YO! What's going on my dear readers? Hopefully, you guys had an amazing day. This one is gonna be a long one because the plot will begin to spicy from here.
Now before the chapter starts, I want to clarify some things regarding the questions on the reviews from chapter 2. Since this is not the NBA, where the average height is like 6'6" or 6'7", it'll be rare for players to be 6'0" or taller on a regular basis. Since 8man is 5'11", he is already a pretty tall player compared to the average height of 5'7" of Japanese males. He is tall enough to play in the frontcourt as a forward compared to average Japanese high school basketball teams.
And the other question regarding his playing style, yes he will have some skillsets similar to CP3. He definitely will have a hard time on half-court set up since he hasn't played organized basketball in a bit, as a reader pointed out.
If you would like to nominate any characters to show up, please feel free to do so. I might just choose one from the recommendations if I've seen the anime or read the manga/light novel the character is from.
Check the AN for some explanations at the end.
Before I forget, I want to let you guys know that my favorite basketball player is Ben Simmons.
Nah I'm just playing around. It's Kawhi Leonard :)
I do not own My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected. It is the property of Wataru Watari. I also do not own any characters that appear from other franchises.
It took us about 10 to 15 minutes to reach the address Yeager gave us. The location was in the Inage District, close to the shopping center where I sometimes get our groceries. I'm pretty sure the two girls with me also were familiar with this place since they weren't looking around to check the street names. Kawasaki kept quiet the entire time. Ebina made an inquiry about my wellbeing and I answered her with a couple of words. It's mainly due to nervousness. I've never hung out with two people in public before, let alone two girls.
"Look, we're here. Let's go in, Hikigaya-Kun and Kawasaki-chan!" Ebina brought me out of my musing with her sudden announcement. I looked up to see a huge gray banner on top of a restaurant. It read 'House of Campanula: Cafe and Restaurant' in bold purple kanji and black for the English translation under it. What an interesting name. I quickly locked my bike on a nearby pole. Without wasting any time, the three of us entered the establishment. Funny thing is, I didn't see any motorcycles parked outside. Did they even get here yet or did we just get pranked by the foreign couple?
It wasn't packed but there were people. A lot of them in fact. The place was huge. It was a lot larger than I predicted it to be. Logically, we began searching for Yeager and his girlfriend and finally found them all the way at the end. Ebina grabbed my arm out of nowhere and basically flashed towards them. Kawasaki looked frozen for a second but did the same afterwards. Did Ebina not realize how many people were looking at us? Oh god, this is embarrassing!
Since each table was designed for six people, three on each side, Eren and Mikasa already took their seats on one side. Ebina entered all the way to the end on the opposite side, probably due to her fear of Ackerman. Since Kawasaki was behind me, it would mean that I'll be sitting between two girls. Thank God I'm not in my Chunni phase anymore.
It didn't take long for a waitress to take our orders. From the name tag, I see the name 'Shinozaki'.
"Welcome to the House of Campanula! What can I get our dear customers today?" Shinozaki asked in a polite tone. I wonder if she is faking it just for her job.
"Hi! Can I get a cup of green tea with honey and a butter bun?" Hina ordered.
"Uhh...just a cup of tea with milk please," Kawasaki went next. Now it was my turn.
"A cup of coffee with cream and extra sugar. Please," I added the last part at the last second. The waitress kept smiling then turned towards the other two. Surprisingly, she wasn't taken back despite them being foreign. A lot of waitresses tend to get caught off guard with foreigners since they look a lot different than the average Japanese person.
"The same as usual?" the two nodded at her question. Ah, they must be regulars here then. No wonder why the waitress seemed so used to Yeager and Ackerman.
We were there for around an hour or so. Yeager said that he wanted to work on his Japanese at the cafe starting tomorrow, and I agreed. The coffee was actually pretty good. I wouldn't mind coming here again. Kawasaki didn't talk much during our stay at the place. Ebina however asked Yeager a lot about their background.
I learned a lot more about the two foreigners from their answers. They were both from the United States. Ackerman had a Japanese parent, which was why she had some native elements in her appearance while Yeager's parents were actually from Germany. The two were childhood friends and were adopted by the same guardian. This meant that technically, they were siblings. If their relationship were to become public, they would receive the scorn of many. So I understand why they wanted to keep it a secret. But why tell me then? It didn't make any sense.
We also learned that the two moved to Japan a couple of months ago, leaving their American Schools in the middle of the semester. They wanted a fresh start and decided to wait until the Second Year of school started and in their free time, practiced learning Japanese and were homeschooled. They were apparently taught by their 'aunt', the sister of their guardian. I was able to deduce that their guardian was a male from the pronouns they used to refer to him. Yeager called him 'Dad' multiple times but I've never heard his girlfriend do that. They must not get along then, I guess.
Once we passed through the exit to leave, the two transfer students gave their farewells to me and began walking in the opposite direction. Didn't Yeager say that they arrived on his motorcycle? What happened to it? Well, that's a question to think about for another time. That left the three of us to go home. Ebina was the one to start another conversation between us.
"I never got to ask, Kawasaki-Chan. How do you and Hikigaya-Kun know each other?" she throws the question as soon as we are by ourselves again. Kawasaki looked indecisive and froze on the spot. I was also kinda worried. I never told Ebina about my past revolving around basketball. The only sports that she knew I was involved in were Tennis and Swimming to an extent. Before secrets could be revealed, I took control.
