Chapter 3: In Which Studying is Annoying (In More Ways than One)
It was a cold, dark night in Chiba.
The temperature on my phone read 27 degree Celsius despite it being the middle of summer. Normally, it was the sort of temperature that I love, as it doesn't make my sweat my entire body weight or make my teeth shake with the ferocity of a jackhammer.
Nevertheless, I've never felt my blood running so cold before.
"So, what did you say your name was again?"
I sneaked a peek at the target from the corners of my eyes. He was smiling, like some sort of idiot.
Don't do it. I tried to communicate telepathically with him.
Don't do it, Hachiman.
I tried to again…but to no avail.
"It's Hikigaya Hachiman, Tsurumi-san."
Dammit!
Why did I have to bump into her? Of all the people in this fairly packed restaurant, why did I have to bump into my mom?! Not to mention, why was she in a ramen joint with dad of all places? Shouldn't my parents be in some high-end restaurant, sipping on the finest of wines while their precious daughter was in another prefecture?
After that one innocent, little bump, I was brutally taken against my will towards the dreaded parents' table. It was there that I was interrogated with near perfect brutality. Of course, I tried to retaliate with thought-provoking questions such as:
'Why are you guys in a ramen joint?!' and
'Wait, are you guys on a date because I'm not home?'
But with the brutality of a bull, mom simply responded with a 'Are you here alone?'
Of course, this set up a dilemma. I could lie, and say that I was at this restaurant alone with no one to accompany me, but then I would be forced to awkwardly sit at the grown-ups' table, which would leave Hachiman all alone as a result, leading to him searching for me and causing awkwardness for everyone.
And I hate to say this, but it would probably cause some trouble for Hiratsuka-sensei as well for not 'watching over me'.
I could, instead, say that I came here with someone else, but she would interrogate me even further, which would lead to me giving away Hachiman's name, because my mom is just too damn good at pressuring a person.
Today was supposed to be a lucky day for me too…
However, right before all hope was lost, a knight with dead fish eyes came to my rescue!
…for about three seconds before he, too, succumbed to the social niceties that plagued adults everywhere.
And as a result, I found myself seated at a fairly small table with Hachiman by my side, and my parents right in front of us. The size of the table served to restrict my movements even more, which made me quite fidgety. The bowls of ramen on the table were appetizing, sure, but I didn't think it was right to make any sudden movements.
After all, being the responsible high school adult that I am, I tried my best to remain calm and stoic at this perilous situation.
…I tried.
"And you're Hiratsuka-sensei's…?"
"Assistant," Hachiman said, his face as composed as ever, "I'm her teaching assistant."
"I see, I see," Nodding her head slowly, Mom continued asking, "Wait, since you said that you're her assistant, which means you went to Sobu High school, correct?"
"Well…yes. She was my career counselor when I was still a high school student."
"That's wonderful!"
No, it's not, mom. Stop romanticizing everything.
"So you're aiming to be a teacher too then?"
"Ah, no," Hachiman replied calmly, betraying my expectations, "I already have a job. This teaching assistant position is just temporary."
Why won't they stop talking? This was borderline intelligence agency level of interrogation. Mom, you do not need to know all about his background!
"Oh really? Then where do you work?"
I had a hard time looking at Hachiman after each successive question from my mom. Would he think that I'm just as intrusive as mom is? Even if he did, he's probably too nice to say it right to my face. Not to mention, that would be just rude.
I'm really, really, really sorry, Hachiman!
"In Saitama."
Upon hearing that, my mom slightly gasped, "Isn't that a fair bit of distance away from Chiba?"
"The opportunities that I was offered there were just too good to pass up." replied Hachiman, almost robotically.
"I see, I see," After contemplating for a bit, mom continued her barrage of questions, "If you don't mind me aski-,"
A ringtone interrupted her before she could though.
"Ah, excuse me," Hachiman cut off my mom, his hand smoothly fishing out a phone from his pocket, "I need to take this call; if you don't mind."
"No, of course not! Go ahead."
Nodding with a courteous smile on his face, Hachiman left the table, and expertly maneuvered around the restaurant like some sort of parkour expert. I guess being a loner for that long teaches you some skills, huh?
But in any case, that phone call might as well be a sign of god's goodwill upon this Earth, and me! Mostly me.
I audibly sighed in relief once Hachiman was out of sight. My now cold ramen began to look really appetizing, but before I could dig in like the good-natured girl that I am, a question was thrown my way.
It was then that I realized that god's blessing was just a curse in disguise.
No, Hachiman! Come back! I don't want to get interrogated!
"So, is he good?"
"What?"
"I asked if he's good at teaching," Dad asked, pushing up his glasses.
Figures. Of course, he would be the one to ask that.
Come on, dad. Your daughter was semi-forcefully taken to another prefecture for, like, half the day, and all you wanted to know was whether a tutor you haven't met once before is good at his job?
I know I'm a teenager, but I need some parental affection every now and then, y'know.
"Weeeelll, he's decent, I guess."
"Decent?"
Crap, I should've chosen my words better. In dad's language, 'decent' translates to 'mediocre' just like 'C' translates to 'Barely passing'.
"I mean, he's good!" I corrected myself, "He's really good at teaching."
"And? What did he teach you?" Dad continued pressuring me.
"Modern literature."
"Interesting," Placing his chin on the back of his hands, dad said, "I suppose that's good. You never did well in literature after all."
