Chapter 1: The Troublesome Beginning, Part 1
1st Friday
I stare at the moron in front of me. He's lost a lot of weight over the years, and he's a little wiser than he used to be. But honestly, he's still a big wimp, and more importantly, a massive idiot. "Zaimokuza…" I rub my temple. "What is this crap?"
"Er… well… you see…" He chuckles nervously. "Work got in the way and I uh…" He rubbed his hands and wore a pathetic expression on his face.
"Didn't finish?" I flip a few pages over and shake my head in disgust. "I extended your due date once already. And if you weren't finished, why did you insist on meeting me here like this? I'm busy enough as is, I don't need you wasting my time."
"Ah… but…" Zaimokuza's lips started to quiver.
"Stop, just stop." I really don't feel like listening to his sputtering today. "I'll give you two weeks to finish these chapters. If you don't make that, it's over, you hear me?"
"O-of course, Hachiman!" Zaimokuza nods and smiles.
"I'm leaving, and you're paying for my coffee. See you later." I get out of my seat at the coffee shop and walk out the door, annoyed that once again, Yoshiteru Zaimokuza has wasted my precious time. Admittedly, I don't do much with my spare time, but still. He's pushing twenty-six and he still can't even hit a deadline? No wonder he's a lowly retail worker struggling to make ends meet. He's lucky all I demanded in turn for a due date extension was a single coffee.
It's autumn in Chiba. The air feels crisp and cool, and I'm glad I brought a jacket, because today's a bit colder than usual. I unlock my car and start the engine. "W-wait, Hachiman!" An annoying voice reaches my ears. For a brief moment, I contemplate just leaving him and heading back to the office.
I roll down the window. "What do you want?" He's lucky I'm so benevolent.
"Sheesh, you didn't even give me a chance to explain why I wanted to meet you in person!"
"Just hurry up and tell me."
"Well, if you wait a bit longer, Totsuka is almost here to join us." Well, that changes things. Idiot, you should have told me sooner! Assert yourself!
Totsuka was one of the very few people I bothered to keep in touch with after high school. The reason? He was one of the only to bother to try and keep in touch with me. Also, Totsuka is an angel. He always has, and always will be. Truly, a timeless entity. I turn off the car and got out, locking it.
On a side note, I had absolutely no intention to keep in touch with Zaimokuza. I work now as an editor for a publisher in Chiba, but I was only hired recently, so when I was presented with the "opportunity" to edit for a "promising" new writer by the name of Yoshiteru Zaimokuza, I had no choice but to accept.
The two of us headed back in the shop, choosing a table near the window. "So, Hachiman… I know you're upset I didn't reach the deadline, but what do you think of what I've written so far?"
"It's… not terrible. Sadly, I have come across worse than this. But it's very clearly rushed. The quality is far below that of your previous chapters. For example, here, where the protagonist is mulling over his thoughts, you don't have any of the witty remarks that pretty much define your story."
Truth is, the story Zaimokuza is writing is actually pretty good so far. Despite it being a rather stereotypical high school romantic comedy, his main character employed intense monologuing and witty remarks to avoid being basic. The relationships between the characters in the story was being given good attention to detail. At the very least, normalfags would eat it up, likely thinking it was "cool" and "contrarian" which is good for the publishing company, obviously.
Oh damn. I've been well trained in corporate slavery already. Forgive me, house-husband dreams! I couldn't find a woman deluded enough to want me!
"Anyone can have bursts of skill. But to be truly good, you need to maintain the same level of quality throughout the novel. Don't get lazy or careless now, you idiot." Zaimokuza nodded enthusiastically, with his hand on his chin. He opened to his mouth say something, but the door to the coffee shop opened, causing us to look in that direction. A young man walked through the door.
"Totsuka!" Zaimokuza gestured to our table, and Totsuka smiled in our direction, walking over.
