I find it hilarious that this story was so barren that canon overtook it not just by ending but also extended anthologies. The ending as pretty much as predicted, but despite my disappointment (I'm on the Yuicamp) it serves as motivation for me to continue, regardless how many people still reading.
toraigarashi0417 Thank you for the review, Yukino does in fact acknowledge she might be attracted to Hachiman way back in chapter 17, however she killed that feelings before it can blossom into real love in consideration to the situation and also Yui's own love. We all know the two canon components that trigger such development, the first being the "genuine" scene, which doesn't happen here, and the ice coaster "Help me someday" scene.
StoryReiter There's not much I can say, of all my fanfic, this story is the only story where I put extra effort to make sure it close to canon flavor, yet it develop into something that's less dramatic and considerably more whimsical and expository, with a lot of characters changing over the course of the story (Some of which may not be to readers' taste). Nevertheless, I'm glad that someone appreciate it for what it is.
As usual, enjoy the story a la carte, and tell me what you think!
"In other words, after we discussed the previously proposed plans, this is a list of the plans we can't afford to support and why..." Yukino said as she handed out copies of the counter-proposal to all the members of Kaihin High's student council and their volunteers.
Looking through it, Hachiman saw many were mentioned specifically due to a hard veto on fundraising attempts. Even he felt hurt by that.
"Ano..." Orimoto raised her hand. "Why exactly is fundraising being singled out?"
"If I have to be honest, it's a matter of timing..." Yukino said. "We can never estimate the total budget we earn from not meeting a fundraising goal, and without a measurable budget we can't plan the event accordingly."
"That makes sense." Tamanawa, though disappointed, seemed to be convinced. "If only we had more time..."
"But more than just that, relying on a big budget to make an amazing event is missing the spirit of Christmas." Yuigahama huffed. "Don't you think so?"
"Hmmm... that's true."
"Obsessing over money sounds rather unyouthful, doesn't it?"
Yuigahama Yui's earnest statement sowed discord among the Kaihin students who were ready to stand behind their leader's decision.
"Time is short, and as such, I sincerely wish we can start our preparations immediately." Yukino's gaze pierced through Tamanawa's psyche and shattered all his resolve to argue. "This is a short list I made based on Kaihin High's previous brainstorming."
As a matter of fact, the counter-proposal made by Yukino included all the plans that were proposed by the Kaihin High group themselves. Yukino skipped the bargaining stage and put them in a hard place where they could either accept or reject the plans they themselves had proposed.
They chose to accept, and now it was time to grease the wheels.
Vice President Iroha was anything but dumb, the girl was clever; blessed with a silver tongue that would seduce and soothe anyone who wasn't accustomed to such behavior or immune to her charms.
Vice President Iroha was also a crafty girl. She managed to bring back the lost passion from Yukinoshita's lethal, merciless strikes.
"So I kept thinking, what if we do it like this?"
"That's true!"
Had Hachiman not been preoccupied with a romantic relationship of his own, he'd likely have gotten ensnared by her.
However, getting along with Ebina Hina made him immune to teasing. Because other girls did nothing that Ebina hadn't already done before.
Even something like sleeping together...
Ebina Hina's psychological conditioning was super scary. Pavlov would be proud.
"As for the next, the volunteers from the elementary school..." Yukino said. "Let's not put too much burden in their hands, we should be the ones who do the thinking."
"Alright then, let's welcome them!" Tamanawa clapped his hand happily as he stood with Yukino in tow.
"You're pretty amazing, aren't you?" Hachiman told Iroha. "How could you restore his dignity so easily..."
"I don't think Tamanawa-senpai is a bad leader, as long as someone's there to rein in his ambition!" Iroha whispered. "I'll have to talk with his Vice President later!"
"Scary." Hachiman shivered in response and quickly followed.
For the occasion, Tamanawa invited the student council and volunteers from the nearby elementary school. However, Hachiman found it shocking when he met a certain someone among them.
