This is a new chapter. Please do enjoy.
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Mandatory Disclaimer: Words that don't mean anything to you.
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8/11/20XX - Evening
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"I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast developed a new trust…
May this small step forwards be the hammer that shatters the masks that plague society,
And helps thou discover what is truly genuine…
With the acquisition of the Chariot Arcana, I now have the knowledge needed to help guide thou through this fog of uncertainty and onto treasures never before seen…"
Those words, which, curiously enough, I felt had been added onto since the last time I heard them, reverberated in my mind throughout the entire train ride back from the gym with my mother and Kawasaki, and continued to do so as I threw my tired body onto my bed…
It turns out that I was, in fact, wrong to think that one of the reasons why she, Kawasaki, also went to that gym was because she lived close to it. Actually, she lived right around the same area that I did.
Apparently, it wasn't her name that I forgot this time. It was all the other things that I knew about her this time! Oi, brain! Good on you for learning how to mix it up a little! Next time, how about you not forget anything? That would be really appreciated, y'know, since the girl you're forgetting things about is the same one who is legally allowed to punch me, your owner, in the face. Thank you very much for listening.
Anyways, not a lot was said in between us, Kawasaki and I, on our way back to our respective homes. Partially because the both of us were notorious loners and appreciated silence more than we did idle chit-chat and mainly because my mother, who was really excited to see the interaction between my fellow loner and I for whatever reason, ended up picking up the slack for me in the end and then some.
Questions shot out my mother's mouth like bullets coming out a machine gun's barrel. I was barely even able to keep up with it, they were coming so fast. I truly felt bad for Kawasaki, who did her best to try and answer them all. She didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of such punishment. I would've done something back then, but I doubt I would've able to do anything to help, other than serve as a momentary distraction.
Thankfully, my mother seemed at least able to keep the questions being asked inoffensive ones. She asked my fellow loner about how she, Kawasaki, and I met; what I did to make myself seem even a tiny bit tolerable enough to be around; and then, eventually, about her family.
The answers the delinquent-looking girl gave back were given rather well considering the circumstances. I only heard her stuttering two times in total, which was a record that not even my pops would be able to attain and he's known mom for longer than I've been alive. They even came out a steady pace as well!
The flow of conversation between the two remained like that until the topic of Kawasaki Taishi and his relation to my precious little sister was brought up. Apparently, mom was unaware of the fact that Komachi had a friend her age who was also a boy, which didn't surprise me at all since she spent a lot of her time either at work or sleeping and neither really facilitated knowing a good deal about your children's personal lives. Actually, it ended up doing the complete opposite. Who would've thought?
Anyways, to say that mom was thrilled to hear that the two of us had found friends of the opposite sex would be an understatement. She even asked to meet with her, Kawasaki's, parents one day, since the four of us turned out to be so close. Sigh. Why must you be such an embarrassing person to be so closely associated with, mom? Do you like feasting on my embarrassment or something? Do you need it to survive? Is that the reason? If so, please make the kind of sacrifice I know a truly loving mother would make and allow yourself to starve to death for my own sake. Please and thank you.
Wait, why am I commenting on something that happened in the past as if it happened just a second ago? Why am I even wasting time thinking about this? What am I? A shitty writer trying to fill out his story with useless flavor text so that he could meet a certain word count and appease whatever powers that were forcing him to work? There were much more important things to be concerning myself with - things like the pointy-nosed man in a suit that was sitting before me cross-legged behind a desk, in front a huge mass of wooden mannequins – half of which with had their heads turned away from me and the other half were looking right at me, but all of them, the ones who were looking in my direction, had lights spilling forth from where their eyeholes were, illuminating my figure like stage-lighting except they weren't completely blinding me.
Monroe was there too, by the way. She looked stunning as always, I assumed as her entire front side was covered in shadows due to said lights, sitting on top of already mentioned desk in a similar manner as the pointy-nosed man she served.
"Ah, young pathfinder," said pointy-nosed man greeted me in his usual way through his closed teeth, ear to ear grin – his voice being as higher-pitched to the point of nearly being shrill as it always did. "Welcome back to the Velvet Room." He shifted slightly forwards in his seat as he continued, "It's been quite awhile since we've last had the chance to talk like this."