"Ugh…"
"Compared to your current literature teacher," At the mention of Hiratsuka-sensei, I perked up, "How good is he?"
"Like…on a scale of one to ten?"
"Sure. You could say that."
"Ummm…" I really didn't want to say anything that might hurt Hachiman's feelings. Then again, he looked like he's devoid of any emotions soooooo…
"He's a solid eight."
"Eight?"
"Yup!" I replied with full confidence, "His methods take a bit of time to get used to since they are so…unorthodox, but I can manage."
"Unorthodox, you say…"
Hearing dad's grim tone, I quickly corrected my words again, "But to be honest, those unorthodox ways of teaching really, really put me on the spot so I actually got more creative! And yeah…I got more creative."
"I see."
Luckily, before either of my parents could ask me any more questions, Hachiman returned to our table, an air of competence still surrounding him.
"Sorry about that," He apologized with a professional cadence, "It was just my sister checking up on me."
Like last time, mom was the one responding to Hachiman.
"Oh, is she here in Chiba?"
"Yes, yes she is," replied Hachiman, "I'm actually visiting Chiba for the week."
"And I suppose you're going to be tutoring Rumi for the duration then?"
Giving a quick glance to me (For some strange reasons), Hachiman gave a reply.
"With your permission, of course."
OI! What the hell?! That didn't sound like a 'teaching assistant' asking permission to teach at all! It sounded like Hachiman was trying to get permission for me to go to Destiny Land with him!
I gave him a slight glare, but it seemed he didn't notice it. Damn you, Hachiman's thick skull.
"Of course!" Mom responded as jolly as ever, a real contrast to dad, who was just sitting there, brooding ever so menacingly.
Also, why did she say that? Wasn't it my choice to make? After all, the subject at hand was whether or not Hachiman was going to tutor me. ME! Yet why did she respond for me?
Mom, I know that I really didn't have anything to complain about, but at least give me the illusion of choice. It would actually make me feel like I'm contributing to the conversation instead of sitting around doing nothing.
I just hoped Hachiman doesn't see me as a child because of this.
"Thank you, Tsurumi-san," Hachiman said courteously, "Though I'm afraid I need to leave early. It is quite late, and I don't want my sister to worry any further."
Every word that came out of Hachiman's mouth felt like it was lifted straight from a novel, where the character spouting off those words is a well-mannered aristocrat – which Hachiman certainly isn't.
I never knew he was so articulate. He is technically an adult, but I didn't expect him to be so…well-mannered. Honestly, I thought he was going to talk to my parents the same way he talked to me; but I guess he's too grown up for that.
Then again, dad's constant glares probably helped with that as well.
"Oh, it's no problem, Hikigaya-sensei."
Hikigaya-sensei?! Do I have to call him that from now on too?!
"So, are you going to start teaching Rumi tomorrow then?" Mom asked.
"I don't see why not. I'll arrange the schedule with Rumi later," Hachiman replied, "If you don't mind, could I have some sort of contact information?"
"Of course!"
After exchanging his number with own, Hachiman thanked us for the meal (Which he somehow finished without me noticing), and left. Mom even tried to embarrass me by getting me to thank Hachiman for today. Of course, being the good girl that I am, I thanked him…quietly…in my head.
But was that it?
After all we've been through today, was he going to leave just like that? When he thanked us earlier, he didn't even specifically mention me. Sure, you could say that he had no reason to, but considering that we are close, personal acquaintances, shouldn't he at least say something to me?
I mean, I didn't technically say anything to him that would prompt a response, but he's the adult here. Shouldn't he be the one responsible for starting the conversation? Plus, Hachiman now seemed so sociable now that it was kinda scary.
But in the end, I didn't say anything to him. And as I watched him walk further and further away from our table, and ultimately through the glass door of the restaurant, I felt like…I should be doing something. I should be saying something to him.
And so I did.
"Mom, I need to talk to Hachiman."
"You mean Hikigaya-sensei?"
"Yes, yes. Hikigaya-sensei," I corrected myself, "Can I go talk to him? I think there's some parts of today's lessons that I didn't get."
Mom looked over to dad, as if asking for him to respond to me. Considering that dad is the one who's the most involved in my academics, I could see why he's the one responding.
"I don't see why not," Dad spoke calmly, "Just don't bother him too much. You can get him to explain the details tomorrow."
Feeling slightly invigorated, I thanked them before bolting towards the door.
By the time I got there, though, Hachiman was already in the middle of getting into his car. Since there was no one outside at the time beside us, I yelled as loud as I could.
"HACHIMAN!"
As expected, he stopped trying to get into his car, and turned towards me, the bored, apathetic expression that he always wore was on full display.
"You know…" He began as he walked towards me, "You didn't have to shout. I'm, like, four meters away from you."
I almost broke into a dumb grin at the sound of his crass statement, but I coughed it away. He shouldn't be able to see my face through the darkness of the night anyway.
"So? What do you need?" asked Hachiman, hands coolly planted into his jacket. And by 'coolly', I meant like a snob.
Because that was what he looked like. A snob.
"What? Do I need a reason to talk to my teacher?"
"I'm not your teacher," He poked my head playfully, "I'm just doing this to kill time for the week."
"Can't be honest, can you?" I shrugged.
"So…do you actually need anything or…?"
Upon realizing that I needed an excuse to see him, I frantically pulled out my phone, jutting it forward towards Hachiman.
