Disclaimer: Oregairu doesn't belong to me, all rights reserved to Wataru Watari.
I've taken an exceptional amount of imaginative liberty when writing this; so if there's anything that seems factually off, please let me know, so I can embarrassingly and discretely edit the chapter(s).
An International Call
A slender hand picked up the telephone from a hotel nightstand. Its owner's body was comfortably seated with her back against the wooden headboard.
It was 3:30 in the afternoon. Taking the seven-hour time difference into account, she figured it wouldn't be late enough in Japan to make a call.
Well, even if it was midnight, she would get away with it anyway. Probably.
With a satisfied humming, she dialed the number by memory and patiently waited as the line rang. Just as she thought, it only took two tones, despite it being an international call. The recipient was always dependable and reliable over the years.
"Hello, this is Hiratsuka."
"Hihi, Shizuka-chan! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Her voice was chipper and excitable, but the expression on her face remained calm. That was the nice thing about phone calls; sound was the only medium she had to put her mind towards. No point in showing off to invisible ghosts.
"Oh, Haruno. I didn't expect you to be calling."
"Well, of course I'd call! Who wouldn't call an old friend to let know they'll be returning home?"
"Returning? You mean?"
"Right! Tomorrow, in fact. The plane leaves from Berlin in… twelve hours to Moscow, and from there it'll be arriving into Tokyo by noon."
A yawn came from the other line. "Berlin? …Ah, right. You've been in Germany. I'm forgetful these days."
Haruno knew it was a white lie. Shizuka-chan just didn't really care enough to remember.
"That's right, I'm glad you remembered! My business here has finished, so there's no more reason for me to stay. Oh, am I calling you at a bad time? Were you resting?"
"No, no, not at all. I had to stop to the teacher's office today, though. We're preparing for the summer term earlier than usual this year. The first returning day of class is pretty soon."
She could hear the brief creaks of air popping out of Shizuka-chan's neck.
"So, then, what's up? Need me to pick you up from the airport, or-?"
"Haha, nope! I just wanted to say hello before I touch down." She grinned to herself. Shizuka-chan was as selfless as ever. "But really, Shizuka-chan? Immediately assuming that people call their friends just to ask for something? That's judgmental, you know… even to a former student. Especially to a former student!"
She heard her 'friend' exhale from the other line.
"Only when you call."
Well, she couldn't deny that. Otherwise she wouldn't be talking over the phone in the first place.
"Ahaha, you caught me. But it's nothing, really. I just wanted to know a few things about a certain somebody. That's all, I promise!"
"Oh? It's not like you to go out and ask about a person. Who is it?"
She placed one leg over her other, brushing off the lint from the bed's comforter.
"A mutual acquaintance of ours. A student of yours... well, he used to be anyway. A certain loner who had such a distasteful look in his eyes."
"…"
"Shizuka-chan? I'm talking about Hiki-"
"What are you planning, Haruno?"
Her eyes narrowed. Shizuka-chan really was far too nosey sometimes. She never made it an outward quality of hers, but making too many assumptions really isn't becoming of a teacher. Maybe that's why her history with men was so terrible.
"Well, it's been such a long time since I've been back to Chiba, much less Japan. There's nothing strange about dropping by and saying hello to an old junior from high school, is there?"
But she was a metaphorical Goliath in terms of 'noseyness' in comparison to Shizuka-chan. She couldn't help it, she always had to know something the moment it peaked her curiosity.
"It's just… it's a little strange when he's the first one you're looking for, after five years."
A laugh erupted from her body, instinctually. She didn't really find any of it funny. Actually, she thought it was a little annoying for her 'friend' to be so defensive. She only did it to lighten up the tension that was forming.
"Haa, what's with that, Shizuka-chan? Suddenly so maternal! Are you afraid that seeing me will be an unwelcome sight for him? He's not actually the first thing on my mind, you know."
"No offense, Haruno, but you're not exactly the first person he wants to see. Especially since… well…"
Yukinoshita Haruno let out a puff of air in disappointment. She hadn't expected Shizuka-chan to have that hesitation when bringing up Yukino. Then again, Shizuka-chan always did play favorites. No matter how well she placed in class, or how flawless her transcript was, Shizuka-chan had never come close to giving her the same blessings she gave to Hikigaya-kun. Or her younger sister, for that matter.
It was agitating that she had to be lectured to and mentored by a woman like her.
"Ah, of course. It would be rather abrupt, wouldn't it? To show up in person after all this time. I'm sure he still thinks about Yukino-chan. That Hikigaya-kun was always such thoughtful person on the inside, wasn't he?"
"Haruno…" There was clear warning in her voice. Had she overstepped her boundaries too quickly?
"Well, you're right, Shizuka-chan. And just to let you know, I was of course going to visit my parents as soon as I arrive in to Chiba. Family is first, after all!"
