CHAPTER XVIII

…

What happens in your typical crime novel - or evening newspaper headlines for that matter? The upstart vigilante kills the bad guy - good. Then he saves himself and his friends - good. But then he starts having dreams in which the dead man pursues him with bloody fingers, moaning, "mur-der-er, mur-der-er!"

In real life it doesn't work that way. The real nightmare you get is the other kind. You toss about in bed dreaming that you haven't done it - that you lost your nerve and let the Yakuza Jirou get away - that you're going to end up like one of those boys in horror movies, the boy who always gets killed after trying to be the hero.

But the sweating stops. Your heartbeat slows down. You finally accept, you did it! You killed him!

By and large, Hikigaya Hachiman was not a politician, a businessman, and even less a hero. Not one of those extraordinary men who can kill and move on, as if nothing happened. When he had murdered that Inagawa-kai extortionist who had threatened him all those nights ago, he felt terribly sick afterwards. Hachiman repeated the same cycle again and again for several weeks: he left his apartment - an inconspicuous and, admittedly, filthy place - at six in the morning, headed up to the Grandeur to open the house in advance and walked down to the Cuban coffee shop before going to school. He slept for no more than six hours a day, was always seemingly paranoid and when business was involved, behaved in an unusually professional manner, treating everything with indifference and deliberacy.

The reaction was natural, as with anyone who is forced to become something they did not expect or desire to become. But as it became a duty that was hammered into him - burned into his head the moment he crossed the point of no return, Hachiman begrudgingly accepted it. And now he was the boss, the patrón of the reigning criminal mob in Chiba.

Hachiman since then realized that his sentiments for the Yakuza Jirou were not regretful at all. He was in fact glad that he had indeed murdered the man. As soon as Hachiman understood that what needed to be done was done, he could again sleep soundly at night. The awareness of the fact that he had just eliminated a threat to his being was quite comforting, and it eased him. Hachiman was for one, assured that if he were to be killed in his sleep, it wouldn't be the Yakuza Jirou who would get him at least. That was enough consolation for him - a twisted notion, but consolation still.

But the rapid and savage turn of events that transpired over the past week had brutally shattered his spirits once more. Too many things had occurred in such a short amount of time, that it was too much for Hachiman to bear. He was still a young man who just happened to be the Chiba Outfit boss after all.

It was a Sunday morning, so it may as well have been the respite of the weekend that was at work. Myoken-dori avenue was clear today, with few taxicabs gracing the roads. But folks didn't hang out in the corners. The shops were open but the blinds were pulled down. Through the blinds peered watchful eyes. Rue de La Pierre, with its beautiful brick path and Parisian-style boulevard was quiet, and inside the Chiba Outfit tailor shop, the titular headquarters of the mob, Mr. Bo spoke in a hushed tone. The boss sat right across him, and they talked. There were a dozen carloads of Outfit hitmen out on the city streets, and everyone was talking in hushed voices. Sakaecho district was on lockdown, the Ieyori residence was guarded by wiseguys from all sides, and the RePublic club which housed the boss' office was as safe as a tomb. Yet even Hachiman whispered when he spoke.

An assistant walked up to the mahogany table and in a solemn voice, as if regarding something deeply serious, said, "here is your coffee, sire."

Hachiman gave an approving nod and took the cup. Mr. Bo continued to speak. Hachiman listened understandingly and when the conversation was done and matters were settled, he shook hands with the Chinese man and walked out of the office and left through the back exit. The boss reappeared again, hands in pockets and walking imperiously, his white hat and blue overcoat cutting a neat figure through the cold, early streets. Wiseguys on the lookout all glanced at him protectively.

The unmanned newspaper stands displayed fresh press releases, but a few articles stood out of place; a three-day old headline which in bold prints read: IMMIGRANT, ROBERT SIEYES DEAD FROM FATAL STABBING IN TAKASHINACHO, CHIBA. POLICE SUSPECT CONNECTIONS TO HATE CRIME.

Hachiman was nonchalant, and simply took notice of the playground which he passed by, where several children were already at play. A few blocks further down was the chapel; churchgoers had just finished the mass and were on their way out. Some of them he recognized as one of their associates. Let them go to church while they still could, Hachiman thought. Because in the following days, they might well need their faith.