What he was saying was true, the last time the two of us talked was back a few days before Christmas, or to be more specific, when I confessed my want to find something genuine to the two other members of the Service Club (plus Isshiki, by accident) and that had been months ago. Not that I was surprised at all, though. He would only ever come and talk to me when I had done something that was actually worth commenting on and it was safe to say that my last few months had been rather uninteresting when it came to the investigation side of things. I guess me starting my first social link in two years was enough to get him to finally talk to me again. I would've thought accidentally bringing nine people into the Inverse would do it, but whatever floats your boat, Igor.
Not having anything to say in response to my contractor's statement, I simply nodded my head back in response, which prompted him to go down the path of conversation I assumed that he called me to the Velvet Room for.
"It seems that you've established your first trust in quite a long while, young pathfinder," Igor stated in his usual matter of fact way, which was sort a given considering he sort of just always spewed summaries of any even close to notable action that I've done since we last spoke and then proceed to tell me his thoughts on them. "I must say, it's been so long that I wonder if you even remember my explanation on how you strengthen them."
"Don't worry, I remember what you told me just fine," I reassured him with a wave of my hand, my eyes closed as I spoke. Seriously, the last thing I need is a tutorial after having done my job for two years. "All I have to do is spend time with them and get to know them better as a person, right?"
"Precisely," Igor replied, "but I assume you noticed the changes to what was said to you?" Not seeing any reason to open my mouth and give my answer verbally, I simply nodded back. "Then, I assume you understand that it had to do with that epiphany that you had eight months ago."
"Yeah, I did…" I trailed off, a displeasing thought entering my mind a second after doing so, which led to a frown forming on my lips. "Would you mind if I asked you a question about that?"
"I don't see why I would mind something like that." Was Igor's response. It was quick and decisive as always, which was something I always appreciated from the man…? Magical being? Physical representation of some philosophical concept? I have no idea what this guy in front of me really was, but not like that mattered. "Go right ahead."
"Why make me go through the trouble of having to soul search if you could've just made the social link message that in the first place? If it was that in the first place, it could've served as a starting point for me, so I wouldn't have to spend so many days trying to come up with that very same conclusion."
"True," Igor nodded his head as he spoke, "but if we residents of the Velvet Room were to hold your hand throughout the entirety of our contract, we'd be remiss to refer to you as the pathfinder, now wouldn't we?"
Immediately, I open my mouth to respond, but quickly end up closing my mouth and relenting as I realize I have no real rebuttal against it, "Yeah, I guess you're right…" Letting out a sigh, I prop my elbow up on the armrest of the chair I was sitting in and then promptly rested my cheek on my knuckle. "Still, doesn't mean that I have to like it…"
"So, if you're now finished with your inquiries, I'd like to comment on your recent progress," my contractor eventually stated after a short stint of silence between the three of us. I nodded my head almost subconsciously. This had sort of become a routine for us: me coming here and him telling me how he feels I'm doing with Monroe chiming in every once in awhile. So, I'm guessing at some point, me agreeing must've turned into something that felt natural to me, despite me highly doubting that my input really mattered when it came to this. "I must admit that you're making great progress from when you first started out, pathfinder, but you still have a long way to go."
"What exactly have I done recently that has been any different from what I've done the past few years?" I asked, though I already knew that I wasn't going to get an actual answer from the suited man. He was the kind of person to speak vaguely about almost everything, all to help facilitate my 'pathfinding' no doubt, so I was more than sure he wasn't going to start speaking to me clearly now.
"It's minute, but I can see that a part of you has come to realize that not all paths can be walked alone and the one you're currently on, most certainly, is a path like that." I cocked my head to the side in begrudging acceptance of the statement. I might not want any of those nine inside the Inverse with me, but I wouldn't have accepted Kawasaki's training or given Tobe a chance if something like what Igor had brought up hadn't crossed the mind. "So, please keep reaching out for assistance and strengthening your bonds, and I'm sure you'll find that genuine thing you're looking for."
Sigh. You tell me to get help, but you people won't help me? I know that you're both mystical beings that can only really give me advice and doing so would be cheating but talk about hypocritical.
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8/14/20XX - Morning
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If there was something that I really couldn't understand when it came to consumers of any sort of content, it was the fact that, for whatever reason, they inherently despised cliches. Sure, I've complained about my fair share during my time on Earth, but that was usually because they were handled fairly poorly just like most things.
