Hikigaya Hachiman Was Not Necessarily A Bad Teacher, Just A Tad Inappropriate

As a leading educational institution here in Chiba, Sobu High was equipped with various facilities that allows its students to have an edge over students from other schools.

One of which includes this privilege of borrowing one of a couple of private conference rooms located in the library for a set amount of time.

This encourages groups of students to take the initiative in collaborative learning among their peers or if they are just looking for a quiet place to organize an event in or out of school.

Or so the catalogue in the library says.

Sarcasm aside, the place was not bad. It was a fully air-conditioned closed space with a wide table, comfy chairs, a whiteboard, a television screen that can connect to a student's laptop and a couple of electrical outlets on strategic locations. If we weren't here for studying, I'd have thought we were in a loner's paradise.

Since Yukino and I just happened to be teaching the two majors, we both took the opportunity to borrow two separate rooms. She was with the only two members of the clique who took the Sciences as their major. Those being Yamato and Ooka.

Which means I was left alone with everyone else. Hayama Hayato, Miura Yumiko, Yuigahama Yui, Ebina Hina, Tobe Kakeru and Kawasaki Saki. All of which vary in their rankings from above average, okay and not even close.

Apparently, it was decided that we were to emulate something akin to an actual classroom lecture today. With zero preparations to boot. There was no budget given to the workers (me) as well. As expected, the Service Club was a black company after all.

Although I was supposed to be the one left in-charge given I was the designated tutor, it felt like I was the one in the most pressure instead.

Given the score distribution, it was hard to pick which method was the most effective in teaching this group. If I go too fast then Yui and Tobe will have trouble keeping up. Too slow and it would not be productive for Hayama and Ebina either.

It didn't help that my public speaking skills was already quite bad in the first place. Now I have to jump into this mess impromptu as well? Fun.

"Hey…"

Six pairs of eyes suddenly turned my way and that made me even more nervous than I already was.

"You see… Because Yukino sprung this up on me all of a sudden…"

The looks of expectation from all of them were troubling so I had to avert my eyes away from it.

"I have no idea what to do so do you mind if I sit on the corner over there and think about it for a while?"

"Huh? What are you talking about Hikio? Wouldn't it be better if we all talk about it together instead?"

Miura has a point. If it was anyone else but me, then that would definitely have been a good idea. But to each their own and as a loner, being on my own was in fact much more effective.

"Nah, it's fine. I'll think about it by my lonesome. For the time being, you guys can check each other's answers while I do so. I'll try and come up with something soon. I won't take too long. Please excuse me."

I didn't leave any room for arguments and just walked over from in front of everyone else into one corner of the room while dragging a chair with me. Once seated down, I took my phone out, plugged in some earphones and began playing some music.

The clique members tried to reach out to talk to me once again but after I closed my eyes in order to contemplate better. They eventually took the hint and left me alone.

Now I had peace and quiet… Well, to a certain extent.

Either way, it was enough for me to be able to think things a little more clearly.

Damn that Yukino and her antics. What am I supposed to do in this kind of situation, really?

In the first place, I simply got lucky during that exam. Aside from being consistently ranked 3rd in Japanese, just behind Yukino and Hayama, my ranking in some of the other liberal major subjects is not that consistent. Ebina was a more consistent ranker than me.

The best I could do was to beat Ebina's scores by a low margin. In my worst days, my scores would be on the same level as Miura's. If we count the Sciences, then I am quite literally on Tobe's range.

For this exam in particular, I happened to high-roll.

When I said I got lucky I really meant that I got lucky. For subjects in the scope of Liberal Arts, it really is all about if you read the part that will come out in the exam or not.

If you happened to read it, good for you.

If you didn't, you're screwed.

It's always been that kind of feeling, akin to tossing a coin hoping to call it right between heads or tails.

As true as that was, it was inappropriate for me to share something like that as a tutor to these guys. In the first place, I wasn't that much smarter compared to them. It feels a little presumptuous for me to do so. It rings especially true when I consider the fact that I was even assigned to tutor students like Ebina and Hayama who are clearly better than me. What can they even learn from me in the first place?

Ah, this is no good.

Nothing useful is coming to my mind no matter how much I think.

