CHAPTER XV

…

It was already late in the morning, and Hikigaya Hachiman strolled into a cafe - another storefront in Shinmachi under their protection, owned by a Cuban immigrant, and one that he developed a fondness for. He'd woken up late after staying up late, but as he insisted, it was already due to his chronic insomnia. Besides, there were no classes today.

Wrapped in his dull blue overcoat, most people did not take notice of him. The white fedora he habitually donned however stood out like a highlighter, and as this district was a prolific territory of the mob, there were wiseguys and associates raising eyebrows upon spotting the boss. Chiba city was the home of the titular Chiba Outfit, and there were mobsters lurking everywhere in plain sight. The lookouts merely watched as the boss went to purchase his daily cup of coffee and pull up a fold of newspapers. The shop owner at once served him.

Hachiman quietly walked around to find himself a comfortable seat. He was surprised to be greeted by the sight of a woman sitting in his favorite windowside booth. Inwardly he admitted that he did not expect to see Haruno Yukinoshita in such a place at all. Granted the cafe was not poor, but it was superficially unremarkable and practically nameless, and only those who knew the streets of Chiba by heart could pinpoint the little place. Hachiman liked to think he knew his city more than he knew himself.

He deduced that Haruno could've possibly been eyeing him for a while now in order to know about this cafe. It was not a coincidence. Of course she had already noticed him when he entered the place, and Hachiman decided it would only be courteous to meet her. He walked over and slid into the booth across her unannounced, setting down his coffee on the table.

"You really enjoy following me around, don't you, Haruno-san?"

Haruno looked up, expecting well to whom the voice belonged to. "Is that what you think?" she smiled.

Hachiman relaxed into his seat, folding his arms over his chest. He looked her over thoughtfully before turning away to the window. "I think it's unusual to meet you here."

"Well you frequent this place and I noticed," she said. "And I'm curious."

"That you are," he said quietly. "This little place has got the best coffee in town. La café de cubana."

Haruno picked up her cup and brought it to her lips, which was stained crimson. She was dressed sharply as ever, and the jet-black suit she wore was immaculate. This gave Hachiman the impression that she was bound for a business meeting sometime later in the day. Her younger sister might be dressing more decadently, but as the heir to the family business, Haruno has better things to do than to show off her womanly grace. She subtly agreed with him.

Hachiman remained silent for a while, having nothing to say, but he was now bothered. His phone battery was about to die, even if it's still at a quarter capacity. The display was worn out, and the device was too old. He thought incredulously why he hadn't gotten a new one yet. But this wasn't the problem at all - it was the fact that Yumiko had called him last night and reminded him of their "practice" date, and he'd forgotten about it. In his defense, she didn't give him a heads up until yesterday. She should've told him at least a week earlier. By now, he thought, it was almost just a poor pretext for hanging out, but it was still hardly romantic at all. He had trouble remembering what today was all about, but he knew this much: today was the 14th of February, or as most people knew it, St. Valentine's day.

He snapped out of his brief recollection and faced his companion again. Haruno sighed a bit before finally bringing across her intentions. She asked curiously, "you're still adamant on remaining in touch with little Yukino-chan?"

"You might not believe it, but I happen to be very sentimental towards her, as with everyone else I consider to be friends," Hachiman answered.

"Are you really?" she said.

"I should think that I am," he said.

"The same way you are very sentimental with Miura-chan?"

"That too."

Haruno's face suddenly lit up, as if she recalled something interesting. She was aware of what was up today as well. "Ne, Hikigaya-kun. You're going out with Miura-chan on a date today, aren't you?"

Hachiman shrugged, indifferent. "I'm not a fan of Valentine's day, really. I have no interest in watching couples do stupid things in public. But Yumiko and I, we both enjoy the coupons they throw out," he quipped.

Haruno remained polite, and sipped on her cup of coffee. Hachiman began to drink from his cup as well. Nobody would notice, but his hands were cold again. The heat eased him thankfully, and he forgot all about the newspapers he brought. At the moment he actually did not dislike Haruno's presence - he was appeased by her.

Haruno said, slightly too formally, "I think we ought to discuss the obvious state of affairs."

Hachiman was piqued. "The obvious?" he hummed, feigning ignorance. "Do tell."

