd things! How could I not get angry?!" Irene snapped with a flushed face.
She was so annoyed that she almost spilled the bowl of spicy mapo tofu in her hands.
Kuroneko, who was sitting next to Yuuto, suddenly shivered violently as that terrifying memory crossed her mind again.
"That day's incident truly left a deep trauma for me..." she complained weakly.
"Wow, to think there was such a chaotic incident in the past," Yuuto muttered while continuing to enjoy his meal.
The young man's gaze then shifted towards Zelretch, who had just been sitting quietly with a faint smile on his face.
"You don't seem surprised at all, Zelretch. Did you already guess this truth from the very beginning?" Yuuto investigated.
"Hmph, who knows," the old man replied casually while shrugging his shoulders.
"No need to ask anymore. This old troll must have known the truth for a long time, right? There's no way an existence possessing cosmic awareness like him wouldn't realize things like this," Lady Avalon said in a mocking tone, then placed her emptied wine glass on the table.
Zelretch snorted softly, then leaned his back comfortably against the backrest of the chair.
"I have indeed realized for a long time that my world is just one of an infinite number of possibilities. I can see various branches of other timelines with my magic. However..."
Those sharp old eyes now shifted, staring intently at the trio of Yukino, Hachiman, and Yui, who were still frozen in silence.
"Hey, my students," called Zelretch in a tone that suddenly turned serious.
"Our world might indeed not be real in the eyes of the audiences out there. However, the world we live in is an absolute reality for ourselves."
"That is where we live, are born, breathe, grow, until we finally die."
"So, what reason makes that world become unreal to you?"
"Our world is not merely a page of a fictional story, but the actual stage of our lives," Zelretch advised in a quiet yet firm tone to the three of them.
The Oregairu trio fell completely silent.
They absorbed every word of Zelretch with a pensive look.
The silence was then broken by Lady Avalon's chuckle.
"My, my. You sound exactly like a wise old grandpa now. Did you just undergo drastic character development, Old Man?"
"I am fundamentally a wise old grandpa," Zelretch replied with a soft snort.
"Ahem," Hikigaya cleared his throat softly, trying to draw back everyone's attention at the table.
"You guys said earlier that our world is an anime show, right? So, could the title possibly be Oregairu?" Hikigaya investigated.
"Yes, your guess is spot on. That is indeed the title," Yuuto answered casually.
"If so, can you guys show the anime to me? I want to know what the story is like from the audience's perspective," requested Hikigaya.
"Oh, about that..." Yuuto fell silent for a moment, then cast a meaningful glance at Kuroneko who was sitting beside him.
As if understanding the secret code, Kuroneko replied with a small nod.
"Alright. Later, Kuroneko will send a copy of the video into the chat group after our meeting is over."
"Alright, I'll be waiting," Hikigaya concluded.
After the atmosphere started to calm down, Yuuto took a deep breath.
"Okay, let's end the small talk for now. Now let's discuss the main issue: The system Quest," said Yuuto with a serious facial expression.
"Oh right, about that! I've been confused since earlier, what exactly does the word tr-transmi... what was it again?" complained Yui who had trouble pronouncing the foreign term.
"Transmigrator," Yukino corrected flatly from beside her.
"Ah, yes! That's what I meant," Yui replied in relief.
Taking over the discussion, Kuroneko spoke up.
"Let me explain it. But before I start, there are several crucial things I need to ask the three of you."
The chuunibyou girl leaned her body slightly over the table.
"Have there been any new transfer students at your school lately? Especially a boy who happened to enter one of your classes?"
The three teenagers looked at each other with confused expressions.
"Hmm... as far as I remember, there are no transfer students in my class. What about your class, Yukinon?" Yui asked.
"Same here. There are no new students," Yukino shook her head firmly.
"Could it be that the person has infiltrated since the beginning of the new school year? Or perhaps he hasn't shown himself yet?" Kuroneko muttered in analysis.
Her gaze then shifted to lock onto Hachiman sharply.
"W-what?" the young man replied with a slight stutter, feeling uncomfortable being suddenly stared at like a suspect.
"Hikigaya, try to remember carefully. Lately, has there been any suspicious guy trying to approach your little sister or Hiratsuka-sensei?" Kuroneko interrogated.
"Huh? No. I don't think there's anything like that," Hachiman answered confidently.
"Are you that sure?" Kuroneko narrowed her eyes, demanding confirmation.
"Yes, I am absolutely sure. Especially when it concerns Komachi."
"If there's any bastard guy who dares to approach her, I would definitely give him my death glare continuously until he loses his nerve and runs away in fear," Hachiman declared proudly.
Hearing that confession, Yui immediately backed away with a disgusted look.
"Uwaaa... what a hardcore siscon."
"Hey! Watch your mouth! I'm not a siscon! I'm just an older brother who deeply loves and protects his little sister!" Hachiman retorted defensively.
"Ahem... Let's move on to the next question."
"Do you guys happen to have a photo of the latest exam ranking board on your phones? If you do, I want to take a look at it for a moment," requested Kuroneko.
"Ah, if I'm not mistaken, I have it," Yui replied cheerfully.
The girl quickly took out her phone, searched for a photo containing the list of students' grades at their school, and then handed it over to Kuroneko.
"Eh? You even took a picture of the announcement board?" Yukino asked with a slightly surprised tone.
Yui laughed awkwardly.
"Hehehe, yeah. My mom told me to take a picture of it as proof for my dad that my grades have improved lately," she replied shyly.
Kuroneko swiped on Yui's phone screen, meticulously examining the list of students' names.
"How is it, Kuroneko? Did you find anything?" asked Yuuto who had been observing all along.
The black-haired girl took a deep breath and shook her head.
"No, I didn't find any strange names at all. Initially, I thought the Transmigrator would immediately seek attention by occupying the first rank, but it turns out the top positions are still safely held by you guys, the original main characters."
"Actually, who is this person you guys are looking for?" interrupted Hachiman, who was getting more confused with the direction of their conversation.
Kuroneko looked up, staring at them alternately.
"Alright. In that case, I will explain everything now."
.
.
.
.
"Does something like that really exist?" muttered Yukino, still half-disbelieving the explanation just now.
"Yes, that thing does exist. All of us have seen it once firsthand, and Yuuto was the one who stepped in to kill it that time," Miku replied while pointing towards Yuuto.
"Wow, I'm getting curious! Will the Transmigrator this time be as strong as the transmigrator in my previous world? If so, let me be the one to fight against him this time!" exclaimed Yamato, full of fighting spirit.
"That probably won't be necessary, Yamato," Kuroneko quickly cut in.
"Considering the Oregairu world is purely of the SoL (Slice of Life) genre, it's highly likely that the Transmigrator this time is just an ordinary human in general."
Yuuto clapped his hands once to draw attention.
"Alright. Since the participation quota for this quest has already been determined by the system, we need to quickly decide who will be going."
"One spot is definitely filled by Hachiman as the representative of his world, so there are only four empty slots left now."
"Who wants to join?" asked Yuuto, looking around the table.
Without wasting any time, four people immediately raised their hands in unison into the air, coinciding with Yuuto who also raised his hand.
Yuuto smiled seeing the enthusiasm.
"Alright, it's decided. The team that will go there is..."