Just like that, one minute has passed.

Then, two minutes.

Now, Five minutes.

The only thing that I could think off was how inappropriate my role was given my own specs. That self-deprecating thought was gnawing into me more and more as time flies by.

In situations like these, a change of scenario was ideal.

Instead of closing my eyes to contemplate, I opted to open them instead.

What greeted me was the sight of the six students that I was supposed to teach, discussing something together in the table in the middle of the room.

They seem to be doing fine without my input at first glance but I can tell that they are facing some sort of difficulty even if I couldn't hear their words at all.

Loner Skill No. 2: Spectator Hikki.

This was one of the most important information gathering skill in my arsenal. It allows me to notice even the smallest of gestures and interpret what the other party is thinking of, assuming I have enough context of the given scenario.

Rather than explain, it would be easier to show what it does instead.

I looked over to Hayama and noticed the strain on the perfect smile that he was trying his hardest to maintain. He seems to be struggling on how to explain something to Tobe who was beside him.

Tobe himself looked eager to respond to Hayama's efforts but he seems incapable of understanding the latter's explanations no matter how hard he tried. I can tell how much Tobe was blaming his own self from how he was slumped on his own chair.

The same situation was also happening on the other side between Ebina and Yui.

Ebina was playing the same role that Hayama was while the one being tutored was Yui. Similar expressions were also reflected on the two girls. A strained smile on Ebina's face and a dejected Yui who kept repeatedly alternating her gaze between Ebina's paper and her own in order to compare what she did differently from the bespectacled fujoshi.

As if that wasn't concerning enough, there was also Miura and Saki on the background. It looked like the two ended up being paired with each other but they were not discussing anything between them at all. They were much more invested with the situation between the four other students.

They both directed an intense stare on the two other pairs. Miura towads Hayama and Tobe while Saki had Yui and Ebina on her sight.

The normal conclusion that can be derived from this is that they were jealous of Tobe and Yui at the attention they were getting from the two smartest people in the group.

But I was certain that that was not the case.

Despite appearances, Miura and Saki were kind girls at heart.

They simply felt concerned at how bad their other classmate was doing.

The frowns on their faces were not directed towards either Tobe or Yui.

What they were making was an expression full of resolve.

In other words, they've made a pledge with their own self not to rely on the likes of Hayama or Ebina anymore because there was someone nearby who needed the help of those two more.

How can I be so sure of this?

Simple. Even disregarding the fact, that I've known/watched these two for a while now, the face they made was something I was familiar with.

That was because I was probably making the same kind of expression every time I decided to do one of my social suicides.

Now then, looking at the current situation, what can someone like Hikigaya Hachiman do here?

Loner Skill No. 1: Hikki Zone.

In this semi-panicked state, my brain involuntarily kicked into overdrive and went through different kinds of motions.

The ones who need help the most are Yui and Tobe.

The two most qualified students to help them are Hayama and Ebina but they must not compromise their own time to do so, otherwise it will be their own scores that drop.

Finally, we have the Saki and Miura pair who were far too concerned with the others that they probably wouldn't be able to focus on their own studies at this rate.

This is the dynamic I get to witness as a bystander. It was one of the perks of not being part of the circle. You get to see the things that the members of said circle can't see because their view is limited to what's inside.

The only downside of being someone like that is that you can't do anything to change the circumstances that you've seen because you are outside of the said group in the first place. In other words, you are omniscient but at the same time, powerless.

However, that was not necessarily true in this particular case.

Because loath as I am to admit it, I am now also a member of this clique. Furthermore, this has been formally received by the Service Club as a request and as a member, I must see this through to the end.

Now then, going back to my question from earlier.

What can someone like Hikigaya Hachiman do here?

The answer to this was obvious.

What I can provide to these guys was a scheme. An idea that only someone cynical like me can come up with.

Hayama and Ebina may be a lot smarter than me but these two were far too used to applying the orthodox method and from what can be seen earlier, this was not working at all.

I, for one, am much more unscrupulous.

The fact that I'm standing in a similar level to these two despite my obvious lack of academic excellence is a testament to that.

Thus, what I needed to think to think of was an arrangement that answers three main concerns.