In reality, I appreciated what others deemed overplayed and cliche, simply because I understood that coming out with something original and still managed to resonate with an audience was extremely difficult. Oh, and I also understood that content consumers, in general, were a fickle bunch, who, upon seeing an original concept be handled poorly, would immediately become baffled as to why that was even in the end product when going down a much more 'logical route' (a.k.a: what a hypocrite would say instead of cliche) would've been a much better decision in the end, but that was beyond the point I was trying to make currently.
That point being that, whenever a person decided to make a piece of content that was meant to be (and I'm talking someone who genuinely cared about the product they were creating and not the kind of person who create a light novel series about a man becoming the water at a hot springs), they needed to make a conscious decision. Should I try and be experimental at the cost of this thing I'm making losing the appeal of the general audience and overall quality because trying to stick to an original anything was extremely difficult, time consuming, and inherently cut off a lot of future routes that a story could take, which would've been better in the long run; or should I just stick to the basics and try and optimize these cliched ideas that I have to the very best of my ability?
Of course, there were the few creators who realized that there was a best of two worlds where you could just take those cliched ideas and use them in cool and inventive ways, but they were outliers as that was a skill, unfortunately, that not many had for whatever reason. Maybe it was easier to come up with zany and wild things that no one has ever come up with, than it was to find a way to use a cliche in a way nobody, or very few people at the very least, has ever done before. I don't know.
Anyways, I just couldn't understand people who hated cliches and the reason that line of thinking was even in my brain in the first place was because I had woken up to the sound of an alarm clock going off, blaring like there was a fire in my home: literally the most cliche way any piece of content could start up with. Pretty much the only thing that could be more overplayed would be my morning starting up with what a scene that I thought was real life, but was actually a dream foreshadowing future events the entire time.
The cliche had their place in the world and I wasn't going to let any elitist, intellectual-types tell me other— Oof!
Just then, I was briefly reminded that, a few days ago, Kawasaki trained me in the art of mixed martial arts. OW! The hell was that?! Whatever or whoever that was, who the hell do you think you are?! Can't you see that I'm trying to monologue in bed?! That's one of the most precious rituals a loner has! Have you no shame?
"Come on, onii-chan~!" Oh, wait. That was you, Komachi? Never mind with my previous anger then. It's okay. "You need to get up and eat breakfast, so we can leave! Otherwise we're gonna be late for school!"
Okay, okay! I hear you! Just because I haven't opened my eyes yet doesn't mean that I'm not awake, girl! So, you can quit it with the ahoge-pulling already—!
—Ah! Why are you still pulling on my hair, you demon? My eyes are wide open and staring at you—! Ow! Again?! Stop it!
[…Sleep Soundly…]
Plainly speaking, I loved my little sister a lot. Not as much as other people, literally everyone in the world it seemed like at times, made it out to be, since they constantly referred to me a sis-con/somebody who's romantically interested in their sister, despite me having constantly monologued out my displeasure for such people.
Anyways, the relationship the both of us had was very much a mutual, give and take relationship. We did a lot of things for one another. She made me breakfast every morning and I let her ride on the back of my bike to school. I provide her assistance on some school work (only in things I specialized in, things such as: Japanese, English, and History – Humanities-related stuff) and she provided me advice on social situations that my loner self had no prior experience in. So on, and so forth.
That being said, I was currently doing the prior of those two examples and would probably end up doing the latter sometime later tonight, depending on if she's assigned any homework in those three specific classes, but my thoughts about that could be saved for later when it actually happens. There were more pressing issues for me to think about as of this moment and that was getting to school before first bell rang, having to do with the added weight of another human weighing down the backside of my bike, which was actually a pretty easy task considering my improved physical condition.
"So, how are things going with your girlfriend?" Although, there were certain things that could occur during execution of said brotherly task that could throw off my focus and cause it to be a much harder a job than it actually was in reality - things like that question that just exited Komachi's mouth. "You're the one who agreed to become this Sagami's boyfriend, so you better not be slacking off on keeping her happy!"
I open my mouth to say something back, probably to remind her that none of my relationship with Sagami was real, but then stopped myself when I realized that I had never told her that it was all a ruse to get interested boys off her back. Dammit. That means I'm actually going to have to role-play now. God— I mean, dammit it all. It was too early for this.
Turning to look over my shoulder, I proceed to give my best imitation of myself when I was embarrassed, "A-ah, I mean, I think that things are going alright…" I turn to look back at the road in front of me. "I really wouldn't know one-hundred percent happy, though."
