Deadeye
Chapter 10 – That Damnable Sleepover
The doorbell rang. I didn't want to wake up, nor do I want to go out of my own way in order to answer the person who was currently at the door. I was still not technically violating our promise – if I was asleep, then it was natural that I'd lock the door to my apartment. Who was to care that I was sleeping at a later time than normal? It was a weekend after all, and weekends are supposed to help you rest in order to calm one's body down before you are once again subjected to the rigors of life.
"Hachiman!" A very familiar voice screamed from the door towards my apartment as I couldn't help but grunt and turn over, trying to muffle out the sound from my ears as the banging of my door now seemed to grace my ears. Damn it! I need sleep! Go away demon!
"Hachiman!" How can I hear the voice of a demon even though my ears are muffled? It's quite simple, really – I have sensitive ears, "Hachiman! Are you still sleeping!?"
A few seconds later, my phone rang, but since it was across my bed and on my desk, I couldn't even reach for it even if I have to. Plus, I can't get out. Not after the sound of a PreCure opening was currently making a ruckus throughout my apartment. Not after my embarrassment after being found out that I was a PreCure fan was finally washed from my system.
"Yo", the electronically-recorded voice of me said as my phone now started its function as an answering machine, "Hachiman here. You've got any messages, just leave them after this."
After a short beep, the message was played out in full volume, much to my incredible discomfort as I tried to not to wince at the volume that threatened to destroy my phone's speakers, "HACHIMAN! IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES I'M GOING TO BREAK YOUR DOOR DOWN!"
...What would my parents do if they found out that a girl had broken down a solid oak door with nothing more than a few well-placed kicks to the locking mechanism? I don't want to find out, much less cause the situation that would lead into that.
What a way to start a morning. I want to go back to sleep, but the witch who's already plotting for my doom was still waiting outside my door. It would be bad to keep her waiting outside. My logic doesn't make sense. But it's still morning, so it's fine...I think.
So, I slowly made my way towards the door, a yawn escaping my lips as I placed a hand over my mouth to try and hold in the yawn that was obviously already done. Like I said, it's still morning, so it's fine...I think. Actually...just what is she doing here early in the morning?
"Coming..." I said in a sleepy tone as I opened the door, finding Nakamura glaring at me with her sharp blue eyes. Yeah, I know. It's still early in the morning, so I'd like to know as to why did you come here this early, "...Rio, huh. It's still early in the morning you know."
Apparently, such an obvious thing was not perceived by Nakamura, who's left eye twitched at me, "...Hachiman. It's already eleven in the morning."
Oh.
Oh.
I blinked as I glanced at her, still standing at the threshold in front of my apartment as I sighed after a moment of silence, moving to the side as I opened the door wider so that she can enter, "...Come in."
"Finally took you a good five minutes before you realized the first thing that you needed to do", Nakamura said as she rolled her eyes at me and stepped into the foyer, promptly removing her shoes as her blue eyes gazed at me with an unnatural clarity towards them, "Hachiman...You're not a morning person, aren't you?"
"Hm? Ah...I think?" I said, scratching the back of my head as I gave out another sigh, "Well...make yourself at home for the moment...I guess? There's some canned coffee at the fridge, and I need to well...take a bath and other stuff...I guess."
As I turned around in order to go towards the bathroom, I was stopped by Nakamura calling out to me, "Hachiman."
"What?"
"It would be better for you if you kept that personality of yours for the foreseeable future", she said with a thin grin plastered on her face as I couldn't help but scowl at her in return. Indeed, my instincts were working just fine, acting up whenever I knew that Nakamura was teasing me or not. And she definitely was teasing me just a while back. The grin on her face was enough for me to infer something about her.
Moving towards the restroom, I started stripping and placed my clothes inside the washing machine, noticing that it had gotten a bit full over the past week and reminding myself to do the laundry sometime later. As I closed the door behind me and watched as my bathtub slowly began filling up with lukewarm water, I slowly got in and felt the warmth slowly seeping throughout my whole body. My mind slowly returned to its usual self – the one that didn't act so slowly when it came towards everything under the sun, and soon I realized one thing that I hadn't realized earlier due to whatever magic that my mind was using earlier in the morning.
Namely, it was Sunday today.
Which of course, threw everything that I had expected out the window. I mean, she did say last week that she would be visiting on Saturday, right? I'm pretty sure she did. It came with the physical trauma of my shoulder getting crushed under her vice-like grip after all, so I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to forget it any time soon. Which begs the question as to why Nakamura was here on a Sunday, even though we were supposed to be having that study session yesterday.
Now that I think about it...What happened yesterday?
...Oh. Wow. I can't remember a single thing. This isn't good. Just...wow. What the hell did I do yesterday so that my mind would make sure that it was completely wiped from my memory? It would be fine if all that happened yesterday was that Nakamura simply rescheduled the study session to be done today, but then again, I would've remembered it if it was the case.
