A/N: Last night I had the most random of encounters for story ideas... So here it is.
Also, this is both my first time writing in Hachiman's POV (I'm not that confident working on 1st person POVs) and with the main heroine not being Yui. That being said, I still hope you enjoy this short one-shot of mine.
Disclaimer: I don't own Oregairu.
Dammit. Dammit all, I swear. And damn all the riajuus of the world while we're at it.
The sweltering heat of the room only added to my rage as I kept twisting the doorknob to no avail. The clicking sounds of the metal grew louder as I began to shake it more violently.
I, Hikigaya Hachiman, was currently trapped inside a janitor's closet. The door's lock was busted and could only be opened from the other side it seems, as I had encountered no problems upon entering.
Being the loner that I was didn't help either. How would people notice me missing if they didn't even know I existed in the first place? It was just impossible.
"Senpai, please stop! You're scaring me..." A voice pleaded from behind me, which belonged to a certain kouhai who was unluckily suffering the same fate as I.
"Sorry." I let go of my grip from the doorknob and sighed deeply.
"Seriously Senpai, if you're not creepy-scary then you're plain scary. It's like you're going insane the way you were acting."
"Why, thank you for your kind words Isshiki." I chided, trying not to vent my frustration out on her.
Which was a very nice thing for me to do, considering it was her fault why we were in this god-forsaken room in the first place.
Allow me to explain. It was after class then and I was at the club room, Isshiki had approached me for help regarding some cleaning equipment that she needed to obtain. I had excused myself from Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, and with the former's approval I followed this girl over to where we were now.
Apparently she knew of the broken door but had yet to inform the school's staff regarding the matter, hence it remained unfixed to this day. She also conveniently forgot to tell me about it, leaving me to accidentally shut it behind me once she asked me to reach something for her on one of the higher shelves.
"S-sorry..." She muttered under her breath, the word almost escaping my ears if it weren't for how quiet it was inside.
There were more problems that arose as time passed. Every nook and cranny of the room was covered in dust, a thick film of it enveloping all the objects. There was also little to no ventilation, the only opening being the gap between the door and the floor. The room was also very cramp since it was designed as a storage, hence our body heat alone caused the temperature to rise at an uncomfortable level.
To top it off, the single light bulb wasn't working so I had to resort to using my phone's screen as our source of illumination. Isshiki took the liberty of holding it, as she said she was scared of the dark.
"Can you try calling Yuigahama again?" I asked. Isshiki shook her head.
"You have no bars, the call won't push through."
Seriously? Was there a signal jammer hidden here somewhere? Talk about rotten luck.
"Well, there aren't many students passing by this part of the building either, not to mention most of them have gone home..." I said, her face becoming visibly troubled through my phone's ample lighting.
"W-what if we're stuck here forever..." Her voice cracked and she seemed to be almost in tears, whether it was real fear or just an act of hers was beyond me.
"Don't worry, that's not happening."
"R-really? You think so?"
"Sure. The human body can survive up to a week without food, but only around a day without water. Considering we have neither resources, we'll die sooner before that happens."
"T-T-that's not reassuring at all! Senpai, you're terrible, definitely the lowest!" I could see a glint in her eyes threatening to pour out. I don't want to have to console a crying girl, let alone it be Isshiki, so I decided to convince her otherwise.
"It was just a joke. They'll come find us, don't worry. You're the Student Council President after all, they'll notice you're gone and start searching for you." I smiled at her, hoping it could provide some reassurance to quell her paranoia.
"Senpai, are you hitting on me?" She made a disgusted expression. "If you think the Suspension Bridge Effect would prove effective to make me fall for you then I'm afraid you're wrong. I am also displeased to find you using this unfortunate situation to ask me out as I have no means of escaping your question. I'm sorry but I am not interested therefore I cannot accept your feelings. I respectfully refuse your offer, please forgive me."
And there she went with her rapid rejection. I wasn't even asking her out and I already got declined. Ten Hachiman points.
After her little outburst the room fell silent, and it was then that we were reminded of the heat. I saw beads of sweat on Isshiki's forehead, sparkling like morning dew from the light of my phone. Since I was only wearing my dress shirt for a top, it was a lot more bearable for me compared to her.
"Hey Isshiki."
"Hmm? What?"
"Take off your blazer."