The words I said were really the truth, despite everything else about what I was saying being an act. I really didn't know if Sagami was happy, but I did at least know that she was going to be much happier with the outcome of this timeline than the alternate one where I deemed her unfit for healing in the first place. What a dark timeline that would've been. I wouldn't have ever needed to save Yuigahama from the Inverse and thus, never would've needed to spend my weekend working to make enough money to make up for all of the supplies I wasted going from Sagami's scene to the one in the karaoke place.
My, what a dark timeline indeed…
"If you're not sure, just go and ask her sometime today!" My little sister exclaimed with the laugh/squeal that was, I'm sure, got trademarked by the younger sisters of the world to use against their doting older siblings when they needed an advantage. Maybe that was just my little sister, though. "I mean, if she's close enough with you to want to date a trashy onii-chan like you, then I'm sure she'll be open to the idea of talking things out."
"Yeah, I guess…" I relent as I continued to pedal down the road before me, though I would've liked it to come off as a little bit less flat. Oh, come on, Hachiman! You can put on a better performance than that! You've done it countless times with perps!
"Onii-chan! This is exactly the type of stuff I'm trying to keep you from doing! You can't afford to be lazy if you want to keep her!"
Ugh… It was times like this where I could just tell you the truth, Komachi. Then, I wouldn't have to deal with you giving me advice on a relationship that doesn't even exist in the first place, but unfortunately for me, these lips of mine are going to have to stay sealed for the next week or so. Sagami was a rather popular girl, after all. If people found out that she dated the guy who bitched her out to the point of breaking down to tears (twice, might I add, but no one other than Puppet will know about that, so it doesn't count) and then cut things off in less than a week in, people are going to start talking.
Probably more about me than her seeing as I was the easier target (I was betting they'd say something about me using blackmail to force her to date me or other, depraved shit like that), but people have always been able to twist facts around to meet their agendas, so it was best to just keep to the plan she and I laid out together that day after my birthday.
Basically, I act as a barrier to keep the boys in her class who would never leave her alone about becoming her boyfriend, by becoming her 'boyfriend' and, in return, she'd buy me a MAXX coffee for everyday I play along (she originally offered a favor, but that was too ambiguous for my taste and was destined to cause misunderstandings).
Could one consider a product that only costs a hundred yen be a rather insufficient payment for my services given the conditions and the fact the money drops from shadows kept me well-funded? Oh, most definitely, but I wasn't complaining, considering that I really needed to get past that door of hers so I could get down to healing her and agreeing to the plan was the only way I could think of to get her to open up, so I really had no choice in the matter. Also, free MAXX/free food (though the coffee took precedent over the food always) was always worth it, no matter what anyone said.
Anyways, what ended up happening at the end of all that was that I (duh) asked about what would happen in the event that she wanted to break things off before school started. She, Sagami, then proceeded to ask me why I was already thinking that she'd bail on the plan, despite it not being in full effect yet. I proceeded to tell her that I was only speaking hypothetically.
In reply to that, she explained that she would keep the act going for a week and then cut things off citing the cause to be a noticeable lack of chemistry between the two of them, stating the same things I did about how people would start talking if they 'broke up' too early. I, for one, honestly didn't care at all about what those riajuu bastards had to say about me if that were to indeed happen, but I couldn't say the same about her and so I had to relent. Damn investigations… Making me much more understanding to other people's plights…
Speaking of, as I approached the gate to school, I noticed a certain redhead standing out by the gate, my reward for going through this torture in hand.
"Aw~!" Suddenly, I feel lithe arms wrap around my sides tightly, nearly making me lose balance and fall off my bike. "She waited by the gate for you, onii-chan~! She even got you a can of MAXX coffee! Don't ever let this one go!"
Alas, Komachi, if you only knew the lies you were praising at this moment. You'd be screaming at us to give you back your praise. So, basically, you'd be acting like how I act when I see Isshiki.
[…Sleep Soundly…]
Unlike most loners, I wasn't the kind of person who minded getting attention. I didn't particularly think that being a social paragon was the most important thing in the world either. So, one could probably understand why I felt so uncomfortable as I felt eyes pierce the back of my neck all the way down to the third year classrooms.
Why exactly was I drawing so much attention? Had I accidentally come to school in nothing but my underwear? Did someone drape an akatsuki jacket on me sometime during my walk here from the bike racks? Was it the fact that I, a creepy-looking, loner kid, had an attractive girl on my arm? …Yeah, that one was probably it.
