Author's note: This should be obvious, but I do not, for one second, endorse what Hachiman did in the last chapter. This is fiction, and should be taken as such. With that being said, Hedonist Hachi is a character with flaws. He has good in him, and he has bad. In the end, he couldn't forgive the ones who crippled his best friend. How that makes you feel about him as a character is entirely in your hands.
I will say, though, that all the really dark chapters of this story are now over. Don't worry, there will be nothing violent or depressing beyond this point.
This is a story about people trying to make it through life, as best as they can. It is ultimately a story to entertain you all, and give you some hope and joy. That is what I have said before, and that is still true. Chapter 15- Hachiman's POV:
Summer Camp Arc, Part 3:
Well, it didn't matter.
Sighing, I decided to acknowledge her greeting. This wasn't something I could run from.
"Yukinoshita san," I said.
She looked pointedly at the hammer, which was only a few feet away from where she was standing, before turning her gaze back to me.
"This is a fine night for carrying out some manslaughter, eh, Hikigaya kun?
I gave her a flat stare.
She had me exactly where she wanted me, and she knew it. I had never hid from her that I didn't like her, and I knew the feeling was mutual. I couldn't really talk my way out of this situation. The truth would be known eventually. Haruno being here simply means that it will happen sooner rather than later.
I looked up at the sky, and took a deep breath.
Then I met her gaze again.
"Let's skip the games, Yukinoshita san. You know what I did. I know what I did. Just make the call and get this over with."
She didn't seem to have been expecting to hear that, judging by the look on her face.
"Hikigaya kun, what are you saying?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm turning myself in. Call the police. Waiting out here is going to get boring, so tell them to make it quick."
Her eyes widened momentarily in an expression that was equal parts surprise and amusement. Was she enjoying this?
"Giving up this easily? I thought you'd at least make an even bigger mess in your attempt to get away."
"Why would I try to get away?" I answered. "I know what I did was wrong. I know I crossed a line that shouldn't be crossed. I'm not a madman, and I don't enjoy hurting people either. I think, somewhere inside, I knew that what I did would have consequences. I can't run from them."
This time, she was surprised.
I saw Haruno's flawless facade fall off at last, revealing a glimpse of the person underneath.
For a long moment, she simply stared at me wide-eyed.
Then, she smiled.
It was different from the various mocking or false smiles I had seen from her before.
This one was genuine.
"You are the strangest person I've ever met, Hikigaya. Five minutes ago, you just attacked some people with a sledgehammer. And now, you're standing in front of me without even the tiniest bit of violence in you. I'm curious. How is this possible?"
"Should you really be asking all these pointless questions? I would assume you'd be more prompt in bringing in a violent criminal."
"Oh, you're already surrounded, Hikigaya. You didn't think I came here alone, did you?"
At her words, I looked around, and sure enough, in the shadows of the trees and the other houses, I could see men in black suits.
Carrying guns, of all things.
I turned to Haruno.
"How did you even obtain these? Isn't it impossible to get hold of them in Japan?"
"Money opens many doors," she answered simply. "But let's not digress, Hikigaya. As you can see, I'm in no reason to be in a hurry. I should inform you, each of these men is extremely proficient with his firearm. As strong as you no doubt are, to have taken on that many opponents and come out on top, I don't quite think you can win in a collision with a bullet. So how about you answer my question?"
So this was it then?
Instead of the police, I'll be interrogated by the Yukinoshita family's employees? I heard recently that they're quite rich. The patriarch is a diet member, and owns a construction company as well. Plenty powerful.
Well, it didn't matter.
It doesn't really make a difference who's asking the questions.
The answers don't change.
I looked at Haruno, and told her the truth.
"I, Hikigaya Hachiman, don't bear any violent intent towards anyone in the world, with the exception of the people in the house behind me. If I must pay for what I did, then so be it. But know this: those guys in there? They've beaten and bullied others. Ganged up on them. In front of my eyes, they knocked someone off the edge of a platform on the sixth floor of a shopping mall. He was left paralysed, and eventually died after a year of suffering in hospital. I thought, maybe, it was an accident. That they wouldn't go so far as to push him off deliberately. But no, today, they laughed and joked about it. They don't regret what happened. So I decided to make them feel some regret."
Haruno listened intently to what I said.
