NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22
Chapter 22: The Hormones of Youth
“It’s just a high school library, but the number and variety of books here far surpasses that of an ordinary school!”
In the luxurious library of the highly cultivated high school, the dead-eyed boy stood in front of the catalog search machine, unable to stop himself from expressing his amazement.
The library at this school was much larger than any he had seen before. Inside, it featured a modern minimalist design and was equipped with various modern smart devices. The library spanned five floors, with each floor having two to three public study rooms, each large enough to accommodate around thirty people.
The variety and quantity of books were also vast. In addition to classic world literature, the library also offered the latest magazines, daily newspapers, and even a significant number of popular light novels?!
Without comparison, there’s no pain. Hikigaya didn’t even want to think about the public library in his hometown. Even some university libraries seemed somewhat inferior when compared to this one!
However, despite the library’s grandeur, there were very few students inside. In fact, Hikigaya had the strange feeling that he might be the only person in the entire library. This situation was both expected and surprising.
In this school, which encourages student competition under a closed management system, it was clear that the improvement of individual abilities was highly valued. Apart from the classrooms, the library naturally became the best “training ground” for students. Especially for upperclassmen who knew the truth, improving one’s ability was the top priority.
For students in East Asian countries who wanted to enter prestigious universities, every day of study was extremely important, with numerous elite after-school tutoring programs, creating a terrifying level of competition.
Moreover, in a school with a 100% employment and graduation rate, students should be aware that this was expected of them. Not to mention whether the Harvard library truly opened at 4:30 AM, but at least this vast library in front of him shouldn’t be so empty.
Yet, despite being a school with a closed management system, it still offered numerous entertainment facilities for students. Upon further reflection, this school’s intentions seemed rather sinister!
Hikigaya began searching for the type of books he needed on the catalog machine. When he saw the dense list of catalog numbers, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
“The materials and books here are surprisingly comprehensive!”
Not only did the library collect physical books, but it also had scanned digital versions of many old and historical books.
“When did Japan’s technology and information industry become so advanced?”
Hikigaya couldn’t help but think about the absurd news where some companies and even governments still used floppy disks and CDs.
For several days after that, Hikigaya immersed himself in the library for “closed-door training” after school, only leaving when the library closed. For dinner, he would just grab something quick from a nearby convenience store.
Since the club recruitment day, Hikigaya had returned to a normal routine, which made him feel a bit relieved. But he also understood that this was the calm before the storm.
As for D-Class, Hikigaya had already become completely numb to it. It wasn’t just getting worse—it was completely falling apart, just as Hikigaya had feared. The students who were in the middle and unsure of their stance no longer felt any hesitation or guilt.
Because “everyone” was doing it, I’m just blending in with the atmosphere, what’s wrong with that?
On the other hand, the very few students who persisted in not going along with the crowd became targets for attacks and rejection. They were all covered in mud, and would never allow anyone else to be clean!
The ridicule of “acting pretentious” and “playing the good student” was constant, even escalating to disgusting personal attacks like calling Hikigaya a “dead fish-eyed freak,” and this was mainly targeted at class outliers like Hikigaya and Horikita.
Among them, Hikigaya faced the worst treatment and reputation. Why?
Naturally, he had to thank the idiot duo from the club recruitment.
As for Hirata, Kushida, and others, they were only ever praised with compliments like, “As expected of Hirata, Kushida, the little angels, truly great role models for study.”
In the end, even Hirata couldn’t stop the situation from spiraling out of control. Who knew if he regretted his indecision from the start?
A week of school flew by in the blink of an eye. Students who usually showed no reaction in class were unusually excited today, especially the boys. Even the idiot duo, who always arrived just on time, were the first to arrive in the classroom today.
The question is: what class could get high school boys so excited?
The answer, of course, was the swimming class in the afternoon, and it was a co-ed swimming class!
So this morning, the abnormal behavior of the idiot duo, leading the boys, naturally attracted a lot of attention, especially from the girls, who openly showed disgust on their faces.
Because…
“I’m so so sooooo excited for today’s swimming class! The girls’ swimsuits, wow, I was so hyped last night just thinking about it, I almost couldn’t sleep!”
“Hahaha, me too! I’m so lucky to be attending this school! I’ve never felt so happy about school before, I love school!”
Ike and Yamauchi, this idiotic duo, seemed completely unaware of the disgusted looks from the other girls in the classroom. They openly talked about girls, swimsuits, breasts, and other topics, their faces leering like two horny monkeys. If looks could kill, they’d have died countless times by now.
Thanks to these two horny monkeys, the rest of the boys in the class also suffered the same disdain and criticism from the girls. Of course, this didn’t include the kind-hearted, warm guy!
Damn, is this what being a real “chad” is?!
Hikigaya was also puzzled by something. It’s only the first week of school, and we’re already having swimming class in April? Isn’t that a bit too early?
To be honest, for teenage high school boys, co-ed swimming classes hold an excitement comparable to “becoming a Gundam pilot” in terms of attraction!
Even Hikigaya himself had a tiny, tiny bit of anticipation… Just a tiny bit!
Every boy goes through the hormonal impulses of puberty, and they always have unrealistic fantasies about the opposite sex. So, he could understand Ike and Yamauchi’s youthful hormonal impulses… Or not!
Understanding is one thing, but agreeing is another. If humans can’t control their desires, how are they any different from monkeys? At least most boys may feel excited and giddy on the inside, but they know how to keep their composure on the outside.
To put it simply, at least they should know how to act the part! Not like you two creeps! Damn it!
Hikigaya thought that this was the lowest level for the two of them, but he had severely underestimated just how low their limits could go. Ike had actually gotten another student, known as “The Doctor,” to create something called the “Girls’ Breast Ranking,” and they planned to collect and document photos of the girls in the swimming class!
But that wasn’t all. Suddenly, Ike had a lecherous grin on his face. “Look at this! This is a betting chart I stayed up all night making! Come on, let’s bet on the size of the girls’ breasts and stake our dignity as ‘Breast Lovers’! Let’s bet everything!”
Hikigaya couldn’t help but think, “What the hell?!”