"I like you, Hachiman," she said. "You're intelligent, refined, and, as I started to realize, a very interesting individual. But I don't like it when all you have are eyes for my sister. That's not very good," Haruno whispered. She stared at him pointedly, her rosy eyes almost seemed accusing. "Honestly, I don't want to see you hovering around my sister. At this point, you're being more of a nuisance than a friend. You might even stir up trouble for me!" she laughed pretentiously.

"Do you reckon?" Hachiman asked in an unusually playful manner.

"Where I'm from," Haruno began gently, "when someone goes up to you and says there's an issue between you and her, you're expected to keep a certain degree of discretion about it." she tilted her head and looked at him with careful eyes. "You don't talk about it with anyone else. But I suppose you know that already, Hikigaya-kun."

Hachiman remained unperturbed, but he understood her perfectly. This was initially nothing more than a thinly veiled threat against him. But it was not without reason for Haruno to take actions and ward off Hachiman's efforts to close the distance between him and her sister Yukino. His actions were provocative and did spell trouble for Haruno. Given that Yukino was already betrothed to another man and the affair was an extremely important matter to the Yukinoshitas, it was easy to see that this wasn't the time for secret reunions.

Secondly, Haruno held him in a dubious light, but Hachiman took it well and thought her only sensible to be distrustful of him. He did admit that he wasn't the most trustworthy human being on the planet. She didn't despise Hachiman, but never fully understanding the young man's motives, Haruno would rather not take chances. She did not enjoy the fact that Hachiman could perceive through her facades and conniving while she couldn't. Hachiman had been nothing less than secretive and mysterious this whole time they crossed paths.

Hachiman scoffed lazily. "What are you going to do?"

Haruno kept looking at him innocently. "Let's just say… it's better to have me as a friend, don't you think?" she said softly. "Making enemies is always such an ugly thing. It ruins everyone involved. Before you know it, the ground beneath you crumbles and your world falls apart. I really like you, Hachiman, and it would be a shame if we can't get along."

If Hachiman was unnerved in any way, he did not show it. He merely stared back at Haruno with a slightly curious but attentive look. His dark eyes narrowed, then he blinked, as if her words finally sunk into him. He took another sip from his cup then started talking quietly.

"The last time, you called me envious of your sister and a coward for not being true to myself and confronting Yukino. So maybe this time, I'll bite. I'll play into my ego, and you can say what you will. But between the two of us, which one do you think is more incompetent? Look at yourself," he mused, continuing.

"I know you don't really like Hayama-san, and that's given, but the truth is that marrying him isn't of your design at all, is it? It's just you resigning yourself to someone else's designs. What is a potent and capable woman like you doing by submitting to a man as mercurial as Hayama-san? It's not you to make such a ham-handed decision, and there are more, let's say elegant ways to achieve that prestige people like you desire. Yet you deceive yourself by saying that it's what you wanted and intended for. Now.. it's just you being afraid to go against the grain. It's painfully obvious that there's a third party at play here. Haruno-san, I know you can do better than that."

Haruno frowned. The slips in her facade steadily wore off. Hachiman could be running blind shots or somehow picked up on intimate information, but that wasn't currently so important to her. The fact is that he was dangerously close to the truth. Haruno struggled not to let him know this. And Hachiman was referring to none other than her mother, Mrs. Yukinoshita, who more or less had everything according to her designs. At that, he presumed correctly.

Haruno sat straight in her seat, adopting a more serious demeanor. "You know I had no other choice," she said coldly.

"Dear, we always have a choice," Hachiman said gently. "The ability to make a decision is the most difficult, and thus the most important aspect of all. And not making a decision is a big decision itself, Haruno."

"Oh, I know that I am doing what I want to do," she insisted. "You're wrong about one thing. I'm not resigning myself to anyone. Not to my mother, or to the status quo, or to anyone else. It's funny," she smirked. "I actually thought you were the only person who could really understand me. Maybe I'm mistaken."

The expression on Hachiman's face suddenly vanished. He looked at her with a gray and unamused visage. "Haruno, do I look like buying any of your bullshit?" he asked.

Haruno fell dead silent and narrowed her eyes. She blinked, and for a moment she was surprised.

Hachiman unexpectedly grinned. "I'm playing with you," he chuckled. "But really, do you think you can keep feeding me pretexts and spinning everyone around? In any case, I'll be frank as well and confess that I couldn't give two bits on what you're up to," he said. Haruno cast a pointed look at him.