From left to right, guys that Sagami and I walked pass were shooting me death glares the moment our backs were to them. Huh. Funnily enough, despite me fully expecting this kind of response, it still hit me with the kind of force that only a blindside could give me. I guess being glared at by a good chunk of your peers was one of those things that managed to effect you fully no matter what then.
Still, I prefer that to the whispering the female population was doing around me. At least with the death glares, I knew the guys just wanted me out of the picture anyways necessary. I had no idea as to what the girls around the both of us were talking about and, when it came to things to be afraid of, uncertainty of what was coming next always trumped impending doom in my book.
As I tried my hardest to keep my eyes directly out in front of me at all times, I suddenly felt the grip Sagami had on her arm tighten suddenly, which I took as a sign that she wanted my attention. Glancing down towards her, I found a pair of blue eyes returning my gaze, to which I raised a eyebrow to question her action.
"Hey, Hachiman, do you work out?" That question was completely from out of nowhere and out of the blue. So much so, that I nearly missed the fact that she just called me by my given name.
"Did you just call me by my—?" I began to ask subconsciously as I wasn't used to such a thing, but was cut off before being able to finish.
"—Of course, I did, Hachiman! You're my boyfriend. Why wouldn't I?" Ah, so that's why I? I mean, solely technically speaking, that makes sense, but that doesn't mean I like it. "Now, about my question?"
"O-Oh, um, yeah, I do," I reply back in a not at all awkward and unnatural way. Yep, the smoothest conversationalist in Sobu Academy. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason," she answered back almost immediately. Suddenly, I felt something thin and hard begin to trace the top of my bicep, which was fully exposed thanks due to my short-sleeved button-up. The sudden, teasingly light contact caused the hair on my arm to begin to stand up and slight chills to go down my spine. Woman, what in the world are you doing? "Just wanted to know why my boyfriend's arms feel so strong and thick, is all."
Oi, phrasing! Don't be a pervert when we're around other people! Actually, don't be a pervert when it's just we're alone either! Just stop being a pervert entirely, woman! The more you do, the more people will think we've done unsavory things together, which I get is the point and will help solidify our fake relationship in their eyes, but I don't want that. I don't want people thinking I'm no longer pure! God, just thinking about the notion makes me want to hold my head in my hands!
"T-Thanks…" Oi, me, stop acting so embarrassed! You aren't helping things either! I get that you recieving female attention to this level isn't something you're used to, but just grow a pair and take with stride!
A melodic laugh escaped from Sagami's mouth after I said that. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed!" She stated mirthfully whilst leaning into the arm she was holding onto, causing a certain pair of things to things to press up against me even more.
Frowning, I grumble a few select things under my breath and tilted my head away from my fake girlfriend. That unfortunately caused her to laugh at me even more, though.
Ugh… This was going to be a long week.
[…Sleep Soundly…]
"Hey, are you free at lunch?" I asked as the two of us reached the front door of my classroom. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Ah, are you sure you just don't want to pull me away from prying eyes, Hachiman?" Was how Sagami chose to respond to me.
I can't help but blink owlishly at the question. "I mean, yeah…" Before anyone said anything, I was aware of the perverse undertone that laced her words, but I just really didn't want to acknowledge it. Maybe a part of me thought that if I just went along with it, it wouldn't affect me as much? I don't know. "That was the entire point of me asking."
"At school? My, I didn't know my cute boyfriend could be such a dog." Groans suddenly wanted to burst out from my throat in response to that, but I was able to keep my emotions in check. "Anyways, if you want me all alone, it's going to have to wait until after classes end. I wanted use lunch break to catch up with some friends."
"Alright then, I'll see you—"
"—Wait, actually, now that I think about it, why don't I introduce you to them? A good boyfriend should always know who his girlfriend's friends are, even if he personally hates them."
"What? When the hell did that become a rule when it came to dating? I may not be the most versed at dealing with romantic stuff, but even I know that rule has never existed ever and you're making things up to get me to do things. Besides, I'm pretty sure I already know who you're talking about and I'm more than sure those two hate me for what I said to you up on that roof." I bowed my head in deep apology as I continued, "So, please, spare your dear boyfriend from going through such anguish and do not parade him in front of your friends like he's some sort of dog show competition winner."
When I had said that, I had expected to get a whine back in response and her begging me to actually go through with it, but instead, I got her giggling like an absolute madman. Not one where it seemed that she was just pretending to be amused at what I was saying, but giggles that sounded very much real.
