Disclaimer: I don't own Oregairu.
Once Again, Hikigaya Hachiman Renews His Resolve
I, Hikigaya Hachiman am a loner.
Despite saying that however, it was not like I completely had zero friends.
Far from it, I had several.
No, seriously I do and no, they're not imaginary.
While I do admit to having several imaginary ones in the past, that's not what I was talking about right now.
And yet why was I walking towards the clubroom completely by my lonesome?
I can explain.
While last year I would normally be heading to the clubroom with Yuigahama Yui in tow, we happened to end up on different classes this year so that kind of thing only happens on rare occasions now.
In fact, nowadays we don't even go to the clubroom regularly anymore.
Shortly after becoming third-years, our group made it a habit to study together in one of the vacant conference rooms in the library to prepare ourselves for the coming university entrance exams.
The Service Club was left solely in the hands of my cute imouto Hikigaya Komachi and that bug who keeps calling me Aniki, Kawasaki Taishi…
I had to look behind me just in case a furious Kawasaki Saki would pop out of nowhere and beat me up after insulting her otouto in my head but it seems that it was just me being paranoid.
Again, why was I walking to the clubroom by my lonesome?
For some reason, even though it's already been around a week since school was back, the clique was still not going back to our usual routine which was to study together.
Now I personally don't mind but I really can't believe that Yukinoshita Yukino of all people would just allow something like this to happen.
While it was normal for high school students to be much lazier after coming out of vacation, it was difficult for me to imagine that Ice Queen of all people to be going through the same thing when she literally goes all out at every aspect of her life.
As such, since I literally have nothing else to do, I decided I might as well head to the Service Club clubroom.
If something is up then maybe they might need an extra pair of hands otherwise, well, I don't really mind just killing time there while waiting for my sister so that we can go home together.
In any case, being by my lonesome like this has unironically become a rare privilege for me despite calling myself a loner.
Huh. Do I even have the right to call myself a loner anymore if that's the case? Am I actually having an existential crisis right now? In the school lobby of all places? Seriously?
I say that and all but really, it was not like I was completely alone in my trip to the Service Club.
After all, I was with…
A can of Max Coffee.
You can never go wrong with an injection of sugar when you are in a depressed mood.
As I chugged down the contents of the can, my peripheral vision caught a vague reflection of myself on one of the few mirrors positioned in the lobby.
It initially reflected my current visage one with proper posture, unkempt but still properly combed hair and a leaner figure. However, that was suddenly superimposed with another image of myself, the one from one year ago, back when I was slouching, my hair was more disheveled and I looked unhealthy and skinny.
It was easy to tell that they were both reflections of me because despite the differences, my trademark dead-fish eyes were still there and both of these images casted their own disapproving stare towards my direction.
As if that wasn't enough, a third variant popped up and replaced my past reflection. Unlike the first two, he wasn't wearing the Sobu uniform but instead was a set of formal attire composed of a dark green dress shirt underneath a coat. While his eyes were still the same ones I possessed, its intensity was significantly weaker courtesy of the glasses he wore.
Finally, all three appeared together side-by-side. Right now, I was face-to-face with my past self, my current self and my fake self all at the same time.
What I was seeing was definitely just a product of my imagination but that didn't change the fact that the doubts inside me were real.
These hallucinations were nothing more than a manifestation of said insecurities.
A lot of things happened in these past few weeks.
I went from being a guy who just wanted to preserve my club into a member of the riajuu clique and I even managed to interact and make connections with members of the elite society.
But really, who was actually going ahead and doing these things?
Could I still really say that it was me, Hikigaya Hachiman who accomplished them all?
I cast my gaze on the three images of myself once again.
They stared back and their looks seem to ask one common question.
Which of us is really you?
Unlike Hayama, I did not have a clear divide between any of my personas.
They were simply a result of my one-sided pursuit towards something genuine.
I first cast my glance towards the hunched figure of me.
Deep inside, I was still the same jaded cynic who was afraid of forming bonds with others.
My gaze moved to meet the middle one which was my actual reflection.
Because of the time I spent with my two precious clubmates however, I've opted to give a second chance towards making friends. In doing so, I decided to change to give myself a more positive impression such that it won't reflect badly on my friends.
I then turned my head towards the third image.
Finally, in my desire to protect what I currently have, I've taken on the role of something I abhor. A fake. It was better for me to do it rather than either Yukino or Yui. I'd truly hate myself if they ended up being pushed to the edge because of my hesitation.
In that case, there really was only one way for me to answer their implied question.
"I am all of you," I declared solemnly towards the three figures that seemed to be eagerly waiting for my answer.
Smiles of contentment appeared on all three of them after they received my response. Since those three were also me, they should have already known what my answer was but it appears that they just wanted to hear me say it out loud. No, I wanted to hear myself say it out loud.
Following that, those three figures all but vanished leaving only myself who was wearing a self-satisfied smile on my face while looking at the mirror as if I was some kind of narcissist.
Thankfully, no one else passed by during that interval otherwise I'd have one more strange rumor to my name as if I didn't have quite enough already.
As I came into that realization, the smile plastered on my face dissipated with a sigh.
"I should probably take it a little easy in the next few days…"
Though it certainly helped that I was able to somehow sort out my internal issues because of what just happened, the fact that I'm seeing things like that was a cause of concern in and of itself.
…
Without getting myself involved in another tangent of sorts, I was able to get to the clubroom's door in just a few more minutes.
Like a civilized person, I knocked on the door first before opening it.
*knock* *knock*
"Come in," the usual cheery voice of my sister rang out from the other side of the door. After hearing it, I opened the door without a single shred of hesitation.
"Yo…!" my standard greeting however was overpowered by one earth-shattering yell.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" came the simultaneous loud cheers of several individuals who were present on the Service Club clubroom.
