Author's note: Things have been rough over in West Bengal, India. Storm hit. Lot of people dead, lot of damage to property and structures. Electricity, water and internet not yet restored everywhere. I don't normally talk about real life issues a lot, huh?

People everywhere, trapped at home because of the worldwide pandemic. In recent times, I realize more than ever, how isolated many of us are.

I gotta help any way I can, right? Maybe, that's something as simple as writing a story that'll make people happy for a while. Some readers said before that they had to stop reading because it was getting heavy and they didn't want to deal with anything depressing when the world around them was already so sad. Well, this isn't a story where the bad shit wins.

It's a story about overcoming. And if you're looking for ulterior motives in characters, or over analysing, you're missing out on what's right in front of you.

Chapter 17: Moving On

Shizuka's POV:

This is, without a doubt, the strangest summer camp I've ever been part of. Actually, scratch that. These are the strangest days I've ever seen, the strangest my life has ever been. I'll be the first to admit, I spend probably a bit more time on manga than an adult, much less a teacher, should. But never did I think that I'd feel as if a story had stepped beyond its pages, and entered real life. But for the past few months, that's how it's been. A club that formed with the unusual (and challenging) goal of simply helping people. An ice cold princess with a heart of gold, living in a cage, becomes its first member. Incidentally, the elder sister of this princess happens to be the single most twisted student I've ever had. And then comes the club's second member. Someone who introduced himself by writing an essay unlike anything I'd ever expected to read from a high school student. And in that essay, a line that was as arrogant as it was cheesy, or so I thought. Because if the one who wrote that line was in any way serious, he wasn't just choosing the path of most resistance. He was planning on obliterating all that resistance head on, crushing it entirely.

"Hedonism brings with it freedom. And often, I see that associated with the license to do evil. That alone says a lot about the world humans have created. Freedom is also the opportunity to do good, to help others for no other reason than the fact that you enjoy it. If that were the world that existed, then, maybe then, a hedonist could say they have won."

And so, ever since this strange boy had joined the Service Club, life became something out of a comic book. Mind you, this was after I failed to strongarm him into joining. Hikigaya Hachiman could not be intimidated or controlled by force. Knowing the circumstances of his past, and what he's been through, I understand why that is. It's not that he isn't scared. No, that superhuman strength was achieved because of his fear. He was afraid of failing again, letting down another person he cared about. So, for a year, he pushed himself beyond what an ordinary person could. What allowed him to do it was his selfish desire to have fun. But it was also his desire to help people. To be a friend to them, like someone had been for him.

And so, the Hikigaya Hachiman who walked the earth was not bound by the same rules that trapped the rest of us.

And of course, this summer camp had pushed the intensity even higher.

Beating thirty opponents at arm wrestling just to end a bullying problem? That's not even a solution a regular human being could implement. It turned out, the one facing the bullying was a child named Tsurumi Rumi. Yukinoshita Yukino had chosen to help her (in a way I didn't think I'd ever see her choose). But because she'd gotten involved, some of the kids had brought in their older brothers and sisters. The thing is, this is how these problems continue to exist. There's a hierarchy. Bigger thugs controlling smaller ones, backing them up. That's how the system continues to work. Elementary kids backed up by high school siblings, who are in turn backed up by small time gangsters, who in turn are connected to syndicates.

Only this time, they'd run into an anomaly.

What do you do when your elder brother, and your elder brother's bigger, stronger friend, and all his other friends too, get beaten by one guy? What do you do when you come up against someone you can't just beat down and dominate? Someone who doesn't run away or try to play by the system's rules? What do you do when you run into someone who's just stronger than you, than all of you? And he crushes you with sheer, overwhelming power?

You can no longer bully or push people around after that.

It wasn't a permanent solution. Far from it.

Not everyone was a Mas Oyama or a Sakuraba Kazushi or an Onizuka Eikichi… or a Hikigaya Hachiman.

Not everyone can just fight the world and win.

But that sure wasn't going to stop Hikigaya.

He was illogical, naive… and the best student I'd ever had.

There were other rumours floating around about him too.

I'd had a conversation with Yukinoshita Haruno, who for some reason had invited herself to this camp. Strangely, twenty students from Kaihin Sougo had had to leave the camp late on the first night. I'd been told it wouldn't be necessary to follow it up. That was more than a little suspicious, but Kaihin Sougo teachers received messages from their school board saying that they'd had to be taken back home for urgent reasons, and that there would be no need to follow it up any further, and that the camp should proceed as usual.

Along with this were rumours that men from the Agito Zaibatsu had come to the resort that night.

Now those were probably some tall tales.

The largest company in Japan (and probably also its biggest underworld empire)... why would men from that entity come here?

I'd dismissed it as just some kind of weird story.

But then, Haruno had said something interesting.

"Your student has extremely powerful friends."

Haruno wasn't the type to just believe rumours that had no basis in truth.

Also, she had a tendency to know a lot of things.