"Phone number!" I yelled, "I need your phone number! For…y'know, when I want to contact you and stuff. Besides, sometimes, mom is on the house phone so if you have some important news for me, then I can't hear it during those times. And trust me, mom uses-,"
"Rumi, slow down. You're not a 12 year old."
At Hachiman's request, I slowed down to a complete stop.
"You do realize that you can just get my number from your parents?" Hachiman said, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
I, too, scrunched my eyebrows in confusion, then in realization, and finally…in embarrassment.
"I…uh…" My brain failed me as no words sprung into my mind, "I…just…think?"
"Think?"
Seeing as there were a couple of words that finally decided to show up, I continued, "Think that…it's kinda rude and impersonal to…not see a person face to face when getting their number."
"Really?"
"Yup." I answered, my lips pursed together as I tried to put on a stoic front.
As a response, Hachiman didn't give a witty remark and any crude comments at all. Instead, he merely sighed as he covered his face with one of his hands.
"You know…" He removed his hand from his face, "You don't have to make such a crappy excuse just to see me."
"Ugh…" I winced at his statement, "It's not like I really want to see you. It's, like…uh, me wanting to see you off. Yeah…that."
Walking closer to me, he gave a calm smirk, "Really now? And here I thought my student was actually worried about me."
"Pssh, you're an adult, aren't you?" I crossed my arms in a huff. Why was Hachiman suddenly so suave?
"Right, right. Well, come on," He extended one of his hands towards me.
"Uh…what?"
"Your phone," He replied, deadpanned, "I can't give you my number if I don't have your phone, y'know."
"O-Oh, right," I quickly handed him my phone, and watched as he fiddled with it for a few seconds.
At that moment, I think it was due to the moonlight and whatnot, but Hachiman looked so gentle…when he's not spouting off crass statements, of course. I guess the only times where he looks remotely like a kind person is when he's not talking at all.
Which I don't mind. Silence is golden, after all.
"And done."
Hachiman said as he gave me back my phone. Just like he wordlessly promised, the phone was left on a contact screen with a new number on it, completed with the official seal of approval via the name 'Hikigaya Hachiman'.
Woah…I actually have his number now…
The endless possibilities that come with this singular number might just be too much for me. I could call him when I want, we could talk to each other whenever we want, and we could arrange meetings with each other whenever we want!
Stop it, Rumi. With great power, comes great responsibility, after all.
"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" Hachiman asked, as he began to turn towards his car, "Since you have my number now, I'll just send you my schedule in the morning; so just pick any time you want."
"O-Oh…sure."
I was way too focused on this number. Then again, it felt like something was missing, so it wouldn't be wrong if I was focusing on this number, right? This felt just like earlier; when Hachiman was walking away from our table, except this time, he was an arm's reach away.
"Hachiman!" I shouted again, though, I lowered my voice a bit.
Evidently, he was startled by this as he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Turning around, he gave me a stink-eye, like I was eating away at his time or something…
Which I was, but that wasn't important.
"What now?" He asked with a tone of exasperation. Ugh, why did you have to sound that way? Now I felt bad for stopping you.
"P-Picture! For the contact!"
I jutted my phone forward once more, shouting a word that had been in the corner of my mind for a long time. It wasn't a word that I'd wanted to say, but it did its purpose of catching Hachiman's attention. Even though I expected him to give another witty retort, asking me why I needed a picture of him in the first place, he fortunately didn't do any of that.
Sighing, he reluctantly came back to me, "Fine, fine. Just hurry it up."
Feeling a smile encroaching on my face, I quickly tried to be as stoic as possible so Hachiman didn't think I was some immature kid who got giddy at the thought of getting a simple picture.
"R-Right!"
My fingers trembled as I opened the camera app. After taking in, and holding a deep breath, I pointed it at Hachiman, who was looking impassively at me.
It wouldn't hurt to smile, y'know.
But I didn't voice any complaint. After all, I'd already bothered him enough. Then, after what felt like an eternity of adjusting the camera's position to get a clear shot of Hachiman's face, I pressed a button, and lo and behold, Hachiman's picture was taken.
"Well, I hope you're actually done this time."
"Of course, I am!" I said in faux anger, "Sheesh, I only ate up, like, two minutes of your time. Besides, it's not like your sister's gonna worry about you or anything. You're an adult now!"
"That's not a valid excuse, y'know…" Giving another sigh, Hachiman finally turned around to his car, and began walking away, "Well, see you tomorrow then."
He waved at me, and I did the same in return. As he got into the car, Hachiman's nonchalant gaze landed on me once more, and he nodded…for some reason. It must be an adult thing, so I nodded as a response.
After watching him drive away towards god-knows-where, I was finally able to take in what had just happened. Since an epiphany was suddenly dawning on me, I turned on my phone, and went to my contact list.
With a few presses, I set Hachiman's contact picture as the one I took earlier.
I had an indescribable urge to call him right then and there. I mean, he was driving, but traffic was pretty bad so he should be stuck at a crossroad, right? Besides, I needed to test whether or not this was his number or not. It would be pretty embarrassing if I call a complete stranger tomorrow.
Taking in a deep breath, I called Hachiman, and waited with bated breath.
Within a few seconds, he picked up, but there was no sound. It looked like my fear of this being the wrong number was coming true, but just a few seconds later, it was dispelled with the cool voice of my dead-fish-eyed tutor.
"You do know I'm driving, right?"
"O-Of course, I do!" I retorted, "This is just a test call, okay?"