Tsurumi Rumi.
Hachiman distinctly remembered her when they ran into each other during the summer vacation in a camp in Chiba village. Tsurumi Rumi was shunned by her friends, and to solve that issue, Hachiman decided to destroy the toxic relationship surrounding her instead of trying to salvage it.
It was one of Hachiman's greatest mistake, a mistake that he had yet to be able to make amends with.
"Is there anything we should do?" Rumi asked.
"How about you make the decorations?" Yukino asked softly. Looking at them, side by side as they were at that moment, it was like seeing an older and younger sister together.
And it wasn't only in mannerisms, Tsurumi Rumi resembled Yukinoshita Yukino physically too.
"Sure, we'll do it..." Tsurumi replied coldly.
Looking at her like this, she resembled Old Yukino even more. Yukino had grown soft, or rather, gentler with people since she had gotten elected to the presidency, so the difference was staggering.
"Hikigaya-kun, can you handle the logistic side of things? I have to discuss the main events with the rest."
So Yukino asked Hachiman to be the babysitter, how daring!
"Sure enough."
Hachiman was sure that Yukinoshita was going to kick some ass again, and was glad he was being excluded from the discussion.
"Hikigaya-kun, what about the Christmas tree?"
"We can start to decorate it right away."
"Won't the tree get in the way?"
"We can just display it in the entrance for the time being and move it to the venue later!" Hachiman told the other students.
"Hikigaya-kun!"
"Hikigaya-kun!"
Halfway management of inventories, halfway backbreaking labor, Hachiman ended up directing more volunteers because none of them seemingly had initiative and/or two working brain cells.
Yet, Hachiman's eyes were kept glued onto the lonely figure of Tsurumi Rumi, as she folded golden paper into uniform star shapes. The speed and precision of her work was downright inhuman.
"Working alone?"
Rumi ignored his question, and he waited for almost ten seconds before leaving her alone.
"Isn't that kind of obvious?" She asked sourly, moments before he was going to turn away.
"Talk about a delayed response..." Hachiman said as he sat beside her and split the material in half.
"What are you doing?" Rumi asked in disbelief.
"Isn't it obvious?" Hachiman echoed her rhetorical question as he began folding the golden stars himself, though nowhere as fast as her.
"Don't you have anything better to do?"
"Barking around orders isn't really my style, even if I'm good at it." Hachiman gleefully responded.
"How can Soubu's student council survive with people like you in it?"
"Yukinoshita is a reliable tyrant at the helm."
Rumi held her laughter a bit, which made her cheek bulge out, and tears come out of her eyes.
"How about you?" Hachiman asked.
Rumi sighed. "No one wanted the position, so they pushed it on me."
Ahh... politics. If Hachiman hadn't misunderstood, Rumi was chosen as a school representative, or perhaps even student council president.
"Our Vice President, Isshiki, was in the same position. Yukinoshita took over swiftly and won the election, though."
"Lucky for her."
"Ah, Hikigaya! Can I help?" Orimoto asked.
Seriously, does being someone's boyfriend raise a boy's value that much? Wasn't it the opposite? Or maybe it's just the shitty otaku crowd who care about someone's mental purity and prefer a boy or girl with zero romantic experience.
The way Orimoto was obviously hitting on him was terrifying.
"If you have that much free time, then help with decorating the tree!" Hachiman said.
"Umm. We're done here." Rumi blinked as she put the last folded star in the cardboard box.
"Then go and help over there." Hachiman smiled. "Can't be a loafer, can you?"
"Umm, thanks for the help..." Rumi said and rolled her eyes aside in embarrassment before she joined the rest of elementary students decorating the Christmas tree.
"You have Ebina-san already, and now you're hitting on an elementary school student, do you prefer them younger?" Orimoto teased him.
Sometimes, Hachiman asked himself that question. Most of his crushes turned out to be younger than him, to a degree, with few exceptions.