First of all, it has to be something that saves some time from Hayama and Ebina's side so that they can also study on their own. If they are too busy helping with Yui and Tobe, it might be their scores that will be negatively affected after all.

Secondly, it must make Yui and Tobe more independent with their studies. Even if I was able to help them with improving their scores in the next upcoming mock exam, it wouldn't mean much if they aren't able to maintain the same level for the next exam and the actual university exams itself. The Service Club's creed is to teach a man how to fish and not just to give him fish after all.

Finally, it should also make both Miura and Saki feel involved with helping Yui and Tobe. That way they wouldn't feel as guilty in prioritizing their own studying. I swear these two were far too kindhearted for their own good.

The criteria are a little strict but I don't think it's impossible to come up with a feasible idea since the three main concerns don't contradict each other. Simply put, if the second point is achieved, then the first and third point will follow.

For some reason, what came into my mind were the set of words that Miura tried to convince me with earlier.

Wouldn't it be better if we all talk about it together instead?

Together.

It was a word I wasn't quite used to using. After all, I was a loner for the great majority of my high school life.

However, I am at the point of my life right now where I am a member of a group. It was something that my younger self couldn't possibly fathom. At the same time, it was also something that I once desired.

Now that I am actually a part of a group, it is now me who goes ahead and sets up my own boundaries on the said group. How ironic.

Then, it hit me.

Since this was a group, then we'll just have to take advantage of that fact.

I stood up, rather abruptly, if I may add.

My sudden motion caused the chair I was sitting on to move slightly backward and make a rough sound as it slid on the ground.

This sound was heard by every single person present in the room.

Once again, I found myself in a situation where six pairs of eyes were focused on me.

This time however, I ignored those looks of expectation and walked slowly towards the whiteboard.

The moment I turned around to face my classmates, I felt their stares on me once again but I was surprisingly calm as a still lake in front of that pressure. I even felt confident for some reason. After all, even though this was technically a small crowd, it wasn't as nerve-wracking as facing off against Yukimama one-on-one.

"Hey, Hachiman, have you thought of something?"

Came Saki's inquiry. As one of the two girls who were the most concerned of the current situation, I sort of expected her to ask this question first.

I nodded to her before making a vague smile to the crowd.

"I'm not quite sure if it will work yet. Basically, I'm planning on conducting an experiment however I need everyone to be in agreement with this. A majority vote will not cut it. Everyone in this room has to agree to this completely. Are you all willing to trust me?"

I say all that with a serious tone in order for them to understand the gravity of the situation but as it stands, it seems like I was the only one who was thinking about this too much because an answer came from the crowd immediately, and from an unexpected individual no less.

"Of course, we'll trust you. You're our friend after all."

The person who said such an embarrassing line matter-of-factly was Miura Yumiko.

Now while I did hope for some support to come my way, I certainly did not expect it to come from the proud Fire Queen herself. That being said, her input was very much appreciated.

"As nice as that sounds Miura, I'd like to hear everyone's personal opinion first."

"Eh? What are you even talking about, Hikio? I'm sure everyone else agrees…"

Miura then alternated her gaze between the other individuals of the room.

"…Right?"

"Yes, I'm in favor."

"Ah, me too!"

"I'm in as well."

"It's Hikitani bro's idea. Of course, it's going to be amazing."

Then came Ebina's, Yui's, Saki's and Tobe's answer respectively.

Huh, that went… A lot easier than I expected it to be.

I wonder what I did to make them believe in me so much.

The only one who still hasn't committed to an answer was…

All of us turned to the person who kept his silence until now. That same perfect smile was still plastered on his face.

"Well, if everyone is in agreement already then I don't mind trying it out at least."

As expected, Hayama Hayato could not go against the flow. That was just against his very nature.

Now that we've got that out of the way…

"Thank you very much for putting your faith in me. I'll try not to disappoint you so much."

I say with a formal bow before picking up the nearby marker.

"For the time being, since it's a common subject between all of us test takers, let's begin with Japanese Literature."

As I finished saying that opening statement of mine, I wrote the words Japanese Literature on the whiteboard behind me before facing my students once again.

