"So, what d'ya want? I am a bit of a busy guy at the moment, one request here, another there... But you wouldn't know what it is to have to work to solve them, since you hire help, right?"
Hayato Hayama, obviously once again in a position of needing another favor from me, flinching at reminiscing how useless he truly is behind his fake smiles and nice guy attitude.
"Haruno Yukinoshita texted me this morning, saying that a girl from another high school whom you knew wanted to see me with a friend of hers. Do you have any idea who that is, and perhaps help me with this?"
Am I dreaming or 'The Great Hayama Hayato' is extending his hand, expecting a fake smile like his, to shake his filthy hand full of who-knows-what, and nod my help in approval? Heh, of course he wouldn't expect something from me to do actually, that would be so 'way out of character'... So much that it is tempting...
I take a thinking pose while crossing my arms over my chest, leaning back against the side of the vending machine, looking at the concrete ceiling over us, both drinks in each hand.
"Hmm, I met Yukinoshita-san last evening at a restaurant, and she 'helped' me getting away from a former middle high schoolmate I didn't wanted to meet again, accompanied by a friend of hers. That might be those two, and I'm sure the girl in question, Kaori Orimoto, spilled the beans and told some old stories about me, and how I knew you somehow. Needless to say that since a loser like me knows the 'Mighty Hayama Hayato', she would use me as a way to get her chance to get closer to you, like your 'adorable' followers already do here."
"Killing two birds with one stone huh? Obviously it would be Haruno-san's way of doing things. You seem to have a way to get yourself into problems, Hikitani-kun." Hayama breathed out while looking at the ground, contemplating something... Suicide perhaps?
He lifted his head right back up with a very serious expression I already saw before. The last time I saw it, it was in Kyoto, and it brought me in the situation I'm in right now, where everything is hanging by a thread.
"Hikitani-kun, be very careful about Haruno-san. You can read people, seeing through them, but if someone can outsmart you, it's her. For some reason, the two of you seem to be on good terms together. What she-"
"Oh please spare me the 'quotes' or warnings about her. We spoke last evening, in the restaurant, me and her for a bit, long enough to lower our respective masks and show each other our true faces. If you were about to tell me 'What she likes, she kills it with affection, and what she dislikes, she crushes it.', you can keep your nice and friendly speech. In the short time we shared discussing at a table, I was able to read and understand more than you probably did by being 'acquainted' to her due to your families being on good terms." I cut him before he can utters the words Haruno told me herself, that she knew people were saying in her back.
This apparently took him by surprise and he recoiled a bit with this dumb moronic expression on his face. It took him a few seconds to regain a semblance of composure, and the first thing he did was... chuckling?
"I see... Than it means you are really interesting to her. She dislikes boring things and is always on the look out to be diverted or interested, no matter what happens to others and her environment around her. Like this is one big game for her..." He says, lowering his face towards the groung again, a sad and pitiful smile on his face.
I, on the other hand, have trouble now squashing the bottle of water in my right hand, sick and pissed at hearing this jackass Mr Know-It-All blabbering and bullshitting about people he knows next to nothing of. Well that, and the fact that despite last night, I really learned to appreciate Haruno as a person. She sorta 'opened' my eyes you could say...
A small restrained grunt escaped my throat, catching his attention and mine at the same time, looking at his face raising itself once more.
"You were admiring the floor, my shoes, or my pants a bit too much for my taste. Not only that, but you were stealing my bad habit of dazing out when someone talks to you."
This has to be one of the worst lies I could come up with, on the spot, but if he believes it, it probably means it works. Which would mean he's actually that stupid, which is stupid in itself to think since he's a good student and pretty smart, as much as I hate to admit.
"Huh, it's nothing... So, will you help me please? About this 'arranged double date'? I thought Saturday would be a good day, since it leaves the both of us enough time in our agendas to prepare. " He asked, bowing deeply, to show some sort of humility, but in fact it's more of a dependance towards me. He isn't respectful, he just NEEDS me.
"Fine, I'll go, but you owe me. And not the kind of 'You owe me some thanks' Service Club, kind of thing. No, I'm talking the 'You owe me a really big debt, and when the time comes for you to honor that debt, you'll do it'. If by bowing that hard you're showing your commitment for requesting my presence, then you have to be ready to sacrifice something. That's the main rule of this World, you get nothing for free. Do you accept the condition?"