There was a pause, one that dragged on a bit longer than usual. One could have inserted the chirping of crickets to complete the scene. A horrified expression soon crawled its way to her face as she seemed to back away.
"W-wha..." She stuttered, her hands trembling as she tried to speak up. "W-W-WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
"Ah-! Oi, don't yell!" I scolded while covering my ears with my hands as her voice echoed within the vicinity. My eardrums felt like they could be torn apart if she kept on shouting.
"S-s-s-senpai-! I-I can't be-believe you! You're telling me to s-s-strip right here a-and now?!"
Ah, this sly kouhai of mine, usually she'd act foxy and use her charms for seduction and manipulation, yet seeing her flustered like this is kind of cute. Like an innocent maiden, chaste and pure, very unlike her typical self.
"Idiot, I said take off your blazer, not strip naked. Here, hand me the phone so-"
"No! Stay back!" She covered her chest with her hands and backed away, hitting against the shelf behind her. A cloud of dust scattered in the air from the disturbed materials behind her, and luckily she held the phone in a way that I saw a cardboard box full of cleaning agents was about to topple over her.
"Look out!" I instinctively grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards me, narrowly getting hit by the avalanche of assorted cans and plastic bottles.
The loud clatter rang through my ears painfully as they made impact with the floor. My arms were wrapped around Isshiki in an attempt to shield her so my hearing was rendered defenseless. There was a ringing sensation lingering in my ears even after the ruckus.
"...too c-clos..."
I couldn't hear much but she said something, making me realize that I had yet to release her from my embrace. As I lifted my arms up she slowly moved away, like a cautious animal that was being moved from the enclosure to the wilderness.
She was blushing madly as her eyes averted my direction. I never thought I would have been thankful for the broken bulb, else she'd have seen how red my face was as well. It also helped me not to see the entirety of her cuteness that would certainly cause my heart to skip a beat.
"...nk yo...chima..."
"I'm sorry, what was that?" My hearing was still fuzzy so I couldn't clearly pick up what she said.
"N-nothing... T-thanks..."
As my initial attempt at helping her had failed, she remained suffering from the heat of the environment. Looking around I saw the cardboard box and immediately had an idea. Reaching it I ripped off one of its flaps and shook the dust off.
"What are you doing?" She observed me as I made sure it was as spotless as can be.
"This."
Instead of explaining, I answered her question by fanning her with it. The breeze it generated wasn't that cool, but it was enough to provide her some relief, evident from the reaction she made.
I continued to keep her comfortable as we both again sat in silence, with time crawling ever so slowly during our idle state. I had my eyes closed then, busily occupying myself with thoughts from the novels I had been recently reading to a certain silver-haired person sporting the usual gym clothes.
"Senpai."
"Hmm? What is it?" Her call broke me out of my reverie, opening my eyes I found her staring straight into mine.
"I'm bored. Can you tell me a story or anything?"
What was I, a television set? A radio? Since when was I reduced to an entertainment device...
"My life isn't that interesting so there's nothing to tell."
It was true. I was a loner after all, what tales were there to talk about? All I could think of were my days spent alone monologuing with myself on how I hated those who supposedly enjoyed their so-called "youth".
"Then I'll just ask you a question." She cleared her throat before facing me properly with a serious look on her. "Senpai, were you always this nice to Yui-senpai and Yukino-senpai as well?"
"Of course not, why would I be?" My response seemed to have been something she did not expect, Isshiki tilting her head to the side in bafflement.
"So... you mean you're only being nice to me and me alone?"
Ah, I get it now. I guess my actions could indeed be seen as such. But I don't want any misunderstandings, I know exactly how it feels to be fooled by the kindness of others, and the worst part was that I had no one else to blame for it but myself for falling to such treachery.
"I'm not being nice to you or anything, I just did this because it's my responsibility." I could tell she was a little confused at my statement so I elaborated further. "Remember, I was the reason you became the Student Council President, and because of that event it led to this one. So in a way, I am partly at fault here. That's why I'm doing this, so don't get the wrong idea."
I don't know if it was just the heat getting to me, but I could have sworn I saw a pained expression in her face after my last statement. It also felt slightly wrong wording it the way I did.
"I... see, I guess that's true." Isshiki responded followed by a sigh, sounding almost as if she was disappointed by what she had heard.