Eventually, my fake girlfriend's giggling ceased and she looked up at me with a bright, bright smile, before stating, "Ah, alright, alright, if that's what you really want then I can't force you to come." Wait, you're actually gonna be reasonable? Who are you and what have you done with Sagami? "I'll just see you later after classes ends, okay?"
"A-Ah, okay," I respond bewilderedly, nodding my head once as I did so. That was then immediately followed up by the red-headed girl closing the distance in between the both of us and planting a small peck on my cheek, which made said part of my body redder than if she had just slapped it.
"I'll see you then, Hachiman~." With that sugary sweet sentiment, Sagami bounded off towards her classroom, leaving me standing in front of the door to my own class, rubbing the cheek that she had kissed like I had been, in fact, slapped across the cheek.
Woman, you really need to warn a man before you do stuff like that! Especially men who was awkward with women like myself! I nearly had a heart attack there, my heart was beating so fast!
My mental rant completed, I turn myself on a heel and simply stride right into my classroom, which door had been wide open the entire time as it always was before the class bell rang. The moment I walked through, however, I felt all of my momentum moving forwards be stopped when a heavy arm landed right across my shoulders. Knowing all of the classmates who knew me in this classroom, I had a pretty good guess as to who it was.
"Get your arm off me, Tobe," I couldn't help but grumble, all the while shooting the ape-like riajuu that was currently crushing me with his weight a withering glare. "Otherwise, you're going to give Ebina over there some ideas."
"Ah! Don't worry about me, Hikitani! I already got plenty of ideas from what's going on in front of me!"
"Oh, come on, Hiki-bro! How am I gonna do that when I just find out that you snagged yourself a girl! I never thought that it'd be Sagami-chan of all people, but congrats, man anyways!"
The two statements had been said in complete unison and coincidentally, I only really paid attention to one. Why? I liked my sanity that's why, and I'd rather not confront the rabbit hole into the madness that was BL. I hear looking straight at the contents of the necronomicon was a better idea if you wanted to keep your sanity, so I just ignored the exclamation and went on with responding to Tobe.
"Well, a few things happened…" I replied, scratching the back of my head and looking off to the side as I spoke with faux sheepishness. "Anyways, can I get to my seat now? I'm pretty sure class is gonna start in a minute."
"Oh, yeah, sorry 'bout that!" Tobe exclaimed in his usual way too loud way, lifting his arm off my shoulders before then placing both his hands on his hips and flashing me a toothy grin.
I blink at the sight and let out a small snort, shaking my head disbelievingly as I made my way over to my desk, which was on the side farthest away from the door to enter the class. It unfortunately wasn't as good as the seat as I had last year, which was a good combination of distance from the door and lack of prominence as I was smack dab in the middle row of the class. The prior aspect made it so that I could leave the class unnoticed pretty easily if I so wanted to and the latter was something that was good for when I wanted to nap, since I could use the bodies that were sitting in front of me to shield myself from view of the teacher.
My current desk had none of those things going for it. Like I said, it was on the side opposite if the door, so the time that it took me to get from there to the door was raised dramatically. It was also right next to a window, which wasn't a good place for someone to sit if they wanted to sleep since one would get natural light pouring in on him at all times, which made taking a nap in class undetected rather difficult.
Other than those few things, I couldn't really complain about the thing too much. It was a desk for Buddha's sake. I could sit in it and not have to worry about it breaking from under me, and that's all anyone really needed out of it, so mine for the year would be perfectly serviceable.
As I walked over to aforementioned piece of wood and metal, I found that I was center of my class's attention, which I had fully expected after Tobe's little announcement to the world. I'm more than sure everyone here found it hard to believe that I of all people managed to get a girlfriend, but there was one set of eyes that drew my own attention as I dragged myself over to my desk – those being the pair of blue irises that belonged to a certain king riajuu, Hayama Hayato.
Due to the class's seating arrangement, I had to walk pass the guy to get to my desk, which unfortunately forced me to have to at least acknowledge his existence. Considering my distinct hatred of him and vice versa, that was something I knew we both rather not have to do at all, but such is life.
Waking past said riajuu, I found myself nearly being stopped dead in my tracks by something he whispered as I passed, "Meet me on the roof when lunch begins."
Acting like nothing had been said at all, I simply nodded my head slightly as I continued onto my desk and sat in it, all the while cursing my own existence at the tediousness that my day has already begun to show.