"Eh, is that so?" He replied nonchalantly.
"Yeah…" Since I didn't really have anything to talk about, I decided to cut our talk short, "So…umm, good night…I guess."
"Yeah. Good night to you too, Rumi," replied Hachiman, "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah…"
A click was sounded and our call ended, leaving my phone on the Hachiman's contact page, completed with his impassive gaze staring right at me.
I couldn't contain myself any longer as a grin broke out. Unable to contain this giddiness of mine, I unknowingly pumped my fist into the air as if I'd won the Summer Koshien.[1]
Then, as that energetic fist of mine came back down, I began questioning my sanity.
What the hell did I do that for?!
I surveyed the prospective battlefield with a pair of ever keen eyes.
With just a glance, I could already tell that I had everything that I needed for the moment. A4 papers stacked neatly on top of a short table, along with some stationery that weren't used yet. Furthermore, just underneath said table was a couple packets of chips – I mean rations.
Yeah. Rations.
With a light huff of satisfaction, I turned towards the clock sitting on my desk. Its red, glowing numbers read 2:56pm.
Perfect. With just four minutes remaining, I could basically patch up any holes in my preparation, such as if the dress that I was wearing was wrinkling or not.
This morning, when Hachiman contacted me, he gave me some choices regarding my study schedule. Of course, even the grogginess of waking up didn't stop me from making the right decision of choosing to study at 3:00pm. After all, it's the time where the human body is most active.
Surprisingly, he didn't ask me for my address, which prompted me to initiate that conversation instead.
Now, if someone – let's say Hiratsuka-sensei – saw my preparations, she would most likely say:
"Why?"
Yes, why? The simple question that every child, man, and woman ask each and every day.
Why would I go to such lengths because someone was coming to teach me?
Hmph, do those people not know the importance of first impressions?
…I mean, technically, this won't be our first time meeting, nor will it be our first meeting in recent memory either. But still, I don't want Hachiman to think that I'm a sloppy girl, alright?!
That would be bad, wouldn't it? Indeed, it would be.
But just as I began to enjoy the peace and quiet of a summer afternoon, the sound of a car speeding nearby caught my attention.
With elegance and grace, I made my way over to the single window inhabiting my room, and peeked out of it.
Last night, because of the darkness, I couldn't quite catch what Hachiman's car looked like, nor did I catch his license plate. However, I didn't need to recognize his car, because that same speeding car came to a crawl, before stopping completely in front of my house.
One of the car windows lowered down, revealing Hachiman's ever stoic face. He was looking at his phone and the house, probably to check if he was at the right location or not.
Being the thoughtful person that I am (I really am one), I closed the curtains, and rushed downstairs, intent on easing Hachiman's nerves. Ah, jeez, even an experienced loner like him can get nervous, huh?
Opening the door, I caught Hachiman just as he was about to press the bell.
"Ah…" He stared at me blankly, "Sup."
"Hmph, you sure took your time coming here," I said with faux anger.
In response, Hachiman just stared at me blankly again, like I was some sort of anomaly.
"I'm pretty sure I'm on time."
"Yeah, well…it's common courtesy to arrive five minutes before the meeting time, y'know?" I retorted.
"Right…" He said in exasperation, "So, you're not bringing any pens with you?"
Hearing Hachiman's rather strange question, I gave him a strange look. Why would I have a pen with me at all time? Wasn't that why I prepared my room upstairs? Unless he wanted to teach in the living room, which might be a bit inconvenient, but I was still okay with that.
"Uhh…they're upstairs?"
"Then go get them," Taking a look at his phone, he said, "We need to leave soon. The sooner we finish this, the more free time you'll have, right?"
"Right…" I replied absentmindedly before realizing what Hachiman actually said, "Wait, wait, wait. Leave to where? I thought we're gonna study."
"Yeah…and?"
No…it couldn't be…
"Hachiman," I began asking, "When you said that we're gonna study, you mean at my house…right?"
"What? No." He denied, an incredulous look on his face, "I said that we're going to the library. Didn't you check your messages?"
"Whaaaaat?!"
I pulled out my phone, intent on proving him wrong. There was no way that I would miss a message from Hachiman. I mean, he was the one who didn't ask for my address, so clearly, he was the delirious one not me.
"You're definitely lying."
"No, no I'm not." Hachiman replied calmly, ticking me off even more.
I'll show him!
"There's no way that I-!"
It was then that I found out about a new message below the one I sent to Hachiman about my address.
|Why are you telling me this anyway? You can just meet me at the central library.|
That was Hachiman's message; the one he sent after I'd went back to sleep in the morning.
…
…
…shit.
Looking up in morbid curiosity, I found Hachiman with an indescribable face. It was a strange mix of pity, and exasperation. Not to mention, the disappointment emanating from his face was so palpable that I felt it piercing me.
A huge sigh escaped his lips, as Hachiman tried to soothe whatever headache was going to pop up.
"Just…get your things."
"Yessir."
With a mock salute, I ran upstairs and gathered all the necessary study materials into my bag faster than Hachiman could sigh again.
We wordlessly went into his car, and this silence continued all the way to the library. Because of this awkward silence, the occasional traffic stops were even more awkward than usual. Hachiman didn't say a word as he kept his eyes glued to the road, while I did the same; except I did it to not look at him and see his potentially annoyed face.
It wasn't my fault, okay?! You can't expect a high school student to not sleep past 8 am!
