Deadeye

Chapter 23 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Hachiman

If I were to describe a woman's train of thought in one word, then surely it must be with 'hidden'. Most cues that they show are not overtly-expressed, and thus body reading is a must when trying to deal with them almost all the time. A twitch of a brow here, a slightly strained tone there, and you need to know that you had crossed a line lest you become the object of a woman's scorn. For men, most could understand each other perfectly fine due to the fact that they were raised to wear their hearts on their sleeves. I however, was forced to learn and adapt the ways of women, and thus it had made me a deadly foe to come up against: a man that knows the minefield of social cues surrounding a woman.

Not that I was bragging about it or anything. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I was just ranting to spite myself, seeing as I haven't even gotten a single iota of a motive as to why Hayami had asked me out to a date. With all expenses paid for by Korosensei. In fact, that octopus is now looking at me with barely-concealed paranoia, as if I had plotted for this kind of development all along. Seriously Korosensei, I do think the photo of my dumbstruck face being posted all over the classroom was already punishment enough. Were you getting back at me for the previous times as well? As far as I knew, you were violating someone's privacy, so I felt that I needed to do something about it.

…Well, there was no more time for ranting now, so I guess I need to clear up my thoughts and dump them all into the bin for later perusal. The doors of the train opened, and I stepped out of my comfort zone in order to meet a writhing throng of people coming to and fro the station. I pointedly ignored the various people who walked out of the train with unfolded newspapers concealing their faces, and I could only shake my head at the obvious attempt at a disguise. Honestly, if I was a mook in a stealth game, then I would've already rung the alarm.

There was nothing that I could do for most part however, considering that I needed to specifically go out of my way in order to track them down. Which is of course, something that I absolutely shouldn't do, if Komachi's notes were telling the truth. There was also the reason as to why she knew this information, but I shelved it off for later. Interrogations were done best with some tools, after all…

"Ah." A voice piped up from my left, a dull sound of surprise coming from her lips as I glanced towards her. Hayami glanced at me with emerald eyes, her hair tied up into a single bundle that stroked against her shoulders. Did I also mention that she wore glasses? Yes. Glasses. Dark frames noticeable enough to be seen, but not thick enough to be considered cumbersome. Truly, a perfectly balance between aaand I'm getting ahead of myself here. "Hikigaya. It seems that you've arrived early."

"So did you", I replied back, taking the uneasy moment of silence to continue on looking. As of the moment, she wore a dark beige blouse, leaving her arms exposed and being bunched up as to where the skirt had met it. Speaking of the skirt, it was pure black, and reached down to the middle of her thighs, and the rest of her legs were covered up in similar black tights, offset by the blue and white sneakers that she wore for her footwear. Overall, I can say that she has successfully hit all of the Hachiman buttons, and I can't believe that I just thought of that. If I were to be honest, she kind of fits the image of a–

"Hikigaya?"

"Bookstore!"

Damn…that was close. I almost inadvertently said that she looked like a 'bookkeeper'. Not even two minutes into this thing, and I almost wanted out. No – I think I wanted to be vaporized into dust. That was the amount of pain that I have to go through just to make my suffering end. "Bookstore?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side, and I took in a sharp breath as I willed myself to keep my voice calm and even. It's alright me, I know that she looks absolutely stunning right now and that your normally dormant hormones are starting to act up, but you need to play it cool for the moment. Save the squealing for later.

"Y-Yeah", I said, stammering slightly whilst scratching my cheek and oh god why am I feeling so awkward right now. "I was searching for some books online, and one of the bookstores here has one of the books that I wanted. So if you'd like, I want to stop by there first before they get sold out."

"Sure", she replied, and I swore that I could see a thin smile on her face as we started walking out of the station. Of course, it didn't mean that I stopped paying attention towards our tail, and I immediately noticed the moving potted plants outside my field of vision. I sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of my nose as I tried to stem the urge to shoot at them with a BB gun, and Hayami seemed to notice my less-than-pleasant thoughts. "Hikigaya-san, what's wrong?"

