CHAPTER IV

…

...

The library inside the Lyceum campus was always open, thanks to the Bookkeeping club and the Literature club members that managed it in place of the customary employees seen in other schools and libraries. The Minato Lyceum was practically autonomous, with a self-governing body composed of student officers and an independent student council. Soft rays of light passed through the high, slim windows and the corners of the place were lit up by fancy, classical wall lamps. There had been not as many visitors as last year, given that virtually any book can be found on the internet and accessed conveniently on any smartphone.

Hachiman decided to spend some of his time again in the library that morning. There was still an hour left before their main lectures start, and then he was free for the rest of the day again. He strolled along the aisles, leisurely running his eyes on every book he wanted to look at. Today, he felt inclined to read about something more scientific. He picked out a seminal work by a French author. He was immediately captivated by the figures inside, and since it had been considerably translated into English he'd have no problems studying it.

He went back to an empty table and sat down. A girl entered the library and also started looking around. Hachiman did not pay her any heed, and minded his own book. The student seemed to be traipsing aimlessly, just for fun. She started going near his table, and she watched Hachiman as he read quietly. He was concentrating on a page illustrating the circulatory system of the human body, and perusing the given figure of a kidney and its arteries. Finally, the girl decided to speak up. "Good morning," she said in a sweet voice.

Hachiman put up a standard smile, but didn't look up. "And to you too, miss," he replied.

"I'm curious. What is that book you seem so ensconced with?"

"Human anatomy," he answered. Hachiman lowered the open page a bit for her. "An extraordinarily beautiful work I must say. Monsieur Jean-Baptiste Bougery authored it."

"You're studying the medical course?"

He shook his head. "No."

"I see… you're simply a reader, like me." She asked, "what is your name?"

He stopped to look directly at her. He could describe her as having a delicate but serene appearance; she had light, almost white hair that cascaded over her shoulders and clever, lilac-hued eyes. She took a seat across the table from him. He paused for a few moments and raised his eyebrows. "Hikigaya," he said quietly.

"I'm pleased to finally meet you, Hikigaya-kun," she said smoothly. "My name's Arisu. Arisu Sakayanagi. It's surprising that I haven't seen you around the library before," she continued. "I always expected that if there's one place where I might find intellectuals like us, it'd be here. It's a fine day, isn't it?"

Hachiman continued to watch her. "'Like us'?" He said dubiously.

Arisu tilted her head and smiled. It was a warm, attractive smile, with a powerful effect towards most people, but Hachiman remained nonchalant. He did not seem charmed by her in any case. "That's right," she beamed. "You and I share a lot of similarities between us."

Hachiman sat back in his chair and pinched his lower lip thoughtfully. "Hmm. Do you think so?"

"I think you're also quite self-aware, just like me. I noticed you right away when I came in, and you did too."

"I see," he said. Hachiman stood up, closing the book he'd been reading. He made sure to fold an ear to mark the page he left off beforehand and tucked the book in one arm. "Well, you must excuse me. It was absolutely refreshing to chat with you," he said to her. Hachiman concealed his intent to leave hastily. "But as of now I don't have the liberty of time, miss. Intellectuals like us are always too busy, no? I hope we cross paths again soon."

Before Hachiman could walk away, she also got up made a sort of awkward attempt to turn him around by pulling him. In the process, she bumped against him. Hachiman stopped as Arisu stepped in front of him. She held up her index finger. "Just a moment, Hikigaya-kun. You're forgetting something." She was giggling a bit from the accidental contact with him. She brought out something from behind her. "You were hiding something. What's this?"

Hachiman found a white pack of Marlboro being held up. He was puzzled for a second, and probed his overcoat to realize what had happened. This girl, he thought, must've swiped it from when she intentionally bumped into him. Another hustler. Hachiman was correct to suspect something uncanny about Arisu.

He shrugged. "You got me."

She hummed cleverly over him. She said, "this isn't allowed on campus. Besides, cigarettes are being prohibited nationally now. They're a social menace. And as I can see, this particular pack doesn't have the proper distribution label - clearly a bootleg, or perhaps purchased illegally. That counts multiple offenses already, what do you think, Hikigaya-kun?"

"I think you are very presumptuous."

Arisu pouted playfully. "Fufufufu, I'd prefer to be called perceptive."