"Hey guys! How's it going?" Totsuka remains as chirpy as ever. He's become a successful professional tennis player, winning tournaments across the nation. While I am glad to see him do so well, it makes it difficult for me to ever see him, which is a tragedy in and of itself. But if it protects that smile, it's a worthy sacrifice!
"I am well, sir Totsuka! Now that we are all here, I will tell you all why I invited you here!" Zaimokuza pushed his glasses up. "As you know, I have, um, problems, with talking to fair maidens! As a result, I have been trying to find a gokon to attend."
Maybe if you didn't insist on calling every woman you meet a fair maiden, you'd have a better chance at scoring a date, Zaimokuza. And a gokon? Really? How desperate are you?
"And I have succeeded!" Zaimokuza stood up, dramatically raising his fist to the air, instantly earning withering glares from everyone else in the café. Realizing he was the target of their ire, he swiftly sat back down. Sheepishly, he continued. "Anyway, there's a couple of gokons tomorrow some of my co-workers are going to. They told me I could go but that I should go to the one they weren't going to." That's cold, Zaimokuza's co-workers. I suppose I don't blame you, though…
"Ah… What does have to do with us, Zaimokuza?" Totsuka asks with a confused expression on his face. I think I understand why, though – he probably wants us there as a combination of moral support and perhaps as a way to look better himself, so whoever goes to it doesn't think he's a total loser. In short, Zaimokuza is pathetic and completely inept at socializing. What else is new?
"My comrades… I believe we should go together!" What an idiot. As if I'd ever go on a group date-
"I should be free this weekend!" Totsuka said. "Hachiman, what about you? I think it would be fun!" For a moment, time freezes as my brain calculates this turn of events. I must attend this gokon. What if some drunken fool mistakes Totsuka for a girl and tries to do something to him? I would never forgive myself for not protecting him!
"I… I guess I can go…" I mutter the words.
"Excellent! This will be glorious! I'll tell you the details. We're meeting at this karaoke bar called Sunshine, at about 7 PM. Be there a bit early so we can group up and prepare!"
"Alright… You know what, Zaimokuza, Totsuka. I have to go to the office again. There's a meeting in about half an hour. Mail me the information." There was a meeting, but I am not attending it, I just want to leave.
I enter my car, sitting down and turning up the engine again.
What the HELL is wrong with me? Delusions about Totsuka aside, I honestly have no idea what I am going to do at the gokon. Dates? Parties? Me? Why does Totsuka have such a bizarre effect on me? If he asked me to slam my face into a rusty nail, I'm afraid I'd actually do it, with enthusiasm, no less.
Resisting the urge to instead slam my face into the steering wheel, I pull out of the parking lot and start driving towards the office. Fortunately, there isn't much traffic, so I arrive at the office pretty quickly. After parking my car, I walk towards the building with the words "Lotus Publishing" above two automatic doors.
Entering the building, I nod at the receptionist, who doesn't seem to notice my existence, typing away at her desktop at a brisk pace. Damn you woman, do your job! I'm human too! What if I was a dangerous creeper or something? I head towards the elevator, patiently waiting for it to open, and pressing the 4 button immediately upon entering it.
The office is relatively quiet, for a Thursday, anyway. While I didn't have a meeting to attend today, I did have some minor editing work to do in my personal work cubby. I began heading in that direction, but I heard a voice call out, "Hikigaya."
That voice belongs to my roommate, Yoshida Ebisu. See, I live in an apartment now, but it's expensive to shoulder that on my own, so my boss told me to meet with Yoshida and rent an apartment together. I would normally object to such a violation of my loner lifestyle, but necessity forced my hand. Fortunately, Yoshida seems to be even less social than me, and so we don't talk very much, living separately, just in the same apartment.
"What's up?" I asked.
"The boss is looking for you. I don't know what for."
"Okay then. Thanks for the heads-up." Crap. The boss doesn't check up on any of us that often. I can't really think of a reason for him to call me, unless it's Zaimokuza related. Ugh. I hope that's not it. I really don't feel like crapping out excuses for him today. Why do I cover that moron anyway? I knock on the boss's door.