Hachiman inwardly laughed, remembering how Hanzo Ieyori often used that particular expression of disinterest when shrugging off trivialities. He took a last sip of his coffee and left the cup unfinished, as it had gone cold. Just as he started out from his seat, Haruno also stood up and stepped in front of him, not allowing him to leave so simply. She faced him searchingly, indignant of his dull and unenthusiastic mannerisms - it touched her nerves.

Hachiman was amused, peering down at her. He said, "you do what you want to do, and I'll do what I want to do. We might be very much alike, you and I, in that we're both selfish people who answer only to themselves."

"You are making things not only difficult for me, but for you," she warned. "Are you sure you want to be doing this, Hachiman?"

Hachiman initially replied with a small smile. "I already have my answers. I'll expect that you'll find yours."

Hachiman then leaned closer and kissed her on the cheek, lingering slightly longer than he'd preferred and unusually more affectionate than he intended to let out. In any case, he regarded it with indifference and waved back at her before leaving. It succeeded in prompting Haruno to blush a bit, but she hid her reactions. The gesture was completely unexpected and he obviously did it just to spite her. Haruno looked away contemptuously. She watched Hachiman walk out of the cafe and soon disappear into the streets.

…

Of course it didn't end there. After lunch, Hachiman had to deal with Miura Yumiko, who was evidently displeased at him for acting the way he did with her that morning. He had five missed calls, and if he'd managed to check his messages he'd find that it was filled: "Hachi! YOU'RE DEAD! Where the fuck are you?!"; "meet me in front of the station, ASAP!" While he was enjoying a chat with a certain devil of a woman, Yumiko was trying to contact him. Hachiman judged that it would be acceptable to temporarily set her aside and deal with the immediate matter. He decided he wouldn't be one to offend women by pouring his attention to someone else while in front of them. Even if he had death threats coming his way.

Yumiko came charging at him from across the curb when they met in front of the station. Hachiman initially didn't see her coming. It was like a hit. She was really steamed. She bashed him hard on the arm. "You stood me up on a date! Nobody does that to me!" she screamed at him. She was raising hell, and people were starting to look.

Hachiman put up his hands and tried to reason with her, but to no avail. "I didn't show up because I was scared you'd stand me up," he protested.

Yumiko swiftly and fiercely called out his lie. "Bullshit! You think I'd do that to you?"

He automatically flinched when she cocked her fist back. "I'll make it up to you!" Hachiman exclaimed.

"When, on the next Valentines?" she said coldly. "You blew it. You bloody well blew it."

Hachiman was about to try and placate her, but he stood aside and shut his mouth. Yumiko closed her eyes, frustrated. She held up a hand and breathed deeply to calm herself. They both remained still for a good moment before she glanced up at him. Yumiko was still pissed, but she now only had a slight frown on her face. Her eyes were sullen however. Hachiman didn't particularly like seeing her like this - he thought he should be the only one entitled that signature dead-eyed look. When Yumiko does it, he sees it more as murderous than anything.

By the time she was finished lashing out at him, they had made a date. Hachiman took Yumiko to a Chinese restaurant in the Perie Chiba shopping mall at the Shinchiba grand station. This time, he swore that he was going to be a 'Yes-Man' for the day and not cross her and behave like an ideal son-in-law.

Back then, Yumiko couldn't stand Hachiman. She thought he was really obnoxious. Hachiman hated going out with people, and the first few times they hung out together, he was awful at it all. And when Yumiko finally convinced him to go on a "practice" date for the first time around the city, it was obvious he didn't want to be there. At that time some of Yumiko's friends, who were couples, also tagged along. Hachiman just kept fidgeting. He kept rushing everyone. He was ordering the bill before they even had dessert. When it was time to go home Hachiman was pushing Yumiko in and pulling her out of the stations. She thought it was ridiculous, but she always cherished those times.

Hachiman took the initiative to order for both of them, and Yumiko did not protest. But even after their food was served, she remained silent and despondent. Hachiman wanted to boast about how he was hitting points on multiple categories. He eventually learned a lot about the standards and expectations in taking a woman out on a date thanks to her. He knew Yumiko liked spicy snail noodles. The windowside table gave them a good view of the commotion below - hundreds of people waiting to board the trains bound for Tokyo. Later, he'd take her to the theatres or even better, to the nightclub. Today was a Friday and he'd invited a band hailing from Brazil to play at the RePublic club tonight, and they accepted to show gratitude to the boss for helping arrange a smooth immigration for their relatives. It would be a wonderful party indeed.