…
8/14/20XX - Noon
…
The lunch bell should've been a source of reprieve for me. It always had in the past. A quick, half-hour of reprieve from the sometimes mind-numbing experience of listening to teachers do their jobs. Usually, I would leave the room and head to my spot next to the tennis courts, and just intake my usual lunch of yakisoba bread and MAXX coffee in blissful silence. Then, I could turn my brain off and simply just exist for forty minutes.
Today, however, it seems that I would be deprived of my decompression time. Why? Because Hayama Hayato, king of the riajuus and the one person I really hated on the world, said so.
Honestly, I didn't even know why I was bothering showing up to meet him. I already knew what he was going to do. He was probably going to ask me about why I decided to date Sagami and then bitch about some shit that I could care less about. You hear me, you riajuu bastard?! I could care less, so please just let me enjoy my lunch in peace!
"Ah, so you actually came, Hikigaya-kun?" That was the first thing I heard when I opened the door leading to the roof, and that instantly made me want to turn around and leave so I wouldn't have to deal with the blonde. "A part of me thought that you were just lying when you nodded back earlier."
"I haven't even gotten past the door, you idiot," I couldn't help but spit back in response as I emerged from behind the cover of the door I was in the middle of opening. "How about before you go assuming the identities of people you can't even see, you wait until they actually reveal themselves?"
The blonde let out a sheepish laugh and began scratching at the back of his head in response to what I said. Pft. Of course that's how you'd react. Don't get offended like a normal person, just keep acting like the caricature of an all-around nice guy you are. "Ahaha… My bad."
Sigh. Looking off to the side as to make sure I didn't have to make eye-contact with the one thing in the world that annoyed me as much as he did, I tried to steer this ship onto the course that got me out of here the fastest. "So, what did you want to talk to me about? I'm assuming this has something do with the news about my relationship with Minami?"
"Ah, right on the mark… You really can read people like a book, can't you?" Oi, why are you talking like you're some anime character who consciously plays the part of a good-natured joker, just to get serious when they're challenged to a fight? If you're going jump into being seriousness, do it from the start! I have better things to be doing! Things like nothing at all! I really like doing nothing at all, you know?!
"Stop trying to selfishly make that out to be something more than it actually is." Suddenly, my eyes found the need to look at the riajuu king, but only to glare at the person before him. "All I did was use my common sense. Oh, and don't you dare think more of me proving you wrong, either."
Hayama blinked in response to my own reply and eventually, after a long stint of silence from the riajuu, began to laugh uncontrollably. I don't know where exactly why he was laughing, but for some reason, he was doing so and I could only stand there and wonder if I had somehow broken him.
"Oi, Hayama, I can't believe I'm about to ask this, but are you alright?" I asked whilst taking a step back in fear of my own safety. I've never seen the guy act like this, so I feel like I was justified in my concern.
"Ah, don't worry! I'm fine… I'm fine…!" Hayama tried to reassure me of his mental wellness. Unfortunately, he was laughing while he said that, so I wasn't really able to believe him. "For some reason… I just—I just… found what you said to be really funny."
Funny? Are you sure you're alright, Hayama? I just read you like book and you're going to call what I said 'funny'? So wait, you're like this and people are going to call me the creepy and twisted one? That's hi-fucking-larious, if I say so myself.
[…Sleep Soundly…]
When the blonde riajuu finally calmed himself down and we were finally able to resume our conversation, which took quite a bit at time, he began to explain to me as to why exactly he dragged me out to the roof.
"I thought you were someone who disliked fake relationships?" The blonde asked me with all of the seriousness in the world, which, in my opinion, was a rather large improvement from his laughing.
Apparently, he was curious about the nature of my relationship with Sagami and legitimacy. To hell, if I knew why, though. It literally had nothing to do with him or his clique.
"Yeah." Was the answer I decided to go with. Short, sweet, simple, and direct to the point. "So? I don't get what it has to do with me being Minami's boyfriend—?"
"—Wait, do you seriously not understand what I'm trying to get at? The last time I saw you two within two feet of one another, one ran away in tears and the other became the most hated person in Sobu." Oi, I remember that just fine. I was there, you jackass. "You're seriously not going to stand there and tell me that you're legitimately her boyfriend, are you?"
Not knowing how to disprove the point that he was trying to make as it was firmly rooted in both logic and sense, I simply allowed silence to answer Hayama.
"Then why exactly are you pretending to be, if you aren't? Does it have something to do with what happened on your birthday and that place you showed us?"