From the corner of my eye, I see Yui instantly raise her hand. For some reason, she looked a little pale too. Concerned, I immediately called her name. Was there an emergency perhaps?

"Yes, Yui?"

"I'm just wondering, Hachi. You know how Yukinon tutored me a little bit last year…"

If we weren't in a classroom setting, I would've quipped that a little bit was an understatement on Yui's part. Instead, I had to hold myself back while waiting for Yui to finish her statement.

"The way Yukinon taught me Japanese Literature was that she had me reread a couple of works multiple times until I understood it…"

There was a slight hint of fear on her voice and I even noticed Yui getting even paler than she already was. The same sort of expression was present on the faces of Miura, Tobe and Saki while only a look of discomfort was given by both Hayama and Ebina.

"Are we going to be doing the same thing?"

I might have found it funny if I thought that Yui was joking but knowing Yukino who was the same person who casually formulated a training regimen that Saika can possibly die from, Yui's reaction should be normal.

"Hmm, before I answer that question, Yui. How do you think Yukino studies?"

There were short pauses in between Yui's reply as she tried to tap into her memories.

"She… Does it in… The same way she teaches me… I think?"

After a longer pause than usual, Yui's reply then became more coherent.

"Mm, now that I think about it more, Yukinon is usually beside me reading the same material she has me read… Although she finishes it way before me though."

"That's because Yukino is the kind of superhuman who can just master everything after a short while. It's basically cheating. But that's not the point I'm trying to make…"

I waved a free hand around in the air as a gesture for everyone not to dwell too much on the earlier statement.

"The reason Yukino studies Japanese Literature in that straightforward and orthodox manner is because she has the mental capacity to remember all kinds of details in one reading. And as a believer of the limitless potential of humanity, Yukino believes Yui, and to a certain extent, everyone else present here is capable of doing the same thing with enough repetition."

Now even Hayama and Ebina joined in on the number of people getting pale. As much as I love seeing their faces warped in despair like this (especially Hayama's) that was just the introduction.

"I have no intention in slandering Yukino and her methods. You could even say I'm impressed of its sheer simplicity. Put it in another way, you could even say I'm jealous… But at the same time, I'm not naïve enough to believe that doing the same thing she does will net me the same results, or working harder than her for that matter."

I could tell that the smile that I made in-between my statement creeped them out a little bit but I guess that was better than them looking all pale. You're all welcome by the way.

"The more normal people like us have their own way of doing things. Or rather, each of us can study much more efficiently through our own ways. I won't be able to give you any guarantee that you'll pass the exams after with my help but the least I can do is to make things a little easier for you. The rest will still depend on your own effort."

I took a deep breath before directing my gaze to Yui.

"So, to answer your question, Yui. No, we won't be doing the same thing that Yukino's put you through, so don't worry."

"I see. That's a relief."

I can tell that the sentiments behind those couple of words were shared by everyone present. It almost felt like I heard all of them breathe out a sigh at the same time.

"In fact, what I'll have everyone here do is the complete opposite."

I wrote down the titles of six works that were featured in the recent mock exam on the white board. Why six and not all of them? There were only six people after all.

"Now this is what I mean by an experiment… All six of you will discuss between yourselves who will be in-charge of which title. That person will then create an outline which will contain all the important details of their assigned work. This outline will then be redistributed to all of you…"

The looks of surprise that were becoming more apparent in their faces made me smile wryly.

"In other words, you need to make sure that the output you've prepared is above a certain standard because this will not only serve as your own study material but also for the others."

I could sense some apprehension in the air. That was only natural. What I'm asking them to do was to bet their future on the hands of others after all. It was something that I, myself, will have difficulty doing.

"Now while I did ask for you guys to trust me, I think in this case, it is more appropriate to say that you need to trust each other more."

In the end, this was the only thing I could come up with.

Through the input of others, this will help save Hayama and Ebina some studying time for themselves.

Because of the pressure of not only negatively affecting themselves but also others, both Yui and Tobe will be compelled to try their best to be more independent and competent.

Lastly, since Miura and Saki are more involved, this will help in alleviating some of their worries with regards to Yui and Tobe's state and thus, giving them more room to work on their own goals.

