Kodaka Hasegawa (chapter)

Kodaka Hasegawa (羽瀬川 小鷹, Hasegawa Kodaka) is chapter one of the Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai light novel series. It is chapter one of volume one.

Summary
Kodaka Hasegawa was reading in the library before he realized that the sun was already setting. Kodaka walked out of the library to return home, but he then remembered that he had forgotten his PE uniform. When he arrived at his classroom door to retrieve his uniform, he heard laughter from the other side. He automatically recognized it as a female's voice, and thought that it had a very pleasant tone.

However, Kodaka didn't recall the owner of the voice, despite it having been a month since he had transferred. As he thought that he should have begun to remember his classmates' voices, he realized that he could only hear one voice inside the classroom. He figured she was talking on her phone, and then began to think if he should wait until she's finished in an effort to not startle her, before realizing that he should just be able to walk inside and grab his forgotten uniform just like any normal person.

In the end, Kodaka decided to enter and grab his belongings. Inside the classroom was the female student, who was sitting beside the open windowsill and happily chatting away. Kodaka remembered her name as Yozora Mikazuki, but he only had a fleeting impression of her.

As far as he recalled, Kodaka had never really seen her chatting with any other student. She always had a scowl on her face, and never hung around anyone during breaks. During dialogue exercises with other students, she would do nothing but sit in her seat and stare out the window. Apparently, she had been like that ever since the first year, so the English teacher gave up on her a long time ago.

He noticed that whenever Yozora was asked questions in her other classes, she would always answer the questions correctly, but in a rather gloomy voice, which was unlike the voice he had just heard.

He then realized that Yozora was not holding a cell phone and that there was no one else in the class. She was looking towards what appeared to be an invisible individual. Kodaka recalled that the light novels he had just read in the library were very similar to the current event.

Without even noticing it, he had then turned the doorknob to the classroom and made eye contact with Yozora, who at first seemed to be at a loss for words. However, she quickly regained her usual scowling expression, her cheeks becoming red from embarrassment.

Kodaka then decided to feebly smile at her before starting to carefully walk towards his desk, trying to act as if he had seen nothing. In that instant, Yozora developed a fearful look on her face, describing his face as an eagle that had just joyfully spotted its prey.

Kodaka then decided that it would be best to finally speak up, as he figured that if he left without saying anything she would do nothing but remain hostile towards him. His first question was whether or not Yozora could see spirits, as she questioned why there would be ghosts there in her usual hostile voice. He responded saying that it appeared that she was conversing with someone, as Yozora's face then became bright red.

She groaned indignantly, before turning and looking towards him again. In a prideful and upright way, she announced that she was just simply talking to her air-friend. Kodaka was utterly dumbfounded, as he failed to comprehend what had just been said. As he questioned what such a thing was, Yozora claimed that it meant exactly what she said, before comparing it to an air guitar, stating that it was similar to that.

As Kodaka attempted to understand the situation by asking her if she meant that she had an imaginary friend, Yozora stated that her friend was, in fact, real, before pointing at what seemed to be nothing in particular. She then claimed that her friend's name was Tomo-chan, and that time always seemed to fly by whenever she talked with her.

Yozora then began to describe their conversation, claiming that they were talking about the time in junior high when they had visited an amusement park. There, apparently, some guys had attempted to hit on them, as she stated that that was the setting. Kodaka then called her out for saying something false, before asking how much of that story was really true. In response, Yozora admitted that the only true part of her story was that she was in junior high, revealing that completely all of it was made-up.

As Kodaka commented that at the very least the amusement park part should have been true, Yozora questioned what fun it would be to go on her own, as Kodaka stated that she had just admitted that she was alone. Yozora then replied by saying that if she and Tomo actually went to an amusement park together, they'd be bothered by a bunch of jerks due to the latter's supposedly cute appearance.

As Kodaka thought to himself that she was a goner, Yozora questioned his expression, as he hurriedly took a step back away from her, before stating that if she really wanted to chat with real friends that she just go out and make them. Yozora then snorted, before responding that that was easier said than done. Her bluntness left him speechless, as she began to look at him even more pointedly. She then questioned if he was the transfer student that always seemed to be alone in the classroom, as he thought to himself that it had taken her a long time to finally realize who he was.

Yozora then claimed that Kodaka was in no position to lecture her about making friends, as Kodaka told her to not call him a transfer student due to him having already attended the school for a month. She then asked him for his name, as he did so in a dispirited fashion. She then repeated what she had just said, calling him by his first name.

As Kodaka thought that it had been a long time since someone had referred to him by his first name, Yozora continued on saying that since it had been a whole month, he must be lonely without friends, to which Kodaka retorted that he didn't want to be told that by someone who had an air-friend.

Yozora then sighed lightly, before describing Tomo as cute, smart, athletic, friendly, sociable, and good at listening. She then added that Tomo would never betray her in a slightly emotional way.