"Her little sister got lost in the park. So I made sure nothing happened to her while we looked for her guardian, which turns out to be Kawasaki-San," I lied. I felt bad but there was no way I was willing to tell the truth if it raised even more questions and Ebina didn't want to hang out with me anymore. Oh nooooooo! The normie disease has finally caught me!
"Oh, I see. I never thought you would want to help people, with the way you treat them and how lowly you think of society," Ebina had a genuine smile on her face this time, not one when the matter of 'BL' was brought up. She should do that more often. It really shows her beauty. Gah! What am I thinking?!
"Y-You alright, Hikigaya?" Kawasaki shook herself out of her stupor and asked me. I nodded and cleared my throat.
"I have a little sister too. Imagine if Komachi was lost?" I couldn't even stand that thought.
"And still a siscon as always," Ebina replied while having this smirk. I see Kawasaki giving me a disgusted stare at that comment. Huh? You should be the last one looking at me like that with the way you were ready to pummel those assholes last week for your brother!
"Am not! It's just I really care about her as a loving brother should!" My words were not enough to convince the two girls.
"Yeah, right," the fujoshi commented again. I'm gonna strangle her if she keeps doing this.
Right before we were about to enter the street my house was located in, Ebina took her leave. Kawasaki and I were the only ones left now. It was very awkward at first. That was until Kawasaki asked a question that I knew was coming.
"Why didn't you tell her the truth?" she questioned.
"Hmm? You mean about the park incident and how we actually met?" she nodded and then I continued.
"I don't want anyone to know about it. I used to love playing but I lost my passion. I don't really like to talk about it," it seems like that was enough of an answer to convince the silver-haired girl.
"Sorry," I waved off her apology.
"It's all good," the girl next to me suddenly stopped.
"This is my house. By the way, that kind of food do you like?" What a weird question.
"Uhh...anything. Oh yeah. Except for tomatoes, anything," I answered her.
"Good to know. Take care… I guess," she then rapidly walked to her door before I could even say anything.
"Bye," I mostly said to myself. Why did she want to know that? Wait, I remember! Is she actually going to give me a bento? I've never received anything from a girl at school. This is so embarrassing! I'll still bring money with me tomorrow for lunch if my gut feeling turns out to be wrong. I checked my phone and saw a message from Shiromeguri-senpai. She was apologizing for not being able to meet up due to how busy the Student Council was. It's okay, senpai. It warms your poor kouhai's heart to see how much you care.
"Hikigaya...what is this?" Hiratsuka-sensei did not look happy at all.
"Umm… it's the essay you assigned us? Was there a mistake in my grammar?" I seriously didn't understand Sensei sometimes.
"What do I do with you?" Sensei sighed.
"I literally wrote what the assignment asked us to. This is my reflection based on my days in Sobu so far. I can't change reality now, can I?" Did she have a problem with the way I interpret things? That's a big no-no, Sensei. I'll take that as an attack on my freedom of speech, you single wi-
"You just mentally made a rude comment about me right now. Am I correct?" Oh no! She'll turn me into her punching bag once again.
"W-What are you talking about?" I nervously chuckled.
"Stop trying to be a smartass and get away from this situation. Why in the world are you so rotten, you dead-fish-eyed cynic? Do you even have any friends? Are you at least friends with Yeager?" Ouch! That hurt a lot more than I expected.
"I, uh, do have some people that I communicate with but I don't know if they are my friends," I gave her my honest opinion. She put her hand under her chin before having this mean smirk. I don't feel good about this so I'll make one final attempt to slip away from her schemes.
"If you want me to rewrite it, I'll do it. But that'll just make this essay pointless, you know?" she shook her head before suddenly standing up.
"Follow me," I walked a step behind Hiratsuka-sensei, letting her lead me to wherever she wanted.
It's been almost two weeks into the new school year at Sobu. And already, so many things happened. There were rumors spreading out about Ackerman and Yeager being in a relationship. However, they were gone as soon as it became known that the two were technically siblings. I was the only one in the school to know about their actual relationship. I tend to keep it a secret as long as no one else finds out about mine.
Today, my cover was almost blown. It wasn't because of the foreign couple or Kawasaki. That idiot Tobe was actually present on the other court when I played against the three stooges. He had a recording of the game and of course, had to present it to his clique. Thankfully, no one was able to recognize me since he was so far away and no one could see my face. Thank God!
There was also a student that missed the first day of school but showed up on the second one. Saika Totsuka was his name. And let me tell you, his beauty puts a lot of Sobu girls' attractiveness into shame. If he was a girl, I'd ask him out on the spot without hesitation. He was just that beautiful. Even Yeager was caught off guard when we learned that Totsuka was actually a guy.
Speaking of Yeager, he joined the basketball team and Tobe was very vocal about his skills. The guy can put up points, which has been the weakness of Sobu's Basketball team for a while now. Maybe they can win a couple more games but it is a team game. A lot of Third Years from last year are gone and the current Third Years have no desire to play for a 'Trash Team' again. Uhh, weren't you guys the reason why they were a 'Trash Team'?
His Japanese and Kanji have also been improving at a steady pace. Academically, he wasn't the smartest but he wasn't bad either. His position would be in the middle of the pack. We keep going to the cafe every Monday and Wednesday to work on his Japanese. His girlfriend even joined a couple of times. Well, she did show her 'Yandere' side during one of them. That was a scary experience.