It was the best solution I could come up in such short notice.

It might not be the most optimal answer as of the moment but there was definitely some potential.

"Is everyone willing to try this out at least until the next mock exam?"

"I…"

This time, the person who answered was Tobe. He stood up and directed a determined expression not only to me but to everyone else.

"I'll try my best not to be a burden so…! Can we please try this out?"

It was the first time I've seen the person named Tobe Kakeru declare something so seriously. Despite my cynicism, I'll admit even I was a little moved with his act.

"Me too! I know, I'm a little slow in the head but please let me participate in this as well!"

So came the declaration of the two weak links in this entire plan.

However, if they were this determined to do their best, you could even say that this entire thing was off to a good start already. A motivated person was someone you shouldn't underestimate after all.

"If both Tobe and Yui has said this much, then how can we refuse?"

"Right. Besides, I was planning on going through with this anyways."

With the King and Queen of the clique both having said their piece, no voice of disagreement came from everyone else.

Thus, I can finally say that this plan was officially on a roll.

"Alright, then for today I'll teach you all how to make an outline…"

I then wrote the most important elements that must be seen in an outline on the whiteboard.

Things like the title, author, the main idea of the story/poem, etc.

"You don't have to follow everything I said to the last letter. Feel free to customize your outline in a way that it can help you understand better. Each of us has a different way of remembering things after all. What I've written here is the bare minimum."

At this, I see Ebina raise her hand.

"Yes, Ebina?"

"Is this how you normally study, Hikitani-kun?"

While I was a little surprised with her sudden inquiry, it wasn't something that difficult to answer to begin with so I saw no problem in responding.

"Yes. Although in my case, since I have to do everything in my own, I usually just make do with what I think will most likely come out. There are still other subjects after all. Thankfully, so long as everyone does their part properly, you guys won't have to face the same problem."

With that, I then proceeded to suggest what kind of content they will put in their outline.

"Due to the abstract and subjective nature of Japanese Literature in general, the most efficient approach in studying it is through looking over a professional analysis or transcription of each work. That way, you don't get trapped into the double meanings and implications distributed throughout the literary piece."

I wrote down the names of the websites and critiques where I base my own outline on the whiteboard. There was no need to keep this a secret after all.

"Normally, this would only be good if the story you prepared for actually came up in the test. With the current tendency of the curriculum to add in some more modern works, the scope of Japanese Literature is now vaster than ever. Then again, since we're making use of our numbers here then that won't be too much of a problem."

At this interval, another hand was raised. It was Saki's.

"Yes, Saki?"

"Given what you said so far Hachiman, it seems quite difficult to prepare this much just for one subject. How were you able to consistently maintain your top ranking in Japanese Literature then?"

I pondered a bit before giving my answer.

"Put it simply, I'm a little lucky."

"Excuse me?"

I can understand her disbelief but I don't really know how to explain it well myself.

In actual fact, this was also yet another one of my Loner Skills.

It is an extension of Spectator Hikki, focused solely for teachers.

Loner Skill No. 48: Soothsayer Hikki.

This was an ability that takes note of my teacher's mannerisms and determines which part of the lesson would actually come up in the next pop quiz or even exams.

Each of our teachers, try as they might to hide it, have their own set of habits during lectures which can give away the fact that a particular lesson would be included in the next test.

The straightforward ones just say it to the students upfront; the wannabe mastermind types just smirk in the middle of the lesson and there are even bastards out there who say this will come up in the exam, but will only include one item for it. You can't even condemn them for lying because they technically did put it in the exam.

As a side note, Hiratsuka-sensei belonged to the second type. Despite her skill in teaching being top-tier, my favorite sensei was predictable as hell, much to her frustration. Also, this kind of thing gets easier the more times you are taught by the same teacher. As I am at my third year now, except for a count few and the more recently added faculty members, I've already been taught by all the teachers in Sobu High, so I've more or less noted most of their tells, cues and habits already.

In general, if you back up these bold predictions with a reasonable amount of studying, it was not that hard to maintain a consistent standing in all of your subjects.