He raises himself, and shakes my right hand I had freed from the bottle of water, placing it under my left arm. He looks fiercely into my eyes, and gives me what I want to hear from him.
"I owe you a great deal, Hikitani-kun. Thank you very much for your help. I'll return the favor in any way I can if you need it someday." He says, before walking away. I stare at his retreating form for a few seconds, before cleaning my right hand against the vending machine.
You already owe me a lot, moron! But I don't mind for now, I'll just let your debts piling up, and when I'll need it, you will repay them... With your blood or your life, if necessary...
You never know where people place their hands or what they touch, especially hypocrites.
I slid open the door of the clubroom where sure enough, Isshiki Iroha, Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama are still present, sitting around the table, discussing amongst themselves.
I cough slightly while closing back the door by slowly pushing it with my left foot, placing the orange juice next to Isshiki who thanks me for the attention, and I see a small smile from both her and Yui. Yukino, being focused in her explanation as always, doesn't mind the fact that I'm back.
"Ara, it seems I'm not feeling well all of a sudden. It might be the Hikigerms being back."
Funny I didn't saw that one coming! But at least pretend you're sick RIGHT when I enter, as if I was a real virulent disease, not a poor cold you catch after being exposed to it for a whole hour.
"The cause would probably be the opened window with the cold air coming from outside. Or perhaps because I touched Hayama's hand. I knew I should've stayed away from him..." I say while sitting and removing the cap from the bottle, taking a sip of the water.
"You met Hayama-senpai? That is so cool Hikigaya-senpa-"
"Call me that again and I'll kill you. I thought I told you yesterday when we met, despite the circumstances, I don't like the formal stuff, and that includes the whole 'senpai-sensei-kouhai' thing. So do the both of us a favor and follow Yuigahama's example, right Yui?" I say with a slightly exasperated voice, looking at Yui at the end who has a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
"Yeah, Hikki! You can do it too, Iroha-chan."
I facepalmed myself. Hard. Against the table.
"Is senpai alright, Yui-san-senpai?"
The two girls stare at each other, Yukino pretending to not being aware of what's happening around her. I search in my bag next to my chair for a pen and sheet of paper on which I write something. I then pick up the sheet, and place it in front of me, turned towards them.
"The first Kanjis are my name, Hikigaya. The second Kanjis are for the nickname you gave me Yui, Hikki. Underneath it you can see in non-Kanji letters that I wrote the same nickname, ' I', and next to it, what did I wrote?" I explain and ask my question to Yui, who looks at the text on the sheet of paper, then at me, back and forth.
"You wrote 'I C K Y', Hikki. But why?" She asks, but as soon as the words leave her mouth, she comes to a realization, and a horrified and apologetic look appears on both hers and Isshiki's face. I could've swore I also heard something akin to a muffled chuckle from Yukino, but without proof...
"Exactly. Since you gave me that nickname, and I thankfully didn't kept counting, you made it sound everytime as if you were calling me 'Gross' or 'Repulsive' in English, which is similar to something I have heard for a really long time, without perticular reason except for some facial features, mostly speaking my 'dead eyes'..."
I wanted to add something else, but it would've relit the fire that was right now buried under cold cinders and ashes inside Yukino Yukinoshita. And it isn't a thing I want to do that close to the R-day. The Revelation Day.
Yui, being the nice and kind girl she is, apologized profusely for ten minutes straight, while I was picking my ears, faking not hearing her. She eventually stopped and we resumed the meeting the same way it started... Without a solution for the problem.
"So, what are you going to do, Miss President? I figure I lost the right to call you by your first name because of how much of a pathological liar, deceiver, and untrustworthy person I am, right?" I ask Yukino, with the usual bit of sarcasm and cynism in my tone, earning a sigh from said girl, who stare back at me.