Balloons and a few decorations were arranged all over the humble clubroom that I've grown used to seeing. The tables and chairs that were stowed away on the back were all utilized to accommodate the food as well as the guests that were currently present. Of particular mention was the banner hanged on the blackboard which had the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY on it.
To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Despite how relaxed I was on the surface, I was internally screaming. And in my confusion, I blurted out the first thing that popped out of my head.
"W-W-Wh-hat's the occasion?" all my inquiry got me however were a series of disappointed stares.
"I knew you would say something stupid Hachi-kun but I didn't expect that it would stoop to this level," so says Yukino as she massaged her temple because of a headache.
Am I really that much of a disappointment?
"Well he wouldn't be the Hachi that we know if he didn't act like this, I guess," Yui's supportive statement was ended with a forced giggle.
From the way she put it, I have no idea if she was insulting me, comforting me or both.
Meanwhile, the two little sister figures namely Komachi and Iroha grabbed my right and left arms respectively and dragged me over to the main table where a birthday cake with a candle was prepared.
"Come on, Onii-chan, don't tell Komachi you forgot that today was your birthday. You're not that stupid, right?" from the way she smiled however, Komachi was completely aware that I had zero clue of what was implied in today's date.
After all, I woke up and went ahead with my daily routine like it was just any other day and Komachi was there with me during the entire time.
Before I could even formulate a response, Iroha was the one who answered for me.
"Knowing Hachi-senpai, that is most likely the case. Hurry up and go to your cake, everyone's been waiting you knoooow~," came my sly kouhai's remark while making a bold approach which may have been able to send me in a flustered state on any other day but her current antics fizzled out all that embarrassment.
"Where have you been anyways?" a reasonable inquiry was thrown by Saki to which I unfortunately couldn't give a truthful answer.
Let's be real here. Are they just going to nod to themselves when I say something like, 'I was dealing with the demons in my head?'
.
.
.
Okay, maybe they will.
In fact, I can even see Yukino replying with, I see, so that's why you took so long, while making a smug smile.
I'd rather spare myself from the embarrassment.
"Well, you know, here and there," with no other choice, I could only go with a noncommittal answer on my end which did not seem to have sated their curiosity.
"What's that supposed to mean?" comments Miura as she placed both of her hand on her hips to showcase her dissatisfaction.
Unfortunately for her though, I wasn't going to fold under her pressure.
While I was on the process of coming up with another lame excuse however, Ebina went ahead and decided to interpret my words in her own filter.
"Wait, does that mean you've been out with other boys and the like?! Why didn't you tell me?!" came Ebina's outrageous hypothesis which only served to disturb us until she suddenly… "Guh..!" got a nosebleed from her delusions going out of control on her head.
"Hina be careful. You'll get some on the food," in spite of her reproach, Miura was personally taking care of Ebina as you would expect from the clique's mother hen.
Now that Miura was occupied with something else, I didn't have to think of a more proper answer to where I've been during this entire time.
"Let's go Hikitani bro!"
"Time to get this party started, am I right?"
"I'm so itching to fire the party popper already."
"Hachiman! Fire the signal! We'll be eating good tonight."
The trio of idiots… Well with Zaimokuza in tow, they've become a quartet now; all began to goad me in their own way.
Seeing the situation, Hayama decided to intervene.
"Now now, let's not pressure Hikitani that much," so says Hayama with a relaxed smile plastered on his face while grabbing the shoulders of both Ooka and Yamato.
While I can't help but be annoyed with his face, I still appreciated the assist.
Come to think of it, this is actually the first time that I've celebrated my birthday together with friends. The reason for that is kinda obvious at this point… I just didn't have any before.
It was usually just me and Komachi celebrating it together. Just the two of us.
When I was right in front of my birthday cake, I was almost, now this is important so I'll say it again, almost brought to tears.
Things may not have developed as I expected them to be but I would be the first one to say that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Hachiman, make a wish! Make a wish!" the enthusiastic request that Saika gave made me smile wryly.
"That kind of thing doesn't really work though," my opinion however was easily swatted off by the rest of the members of the clique.
"Come on Onii-chan! Just do what Saika-san says. It's not like you'll lose anything anyways," nods of agreement came from the others after hearing Komachi's remark.
"Alright alright…"
After a sigh, I closed my eyes and according to Saika's suggestion, made my wish before I blew the candle.
May everyone be able to find their own genuine.
Once the light of the candle was out, I was immediately showered with another round of cheers, applause and confetti, an absurd amount of confetti.
Side Story (SS): In Which Hiratsuka Shizuka Is Tested
On the same night after his friends threw him a surprise birthday party in the clubroom, Hikigaya Hachiman found himself seated on one of the vacant spots of an izakaya.
It was by no means fancy place but the choices of furniture and ornaments of the shop gave it such a comfortable feeling that it felt like you are just in a party at your own house.
As it was his first time being in this kind of establishment, his senses were overwhelmed with everything that was going around all over the place.
These included the boisterous laughter of university students, the satisfied sighs of the corporate workers who are here to relax or unwind, the tantalizing smell of fried food being cooked behind the counter and the strange yet intoxicating aroma of alcohol from all the drinks circulating around. Such stimuli were all foreign to him.
That being said, nothing could top the sensation of weight he could feel on his right hand.
It was a beer mug which was loaded to the brim with the golden-hued drink.
The bubbling beer looked as if it was coaxing him to just chug down the entire thing.
This kind of discomfort was similar to how he felt when he entered that R-18 area with Ebina back then.
This time however, what he was about to do was now considered legal and even then, his hand still felt a little heavy.
"Well then, how about we have a toast?" the suggestion came from the person across him, a raven-haired woman with garnet-like eyes, red lips and vivacious curves at the right areas yet still possessing an overall slender body profile only amplified by her outfit which was composed of a white blouse underneath a black blazer paired with jeans.