But Yumiko did not budge. She merely picked at her noodles and hadn't eaten more than half of it. Hachiman kept quiet, watching her carefully. She didn't look mad, but neither was she happy. Yumiko simply seemed unamused, the way one loses interest in anything banal like television, or a date gone awry.

Two generous mugs of beer were served to their table, one of which Yumiko started on. Hachiman watched her start drinking, unnerved. He knew the protocol if she faints. What if she starts trouble? She consumed a pint of beer in no time. A pint is exactly the amount that would cause her to pick fights with strangers. Hachiman swore he'd never drink anything with her again, but he was only kidding himself when he said that. Still, he was bothered. Right now she could be yelling, "hey you! What the bloody hell are you eating snails for? Eat something else!" but Yumiko was awfully quiet.

Hachiman was curious now. He concluded that this wasn't about what happened in the morning at all. He tried asking her gently, "what's the matter?"

Yumiko begrudgingly muttered, "nothing, just leave me alone…"

She glanced away, her cheeks now turning a shade redder. Eventually they left the restaurant. Yumiko was staggering a bit and her steps were noticeably bumbling. She struggled to hold onto Hachiman's arm and not outright lean against him with all her weight. They came to a subtle consensus to go to the plaza. The plaza wasn't far, but the walk felt dragged to Hachiman, with him having to go by Yumiko's easy-going, or rather drunk pace. When they reached the square, they picked out a bench and sat down together.

It was a gray cloudy day and Hachiman would certainly call it boring, but for most people it wasn't - the romantic Valentine themes could be noticed everywhere; there were reds and pinks and heart-shaped balloons floating around. The city hall was decorated sickeningly even. He knew the florestries and candy shops were selling hot right now. And there were the inevitable scenes of couples strolling about in public, much to his disgust and apprehension.

Hachiman shoved a hand under the breast of his overcoat and the other in his pocket as he slouched miserably in his seat. His fedora was pulled over his head so that his eyes seemed to glare cruelly as he watched people and their antics. It wasn't freezing cold, but it was biting him. On the other end of the bench sat Yumiko, wrapped in her orange parka and wearing the blue hoodie Hachiman had given her. But he didn't notice this. What he did assume was that they were both in a pessimistic mood today, and he wasn't wrong either.

He continued to gloat and stare at passersby without being noticed. He sniggered to himself, thinking how he was being such a creep. But he basked in the negativity - thrived in it, even. Every time he sees a couple go by, he makes mental bets on how long the two would last. If he was feeling extra frisky, he'd fantasize a dramatic meltdown which culminates once the two poor saps get married. Hachiman was so ensconced with his little daydream that he did not notice Yumiko move closer towards him until they were actually beside each other.

"Hachi… can we try holding hands?" Yumiko suddenly asked, in an almost inaudible voice.

"You say something?" Hachiman glanced at her, but looked away again.

"I'm just thinking, maybe we should try holding hands… you know, just for the hell of it."

"What?" Hachiman was bewildered. He stared at her, and then started laughing.

Yumiko was incensed. "Don't laugh at me," she snarled, turning away, her face red as a rose. "You have no idea how embarrassing it is to ask that!"

"Then why'd you ask it at all?"

"I don't fucking know, alright? I just thought you might… y-you might…" she stuttered, trailing off.

Hachiman was surprised. He thought Yumiko was joking at first, but if she was serious he really wouldn't know what to make of it. They have held hands before, in the sense that they made contact when actions such as dragging, pulling, pushing and fighting were at play. But hand-holding in this awkward, pseudo-romantic sense? There was no way.

Yumiko didn't wait for an answer. She grabbed Hachiman's wrist and pulled his hand out of his pocket. Before he realized, her fingers were already entwined with his.

"Brilliant, your hands are bloody cold," she complained viciously.

Hachiman felt his cheeks burn up. "And you're the one who's got a problem?!" he snapped.

After suffering a bit of humiliation, he regained his composure. She was just setting the scores straight. Aside from the warm and peculiar feeling holding her hand gave him, Hachiman thought, once you get over the fact that it's nothing remarkable at all it wasn't such a big deal unless it was a first. To him, it just seemed humorous and at best, affectionate. He could live with it.