Yeah, family is first. Family was always the first and only thing she was ever meant to do.
"Alright, okay. Maybe some other time, then. But, I mean… still, wouldn't it be a little cruel to stop by the area and not even acknowledge him? After all, with everything that we've been through together I-"
"Stop it. Whatever you're thinking, just stop yourself while you're still ahead."
Ah, there it was again. Shizuka's protective tone. She's used it many times, but not with this volume or anger.
It wasn't really that intimidating. Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't threaten her in the slightest.
"Shizuka-chan, you really ought to be a little bit more considerate. We aren't children anymore. There's nothing to worry yourself about, but here you are playing mother bear."
She ran her tongue between her lips, in preparation for the acidity of her taunt.
"Ah, I know! You should focus that energy you invest trying to baby all of your old students into finding a man! I'm sure getting yourself rammed into the stars will be really refreshing for you. Better do it while you still can, you know!"
"Tch! You..!" Everything from her attitude told her that Shizuka-chan was about to tell her to drop into hell.
She grinned, holding down the laughter. Same old, predicable, reactive Shizuka-chan.
"Christ, you know what? They were right. Some colleagues of mine said you changed when Yukino passed away. That your respect and compassion died with her. 'said you became a different person."
Immediately, her grin dissolved and her left eye twitched upon hearing the accusation.
"I didn't want to believe it. I refused to even entertain the thought. And I gave them every ounce of myself to tell them off for it. I told them they had no right to say anything about you after what happened to Yukino that day. I told them that they had no idea what meant and what it did to the people who knew her."
She heard the hint of a choke when Shizuka-chan took a breath before continuing. Was this so hard for her to say?
"But I guess I was only half-right. Looks like the only parts of you that grew since then were the bitterness and malice I saw all those years ago."
Yukinoshita Haruno clicked her teeth. She's heard enough of this conversation. No point in dragging it out.
"I see. I'm very sorry you feel that way, Shizuka." She dropped the '-chan', no longer needing to cutesy up her former teacher. "But aren't you demonizing me just a little preemptively? Are you really so defensive that you would say that kind of things so openly to your friends? I hardly think you're being fair to me right now."
"…"
"How about this then, Shizuka. You can tell him yourself! Oh, and I promise you from the bottom of my soul that I'm not interested in anything funny! I just want to know-"
Click! The only response was the buzzing of the empty line.
In slight disbelief, she blew a strand of hair out of her eyes.
"Goodness, no wonder she's still single." After all, what kind of men were attracted to the 'bitch' archetype?
Sitting upright and stretching her whole body upwards, Yukinoshita Haruno let out a whimper and sigh of relief. Taking out a tablet out of her bag, she began swiping through it.
It looks like she would be spending her first days in Chiba differently than she had hoped. Truthfully, she was torn between wanting to go home and ignoring the wishes of her parents. She missed Japan dearly, but had already begun to dread the formalities her family would certainly be putting her through as soon as she arrived.
After only a few minutes of idly reading the news, Haruno had already switched the device off. Her eyes found new interest in the rotating ceiling fan above her bed.
What Shizuka had said to her was distracting enough to disrupt her concentration every few seconds.
"You know, Shizuka-chan… you weren't right at all."
She lied into the mattress, head landing into the pillow with a soft 'ploof'. Her hand started to play with the ends of her grown-out hair.
"The only thing that changed about me was my level of patience."
Her eyes started to water. Subconsciously, Yukinoshita Haruno cried at the terrible things she had said. Her desperation had almost certainly caused irreparable damage to the friendship between the two.
The expression on her face didn't change though, even with the tears running down her temples. It was still the blank look that she wore in private.
"…I've been this bitter and hateful since I was born. I just didn't want to let you see."
.
.
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I'm really sorry for this short chapter, but I felt that it was a good bridge before introducing Haruno into the story. Originally I was planning on putting this into the beginning of the next addition, but I've been exceptionally busier since finishing up what I've already put out.
For reference, I finished the previous two submissions about last week, and only managed to get this done earlier this morning, so the amount of time I've had to actually write wasn't as much as I had wanted. But I've wanted to introduce and write in Haruno for so long now, that I couldn't help it. Consider this as a 'mini' chapter, or as my apology for what could be a delay in updates.
I hope this is enough for now, since I don't foresee myself having too much time until a little while. Although depending on how hard Hurricane Joaquin throws everybody around, the exam I have may be cancelled altogether. I'm hoping we don't lose power either, else I'm going to have to think of other ways to occupy my time.
Thanks for making it out this far again.
On a side note, I've been keeping a file titled "haruno . txt" and writing in whatever I think she'll say or think later. Without context, it actually reads off as a super warped series of quotes that actually frightened me a little when I woke up this morning. (((( ；ﾟДﾟ)))