And here, we, go!
This is the fourth installment of On the mountain of lies. And I really, really thank you all for the support and anticipation.
Special thanks however, should go to Judicar Deimos. If you're still reading this, I salute you for nailing literally 100% of every message I want to convey. I'm not a good writer, not even a decent one, and for someone to get such a deep insight from this mockery of English language made me shed a manly tears.
俺が いる - 嘘の山で
I Exist - On the Mountain of Lies
Disclaimer:
Original Story by Watari Wataru
Chapter 4: His and her betrayal will never be forgiven #4
When we step inside the school grounds, our relationship clock will reset back to zero. That was what Ebina Hina thought as she watched Hachiman sit down in his seat, both his ears were plugged with perfectly soundproof headphones, and his gaze firmly set into yet another novel she was barely able to recognize.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Oh, and the original English version to boot.
She hadn't been close to him until recently, but sharing a class for over one and a half yeara made her understand his pattern of behavior.
There was the unassuming Hachiman. The one who always slouched on his desk, eyes moving left and right and his ears left open. In short, he was always observing. That might sound creepy - no, that IS creepy. He would occasionally wince or squint in response to people's actions and words. Still, that was the kind of person who had the strength to see what was underneath peoples' facades, the one who could read between the lines with ease.
And there was this one too, the distant Hachiman. The one who would purposefully block his ears from the environmental noise and focused on one thing only; completely detached from the reality surrounding him. Even his posture and expression changed a lot. The current him would actually lean back to his backrest with his back straightened, and his eyes, despite being locked on something in his hands, whether it was a book or some electronic device, would always look distant.
If not for his tarnished reputation, one could even say he looked kinda cool - in a rebellious way.
And so, Ebina secretly took a picture.
"Yahallo!" the spirited voice of Yuigahama Yui added more tune into the morning chatter of the class. "You guys finish the homework yet?"
"Knowing you, you'll be the only one who didn't manage to finish it." Yumiko, the queen bee of the class, friendly commented from behind Ebina. "Even Tobe would at least try."
"Ehh what do you mean with that?" the unruly but otherwise handsome boy yelled from behind them.
Yui crossed her arms, raising her sizable chest and making it even more prominent. "That's right! Yumi, apologize to me! My grades are at least twice that of Tobecchi's!"
"EEEEH?! Yuigahama-chan you're so cruel!" Tobe whined in anguish. "Well I haven't done it, like, bruh! Hayato-kun, please-"
"No." the blond, spiky haired boy said.
Ebina smiled as she saw that the atmosphere had returned to normal. It was barely a week since Kyoto, and to be frank, moments like these are what's the most important to her.
But still...
Part of her was really selfish, and she wanted something more. Something that Tobe Kakeru wouldn't be able to provide.
Something that maybe only Hikigaya Hachiman can.
"HIKITANI, PLEASE LET ME BORROW YOUR HOMEWORK!" Tobe rushed toward the unassuming loner and grabbed his shoulder, which caused the latter to recoil in shock and dropped his book in the process, "Eh, what the hell?" Hachiman grunted.
"Let me borrow your homework, y'now, humanities!" Tobe clapped his hands and bowed, "I know your grades are really good in this subject so-"
Hachiman put back his earphone and replied coldly, "No!"
"C'mon Hikitani! We're bros, right? RIGHT? It's bros before hos! Therefore you must give up all the hos!" By then, Tobe was way forceful and pinned Hachiman to the wall, and the latter was far too powerless to resist physically. Not that he stopped trying, as he pushed Tobe's face away from his own. "Buzz off, retard! And what's with that request, huh?" Hachiman exclaimed uncharacteristically.
"Ha-hachiman, Kakeru, d-don't fight!" even though Totsuka Saika wanted to stop them, his weaker physique simply couldn't match the need required. In fact, the short, effeminate boy got squashed in the mock brawl of the class delinquent and the loner. "Au, please stop~!"
Yamato, Ooka and Hayato simply chuckled at their antics, while both Yumiko and Yui stared at the uncomfortably touchy boys with ambivalent curiosity. Before they knew it, Tobe had grown attached to the class clown.
Perhaps that was exactly what his strength was.
And Ebina Hina let loose yet another explosion of blood.
...
In the spot where he usually spent his time eating alone a brown haired girl stood by at the opposite end of the corridor. The area around the bike parking racks was always deserted. It was not quite a pretty sight to enjoy, but that's what made it the ideal place for him to enjoy his solitude.
She only responded to his glare with a faint smile and dull stare.
"... please don't kill me." he muttered.
"You know, I find it amazing that someone like you can actually resist Tobe in class." Ebina rested her chin on her hands as she sat beside her boyfriend, "Everyone either gets his respect, or fears him."