Add to that Hikigaya's feat of defeating 30 guys straight up.

And the stories that were floating around now said that among the Soubu High students, there was an unbeatable demon.

All of this, as I've said, should have been ridiculous.

Yet, it was just another few days in the life of Hikigaya Hachiman.

Looking at him though, you'd never believe all of this had happened.

A lot of people tend to get a big head after getting a notable win.

But Hikigaya had always carried himself with confidence, so nothing had changed. He hadn't suddenly become some sort of gangster-wannabe. No, that was exactly what was endearing about him.

At the end of the day, he would always be a dork who spent a bit more time being an otaku than he probably should.

And that was fine with me.

As far as I was concerned, Hikigaya had already learnt everything I could teach him. Well, technically not, since his Modern Japanese could still stand to improve a bit. But as a young guy moving into the future, I think he'll be fine.

Looking back, I missed out on a lot of stuff because I was fighting a battle alone, huh?

A battle to help people.

But maybe ten years is enough.

I think… I can finally move on too. I won't be young forever.

Hachiman's POV:

Camp is drawing to a close now. It's been a fun couple of days. There's still some kind of a "test of courage" type deal left for the final night (which is tonight), but I think I'll pass. Honestly, there's such a thing as getting way too much attention. I don't mind playing a heel (it's a lot of fun, seriously), but being a face is… annoying. I'm not really a fan of smiling and waving to the crowd.

So, the idea is that the elementary school kids are going to do the test of courage, and the seniors have to play the role of various ghosts, monsters and other creatures to provide the challenges on the way to the goal.

As for me, this place has good internet coverage, so the plan is to just chill and re-read Kengan Ashura (I am completely up to date with that series).

Or at least, that's what I'd be doing if I wasn't being dragged into this event by my Service Club teammates.

Well, this is kind of nice.

Can't really say the ladies have liked me much before. So this is definitely a nice change.

At the moment, I'm just chilling, thinking of story ideas. Most camp activities are already done, so there's only the test of courage left for tonight.

I should probably be picking out a costume from the few that are available, but I really can't be bothered. Cosplay sounds fun, but I'd rather do it right than just half-ass it with the costumes they have here. Seriously, you can't just stick a pig mask on someone and call them an orc. Where's the crude armour? The sword? Besides, why cosplay an orc when you can cosplay a Hollow Black Knight?

It was around the time I was thinking about the value of good cosplay that I was interrupted by the sound of a voice.

"Uh, hey, bro."

Oh, come on.

I knew that voice.

It was one of the three musketeers.

Turning around, I saw one of the guys I remember joining in on that conversation about Dragon Ball. Yep, he had the fancy jumper and the bleached hair. Still didn't know his name though. Does that matter? It actually does. But, this conversation must be carried out.

"What's up?" I ask. No need to be rude. I don't actually have a problem with any of these people.

He looks around a little, as if making sure no one's listening in on us.

Finally, when he's satisfied that we are in fact alone out here in this part of the woods, he speaks.

"There's… something I need a little help with."

I raised an eyebrow.

He was coming to me, of all people?

I would think his group wouldn't really have an overly high opinion of me after the last time I had anything to do with them.

"You sure I'm the one to come to for that?"

He winces slightly, probably because I just reminded him of last time.

"Look, I know you were trying to help, all right? Yui told us. Besides, the chain mails and rumours stopped after what you did. It was pretty fucked up… but it worked."

"Huh."

"And I've heard good things about you from Totsuka too."

"Sure."

"Look, man. I know you're part of the Service Club. And I really need some help on this."

"Wouldn't you rather ask your friend Hayama?"

He winced again, and this time, looked highly uncertain whether to say anymore.

"He… I don't think he wants to help me with this. He's always been weird whenever something like this turns up."

Well, that pricked my curiosity.

Unfortunately, satisfying my curiosity isn't a good enough reason to interfere in people's lives. I've learnt that lesson now.

He probably realizes I'm not too keen on this.

"Look, man. You're the only one who can help me with this. Please."

Ah, he probably meant to ask the Service Club as a whole. Does that mean it would be weird for him to say this in front of the girls?

I sighed.

"Well, I can at least hear you out."

He looked quite relieved at hearing that, but nervous as well.

Fidgeting slightly, he struggled a bit before managing to get the words out.

"There's… someone I like."

"Oookay?" I said uncertainly.

"And I want to ask her out."

"Right."

"But I'm not sure how I'm going to do that, or if it'll even work. And… I don't even know how to get started."

"Stop right there."

I knew exactly where this was going.

If I went by the patterns established through years of popular storytelling, I was being roped into playing a dating guru character, and helping my disciple win the affections of the person he liked.

Obviously, with the chance to do something like this, my answer was…

"Hell no, dude, I can't help you with that."

He leapt back slightly.

"Instant answer? So cruel!"

"Can't help you, man."

"Come on! Just a little, please? If anyone can give some advice, it'd be you! I mean-"

"You mean what, exactly?" I said sharply.