It was when Shiromeguri-senpai decided to join us. She kept glaring daggers at the bubbly girl when she introduced herself to the foreign guy. It was noticed by her when we were sitting in the cafe. I started sweating buckets and Shiromeguri-senpai was in the same boat. She grabbed onto my arm in fear and wouldn't let go until our study session was done. It was so embarrassing having people look at the two of us like that!
Ebina kept doing Ebina things. That meant studying with me in the library during lunch sometimes. writing short stories on yaoi romance. Yuck! Her latest victim was poor Totsuka. I saw it coming as soon as I learned that he was a guy. She paired the poor cute angel with Yeager, Lamperouge-sensei, Hayama, Tobe, and of course, me. Not that I would mind. No! Only if Totsuka was a girl! Go away, evil thoughts!
Kawasaki sometimes talked to me during lunch. I learned that she was a fellow loner too. She even admitted to smoking. I told her to stop, for her own good. But I doubt she took my advice. She actually gave me a bento on the second day of school for lunch. And boy was she good. It contained Onigiri, fried shrimp, and fried vegetables. Despite being so simple, it was really good. Not as good as Komachi though. No one's cooking will be better than Komachi's!
I suddenly noticed Hiratsuka-sensei stopping in front of a classroom. I think it was one of the abandoned ones. What's going on here?
The woman didn't even knock and just casually opened the door. Once I got a view of the room, I noticed that it was empty. All of the desks and chairs were stacked up in the corner. That wasn't for long since in the middle, I see a girl sitting on a chair, reading an English book. She turned towards the two of us and greeted us with her icy blue eyes. Her long black hair swayed due to the wind coming through from the open windows.
I recognized her in an instant. Those blue eyes will always be engraved into my mind. Some unwanted memories began to run through my head. Then the face of Yuigahama appeared and I put together the pieces. Now I realized why Yuigahama seemed so familiar to me. It all made sense now. I usually don't get angry so easily but I was in an extremely foul mood right now.
"Sensei, didn't I ask you to knock before entering? I know you are the advisor but please keep in mind to do that," The girl broke the silence.
"Ehh, I mean you never respond. So I just barged in," Hiratsuka-sensei replied.
"You never give me the chance to respond. Anyways, why is there a petty thug with you? And he seems to be very furious for some reason. I fear for my chastity," the girl covered up her non-existent chest. I didn't say anything in retort. Sensei looked at me and was surprised.
"What's up with you?" she asked but I didn't answer. She just shrugged and continued.
"This is Hachiman Hikigaya. His outlook on life is as rotten as his eyes. He basically has no friends and I fear that he'll be lonely for the rest of his life. I'm coming in with a request that you fix him," Did I just hear her correctly?
"No, thank you. I'd like to decline respectfully. His rotten gaze makes me wary of my surroundings," I ignored her and looked at Sensei with a glare. I don't think I've ever done that and she took a step back in surprise.
"What's the meaning of this?" I demanded.
"I'm doing this for your own good. You'll realize it when you mature in a few years," she replied.
"If you want me to write 5, no, 10 more essays, I'll gladly do it. But I refuse to join this club. You know how busy I am after school," Sensei's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.
"Ara, are you scared that you'll fall for my charms?" the girl spoke in a mocking tone. I would've strangled her by now if I didn't get arrested for it. I wasn't in the mood for this.
"Fine. You don't have to attend the days when you help out Yeager. But only Mondays and Wednesdays. The rest of the school week, you have to. How about this? I'll also give you a can of MAXX Coffee every Friday. Yukinoshita, please accept this request," so she is trying to negotiate with me. Why is she so desperate to have me be a part of this club?
"Since it is you, Sensei, I'll be willing to fix him," Yukinoshita responded.
"Fine," I agreed. Sensei looked ecstatic at my statement but stopped when I raised my hand.
"I'm only agreeing to this because I respect you a lot, Sensei. Since you are the counselor of this club, I am willing to put up with this. That is the only reason I am willing to be in this club," I told her my honest reason. She looked shocked for a moment before a red tinge took over her cheeks. Oi! Stop being flustered!
"T-Thanks. W-Well, it's official now. I'll go ahead and fill in the application for you. Take care, Yukinoshita, Hikigaya," and she bolted out of the room while slamming the door. I just stood there, not knowing what to do.
"Wow. Do I even have to tell you what to do? Please grab a chair and sit down," this woman was really pissing me off now.
I knew her very well. I am pretty sure that almost everyone in the school knows her. Her full name is Yukino Yukinoshita, a student with the top grades and unmatched beauty. But she never talked or hung out with anyone. Due to that fact, she was a loner, just like me. I did as she asked and sat down. Since I saw her reading, I'll do the same. I took out a RomCom Light Novel and began reading it. There were no words exchanged between the two of us until Yukinoshita interrupted the silence.
"Do you know what club this is? If you don't, then please take a guess," she asked. I didn't really want to talk to her. So I'll only speak when she asks a question.
"No. And I don't care. I already said it before. I'm only here because of Hiratsuka-sensei," I told her.
"I see. On top of being so rotten, you are also very rude. We need to improve that. And I intend to rectify that disgusting attitude of yours. By the way, this is the Service Club. We take in requests and fulfill them. I am looking to fulfill the request Sensei gave to me. Welcome to the Service Club," she announced. I scowled at her speech but didn't say anything in return.
"Oh my. When was the last time you talked to a girl?" she inquired.