The ride was relatively short, and since I didn't know where the library even was, it felt kind of exciting; like going to an amusement park…which have no rides, attractions and is a vacuum of fun in general.
…so the exact opposite of an amusement park, to be honest.
The library he brought me to was bigger than I expected, and if I were to be honest, was filled with more people than I'd anticipated. Granted, there weren't that many, but I certainly didn't think that people, especially students, would come here, of all places, during summer vacation.
Maybe they were stuck with an apathetic tutor like me too.
Upon entering the library, we were greeted by an overly welcoming voice.
"Ah, long time no see, Hikigaya-kun."
"It's nice to see you too, Sayori-san."
Hachiman replied to that same feminine voice with a surprising amount of friendliness. So surprising, in fact, that I instinctively surveyed the area for the source of the voice, because of all the times I've been with Hachiman (Which, admittedly, isn't a lot), I've never seen him use such friendly tone.
Courteous or formal voice? Sure. But certainly not one that would lead to jolly cooperation. [2]
Hachiman walked forward towards the front desk, which prompted me to follow suite, and subsequently see who was talking to him.
"Ah, jeez. Drop the –san already," Sayori-san rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment, "So? What are you doing here today? I thought you moved to Saitama."
"Well, yeah…" Hachiman moved out of the way, allowing Sayori-san to meet me eye to eye.
"Oh my," She made a fake gasp, "Well, hello there, young miss."
Young miss? What is this, a J-drama?
"…Hello." I responded firmly.
That woman soon shifted her attention towards Hachiman, asking him:
"So, is that your sister?"
Which prompted Hachiman to give her a confused look, "Sayori-san, you'd already seen Komachi. She would grow taller, not shrink."
Oi.
I glared at Hachiman intensely. What the hell did he mean by implying that I was shrinking? I'm not shrinking! I'm just a late bloomer!
"Oh, right, right!" Sayori-san waved off Hachiman's explanation, "So then, she's…?"
"Hmm…" Hachiman held his chin as he took a good look at me, "She's my student, I suppose."
"You're a teacher now?"
"Nah, this is just a temporary thing." replied Hachiman.
"Right," That woman now focused on to me, "Is she studying for her high school entrance exams then?"
…
…
This goddamn bitc-
"Unfortunately, she's already in high school," With a hint of chuckle in his voice, Hachiman interrupted me before I could lash out against this bimbo, "I'm just teaching her some things she didn't get in school."
"Ah, I see, I see," She gave a sickeningly sweet smile. Blegh, I felt like I got four types of diabetes just from seeing that alone.
"Your usual spot isn't taken, just so you know," Sayo- I mean, the woman told Hachiman sweetly, "Have fun~"
Usual spot? Hachiman sure has more surprises than I'd thought. While I knew that he was a bit studious, I didn't think he would have a 'usual spot' at the library of all places. I thought he hated places with lots of people?
Hachiman nodded at that woman's comment before briskly walking away towards his supposed spot. Y'know, for his age, Hachiman sure walked quite fast. I even had to jog a little bit just to catch up to him. I was sure that it was his fault that I was lagging behind, not my own lack of exercise.
Upon catching up to him, I finally asked him something that had been plaguing my mind since we arrived here.
"Hachiman."
"Hmm?" Hachiman kept on walking.
Deciding to not waste any time, I asked him, "So what's your relationship with that bitc- I mean…woman from earlier."
Hachiman looked back at me with one eyebrow raised, "Don't insult someone you'd just met."
I looked away. Hachiman's judging eyes were too judgmental for me.
"Well, I wouldn't if she didn't insult me first…"
At first, Hachiman didn't respond, and instead, walked to where I was instead. Initially, I thought he was going to give me another lecture on respect, or an assurance on how I'm perfect the way I am (Which I would definitely be fine with).
But this is Hachiman after all. Tact, especially with wonderful, young girls like me, is basically a non-existent concept to him.
"Rumi."
"What?"
Without a word, he brought his hand down and chopped my head harshly.
"Geh!"
"For the record, you are short."
I glared at him harder. How could you, Hachiman? You were supposed to bring balance to my mental state, not leave it in the darkness! [3]
"And for your information, she's just a friend. Don't get any weird ideas." Hachiman warned, as he walked away.
"Hey, I didn't even say anything weird."
"I could sense it."
"What are you, a psychic?" I retorted, "Besides, the way you two talked was rather close, so I was just curious."
Sighing, Hachiman replied in exasperation, "That's because I used to hang out at the library at lot during senior years. And anyway, she's way above my age preference."
"Woah, seriously?!" I took a quick glance at the lady at the front. She looked like she was an ambitious 25 years old who wanted to give back to the community.
"Yup."
Being the little, curious critter that I am, I pressed Hachiman for more answers.
"So…" I asked while we walked to his spot. It was unusually long. "How old is she?"
Without missing a beat, Hachiman replied, "Considering that you study with Hiratsuka-sensei, you should know that Christmas cakes' ages shouldn't be questioned."
"…good point."
With that, I shut up and just followed Hachiman. But again, I must raise the question: Why were we walking so far? This is just one library, isn't it? It's not a series of connected libraries, right?
But then again, if I really think about, then it would make sense that Hachiman would choose a spot far away from the main area. Less noise, less people, which meant more concentration for him.
Perfectly logical, but really, did he need to choose a spot that far?
The thump of Hachiman's bag hitting a wooden table broke me out of my stupor, as he began to sit down in a comfortable lounge chair.