The day was Sunday. Zero hour was fast approaching for the Chiba Outfit, as the war had just begun. After a close with a deadly assassination attempt on his life, the death of one of their most important associates - a foreigner no less - and the betrayal and summary execution of one of his lieutenants, Hikigaya Hachiman was different.

Or it might just be his dexamethasone medication, or the morphine in his bloodstream that was numbing his senses. Hachiman continued walking towards the station. He left a thin wisp of cigarette smoke as he went on. He wasn't in a bad mood, but he hadn't spoken a word more and mulled to himself continuously.

Why did I agree to this, he thought as he stood around, waiting for a friend to arrive.

The friend in question soon showed herself. Yui Yuigahama walked up to Hachiman before he could dispose of his cigarette. Hachiman raised his eyebrows and faced her.

Yui gave a small smile. "Hi. Were you waiting long for me?"

Hachiman answered gently, "not at all, I just happened to have arrived."

"I see… Yukino wanted to invite us for lunch, so I'm glad you showed up." Yui studied him for a good moment, running her eyes all over him. A concerned look formed on her face. "Hikki, you look exhausted."

'You look exhausted' was just another euphemism for 'you look like shit' - and he did. He was haggard and depressed, with his hat slung over his head like he was some jaded cop lurking about. Of course Hachiman kept these thoughts to himself. He let out an awkward little laugh.

Yui reached out to touch his cheek. Her hand felt warm and comforting. Hachiman instinctively shied away. Yui scolded him to stop smoking, that his eyes were dark and tired, and that he shouldn't stay up late. "You don't wanna hear it, huh? Well, I'm not going to be the one who ruins your health," she sighed.

Hachiman simply smiled at her, showing that he was appreciative of her concerns. However, Yui was more perceptive than she let out. She was alarmed at how hollow the look on his face was, and how Hachiman seemed to be almost sad. Yui tried to ask what was wrong, but he assured her otherwise. "Hikki, is there something wrong? Your face is pale. Are you sick? Do you not feel well today?" she persisted.

"No, I'm fine. I just don't have anything to say, that's all," he said.

"You're always so quiet," Yui muttered. Her eyes darted away and settled on her feet. "If you don't really want to go with us, you don't have to force yourself…"

Hachiman suddenly chuckled. "What? I've just been busy lately, really," he said. "And you? I don't know how you're able to find the time to hang out with people. Doesn't anyone have anything else better to do?"

"There's nothing wrong with that. What about you, what have you been doing?"

Hachiman didn't really answer her question, but hummed to himself.

Yui gently laid her hands on his left arm and held it. Hachiman let out a soft breath, feeling a sharp pain shoot up his arm. Yui noticed this and at once loosened her fingers. Hachiman said, "it's nothing. My arm is just bruised." he explained that he hurt himself while lifting something. In fact, he fell down on his arm hard during a particularly nasty life-threatening encounter which he'd rather not think about. That was the reason for the unconventional morphine injections - he hated the idea of getting a cast, instead preferring to keep his arm tucked away to his side inconspicuously. No matter, it would heal soon enough.

While the other two had not yet arrived, Hachiman and Yui strolled around in the mall in Shinchiba and looked through the shop windows, spending a relatively serene time together. They got out just in time.

Yumiko was the next to arrive. The sight of her somehow made Hachiman grimace - probably because she was loud and riajuu-ey as usual. She had a blue jacket on, unzipped. Her usual slim T-shirt and ripped jeans attire made her much more curvaceous than she actually is. Yumiko ran up to Yui. She wiggled her foot, showing off a brand-new pair of white Adidas. "Do you see these, Yui? Hikio bought me these new sneakers. Well, I borrowed the money from him, but that's not important."

"O-Oh? So it's like you two are dating?" Yui questioned.

"Well, no… call it a friends-with-benefits situation. He's like my personal piggy bank."

The first few words out of her mouth, he already found repulsive. Hachiman rolled his eyes and sighed through clenched teeth. Yumiko was laughing again, in a way that ticked Hachiman off, when Hachiman planted his foot into her sneakers.

His own foot had just stepped onto a puddle from a sidewalk, so even better. Yumiko screamed. She soon discovered that her white sneakers were dirtied, no longer pristine.

Yumiko rose up in anger. "My shoes! You ruined my shoes!" she cried.

Hachiman glanced at her cynically. "Shut up."