Once she wasn't as tipsy anymore from the drinks, she began to talk.

Yumiko explained that while she was waiting for him in Shinchiba, she, by pure coincidence ran into him. "He wanted to talk to me for a bit," she said. "And I didn't want to. I tried to wait for you to show up, but you didn't… he was really insistent, so I gave in."

While Hachiman was too concerned with someone else, Yumiko had her own confrontation to deal with. It had been months since she had had any sort of direct contact with him, and though he attempted to get in touch with her multiple times, Yumiko never really picked up from where they left off. She was trying to skirt any sort of face-off and instead expected the whole affair to bury itself on its own.

Hachiman listened to her talk, but he gradually lost interest. He turned his gaze blankly forward. He already knew enough, and he decided that any further details would be redundant. Truthfully, Hachiman didn't know what Yumiko and her ex actually talked about, and though he heard her clearly, he willingly forgot whatever was said. The other difficult truth was the fact that Yumiko hadn't exactly broken up with her 'ex' yet. Over the course of several mood swings and reflection, Yumiko changed how she told the story of her tragic love. Sometimes it portrayed her as the victim, and often, when ego got the better of her it was her who "dumped the guy and got the last laugh" but Hachiman knew some of the truths.

After all these months together and everything they've been through, Hachiman thought, it's easy to say that Yumiko had well moved on from her past. But if there's one thing he'd learned, it's that relationships aren't as simple a choice between a 'reset' or a 'delete' button to press. Inwardly, Hachiman was disappointed and even slightly angered at Yumiko for her letting such a brief meeting affect herself so much, but he couldn't really blame her.

But perhaps the most difficult truth to accept of all was the fact that Yumiko once really loved this guy. They weren't innocent high-schoolers anymore, and this wasn't just another case of puppy love gone too far. The fact was that Yumiko loved the guy enough that at one point they were intimate. It simply could've been her and a lapse in proper judgement, but Hachiman wasn't a psychologist. He hadn't the slightest inkling what her thought process was. But he knew this much: when a girl gives up her virginity to a man, she becomes a woman and the margin for errors disappear. At that point, Hachiman thought, you are playing life at the most challenging level. One wrong move, and you're fucked.

Yumiko rarely talked about it at all. Hachiman knew it was absolutely none of his business, and he never stuck his nose into it. It was one of his principal rules never to get involved with the personal lives of people. In another circumstance he would've teased Yumiko for being just another typical dumb riajuu, but in circumstances like these it was different. In the momentary glimpses through her pretense, she was just as fragile as any other girl.

With that given, Hachiman could guess rather accurately what Yumiko and her boyfriend might have talked about. He must've asked her if they could start over with their relationship again. It wasn't some capricious choice between him and Hachiman. It was what to do about the relationship between him and Yumiko, and it was now her call to make.

Yumiko seemed confused and did not know what to do, but Hachiman cannot tell her what to do. If she decides to mend her relationship with him, he won't do anything to stop her. Even if she gets hurt again in the process, all Hachiman would do is be a good friend and tend to her pain. Those were his principles, flawed as they were. And that was what he intended for in the first place after all.

Hachiman tried to convince himself that what Yumiko felt for the guy was genuine, but he only found himself laughing at the absurdity. What was a cynic like him doing, trying to be an optimist? But the guy could've truly loved Yumiko as well. Why he broke her, left her and almost scarred her for life was probably also due to love. Betrayal is an inherent part of love. And Hachiman wasn't being sarcastic on this one. But then again, Hachiman thought, he is probably a bit of a sociopath, so he couldn't tell which was which anymore. It was none of his business. He had much more important matters to deal with.

.

.

okay, I know it's all sudden and I'm probably breaking cardinal rules in writing by switching into 3rd POV at this point in the story, but I believe this is necessary. I need to step up my game and switch gears for the sake of quality and execution of the plot. If this is what'll make the story better and more enjoyable for the readers, then so be it.

and I know y'all are unsatisfied and upset about the current state of things, but rest assured everything will fall in place. We're not even through the best parts, and there will be resolution between Yukino and 8man. Just a heads up, this isn't all about Yukino. I'm just setting the stage for the bigger plot at work. We're already at the turning point, so if you wanted drama and action, you'll get it. I wanted to write a crime/political/drama story. I'll give you one. -Napoleon