It was none other than Hiratsuka Shizuka.
In front of such a beautiful woman, Hikigaya could not help but feel inadequate despite him going out of his way and wearing one of his best shirt and jeans.
Her words prompted Hikigaya to raise his glass slightly.
"Right…. So, uh, cheers?" Hikigaya's awkward call got a smile out of Hiratsuka.
"Cheers."
Amidst the ambient noise, Hikigaya could clearly hear the satisfying clang sound that was made when their beer mugs collided with each other.
Well then, here goes nothing.
After closing his eyes briefly, Hikigaya finally had the courage to take a sip of what was apparently the nectar of the adult world.
He savored the flavor of the drink first before finally swallowing one whole mouthful.
At the end of it all…
He frowned in disappointment.
"This is what adults drink to forget the hardships of their day-to-day grind?" the complaint that Hikigaya made only served to make Hiratsuka chuckle.
"Hahaha! I knew you would say something like that," the former Service Club advisor who already consumed half of the contents of her glass chugged down the rest before continuing. "Don't think about it too much. You'll get used to the taste soon."
As someone who could drink coffee black but still prefers to drink it as sweet as humanly possible, Hikigaya couldn't imagine a future where he would relish on a drink as bitter as this. Nevertheless, he didn't want to retort to an expert so he didn't inwardly refute her. Yes, he can have some tact if he wanted to.
"Sure," he said before taking another mouthful of beer and once again reeling in from the bitterness making Hiratsuka chuckle before she made an order for one more glass.
"Happy Birthday, Hikigaya. Welcome to adulthood."
There were definitely ways for that statement to be taken in a completely different direction but Hikigaya filtered out such improper thoughts before responding.
"Thank you, Hiratsuka-sensei," he shrugged before continuing. "I can't say that I've been looking forward to it though." At the end of his resigned statement, a wry smile was on his face.
"Well let's set aside that depressing talk for later when we actually get drunk," Hiratsuka waved one of her hands in a carefree manner before joining both together and letting her chin rest on it while making a knowing smile. "I heard your friends threw you a surprise birthday party. How was it? Did you have fun?"
"It was… Fun, I guess… Honestly, I don't really know how to describe it properly." Hikigaya brought a hand to his chin and pondered. "On one hand, it was noisy and troublesome but I can't say that I don't appreciate the company."
There was a rare spark of life on Hikigaya's dead eyes that Hiratsuka chose not to mention to her favorite student for the time being. She thought that if those people were able to bring out this side of Hikigaya then it was definitely correct that he was incorporated into that clique. By the looks of things, the others were also changing in the right direction courtesy of Hikigaya's influence so it went both ways. There was essentially nothing to complain about their friendship.
She'll have to find a way to thank that younger Kawasaki in the near future.
"Good for you. Anything else interesting happened on your side?"
While Hikigaya was puzzled at how inquisitive his sensei was tonight, he also had no reason to not answer her inquiry so he decided on playing along for now. Besides, what else were they really going to talk about while holding drinks?
"Well, we had dinner as a family together just earlier. It was the first time in a long while that that kind of thing happened during my birthday," though Hikigaya looked melancholic, at least the light in his eyes did not just completely vanish.
"Do you resent your parents for not being able to make time with you often?"
Hikigaya immediately shook his head in response.
"The reason that I don't have any worry in my basic needs is all because of the hard work of my parents. If their time is invested on their work then it's only natural that they wouldn't be able to have much time for their family. Right now, if they have any spare time they should just funnel all of that towards Komachi's way," at the end of his rant Hikigaya looked to the side and awkwardly scratched his cheek. "Though I will say that I really did hate them before, but that's all in the past now," he concluded that follow-up with a shrug.
"Hikigaya, your parents care about you, okay?" Hiratsuka made sure to lock her eyes with Hikigaya's own as she reassured him.
"I know. Deep inside, I know they care. I wouldn't be allowed to live on the same roof with them otherwise. I also know that they're just very bad at trying to show it to me," the loner's lips then twisted into a self-deprecating smile. "This troublesomeness of mine had to come from somewhere after all," he forced an awkward laughter at the end of his statement to try to lighten the atmosphere but his female counterpart didn't seem to mind it too much.
"You're a good kid, Hikigaya."
Hikigaya had to try his best not to act too embarrassed in front of the fond smile of his former Japanese Literature professor.
"If that's the case, the world is doomed," he chuckled before finishing his drink which was now only around an eighth of the glass. He had been taking regular sips at his beer during their entire conversation and it was only now that he managed to finish it whereas his drinking partner was on her third glass already.
"You planning to get seconds?" the hidden playfulness on Hiratsuka's expression fanned Hikigaya's rare competitiveness. Perhaps the alcohol was already starting to kick in without him noticing.
"Just because you said that, now I want to get one more."
While he wouldn't go so far to say that he liked the drink, he definitely got more used to the taste. In any case, he was willing to take any excuse just to talk even one second longer to talk with the sensei which he doesn't get to meet often.
"Heh, don't blame me if something happens, kid."
"I'll be sure to write your name on my will and blame you sensei."
After that little banter, the two were once again holding their respective glasses in hand.
"Speaking of which, did you go somewhere during summer vacation with your friends?"
Hikigaya's expression warped from that of fatigue into a forced smile.
"We went to a private beach owned by the Yukinoshitas. As you would expect, it was one heck of a luxurious experience. All the staff present there were able to provide us with all sorts of items to fuel our thirst for entertainment. Yukino really spoiled us during our stay."
As the teacher who kept her eye on this particular student even when he was virtually ignored by everyone else, she did not miss Hikigaya's reaction.
"Something tells me your hiding something else," when Hiratsuka narrowed her eyes, Hikigaya tried his best not to make eye contact with her and casually sip on his beer but she continued to apply pressure on him with her gaze. "Come on, Hikigaya. Spit it out. It's just us two here anyways."