Ah, so that was his spot during his high school days.
It was just a quaint, quiet location with two small couches, and an equally small table. The windows from behind the seats provided perfect, natural lighting for any studious students to read as well; no wonder, Hachiman chose this place.
As I put my bag down, I asked Hachiman.
"So…" I took out a few pens, and a couple of draft papers, "What are we doing again?"
Nonchalantly bring out his laptop, Hachiman replied, "Reading."
"Oh."
I waited a few seconds for him to explain further, but…he didn't. Aren't teachers supposed to teach? Which meant that they had to explain? I was sure as hell that Hachiman was doing everything but explaining.
"That's it?"
"Hm." He nodded in response.
I stood still, hoping that he was just joking, and that this was all just an elaborate ruse, but no. He just sat there, typing away at his laptop.
"But that's…so boring." I muttered under my breath.
Obviously having heard me, Hachiman retorted ever so dryly, "You're already in the library. You have no right to complain about boredom."
"But…books?"
"Three books," He paused, looking up at me to make sure I was listening (Which I was), "Pick three books, read them, write an analysis on eac-,"
"W-W-What?!" I freaked out before hushing myself, "…but that's so much work."
"No, it's not," He replied, already back to typing, "Just stretch it out over three days. You'll be fine; I trust you to no procrastinate."
"Ugh, you say that, but that's like…" I wracked my brain for proper analogies, "Trusting a cat to not knock over a priceless vase."
"Which is hard, but not impossible."
"Uuuuuuuugh, I wanna die already."
"At least do it after you're finished reading."
Glaring at him for one final time, I reluctantly took off to the fiction section of the library in a huff. I even heard him saying something about not getting light novels, because light novels suck; but he doesn't know what teenagers like nowadays!
I'll show him. I'll find a light novel so amazing that he'll have no choice but to gush over it!
Or, at least, that was my initial plan.
"What are you doing here?" I said in a harsh whisper, as I found out that Hachiman had been following me all along like a creepy stalker.
"Just a little insurance so that you won't pick any light novels," He said nonchalantly as we walked towards the classic literature aisle.
"That's it? You have that little faith in me?" I said in a faux hurt tone.
"Not really," Hachiman stopped before walking into another aisle, which didn't contain any classic literature, "I just wanted to get some light novels to read."
I watched, mouth agape, as Hachiman walked away without a care in the world as he uttered those words.
You hypocrite!
Ugh, this must be why people say to never meet you heroes. I mean, Hachiman isn't that much of a hero to me, but I guess he's…influential. Not that I like him though! Any respect or amicability that I had towards him was completely, and utterly gone at this very moment!
I sighed deeply.
Might as well get this over with.
I scanned over each book in the classic literature aisle, hoping to find any single one that was written by an author I knew, which wasn't that big of a range. I barely read any old books, besides the one assigned by teachers.
Oh hey, it's the Akatu…wait, no - Akutagawa guy.
Honestly, I felt a bit embarrassed at the fact that the only reason I remember this guy was that one character in an anime had the same name. [4]
Oh well, as long as the story's interesting, then I should be fine.
As for the next two books, I probably, most likely, should not have any problems picking them, since the aisle I was standing in was so big that the probability of me finding another notable book was basically guaranteed.
There should be another classics author named Daiso[5], right? Or is it Dazai?
But as I walked along the aisle, I came across a rather curious sight. Though, rather than curious, I would say that it was definitely more amusing.
A girl, a bit younger than I am, was tip-toeing for a book at the top of the shelves that was obviously too high for her to reach. I chuckled a bit at the young one's antics; ever so innocent, and curious. If only youths could stay that way forever instead of learning the harsh truth of adulthood.
She even tried to psych herself up before jumping up for the book. Obviously, she failed, but I couldn't help but give a small chuckle again. Oh little one, at least, you'll now know the burden of being shor- Not fully grown.
But…I couldn't shake off this feeling that I knew her…that she was someone familiar. Was it the innocence and naivety? Or was it the glasses – braids combo?
Oh no...
I didn't have to think anymore though, as a youthful voice called out to me.
"Tsurumi-san!" The girl gleefully said, as she hopped over to my location, "I didn't expect to see you here at all. How are you?"
As she got closer, I was able to clearly see her face. That familiar, round, bubbly, jovial face full of cotton candy-like innocence. Yeah, that didn't make sense, but this girl was an incarnation of sweetness itself.
Damn it, why did I want to get Daiso's books?
"A-Aha…good to see you too…" I replied nervously, trying to move backward so I can initiate a strategic retreat. Hachiman said to do an analysis per day, right? I'll just come here tomorrow for another book then.
"Are you studying?"
"...excuse me?"
Tilting her head in confusion, she asked again, "Umm…I mean, are you here to read books or are you doing your summer homework? Because I can definitely help with the latter, if you want!"
"No, no, no!" I vehemently denied her offer, "I'm just here to relax. Ya know, reading books, sipping on tea; relaxing stuff."
"Oh…" She seemed disappointed at first, but perked up immediately after, "Can I join you? I was going to read a few books as well. And having company makes reading more fun, no?"
"Y-Yeah, well…ya see," I nervously moved my hands around, trying to emulate Mr. Jazz hands' thought process, but to no avail, "The thing is…"
I needed a reason. Any reason at all that I can use to get out of here. I've known this girl long enough to know that she's far too dangerous to be stuck around with. That saint-like attitude and jovial nature of hers are too much for me to bear.