"Hachiman, are you sleeping in the bath?" Nakamura's voice echoed through the apartment as I winced at her words, immediately getting off the bath and drying myself off as I once again heard her voice a moment later, "If you are, then don't blame me if I need to get in there and drag you out before you drown, alright–"
"I'm done already!" I snapped back, raising my voice as it came out a few octaves higher than it should be and damn, I am embarrassed. That was probably the main reason why I could hear that witch's laughter from across my own apartment, and I couldn't help but thinking of simply slamming the door on her later. But then again, she was already here, so making her leave was already out of the question.
I sighed, putting on the clothes that I had brought with me to the bath as I placed a towel over my hair. I was planning on drying my hair earlier, but my thoughts had already distracted me while I was in the bath, and I don't want a repeat of that situation again–
Wait. 'That' Situation? 'Again'? It seems that fragments of my memories were returning back towards me, but they're still too scattered for me to make something coherent out of them. Damn it all! Why can't I remember something from yesterday even though it's just at the tip of my own goddamn tongue!?
Calming myself down by heaving a deep sigh, I began to dry my hair with the towel as I got out of the restroom, seeing Nakamura already immersed in her studying as I could see an open Math workbook and two pages of her notebook already filled to the brim with possible solutions to the problems, "Hachiman, help me out for a little bit here?"
"I was just getting to that, if you don't mind", I replied back without the usual sarcasm in my tone as I sat next to Nakamura, the latter inching away from me ever-so slightly as I pored over her solutions and frowned. If there was one thing that I had noticed from her schoolwork so far...it seems that Nakamura Rio was incredibly bad with Math.
"Rio, you're already a third-year, so why the hell are you so bad at factorization?"
"Bite me, Hachiman", she hissed at me as she moved closer towards me, and I could smell the faint scent of cologne on her. Did I mention that it smelled like lemon? Because I definitely didn't say that just now, "...So, where had I gone wrong this time?"
'This time'. Woman, if you don't have any kind of faith in yourself first and foremost, then how the hell are you going to improve? Agh, whatever. Spouting philosophy is more of Korosensei's line of thinking – I'm just here to objectively guide them towards a better conclusion, "Here. You're supposed to draw out the common factor '4x', and thus you're left with an easily factorable square binomial...here. Just separate that function into their respective factors, and you find out that the function's zeroes are located at zero, one, and two."
"Ah, I see", Nakamura said as she let out a low whistle at me, "So you're just supposed to factor out some terms when it seems that you can't factor it immediately at first glance?"
"Well, that's obvious", I said, but my condescending tone was degraded into someone saying some irrefutable facts. What the hell is this skill? Am I seriously more amicable while I'm inside my home? Just what kind of double-edged sword is this? "This is Math after all; you need to see the patterns first before you could just bulldoze through the problems without a care in the world. Though, the main problem here really is that a lot of people don't see an easier way out when the solution's staring at them right in the face."
"...Somehow, I'm both impressed and disgusted with your ability to connect Math to your own twisted brand of philosophy", Nakamura said with a tired sigh as she glanced at me with her lazy blue eyes, "So? Anything else that I needed to do, Hikigaya-sensei?"
I cringed, "...Just keep on practicing a few more problems, I guess. Twenty would be right about a good number, but if you'll excuse me, I need to make myself some breakfast."
"Ah, could you cook lunch for me as well?" A challenge? Woman, you dare challenge me when it comes to my skill in househusbandry? I know that it's a word that I had made up, but still, it is an affront to me! I shall show you my skill and prowess in this craft, and leave you lying in shame, witch!
"Sure. Is curry fine?" Why!? Why can't I get angry while I'm inside my abode!? Is this the side-effect of treating anyone who comes here like a guest so that means that I have to just suck it up and keep my grudge locked away in a separate dimension!? Scary! Conditioning is scary! I'm going to have to chew my parents out for this the next time I meet them!
"Whatever knocks your socks off", Nakamura simply replied to my question with a nonchalant shrug as she once again brought her focused stare towards her studies, leaving me all alone to cook for two as I couldn't help but shake my head and sigh.
Oh well. Curry it is, then. After putting on my apron, I reach down towards the refrigerator and pulled out everything that I needed. Since I couldn't be bothered more with trying to cut up bones and the like, I simply settled for the boneless breasts that I was able to find at the supermarket, and even though they were more expensive than normal, at least I didn't have to spend more time and effort removing the bones from them.
As usual, I am Hikigaya Hachiman. And once again borrowing my inspiration's words, 'If I have to do it, then I do it quickly.'