"It's not like I'm trying to keep it secret or anything," Hikigaya sighed before saying anything else. "It's just… Even thinking about it is already making me tired so if I could help it, I'd rather not talk about it."
The sight of a burnt-out Hikigaya forced Hiratsuka to compromise.
"Fine but let me ask about something else instead. This time, you have to give me an answer."
"Sure. Let's go with that."
Hiratsuka almost could not believe her ears.
It was the first time in a long while that Hikigaya completely let his guard down.
Was it because of the alcohol? Or maybe it's because Hikigaya had an immense level of trust towards his former sensei? Perhaps even both.
Regardless, Hiratsuka was not going to let this rare opportunity go.
"Who do you like?"
It was already too late when the sense of realization hit him.
He had been played.
The triumphant smirk that Hiratsuka preemptively cast only served to frustrate Hikigaya even further.
That didn't mean things were completely hopeless from his side though.
With every single bit of his conscious input, the cynic tried his best to come up with ways to get out of his current predicament, all while cursing the existence of alcohol in between.
First among his plans was to use semantics.
"I thought we were just going to talk about what went down during my summer vacation," Hikigaya raised one of his brows in a judging manner but Hiratsuka easily fended off his assault by feigning innocence.
"Really? I don't remember saying anything like that though," the minute traces of smugness in Hiratsuka's smile was not missed by her student.
This was strike one.
This was not an issue however because Hikigaya was luckily able to concoct more than one plan.
Specifically, redirection.
"Shouldn't sensei be focusing on her own love life instead of others?"
This attack was noticeably more effective.
Too effective in fact that he could even see flames of fury manifesting behind his sensei's visage.
In contrast to that image, Hiratsuka Shizuka was smiling amiably though not the same could be said about her eyes.
"Hikigaya, I'll forgive you this once just because it's your birthday but do it one more time then I'll be sure to pummel you into the ground."
Never has Hikigaya heard such frightening words be said while wearing such a happy expression. It easily overtook that one time when Isshiki did something similar to him.
This was strike two.
Which now leads him to his last resort.
Put it nicely, it can be called something like humility but interpreted in a negative manner then it easily fell along the lines of self-deprecation.
"Given my qualities, I don't think I have the privilege to choose."
This trump card of his would normally work but it was fatally weak to forcefulness and by no means was the personification of overwhelming brute force named Hiratsuka Shizuka not proficient in doing that though in a completely different approach than how the Yukinoshitas would do it.
"Hikigaya, how about we do things my way?" despite raising that suggestion the oni in human skin, or rather, Hiratsuka Shizuka worded that in a way that there was no room for refusal. "I will mention the name of a girl you know and you tell me how you think about her clearly. Do you understand?"
In spite of the intimidating atmosphere, Hikigaya still decided to mount one last figment of resistance.
"Wait, why does it have to be a girl I know?"
"Oh?" Hiratsuka faked an expression of surprise. "Could it be that you swing that way? That's fine. Don't worry this sensei of yours fully supports you. On that note, what do you think of Hayama?"
The grimace that Hikigaya made was more than enough to serve as an answer for Hiratsuka.
"Fine. You win, sensei. I'll entertain you for tonight, alright? Just hold back a little, yeah?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka's triumphant smile became even more prominent upon hearing Hikigaya surrendering.
"Let's start with someone more obvious then," Hiratsuka leaned towards the table a little before smiling in excitement or what Hikigaya's eyes would describe as sadistic pleasure. "What do you feel about Haruno? You know, as a member of the opposite sex." before Hikigaya could get a word out, Hiratsuka set up one clarification. "Now don't think about it too much just say the first thing that comes to your mind."
Following the instruction, Hikigaya went ahead and allowed his spontaneous thoughts to pour out.
"She's technically my big sister, honorary or not it doesn't feel right to have such impure thoughts regarding our relationship," Hikigaya took a swig of beer, sighed then continued. "Furthermore, it doesn't help that she's actually my boss so in consideration to all of that, it becomes doubly inappropriate heck, even impudent to just think about it," he added with a shrug.
"What a serious answer," Hiratsuka drank from her own mug much heartily than her student after dropping that comment. "You could've just mentioned if she fits your preferences and whatnot."
"By all means, she's easily the most attractive woman I know and she checks a lot of boxes if I have to be completely honest," he chuckled before supplementing his statement. "But a woman of that caliber would not even consider to cast a glance at my direction under normal circumstances so what we have is more than enough for me."
"How about you try saying that to her face then?" Hiratsuka teased her student who was much more honest than usual because of the alcohol. "You never know what will happen."
"Heh, unfortunately given how our recent interactions have played out, she'll most likely take it as me just trying to get her to raise my pay."
The two laughed together after that remark. At this point, they didn't even care anymore whether such an act would bother the other customers or not as those people were also enjoying themselves in their own way.
"Let's move on then."
"There's more?" Hikigaya raised a brow in confusion.
"Of course there are. It's not like Haruno is the only girl you know after all."
"Ugh…" Hikigaya could only sigh in defeat in the face of that completely logical argument.
"What do you feel about the younger Yukinoshita this time?"
Since he expected that this girl will come immediately after the older sister, Hikigaya was able to formulate a response much faster than earlier. Or rather, his head was automatically brewing up a suitable answer for each potential name that he thought would come out of his sensei's mouth after hearing the first question.
"My sentiments are very similar to what I just said with Haruno-san's case. Yukino is also quite beautiful herself and while she does fall behind in… Uh, certain areas…" he deliberately coughed and averted his eyes away from the gaze that was very closely trailing the border of being called a glare by his sensei. "…She should by no means be considered inferior to her sister."
"Hmm…" Hiratsuka leaned more towards Hikigaya's direction and tried to see if she could get more information from his gestures but gave up after getting nothing after a short while. "Yuigahama, then?"