Yumiko smashed her foot into Hachiman's Oxfords in retaliation. She kept it there, going so far as to practically stand on Hachiman's foot and grabbing his arms to balance herself. To passersby they looked like they were a couple hugging as Yumiko glared up at his face.

It was now his turn. Hachiman writhed and yelled. "Get off! Off!"

Yui watched their antics as the two quarreled comically.

"Why'd you do that?!"

"I'm your personal piggy bank, eh? I bought that, so those shoes are practically mine. I'll do what I want with them. I'll god-damn step on them if I feel like it. "

"No you can't do that. These are mine now, you gave them to me!"

The two broke away from each other and began conspiring to themselves. Hachiman rubbed his left arm tenderly. He got down and began wiping off his shoes with a piece of tissue paper from his pocket. Yumiko towered over him contemptuously and nudged him.

"Wipe my shoes off," she demanded.

Hachiman was incredulous. "Excuse me?" but Yumiko was adamant, so begrudgingly, Hachiman glanced up at Yui and smiled bitterly, "don't mind her. That's normal Yumiko for you."

While he inwardly boiled as he cleaned the mud off of Yumiko's sneaker, Hachiman sensed someone walking up to them. He looked up again to find out it was Yukino Yukinoshita. She had on a striped black and white dress, stockings and a dark frock coat. Her taste for stylish clothes never wavered. Hachiman was more appreciative of her chest, which was now more shapely, but of course he spent the longest time staring at her attractive face.

Yukino regarded them with her usual apathetic expression, but when she looked down on Hachiman, she watched him in disgust.

"I see Miura-san has made a fine poodle out of you, Hikigaya-san."

"That's not true at all. I prefer to think of being gentlemanly as my better nature." Hachiman promptly got up. "Is that right, Miura-san?" Hachiman asked gently.

Yumiko paled and felt her stomach drop when she saw the cold, frightening look in his eyes, which betrayed the otherwise friendly smile on his lips. "Y-Yes!" she yelped nervously.

"You see?"

Yukino chuckled amusedly. "I believe Miura-san is disturbed by you."

Hachiman was incredulous. "Nonsense."

As they started walking, Hachiman noticed Yumiko's unhappy look and felt her eyes jump back and forth from him and Yukino, as if trying to discern something. "I see you're jealous of her," he whispered.

"Hell no. She's so flat all over, you couldn't tell which is the front from the back!" Yumiko whispered back. Of course, Hachiman knew this wasn't true. Yumiko was indeed just being spiteful, and he found it amusing.

The four of them all walk together at a leisurely pace, enjoying the not-too cold breeze. They soon arrived at a nice Italian diner after crossing Chiba-kaido avenue into the next district.

Yukino had promised to pay this time for all of them - even for Yumiko - so Hachiman was naturally agreeable to the idea. He considered Yukino a saint for this one. Even Ice Queens have hearts after all.

On the other hand, knowing the prideful Yumiko, she would certainly insist on splitting the bill. In any case it was all good. The diner also happened to be under their protection - Hanzo's crew supplied the joint with the first picks of ingredients every day - so even better. They would eat tagliatelle and drink white wine to their hearts' content. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

That was until unexpected guests made themselves present. Among them was Haruno, Hayama Hayato, and another person. The woman, Hachiman immediately recognized as Haruno's mother, Mrs. Yukinoshita. Her sharp blue eyes and her gorgeous but eloquent appearance no doubt introduced her as the matriarch of her family. Unlike most of the time, when she dressed in an elegant kimono, Mrs. Yukinoshita was now more casual - stunning still, with a tight white blouse and a pair of slacks that pronounced her womanly curves, she looked powerful. This was a woman who wore the pants in the family.

Her younger daughter at once took notice of her presence.

Yukino was suddenly sullen. "Oka-san…" she mumbled darkly.

"May we join you?" the elegant woman asked.

The manner of her speaking was curt and eloquent, and it was near impossible to resist because it was more of a sophisticatedly demanding nature than a question. Hachiman was already aware that she knew who he was, so he decided to be the one to answer.

"With pleasure," Hachiman smiled.

This was Mrs. Yukinoshita. It was the first time in a long time Hachiman had gotten vis-a-vis with such a powerful and reputable figure. Inwardly, he felt conscious even. But Hachiman realized that this was not a coincidence - it dawned on him that this whole meeting was most like likely a set-up. What would Yukino gain from this? What about Hayama Hayato? And so by elimination, it was already clear that Haruno orchestrated the whole affair. Either that or it was Mrs. Yukinoshita who desired the confrontation.