"Well, you were born on February 22nd, weren't you?" Hachiman teased her back, which made Orimoto blush from the implication.
Due to the Japanese school calendar system, the age cut off date for student acceptance would be early April. In other words, the youngest in a class were generally people who were born in March, while the oldest were born in April.
Hilariously, Totsuka Saika was one of the later, due to being born in April, contrary to his feminine and borderline childish appearance. Hachiman's little sister was an example of the former, being younger than the vast majority of her classmates because she was born on March 3rd.
The irony being Ebina Hina, born mid-July, was half-a-month older than him.
"Well, you got me there for certain." Kaori sheepishly laughed. "How are things with Ebina-san?"
"Hmm. Normal, I guess." Hachiman said. He wasn't the type to brag, anyway. And there was also the fact that Hachiman and Hina had yet to go to a real date. They were still planing to go out on the 23rd.
Actually, there was also Sunday to consider.
No! It wasn't as if Hachiman was having second thoughts! And it wasn't like he felt going on their first date on the Emperor's Birthday was being too cheesy, or anything!
"Normal, huh? I thought it would be something interesting." Kaori whistled. "Considering it's you, Hikigaya."
Wow, sounds like someone is having a sour grapes.
The pace which Hina and Hachiman rode on when it came to advancing their relationship was uneven. But, officially having their first kiss in under two months was a bit faster than average.
Which was understandable, considering how aggressive and whimsical his girlfriend could be. Hachiman was sure that was one of the reasons why he had been chosen by Ebina was that he liked taking things slow, balancing her out in the process.
"Well, watching at you hanging out with President Yukinoshita and others, I can see why Ebina-san can feel restless..." Orimoto remarked. "What about you? Ebina-san hangs out with the likes of Hayama, right?"
"Can't relate." Hachiman scoffed.
Of course, he lied. The afternoon before the sleepover... he was mad. Jealous of Tobe. He hurt his own hand accidentally. Back then, he had already began to feel a sense of attachment, perhaps even possession.
He didn't realize it until Ebina fell sick, and Hachiman panicked.
Hachiman felt disgusted just remembering that day, but he recognized that being jealous and protective of one's beloved is something perfectly base and natural. After all, he would do the same when it came to Komachi.
"...What the heck?!" Orimoto suddenly yelped while checking her phone. "Is this... Tobe?!"
"Hmm? Yeah, that's him, alright."
Ah, it looked like Tobe's sudden change of appearance had already gone viral. It made sense, considering he had always been with Hayama and had been under his shadow all the time.
The chances of Tobe getting a lot of confessions in the future was high.
Hachiman had the feeling that it wasn't just about appearance, but Tobe's mannerisms and expression played a part. It was like Tobe had grown up and matured overnight.
Also, Orimoto was distracted enough with it that she ended up gossiping on LINE, leaving Hachiman alone and free. Hachiman could only be thankful!
...
"So it's been decided that the highlight of this event will be a Christmas musical and classical music!" Yui explained. "Yukinon sure is merciless."
Hachiman learned that Yukino didn't just make a splash, but hosed the meeting with proverbial cold water because Kaihin High was acting up again and proposed impossibly ambitious ideas.
Like bringing a youth band and making a Christmas-themed movie.
He could imagine the Vice President was going to have it rough. Nevertheless, she was surprisingly determined to smooth things over again after all that tension.
"Since we're dealing with the elderly, picking a conservative approach is always best." Yukino seemed bitter. "If we're pushing our own tastes onto them, we're just going to make them uncomfortable."
"I couldn't agree more. God bless the queen." Hachiman commented.
"You just don't want the extra effort." Yukino eyed him, amused.
"And you do?"
"In my opinion, an aimless effort is worse than doing nothing." Yukino laughed lightly. "Let's make a report to Hiratsuka-sensei."
"Let's go!" Yui agreed.
