'My Trip to America is not as Expected'
Chapter 2: They Participated in Robbery
It had been five months since the day when Yukino and I first found out our true feelings for each other.
'Shit. I forgot to pick up an anniversary gift yesterday.'
Well, I'm not going to give myself too hard of a time over the mistake. We're hard at work in our third year of high school, and the last before college.
'I'm sure she'll understand... Right?'
Well, if she doesn't, then I'm sure I'll make it up to her somehow.
'Ugh... I'll probably have to cook...'
'Damn it Hachiman, you're a boyfriend now! Get your shit together, and take care of your girlfriend! You're lucky you have one, you know, and that it's someone as Yukino...'
A warm smile came across my face
"Oi! Hachiman!"
It was Hiratsuka-sensei. Fuck. She was lecturing.
"I don't bust my ass making lesson plans and dealing with damn standardized test requirements for you to daze off and smile at the bloody inspirational posters I have hanging around the room! You stay after class today, because I have to talk some sense into you!
"Yes, Sensei."
Hiratsuka-sensei had a grin that mixed triumph and mischief plastered on her face.
'Devil Woman...'
I say that with the highest sense of affection, of course. As much as I hated to admit it, Hiratsuka-sensei was there for me sense last year, and without her, I would have never really met and Yukino, and right now would probably...
You know what? Nothing has REALLY changed in my school life sense me and Yukino started dating.
Sure, I'd spend my lunches with her in the clubroom, and I occasionally got some strange looks from the other boys of both my year and younger. I mean, I got some strange looks before, but usually, they were more of disgust. Now, there's also this strange twinge of.. envy? Yeah, I think it's envy.
Really, I think the most out-of-the-ordinary thing happened right around when we got back from summer break, a couple weeks back, but it wasn't really that major... It was something like...
"Hey, you! Yeah, you!"
Those words coming from Hayato Hayama(Or whatever order his name goes in, depending on if you use first name-last name(Like America) or last name-first name(Like Japan), as I was walking away from his direction in a, conveniently for the story's sake, empty courtyard. I turned back towards him.
On his face was a look infused with rage, but a bit of weeping sadness was sprinkled in as well.
"I can't believe you. I have been working on my plan FOR YEARS to FINALLY show Yukino that we were right for each other! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ME, DAMN IT! And you went in and DESTROYED EVERYTHING!"
He was seething with greater rage than a watcher right at around Episode 11 or 12 of School Days. I responded back with
"You know, Hayama, you really were never a player in the game."
"What... WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?"
"I mean... Honestly? You called what you have been doing these past few years 'working on your plan'? You weren't ANYWHERE close to getting into your heart. Yet, it took me less than a year to go from her Public Enemy No. 1 to her boyfriend. How does that feel?"
Yes, I relished a bit in that moment. After all, why wouldn't I? I had been waiting for a VERY long time to bring Hayama down a peg.
"I'M GOING TO DESTROY YOU, HIKIGAYA!"
Yes, I had unlocked years of trauma and tension that was brewing in his heart. Perfect.
"Good luck with that." I responded, then walked away. We haven't talked since. Though really, there was never any real reason to ever talk to him in the first place.
Really, the thing that has changed things up around the school the most is Yui not being here.
I went over to Hiratsuka-sensei's office, and when I walked in, I was surprised with Yukino being there as well.
"Yukino? Oh no. Don't tell me she got you too."
"Relax, Hachiman. Hiratsuka-sensei merely invited me here to have a discussion."
"Yeah, I figured that Yukino here wouldn't need as much coaxing as you, so I let her off easy by just paying her a visit in the morning, as opposed to me publicly humiliating you."
"That was unnecessary."
"On the contrary, I agree with Hiratsuka-sensei that public humiliation was the only logical option in your case."
"I love you too, dear."
That was enough to get Yukino to physically recoil a bit.
'Mission accomplished.'
"ANYWAYS, the reason I brought both of you here is to discuss an opportunity that has recently come up. Remember about a month ago, when I walked into the Service Club room?"
My memory flashed back to that time. Yukino and I were there, you know... Doing what couples do... WHICH IS(Ahem...) discussing what we were going to do that Saturday night, as I held Yukino in my arms. Right at that moment, Hiratsuka-sensei walked in.
"So you two haven't had any req-... What?"
Yeah... We kind of neglected to tell her that we were in a relationship...
"Oh... I see... Even you... Hachiman... Can find..."
She started sniffling, and the tears of depression were welling up in her eyes.
"Someone... To love..."
She lost it, and ran right out of the room.
"Yukino, do we go after her?"
"Eh, I'm sure she'll be fine."
It turns out Hiratsuka-sensei got mad plastered at the bar that night, and had such a bad hangover that she skipped school for the next week.
I gave a grin at the memory. Hiratsuka-sensei was not pleased.
"Hachiman, I swear, you're going to feel more burns from my Zippo lighter than my pack of cigarettes. ANYWAYS, the POS guy I had met that night and dated for a few weeks had these two tickets to America for over a month."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and that's what led to us breaking up. I heard him talking on the phone with some girl how he'd go on the trip with her. He said it was his estranged daughter he was talking to. I called bullshit, took the tickets, and ran."
"But the tickets have names on them, right?"
"Well, they DID. They also had the login info on them written by that idiot. So I logged in, changed the names in the website, and printed out new ones.
'SNEAKY, Hiratsuka-sensei...'
"What I'm trying to say is, you two are going to America."
"Wait... What?"
Yukino and I were stunned silent, our mouths just gaping wide open. Hiratsuka-sensei continued.
"I already talked to both of your parents about this, and they approved."
Yukino gave a look of hard skepticism.
"I somehow doubt that. My parents wouldn't be the kind of people who'd agree to something like that on the spot."
"On the contrary, Yukino, your parents enthusiastically approved the trip, mentioning something about 'Pumping up the deflating Japanese birth rate'."
Yukino looked away in embarrassment.
"Damn it, dad." she muttered.
"And Hachiman..."
Hiratsuka-sensei displayed a devilish grin that rivaled that of Lelouch vi Britannia. (1)
"Well, I don't want to embarrass you too much. After all, we still need you coming to school."
'Thank the Gods, in all of their mercy'
"But wait..." I started "Don't we have university entrance exams around this time?"
"Don't worry, I've got everything taken care of."
"That doesn't put me as ease, though... That's our fut-"
"I SAID I have everything taken care of. Don't press me on this, Hachiman. Trust me. Alright, you two are dismissed."
As we walked away, I heard Hiratsuka-sensei mutter something like:
"They're characters in a fanfiction.. Don't they realize that things like this are taken care of to further the plot?"
I don't think I heard her right.
A/N: Yeah, this one came a tad bit late, because this chapter was originally planned to be pinned to the first chapter. However, I felt like that would be too bif of an emotional whiplash in the same chapter. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! It's amazing to look at the viewing statistics and seeing all of these people from other countries reading the story! Of course, the USA has the biggest viewership, but the Philippines also has a rather large following, as well as Indonesia, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Germany, Australia, and a whole host of other countries, too! Thank you all, I really appreciate you guys reading, reviewing, etc. Have a great day, and see you next chapter.
Also, I try to reply to reviews, to keep in contact on what you all think and are looking forward to. Thanks!
(1): From Code Geass, the main character is Lelouch vi Britannia, known for having this... Fabulous devilish grin.