Hachiman Hikigaya

Ai called me five minutes after I sent the text. I was still walking home when my phone rang. "So you know?" She asked, wasting no time with pleasantries now that maintaining the guise of friendship was pointless.

I could respect that. Not a lot but more than if she had tried to deceive me again. "I do."

She sighed. "Are you free right now? We should talk." I resisted the kneejerk rejection on the tip of my tongue.

"Yeah, let's meet halfway. What station are you at?"

She quietly replied and suggested an approximate middle point. I agreed and made my way to the station. Letting Komachi know that I was going to be home a little bit late.

As I rode the packed train full of rush-hour commuters, I kept my head down and held onto a pole. I stayed hunched as I trudged to the agreed-upon cafe and as I sat down. "Black Coffee. Robusta blend." Usually, I hated undoctored coffee, especially robusta. It was too bitter. But right now, I wasn't in the mood for any sweetness.

Ai entered a few minutes later. Clad in a fashionable combination of jeans and a designer sweater. Her hair had been shortened as well, and for a moment, she looked like a blonde version of Haruno.

My eyes tracked her as she ordered and waited; only after getting her drink did she come to the table. "You changed your hair." I kept my tone light.

"After being released from Kaguya's service, I felt like it was time to change things up." She toyed with the shortened locks.

I should've been quiet, but I had been holding so much in; a snide remark just slipped up. "Like being honest for once?"

Her eyes narrowed, now a glacial blue. "You don't understand. Don't talk about things that you don't know."

"Yeah, because that's not something I would do to a friend." I hung my head. "Why didn't you ever tell us? I would've helped you. Kaguya would've helped you."

Ai glared at me. "Don't highroad me after the things that you've done. I didn't cause anyone's death."

Fury. Like a pot boiling over. My fury spilled out in a hissed whisper. "Then why the fuck are you here? If I'm just some guy who can't understand. Why should you deign to speak to me at all?"

She stood up and began to turn away. "Honestly, I don't know. I thought maybe you would understand. Clearly, you don't."

I saw red. I wanted to make her feel the pain that I felt. I wanted to hurt her the way she had hurt me. It would be so easy. I had the wing span. I could stand up and punch her. I could put a black eye on her face.

As soon as I realized what I was thinking, I recoiled in horror. This wasn't me, and I would never let it be me. I would throw myself in front of a train before I ever did it to someone that I cared about. As much as I hated to admit it, Ai was someone that I cared about. That's why knowing that she lied to me hurt me so much.

I stood as well, preparing to speak, but she beat me to it. "Hachiman, for what it's worth, I'm sorry, and I hope that you'll forgive me someday."

"I felt hurt, and that's why I lashed out. I still care about you, Ai. You're important to me."

Her shoulders stiffened, and for a second, I thought she would turn back. But she didn't. I watched her silhouette as it faded into the crowd. I gathered my things and left as well. I dumped my mostly full coffee in a trashcan.

The taste lingered in my mouth. All the way home. I greeted my sister and my parents at the dining table. I was numb and horrified.

So, I did the only thing that I could do. I sat down and began working on my computer. I accepted requests to use my name. In the Japanese legal community, just hearing my name attached to a case was enough to make many opponents settle privately. At this point, I was just selling people the right to attach my name to a case. I only got involved if the settlement offer was rejected.

I signed off the usage of my name on hundreds of cases in exchange for large flat fees or a percentage of the winnings.

That actually gave me an idea to help Kaguya and make some money along the way. I dialed her number, and she picked up almost instantly. Before she could speak, I launched into my venture. "Kaguya, how do you feel about taking your company into the field of law?"

She sighed. "It's our company. I know that you bought up the remaining shares."

I blinked. "Yeah, I did. But that's not important. With me at the helm, we can poach talented lawyers and create an entirely new firm. Also, that way, we'll no longer have to spend money on external firms."

Kaguya actually laughed for a moment. "It's not unimportant. Do you even realize how much you spent?"

"I can do basic arithmetic, thank you very much. So what do you think of the idea?" I asked, eager both because I believed in the concept and for a distraction.

"I think it sounds good if you promise to help run it. I'll sign off on creating a firm." Her voice was light and friendly.

"Let's get some money." I promised.

~/~

Yui Yuigahama

Hikki was contemplative. He didn't say so. But he didn't need to. I hope whatever the emergency was, he's doing okay. But because he entered right as the bell rang and we were told to take our seats, I wasn't given the chance to ask.

He had the same look as when I'd first invited him in for dinner. Like a million thoughts were racing through his head, and he needed to sort them all.

Right now, he had his head in his hands and was staring blankly down at the desk. The English teacher noticed this and began to approach him. I tried to lean into his line of sight to maybe warn him, but it was too late.

"Hikigaya, care to share with the class what you were thinking about?" The teacher was frustrated, his tone impatient.

Hikki's eyes flashed, and at that moment, I knew that there was going to be trouble. "I really don't."

The teacher was now red, towering over my friend. "You insolent brat. Pay attention. Am I understood?"

Hikki smiled, and for a moment, I thought he was going to try and defuse the situation. But then, his smile twisted a little more into a vicious glint. "Don't lecture me; you have enough of my attention to know that you're teaching this class poorly. You have an iota of a percentile of my attention, but that's more than enough for what you're teaching."