But the person Hachiman was most curious about after Mrs. Yukinoshita was actually Hayama Hayato. What was he doing here? Could it be that he also conspired with her to catch them in this situation? Hachiman wasn't exactly on good terms with Hayama, and it showed on his face: he held him in a dubious, almost suspicious light. It couldn't be helped; Hachiman was becoming too close with his fiance Haruno Yukinoshita after all - too close in fact.

In my defense, Hachiman thought, Hayama already had his work ahead of him with that woman. And the fact that Haruno herself is going off on her own tangent while Hayama is practically oblivious speaks volumes. It meant nothing but trouble. This was going to be a marriage built on false pretenses, lies and ulterior motives - in other words, a disaster waiting to happen. Alternatively, it could be that Hayama was simply not sticking it to her well enough in bed, but what do I know?

Hachiman kept his cynical thoughts to himself. Still, he seethed at the thought of being deceived and drawn into such a position. Had Haruno already double-crossed him and tipped off her mother about him? If so, then the objective must be to soil his reputation enough to make his potential acquaintances in the business world think thrice of him. Miyako-sama had begun to teach him about a deadly weapon in politics: character assassination. In this case, he was now about to be attacked from another front. But he shook his head.

Thankfully they had just finished their meals and were settling down on their drinks, beginning to converse openly and comfortably so now was the convenient time to talk business.

The tension was thick in the air and suffocating. Haruno and Hayama sat across from Yui and Yukino, while Yumiko sat beside Hachiman. Mrs. Yukinoshita sat in front of them, studying each of them as if looking for potential flaws to criticize. The elephant in the room obviously had to be addressed right away, and Mrs. Yukinoshita wasted little time in getting straight to the point.

"Doesn't anyone think that he" -Mrs. Yukinoshita pointed a subtle finger at Hachiman- "is getting a bit too comfortable with Yukino-chan for his own good?" There was a brief moment of silence and nobody uttered a word.

"...not at all. I don't think there's any problem with it."

Everyone glanced at the person who had given the haphazard answer.

Mrs. Yukinoshita seemed to be slightly surprised. "Excuse me?"

Yumiko talked as she sucked on the straw of her iced tea. "I think there's nothing wrong with that," she said quietly.

"There's nothing wrong with that?"

Yumiko shook her head, saying "nope."

Mrs. Yukinoshita smiled, not quite looking at her straight. "Are you sure about that?"

"Well, it's not like they're fucking, right?" she quipped, laughing innocently. "It's no big deal. Let them do what they want."

"Do you think so?"

Yumiko never realized what she was getting herself into.

Mrs. Yukinoshita turned her direct attention towards the blonde young woman at the table. "Oh, you're the Miura girl, aren't you?" she mused, a hint of sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Beautiful, yes… but what a waste. If only her mother, Miss Irving hadn't passed away so soon, then maybe her daughter would've learned to grow up as a fine lady."

Yumiko turned red with emotion. "Excuse me?" she choked. "What are you talking about, eh? Who do you think you are to talk about my Ma like that?! Y-You… you…"

Much to Hachiman's surprise, Yumiko suddenly faltered and fell silent, like a candle which was blown out by a strong wind. Yumiko seemed to grow smaller and crack under the penetrating gaze of Mrs. Yukinoshita. Yumiko was pale in the face now. Hachiman realized the way Mrs. Yukinoshita was glaring at her - it was a dreadful, icy glare that could kill a thousand times, if looks could kill. He would compare it to his own mother's - even Mama Imoguiri's look - but unlike her, Mrs. Yukinoshita was far more cruel and terrifying.

Mrs. Yukinoshita continued, speaking of Miura Yumiko in a way as if she did not exist at the moment.

"'No big deal' are three deadly words. I must beg to differ, I think that that is a mistake. That is how even the purest angels fall from grace. What would become of children if we let them do as they want? What will happen if we treat order, class and education as 'no big deal'?

"When a woman is not educated properly, it is not her brain but her womanhood that suffers the most. With all due respect, we can all see how Miura-chan turned out. She may attest to that. It's a shame really. To give away her virginity to a man whose name she does not even remember. Who can hang a name on you?"