"Minutes ago with Hiratsuka-sensei," I gave her a deadpan stare along with my answer. She realized her mistake and blushed in embarrassment.
"I-I mean someone around our age. Hiratsuka-san is a teacher after all," Sensei, it wasn't me this time. This is all on Yukinoshita.
"I guess yesterday at the library. I can talk to people, you know? It's just I choose not to," hopefully she will stop questioning now.
"I have a feeling that society will be in trouble if I am not able to change you. So, be grateful that I will be helping you," I didn't ask for this shit, bitch.
"I don't want to change. I'm completely fine with the way things are going around me. Changing myself means fitting in. And fitting in is basically a lie. Why should I have to be fake if I can be real and be fine with it?" I questioned her this time.
"Because then… no problems will be solved," and out of nowhere, Hiratsuka-sensei rushed in once again.
"Knock," Yukinoshita grumbled in annoyance.
"What is the problem here?" our teacher asked.
"He refuses to admit his own issues," the blue-eyed teenager gestured towards me.
"What's wrong with not wanting to change?" I asked another question.
"Then you are just running away from the problem," Yukinoshita retorted.
"But isn't changing myself to 'fit in' also running away from who I actually am?" I rebutted.
"Alright! That's enough. How about we turn this into a challenge? We turn this into a competition! Whoever completes more requests is the winner and the winner can order the loser to do anything," what are you implying, sensei?!
"With all due respect, I must decline. I feel danger towards myself when his gaze falls upon me," it's not like I am gonna accept this. Chill out, woman.
"Ah. So the great Yukinoshita is afraid of something? I see," Yukinoshita frowned at Sensei's words and sighed before speaking.
"All right. Despite my unenthusiastic view towards this challenge, I must accept," she gave in.
"Keep me out of this," I say to both of them.
"Hmm, giving up already? Are you afraid of what I might have you do when you lose?" again, the rich girl spoke in a mocking tone.
"That's right. I'm already used to giving up so this is no issue for me. I'm not taking a part in this stupid challenge. Sensei, if you force me to do something against my will again, I'll be reporting you to the Principal. I'll even inform them of your smoking habit," I threatened the older woman. I'm not losing sweat over unnecessary bullshit. I know my words were villainous, but it must be done. Sensei looked hurt and betrayed at my words. I felt very awful as well. But it must be done. To save myself from unwanted worries.
"Alright. You win," she agreed in a dejected tone. I'm such an asshole. Sensei helped me out so much. And this is how I repay her? This is why I hated myself. I can't let people get close to me. I'll only end up hurting them.
"See you later," Sensei bid her farewell quietly.
"Threatening a teacher? You are the lowest of low," Yukinoshita looked at me in disgust. I didn't give a shit. I had to save myself and that was the only option.
No more words were exchanged between the two of us. Both of us read in silence amidst the tense atmosphere. We were brought out of our focus when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Yukinoshita stated in a loud voice. The person that entered was very familiar. She looked shocked at my presence but her appearance only managed to put me in a worse mood.
"Hikky! I never knew you were in a club!" We don't even talk to each other. And I only joined (against my will) like half an hour ago. So obviously you wouldn't know. What an idiot. And what's with that name?
"You're Yui Yuigahama-San from Class 2-F, right? Please take a seat," she happily nodded at Yukinoshita's words and did exactly what she was asked to do. She positioned herself near the Ice Queen and stayed very far away from me. Of course. She was a 'Nice Girl', after all.
"You must know everyone in this school!" the bubbly girl guessed excitedly. Yukinoshita shook her head before replying.
"That's not true. I was not aware of a rotten soul such as him until today. I am grateful that my eyes did not land on such a disgusting creature," you think you'll get a reaction out of me? Try harder, bitch. Plus, that was the lie of the century. I know you at least had to recognize me to an extent. I remember your eyes landing on mine that day. And with the way your eyes slightly went wide when you noticed me, there was no doubt about it.
"Good for you, I guess," I responded while still reading my light novel.
"Wow! I never knew Hikky liked to read! I mean like, he's always sleeping or brooding!" can't she just shut up?
"Please say my name the correct way when referring to me. Actually, I'd like it if you don't do that at all. The fact that you admitted keeping an eye on me creeps me out," I cover my body in defense like a certain someone did earlier.
"Stupid Hikky! Gross!" Yuigahama keeps insulting me while copying my actions.
"Annoying bitch," My whisper was a little louder than I wanted it to be.
"What did you call me? You're like, totally rude! And I'm not a bitch! I'm still a vir-" her mouth stopped in the middle of her sentence. Mostly out of embarrassment. And it's completely normal to be a virgin in her age, so what was the issue with that?
"It's ok, Yuigahama-san. Being a virgin in high sch-" the club leader was interrupted by the airhead.
"NO! I-I mean, it's like, very embarrassing! Still in high school!" what a stupid girl.
The girl's request was to bake cookies for somebody she liked. When asked why she didn't ask her friends to help her, she admitted that she didn't want to bother them with this task and didn't want them to know of her predicament. Wow. That literally proved my point of how fake their clique's bond was. It was literally set up to be broken with one small step.
Despite how harsh Yukinoshita was towards Yuigahama on her comment of her never having any talent, the bubbly girl just looked at her with nothing but admiration. Does she have Stockholms Disease or something?