Now the teacher was enraged. Yelling so hard that he was almost spitting. "Oh, I've met students like you. Ones that think they're so goddamn smart. What mistakes did I make? I've been teaching this class for 22 years."

Hikigaya stood up and calmly slid past the teacher, who was a violent shade of red but made no move to stop him. Maybe it was because he didn't want to actually lose his job or because he was surprised by Hikki's gall. Hikigaya picked up a piece of chalk and circled a comma and the word alot. "A lot should have a space between the 'a' and the 'lot'. This comma should be a semicolon. Both of these are things that you would have known if you were any good at teaching the English language. I know a great English for beginners class at a local elementary school; perhaps you could get a refresher there."

The teacher pointed to the doorway. "Get. Out." Hikki smiled, a pleasant mask suddenly covering his visage again.

"Gladly. Staying here will degrade my ability to comprehend English to your level." He stepped out of the room, and I could hear his footsteps receding.

The classroom was dead silent as the teacher huffed with anger. None of us wanted to risk drawing his ire.

~/~

Komachi Hikigaya

When I'd randomly gotten a text from my brother saying that neither of us would be going to our clubs. I was confused. In typical fashion for him, he didn't elaborate and instead just told me to meet him outside.

After school ended, I stepped out and, for a moment, thought that he had pranked me. I couldn't see him anywhere. However, his head popped out of an expensive-looking sedan. "Komachi, over here."

Other students watched and whispered. Oh well, after the whole calligraphy club incident. I hadn't been able to shake the idea that my family was rich. I hopped in and sat next to him. I couldn't see the driver due to a partition. "Hey Big Brother, what's the special occasion?" I nestled next to him and affectionately lay my head on his shoulder.

He chuckled. "Remember how Chika convinced you to apply to Shuuchin?"

I turned my tone to a sarcastic jeer. "Oh, the school that I've spent the last month prepping. No, I totally forgot about it. What do you think?" He reached out to ruffle my hair, and I leaned away. A stricken expression crossed his face but slid away just as quickly.

"Sorry." He apologized.

"For what?" I asked, now confused.

"For … never mind … Komachi, you know that I'll never hurt you, right?" He sounded like he was about to cry.

"I do. I love you, big bro." I threw my arms around him, and we stayed in the hug for a minute before he broke it with a smile.

"I'm taking you somewhere to get ready for Shuuchin." I blinked at what he said.

"Wait, you're taking me to a prep school. Aren't you a better teacher than them?" He laughed at my question.

"No, I'm taking you to a tailor. There's a dinner with many Shuuchin donors and players in five weeks. I'll be attending, and you'll be my plus one." He scratched at his chin and at the hint of stubble that was beginning to overtake his face. "We're going to get you something that doesn't just make you look classy but also makes you look pretty. Consider this your grand debut."

"Won't you be embarrassed to have your little sister as your plus one?" I teased.

He turned his head to look out the window as he replied. "I have too many issues for any sort of romantic relationship right now. It wouldn't be right to inflict my internal issues externally on someone else."

I ignored the tremor in his voice, feeling like I was getting a real look at my brother, unfiltered by his usual behaviors. "Maybe someday, just not today." I tried to support him.

He smiled at me. "Besides, I'll already be there with my favorite woman in the whole world."

Now it was my turn to look away. Embarrassed by the fond declaration. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet; there's another thing that you're gonna have to do, and you won't like it. I'm sorry, it's important." His tone was serious. I began to panic; what was this awful task? "You have to take etiquette lessons. Every Sunday for the next four weeks." He looked down regretfully.

"Geez, big bro, don't scare me like that. I thought it was going to be terrible." I lightly tapped him on the forehead.

His expression didn't lighten. "Believe you, me. You have no idea what you're about to face." I just chuckled nervously at his response.

Seriously, how bad could it be?

Scene Change

Oh, it was bad. Bad didn't even describe the hell that had been cast upon me. "Ms. Hikigaya, sit up straight and keep your elbows in."

I made another attempt at proper dining posture, and the instructor blew her whistle again. "You are a refined young lady, not a boar, so act like it."

"Yes, Ma'am," I promised, making an effort not to wince at the shrill sound of both her voice and the instrument.

I tried again, and pre-emptively braced for the whistle. Instead, she lay a bowl of water in front of me. "I suppose that will have to do. Select the proper utensil, and then attempt to eat properly. I explained it to you before. Please try to emulate it."

I selected the outermost spoon, only to be graced with multiple blows from the instructor's orange whistle. "No, no, no. That's your general-use spoon. The large wide one is yours."

The instructor's narrow eyes held an angry glint. "Okay, we're going to try this again."

I held back a sigh. This dinner couldn't come fast enough.

A/N: Hayasaka's new style is the same as in the manga.

Also little correction. In chapter 31, I messed up. The flashback is 1.5 years ago, not 2. My bad.

John: Thanks. I appreciate it.

IkeaisOP: The overall arc of the story has been planned. But not every detail was written in advance. It's probably a 40/60 mix between planning and improvisation.