"What's taking you so long?"
A deep voice reverberated through the aisle.
I turned around.
"Hachiman!" I said, a little relieved at his appearance, only to realize the implication of it all.
He didn't look at me when I said that; in fact, he looked past me and straight at the girl standing behind me.
"Ah, hello there," He gave a stiff greeting, "You are…?"
With a smile on her face and the grace of a princess, she bowed gingerly before introducing herself to Hachiman.
"Hello to you too, Hachiman-san."
Woah, aren't you a little too familiar there?
"I'm Tsurumi-san's classmate, Hoshino Kairi."
A sigh escaped my lips.
Goddamn it, Class Prez.
Great, now that they both met, I needed an even better reason to hightail it out of here. Maybe I could fake a phone call from mom? But then we wouldn't be able to complete today's lessons…BUT if I stay here to finish my lessons with Hachiman, then I'm sure Prez will find a way to barge in.
How annoying.
"Excuse me for asking," Prez spoke up, "But are you her brother?"
Instantly, Hachiman replied, "Well, no. I'm more like…"
He looked at me blankly.
"A tutor."
"Oh, I see."
Just great, now the Class Prez was obviously gonna use this info for something nefarious. Thanks a lot, Hachiman.
I elbowed Hachiman lightly in the ribs, prompting him to give out a wimpy 'Eeph!' as a result. Heh, that'll show him.
"Aha…you two…" Prez started talking, "are surprisingly close, no?"
I looked at her silently before replying.
"Not really."
"Yeah, I guess."
Hachiman replied the same time I did, causing the both of us to give light glares to each other. Damn it, Hachiman, aren't you supposed to be this super analytical person? Why couldn't you see that the Class Prez will just be an annoyance?
Before I could get out another word, Hachiman got the first hit in.
"And I assume you got your books?"
"Hmm."
I tried to telepathically manipulate his mind via brainwaves transfer through eye contact, but to no avail. Curse Hachiman's innate magic resistance.
"Yeah…? I got…" Taking a quick look at Akutagawa's book, I told him, "Rashomon."
"That's it?"
"…yes."
A huge sigh escaped from Hachiman's lips as he smacked his forehead in exasperation.
I can't help it when there's a Class Prez who interrupted my book searching, y'know!
"Umm…"
Both of us turned to look at Prez, who raised one finger up like she was asking permission from a teacher. Seriously? We're out of school already; stop being such a perfect class prez already, Prez.
"Are you going to being studying together?"
"No."
"Yes."
We glared at each other again. Stop running my plans, Hachiman!
"Oh, I see, I see."
No, don't see anything, Prez. In fact, take off your glasses, and let the world be a blurry mess.
"If you don't mind, could I join you? I could lend you some books for your analysis. I can even help writing them!" Prez asked,
"No."
"Sure, why not."
Again, Hachiman's glare was directed at me, as I did the same to him. Why should we let her join our study session anyway?
"She's your friend, isn't she?" Hachiman asked, gesturing towards Prez, "Besides, you said doing analysis alone is boring. So wouldn't she help with that?"
"Ugh…whatever."
Prez's face lit up immediately at this news.
"Thank you, Hachiman-san," Prez cheerfully told Hachiman, who looked away sheepishly, "I've always invited Tsurumi-san to study groups, but she'd always declined."
Almost robotically, Hachiman turned to me.
And just as robotically, I found the bookshelves behind me to be very interesting.
"You said you didn't have friends to form study groups with."
"…we might have miscommunicated." I tried to give a well-thought out reason.
"I see," Hachiman walked past me, "Then you'll absolutely have no complaints about Hoshino-san joining us, right?"
"…nope."
"Good."
Prez flashed me a smile as she followed Hachiman, with various books cradled in her arms. Oi, what about that book you were trying to get earlier? Were you that eager for Hachiman to teach you that you forgot what you actually wanted? Huh, Prez?
I basically had no choice but to follow those two, and soon enough, all three of us were comfortably seated. Hachiman, like he promised earlier, was reading a light novel, while Prez and I were reading some classic literature.
But I was the only one who was actively writing down notes from the book. Why did you forsake me, God?!
More often than not, Hachiman would often answer Prez's questions, even though I know that she knows the answers to those questions anyway. Was this her way of hitting on someone? Never mind the fact that Hachiman's way older than her, but this sort of tactic is really sly and underhanded.
Tch, Prez is more sly than I thought.
And wasn't he supposed to be teaching me? Then why was he focusing all his attention onto a girl who he'd just met mere moments ago? I mean, the only reason he was interacting with her was because she asked questions, but he's supposed to be my teacher! Ergo, he's supposed to be taking initiative in educating me!
Look at that perfect role model of a class president…she's just sitting there and reading….menacingly.
Not much words were exchanged between the three of us as minutes turned to hours and ultimately, the sun began to set. And being the perceptive person that I am, I immediately noticed this, and set my pen down, ready to pack up and go home.
Looking at my draft paper, I was…actually proud at my work. Sure, it was rather disorganized, but I was glad to have squeezed almost one page of analysis on Rashomon, of all things. I would not wish this burden on anyone, not even my worst enemy.
I would've shown Hachiman my work, if it wasn't for the fact that he was chatting with Prez. In a fit of desperation, I even tried to wordlessly signal to him that I was done with my thing, but he didn't noticed.
It wasn't until Prez said something about having to go home that Hachiman actually noticed the time, and by proxy, me.