My eyes were focused into a half-lidded dare directed in front of me, with occasional glances towards my left hand. Hayami focused on it, and I disguised the pointing motion towards our right as a fidget, and her green eyes scanned the area until– ah. She noticed. The fact that she kept her own gaze ahead and didn't say anything more means that she got my message. If I saw any kind of blush on her cheeks, then I didn't comment on anything. That way lay a particularly dangerous minefield that I didn't want to traverse.

The morning light that came from the sun was more of a warning than anything, seeing the fact that there was a cool, breeze rushing past us even though it was supposed to be a relatively windless day. "Quite a little bit breezy at the moment, isn't it?" I spoke up; once again ignoring the fact that I heard quite a few specific catcalls sent our way.

Hayami hadn't heard it however, since she turned towards me with a blank glare that made me realize that I had apparently said something wrong. "You're not using it as an excuse to peek, Hikigaya-san." She grabbed her skirt and tugged it downwards, and I could only sigh at the fact that she had completely misinterpreted my words. Considering that she huffed and started to walk at a faster pace even without knowing our destination, I could only shake my head and follow after her, wondering just what had I even done wrong.

[–|–]

The bell rang, and both of us stepped into the musty book shop as my eyes immediately started scanning for the aged book. "Welcome!" A voice said, and Hayami froze in place as I started to take a step forward. "Huh…Rin-chan?" I glanced back towards Hayami, and I could see her eyes bugging out whilst her mouth started moving erratically. Alright, so this maybe some cause for panic, but I'm sure that Hayami could take care of it. Right…? "Who's that guy with you?"

Hayami kept silent, instead focusing her attention towards a random aisle in the bookshop, and the woman at the counter smiled even wider as she took a look at me. "Rin-chan, is this…?" She trailed off, and after a few agonizing seconds of silence, Hayami nodded in response. "My, my, what a lucky guy you are." She said, turning her attention back towards me as I felt a chill on my spine. Probably, the woman's narrowed eyes had something to do with that. "…Take care of my Rin-chan properly, alright?"

"Y-Yes ma'am." Don't stutter! Why the hell are you stuttering, me!? Did my hikikomori instincts kick in and deem this woman as one befitting of a higher social status than me!? "S-So, can we…?"

"A bit too early to be doing that, isn't it?"

"I meant browsing through books." At last, a set-up for my tsukkomi instincts to kick in. Also, I tried not imagining said scenario in my head, since I most definitely didn't think about it due to me being a tasteful– I mean tasteless, young man. Hayami coughed, tugging at my polo and glancing towards the aisles, and I immediately took stock of the situation as I slumped forward and sighed. "…Then, we'll be going."

"Don't mess up the aisles, you two!" We won't, so stop implying things that I wouldn't do anytime soon. Actually, screw the time limit – stop implying things that I wouldn't do, period.

In any case, the two of us made our way through the stacks of books, with Hayami following just a few steps behind me. My eyes scanned the spines of the books, trying to find that book that I wanted, and I managed to pluck it out from one of the more desolate aisles. I started reading the synopsis on the back cover, and I spoke up in order to break the silence. "…So, who was she?"

Silence was my reply for a few moments, leaving me to search for the other books in the aisle as I waited for her response. "She's… my aunt", she said after a moment or two, "I live here, and I help out from time to time for some extra pocket money." I hummed, stopping my tentative reading as my eyes glanced up from the book and stared at her. A part of me felt like an ass for intruding into what she probably called her home, but there was also a part that was curious to see what it felt like living inside a bookstore. I eventually decided to take the latter option.

"…It must be nice, having an aunt like that, huh?" I asked, once again turning back towards my reading, only for me to pause and double take when I took a look at the page number. Did the pages flutter somehow? The closest air conditioner was on the other side of the aisle. Was it that strong to even affect a page here? Hm, things to think about… "Mine usually spoils my little sister, so I don't know what it feels like."