Hachiman countered, "and maybe you're also one to mind her own business, so if you'll be so kind as to hand that back to me."

"How crude. You were doing fine in maintaining the conversation, but then you sharply cut me off. That's not a very nice segue. It's almost as if you're deliberately avoiding any social interaction. See, I'm making efforts to be polite here so that just won't do."

Arisu was looking up directly at him with challenging eyes. Hachiman stared back at her quietly. He shoved his hands into his pockets and thought. "We've seen each other before, haven't we? At the entrance exams?" He said promptly.

"That's right."

"I'm sorry, I didn't take you for a senior. I guessed you were probably a freshman or sophomore. You're quite short…"

Arisu furrowed her eyebrows and coughed disapprovingly, her cheeks turning pink. She put her hand over her mouth and peered at Hachiman. "That's very rude of you."

Hachiman broke out an impertinent smile. "No, I'm simply being honest."

"You're a brute when it comes to conversations."

"I never really was one for talking, see?"

Arisu smirked coyly. She extended her hand to return the pack to Hachiman. She said, "But that's not the most interesting possession of yours, is it?"

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

Arisu held up a different object from behind her. She was now holding a small brown leather case. It was too big for a wallet, yet certainly not a journal of some sort. "Now I'm quite curious as to what these are."

Hachiman's expression changed. All semblance of emotion disappeared, and he faced her with a cold, unimpressed look. Impossible, how did she pickpocket that from me? He thought, inwardly grimacing. He brought out his left hand open and gestured for her to comply. "That's another matter, Sakayanagi-san. Please give that to me now."

"If you stop calling me as if I'm an old lady, I'll consider it. 'Arisu' is my name, and it's fine."

"Yes, Arisu. Will you give that back to me now?"

"There's really no need to always be in such a hurry and push other people away. Unless..." Arisu paused, her eyes briefly turning to the leather case in her hand then back to Hachiman. "You don't like me?"

"I don't hate you. Well, not yet."

Arisu let out a mousy giggle. She said, "I'm just curious about you. For one, why did you choose to enter the Lyceum during this final year of college?"

"It's obvious. I'm in it for the accredited diploma, just like everybody else. And you? I assume you're an old student here."

"Actually, no. I'm just a transferee same as you. Like you said, every other student is in it for the prestige of graduating from a sophisticated university. There are more transferees than old students during this final year."

Hachiman wondered if Arisu was a foreigner. He noted that she had the kind of hair the Belgians or the Russian princesses have in the photographs. He said, "you seem to be one of those students who are flying back to Japan to complete their final year in the country."

She simply ignored his diversion. She looked at the brown case in her hands with child-like curiosity. The case had a rectangular hole in front of it covered by a transparent vinyl, allowing her to peruse what it contained. She started to read one of the labeled vials inside.

"Dexamethasone. It's a corticosteroid, if I'm not mistaken, a medication for treating certain physical disorders. It's not by chance that you're carrying this kind of thing with you, is it? Could it be that you are suffering from an illness? Cancer, maybe?" She said gently.

"Those are very personal things you are assuming," Hachiman said in a dark, low voice.

Arisu looked up at him sweetly. "I'm a very discreet person, Hikigaya-kun."

Hachiman chuckled softly. "Depending on what you say next, I may need to kill you," he replied humorously. The two shared a little laugh, and Arisu finally returned the medicine case to Hachiman. They walked beside each other as they left the library.

"It's only fair if I tell you my secret, don't you think?"

"Alright, go ahead."

"See, the reason why I'm so short, as you brazenly called me, is because I also have a disorder."

"You don't say?"

"I have a congenital heart disease, which is why I'm not as vivacious as the rest of them. So you must forgive me if I don't live up to your expectations," she said bashfully.

Hachiman pursed his lips. He said, "I didn't know. I didn't mean to assume."

"No offense taken," she said promptly. "It's funny, isn't it? Nobody else around us knows these things about us. Only we, complete strangers, know each other's secrets. But we are not really strangers to each other anymore, don't you think?"

He shrugged. "I guess we do know each other a bit more now. Though, why does it seem you went out of your way to meet me?"

"Because I did. I heard a lot of things about you, Hikigaya-kun."

"Did you now?"

"I'll begin to trust you from now on."