Once again, the name of the next girl was also something he expected to come out.
"It's nice to be with Yui really. She's cheerful, positive, supportive, basically the exact opposite of me. She's a good friend. It's hard to be sad or stay sad when you're with her company," the nature of his expression then became melancholic with a little tinge of regret. "With regards to seeing her in a romantic sense, then maybe things will work out in the short-term but our difference in standards will surely lead to some disagreements down the line," he downed a larger portion of his beer after saying that part. It was as if he was trying to immerse himself with the bitterness he was feeling through his taste buds.
"How about Isshiki?" Hirastsuka wasted no time and just asked about the next girl immediately. It looked like she expected at least half of what he said so it didn't come as too much of a surprise for her.
Since it seems like trying to resist will only end up wasting their time, Hikigaya decided that playing along for now was best for both parties.
"Iroha is almost like another little sister to me, actually now that I think about it, she's more like a younger female cousin who only visits the house occasionally so you can't help but listen to their requests when they're there. In any case, I always felt like I had to be responsible for her because I placed her in the seat of the Student Council President in the first place but now that she ended up being really fit for the job, I'm just happy every time she tries to rely on me," Hikigaya dispelled his happy expression with a shrug. "As for the romance aspect, Iroha likes Hayama so it's already hopeless before something even began. Besides, the only reason she sticks with me is because I already know how sly of a person she is, so she doesn't need to act so cutesy in front of me."
Hiratsuka narrowed her eyes for one second but ultimately didn't say anything and just proceeded to ask about the next girl.
"Your thoughts on Miura then?"
It initially surprised him why the Fire Queen was included as he expected for Kawasaki's name to pop out at this juncture. In the end, he assumed that it was just his sensei's way of evaluating whether he was fitting in to the clique or not.
"After hanging out with her, I noticed that Miura is actually much kinder than she acts. The girl stubbornly stands up for her friends a little too much that it even causes trouble sometimes, one too many, in fact. That being said, her case is similar to Iroha as she also likes Hayama so any hope of romance is already down the drain. Not like I mind, really. As her friend, I'll be more than happy if her love bears fruit more than anything else."
A smile with a meaning Hikigaya couldn't quite discern surfaced on Hiratsuka's face before she asked her next question.
"Ebina?"
"Aside from her fujoshi trait, there is nothing to complain about her… Is what I would've said in the past but maybe as a by-product of being closer with her, I don't really mind it too much anymore. So what if she's interested in something weird? Aren't we all like that, in a way? Of course, this is only true if she doesn't include me in her delusions. That kind of thing still brings me the chills," he shivered in fright as a recent memory of his came into mind. "Regardless, that girl normally has a particular fear with boys so approaching her with improper intentions would be tantamount to betraying her trust of me so I don't wanna do it or even think about it for that matter."
This time, the Chiba University professor nodded in understanding before asking the next question.
"Kawasaki?"
"Saki and I are similar so it's easy for us to agree on a lot of things. Realistically and I don't mean to sound presumptuous here but I think that I have the biggest chance with her among all of my female acquaintances," Hikigaya then bit his lip as if to chastise himself. "But that similarity of ours is exactly where the issue lies. The two of us are currently in pursuit of our own personal goals and neither of us would like to get in the way of the other so romance is out of the question. Besides, the two of are technically co-workers and I'm pretty sure that's against company policy."
Somewhere along Hikigaya's answer, Hiratsuka's mouth formed an 'o' in surprise but she glossed that over with a wave of her hand shortly after.
"Shiromeguri?"
"I would never dare!" came a sudden outburst from Hikigaya that surprised Hiratsuka as well as himself before he coughed twice to cover it up. "What I meant to say is that I am nowhere near qualified enough to even think about doing something like that."
"It sounds like there are other external factors involved," Hiratsuka raised a brow in curiosity.
Hikigaya on the other hand didn't point out the fact that she only reacted now and just responded straightforwardly.
"Her family also belongs to the upper-class sector as such; she can't just enter a relationship willy-nilly."
"Hmm… Sounds like you really really like her though," Hiratsuka teased to which Hikigaya tried his best to clarify.
"Well, yes but not really…" Hikigaya's eyes darted around all over the place as he began to sort out his thoughts. "Okay, yes but not that kind of like, okay?!" he asserted in a slightly louder voice than usual.
"Alright, sure. Whatever you say, Hikigaya. Whatever you say…" Hiratsuka agreed without even trying to hide her teasing expression. "Hmm… Who else is remaining?"
Hikigaya himself wanted to say that she literally called every single girl he knew but before he had the opportunity to do so…
"Ah, right! There's that Sagami girl! How about her?" he was cut off by his former sensei with a name that he hasn't heard in almost a year.
"Why did that name even come out?"
"Isn't it fine? You technically know her and have interacted with her at least once so she counts as well."
That was a name he didn't to be brought up here so he was not able to prepare an answer beforehand. Nevertheless, now that they've come this far already, he might as well just get it over with.
"The fact that I almost forgot about her should be enough for you to grasp what I think about the girl. Although she herself hates me with her entire being, I don't necessarily hate her but I wouldn't go so far as to say that I see her in a positive manner."
"Well, I guess that kind of response makes sense," Hiratsuka shrugged and asked about the next girl, this time without thinking about it as long as she did with Sagami. "Finally, what about that middle school crush you have?"
After hearing that name, not only was Hikigaya surprised, he also inadvertently flinched.
"Ah, did I touch a sore spot perhaps?" Hiratsuka leaned in a little worried. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Hikigaya smirked derisively.
"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" he waved his hand to try and dispel his sensei's concerns. "Don't worry, what I'm cringing about is not about the past but a most recent memory that I don't want to talk about right now," Hikigaya brought a hand to his chin and pondered a bit before answering. "Regarding Orimoto, while I can't confidently say that we're friends, we at least, are on good terms. I don't think either me or her sees the other on a different light if I'm being honest."