Mrs. Yukinoshita finally glared at Yumiko, whose face was drawn with shock, with a superior and ruthless look. "You've failed Miss Irving and Saito-san. You were a waste of money and time. Now, nobody would want to marry a tart like you, my dear. It is whores like you that give the rest of us women a bad name," she spat contemptuously. "What a disgrace."

At this point Yumiko was broken. Her head hung low, defeated and with silent tears profusely falling on her lap. She had been crushed and was reduced to nothing; it was now merely a shell that sat with them, as she clammed up and retreated into the inner crevices of her being to save her little self-esteem.

Hachiman was astonished, but hid his surprise. He couldn't believe how fast things escalated.

Mrs. Yukinoshita now set her eyes upon him.

"I will be very frank with you, Hikigaya-san. I honestly do not like you. And I certainly do not want my daughters to end up like this other girl here - uneducated and without morals. Of all the times you have shown up, Hikigaya-san, you haven't even bothered to properly introduce yourself."

"That's simply not true. We have met before, on more than one occasion, ma'am."

"Of course, that is not what I meant."

Mrs. Yukinoshita gave a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.

"What I mean is that all the chances for you to properly prove your integrity and respectability, you have disappointed. You repeatedly show up again and again, only to stir up trouble; you do not introduce yourself to the elders; you have no class, yet you boldly walk in our private society, not having got the slightest inkling that the invitations you receive are simply a polite way of saying 'you are not welcome.'

"My girls have told me a lot about you, and not all necessarily good things. Are those the manners your mother had been teaching you? Or could it be that your own father is too engrossed in his own selfish little world that he has no time to raise his own son? Alas, I suppose it cannot be helped. You people are all the same. Once born from the gutter, always from the gutter."

Mrs. Yukinoshita's words all struck Hachiman square, like precise little darts. Poisonous words that were devastating - outright painful. Not just to what little self-esteem he had, but to the sense of family honor he is desperately protecting.

Mrs. Yukinoshita continued her cruel sermon. "I feel so sorry for your mother. It must be difficult to have a child like you. Don't you know the meaning of self-respect? Don't you have the slightest feeling of being ashamed of yourself, persisting to a woman who has made it clear that she has no interest in you? A woman who is getting married, no less!" she exclaimed sardonically. "If I may just ask, Hikigaya-san, do you know the meaning of self-respect?" she reiterated.

"Yes ma'am."

"So you do. What do you think it means?"

"It means respecting yourself by first respecting others."

"Excellent. Allow me to clear one thing more: it's not about money or fame. Just because you are part of the nouveau riche and boasting your ill-gotten wealth doesn't make you any more respectable. Respect is earned, it cannot be bought nor simply given. I hope you understand that I mean it all in good will that I am telling you this. Because if your parents have not taught you well and nobody has made you realize that you lack dignity and self-respect, then who else will? So I say this to you: have some respect, if not for Yukino-chan, if not for your family, then for yourself."

Hachiman was dead silent. A small smile was the only expression seen on his face. His eyes however were dark - not with anger or contempt, but simply cold. It was a chilling gaze that matched Mrs. Yukinoshita. Of course Hachiman only meant to show that he was taking it all in patiently, but it had the complete opposite effect: it gave off a disturbing, extremely displeased aura. Everyone stared at him carefully with equal silence.

Mrs. Yukinoshita however was unperturbed, fully understanding the young man's reason for outrage, if he was. Still, she noted, the boy was taking it well. A little too well. It perplexed her - disconcerted her, even. Her own daughters would clam up and lose all ability to answer back when admonished in such a harsh way. Hachiman seemed to be unaffected by the way she glared at him as well - it was imbued in every proper, growing child the instinct to obey when given the look. But either Hachiman had not learned this, or had simply grown up. In the latter case, Mrs. Yukinoshita realized that Hachiman was then, more or less, practically almost an equal to her, as far as merit and ambition was concerned.

Hachiman began to speak in a quiet but reasonable voice. "My mother and father have raised me to the best of their capabilities, and taught the ethics that are so important in life. I've been taught to respect those who are older and wiser than me, to conform myself in a manner according to the expectations of the people around me, and to hold my tongue when subjected to castigation. So if I had ever behaved in an offensive or immoral way, I've only myself to blame as it is clearly an evidence of my failure, incompetence or incapacity to grasp the lessons that my parents, without a doubt, have not lacked in teaching me.