"But you shouldn't. I won't trust you neither."

"Well, we should." Arisu now stopped smiling. They both slowed down. She took on a more formal and serious tone of voice, as if to show that she wasn't belittling Hachiman. She said quietly, "I know about what happened to Fujinaga-kun. You understand that word goes around. He's been depressed lately, and coincidentally his older sister has begun to lose control of their business. Someone had utterly beaten them in a deal. If I hadn't inquired with my contacts, I never would've learned it was you, Hikigaya Hachiman. You're someone who's pretty mysterious. I don't think you're actually supposed to be in Fourth Class at all. It's as if you're deliberately concealing your true extent, like… another friend of mine."

"You are very observant," Hachiman commented shortly.

Arisu smiled appreciably. "I suppose so."

"But you're pulling straws a bit. First off, I'm simply a confidant in business to a family friend of mine. I assume you already know who he is. And I did not intend to fall into the lowest class of the Lyceum if that's what you're thinking. I lucked out on several criterias in the exam. Regardless, you are correct that I'm not supposed to be in Fourth Class."

"It doesn't change the fact that you're someone with very interesting things to hide. And, well..." she tilted her head and watched him with slyly. She cheerfully curled her lips again. "We know intimate things about each other now, things nobody else can find out. We're both tied together, whether you like it or not, so we might as well get along."

Hachiman stared at her narrowly. This girl was really something, he thought to himself. Arisu continued to smile at him smugly, evidently pleased with herself. He walked past her and before he disappeared, gave her one more sidelong glance. He realized that she was one of the leading figures in First Class. Arisu Sakayanagi, Class I student and a daughter from an esteemed sociopolitical family, is one of those names he knew was of high interest, and her knowing more about him than anyone else he'd met so far made her a potential threat to him. He'd have to keep an eye on her.

…

Inside the elite Class I classroom, the students let out an unanonimous sigh of relief, having gone through another tedious lecture for that past hour. Now, they waited for the bell to ring, announcing lunch time and the end of their lectures for the day. There were no more classes in the afternoon. A distinction could be noticed among the class, especially in the way the students spontaneously grouped themselves together, as if identifying themselves with a particular side or opposition. There were two rivaling factions reigning in the class, and one could almost analogize it to a game of chess. On one front was the white faction, and across it on an opposing front was the black faction.

Such was the political state inside the class that until now, after a whole week since first starting their school year, there was still no central leadership, no dictatorial class leader. Most of the students simply chose a side or went along with their gut feeling on whose faction would emerge triumphant. Miura Yumiko watched all of these intriguing happenings from her seat near the windowside. She watched as the two monarchs of her class left the room through completely opposite doorways. She mused at the thought. There was that frail-looking, white-haired girl with the cane who seemed like an incarnation of a domineering little Napoléon, and then there was the darker-haired Victorian princess with a prudish attitude and frightening, vampiric ruby-red eyes. When will the two ever agree on a consensus, she wondered.

Her train of thought was interrupted when a classmate of hers walked up behind her and greeted her. "Hello, Miura-chan," he started in an amicable manner. "That's a nice blouse you're wearing today."

Yumiko smiled back at him as she fixed her golden locks into a bun with a silver hairstick. She brushed off the turquoise Veronica Beard blouse she was wearing. "Why thank you, Hashimoto-kun," she said pleasantly. "A friend gifted it to me."

"How nice of him," he said. Hashimoto, as expected of his chatty nature, began a very roundabout way of asking her about something. "Are you free this lunch period?" He said skeptically.

"Well, I'll have to see."

Another student introduced himself between them. "Ah, get out of here Masayoshi," he said in a gruff voice. "She ain't coming with you. Miura-san doesn't have a type on lanky boys. Ain't that so, pretty?"

Yumiko turned to look at the tall, athletic-looking guy with anticipation. He suddenly flashed a handsome smile and said, "I'm Koenji Rokusuke. But you can call me however you want."

"Goddamn, you flirt. You work fast don't you, Koenji-kun?" She laughed.

Masayoshi Hashimoto gave a chuckle. He smirked and joined Yumiko. "Your charms won't work on her, Koenji-kun. She's not like those Juniors you keep on spinning around with your teasing," he said.

Rokusuke Koenji was for once surprised. He gave a booming laugh. "Look at you two, ganging up on me like punks," he said amusedly.