More silence from me was all that Hayama got in response to that next question of his, or rather, that was the case before I decided to actually say something to just end this conversation already. "…And if that did happen to be the case?" My eyebrows furrowed slightly as I continued speaking, "What exactly would you do?"
It seemed that it was now Hayama's turn to answer questions with silence. "…Does she at least know that your two's relationship isn't real?"
"Oh, of course," I can't help but reply with that immediately, my voice being drowned in disbelieving amusement. "This entire thing was her idea. Do you seriously think that I, of all people, would come up with a plan like this?" I let out a quick scoff as a smirk formed on my lips. "Just what kind of person do you think I am, Hayama?"
The king of Sobu High School opened his mouth, probably to offer an answer to the rhetoric question I just posed to him, but stopped himself after a second or two. I'm guessing he did so because he realized that saying something then, in the heat of the moment, would've made the words that came out of his mouth come out sounding a little too angry, brash, or frustrated – something that wouldn't be too fitting for the man everyone admired.
Eventually, however, Hayama was able to man up and say what was actually on his mind. "I think…" he turned his eyes to look down at the ground and began to clench his fists tightly, "…that you're the kind of person who wouldn't have gone along with something like this… The way you are now at the very least. Back when we talked at Kyoto, maybe, but not now. You're different from how you were then, I think."
…
Silence reigned supreme on that roof after he said all that. I was honestly surprised that Hayama of all people would've been able to say that. About me, nonetheless. Wow, you must really loathe yourself if you think that about the person you hate most in the world. I don't know if I should thank you or pity you with all my heart.
After about thirty or so seconds of nothing going on between the two of us, where the off-and-on gusts of wind seemed to punctuate the silence that compensated for the distance that separated he and I, I eventually got fed up with all the waiting for someone to do something and did something, which, in this case, was sigh tiredly.
"Look…" I began, speaking as if I were speaking to an infant who just had a temper tantrum over something there was no way they could understand, "if I had any other way of handling this situation, do you seriously think that I'd be continuing to allow that woman to parade me around under the title of her boyfriend?"
"…No, but—"
"—But nothing. What I do there isn't like the shit we deal with here at school." I could feel myself getting more and more riled up, the more I spoke. "I don't simply get to stick to what I believe in and still have everything end up okay for me. Compromises need to be made sometimes, otherwise—" Realizing that I was just now ranting at the blonde in front of me, I quickly stopped myself from speaking, inhaled deeply through my nostrils, and shook my head violently in my frustration.
Why the hell was I even bothering to explain myself in this situation? It's not like he's someone I owe an explanation to. There were plenty of people who did when it pertained to the whole Sagami situation, but Hayama Hayato certainly wasn't one of those people. Not by a long shot. Why did I even come to this rooftop in the first place?
Deciding that this entire conversation wasn't worth me not being able to eat lunch, I quickly turn and start making my way towards the door back into the school.
"Hey, hey, where exactly do you think you're going?!" Hayama yelled after me as I walked away, but unfortunately he had only done so when I was already two-thirds of the way there. He must've hesitated for some reason. "What were you going to say just then—?!"
About halfway through Hayama's first question, I had already made it back to the door. By the time he began to ask his second, I had already started opening it and walking through. Right as he got to 'then', the heavy, metal door, which was meant to close on its own, had already slammed itself shut behind me.
I let a snort out through my nostrils. Thank heavens for that…
[…Sleep Soundly…]
As I walked back down the hallway leading to the special building, or rather, the wing of the school where most clubs did their business, I couldn't help but reflect on something I said during my little rant earlier.
I had said that the life I led here at school and the one that I led in the Inverse were two completely different things that needed to be handled differently, and in many cases, that statement was spot on.
Mistakes could be made in my life away from the Inverse. Decisions that I made could be taken back and made up for. That, on the other hand, simply wasn't the case with the other half of my life. No mistakes could be made and every decision needed to be stood by, no matter the consequence.
Regrets were for people who loathed the past and inhibitions were for those who feared what came in the future, and to do my job, one needed to get rid of both and live entirely in the present to keep sane. That's all that there was to it in the long run.
…
Chapter End.
…
Social Stats - Hikigaya Hachiman:
Smarts - 5: Webster.
Moxie - 5: Unyielding.
Ability - 5: Savvy.
Appeal - 1: Dead Fish.
Compassion - 3: Sympathetic.