"That still doesn't tell me why you would attack them. You're not a vigilante, Hikigaya. I doubt you spend your nights beating up every criminal in Chiba. So tell me, why these people in particular?"
"Because that guy they knocked off the edge: he was my best friend, my brother. They hurt him. And for that, I couldn't forgive them."
I paused for a moment.
"My brother's already gone. He had no regrets in his life. And I'm not hung up on the past either. But I couldn't really let these guys go for what they did."
Haruno's eyes flashed. At least to an extent, she understood why I had done what I had done.
"I see now. But that still isn't the entire story, is it? While you were in there, I heard you talking about how they should never look at anyone you care about again. Why don't you come out and say the whole truth, Hikigaya? You weren't just taking revenge. You were protecting the friends you have now."
This time, I was the one who was surprised.
How did she know?
She sighed.
"I thought you were a smart guy. I got a call from Yukino. She'd caught onto the fact that these people were trouble, so she called home. And I happened to be the one who picked up. Needless to say, I couldn't really let a bunch of thugs anywhere near my sister and her friend. So I decided to come over with some help. Of course, when I get here, I find that you're in the middle of paying them a visit. And now, here we are."
So that's it then. That's why she was here, with these men.
But wait, from the fact that they were carrying guns… did that mean they were about to implement an even more permanent solution than what I used?
"You should be more careful, Hikigaya. How do you think they got away with all their crimes so far? Your targets have connections in Chiba's underworld. Do you really think they won't come after you for what you did to their boys? What do you plan to do when a legion of thugs turns up at your door?"
My eyes widened.
I'd made a mistake.
It was something I had to do.
But it was still a mistake.
This would escalate even further now? They'd come after Mom and Dad, and Komachi. They'd come after Yukinoshita and Yui. Totsuka and Zaimokuza. Sensei.
My mind raced as I struggled to find an answer.
I was interrupted though, by the sound of Haruno laughing.
"Hahahaha, I see, I see now. You're a gimmick boss."
"Excuse me?"
"A gimmick boss. Don't you play video games?" she said.
"I know what a gimmick boss is," I answered.
"They can't be beaten in a normal fight. The player who goes up against them and tries to implement the regular combat of the game, will lose. No matter how good they are, the boss will one shot them. Indeed, someone like you is the gimmick boss of his own game. You can't be defeated in a direct fight at all. And you can't be intimidated, charmed or bought. Hmm… perhaps my analogy was wrong. You're actually more like a shounen hero. When your friends are at stake, you bring out an invincible, frightening strength. But the source of this power… is also your weakness. In other words, you're easy to manipulate using the people you care about."
I stared at her warily.
"Oh, don't worry," she said lightly. "As satisfying as it would be, I'm not here to take control of you. That would be a poor way to repay someone who was looking out for my cute little sister. For the record, those boys you just destroyed? They have many, many pending cases of molestation and assault."
I hadn't been aware of that, but considering their character, it seemed quite likely.
For Haruno to be revealing all this, and saying she didn't want to control me… I had no idea where she was going with this.
"What are you going to do?" I asked.
"About those guys? Oh, you shouldn't worry. Their mobster friends have been protecting them, but as I've said, money can change a lot of things. You'll be surprised how many people are willing to sell their loyalty. I was initially planning on turning them in to the cops, but after what you did, I doubt they're a threat to anyone anymore. Their friends will stop supporting them, and they're incapable of doing anything themselves anymore. Chiba wll be a little safer than it was before."
That answered a part of my question. But another part remained.
"As for you…" she said. "I can't really let someone who protected my sister go to jail for it. But that doesn't mean I've given you a free pass. Now, I don't intend to control you. Not fully, at least. But I do have this one thing over you, and that means you're going to have to do a few things I want you to do."
So this is how it's going to be?
"What do you want?" I asked warily.
"Take a walk with me, Hikigaya."
She signalled to her men, and they moved towards the house where I'd left Saito and his buddies.
Haruno, in the meantime, walked towards the woods, and I followed her, catching up and keeping step.
"Now I don't really need to say this, but I assume you have things to live for, and don't really want to spend the rest of your life in prison. Answering a few questions honestly will go a long way towards avoiding that outcome."
I nodded. This was fair. I did have things to live for.
"What exactly is Yukino to you, Hikigaya?"
"A friend," I answered without hesitation.
She nodded, as if she'd been expecting that.
"And what are you to her?"