"Anyway, Miura-chan. I've been meaning to ask you a question just before we were rudely interrupted by this big oaf over here."

"Go ahead, Hashimoto-san. Fire off."

Hashimoto said curiously, "I don't see you going with the other girls after classes. Why is that?"

Yumiko stopped. She pursed her lips. "Eh… am I suddenly required to do that?" She asked.

"Not at all. But it's just, how do I say this..."

"What, weird?" She smirked. "That a girl as pretty and charismatic as me doesn't have a bunch of followers on my tail? Hashimoto-san, I'm just really bored. It's the same old thing, isn't it?"

Koenji, who was listening to the two, said confidently, "you're a gorgeous girl, Miura-san. Someone like you shouldn't be shying away from the others."

"And what about you, Koenji-kun?" Yumiko asked. "Why aren't you with the guys?"

"Ha. You mean those other chumps? I don't like 'em. And they don't like me, 'cause I don't water myself down to their expectations. They're all pissed because I can easily get close to the girls, and they couldn't. They don't welcome us into their little circles because we're better than them, Miura-san, right?"

"That so?" Yumiko mused. "Is that why you're coming on to me right off the bat?"

Hashimoto laughed. "Oh, girl. You've got guts," he grinned. "I knew Miura-chan was different. Koenji-kun likes to think that he's mighty good with women. That's how he's always been."

Koenji shrugged, unbothered. He said, "Well I already knew you weren't like the other girls, Miura-san. That's why I liked you."

Yumiko glanced at him, then up at Hashimoto, then back again. "How flattering," she answered curtly.

"So, how does it sound, me taking you out for lunch? It's all on me."

"Mm… pass," said Yumiko bluntly.

Hashimoto was impressed. "Better luck next time, Koenji-kun," he said snidely.

Rokusuke Koenji furrowed his eyebrows. He cleared his throat and said, "well, I suppose a lady needs her space. That'll do." He got up from his seat and made for the exit. "I'll see you later, Blondie," he said smugly.

When Koenji had left, Yumiko and Hashimoto looked at each other and chuckled.

…

Hikigaya Hachiman was around a table together with several other of his classmates. Ryuuen Kakeru and Hiyori Shiina were with him. They were looking over a notebook Hiyori had kindly shown to them. She had in fact been taking notes about the Minato Lyceum, and attempting to figure out how the vague, cryptic merit system worked. Hachiman commended her for this. After she finished telling him everything she learned so far, he quietly thought it all over.

"Shiina-san explained it well. So, every month or so there's a class vote to decide who gets expelled and who gains a special merit point?"

"Yes."

"And the way the merit system works is that a student's social and financial status is taken into account, in addition to their academic performance?"

"Yes."

"And," Hachiman said, "just to clarify again, you're telling me that winning the class's Merit vote gives a special kind of pass that grants permanent, effective immunity against expulsion and allows for the possibility of advancing up classes?"

Hiyori Shiina nodded. "Yes," she answered again.

Hachiman looked at Ryuuen Kakeru across the desk from him. He said, "did you get all that?"

Ryuuen peered back at him. "Clearly."

"Very well," Hachiman said shortly, "I think that's about what we needed to know. The Lyceum looks into the personal details of every student. That means they're checking whether we're already employed, or have a part-time job, or whether we're earning our own allowances, and if we're actually supporting our families or relatives. Those kinds of things increase your merit points. It seems that the merit system not only assesses the academic reports of the students, but also draws from other factors, such as this so-called 'social contribution'. It means that other people from outside the school actually have to vouch for you during the special evaluation exams, and you have to win that kind of favor, and that seems to be the most concerning. Most importantly..."

Hachiman stopped. He sighed. "Yeah, it's gonna be tough on us, Fourth Class. Ryuuen," he said, glancing at him. "You know what you can do with this information. You're the de-facto leader of this class."

Ryuuen quietly nodded. The rest of their classmates began to file out of the exit. Hachiman got up to leave. Hiyori watched the two and also got up. "Ano… Hikigaya-san, Kakeru-san," she said timidly. "Why don't we three have lunch together? Then we can talk some more about what to do about the coming exams."