"Well, it must be because Komachi is more sociable than you", she replied with a half-lidded gaze, to which I simply replied with a shrug. It was true anyway; Komachi was the one that actually pressed them for presents and stuff whenever they come by anyway, while I simply sat at the back just reading through pocketbooks and the like. "In any case, my aunt's a pretty decent woman." A thin smile formed on her face, and a flash of vindictive sadism crossed her eyes while I shivered, "She also still hasn't gotten a boyfriend yet, so I do believe that I've gotten one up on her in that regard."

Once again, I pause in my perusal, turning to look at Hayami once again only to see her mowing through the pages of another book, her cheeks burning and her eyes dulled in some sort of a haze. I sighed; pursing my lips as I slammed my book closed and made my way over towards her. Her shoulders were shaking, and I could tell from here that she was already a quivering mess. Even if some part of my mind told me that her current state was cute…I gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Look, I'm not that experienced with this thing either", I said, a wince forming on my face as a stray memory of…her flashed through my mind. "But…I can safely say that I'm not…looking for anything other than friendship for now."

Her shoulders slumped forward, and I could almost hear the punch connect with my gut as I felt disgusted with myself. I was in a situation wherein someone had actually told me their emotions directly to my face, and I could only reject their feelings while trying to word it as carefully as possible. Was this what…she felt during that time in the hallway? Actually, of all things considered, Hayami had picked a good spot to say this. If it was somewhere more public, rumors would fly at the speed of light, and then both of our reputations were ruined. Still, to think that I'm still affected by that incident…I'm just digested at myself. Didn't I come here to forget all of that? To make sure that her influence is gone? Then what the hell am I doing, freezing up at the right moment due to being unable to move on?

That's it. I'm a hypocrite. A goddamn hypocrite that's not even better than Orimoto Kaori. One who inadvertently condemned someone due to their own callousness, and had never looked back since. She was probably still out there, continuing on her daily life without a care in the world for the guy that she rejected in front of an entire hallway. If I come back to Chiba, then most certainly she wouldn't remember the name of Hikigaya Hachiman. Would I do the same given enough time? Delegate Hayami to the sidelines and continue on as if nothing had ever happened in life? No. I need to be better. To be able to work out a solution without both parties getting hurt.

Which is why the inclusion of two words made all the difference. "Wait", Hayami perked up, whirling towards me with wide green eyes framed by glasses. This close to her, I could certainly see the appeal of what she's currently wearing, and as much as I tried to keep the blush from forming on my face, I leaned back a few inches to make sure that she didn't see my burning cheeks. "You said 'for now'."

Trust her to capitalize on that. It might be an example of me leading her on, but if I wanted to make sure that Hayami was fine, then I…I have to do this. But could I trust Hayami with the knowledge? I glanced towards her eyes, brimming with both happiness and desperation…and decided to bite the bullet. "I'm…holding off on anything for now. Friendship is fine, but anything else is…off-limits." A smile formed on my face, and I turned around to look at the other side of the aisle to make sure that Hayami couldn't see my expression. "Last year, there was a bumbling idiot who admired someone from his class. He didn't even know anything about her, but he just decided to confess to her anyway because he was an idiot that haven't even known anything about her save for a name."

"Obviously, he was rejected. Then, he was mercilessly bullied until he quit the school." I sighed, pushing my bonnet down over my eyes while I continued. "He locked himself in his room, doing nothing but beat himself up over the fact that he was nothing more than a good-for-nothing idiot. His sister soon had enough however, and pleaded for him to come back. If I were to be honest, she was probably the only person at that point that he stilled trusted. After graduating from a shut-in, he then threw himself into work. Studying for entrance exams. Learning proper social cues. By the third year of middle school, he enrolled into Kunugigaoka Junior High School, but was sent to class 3-E instead due to not having enough student slots."

Hayami gasped, and I chuckled, removing my glasses and turning back to face her. She froze, as if she was caught in the headlights of a train headed straight right towards her. Except, replace 'train' with 'super creepy eyes belonging to a super-creepy person' instead. "I…wouldn't mind if you try to get to know me better." I said, a smile on my face as Hayami's lips trembled as she took a step back. "Just…I still have nightmares over it, so…" I averted my gaze, taking note of the fact that the floorboard that I was staring at had about three holes that were brought about due to wood rot.