"Shouldn't you be happier knowing that you have someone to push around and cater to your whims? You're like a certified slave-driver."
"It's not like that." She shook her head. "Not like that at all. Geez Senpai, and here I was thinking you were actually being a gentleman for once. I overestimated you again, still..."
"Hmm? Again? And still, what?"
I found the pair of amber orbs staring intently right at me, as if they tried to convey her thoughts that she couldn't put into words. While I myself had doubts as the message she was sending was a tad unclear, I had an idea of what it was. I wanted to verify the answer however the thought of getting it right stopped my pursuit of the truth.
"Still, I-"
"Hikki! Are you in here?" I heard knocks on the door along with a voice full of concern calling out from behind me, one that belonged to a certain someone who kept using that nickname despite my objections. Without further ado, I heard a click and in an instant the door swung open. The room was immediately filled with the bright light coming from the other side that I had to cover my eyes to let them adjust first.
"Hikigaya-kun, I would like to inform you that, just like acts of lasciviousness, detaining a person without a valid reason is against the law." A second person stated. This one's voice was very cold and condescending, quite the opposite of the first one.
"I neither kidnapped her nor did anything of the sort, I'll have you know Yukinoshita." I exited the cramp closet and was met with the cooler air of the outside. "Thanks for finding us. By the way Yuigahama, how did you know we were stuck there?"
"Ah, w-well... We were just about to leave for home and you haven't returned to club so..." She gestured to her hands which was carrying my bag.
"Oh, thanks. Sorry for the trouble." I took it from her and slung it over my shoulder.
"Anyway, we went to the Student Council's office but only the Vice President and Secretary were there. They said Iroha-chan had something to get here and went to Hikki for assistance, then no one else saw the two of you around afterwards."
"Ah, thanks to the both of you, Yui-senpai and Yukino-senpai!" Isshiki jumped out from behind me and hugged the two.
"You're welcome, Isshiki-san. I apologize for not being able to come sooner to free you from Hikigaya-kun's grasp."
"Stop treating me like a criminal here, I'm a victim as well." I complained, but only Yuigahama seemed to have heard and smiled at my neglected cry.
"Actually..." Isshiki broke away from the two and began fidgeting her feet as she looked down to the floor. "Senpai had been very nice to me all this time."
"Huh? What are you-" She glanced at me and at that point I could see that she had another one of her sly smiles plastered across her face. Before I could continue, Yukinoshita interrupted me.
"Hikigaya-kun, would you be so willing as to explain what Isshiki-san meant?" The Ice Queen's glare froze me in place as we made eye-contact. For some unknown reason she appeared to be very upset.
"Hikki, is this true? You're nice to Iroha-chan but you're mean to us?!" Yuigahama suddenly grew irate as well and threw her own question at me.
"No, it's not like that-"
"Well then Senpai, I guess I'll hold onto that promise you made to me, that you'll 'take responsibility'." Isshiki cut me off and made sure to emphasize the last part for the girls to hear.
"T-t-t-take responsibility?" Yuigahama spouted, completely flustered while Yukinoshita clearly lost her composure at her blatant declaration.
"O-oi Isshiki don't say ambiguous things like that so openly!" I tried to stop the hostility emanating from the two but to no avail. The two girls were now cornering me like two queens against a lone king in a game of chess. I took one step back and looked towards my kouhai for help, who now wore a mischievous grin of victory. "H-hey, clear this misunderstanding up right now, will you?"
Instead of saying anything, she began to trot off and left me at the mercy of my furious club mates. However before she could get far she spun around and faced me, her hair and skirt gracefully twirling in sync with her movement.
"Senpai!" The three of us looked towards her as she stood just a few feet away from us.
That's when she winked at me in a manner that was so undeniably adorable I couldn't stop myself from blushing, before she resumed to take her leave. To my misfortune, my reaction did not escape Yuigahama and Yukinoshita's attention, and they were now glaring at me brooding and displeased.
Checkmate. Dammit Isshiki...
A/N: Wow, this unexpectedly grew in length. I originally typed this to be less than 2000 words but after re-reading this and editing stuff the word count exceeded 2600...
I will be updating There's Something About Yui eventually, I've begun writing Chapter 5 already but this one interrupted me from finishing it.
I hope you liked Iroha here! Until my next update, farewell!