Hachiman and Ryuuen turned to look at her questioningly. Hiyori suddenly felt small, and fumbled with the hem of her skirt. The two gave glances at each other again and Hachiman answered. "I don't see the problem with that," he said.

The three walked out of the classroom and into the hallways. They noticed the fellow Junior Class IV students also climbing down the stairs. Further down the corridor would be the Class III rooms. When they finally descended to the ground floor and strolled out into the campus, adjacent to their building were the Class II and Class I rooms. The students from that building were also just coming out. Ryuuen walked several paces ahead of the two. Hachiman trailed behind Hiyori.

Hiyori Shiina did not know what to do about the unsettling distance between the two. She fell back and started walking alongside Hachiman. She said, "Um… Hikigaya-san, what exactly did you mean when you said you were going to help Yamada-san increase his merit points in the class?"

Hachiman glanced levelly at her. "Did I say that, Shiina-san?"

"Um… I did overhear you talking to him, sorry," she stammered.

"So you did," he shrugged. "Yeah. Listen, you know how varsity players and athletes are highly valued in colleges and universities?"

Hiyori quickly nodded. "They're really good players when it comes to sports, right?"

"That's correct. Now, every university puts a very high amount of interest in good athletes. Popular sports like Baseball, Basketball, swimming, track-and-field, you name it. Heck, even horse racing is still the rage during summer. The Lyceum surely takes this into account. If you're a student athlete or varsity, you get treated pretty well - granted of course that you win competitions, because these kinds of things are really prestigious and enjoyed by people. I checked out our school's varsity team the other day, and they're great. But they're looking to build a new competitive team. That's the gist I'm interested in." He paused. "I'm sorry. I've said too much."

"It's okay!" She laughed softly. "So you're going to help Yamada-san get into a sports varsity?"

"Can you give me any more names in our class that would seem a good candidate for Basketball?"

Hiyori hummed thoughtfully. "Well, Kakeru-san likes to play basketball every afternoon with his friends. There's also Sudou-san and Ishizaki-san, they all play together in a parking lot outside, down around the street. Though I never follow them there because I'm a little scared of the guys there. My friend Ibuki-chan also plays very well, much better than the rest of us girls."

Hachiman clicked his tongue and looked up. "I see. Well, honestly I don't really have good plans yet, Shiina-san. But your friend Ryuuen will know what to do."

Hiyori smiled. "I trust you as well, Hikigaya-san. I think you're very smart, and... you're doing what you can to help our class move forward."

"You're very inquisitive, Shiina-san."

"Ahaha… what do you mean by that?" She asked softly.

Hachiman didn't really answer, and instead hummed quietly to himself. Hiyori wondered about how much she actually knew about the reserved, soft-spoken classmate of hers. He reminded her of someone she knew, someone with very uncanny similarities to Hachiman.

They followed Ryuuen, who led them out into the oval sports field of the campus after they've purchased sandwiches from a vending machine. It was cool, clear day and the field was empty - there were no practices being held today. There were a few pairs of students on the bleachers, noticeably couples having lunch together. Ryuuen met up with his gang from back in the classroom again. They were joined by Albert Yamada Sieyes, Ken Sudo, Daiichi Ishizaki and Mio Ibuki as they took seats in the front row under a drawn white canopy.

The group was initially quiet and still uncomfortable with Hachiman, who wasn't exactly a usual member of their clique. Ryuuen decided to break the ice by himself and said brusquely, "oi, Ibuki-chan. Why don't you say hi to Hikigaya-san here?"

"E-Eh? What?" Ibuki stuttered. Everyone noticed the anxiety on her face.

"Go on."

Mio Ibuki shifted in her seat. Her eyes darted around until she managed to look at Hachiman straight. "Hi… boss."

Ryuuen started coughing. The two other guys sitting behind him started snickering. "What did you just call him?" Ryuuen questioned impatiently.

"He- he's my boss. Hikigaya-san," Ibuki answered timidly. "From back in Chiba. I used to go home to my Oba-san on Saturdays and Sundays where I see to a flower shop. Hikigaya-san comes around every morning to take the sujikuji bets. He's a wiseguy, or so my folks say."

Everybody started staring at Hachiman. He stared back at them with wide, fishy eyes. "I've never met this woman in my life." He had on a frozen smile.