I didn't really do much. I just had to taste the cookies and say how they were. When I tried the first batch, I could almost see my soul trying to leave my body. Never have I tasted something so gross in my entire life. Even if I get paid a fortune to try her cookies again, I still wouldn't do it. The ingredients don't deserve such harsh treatment from Yuigahama.
I suggested that she doesn't step inside the kitchen ever again. That was the quickest and most efficient way to 'fulfill' her request. Yukinoshita however disagreed with me and tried again. But even she gave up after how horrible the second batch of cookies turned out to be. I know that I said I wanted no part in the stupid competition Hiratsuka-Sensei tried to rope me in, but I wouldn't feel satisfied without getting this one over Yukinoshita. I then explained to Yuigahama that just the intention behind the cookies would be enough to make the boy she likes happy. Normie men were simple creatures like that. Yuigahama seemed satisfied with my explanation and deemed that her request was fulfilled.
Thank goodness I don't have to attend tomorrow. Since I need to help Yeager out after school, no stupid club meetings for me on Mondays and Wednesdays.
It was Thursday and I had to attend the excuse of a Club again. Sensei didn't really talk to me much except for the times when it was mandatory as a teacher. She is really upset with me. I can't blame her though. I need to make it up to her as quickly as I can. Or she might just fail me in Japanese on purpose. I was second in the rankings, just behind Yukinoshita, and I was not looking forward to losing my spot.
As I entered through the door, I saw the Ice Queen sipping on a cup of tea while reading. Her attention was on me as she heard the door opening.
"Didn't I say to knock before entering? Actually, this action of yours is kind of expected. It is probable for a person with rotten behavior such as yours to not have any manners at all," Bet she missed degrading me. Tch, good for you. I didn't respond and pulled up a chair to sit as far away as I can from Yukinoshita.
"Yuigahama-san is a part of this club now. She should be arriving at any moment," Yukinoshita tells me. So the airhead joined us? You have got to be kidding me. That was the last person I wanted to be a part of this club while I am here.
"Cool," I tell her.
"Can't even make proper responses to questions? I see. That needs to be fixed along with your dangerous attitude," I again didn't retort. I'll just let the prideful girl tire herself out with these insults by keeping quiet.
"Yahallo Yukinon! And Hikky! You're here today!" Yuigahama loudly exclaims while a very familiar person follows her inside.
"T-Totsuka-Kun?" I stutter in surprise. The other two eyed me in surprise. Totsuka also seemed surprised at my presence.
"Yahallo Hachiman! I never knew you were in this club! That's even better!" Oh, my fragile heart! I promise to protect this angelic beauty from any type of danger!
"I knew you were desperate to have someone look at you in interest but to stoop so low. You're disgusting," huh? What the hell? What did I do now?
"Gross. Sai-Chan, if Hikky makes you uncomfortable, then let me know! I'll totally protect you!" Oh, so that's what it was.
"Whatever," was the only word that came out of my mouth.
"Totsuka-san, do please tell us your request," Yukinoshita asked the timid boy. He fidgeted around for a few seconds before opening up.
"Umm, our senpais from last year left a big hole in the Tennis Club since they graduated. I was appointed as the captain and I want to get better so my teammates also try to do the same. I want to set an example for the club. Hachiman, you're pretty good. It would help a lot if you joined the club," I'm sorry my dear Totsuka, but I must refuse.
"He's already a part of this club. He can't join another one," Oi, who do you think you are? And I didn't even join because of you.
"I'm really sorry, but Tennis isn't really my favorite sport," my heart shattered into pieces when I noticed the dejected expression on Totsuka's face. I must atone for my sins!
"But I want to help you get better so you can depend on me for that," the other two club members seemed surprised at my words.
"My my Hikigaya-Kun, you are willing to put in the effort instead of being the lazy sloth I expected you to be. Totsuka-San, the training regiment I'm thinking of putting you through might make you hate tennis forever. And I will be a very harsh coach. Are you willing to go along with my plans despite that?" Tch, she's already trying to scare away poor Totsuka. No worries, I'll still help you!
"I'll help you too even though I don't play any sports!" Of course, Yuigahama has to keep up with her 'Nice Girl' personality.
"Really? Thank you very much, you guys!" Totsuka smiled in joy. Yes! This is all I need to make my day!
It's already been a week since Totsuka came to us with his request. We agreed to start helping him after school by borrowing the tennis court with the Phys Ed teacher's permission. When Yukinoshita said that she'll run Totsuka into the ground, she wasn't kidding. I apparently have to participate or else she'll complain to Hiratsuka-sensei. Now, I wouldn't usually accept her demand, but I agreed since Sensei was definitely upset with me due to my actions last week. She still didn't talk to me like before unless necessary for schoolwork. God knows what she might do to me if she learns that I'm not doing anything in the club. So during the days I attended club affairs, I had to put in work.
It started with laps around the track. Now that was actually easy. Since I biked almost every day, my legs and lower body were very strong. Then came push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, squats, planks, and burpees. This regime took a bit of a toll on me. I barely do any upper body workouts. So doing them made me feel tired and uncomfortable. Yukinoshita didn't even join us except for the run. I bet she just wants to see us guys suffer. Yuigahama was already done and panting after the running exercise.
Totsuka seemed ever more fired up to continue when getting into tennis drills after the physical conditioning. I wasn't great at the sport, but I wasn't too bad either. It didn't manage to bring me the same fun that Basketball used to do, so I never played it on a daily basis. Plus I didn't even have any partner to play with. Hitting it against the wall was the only option available for me most of the time. That was until Totsuka partnered up with me this year during Phys Ed classes.