"Senpai sure has limitless energy!" Iroha sighed.
"..."
Hachiman couldn't help but shudder. Yukinoshita being sociable was one thing... but being this happy and bright? That was creepy as hell. It was like seeing a flower blooming from beneath the coldest snow.
Mysteriously beautiful, yet at the same time frightening.
More so than that, Hachiman felt she wasn't pretending. In comparison, Yui was clearly in the process of recovering from sadness and anxiety.
That said... Yukinoshita's unusual attitude helped Yui, instead of pushing her away further. The friendship between these two had clearly grown, and they were closer than ever.
Something probably happened yesterday after they split off in front of the Service Club room. And for this reason, Hachiman felt rather lonely.
In this corrupt and unjust world, everything that was lost could be recovered, except for time. The price to pay for someone who wanted to spend time with someone they like, rather than the companions they usually hung out with...
Now he understood very well the threat of loneliness that plagued people like Hayama Hayato.
His distance to Yukino and Yui had grown increasingly further every time he spent his time with Hina. Was that something he should accept?
俺が いる - 嘘の山で
I Exist - On the Mountain of Lies
Disclaimer:
Original Story by Watari Wataru
Chapter 29: Even so, what they wanted was the real thing #1
"Looks like you got it under control even without my guidance. I feel rather useless these days." Hiratsuka sighed and rubbed her head.
"You shouldn't say that!" Iroha said.
"Well, I guess all I can do is keep giving you mental support, so you can have these." Hiratsuka pulled out four pieces of paper. Hachiman recognized them as Destinyland tickets.
"You'll be busy even after the closing ceremony, so this weekend might be the last time you can unwind..." Hiratsuka told them. "Being young is nice, but pushing yourself too hard will wreck you in the distant future."
"We can have these?" Iroha's eyes widened.
"Whoa!" Yui yelped. "How'd you get four of them?!"
"I won them from wedding after-parties. Twice." Hiratsuka's face darkened with utter contempt. "And they said, so hilariously, it means I can go by myself two times, twice over!"
Hachiman looked at her in abject horror. Going there four times? She would probably go for the fifth time with her own money because it was fun... and for a sixth time, she'd probably drag him along for the ride!
Please, someone, take her hand in marriage already. I'm a claimed man, so I'm not willing to claim responsibility! Hachiman screamed internally.
"But there are four of them, and six of us in the student council..." Hachiman said cooly. "And it's packed around this time in the year. Hard pass from me, thanks."
"Unfortunately, I have to agree with Hikigaya-kun." Yukino closed her eyes.
"We have plans this weekend, so..." The Treasurer Honmoku said, bashfully.
Meanwhile, the bespectacled Secretary Kurosawa blushed hard.
"We can't go either!" Kurosawa squeaked.
"Ehh? Both of you? EHH?!" Iroha's eyes bulged out in shock.
"Really? Congratulations!" Yui clapped.
"So, it was really like that. Hikigaya-kun was on point, huh." Yukinoshita twitched.
Motherfucker, so they REALLY are dating! Hachiman wasn't sure he was happy, the one time he gossiped and it turned out to be the truth.
"I'm sorry, we wanted to tell you, but the timing was..." Honomoku winced.
Kurosawa flailed, "And we also didn't want to mess up with the council work."
"From what I can see, the two of you are professional enough. So I don't think anyone in the council will object." Yukino smiled at them. "Congratulations, and please enjoy your time together."
If anything those two were too serious about the council, there was no need for any concern.
Still, Hachiman caught a glimpse of extreme jealousy from Hiratsuka and immediately tried to blend with the background instead.
"Hikki, Yukinon, can't we go? Please!" Yui begged. "I mean, we're unable to spend time together outside council, so..."
"That's true." Yukino looked at Hachiman weirdly, as if asking for his opinion but unable to voice it.