"You are all of that, and effectively yes, lost the right to call me by my name, even though I never gave you the said right to do so since it was you who came up with this. Therefor-"
"Therefore I can call you Yukino since I never lost a right I never had to begin with. Well that settles it then. But back to the actual question, what are you gonna do about Isshiki's problem, Yukino?" I tease her by acting cool and relaxed, and to some point, messing with her that way is better, rather than threatening to destroy everything and crush someone to the ground. At least remaining calm will help me with my temper issues, I hope...
She sighs again at being interrupted, but also due to the lack of current answer for the problem Isshiki is facing.
"If we are considering the idea of placing Isshiki-san against someone..." She starts her explanation, waiting for me to pick up after a very short pause.
"Then the candidate would be nothing but a setup, not an actual candidate, with the possibility of him/her being too irresponsible to handle the job, prime example being Sagami at the Cultural festival. We wouldn't want a repeat of what almost turned into a fiasco, do we?" I cross my arms over my chest, standing up in front of my seat.
"Hikki?" Yui asks, worried as to why I suddently stood up and her eyes trail me as I go walking and stopping in front of the front wall of the classroom, the door to my right, Yukino and the windows to my left.
I turn around, and slide down the wall, sitting on the wooden floor with my left forearm resting on my knee, my right hand hiding my mouth deep in thought.
"Huuwaaaah Hikki! What's that?" Yui exclaims herself loudly, causing Yukino to look at me as well, both being confused by what I'm doing.
"It's a ring Yui, I don't wear it in public but it has a pretty big signification for me. And I had it before today. I often rub it with my other fingers when I'm deep in thought, it helps me concentrate somehow. Now please can you stop trying to pierce my eardrums, and would you Yukino, please stop staring so much? I thought you would know it's impolite, especially for that long, and that intensely." I answer her question and satisfy her curiosity, hearing a small mumble coming from Yukino without even lifting my head.I keep looking at the floor, as if the wood itself would give me a solution.
Do I go the 'Hachiman way', or do I follow my instincts? Right now, I'm having trouble taking decisions, and if I do present myself as Isshiki's opponent, there is a small risk I end up being elected. It would be good for Isshiki if she wants to lose, but my win would make me the President of the student council of the school, as hated as I am. The guys in the council already know me, due to the help with the festival, and don't dislike me that much, so it would be pretty safe to say I would get their votes. Then, it wouldn't end up as a vote of confidence for Isshiki.
The bad thing though is, outside of them, there's not that many people who would vote for me, hence possibly securing the post for her instead. I can lie through my teeth and make a credible speech, akin to what a politician would say, giving false hope and empty promises left and right. I would be considered one of the worst and most hated Presidents of this school, but that way Isshiki would be safe. But if I pick the 'Hachiman method', she will be elected, and abuse her authority and 'charms' to make me feel guilty about it, forcing me to do her bidding as a way to make it up to her, and relieving her of the heavy duties...
"Hmm Hikki, you know that you're speaking out loud, do you?"
"...Hmm?"
I lift up my head and look at the two bewildered girls who stare back at me. So now I develop the Hachiman Syndrom huh? A day full of surprises to be sure, but not welcomed ones.
"I was struggling with my thoughts. Since I assume you pretty much heard everything I said, what's your opinion about that? It's not like we have many options right now, and time keeps ticking. The election aren't that far away, and we're working with the edge of a knife under our throats." I ask the girls, whose shock grow from large to larger.
"Oh please don't make those faces, you saw me without the make-up on my face, well except Isshiki, you know I'm hiding something I'm going to tell you about soon, but right now, an idea to solve THIS problem is more important than me, or a ring on my finger, or the brand of the water I drink. Come on, we are the Service Club and we can't even help ourselves? Then how do you expect us to help people? If that's it, than sorry to break it to you, but the club is as good as dead."
I can almost hear the shattering of some glass coming from inside Yukino's and Yui's heads as I finish my statement, a serious scowling look on my face as I lock my eyes with theirs, and I see them turning slowly and embarassingly away to look at the wood of the table.
I rub back and forth my right thumb and nail against my lower lip, my eyes narrowing as I try to come up with something, anything that could truly help us.
