002

Summary: Hachiman Hikigaya's first year in Chiba-U following the aftermath of his fatal accident.

Genre: Slice of life/Romance

"What is your problem with men?"

Misaki Ayuzawa doesn't like the note of accusation in his tone. Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't know her. And she doesn't know him. But if he thinks he will get something close to sympathy from her for being a cripple and walking with a cane with those scars on his face and arms and god knows where else, he has another thing coming. "You want to tell me something, Hikigaya."

He holds her gaze, rotten dead fish eyes looking dreadfully hollow with dark circles underneath them from not sleeping properly at night, staying awake, troubled with pain or nightmares or a little bit of both, she is not so sure. She had heard rumours that he skips classes sometimes and spends time in the infirmary and despite joining a month late because of his near fatal accident, he is showing no signs of improvement.

"I just did." He remarks.

Perhaps she is being a little hard on him. But from what she understands he appreciates it. He hates it when people look at him with something close to pity in their eyes. He is reduced to a weakened state, but he is not dead. Despite having a problem walking, his other senses and mental faculties are alright. And he is onto something, she knows that too. He might be a cripple but he is no idiot.

"What do you think?" she asks.

He shrugs a shoulder. "Daddy issues, my guess." He can be utterly casual in his capacity to cut deep. She wonders whether he has lost his ability to be caring towards others. Perhaps he doesn't care about emotional scars now that he has to bear with the physical ones whenever he looks in the mirror. "What? Dad didn't buy you a pony when you were little."

Misaki laughs and shakes her head. "Something like that." Her ambers eyes glow in anger and he realizes to late that he has made a grievous mistake. But she won't punch him like an idiot girl who has no handle on her emotions. She takes a couple of calming breath and cools down before plastering a fake smile on her face, something reminiscent to her part time work. "He abandoned us. Left us with a huge debt."

She still can't use the word 'I' or 'me' when she talks about her father. He abandoned me. He left me. I had to deal with the debt since I was a child. She has many things to say, a number of things. But Hikigaya is hardly the person to rant about this kind of things. "Do you need anything else, Hikigaya?" She asks and she hopes he knows she is trying to be dismissive. "I have some work to do. New president of the student associate body, I hope you understand."

He nods. "I do." As he turns, he throws a parting thought at her direction. "I'm sorry about your father. But that's no excuse, Ayuzawa. Like you said, you are the president and you got here because both men and women voted for you in the campus election."

"I know that." Misaki argues.

"Good." Hachiman states. "That's all I had to say."

Misaki Ayuzawa watches him walk away in a slow pace, using his cane. In the end, she couldn't help but wonder whether she really needed to hear these words from him and how it might affect her tenure as the president of Chiba-U.

A/N: This one-shot is based in Chiba-U and other one-shots based in this universe will have characters from shoujo or romance or slice of life animes.

Here are the option for the next chapter in the slice of life universe:

Option 1: Clannad.

Option 2: Fruits Basket.

Option 3: Kamisama Kiss.

Option 4: Kimi ni Todoke.

Option 5: Author's choice.

Please pick any of the options or suggest a character in the review.

Remember they have to be from romance anime.

Hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter.

Leave lots and lots of reviews, follow and fave.

Won't betray your dreams.