Hachiman immediately messaged Hina for permission. Before, he never bothered, considering Hina made her own plans without consulting him all the time.
But, he was reminded by Orimoto's words, Hina felt insecure when Hachiman hung around Yukino and Yui.
And, reminded of Yui's tears in the aftermath of his fake confession in Kyoto, Hachiman realized that he could be very inconsiderate at times.
[You should go! I'm very sure YuiYui and President want to go with you!]
The speed of reply, and the way Hina replied to him, bothered him a lot. He'd definitely call her once he got home.
"Well, if you think about it, there would be a lot of Christmas themed items in Destinyland..." Hachiman said. "Like say, Christmas Special Pan-san merchandise."
Yukino perked up, hearing about the irresistible temptation of limited-edition merchandise. Just like any hardcore fan!
"I want to buy some for Komachi, too."
Or at least, that was Hachiman's excuse. In reality, he wanted to go, as well.
"Fine, then." Yukino finally gave up. "But I have a yearly pass, so we have an extra ticket in the end."
YEARLY pass, huh? Just how obsessed was Yukinoshita Yukino with the squint-eyed panda?
"Ehh? So we have an extra ticket in the end, right?" Iroha asked with glittery eyes. "Can I invite someone else?"
"And who that might be?" Hachiman asked.
"That's a secret." Iroha winked.
"You say that, but it's probably Hayato-kun, right?" Yukino knowingly said as she left with a smile. "Please excuse me."
"Ehehehe busted." Iroha cheekily stuck her tongue.
"Yukinoshita is really terrifying today." Hachiman cringed.
Yui, while amused, couldn't help but nod. "Agreed."
...Were Yukinoshita and Hayama always on a first-name basis?
...
Hachiman and Hina met up later in a family restaurant near the community center where the collaboration event would take place.
"My bad that you have to come here." Hachiman apologized.
"It's fine. I'm hungry for a cheap and filling snack anyway." Hina smiled happily. "Besides, I'm the one who asked us to meet in Saize."
"Well, I love Saize, so no complaints on my part!" Hachiman pointed out.
"How was it? The collab event I mean."
"It's going smoothly. Yukinoshita stole the narrative control right from under their feet and more or less culled off all the stupid ideas right of the bat."
"That's brutal!"
"It was!" Hachiman said. "I ended up babysitting the volunteer children from a nearby elementary school, though."
"You want to be a house husband, might as well start your training now!" Hina laughed hard and smacked him.
"Tch, I hate it, but you're absolutely right." Hachiman grit his teeth. Someone who isn't good with kids doesn't deserve the job of a house husband!
They made their orders first before continuing their talk.
"So, about going to Destinyland..." Hina mumbled. "It seems that our group will tag along in the end."
"Not that I'm not happy with it, but how?" Hachiman twitched his eyes in disbelief.
"Do you know how absolutely pissed Yumiko was when she found out Iroha-chan invited Hayato, and only Hayato?" Hina wryly smiled. "Poor Yui had to mediate before it caused a literal bloodbath."
"Namu." Hachiman clapped his hands and prayed. But Isshiki really is ballsy, goddamn.
"Still, I think we should keep our distance there..." Hina said.
"I absolutely agree, they might get suspicious after all." Hachiman nodded.
"No, that's not what I meant." Hina shook her head. "I think we should spend more time with our friends."
"I see."
So that's why Hina told him to go right away.
"Truthfully, I was super happy when Yumiko forced herself in. It means we have an excuse to be at the same place on the weekend. However..." Hina said. "I feel like I've been neglecting them lately."
"You're right, I'm the same too!" Hachiman said.
"Ah, don't worry, I won't be jealous!" Hina waved her hands. The laughter that followed her was obviously forced.
Who was she trying to fool? They saw through each other like nothing was even there!
"It's fine to be jealous. Being jealous means you want to hold onto someone important." Hachiman huffed. "After all, I feel jealous too... erm, only sometimes, though."