Mio Ibuki, who everyone knew was a normally calm, aloof individual, now started to get flustered. "He knows me!" She insisted. She looked pointedly at him. "You broke up a fight between me and your girlfriend, remember? In front of the college? Then you started dragging her away. I saw you a few more times before you started showing up less. I thought something happened to you."

Hachiman was now genuinely confused. "Girlfriend? What girlfriend?" He said.

Everyone started bugging him to explain what was going on, with Mio Ibuki telling them about the loner-slash-wiseguy from Chiba. Hachiman sank in his seat, keeping silent. He started getting annoyed. He remembered the blue-haired, cute-looking girl alright. Now, she was talking too much about him. Ah, he thought. Perhaps it was his fault for not getting in touch as soon as he found out she was also in the same class. What a coincidence. Eventually, the conversation pushed itself along, and at least he could eat his measly soba bread in peace.

"So if you're a 'bookmaker' Ibuki-chan, and Hikigaya-san is kind of like your manager in Chiba, what are you two doing here?" Hiyori asked curiously.

"I keep saying this, I'm trying to get an accredited diploma," Hachiman spoke up.

"Yeah, like what boss says. I'm also in it for the diploma," Ibuki said quietly.

"Jesus Christ, lady. Stop calling me 'boss'. I'm not your boss."

"Stop calling me 'lady'. You know my name."

Ryuuen watched the two with an inkling of suspicion. Ibuki and Hachiman kept exchanging glares with each other while everyone talked about how they ended up going to the same university. Hachiman noticed two more people walk onto the bleachers. They started walking towards the group he was in, and he recognized the girl. It was Miura Yumiko. Right behind him was also a blonde-haired comely fellow.

"Hey, Hikio. There you are, I was lookin' all over for you," she said assertively.

Hachiman went still and didn't move his head. Why is everyone out to get me? He inwardly grimaced. The rest of his peers sitting in the bleachers with him turned to look at the newcomers. Yumiko smiled again, her hands placed on her hips. "Hi guys. What's up? Are you his classmates?" She said politely. "I'm Miura. And this is Hashimoto-kun. I didn't know Hikio already made a lot of friends. You don't mind if we join you, right Hachiman?"

"I-I don't- why do I keep running into you people?" Hachiman said exasperatedly, bubbling up a temper.

Ryuuen gave a devilish smirk. He said snidely, "yeah, we heard. We was just talkin' about you, girlie."

"Don't call her that," Hachiman snapped.

"See? She's the delinquent I'm telling you guys about," Ibuki chimed in.

"O-Oh, really?" Hiyori was stunned.

"Damn, I didn't know she was that hot." Ken Sudo and Daiichi Ishizaki murmured to themselves, nodding in approval. Albert sat back in silence, content by watching his peers without having to do anything at all.

"You all shut up," Hachiman said icily. "What's she doing here?" He demanded to no one in particular.

Ryuuen spoke up urgently. "Wait a minute now. These two are First Class students," he said. His eyes narrowed into razor slits. "What do you want, Hashimoto-san?"

Masayoshi Hashimoto, who had been silent for the most part, spoke to answer. "Nothing," he smiled innocently. "I was just following Miura-chan. She didn't want to go with the other girls in class, and I befriended her."

Yumiko sauntered up to Hachiman and sat right beside him to eat her croissant. She leaned slightly against his arm. This was enough to provoke a terse response from him. He shook her off. Hachiman felt everyone watching the two of them. Ryuuen broke the silence by laughing humorously. "So, the two lovebirds are now together. Is this gang complete or what?" He said.

Hachiman furrowed his eyebrows into steep mountains. He looked to find Yumiko with a blush on her cheeks. "Why are you being so complacent all of a sudden? You're giving the rest of them the completely wrong idea," he said irritably.

"What idea?" Yumiko countered cleverly. "I think you're having the idea that I'm your girlfriend."

He smiled rigidly. "What a smarty!" Hachiman threw his hands up, exhausted. "So, where were we again?"

"Uhmm… about the coming evaluation exams and the basketball playoffs?" Hiyori reminded gently.

"Yes, yes. Thank you very much. Shiina-san. It's also a convenient coincidence that you're all here because- " Hachiman stopped talking. He noticed Ryuuen spying Miura Yumiko and Masayoshi Hashimoto, and throwing subtle cues to him. While everyone was quietly and patiently listening, Hachiman received Ryuuen clearing his throat a bit.