Yozora stated sulkily that she knew she was running away, but she just didn't know how to make actual friends. As Kodaka felt the same, he remained silent at first, before eventually asking what he would have to do to make friends, as Yozora questioned if he hadn't made any friends at his old school. To her skepticism, Kodaka claimed that he did actually have friends, to which she asked if they still kept in contact after he had switched schools. His eyes drifted away before he explained that at their farewell party, they told him to send them messages and to let them know if he ever passed by there again, to which Yozora said that, in other words, they dumped him.

As Kodaka claimed that the past is not important, he questioned if they should just ask if people wanted to be their friends like normal individuals would do, as Yozora snorted once again in response. She explained that those kinds of encounters only occurred in TV shows, as she then questioned how true friendships are formed.

As the two of them continued conversing, Yozora then finally asked about which methods would help Kodaka to quickly make friends, to which he responded that he could join a club. Yozora then shot down his idea immediately, stating that most of the clubs members already had internal relationships. As she asked him whether or not he would feel embarrassed to just charge in and join them, Kodaka admitted that she had a point.

Yozora then quietly murmured to herself about club activities, before smiling at Kodaka confidently. Afterward, she walked straight out of the classroom, leaving Kodaka bewildered. Not understanding what had just happened, he decided to pick up his PE uniform and leave.

Once he got home, he began describing his hatred for English class. However, the hatred didn't come from the fact that he was bad at it, as his mother was apparently British, making English his specialty. The reason was instead because of the fact that the class would sometimes cause him to need to do English dialogues with other students. As someone who had no friends, he became gloomy whenever he was forced into groups. Due to similar reasons, he also hated PE class.

He then described how his eyes made him appear rather vicious, making others ask him why he was glaring at them even though that was just his natural look. Due to his appearance, he had been thought of as a delinquent. He then figured that a mistake he made on his first day was also a part of the reason why he had such a troubling reputation.

The event occurred one month ago, the day when Kodaka was supposed to go to Saint Chronica. He boarded the bus that he thought was headed to Sawara Kita, where the school was located, but in the end he never arrived at his destination. When he summoned up the courage to ask the bus driver, he was told that the bus was destined for Sagara Kita, not Sawara Kita.

He then got on the returning bus, before eventually arriving at the school. Since his class had already begun, Kodaka had no choice but to barge in during the middle of the lesson, as his fellow peers all looked at him strangely.

He was a bit red around his eyes from the tears he had shed from being late, and was noticeably shaking. He tried to camouflage his nervousness by squinting his eyes and suppressing his voice, before introducing himself to the class. The students then became unsettled, as the teacher himself also appeared to be quite shaken.

He commented that no one had attempted to talk to him since and that he had not been able to find a way to redeem himself. He then cried as he finished his homework, before remembering his earlier encounter with Yozura, thinking of her as a tragic individual.

On the following day, during lunch break, Kodaka was prepared to eat his meal alone before Yozora suddenly walked in to stand in front of him. She simply told him to follow her, before walking out of the classroom without waiting for his response. He followed her, before finally catching up with her in the far corner of the school building.

Yozora stated that the paperwork was ready, and as Kodaka questioned what paperwork she meant, she claimed that it was the paperwork to start a new club. She stated that since they couldn't join an already established club, that starting a new one would be the best option.

Kodaka questioned what kind of club she planned on it being before she called it the Neighbors' Club, describing it as being a club dedicated to starting friendships. As Kodaka claimed that that wasn't what he had in mind, he sighed and stated that she could do whatever she wanted.

Yozura then asked him why he was talking as if he was discussing another person's issues, before saying that Kodaka was also already a member. As he questioned this, Yozora explained that since she saw him leaving the school by himself, she filled out his application form for him. She described that the teachers were very concerned about him, saying that one of them commented that they hoped Kodaka would see the error of his ways. Kodaka was crushed that even the teachers seemed to believe he was a delinquent.

Yozora stated that they would commence their club activities after school starting on the present day before she turned around and left. Kodaka then figured that one of the reasons why Yozora didn't have any friends was because she didn't listen to other people whatsoever.

They get a poster with a secret message on it and true friends is the real ones that can get in to the club. At the evening of the day, Yozora and Kodoka were at the club place when suddenly, someone knocked on the door. She opened it and it was Sena Kashiwazaki. She is the principal's kid and Yozora slamed the door. Turns out that Sena likes to be surrounded by boys.

Then, Sena knocked from the window. Kodoka opened the window and Sena shouted hard. Yozora was going to close the window, but Sena wouldn't let her close the window just that way. She shouted,

"I JUST WANT TO HAVE FRIENDS!!!"

Yozora let her in but it turns out that the first meeting turns out to be a bad thing to discover. Kodoka just sit there watch they two fight around the room.