"Thank you for being so understanding, Hachiman." Hina took a deep breath. "But aside from that, I'm also a bit scared."
Hachiman didn't verbally respond, but his face was clearly emoting a questioning demeanor.
"You know what my mind is like." Hina looked aside to hide her embarrassment. "Its always in disarray when we're together, and I kept thinking how I don't want to separate, making it harder for myself in the end."
Hachiman knew that Hina had that kind of an issue too. Chronic loneliness and yearning for affection, but she was also naturally reserved and insecure.
Overcoming dependency is something that every couple needs to go through at some point. Hachiman was aware, but it wasn't like he couldn't feel what Hina felt, to a lesser degree.
Hina had supported him through the election debacle. Had Hina not been there, Hachiman would never have let go of his stubbornness. And he would have gone to any lengths to maintain the existence of the Public Service Club.
He might have even done something that would have hurt Yukinoshita and Yuigahama.
Sure, they drifted apart afterward. But a drifting relationship can be tightened again. A collapsing relationship only can be rebuilt.
He was sure he wasn't the only one who thought that way. Hina's group also, as of recently, seemed to be in a similar situation.
"Nah, it's alright..." Hachiman told her earnestly as he awkwardly held her fingers. "People legit thought I was insane when they saw my reaction to the news of you being sick."
Hina blushed a bit and curled her fingers around his hand in response. "He-he-he, I'm so happy to hear that!"
Maintaining a healthy distance with each other was part of being a good couple, right?
"Speaking of which, this is a bothersome question for me to ask, but... is Hayama getting closer to Yukinoshita or something?"
"Why, are you jealous?" Hina teased him.
"Hell no." Hachiman cringed. "Like, I know they're childhood friends. And at some point, their relationship soured cold in elementary. I just want to know when did they reconcile and start getting closer again."
Being left in the dark, scared him a lot.
"Well, you're not the only one with that suspicion..." Hina said. "I'm pretty sure Yumiko thinks the same way. From what I gather at least, it happened during election season."
"Makes sense."
That was around the point Service Club was on the verge of shattering, so Hachiman couldn't have known. Still, knowing what happened made Hachiman somewhat relieved.
Hina definitely noticed his smile of relief.
He wondered why.
The relationship between Hikigaya Hachiman and Yukinoshita Yukino could be said to be very turbulent. Hachiman wasn't entirely sure what it was like from Yukino's side...
But Hachiman's feelings had changed. From physical attraction, wanting to be friends, mild crush, devotion, disillusionment, wanting to be friends AGAIN...
It was hard to point to what exactly their relationship was at the moment. So closer than acquaintances, but less than a friend?
Yeah.
Hachiman still wanted to be her friend after all. That was why he wanted to get closer to her, and with Yuigahama Yui too.
Hachiman ended up escorting Hina to the entrance of her apartment again.
"Please leave quickly! Before I try to drag you inside again!" Hina begged.
"Please, I'm zen as fuck. I won't be tempted even if you ask." Hachiman laughed.
Hina pouted in response. That ought to have hurt. Still, she understood that he was joking when he said that and knew that her desire to get closer wasn't at all one-sided.
"Hachiman, you're an idiot."
For some reason, Hina closed her eyes again. Hachiman had a feeling she was asking for a kiss. Hachiman looked left and right and noticed there weren't many people around them.
And so, he kissed her forehead lightly and turned red.
Hina's eyes widened in shock.
"So-sorry, for some reason, I thought that's what I should do."
"How cruel."
"Huh?"
"How cruel! You're about to leave, and making me like this! Take responsibility!" Hina cried and smacked his chest, clearly expecting more.
"Alright then, what should I do?"
"Shut up!" She forcibly pulled his face closer.
Their second kiss lasted longer than their first one. Hachiman was scared shit-less, but he couldn't say he didn't enjoy the thrill.
Sleeping tonight would be a little difficult!