Hachiman understood the sudden lull. He smiled and turned to Hashimoto. "My word, it seems that we forgot to buy the drinks," he said curtly. "And according to the sudden shift in hierarchy… that would be your cue, riajuu."

Hashimoto frowned. He turned to look at everyone, but they looked back at him expectantly. Nobody argued with Hachiman. He sighed. "Alright. Sorry to interrupt your little party, guys," he muttered and went off.

Hachiman watched the blonde guy go to buy the drinks. Then he turned around. "And you."

"Who, me?"

"Yes you. What are you waiting for? Follow Hashimoto-san and get me a Max coffee."

Yumiko scoffed in disbelief. "Whaat?" She exclaimed. "Why do I have to- "

"You go get me that coffee or I'll kick you up the backside for what you did to my clothes the other day, Yumiko," Hachiman ordered imperiously.

To everyone's surprise, the intimidating First Class student, Miura Yumiko, became flustered and puffed her cheeks in front of the loner. She suddenly relented and got up obediently. "Fine! You lazy b-bastard..." She grumbled as she went after Hashimoto.

After he was sure that the two had left, Hachiman looked back at them. Ryuuen broke in. "Do explain, Hikigaya-san, why you seem to know those two First Class students so well. Are you a double-agent for them? Or perhaps a follower of Sakayanagi-san?" He said in a suspicious tone.

Hachiman said coldly, "that's an awful accusation, Ryuuen. Very specific also."

"Kukuku, I just find it strange. The two are obviously listening in on us. I bet Shorty sent them to spy on us."

"Shorty? Ah," Hachiman chuckled. He shook his head. "Unlikely. Anyhow, Yumi- Miura is my friend. I trust her, and so by proxy you can also trust her."

Ryuuen was still skeptical. He said, "I wouldn't be too sure. And now I'm wondering, because if she's your girlfriend doesn't that make you prone to betray us even more?"

"Damn it to hell," he sighed. Hachiman swallowed the last bite of soba bread and shoved the plastic wrapper in his pockets. "Fine, she's my girlfriend, whatever. Fact of the matter is folks, we're still the lowest class in school and we're all in a hard place. I won't spout off nonsense about how I care about Fourth Class, because I really don't."

Hiyori Shiina was suddenly crestfallen. "W-What?" She said in a betrayed voice.

Hachiman saw this and clarified himself. "But I do care about those that I consider friends of mine," he said begrudgingly, as if he was pushing out some sort of lie. But he was being sincere. "And, well… in respect to you people, we can cross the bridge when we get there. Just remember that I have done you a great service, and I expect you'll return the favor in due time, and that time may as well never come. So yes, I'm with Fourth Class. Any violent reactions?"

Ryuuen was now silent. He crossed his hands and harrumphed a reply.

Hiyori smiled again and said, "I want to thank you, Hikigaya-san. I'm sorry if I doubted you for a second."

Mio Ibuki was also pleased. "Well, that's a wiseguy for you. I wasn't kidding when I said he's a pretty cool guy," she said.

"Dude, you're going to get us into the Basketball varsity? I don't even know how you'd pull that off, but my hat's off to ya."

"Yeah bro, thanks a lot. We owe you one."

Ken Sudo and Daiichi Ishizaki started patting Hachiman hard on the shoulders and ingratiating themselves to his favor. Hachiman jerked away disgustedly. "You imbeciles keep your filthy hands offa me," he hissed. "Don't you get all buddy-buddy with me, 'cause we ain't friends. Why can't you keep quiet like Albert over there?"

Albert Yamada Sieyes finally looked up. "Well, I mean… yeah, I think Hikigaya-san is a pretty cool guy," he agreed quietly.

"That's called a tangent, Albert. Incorrect answer."

Everyone started laughing. Hachiman sighed, and laid back. So, is this what making friends is like? He thought.

Miura Yumiko and Masayoshi Hashimoto began to walk back to where the group was on the bleachers. They had to take a short while to find the nearest vending machine, and Yumiko decided not to hurry just to spite her friend. Hashimoto carried the bag of drinks for her.

While they walked together, sipping on their red tea drinks, he spoke up. "So, you two are together, huh?" He asked teasingly.