While I spent a lot of time with Yukinoshita and Yui, I wasn't dating either of them, and I wouldn't allow any false rumours to be spread.

"Nothing," he said hastily. "It's just… you seem so confident in front of the ladies, dude. If I had just a bit of that confidence, I feel like I could do what I needed to."

I sighed.

It seemed I'd be unable to get out of this without at least doing something.

I looked at the guy.

It was impossible to know just from seeing his face exactly what kind of guy he was, how he'd treat someone. But he was under a few misconceptions.

"It's not about confidence," I said. "Look, this whole pick up game crap that you keep hearing about? It's bullshit. I don't really understand why people think this confession shit is so important. It's probably the least important part of a relationship. If two people actually get along and like each other, you really think they'd need to go out of their way to impress each other?"

His eyes widened.

"If she really likes you, she'll say yes anyway. Maybe she'll be the one to ask you out. If she doesn't like you, no amount of 'game' or 'confidence' is going to change anything. Heck, if you change yourself just to ask someone out and get her to say yes, then you're fake as hell, and you need help."

He stared at me, not saying anything.

"Uh… sorry, got a little excited."

"No, it's not that. You were making sense. It's just… I guess I didn't expect you to be so wise."

"Now you're just making fun of me."

"No, I'm serious. What you said should be common sense. And now I'm wondering, why didn't I realize this from the start?"

I laughed.

"The world'll have you believing a lot of crap. Luckily, if you just think a little, the right path isn't so hard to find."

He nodded, seeming a little bit more at ease now.

"Thanks, man. I'm… not sure if I still wanna ask her out. Maybe I want to get to know her a little better first."

"That's a start."

As he walked away, I decided to address the one person who had been listening in on the conversation.

"Hiding behind trees only works if I can't see your shadow, Orimoto."

A slightly surprised but nevertheless grinning Orimoto Kaori stepped out from her "hiding" place.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"I spotted you sneaking there. You know there's a pond right in front of me, right?"

"Fair enough."

For a moment, there was a silence that strangely wasn't awkward at all.

"Your friends aren't here?" she asked at last.

I shook my head. I knew who she was talking about.

"They're picking out costumes for tonight's event."

"Oh yeah, there is an event, isn't there? Somehow though, I doubt anything they have planned is going to top one guy beating 30 other guys at arm wrestling."

"There's always one guy who spends a little too much time in the gym," I shrugged and replied.

Orimoto blinked, then burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha, you've gotten really funny, Hikigaya… hilarious, hahaha!"

I was on the verge of making a snappy reply when I realized something.

Orimoto was never at fault for anything that happened.

She didn't know Saito and his buddies were a bunch of scumbags.

All she did was tell her friends that the class weirdo asked her out.

It was cruel and callous, yes. But not evil.

Looking back, I was surprised to find that I didn't hate her, at all.

She had the right to say no, I noted.

I wasn't bitter about it. I wasn't hung up about it.

Huh. Guess I should think about the advice I just gave, huh?

If I got over her this easily, maybe she never meant much to me at all. Why did I like her back then anyway?

I guess she's kind of cute, if you consider looks. And she was one of those people who was nice to me. For 15 year old me, that was enough, I guess.

I shook my head.

Well, nothing wrong with an innocent crush, as long as you grow out of it.

That was back then.

A lot had happened since then.

And this was now.

Can't be chained to the past forever, can I? That'd be a sad way to live.

"You know, Hikigaya, you've changed a lot. You've gotten a little wiser too?" she said. Well, she had just overheard me preaching to that guy.

"I guess I have, haven't I?" I replied.

She seemed slightly surprised by that answer. Maybe she'd been expecting me to sit here and brood a little longer.

I stood up.

"It's a shame the guys didn't get to hang out much with you. Oh! And you haven't even met the others from our class. Oh! We can exchange numbers-"

I shook my head.

"Nah. I'd feel out of place with all you cool kids."

Orimoto's eyes widened momentarily.

I was about to leave, but decided to stop.

Smiling slightly, I looked at her.

"Hey, Orimoto. You're fine as you are. But maybe think about being a little kinder. Won't cost you a thing, and it'll feel pretty good."

With that said, I moved on, in more ways than one.

Maybe giving that dude some advice had given me a chance to organize my own thoughts.

I've been putting off a lot of things, huh?

I won't be a teenager forever.

Gotta start thinking about the future.

And I can't just beat every problem with my fists.

I'll have to get a job. Make a living.

That's okay, I guess?

Hmm… I'm pretty confident about my art. Wonder if it's actually good enough for me to make a living from it?

Well, it's something to do a bit of research on.

And I guess I can't leave Yukinoshita and Yui hanging either.

It won't be easy.

Someone has to be left behind, right?

Wrong.

I can't be the right guy for both of them. And whoever I'm not the right guy for… will move on, and they'll be ok.

Yeah, they believe in me, right?

I'm gonna believe in them too.