Silence reigned through the still air of the library, and I only perked up when a pair of glasses were slid onto my person. Hayami had plucked out the pair that I held in my right hand, and she wore it as her own. Once again, I felt my heart skip a beat, and I tried to move my gaze away…if it were not for Hayami grabbing my face by the cheeks and keeping me from looking anywhere else. "Hikigaya-san…" she began, a smile on her face that was a bit wider than what she normally did. "Thank you. For trusting in me."

I was silent, and I if I were a betting man, then I'm pretty sure that my mouth was slightly hanging open. For once. For once, somebody thanked me. I closed my eyes, not even caring whether or not droplets of tears began forming at the edges, and Hayami released my face so that I could raise an arm to wipe the tears off. "I'll be waiting at the front of the shop. Come by when you're done getting all the books that you need, alrigth?"

Hayami smiled once more, and she made her way towards the front of the bookstore, where her aunt was probably grilling her for information. One that I…trust that she wouldn't give out. I delved into the passages once again, my mind flittering through words at a quick pace, and after a slight puff of air scored against the corner of the page that I was currently reading, I stopped and stared back towards the bookshelf.

"Korosensei…do you think that what I did was wrong?"

The octopus froze, and something shifted behind me as a small puff of hair disheveled my hair. Where there was once an empty aisle, there laid Korosensei, with toga and all. His ordinary wide grin was just a thin line, and his bead-like eyes stared at me impassively. A few moments pass between us, before Korosensei spoke. His tone was even, and didn't contain that annoying lilt that he used every time he talked. "If that is the only way you know how to solve problems, then it's my duty to make sure that I get you out of that mindset." He sighed, which was weird seeing as his mouth didn't even move. "…But, I do think that it's not my place to do that."

"Who, then?"

"That's your problem to solve, isn't it?" The grin was back in place, and with a laugh Korosensei once again disappeared out of my sight with a slight puff of air. I sighed, pulling out my BB gun and shooting the spot where he was in just to make sure. It wasn't like an exorcism, but it was somewhat close to it. Damn yellow octopus and that Mach 20 speed…

…The next time I see him, I'm putting a bullet on his gelato.

[Omake]: Shooting Gallery

"I didn't know you were a sucker for arcade games." I remarked, cocking the imaginary handle on my own weapon as the cutscene continued on playing its remarkably horrible screenplay. Couldn't the arcade industry give at least more thought into the content of their series?

"It helps with my aim", Hayami said, bringing up her gun so that the rear sights were flush against her cheek. "Plus…it would let me know whether or not I've actually surpassed you in becoming a good shot."

My brow twitched. "Did you just…?"

"Yes."

I heaved a sharp breath, passing it through my teeth as the cutscene ended and we were presented with our first batch of disposable mooks. My eyes flashed, and all of the mooks on the screen were killed with utmost efficiency. I turned my gaze back towards Hayami, and a smirk formed on my face. "Game on."

We were banned from that arcade soon after.

AN: You know, what I had in mind while writing this chapter was making it a light-hearted chapter for both 8man and Hayami, but…this happened. Also, for those who were surprised at the fact that Hikigaya knew where Korosensei was, read through the chapter again and pay close attention to 'breezes'. Does Korosensei use his Mach 20 speed to spy on people? Yes. Thus, I took it to its logical conclusion by having the octopus continuously port about the place at Mach 20 speed.

Indeed, he can go up into your face, but he is so stealthy and fast that you can only know of his presence by small puffs of air. *shudders*

Anyway, after this chapter, it's back to the main storyline again with the sports festival arc-thing coming up! I…don't have a good shot at writing a by-play of sports events though, so once again I'm most likely going to just gloss over the parts of it. And probably make some snarky commentary in the process.

…Also, 8man's first date was 'technically' a success. Go wild with what you think of that.