While I was practicing with the angelic boy, I heard a commotion around me. Even Totsuka seemed aware as he stopped playing. I look behind and see Miura and Yukinoshita in a heated argument while Yuigahama and Hayama are trying to cool both of them down. Huh, Ice vs Fire? This ought to be fun. I approached the group as their loud voices were becoming clear now.
"Huh? Like, why can't all of us play together? We'll all help Totsuka get better!" Miura demanded.
"As I've stated before, we have permission from Sensei to use it for our own needs. And you are trying to meddle in club affairs right now. So please go away," Yukinoshita spoke in her cold and icy tone. It seemed to infuriate the Fire Queen even more.
"Who do you think you are? Telling me what to do? I said I'm not leaving until we get to play!" Uhh, isn't that exactly what you do though?
"How childish. You aren't even able to comprehend simple words," the Ice Queen fired back. Before things could escalate further, Hayama jumped in.
"Alright, alright. How about we play a match to see who gets to stay on the court and help Totsuka-Kun? It'll be a two-on-two. I'll team up with Yumiko," said girl's fury suddenly turned into a look of admiration directed towards the pretty boy. When I saw the gleam in Yukinoshita's eyes, I knew exactly what was about to happen.
"Is that so? Fine. I accept your challenge. Totsuka-san, you are joining me in this match," the blue-eyed girl ordered the timid boy, who had no choice but to nod his head and agree.
Ebina met up with me while the competitors were getting ready for the game. When the people around us noticed us talking, they seemed surprised. Can't really blame them. Who would want to hang out with a creepy-looking guy like me?
"Hikigaya-Kun, I never knew you joined a club," Ebina asked me.
"Hiratsuka-Sensei forced me to join. I didn't want this. By the way, where is the rest of your clique?" I corrected the fujoshi and questioned her. She nodded in understanding before speaking again.
"Ah! Ooka and Yamato went home already. And Tobe-Kun is in the practice game against Kaihin Sogo for Basketball. Didn't Yeager-Kun tell you? By the way, hasn't Hiratsuka-Sensei been, I don't know, kind of off since last week? It's just that something seems different about her," I almost forgot about the scrimmage. I do remember Yeager mentioning it a couple of days ago. I grimaced at her words about Hiratsuka-sensei. I know exactly why sensei has been so upset, Ebina.
"Hikky! Hina-Chan! I never knew that you guys were friends!" Yuigahama suddenly cuts into our conversation.
"Hikky?" Ebina tilted her head at me.
"Don't ask me. The stupid girl came up with that shitty nickname," the bubbly girl pouted at my response.
"I'm not stupid! You meanie!" She then started throwing playful punches at my arm, which did not hurt at all. Ebina just chuckled at her friend's actions as the two boys and girls entered the court, fully prepared to play.
It was a very competitive game at first. I knew Miura was on the Tennis team for the girls and she was the best one there. Even though Hayama didn't mainly play Tennis, he was still very solid, being able to keep up with the two better players. Speaking of better, Yukinoshita was actually really good. She was able to match Miura the whole time. Totsuka was hanging in there too. Seems like the drills are coming in handy.
The match was going well. The score was tied and both sides seemed to have fun, surprisingly. That was until an unforeseen circumstance took place.
Totsuka backed up to hit the ball back from near the baseline. Unfortunately, his ankle rolled right in that instant. I knew that his face was about to meet the ground and I had the chance to prevent any more damage. I ran to him and grabbed him before he could fall. Due to his loss of balance, his racquet hit my forehead really hard. I winced in pain but didn't make any sound to make sure that Totsuka was okay.
He also grimaced while holding onto his right ankle. It was probably a sprain. He closed his eyes in pain. Oh, if only I could somehow take away all of his pain.
I felt something rolling down my head and dripping off of my nose. Once it dropped to the ground, its crimson color informed me that I was bleeding from my forehead. That sucks. Well, if it means to protect Totsuka, I'll gladly do it a thousand more times.
"O-Oi! Totsuka! Hikio!" I hear a voice call out to me. I was shocked to see Miura running towards us, followed by Ebina, Hayama, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama. They had faces full of concern as they looked at the scene.
"Go to the nurse's office right now! Take Totsuka too!" never would I have ever imagined the Fire Queen being concerned for my well-being. It almost made me chuckle.
"Right. Ebina, can you take Totsuka-Kun there?" their eyes widened at my question.
"B-But what about you?" the four-eyed girl asked me in return.
"The match isn't over yet. Look at Yukinoshita. She's already out of gas. And Totsuka is also out. So that means somebody has to sub in, right?" Yukinoshita looked away in shame. The rest nodded but still looked skeptical.
"You idiot! You're bleeding!" Miura yelled at me.
"It's just the skin cut open a bit. It's not that big of a deal," I assured the blonde girl.
Totsuka then looked at me with tearful eyes before apologizing over and over again. I kept telling him that it was fine. Please stop apologizing, dear Totsuka. Such a sad expression on your face brings me more pain than any injury can!
After Ebina helped the injured boy to the nurse's office, I realized that my white T-shirt had spots of absorbed blood all over. I have to throw it out. But I will make one last use of it before it's gotten rid of.
I took off the ruined shirt and folded it into a makeshift headband. I tied it around my forehead to stop the bleeding and keep my long locks from obscuring my vision. The silver chain that I was wearing, a black mamba slithering across the number 24, was visible to everyone. I look up to see the gobsmacked looks on the faces of the people near me.