"I see. It's good that you've managed to move on," Hiratsuka smiled proudly and even ruffled his hair vigorously. "Now then, that should be everyone, right? Am I missing someone?"
At that remark, Hikigaya's eyes sharpened.
My turn.
While he had been on the receiving end of questions for the past few minutes, he was also busy trying to come up with ways to turn the tables against her female counterpart.
Though an interrogation on the other way sounded nice, his twisted mind managed to come up with something a little more amusing.
"Oh? Who is it?" the unsuspecting sensei asked innocently.
Got you.
Hikigaya pointed his index finger towards the woman in front of him and spoke matter-of-factly. Even he himself felt that there was something different with him but he quickly dismissed such thoughts and carried on. His priority for the time being was some payback.
"You."
It took Hiratsuka Shizuka a couple of seconds before she could fully comprehend what was said to her. When she did, she was flustered to the point that it felt like steam was coming out of her face.
"Eh?!"
Normally, Hikigaya would never take the option of exacting revenge on his sensei through the act of teasing but a combination of the mood, the alcohol, a little influence of Yukinoshita Haruno and his most recent gig of working in a host club convinced his logical self to take this approach.
"Is sensei not going to ask for any clarification?" Hikigaya teasingly asked. After a few seconds wherein Hiratsuka only ended up opening and closing her mouth repeatedly, the cynic went in for the attack. "Without a doubt, she is a woman that any man should be gunning for and yet they're not doing so, I can only say that all the men she's interacted with so far must be blind."
The blush on his sensei's face became more and more noticeable after each word that the loner said.
"Hikigaya, stop. You've had enough fun, right?"
Hiratsuka tried to cast a threatening glare towards her former student which only looked cute given her current state though Hikigaya managed to hold himself back from saying so and opted to just throw both hands up in surrender. He didn't need to be told twice for him to give up lest he incur physical punishment. Though, if you would look at his expression, by no means did he seem remorseful.
"Seriously, it's not good to tease your elders like that," Hiratsuka huffed a sigh after complaining. "As a consequence, you're treating me tonight."
Hikigaya shamelessly smirked.
"That has always been the plan from the start."
It was another sneak attack that he would've never done if he was completely sober.
Though he has been taking small sips, by no means did Hikigaya not drink a lot for someone who's only drank alcohol for the first time.
He was currently halfway through his fourth mug. While he did not seem to be drunk, he was definitely a little light-headed.
Nevertheless, it allowed him to be much more outspoken than usual. Hikigaya Hachiman had always been a rather witty fellow and it was only his innate self-consciousness and awkwardness that held that back. Now that his usual restraint is gone, that repressed trait is coming out at full throttle.
His first unfortunate victim however, ended up being his favorite sensei of all people.
In contrast to the sober Hikigaya Hachiman who is just calculating, reserved and quiet, this tipsy Hikigaya Hachiman was confident, straightforward and relentless. In a way, it's very similar to how he is when he makes the resolve to commit another social suicide though this time, things weren't that serious.
In other words, he was very troublesome to deal with though in a different manner than the normal Hikigaya.
"Well then, I won't hold back," Hiratsuka tried her best to act tough but it was obvious that it was only a cover-up at best and Hikigaya could smell the blood on the water like a shark.
"Go ahead, sensei. Have your fill."
The smile he put on was also another thing he picked up from that host club gig and boy was it effective on Hiratsuka Shizuka who was already vulnerable because of all his surprised attacks from earlier. She had no other choice but to look away in embarrassment.
He was making her conscious of each and every single one of his movements and each time he caught her in the act, he would just smile knowingly. That kind of exchange happened multiples times throughout the evening and each time it did, Hiratsuka would just chug down on her beer like a sore loser.
By the end of the night, despite drinking more than twice of what Hikigaya drank, Hiratsuka clearly remembered what all went down and now even while she laid down on the comforts of her own sheets, she can't keep the image of a more daring Hikigaya Hachiman out of her head.
It was like she was in high school all over again.
A drunk Hikigaya is dangerous.
But as she recalled some of the conversations they shared, another idea popped up on head.
I wonder how that Hikigaya will fare against Haruno.
Now that was definitely a spectacle she would be willing to pay money to see though it could easily end up backfiring with those two devils double-teaming her instead so she had to prepare just in case.
Regardless, it has been a while since she shared a drink with her as they weren't able to line up their schedules during the last summer vacation.
Maybe we should bring Hikigaya along when that happens.
She'll worry about the problems that will arise when it happens.
After all, for a teacher like her, sharing a drink with two of her most favorite students of all time ever was not a privilege she could enjoy often.
Summer Side Story (SSS): Securely, Kawasaki Saki Holds On
*This happens during the summer vacation, just a few hours before Hikigaya and Kawasaki joined the rest of the clique.*
In an early Saturday morning, a white van was parked outside the Hikigaya residence.
Because the closest house in favor of the direction of the Yukinoshita's private beach just happened to be the Hikigayas, it was decided that everyone would rendezvous here as early as they possibly can.
As someone who lived the furthest among them, Isshiki Iroha was forced to wake up much earlier than she usually does. It didn't help that she was still tired from finishing up all of her student council work yesterday.
Though she would've loved to ransack… Uh, explore around her senpai's room, the fatigue overcame that desire and thus she could do nothing else but lie down on the sofa.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya Hachiman along with Kawasaki Taishi and the van's driver were hard at work at loading in everyone's belongings while the younger Hikigaya and older Kawasaki kept taking into account what they've all brought and what they might've forgotten.
When Isshiki noticed the older Hikigaya pass by her, an amusing idea popped up on her head.
Maybe teasing senpai a little bit will give me some energy.
Thus, the mischievous fox went ahead with her usual sly approach.