"Oh, and Yukino, don't even think for a second of presenting yourself as candidate. You started this club, it's yours, you saw how you could barely handle the charge and stress of being second in command at the festival and how it affected your health. Not only that, but if you try to copy my attitude of making myself a 'selfless sacrifice' of some sort, something you said you hate, than you're no better than me. And that would force Yui to enter the competition as well due to you being her friend, and because this club is as important as it is for you and for her." I say while pointing my left index finger at her, still without looking.
"And how do you kn-"
"Because I know, Yukino, that's why!" I interrupt her brutally, revealing once again my real voice, piercing her soul with a simple cold and repressed glare. For once in her lifetime, the Ice Queen finds herself frozen, but not just in shock.
Fear.
I can see actual fear in Yukino Yukinoshita right now. Fear of the unknown. What we don't know scares us, and we stay away from it because we ignore what kind of danger it represents. And now, Yukino Yukinoshita isn't facing a danger, or a dangerous person. She is facing a dangerous unknown.
"That voice, that look, those expressions and attitudes, they aren't those of the Hikigaya Hachiman you have heard or witnessed before. Actually, what do you truly know about Hikigaya Hachiman? Birthdate? Favorite food? Hobbies? Yes, I'm hiding myself, I'm hiding something, from someone, from many people. But I've decided to come clean about it, to a few selected ones I TRUST, and the two of you are part of it. So no matter how weird, awkward, stupid my decisions or acts may look or be, I can't trust you if you don't trust me. And when I say I know something, it's not just a hunch, a gut feeling. So, can I trust you?"
I can see almost instantly Yui Yuigahama noddind fiercely her head with a confident smile on her face, and I have to say, it's reassuring... and oddly pleasing to see. For Yukino Yukinoshita, she keeps looking at me, from head to toe, and seem to think deeply about the idea, the concept of trust.
Not wanting to wait an eternity, I decide to make the literal first step, and stand up, walking towards my chair, picking it along with my bag, and sitting right in front of Yui, next to isshiki, in the place a normal person would be when presenting a request.
"Yukino, look at me please. You and I have different methods, but isn't our goal the same? I get it, why you are so upset, why you don't like the way I do things, and to tell you the truth, I don't like it either. Kyoto? It was in some sort my way of killing three birds with one stone. Hayama would keep his group whilst being exposed for the fraud he is, even if his friends don't care about it that much, Ebina would remain in the group and the boys would be away from her, sharing this goal to some extent with Hayama, and I would finally be able to show you through my little acting the real me I've been hiding for so long, for many reasons, thus preparing you for the incoming day where I'll reveal the whole truth. The only one who didn't got his 'wish' granted was Tobe and even then, from what I heard, Ebina said she wasn't ready 'right now', leaving the door still a bit open. You care about me. You have feelings for me, feelings you don't know of what nature and that scares you, that hurts you when you see me doing this to myself don't you? You can't explain what happens inside of you but that makes you furious at me for doing something stupid, but you're also furious at yourself for allowing that to happen, even worse, for telling yourself it's okay as long as the request presented is fulfilled. You feel like you treat me as some sort of disposable object and that upsets you because you care, you care about me..."
Yukino struggles to keep her calm and dignified composure that makes her being the level-headed and smart person she is, and is about to jump off her seat and leave the clubroom, only for me to get up as well and blocking her by wrapping my arms around her.
I didn't meant to hug her or whatever especially after exposing her feelings in front of Yui, but I can't allow Yukino to have a mental breakdown.
She doesn't react well of course and starts trembling and trying to shake me off, seemingly hesitating on using martial arts and brute strength on me, but settles down after a minute or two, her erratic breathing returning down to a more normal one.
"I'm not doing this in order to prevent you to run away from me, even if it might help you clear your mind. I'm doing this for you, because I know you're not someone who openly talks about their feelings, and you only have so few people, friends you trust, like Yui... The last thing you need right now is people seeing their idol, the great and seemingly perfect Yukino Yukinoshita reduced to tears because she can't handle the truth that came from someone else's mouth. Here, sit back, and drink some tea."
I tell her with the most calm and reassuring voice I can muster, letting slowly go of the grip of my hands on her arms, and sitting back on her chair.
Well, I can't imagine how she will react tomorrow when I'll let the cat out of the bag, but probably pretty badly, considering what just happened with this small bit of truth... That's gonna be a very long day...