Hikigaya Hachiman, The Supreme Meritocracy

Hikigaya Hachiman Monologue

　Fate will carry your soul to the place where it belongs most.
　- Shakespeare.

　I am different from others. I started to feel that way when I was in kindergarten. While everyone else was playing, I was the only one reading a book.It wasn't a picture book, but a simple novel. Even though it was simple, it was something literary that even primary school children rarely read. For example, "Encouragement of learning".

　My parents were surprised to see how fast I was growing up. At the same time, they were happy. I was smarter than the other kids around me and it didn't bother them. But they were worried about the fact that I didn't want to get involved with the other kids around me.

　The reason why I didn't get involved with the other kids around me was because I didn't find enjoyment in what they thought was fun. The one thing I did find enjoyment in was novels.

　By combining words that we say casually, we can express a wide variety of worlds. Everyone can do it, but not everyone can do it in the same way. That's why it was fun. It reflected the person's thoughts and ideas, and even as a child I would hypothesize why this person thought the way they did.

　That was fun. People my age didn't understand it.. Even the ones who had invited me to join them at first left, as if they instinctively realized that they didn't understand me.

When I was in elementary school, I thought my world would open up. I was hopeful that I would learn things that I didn't know.The teachers didn't want to answer my questions, and the tests they made me take were too easy and uninteresting.

　I gradually grew tired of going to school. I didn't get along with the people around me, they didn't teach me what I wanted to know, and I did a lot of useless things. I would do my homework, but it seemed like a simple task. I always read books alone in class, never playing with my classmates, but doing something quietly by myself. Most of the time I was asked to pair up, but I was left alone and had to work with the teacher.

　It was lonely to be alone. But I couldn't talk to anyone around me. It was boring to be with them. There was no one my age who understood what I was thinking. That's why I couldn't casually discuss my problems with them.

　My homeroom teacher in the first year seemed to be worried about me and tried to listen to me. I told her what was on my mind. I wanted her to know what I was going through. The teacher suggested that my parents go to a specialized institution to measure my intelligence, and I was tested at the institution.

　The result was an IQ of 180, which was quite high considering that the average IQ was 100. This is a number that could rank with the great historical figures who made great advances in human technology. Everyone was surprised by the result.

Gifted

The term "gifted" refers to a person who is born with a significantly higher than average level of intelligence, empathetic understanding, ethics, sense of justice, and philanthropy. The numbers I got were good enough to be called that.

　When my parents were informed of this result, they even considered moving to another country. In other countries, gifted education is popular, and there is a good system for skipping years. But I chose not to go.

　My parents didn't speak English, and it would be hard to find a new job there. I didn't want to cause them any trouble.

　Instead, they bought me a lot of reference books and novels. My bookshelf became a huge mess. Some people would have rejected the idea of a tightly packed reference book. From the middle years of primary school, they also bought me manga books.