"Come in!" I twist the door knob and enter. The boss keeps his office neat. Every book is in alphabetical order on the shelves. Every paper neatly sorted into folders on his desk. Barely any decorations, barring a picture of his wife on his desk. I've heard him say that he used to be a computer programmer before he became involved in publishing, and it's left him with a habit of staying organized.
"Have a seat, Hikigaya." He gestured to the chair in front of me. Boss's name is Kaga Robbins. The man is only half Japanese; his father was an American, but he doesn't really look like it, sporting the slighter physique and hair/eye colors an average Japanese person has.
Sitting down, I get to the point. "Did you need something from me?"
"You young guns, always in a hurry to do something else. No, I don't need anything from you, other than the work you've already been doing for me. In fact, I like the work you've been doing for me so much, I've actually decided to give you a raise today."
Well that was unexpected. I'm certainly not complaining. "Thanks, boss." Now to get out of here before this conversation becomes a chore.
"Oh, I suppose I do have a question for you, Hikigaya. How's life with Yoshida going for you?"
"It's fine. We don't hate each other or anything. He's a good roommate, I suppose. Why do you ask?"
"I guess I just want to make sure my two promising up and coming young editors are getting along. You two are a part of the future of this company, after all." Sheesh. You sound like ancient history when you talk like that, old man. I nod politely. He opens his mouth to say something, but closes it again, as if changing his mind. "Anyway, that was all. Carry on."
I exit the room, and return to my cubby. Work. As a high school student, I always said I would never become a corporate slave, and that to work is to lose. My job is quite a bit better than your average corporate slave's, at least. Ah well. I never seriously believed I'd be able to skate by in life without working. Turning over the first page, I concentrate, and hours pass before I finally finish. Filing away my hard work, I turn off my desktop, and open my phone to clock out.
I notice two text messages on my phone. Dutifully, I clock in, and then scroll to check my mail. One is from Zaimokuza, repeating the basic details of the gokon, as well saying, "Hachiman! My brother-in-arms! Come dressed properly for battle! Dress in semi-casual!" He's such an idiot. The other is from my beloved sister, Komachi. She's actually a student right now, but she's taking a break to save up money. At least, that's what she says, but she spends quite a bit of time shopping…
I open the text. "Onii-chan! R u busy tomorrow?" Shooting her a quick "Maybe," I leave the building and get in my car. The phone makes a notification, but instead of checking, I pull out of the parking lot and begin my drive home. The drive home lasts less than half an hour, fortunately. I lock my car and enter the apartment, silently thankful for my access to the bottom floor.
I'm not feeling hungry today, so I just enter my room and pull out my phone. Komachi's response is, "Is it work?"
I respond, "I've got a gokon to go to at 7, but if it's important I'll bail. What's up?" As I hit the send button, I yawn. I should really head to bed soon. As I'm pulling on my shirt, my ringtone goes off.
Seeing Komachi on the screen, I answer.
"Hello?"
"Gomi-chan! Are you seriously going to a gokon?"
"Er… a friend asked me to go with him…"
"I see! Do you know anyone going to it?"
"I'm afraid not. Why did you want to talk to me, exactly?"
"That's a bit disappointing, but maybe it's for the best! We're going to meet up tomorrow. I want you to pick me up from mom and dad's place at 10 AM."
"While I don't object to spending time with you, what exactly are we going to do?"
"Shopping! We gotta get you ready for your outing! After all, gomi-chan only meets new people like twice a year, so we gotta make this count if you're ever going to get married!"
Dammit Komachi, I'm not Hiratsuka-sensei. I don't even care about getting married at this point. "What's wrong with my current wardrobe?"
"The fact that you can't see what's wrong with it only reinforces my belief that you are in need of a fashion lesson, onii-chan. Just trust in your cute little sister to get things done!"
"I… whatever, Komachi. I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Alright, gomii-chan. I have some stuff to do, so goodnight!"