"Hachi-senpai, I'm too tired… Can you carry me to the van too?" says Isshiki in a deliberately softer voice than usual and even added in a short pause in between her words to make her sound much more tired than she really is.
From her experience, this was guaranteed to make her senpai do something for her.
If he gets embarrassed, it will be funny and if he actually decides to carry me… Well… I guess that's fine too.
Was the thought process of one Isshiki Iroha but what she didn't know was that until a few hours earlier, Hikigaya was working at a host club and in these kinds of demands the loner picked up a template response that he heard from his coworkers at that time.
"I'll do it if you pay me enough."
"Huh?!"
While Isshiki was startled, Hikigaya was also internally kicking himself from blurting that out on accident.
Thankfully, his uncharacteristic response left Isshiki stunned for a brief moment so he still had some time to salvage the current situation.
"That was just a joke." Hikigaya waved one of his hands implicitly telling Isshiki to forget what he just said. "Well, hang in there for a while. I already told Komachi to brew some tea for you, it should be ready soon. It will probably help lessen the fatigue you're feeling," he added in a hurry in an attempt to gloss over his blunder.
Though Hikigaya did all of that spontaneously, from Isshiki's perspective, she felt that her senpai suddenly being nice to her after putting a wrench over her plans was all completely calculated.
For that twisted senpai of hers to one up her like this, it was probably one of the more embarrassing moments in Isshiki's life.
"Hachi-senpai is so sly…"
Said senpai however did not miss his kouhai's grumbles.
"What are you talking about? You're the sly one not me."
"Hmph!" Isshiki angrily turned her head around and went back to taking a nap, leaving a confused Hikigaya who kept wondering if he said/did something wrong or not to her.
…
As you would expect from a week-long worth of necessities to accommodate five people, a portion of the passenger seat of the van had to be used to fit everything. As such even if they all squeeze together, it will be difficult to fit them all.
"Hmm… Maybe if we let Taishi sit on the back first before we put on our stuff, we would be able to fit in one more person…"
"Nee-san that's a little…"
It was here that Kawasaki finally noticed that the person who usually worries the most about these kinds of little things could not be spotted anywhere.
"Komachi-chan, where's Hachiman?"
"Ah… Onii-chan will probably come out from the back…"
Eh? Why?
Was what Kawasaki was about to say before her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an engine being throttled.
*vroom* *vroom*
Shortly thereafter, the figure of Hikigaya on a full black suit riding on top of a motorcycle was revealed.
When Hikigaya dismounted from the motorcycle and took off his helmet, a frantic Taishi went, 'So cool! As expected of aniki!', while his own flesh-and-blood sister had to physically stop herself from unconsciously nodding in agreement. She failed however to hide the fact that her mouth was forming an 'o' in astonishment. As the only two who have yet to see Hikigaya in this getup, the Kawasaki siblings were the only ones who showed a visible reaction.
"So there really is not much room remaining, huh?" says Hikigaya who didn't particularly pay that much attention on the surprised looks of the Kawasaki siblings and instead opted to peek at the interior of the van and made a rough estimate. "I guess I'll take one with me," the loner turned towards the safest and most obvious choice amongst the people present. "Komachi, suit up. We're going together on the motorcycle."
The imouto who read the mood properly, borrowed a page from her Onii-chan's book and came up with an excuse on-the-spot.
"Komachi wants to talk with the others on the van Onii-chan so Komachi will pass for now."
"I see," it was an answer he expected so he immediately moved on to the next candidate though he wasn't too hopeful. "I assume you won't be so willing given your previous experience," he threw that statement towards Isshiki.
"No way, Hachi-senpai!" she immediately shook her head and crossed her arms to refuse. "I almost didn't survive the last time when it was just to my house. There's no way I'm going to last until we reach the private beach!"
"Figures," he finally turned to the Kawasaki pair. "That leaves you two. Would either of you like to ride with me? Don't worry too much about Iroha's complaints, that was just her being a scaredy-cat," he skillfully filtered out Isshiki who was screaming 'I am not a scaredy-cat!' in the background and continued. "Despite being like this, I do have a lot of experience driving this thing with passengers. So, how about it?"
Oh! I'd like to go! would have been Taishi's immediate response last year but due to the influence of all the senpais around him, his Aniki in particular, he has also grown to be more observant and was able to understand that there was one among them who really wanted to ride with Hikigaya, even more than himself.
That was no other than his very own sister, Kawasaki Saki.
While he was not too sure if her crush towards Hikigaya Hachiman would actually bear any fruit, what kind of brother would he be if he did not back his sister up in times like these? Besides, as someone who idolizes Hikigaya, he had no issues with entrusting his older sister to him if something does happen.
"I want to ride with you Aniki!" both Komachi and Isshiki icily glared at Taishi as he said that out loud but he resisted the pressure and continued his statement. "But I don't have much experience in riding a motorcycle so Nee-san is definitely the better pick between the two of us," the other two reined in their glares and just nodded approvingly after hearing the end of Taishi's words who was breaking out in cold sweat.
After listening to what Taishi said, Hikigaya turned towards the older Kawasaki's direction.
"Was that true?"
"Yes," Kawasaki nodded. "I've dabbled on it."
"I see. You're the best choice for this then," Hikigaya opened the trunk and took out a suit and a helmet for his passenger. "You up for it?"
"Yeah, sure."
Kawasaki accepted both items and proceeded to put them on while the trio of juniors began to board the white van one-by-one, each leaving a special message for Hikigaya Hachiman as they did so.
"Onii-chan, you dummy," said Komachi while making a reproachful glare.
"What did I do?!" the big brother's inquiry was left unanswered.
"Hachi-senpai is so sly," complained Isshiki while pouting.
"That's you, not me! Again, what did I even do?!" all he got from Isshiki was a 'hmph' instead of any concrete reply. He could only place his hopes on the only boy of the trio.