Let's see...Onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper, curry mix...and the chicken. I think I'm ready. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I am. Less than a minute has passed ever since I started cooking, and I think I'm doing good headway with the peeling of the stuff that I needed to peel. Well, the onions come first, the carrots go next, and the potatoes go last, but I'm pretty sure that I'll only be peeling the damn things when I was already stewing. Those things go brown faster than you can recite a singular poem.
The minutes tick by as I continued on cooking, the soft sizzling of the chicken being fried being heard throughout the entire apartment as the smell already started to seep into the kitchen's general vicinity, much to my chagrin as my stomach growled like a beast. This is bad. Cooking while you're hungry is bad. That was the main reason why I quickly turned off the heat to the pan when I was sure that they were already cooked, and after letting them cool down for a few minutes I transferred them towards the simmering curry. And thus, once again, the mouth-watering scent of food filled the air, and this time I was forced to wipe off a little bit of drool that had come out of me as I tasted the curry, a satisfied smile forming on my face as I glanced towards the rice cooker, seeing that it was already done with the rice about five minutes earlier.
I guess setting the table came next, then. A few plates, a few spoons, a few forks, a few bowls, a few glasses, and a few mats later, I had already arranged them out in a neat and orderly fashion, turning towards Nakamura who was still hard at work with her Math problems. Well, she was already done with all of them, so I guess she was just solving a few others out of leisure. But that would mean that she saw Math as fun. Which is a trademark of a nerd. Which meant me. I'm pretty sure I didn't teach her that Math was fun. After all, I'm not one for changing worldviews, after all. That's more of Korosensei's shtick.
"Rio, lunch is ready", I said in a tone just loud enough to reach her ears as she perked up and craned her neck to look at me, already sitting by one of the chairs in the dining table, "...And if you space around like that any further, then I'm afraid that I won't leave anything for you."
"What are you, my mother?" She deadpanned in a blank tone as she slowly rose up from her seat and stretched with a yawn, "...Well, solving all those problems made me a bit hungry, so I might as well indulge and eat. I mean, it's your home after all, right?"
And once again, that sly grin was on her face. Seriously, damn this witch. Just because it's my home and I've been conditioned by my parents to be hospitable at the very least doesn't mean that you get to exploit it and take away my only source of sustenance! Sure, I admit that I've been gorging on instant noodles a bit lately, but that was only because I didn't have enough time to make proper food! But now that I do have the time, you're just going to eat them without leaving some for me!? Just who was it that cooked this damned curry for you, woman!?
...And I most definitely only cooked this since I needed to eat something nice myself, so you better not be misunderstanding something, you hear!?
[–|–]
"That was delicious", Nakamura said with a contented sigh as she leaned back on her chair, a nostalgic smile forming on her face as I couldn't help but shudder at what thoughts might be running through her mind at that moment, "...Hachiman, why don't you become a househusband in the future?"
"I'm pretty sure that's what I aspire to be even before I entered Kunugigaoka, thank you very much", I replied as I washed the dishes, the chill in my spine growing colder as I definitely knew that I was being viewed as an object to have. Ordinarily, a person – much less a single person – would most definitely misunderstand Nakamura's words and assume that she was planning on marrying them, but I knew better, for I was not like most single people. Indeed, the main reason why I felt like death was just near me is that I have a feeling that Nakamura would simply use me as a tool to keep on providing her with meals for every day of our married life.
My imagination was running wild, sure, but the way that she kept on looking at me was unsettling. It was as if she was weighing the pros and cons of buying a slab of meat, and to be frank, it was terrifying to be put under that gaze of hers.
"Hachiman, do you want to–"
"No."
"I'm pretty sure that you can–"
"I refuse."
"You have a lot of potential in your hands, you know–"
"Not listening."
Stay calm, me. Keep on washing the dishes. You are at home. You are in Zen mode, the ultimate form of tranquility and stillness. Mental effects are nulled against you and your allies. Even Nagisa's Marin Karin has no effect on you in this area. Which means to say that my own apartment is pretty OP. Kind of like a place where you can't inflict any kind of status effects.
But...Nakamura's just dealing physical damage with her stare, not some kind of status effect. Which means that the zone around my apartment wouldn't help me with this problem of mine. Oh, how I loathe my circumstances so, "Rio. Just go back to studying while I'm washing the dishes. Please."
"Fine, fine...You're too much of a stick in the mud, Hachiman", Nakamura said with a frown on her face as she got up from her seat at the dining table and made her way across the room, sitting back at her spot in the living room as she once again started studying. By herself. Why she wanted this to be a study session, I wasn't sure. I mean, I for one, am not studying, since there's apparently a school trip after midterms. Quite a nice strategy if I do say so myself – make sure that your subjects are appropriately rested after a particularly grueling task, and they worship you for being an understanding person. Truly, such a plan can only be attributed to Asano-sensei himself.