"So with all due respect, Yukinoshita-san, do not blame my family if this is how I've turned out as a person. If you do not delight in my presence, then I will make myself scarce. If you do not approve of my resolve to remain friends with Yukino, what can I do? She is your daughter after all - and in your methods of raising your own children, I have absolutely no say.

"I am no more perfect than any other person in this room, and I'm often told - and am aware - that I am flawed and of an inferior class and upbringing. If I have caused pain or offense to any of you, and I acknowledge that I have, then I sincerely apologize. I am striving hard to improve myself as a person so that I wouldn't bring dishonor upon my family.

"You have made your point, ma'am. But I will say this, Yukinoshita-san: I ask you not to make an enemy of my family, because then you will be making an enemy of me. And I do not take kindly to such. I may tolerate attacks on my own dignity, but on the name of my family? Regardless of who you are, the circumstances, or how minor that insult should be, I will make myself exceedingly sensitive and unreasonable, and will hold that offense with great prejudice. A blatant insult to my family is the one thing I do not forget, an accusation no less."

Hachiman got up from the table and looked down on Mrs. Yukinoshita.

"And because I feel obligated today," he added finally with a bigger smile, "I'll also ask you to not be so harsh on Yumi-nee, as she is a dear friend of mine. What would Miura-sama say of this? It's not a good idea to make enemies right, left and center, don't you think? Yumi-nee is going through deep shit these days, and let me tell you, she's twice the woman your daughters are. Excuse me."

Hachiman began to leave when he was interrupted.

"Wait a moment, Hikigaya-san."

Hachiman stopped. He turned around to find Mrs. Yukinoshita walking up to him.

What Mrs. Yukinoshita and Hachiman spoke about next was between themselves, and everyone else could not discern what was being discussed. However, it was easy to take guesses. Haruno, Hayama, Yukino, Yui and Yumiko all watched and eavesdropped intently on the two, as Mrs. Yukinoshita and Hachiman stood in front of each other. Hachiman was unusually confident in his mannerisms right now - he stood tall, straight and did not fidget. He retained steady eye contact, his undivided attention towards the woman in front of him. They talked for a few short minutes, and then Mrs. Yukinoshita did something that not even Haruno believed she would see her mother do: Mrs. Yukinoshita bowed - slightly, but a bow no less - towards Hachiman, as if apologizing sincerely.

Mrs. Yukinoshita rectifying herself in a display of humility and acknowledging her mistake was unheard of, that it might as well never happens. Haruno had only seen her mother, Mrs. Yukinoshita give a bow of apology towards three people: her own mother, father, and at one time, towards Miura Miyako. Never to anyone else - not even her husband after when they quarrel - as far as she knew. So for her to acknowledge someone this seriously was bewildering - it was unbelievable.

Haruno now, for sure, knew that something was indeed up with Hachiman. Everyone else understood this much. But none of them could exactly decipher what had prompted Mrs. Yukinoshita to act in such a way - or Hikigaya Hachiman for that matter.

Hachiman afterwards nodded towards Mrs. Yukinoshita, before touching his hat and turning his eyes towards Yumiko. She stared back at him wide-eyed. Hachiman made a gesture with his hands, before starting to make for the exit and promptly walking out of the doors and into the street.

Right now, all that Hachiman wanted to do was to go home and lock himself in his apartment for a good hour. He was mighty sure that, despite having probably shown a glimpse of his pain, he did not shed a tear in front of that heartless woman. However by the time he was at his doorstep he would be crying silently and plotting murderously, as anyone else whose ego had been obliterated. But strangely enough, he felt nothing.

Precisely, he felt a bit irritated and perhaps lightly insulted at best, but only that. Strangely, he regarded the whole confrontation as nothing more than how one would treat the nuisance delivered by a mosquito. An irritating and quite itchy bite to his pride, but simply a mosquito still.

Hachiman was disturbed. He felt something was wrong if he didn't curse and yell at the sky for what had just happened and had been said of him and his family, but he really didn't feel anything more. He fiercely reminded himself that he was sensitive towards his family, but right now it was the contrary. What was his reason for bravely refuting Mrs. Yukinoshita, he soon forgot, but he decided to chalk it up to family.