This simple inverse of her previous question struck hard.
What was I to Yukinoshita?
We got along, that was true. But if asked about it, would she acknowledge me as a friend? I didn't know. Somehow, I didn't think she would.
"No answer, huh? Well, that's all right. Silence is preferable to a lie. But I'll go with what you said. You're Yukino's friend, right? And you're a perceptive guy. So here's my next question. What do you think her goal is?"
"To make the world a better place, because she thinks it's the duty of the capable to do so."
"And what do you think her real goal is?"
Ah. It seems Haruno understood her sister better than I had given her credit for.
"She doesn't know," I answered. "She doesn't know, because she hasn't thought about it for herself. Her so-called duty is just what she's been conditioned to believe by her experiences. In other words, it's a decision that's been made for her, not one she made herself."
Haruno clapped enthusiastically.
"Very good, Hikigaya kun! My, my, you're quite perceptive, aren't you? Well then, next question. As a friend, what is the one thing you want to give her?"
That was an easy one.
"The freedom to make her own choices."
"Ding ding ding, correct answer! Excellent job, you've reached the end of this quiz, and have won your grand prize. You'll get to know a little bit about Yukino."
I was listening intently. Apart from the fact that Haruno was dangling the threat of making my life a lot harder over me, I was also curious to know what she might have to say.
"It wouldn't be right to give away any secrets that aren't mine, but I'll tell you a few things in general, and a few things that concern me. Being born in a family like ours can be… demanding. The fact is, not everyone is capable of meeting those demands, nor is it in their best interest to do so. In our case, I wouldn't be lying if I said I'm pretty good at a lot of things. Oh, but you know the feeling of that too, don't you, mangaka san? The truth is, talent isn't the only thing. It's about the effort you put into cultivating a skill. And that effort can only be sustainably put in by those who believe in what they're doing. Those who only do it so that they can follow in someone else' footsteps… won't really be happy. But I digress. Our parents have certain expectations. But they're smart enough to realize that they can't turn apples into oranges. So, most of those expectations are on me. Yukino doesn't realize it, so she's stuck trying to compete with me, though she doesn't need to. Well, that's the gist of it. There are a few other things you'll need to know… but you can find those out yourself."
"Need to know? Find out myself? Why are you telling me all this?"
Haruno smiled.
"Isn't it obvious? It's because I want you to save her."
What?!
"You don't need to be so surprised, Hikigaya kun. I'm not your villain, unless you give me a reason to be. I do think you're capable of doing this job, but as I've said, I'm not giving you a free pass. Here is the deal I will offer you: if you succeed, your involvement in the incident tonight will remain a secret. You'll get to live out the rest of your life in peace, and chase your dreams. If you fail… then I'm afraid I cannot let you remain in Yukino's life. She has no need of false friends and false hope. Should you choose to try and remain in her life even after failing, then and only then will the truth of this incident be known. Needless to say, this is the only deal I'm offering you. So… to begin with, I want you to-"
"I refuse."
Haruno blinked.
Out of all the unexpected things that had happened tonight, this was the one she was absolutely not prepared for.
"I understand that you intend to take care of Saito and his friends anyway. Meaning, my family and friends have nothing to fear anymore. The only consequence of what happened tonight will be on me. If that is the case, I have no problems, and no reason to go along with your demands."
Haruno took a step forward.
"Why must you go against common sense? Do you not want to protect your own life? Do you not want to help Yukino?"
"Of course I do. I want to protect my own life. And I want to protect Yukinoshita Yukino, my friend. But if I were to do it just because you asked me to, I'd be no better than a bought friend, a helper you assigned for her."
I stood tall and faced her.
"I don't need a reason to help Yukinoshita Yukino. I would have done it anyway, and I will do it anyway. And I certainly don't intend to not be in her life just because I might fail to meet whatever arbitrary standards you've set up. The only one who can tell me to get out of Yukinoshita Yukino's life… is Yukinoshita Yukino herself."
Having said what I needed to, I began to walk in the direction of the house I was staying in with the other Soubu boys.
"Hikigaya kun!" Haruno called out behind me.
I didn't stop.
There was something I needed to do.
I reached the house, opened the door and let myself in. As expected, everyone was already asleep. I'd left my phone behind, and I now retrieved it from my bed. Having done so, I found the right number, and made a call.
"Police? Yes, I have committed a crime and would like to turn myself in."