"So you're done yet?" He asked, oblivious to the fact that I'd been done for a while now.
"Yes."
I gritted my teeth as I answered him. Had his time as a corporate slave dull his observational skills? Ugh, why must all good things come to an end?
"Good," He stood up, and began packing his belongings, "Then let's go home."
Prez nodded as I stayed silent in disbelief. After all those painstaking hours I put in to make this analysis possible, and he just tossed it aside like some sort of garbage without a care in the world. He didn't even ask for it so he can check or correct it!
Hiratsuka-sensei…why did you pick him? Couldn't you have picked that long hair lady? I'm sure that she was your student, and she seemed really responsible as well…
By the time we were out of the library, the darkness of night began to envelop the sky.
"Today was really enjoyable."
I quietly scoffed at what Prez said. All we did was just sit around, and read books. Ah, she did talk to Hachiman a lot, so that might be enjoyable for her. Certainly not for me though.
"Thank you, Tsurumi-san, Hachiman-san."
"No problem," Hachiman replied, as he glanced at me, "It's kind of relieving for me that Rumi has a friend to study with."
"…pssh, as if."
As if hearing my whisper, Hachiman prodded me with his elbow, gesturing towards Prez.
"Yeah, it was…fun," I somehow managed to spat out that last word, "See ya later, Prez."
"Yup," She cheerfully said, "Maybe we can organize another study session together, if you don't mind."
I couldn't help but scoff again, "Yeah…sure."
But it was as if this girl had a filter for sarcasm or something as she smiled ever so joyfully in response.
"Well then, Tsurumi-san, Hachiman-san," Prez gave a slight bow, "I hope to see you again."
"Stay safe now."
With a nod, Prez began walking away from us towards the bus stop. So unless I get really unlucky, I shouldn't meet her during this summer ever again, which was good, because I really have no idea on how to handle someone so…shiny, and energetic.
"She seems like a nice girl," Hachiman remarked offhandedly, once Prez was out of earshot.
"Eh? So now you're into high school girls with glasses and braids?" I also remarked offhandedly.
Bonk!
"Gah!"
He hit me again! Hachiman just hit me like one of those whack-a-mole game again!
Glaring at him, I cried out, "What was that for?!"
"Where did that idea even come from?" Hachiman said, looking at me weirdly.
"Well excuse me for thinking that when you've been talking to her for the entire afternoon."
"…you do know that I only talked to her because she asked me, right?" He replied, "Besides, if you wanted me to pay attention to you, you could've just asked me too."
"This and that are different!" I retorted, frustration building up, "You're my tutor, aren't you? So you're supposed to be focusing on me, right? Besides, she's really, really annoying. So excuse me for feeling a bit pissed off today."
I breathed in and out deeply after my little outburst. It was a good thing that there weren't that many people at the library; otherwise, this would've been a stain on my prospective social life.
But at least, it felt good venting. Especially at a thick-headed idiot like the current Hachiman. I'd bet me and the Hachiman six years ago would've gotten along without a hitch.
Just as I began to imagine how well we would've gotten along, a hand was placed atop my head. Unlike last time, this crass hand wasn't hitting me like a hammer would to a nail. Instead, it softly ruffled my hair side to side.
"Alright, alright. It's my bad," Hachiman said, smiling as he patted me on the head, "Next time, it'll just be us two. Promise."
"…stop treating me like a kid already…"
Upon hearing this, Hachiman abruptly lifted his hand from my head. When did he become so suave anyway? Argh, this is why I prefer the past Hachiman. At least, I would be able to talk to that Hachiman without feeling flustered.
"So," Hachiman began talking again once he noticed I wasn't pissed off anymore, "Where do you want to go?"
I looked at him in disbelief. Where? That should be obvious, right?
"Where else, but my house?"
As if expecting that answer, he gave a small scoff.
"Well, since it's already evening, and because I've been such a bad teacher, I was thinking of treating you to dinner."
"…really?"
"Yup, really. All on me," Hachiman began walking towards his car, which prompted me to follow, "Besides, we can check on your papers while we eat. Sounds okay?"
Ugh, if you're going to invite me to free dinner, at least don't make it sound like a chore.
"Hmph," I turned away from him, "You think I'm some sort of cheap girl who'd be tempted by the mere promise of free food?"
Hachiman didn't give any witty or sarcastic remark, opting to just ask me one more time.
"Well?"
Reluctantly, I answered, "…Yoshinoya."[6]
"Ah, I haven't been there in a while. Good choice."
"Hmph."
Well, when all was said and done, a free meal at Yoshinoya with the company of Hachiman sounded rather appealing.
…Mostly the free meal at Yoshinoya, of course.
References:
[1]: The common name for a national high school baseball tournament in Japan.
[2]: PRAISE THE SUN! A Solaire from Dark Souls reference. Still haven't beaten one of the games yet.
[3]: Revenge of the Sith reference.
[4]: Bungou Stray Dogs reference, as one of the main antagonists is named Akutagawa.
[5]: Japanese Dollar Store.
[6]: A chain of Beef bowl restaurants.
End notes: Well, not a whole lot of juicy plot in this chapter, since it's just some world/character building. If there are any mistakes, just wait and hope...and point it out too, I suppose. I hope I didn't go too overboard with the OCs. Trust me it sometimes pains me to write them too, and the last thing I want my story to be is an OC-fest.
All in all, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and see you next year!(wink, wink)