"Sorry about that, Aniki, but I can't defend you on this one."
While an apology was definitely better than an insult, it still did not serve as an answer to Hikigaya's question.
"Do you know what's up?"
"Maybe."
"Do you mind telling me?"
At this, the junior apologized once again.
"Sorry. I think it's better for Aniki to find out by himself."
Without letting Hikigaya any window to pry something more out of him, Taishi went ahead and got into the seat beside the driver.
"Hey, wait!" but after seeing that his kouhai already closed the van's doors, Hikigaya could only sigh in resignation.
"What's wrong?" asked Kawasaki who already strapped the black jacket on top of the blouse she wore earlier.
Even though she was just going to ride behind Hikigaya, she definitely looked the part of a female motorcycle rider given her sporty look and boyish vibe.
"I just don't understand the younger generation."
At that remark, Kawasaki chuckled.
"What are you talking about? We're literally just one year ahead of them."
It was only at this juncture did Hikigaya turn his head and landed his gaze on Kawasaki's figure.
"Mm. You look good."
It definitely helped that her size was not that far behind Haruno who was the owner of said jacket but by no means was he ever going to say that out loud.
The sudden compliment made Kawasaki blush.
"Thanks."
In an effort to hide her embarrassment, Kawasaki decided to focus on the black motorcycle.
"Why'd you bring this one out?" she asked while running her hand over the headlight.
"Well, it's just in case that I'll be called over at work for emergencies while we're in vacation. Of course, I'm hoping that things don't come to that point but you can never be too sure."
"Heh, you've changed Hachiman. Now I can't really call you a lazy bum anymore."
"Coming from you, that's high praise, Saki."
"Idiot, that wasn't supposed to be a compliment."
The two casually exchanged small talk like this until Hikigaya saw the driver of the white van give a signal that they were ready on their side.
Hikigaya and Kawasaki both put on their respective helmets and mounted the bike.
"Hold on tight."
Came Hikigaya's serious warning which would normally prompt Kawasaki to grab on to the handle underneath her seat but for some reason the way his voice sounded so neutral disturbed her.
Am I the only one who's bothered here?
In her frustration, Kawasaki ended up doing something bold. Before she herself understood what it was she planned to do, she suddenly hugged Hikigaya from behind and pressed her chest on him, an act that made the loner go stiff.
"Uh, Saki?" Hikigaya asked in a shaky voice which only served to make Kawasaki smile though it was hidden underneath the helmet.
Oh so he's bothered as well… I see…
"I-I-Is there something wrong?" Saki feigned ignorance though there was a little tension on her voice as well. The heat from her cheeks was also doing her no favor. Just the fact that she resorted into doing something like this made her want to bury a hole and hide there forever but there was also a small, no, a large part of her who just didn't want to let go of this rare opportunity.
Needless to say, the majority won.
"Well… Uhh… I wouldn't say there's something wrong but…"
Before he could say anything else, Kawasaki beat him to the punch.
"Th-Then there's no issue… Right?"
That reply from Kawasaki made him take one deep breath.
He was a healthy boy and while this kind of service was very much appreciated, he'd rather be subjected to it on situations where there were no chances of getting into an accident. Then again, this was technically and unironically the safest way for the person riding behind the motorcycle driver to secure themselves on their seat so it was not like there was actually any problem, at least with regards to passenger safety.
Coincidentally, the woman who rode this motorcycle with him the most which was Haruno often teased him like this so he has built in some resistance though he was far from being completely immune to it.
Besides, he also didn't want to say something improper and end up being called a sexual-harassing pervert if he could help it.
As such, he reluctantly let the situation be.
"Right. T-T-There are no problems. Pl-Please tell me if you have any issues with the speed as we travel. I'll try to adjust as best as I can."
He tried his best to sound as matter-of-factly as possible but even Saki could tell that he was also a little nervous. That fact made her giggle softly.
"Will do."
If he was ever asked how many Kawasakis were riding behind him during this trip, there he was a big chance that he would accidentally say that there were three.
Meanwhile underneath a helmet, a blissfully smiling Kawasaki who was holding on to Hikigaya through an embrace could not help but hope that this trip take as much time as possible.
Author's Note:
To those who've read my previous fic/s: Hello, it's been a while.
And to those who'll be reading a story of mine for the first time: Hello, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, although I highly recommend reading the first part of this otherwise a lot of things really wouldn't make sense.
Writing this chapter in and of itself honestly didn't take too long.
As corny as it sounds, what really delayed this release was on resolving myself to finish this story if I decide to open up again.
Well, now that you guys are reading this, my answer is clear.
It has taken a while but I'm finally back... Though I don't think I can promise regular updates for you guys but I'll try to do my best.
Moving forward, I have now decided to rename Extra into Side Story.
As for the Summer Side Story, these are events that happened during the summer vacation that I originally wanted to write before I went ahead and cut the series short. As I didn't think opening up the first chapter of the second part of this series would provide the same impact if I used these scenes, I'll just include them as bonuses for the main storyline for now. So yeah, expect chunkier chapters than what I usually write.
Alright, time for the guessing game that I came up too late in part one that I'll try to implement in part two as soon as I can!
The rules are simple.
All you need to do is guess the character that will be focused on the next main chapter aside from Hikigaya Hachiman.
I will give one (useless) hint.
Everyone is free to join or not. It's completely up to you.
Only one guess per reader is allowed. If you put in multiple answers, I'll consider only the first one.
Today's hint: One of the names of the character that will be focused in the next chapter ends with the letter I.
If you're interested in participating, feel free to include your answer in your review.
See you guys on the next chapter.
Reviews, follows and faves are all very much appreciated.
I hope you'll all accompany me on this new journey once again.
May everyone's good wishes and realities intersect.
Morii Hikikko