"He might appear to be violent and scary but really he's just a loud dumb-ass, too stubborn for his own good." Hachiman said as he loosened the button of his shirt, "Well he still got to copy my report, I guess I'm just no match for a wild ape like him."
It's not so much that he feared for his safety, but its because of Totsuka Saika. When it came to his safety, Hachiman would do anything. ANYTHING.
That included giving up his hard work.
"My bad to interrupt, but what are you doing here?" he frankly asked.
It COULDN'T possibly be because she just wanted to spend time with him...right? Hope was a road to disappointment, so he would always expect the worst case scenario. Still, for Ebina to split from her group was almost unthinkable. So there must be a reason.
"There's a new menu at the cafeteria, Yumiko knows I really dislike overcrowded places so she told me to wait."
"You know, the first time I saw you for real... I don't know how to say it..." Ebina's gaze set across the bike racks, all the way to the tennis court. It was already November and the air was beginning to cool considerably. There wasn't many people that were willing to stay outside for long. "You always looks like you'll give up if it's convenient for you."
"There's no use fighting a losing battle; it's called a tactical retreat." He snorted and rummaged through the plastic bag in his lap, pulling out a 200 ml milk carton and medium-sized Yakisoba bread. "Rather than dying for a cause returning another day would be the best, no?"
She chuckled, "And there you are throwing around excuses to cover your stubbornness."
"Congratulations, you deserve a noble prize." He snorted.
"But you know... maybe your refusal to go with the flow is another form of courage?" she smiled somberly. "Unlike us, where even the smallest ripple can change where we're going..."
"Maybe." He shrugged, Ebina never really acted high and mighty. Frank, perhaps, but not exceedingly hostile or blunt.
She leaned towards him a bit. It made him uncomfortably slide away. "Anyway, do you always have that kind of lunch?"
"As long as there's enough calories for me to stay alive during the afternoon class that should be enough."
Well, he didn't want to burden Komachi with the task of preparing bentos on a daily basis. As a child of two corporate slaves, he didn't have the luxury of eating homemade food except for mandatory dinners. Plus, if he used only a bit from his 500 yen lunch budget by buying a 200 yen bread and a 100 yen drink of his choice then he could save 200 yen for himself everyday.
"That's why you always fall asleep during lectures, eh? It's not good you know." She said in complete monotone.
It could't be helped, he thought silently as he took a bite.
"Not good at all." Ebina grabbed his hand, which caused him to squeak a bit. She took this chance to rip the slightly bitten bread from his grasp. Realizing that he was under the threat of class time hunger, he shouted, "OI!"
But Ebina had no intention of returning his lunch. Instead, a small lunch box covered with blue dotted wrapping cloth dropped on his lap much to his confusion.
"Let's barter, shall we!" She winked.
"I don't know what you're planning or expecting, but it'll be stupid for me to reject that proposal." He sneered and opened the bundle, "Just don't regret it."
He took a look inside. It was literally the plainest bento he had ever seen in his entire life. The miraculous occasions Komachi would creatively pack him leftover dinners would still be three times more creative than this lunch.
This box was literally comprised of hinomaru-style rice, stir-fried squid, and seaweed strips.
Not that he would complain. He immediately split the disposable chopsticks.
"I hope you don't mind, Yumi always said I have peculiar tastes." she said as she carelessly bit into the bread, right where Hachiman had been eating it. This earned a mixed expression from him, but he decided not to comment. "So greasy, how can you always stand this?"
"I don't eat the exact same Yakisoba-pan* everyday you know?"
"Really? You always eat it, almost everyday even."
Touche. It seemed that rather than Yakisoba-pan being tasty, he got accustomed to it's taste. But once again, Ebina showed him that he wasn't the only one with sharp observational skills.
He picked up some of the rice carefully and tasted it.
The smell of acid ravaged his nose blending seamlessly with the aroma of the seaside wind and salt in the rice. The taste melted all over his tongue and made him shiver. The rice was thoroughly steamed with perfect consistency and the rich taste of plum vinegar; it sparked a hunger in him that he had never felt before.
He picked up the squid pieces and seaweed strips rolling them up with more of the rice to eat.
It hadn't even been five minutes and he was already halfway finished.
Ebina shrugged and continued to savor the junk food. Slowly but surely both of them finished at the same time.
Ebina clicked her tongue. She could just feel the fat from the fried noodle mess with her lips. So she pulled out a tissue and wiped it a little bit.
"So, how was it."
He gulped a bit, absolutely refusing to drink his milk coffee.
He wanted to savor the taste until the last second.
And he looked at her with a defeated face.