"Hachiman", Rio's voice rang out from where she was as I stopped washing the dishes, leaning backwards to make sure that I could get a good look at the witch before she turned her head towards me with her signature grin, "How about I tell you what happened yesterday if you tell me what happened to that bonnet that I brought for you?"
I stopped. I'm pretty sure I dropped the plate that I was washing right now, but I was grateful that it was made out of plastic, though the stains on the floor would at least take me at least an hour of cleaning to wash off. Nakamura's blue eyes widened for a second, but instantly sharpened into a glare a moment later as I couldn't help but flinch and take a step back in instinct.
...This is bad. I still remember Kanzaki-san running off with the bonnet that Nakamura had gotten for me, and who knows where she already placed it. Although, I have a sinking feeling that it was probably being eaten by scavengers in a trash can somewhere.
Damn it! Damn it all! First I wake up and find out that I had lost a day's memories (I'm starting to think that Nakamura had a thing in all of this), then here comes a witch that does nothing but freeload off my hard work whilst she spends all of her time relatively doing nothing, and then to top it all off, now I get to sell out my privacy in exchange for information! Wow! What a wonderful day!
"No thanks", I replied in the most even tone that I could muster as I saw the traces of shock form on Nakamura's face. Oho? What's this reaction? Did you seriously believe that I would simply accede to your request just because you dangle such tempting bait in front of me? In a normal situation, I would've immediately agreed, but the Bounded Field around my apartment dispels the status effect of 'being impulsive'. Which is why I was able to come up with this decision.
My own memories are of less importance than Kanzaki-san's trust, that's what I decided. Which is why I decided to not take up the witch's deal. After all, I have my suspicions about her, seeing that she was unnaturally quiet ever since she entered my apartment. A normal Nakamura wouldn't even be fazed by this, even if she herself had just barged into a boy's apartment.
Which was why I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at her, but didn't say anything else. Sure, I might talk, but then that would also mean that Nakamura would know that something was up. And I don't want a witch out of all people to be suspicious of me.
...Well, technically she already is, "...Hachiman, what happened to your bonnet?"
Oh. Dropping the pretense of a fair trade and going straight for the interrogation? I am absolutely surprised (not) by these term of events. Just what happened to you Nakamura? As a friend (lol), I must know the reason as to why you're acting this way, "Well, it's apparently in Chiba. Mom and Dad seemed to have taken it with them...without my consent."
"Ah, I see", Nakamura said in a blank voice as she went back to focusing on her studies. Oi woman, why do I get the feeling that you didn't believe a single word that I had just said? What's with that blank look on your face? That's a plausible excuse, and you know it! Stop acting like you don't believe me at all!
And I can't believe that I'm even complaining about this in the first place!
...Whatever suits her socks, then. I'm just going to go and continue washing the dishes like normal, and pretend that nothing happened – "So, you gave that bonnet out when you went on a date, right?"
"She just stole it without my consent, and it isn't a–" I stop myself, perking up and quickly whirling my head to look towards Nakamura as she stared at me with a frown on her face, her blue eyes blazing with...some kind of fire (what the hell?) as she slammed her mechanical pencil on the coffee table and glared at me.
"Hachiman, can it, will you?" Nakamura snapped at me as I widened my eyes at her. No matter how one puts a spin on things, she is angry. Angry at me for letting someone that was at most a passing fancy take away a symbol of our supposed friendship. Did I take it seriously? No. It was just a bonnet after all – you can buy it anywhere you like, as long as it fits your tastes. But what about for Nakamura? I'm not one to talk, but if I want to indulge myself in the illusion that I know her so well, then I would agree that the bonnet had sentimental value. A souvenir that was a symbol of our supposed friendship with one another.
But then again, if our friendship was held by a bunch of material things such as a simple bonnet, then it isn't really friendship isn't it? More like compensated friendship.
"Like hell I'm going to just shut up about this", I said, a thin frown forming on my face as I met Nakamura's glare head-on, "Why are you so hung up about a damn bonnet anyway? It's not like losing it would be so detrimental to us being...well, whatever kind of relationship that we have anyway. Acquaintances, right?"
"It's not just some 'damn bonnet', Hachiman..." Nakamura said as I saw the hints of tears shimmering at the edges of her eyes, her voice cracking as my gray eyes widened ever so slightly, "...You know what? Fine. Have it your way. I'm leaving."
She quickly gathered up all of her things and wildly stuffed them inside her bag, wiping her eyes in the process as she quickly went out the door and slammed it shut. All in the span of a few seconds.
I sighed, going towards the living room after washing my hands as I sat down on the couch, letting out a sigh that I had been holding up as I leaned back into the couch, placing an arm over my eyes as I let a smile form on my lips. Not out of relief, but out of regret.
Seriously...human relationships are hard.