Why do I do something like this instead of just studying normally? Well, that's because this method saves more time. By estimating which part of the lessons will be covered and only studying those bits, I spend less time in studying overall. What do I with that spare time? Why that is to play games, read manga, read light novels and to laze around the house, of course! At least, that was true last year. Nowadays, that spare time is being sucked into my part-time job instead. If last year Soothsayer Hikki was optional then this year, it was mandatory.

Now, while my loner skill was doing wonders for me as proven by the fact that I maintained my top three ranking in Japanese and in the top 30s in others (we don't talk about the Sciences), it was a bad idea to relay this information to these people as they might become too dependent on me. Let's not even begin to think about what will happen if my predictions miss. The results would be devastating.

Furthermore, the coverage of this skill was only on targets that I could observe. In other words, it wasn't that useful for the university entrance exams because there is no teacher to extract data from.

"I can sometimes tell if this topic will come out or not. I can miss completely though so that's why my ranking is a little inconsistent."

I left it at that and tried to drive the topic back to the lesson before Miura interjected with her own opinion.

"Wait. Isn't that like extremely useful?"

I just shrugged at her comment before I gave my reply.

"Maybe. I can only do that kind of thing with the exams given by our teachers though. It won't be of much help for these university entrance exams."

"I see… That's too bad then."

Following Miura's disheartened response, I went back to talking about the outline they needed to make. I didn't need to explain that much really. I'm sure they've all been able to make something like this at one point in their previous years.

The idea of writing an outline in and of itself is nothing special.

Writing it for the benefit of others however, was something completely different.

You would never do something like that unless you were paid or bullied into doing so.

Truth be told, I did have one more card up my sleeves.

But now was not the appropriate time to reveal it.

Besides, this card will only be truly effective if they all reach a certain level. As of the moment, aside from myself, only Ebina and Hayama can benefit from it.

"Now that this has been established, please choose between yourselves which title you'll make an outline of. We'll have a test covering all six in order to see how effective this arrangement is two days later.

"Yes."

After their united response, all six of them began busying themselves while I took a seat by my lonesome once again.

Looking at the group now, they were much more cohesive than they were earlier. This time around, they were not only drawn together by a common goal but also by a sense of purpose because each individual member of the group was assigned an equally important task.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

As such, it was only proper in a situation like this to borrow the most potent power in the universe.

The villain known as the university entrance exams shall face the wrath of a force dreaded by even the strongest villains in shounen manga.

The power of nakama.

Unsurprisingly, having the strength in numbers was quite formidable in the real world.

I chuckled to myself as I took out my own set of writing materials. I might as well get started on making their test while I still can, was my initial thought until…

"Hey! What are you doing there on your own, Hikio? Come here and help us out a little too!"

Miura's demand completely discouraged me from doing so. Helpless, I could only come to their side and obey the Fire Queen's command.

It seems that because the power of nakama requires the participation of everyone involved, even a loner like me has to play a more active role.

Great. More work for me.

Who suggested this again? I'll have to go file a formal complaint to him later.

Author's Note:

Hello. Sorry for the slight delay.

I wanted to try a little harder on this chapter given that the previous one felt a little shorter than my usual output and this is the result.

Because of that, I personally felt like I went a little too much into the details here and there.

Are you fine with how specific I went in this chapter or would you prefer to keep minor events like this a little vague?

Please leave a review with your thoughts. I'd really appreciate it.

Now let's get back to the chapter.

Currently, I'd like to label this arc as the Midterms Arc.

In this time period (between the latter half of April and beginning of May), nothing much really happens. In fact, this timeframe was even skipped in the canon series.

But then I thought, what better point to set things up for the future than this period of lull?

Simply put, a great majority of this arc will be dedicated towards building the foundations of the coming arcs in the future so I'll apologize in advance if it feels like the story slowed down a little bit

I definitely haven't run out of ideas yet. At least, I hope so.

With all that being said, I stash my tools for the trade for now and I bid you all farewell.

Here's to hoping I'll be seeing you guys again and more in the next chapter.

Reviews, follows and faves are all very much appreciated.

May everyone's good wishes and realities intersect.

Mori Hikiko

Notes (Updated as of 11/04/2021):

*Added some minor details for Soothsayer Hikki for the purpose of clarification.