"So, as I've guessed it's that bad, huh..." She sighed, perhaps she messed up with the types of salt she 0used and plum juice can be really bad.
"No. It's unique but... not bad. I can see why Miura would dislike it, but I think it's a matter of taste." He told her earnestly and offered his milk coffee, "And the sweetness of this thing would just ruin it, so you can have it if you want."
What Ebina cooked was really the most orthodox kind of Japanese meal, which he guessed a modern girl influenced heavily with western lifestyle would dislike. The sourness of the plum and vinegar combined with the concentration of sodium in the rice, squid, and seaweed enhanced the sensation of craving. Furthermore, the squid was salted before it was cooked which meant the traces of nitride gave it a distinct flavoring. There was no artificial flavoring involved.
This was the kind of meal his deceased grandma would make. The legendary Makunouchi bento**.
"It tastes like... nostalgia."
"What's that? Nostalgia?" Ebina chuckled and felt her heart thump a little as she received it. "Looks like it's about time for Yumiko and others to return."
Unbeknownst to them, a set of eyes viciously glared, observing them from the protective shadows of the corridor's end.
...
Contrary to his usual stance, this time around Hikigaya Hachiman faced his fellow club members directly. It's been so long since they're in direct opposition, and he can't afford to be uncooperative about this whole competition. Though, he can't help but feel anxious, and he still deliberately avoid eye contact whenever possible. So he clasped his
Too bad he doesn't have ominously reflective glasses in his disposal.***
"In the best case scenario is for someone else to run for the president, and Iroha-chan lose to them fair and square." Yui began the meeting with explanation of her and Yukino's strategy, the pink haired bimbo cheerfully explains as she handed the printed papers containing the details.
"Mmm I agree." Isshiki mumbles with her forced squirelly voice, which irritated him somewhat. "Oh, but I would really love it if I lose to someone really amazing!"
That would give an illusion of pride, he guessed.
"We thought up our candidate's election pledge and speech." Yukino said, specifically referring to the first page in the small bundle of papers.
"The fact that you're coming with the election pledge would mean the candidate would be a total puppet. Are you okay with that?" He opened his mouth, "Assuming they get elected, what happens to the student council's operation once they do?"
With a slightest bit of hesitation, Yuigahama forced a smile and refuted him. "That's why we'll look for someone who can handle all that."
"Won't that makes things even harder?" he asked bluntly, his lips quiver behind his fingers. "If you consider future complication, this plan would be pointless."
"What's the point of your methods then." Yukinoshita's voice trembled, weighed down with repressed, confused anger inside.
"In this scenario, she could avoid the worst possible outcome. And once she lose a vote of no confidence, she can withdraw from the re-elect-"
"In this scenario." Yukinoshita clasped her hands, her gazes stab through his eyes like surgical knife. "You always tried to run away from the real issue."
His gaze widened and his mouth hanging open.
"Hikki... rumor is a terrible thing... you... I know you understand that more than me or Iroha-chan. If you think Iroha-chan can get away from that Scott free, you're sorely mistaken." Yuigahama's voice become hoarse as she held her tears inside, "...you're really smart, Hikki, but sometimes you can be really shortsighted."
He thought he always know, he thought he always understand. But in the end, he always see everything in black and white, he's unwilling to acknowledge the presence of emotion that made humans act in the unpredictable manner.
Though he confident in his skill and influence, he overestimate his own value as a person to the public eyes. Just like with Sagami's case, his presence would disappear with few weeks timeframe. But for Isshiki, who tried her damnedest to be in the spotlight... she would forever associated with a campaign speech so awful that everyone would vote against her from being in any important position. That black mark would be for her to carry for the rest of her high school life.
It would be better if she withdrawn on her own volition.
Isshiki Iroha can only blink, her face was tense, and filled with confusion. Completely oblivious of consequences of her own actions, the underclassman doesn't seems to understand the cascade of disaster that she caused by being so flirty and sly.
"I'll go to student council room and see if I can get more information." Yui stood up and rubbed her swollen eyes with her sleeves, "I'll find a way, that's for sure. That's why, please don't give up."
"Ah, Yui-senpai wait for mee~!" Iroha quickly grab her bag and follow suit.
And with that, the door was shut. All that's left is the silence of the clubroom.
Neither Hikigaya Hachiman nor Yukinoshita Yukino is able to break the barrier they set up by themselves.
* A sandwich with fried noodle as filling. The epitome of cheap, high calorie junk food aside from western stuff.
** The word makuno-uchi bentō ("between-act bento"), dates back to the Edo Period (1603 to 1867), when they were served during the intermissions (幕間) of Noh and Kabuki theater performances.
*** Gendo Ikari, Evangelion.