"What's wrong?" I put out the question.
"You can't tell what's wrong!?" Miura shouted at me with a slight blush.
"H-Hikky! You pervert!" Yuigahama's entire face was red.
"H-How rotten and shameless," the Ice Queen insulted me.
"My, Hikitani-Kun. You're a lot more fit than I expected you to be," Oi! Stop looking at me like that or I might get the wrong idea! By the way, how is it even my fault? I didn't tell anyone to stare at me!
"Please stop staring at me with such intense eyes, you lot. Especially Hayama-san and Yukinoshita-san. I fear for my chastity," I pulled one out of Yukinoshita's books and wrapped my arms around my body in defense.
"Gross!" both Miura and Yui said at once. The Ice Queen looked at me with disgust while the pretty boy just chuckled.
What a day it has been. So many things happened. Now I am just peacefully making my way back home. My head was cleaned up and bandaged by none other than the Fire Queen. Besides her bitchy attitude, she seemed to have a motherly and overprotective side. Totsuka apologized to me again after the whole Tennis fiasco was over. Thankfully, there was no audience so no rumors would spread out. Hopefully.
The Tennis game ended with the Service Club being the winner. Even though Yukinoshita took herself out of the game due to her lack of stamina, we still ended up winning. It was mainly due to Hayama and Miura being exhausted and I jumped in late into the game. Yuigahama didn't do anything spectacular but was able to hold her ground. I'm pretty sure we would've lost if everyone started from a clean slate.
I consider myself a loner. So why am being thrown into situations lately that forces me to interact with normies? Is it to make me suffer? Is it to change me? Bring it on!
As I ride my bike, I suddenly notice a couple of people blocking my path. They were all males, around my age to be specific. I took a second to count them and there were six in total. They all had their school uniforms on. Three unique faces among the group surprised me. It was those three stooges from the park.
"Finally found you alone, bastard!" The one with the big body had a menacing grin while approaching me. I see the rest following him as the group gets closer. I realized what was about to happen and prepared to defend myself by raising my arms. I was no black belt, but I'll give my all before I get taken down.
"You know how much embarrassment you caused us? I couldn't sleep well for a week straight!" the short one from the park announced as he walked ahead and positioned himself next to the leader.
"We're about to teach you a lesson," the lanky one followed his companion. I can't specify who threw the punch first, but I dodged it. I threw one of my own, which hit something, but was met with a painful knee strike to my gut. It made me gasp for breath and made me vulnerable. I swung my right arm to the right as a last act of desperation and it was the last move I was able to make.
I fell on my knees in pain and was soon laying on the ground, being kicked around by those teenagers. They were throwing insults as they kept up with their beating. My whole body was screaming for them to stop. I covered my head but the rest of my body met the painful attacks. They finally ceased after what seemed like hours.
"Nice bike! We're gonna take this, fish boy!" The leader kicked me one last time before I watched my precious bike getting taken away.
My entire body must be covered with bruises. The wound on my forehead reopened. I feel new wounds on my cheeks and scratched elbows. My uniform was completely ruined. It felt difficult breathing. It hurt to move even an inch. I don't know how long I was lying there on the sidewalk. No one passed by during that frame of time.
I grit my teeth and force myself to get up and move. I picked up my school supplies, with a couple of damaged notebooks, and put them back into my bag. I checked my cellphone to notice that the screen was cracked. And it won't turn on. The last time I checked, it was almost full on battery. Great. Even my phone was busted along with my bike getting stolen.
I slowly limped towards my house while taking deep breaths. I couldn't describe the amount of pain I felt, especially in my ribs and back. My chest sent sharp sensations of pain whenever I took a breath. Somehow, I finally made it to my house. As I slowly enter, I notice the extra pairs of shoes. Of course, dad and mom had to be home early today of all days.
I heard the rapid shuffling of feet and in front of me appeared my dear sister Komachi, who was soon followed by my mom and dad.
"Onii-Chan!" she had a horrified expression on her face along with mom. Dad just looked extremely shocked at my appearance.
"Ha-Chan!" The two Hikigaya women didn't waste any more time and rushed at me. They observed me all over to see the bruises and wounds I gained. I couldn't bear seeing Komachi break down like she was right now. The last time this happened was when she was still in elementary school.
"W-What happened? W-W-Who did this to my baby?" my mother spoke in between her cries and held me. I really missed this feeling.
"T-Talk… hurts," I somehow managed to express myself. My mom turned around and looked at dad in fury.
"What are you just standing there for?! Call an ambulance or something!" she roared at my father, who still stood crossing his arms and narrowed his eyes.
"Hachiman… I had a lot of hope for you. But that hope kept diminishing as days went by and I notice you become nothing but a lazy bum. Why does your younger sister have to look after you? Shouldn't it be the other way around!?" his voice gradually rose as he kept speaking. He was right. I couldn't say anything against that.
"Do you know how hard your mother and I work for you and Komachi? And on the day when we are all together, a rare occurrence, waiting and waiting so we can all have dinner together. And what do you do? Joining the wrong crowd and becoming a delinquent!?" Why are you acting as if you cared about me? You barely talked to me ever since I started Middle School. You didn't even visit the hospital when Yukinoshita's Limousine hit me. So why are you acting like a responsible parent when you haven't done shit to prove that to me?