What happened over the course of the next few hours would take too long to explain. Needless to say, it presented all sorts of difficulties for Haruno, but nothing she couldn't overcome, with her influence and wealth.
I, of course, was carried off in a car to the closest station.
Almost miraculously, most people at camp slept through it all, and remained unaware of what transpired.
I will skip over the details of the journey to the station, and my confession there, since these would be obvious to the reader.
Instead, I will only talk about what happened roughly an hour or so after I was already in lockup.
I wasn't really getting any sleep, though I was lying in the single bunk provided in the cell. It was as I was staring up at the ceiling that I heard footsteps approaching, and turned around to see an officer carrying a set of keys. I watched, dumbfounded, as he opened the cell doors.
"You're free to go."
This was so beyond anything I could reasonably come up with an explanation for, I simply stared.
"What?"
"You're free to go," he repeated. He was to the point, and was treating me awfully well for someone brought in for what I had done. He seemed almost in awe of me.
Not even understanding what was going on, I walked out of the cell, and saw a man waiting in the corridor outside for me. He was an imposing figure. Standing over six feet tall, he was powerfully built. He also had the bearing and body language of an extremely formidable fighter. I knew from my first glance that if I were to attack him, weapon or not, I would be summarily annihilated in two seconds flat. His dark hair was slicked back, and he wore a two piece white suit that had nothing fancy about it. There was also something familiar about his face. A pair of piercing eyes stared right at my own.
Far more than Yukinoshita Haruno, this man was powerful.
He had no need for a facade.
No need for seduction, or intimidation.
He surged with an overwhelming aura that almost made me back down.
Almost.
Far more than any battle I had fought before, standing my ground here was difficult.
It took everything I had to meet that iron gaze head on without flinching.
But I managed to do it, barely.
"Hmph. So there is some truth to the rumours about you," he said. He had a deep voice, one that spoke with confidence, but not arrogance.
"Who are you?" I asked.
From next to me, the officer who had released me spoke quickly.
"Oi, kid! Show some damn respect!"
"Thank you for your help, officer. I would like to speak with him alone," said the stranger.
Immediately, the cop said nothing more. With a simple nod, he walked away quickly.
I stared at the man. Who could command such respect from the police?
"It seems you have not been made aware of my identity. This is understandable. I do not see any reason for the contrary to have happened. My name is Ryuken Agito."
My heart stopped for a moment.
Ryuken Agito, of the Agito Zaibatsu.
Heavy industries, technology, research and development, construction. It was hard to think of a sector where the Agito Zaibatsu did not have an iron hand. They were one of the single largest entities in Japan, and their legal businesses alone commanded wealth that was incomprehensible to people like me.
It was said in magazines and the like that they could buy an entire city and not even exhaust a tenth of their wealth.
And that was only their legal side.
It was rumoured that the Agito clan had existed even before the two World Wars, and were the shadows in the underworld.
The man standing in front of me was, without one shred of exaggeration, one of the most powerful individuals on the planet.
"Ah, I see that you may have heard my name once or twice before. Do not let it bother you. I am not here on behalf of my businesses. This is a personal visit."
I gulped. I had no idea what he wanted with me.
This time, I really was out of my depth.
He paused, and instantly saw the confusion and fear in my eyes.
"Your wariness is admirable, but unnecessary. A car is waiting outside. It will take you back to the resort from where you were picked up. You may return to your life without fear or worry. Your actions on this night do not exist, as far as any official records are concerned, nor will any criminals harm you or those close to you because of them."
His words were delivered with an emperor's authority.
"Why?"
The word slipped from my mouth before I could stop myself.
"Why go this far for a nobody like me?"
And then, to my absolute shock, he nodded his head slightly.
"To the only person in the world who was a friend to my son, I owed a debt. Kazuya never let me help him, even once I was in a position to do so. I am simply repaying that debt. Live well, Hikigaya Hachiman."
With that, he walked away.
I never saw Ryuken again in person, though he was frequently featured on the news. I would only find out the truth about Kazuya and his relationship years later.
I wonder, how many people with noble hearts are chained by weight placed on them by their ancestors?
Kazuya freed himself, and time again, he freed me.
I stepped outside the station, with renewed determination.
I raised my fist high.
"Never again will I fail. I'll achieve my dreams, and I'll do right by every person I care about."