Yumiko was thoughtful. She answered shortly, "Oh, I wish."

Hashimoto glanced at her, surprised by her bluntness. "Well, I think he's a decent guy. A bit sarcastic, and kinda funny," he said, sipping his drink. "And he's not that bad looking."

"Ha! Did you see his eyes? Everybody used to make fun of his dead-fish eyes. They're like, soo creepy!"

The sudden change of demeanor from Yumiko prompted Hashimoto to start chuckling alongside her. "What did you do to him that made him annoyed with you?" He asked, snickering.

"Oh, nothing. I took one of his shirts and used it as a bathroom mat. He has like six identical I-Love-Chiba shirts and I figured he wouldn't notice," she beamed. "Guess what?"

"Oh wow. So you two are already living in together. How sweet."

"Forget I ever said that," she shook her head. She laughed a bit. "Nah, we just share the same apartment hotel room. Definitely nothing going on between us."

"Right." Hashimoto smirked. "Ah, he's gonna ask you out soon enough. He doesn't have a thick head. He'll pick up."

"Well, thing is," Yumiko said gingerly, "I'm not exactly the one giving the ideas here. I don't think he minds me too much. And he doesn't seem interested in me the way I want him to be."

"Girl, you've got him," he said encouragingly. "And Koenji-kun thinks he has a shot at you!" He laughed to himself. He said in a more gentle tone, "I suppose if you really like Hikigaya-san, you should be a bit more direct with him. But not too clingy."

"Yeah, not too clingy. Damn it, it never ends well for nice girls huh?"

Hashimoto shrugged. He said, "you're actually a pretty nice... well, let's say attractive girl. You're fashionable, confident. More so than most of the gals in our room. Are you sure you don't want to join the other cliques in class? You seem like the kind who can easily amass a following just by flashing a smile. I kinda don't get why you were that chill during the first day."

Yumiko hummed to herself. "Well duh, I know I am," she said as-a-matter-of-fact. "That's why I don't mind," she said nonchalantly.

Hashimoto understood her answer. "Okay," he said. "It's not often that I meet the kind of aloof, my-way kind of girls like you. And you know, I'm pretty surprised when you didn't buy into any of Koenji-kun's flirting. I kinda admire you already, Miura-chan. That's why I feel I should let you know this: the other students in our class are pretty divisive on this issue of leadership. Shinomiya-san and Sakayanagi-san have been fighting over who gets to wear the pants since day one."

"Eh, that's kinda obvious already Hashimoto-kun."

"So you know," he said. Hashimoto grinned, knowing they were on the same page. "I'm close acquaintances with Sakayanagi-san, but really, I'm just putting my bets on the winning side. I'm not really invested in this whole rivalry thing. What about you, Miura-san?"

"I don't really care."

He whistled blankly. "Oh, wow. I kinda see who you got that sense of indifference from."

Yumiko was taking baby sips of red tea to make it last longer. She said, "yeah. I sort of see now why Hikio is always so detached. It gets tiring after a while, and you wanna get some peace of mind."

"So you don't exactly like Shinomiya-san or Sakayanagi-san?"

"I don't like either of them. They're both stuck up, and we'd be better off as a class if I were in charge," she said curtly.

Hashimoto giggled again. This girl, he thought. She never fails to make anyone laugh with her smarts. But she did have a point. He understood her indifference.

Yumiko chuckled. "I was kidding."

"Hah. I never doubted you," he said. "The other girls, they're not gonna like you very much because you're an individualist. You don't play into their hands."

Yumiko looked at him smugly. "Hashimoto-kun, do we really have to talk about what's already obvious?"

It was that magnetic, sanguine smile that inspired something inside of him. Hashimoto couldn't help but smile back. "Ah. Y'know, I wish I could be so cavalier about everything just like you, Miura-chan."

...

...

...

A.N: this quite exceeded my word count target. I must apologize for the update delay, it was pretty challenging to write this one. But the next two chapters would be far more difficult and of course dramatic, it's the turning point I always wanted to see play out between 8man and Haruno.

I do hope I'm not making the cast too OOC.. I'm trying to keep it as close as possible when it comes to the CotE and Love is War characters. I'm still laying down precedents and building the tension, but I already have a good idea of the upcoming Summer vacation arc and Cultural Festival arc.