"I know you had a rough day but stop! Ha-chan isn't at fault here!" at least mom was still on my side.
My father took rapid steps towards us and roughly grabbed my arm. I winced in pain but he didn't retract it. He opened the door and threw me out of the house. My head was dizzy but I can make out mom and Komachi crying in protest. Dad looked at me with a cold gaze before speaking the words that put me at my all-time low.
"If you are depending on breaking the law for fun, then I don't want you at my house. Get out!" I couldn't even get a glimpse of Komachi as he immediately slammed the door.
I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to say. What did I do to deserve this? Words couldn't escape my throat. Where did I go wrong? Even my own father was against me. The pain was just too much. And it wasn't just the physical pain this time. It hurt to sob but I couldn't contain it. I just limped down the street until I was near the park. I put my back against the cage and just slid down until I was sitting with my legs spread out, tears rapidly flowing out of my eyes. Why do I always get punished like this? Why couldn't I be happy at least once in my life?
"H-Hikigaya? Is that you?" a familiar voice called out. One that I haven't heard in a while. I put in a lot of effort to see who it was. And the face that greeted me made my blood boil.
"Oh my god! What happened? L-Let me call the police," she crouched down near me and scrambled for her phone.
"S-Stop," I whispered. Just before things had a chance to escalate.
"W-What?" is this bitch deaf?
"OUT!" she jumped up in fear at my yell.
"Didn't you have enough fun ruining my life in middle school? Every single day I was made fun of! And you were just there pretending as if nothing happened! Why did you have to tell everyone that I asked you out!? You knew what would happen and yet you did it! What!? Was it fun for you, BITCH? You made my life hell! Fuck you! I fucking hate you! I want nothing to do with you! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE!" all of the hate that I've accumulated since my middle school days finally took their leave. It hurt to yell like that, but it felt good. I felt relieved at that fact. I look up to see the crying face of Orimoto in my view. She didn't waste any more time running away. Good. That felt good. Seeing her crying face felt really good.
I was sitting there for what felt like years. Reflecting on my life and trying to find anything that made what I was going through justifiable. It was then that I heard something approaching me down the road. My vision was blinded for a couple of seconds and I heard the noise stop. Once my vision was cleared, it fell upon the smiling face of Lamperouge-sensei, with his massive black SUV parked behind him.
"Boy are you in a bad shape," he commented while that smile was still plastered on his face.
"What do you want?" I demanded in a hoarse voice.
"You know, I am a great listener. And I have a lot of connections. I might just be able to help you out with whatever you are dealing with," the foreign man suggested. At this moment, I felt lonely and vulnerable. I felt as if the whole world teamed up against me. When someone offered to listen to my story like that during this time, even my pride wasn't enough to refuse the gesture.
And I told him everything. How my shitty elementary life took a step further in the wrong direction during Middle School. How my passion for basketball ended when I was hit by a car and hospitalized for weeks. It prevented me from joining the team since the tryouts were already over. When I finally had hoped to turn my life around, some stupid accident manages to shatter it. That's why I had such a dislike towards Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. I never got any form of appreciation from the stupid bitch and an apology from the prideful girl. That's when I decided that my life was meant to be one of misery and I quit basketball. I felt as if someone as miserable as me should not be allowed to have fun. I stopped trying to make friends because I was afraid that I might be the joke of the school again. That is why I attempted to avoid people. I knew better than making fake friendships only for one's benefit. And today I reached the lowest of the low where even my own father was against me.
Sensei took a moment to think about my words before having that smug smile again.
"That is quite unfortunate. But let's say, what if I was able to give you a place to stay? Food?" I looked at him with wide eyes.
"You know, I've adopted many children. Taking you in will be no different. A helpless child looking for a shoulder to grab on. I'll be that shoulder for you," he offered his hand for me to grab it.
Humans will always look to survive. Whenever they are cornered, they will take any help they can find to help them survive. And I was no different. I knew that it would be illogical for me to decline his offer. But I also knew that there was no way I could just accept it like that.
"What's the catch?" his smile widened at my question.
"I had a feeling you were going to ask me that. Well, of course, the things I offered you won't be given for free. I want you to help tutor some of my children, work some shifts at the restaurant I own, and one more thing," my heart beat faster as he took his time to name his last requirement.
"I want you to join Sobu's Basketball Team," huh?
"You know, we lost to Kaihin Sogo in a terrible fashion at the scrimmage today. I know Eren didn't play due to his sudden illness, but that is still a very bad thing. It is a team sport after all. He can't help our school win by himself. Sobu is not looking like a winning team at the moment and I know about what you did in the park last month," my anger rose yet again. That bastard snitched on me!
"In case you are wondering how I know, I was in the park that day," he informed me, proving my theory wrong.
"What even are you to Eren Yeager?" I questioned. He chuckled in response before shaking his finger.
"That's for later. Now… are you going to accept my offer?" My answer to his question was obvious.
"Tch… count me in," I agreed to his deal.
Author's Notes:
Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter.
Now things are starting to get interesting. This one contained a lot of drama and angst. I believe that Hachiman's outburst towards Orimoto at the end was not completely OOC since he's been through a lot at that point and Kaori would be one of the last ones he would want to see at that moment.
Will Orimoto show up in this story again? Hmm...
If you do have any issues regarding 8man's characterization throughout the chapter, feel free to leave a review about it.
I don't know when I'll post the next one. It is still undecided but I will try to do it soon.
That's all for now! Take care!