"'Night, Komachi." Hanging up, I brush my teeth and do a bit of reading, before finally crawling into bed and closing my eyes. That night, I dream of snow. By the time morning arrives, however, I've already forgotten.
1st Saturday
My alarm clock goes off, beeping and flashing 8:00 AM. I get up slowly, stretching a bit, before entering my bathroom and doing a bit of freshening up. I leave my room, and walk to the kitchen. Yoshida is sitting at the table by the kitchen we use for eating, munching on a rice ball while reading a novel. He nods at me once before returning to his book.
I fry a couple of eggs and wolf them down alongside some rice. "I'm headed out, Yoshida." He nods again in my direction.
"Have fun, I guess." He says. I walk upstairs, pulling on a black t-shirt and some standard blue jeans. Coming down, I grab my car keys and put on my shoes, and I walk out the door, locking it behind. I look at my silver watch, reading 9 AM.
Frankly, I'm not sure why Komachi's so invested in this. I've attempted to date a couple of times during college, but it's never worked out. And then there's the hairy matter of her. I've pretty much given up by this point on the pathetic prospect of love by now. After high school, I had a bit of hope, but it's clear to me now that I'll never be able to have that. And if I'm being totally honest with myself…
I really don't deserve it.
Almost done with my long drive, I pull up to the familiar driveway and park. My parents don't seem to be home – as usual, they're living the corporate slavery life. I knock on the door. "Komachi! I'm here!"
A few moments pass, and the door is opened. "Hey! You're here a little early! That scores a lot of points in my book, onii-chan." A grinning expression is on my sister's face. "Let's just go right now. No point in waiting."
"Sounds good to me. Sooner I get this over with, the longer I get to nap."
"You're such an old man already, onii-chan. But don't worry! Komachi still believes in you!" Sheesh. You're too old to be fishing for Komachi points, grow up already woman!
"Where are we headed, anyway?" I pull out of the driveway, keeping an eye out for bratty kids I might run into.
"To the mall nearby. You know the one." Typical. She probably spends more time there than she does at home nowadays. Fortunately, I do know the way pretty well. I drove Komachi and her friends there on a few occasions.
The mall in question is a medium-sized one, and a local favorite. Everyone from thugs to riajuus went there for socializing and blowing their hard-earned (or not earned) cash on whatever pointless trinkets they could find. Getting out from the car, I asked, "Where to?"
Grabbing my arm, Komachi pulled me into the mall. As usual, the sounds and smells of the mall were almost overwhelming. How anyone could stand going to such a place on a frequent basis is beyond me. "We're going to start with -" Komachi froze. She stared ahead at something or someone I couldn't see.
Confused, I walked up next to her and looked at where she was looking. I saw blonde hair. Revealing clothing. Piercing, fiery green eyes staring right at me.
Eyes that felt like they saw through me.
Eyes that wore the same intensity I saw that night all those years ago.
Eyes belonging to someone who probably hated me more than even her.
Miura Yumiko stood in front of me for the first time in four years, and I really, really wish I had just stayed home this morning.
Author's Notes:
A gokon is a kind Japanese group date that usually involves a lot of drinking and merrymaking. (At least, according to the swift google searches I made it is…)
I know next to nothing about living in Japan, so if I make a jarring mistake, I apologize in advance. I'm also still very much inexperienced in writing, and am simply trying this out as a means of self-improvement.
I plan on finishing this story in under a month. How long exactly it will be, I'm not certain. But I'm not sure how capable I am at writing quickly, so bear with me haha – I've been getting distracted lately by the livestreams of certain video game tournaments.
One important thing to note – before I get complaints about characterization, note that this takes place almost 10 years after the events of the actual Oregairu series (and also that I have yet to read volume 12, so I have no idea if anything significant has changed for the characters of our beloved story). For reference, as far as I know, Hachiman is about 16-17 in the series, but in this story, he's 25. Due to the significant aging, most of the cast is going to be generally more mature.
Lastly, I apologize if my style is dry. This is a matter of inexperience, and I hope to improve myself in that aspect with this.