For a short moment, Hachiman actually thought it would feel nice if he could just bawl into someone's shoulders and have them pat him reassuringly on the back. Hachiman remembered seeing Yumiko almost cry a while ago, and he thought it would be great to feel what his friend felt. He could see her distress, her shame, the tears building in her eyes, and the rage… strangely, he wished he could have reacted in that kind of way too.

Alas, such things do not move him anymore. Instead he just felt hollow and empty, like something was missing - taken away from him again. How dreadful is that?

But that isn't so important. He had much more important matters to deal with in the days to come. And if the Yukinoshitas finally decide to openly make themselves an enemy of him now, then all the more convenient for him because by the end of this week he would have crushed his enemies, delivered a decisive defeat on the Inagawa-kai and secured their control over the unions. Then he could finally sleep in peace.

Yumiko hurriedly got up and nervously bowed down to Mrs. Yukinoshita and bid her goodbye respectfully - or rather, begrudgingly as she passed by her. Mrs. Yukinoshita watched the girl go, this time with a small curious smile on her lips.

Yumiko did not notice this; she was too confused to even feel resentful of Mrs. Yukinoshita at all. Instead she frantically chased after Hachiman and caught him on the sidewalk. She grabbed his wrist, making him turn.

"Hey, don't leave me! Wait up!" Yumiko gasped breathlessly. She looked at Hachiman, furrowing her eyebrows. "What the hell was that all about?"

Hachiman snapped out of his thoughts and watched her. "What was what all about?" he asked.

"You know what I'm talking about. How- " she paused, reconsidering her words. "Why did you talk to Yukinoshita-san like that?"

"Yumiko, I don't understand what you're on about. All I did was reason with her."

"Y-Yeah, but…" she trailed off.

"But what?"

Yumiko blushed and looked away. "Why'd you stand up for me? You didn't need to do that. That was… unnecessary."

Hachiman smiled at her understandingly. "Yumi-nee, I told you before that you're like family to me already," he said gently. "Of course I'd stand up for you. What, you expect me to just sit back and watch? Besides, that was long due. Don't you think?"

Yumiko was speechless for a moment. She suddenly remembered how Hachiman called her by a very affectionate nickname. Her face was turning red. Finally, she threw her arms around him and hugged tightly. She muttered sheepishly, "Hachiman… thank you for that. But were you seriously going to leave me?"

"Well…"

"It's like, you were acting cool and shit, were you?"

"That's because I was trying," Hachiman grinned. Yumiko chuckled, relieved.

Just as the two began to turn away, Yui called out to them, rushing close. "Hikki! You didn't even wait for us!" Yui complained indignantly. She stared at him wide-eyed. "First you ruin the mood, then you leave? Harsh!" Hachiman laughed, denying her. Yukino soon walked up beside Yui, this time a bit more demure and soft-faced, almost as if she was liberated by the events from a while ago.

Yukino seemed a bit warmer towards him. Hachiman noticed this, and the two shared a mutual smile. Everyone stopped talking about what had just happened, instead deciding to lighten up and head off together. When Yui asked Hachiman where he wanted to go, he simply answered, "I'd want to go home, but since I'm hanging out with you guys after all, anywhere's fine."

…

Mrs. Yukinoshita observed the four friends disappear further down the street. Her eldest daughter was beside her, and so was Hayama Hayato.

"It seems you were right about that young man, Haruno dear. Hikigaya-san is more interesting than I'd expected."

Haruno answered silently. "Hachiman is a lot more than he lets on."

"That may be, that may be. Hayama-san, you will do well to learn from that boy."

Hayama merely uttered, "yes, ma'am."

"If Hikigaya-san is as brilliant as you say he is, then we will find out soon."

.

.

what a surprise, it seems I finished this chapter much, much sooner than expected! I'm smelling the sweet scent of blood already.. now this is a nice way to start the battle, don't you think?

I probably should've put a warning on top first for the graphic depictions of verbal abuse hehe.. and I should probably give credits to my mother and my grandmother, who are both practically real-life Mrs. Yukinoshitas. it was really interesting writing this chapter, having to actually use some lines which I heard my grandma used for real.. of course, they're not bad to the bone - they're actually gentle like everyone else - but asian moms can and will murder you twice with words alone..

now gonna put to use 'flashback' elements to expand on what had happened. next chapter will be about how things led up to this point and..