A/N:
Hi, and welcome.
If you have been here before, and you're wondering why there are only a few chapters, then allow me to explain.
If you've never read this or you dropped it early: Before this, I was having a bit too much fun with my OCs without much regard for the characters from the series, and this has been pointed out to me by several people. To put it simply: it wasn't a SNAFU story. That's why I have decided to take the story down. Right now, I'm in the process of rewriting most of the story. Hopefully, things are heading in a better direction now that I have gone back to the source material (in various forms). So if you were dissatisfied with how things were, then I'd be happy if you would give this another go.
If you had been reading it before I took it down: and you're not interested in these earlier chapters, then you can safely ignore them. Because even though much of the story has been changed, the general plot will still head toward the same direction. When the story eventually catches up to where we left off, I will label the chapter as "(Old)" so it'd show up as such in your notification.
TL;DR: I'm rewriting the earlier chapters and changing a lot of the specifics, but I will keep the structure of the later chapters more or less intact.
Thank you for sticking around, and apologies for any inconvenience.
In any case, please enjoy.
-Storm
Chapter 1: And then, Hiratsuka Shizuka appears.
Nothingness.
That was all that surrounded me when I came to. No matter which direction I looked, it was all the same. And that theme was consistent all across the senses. I could not see, hear, nor feel anything other than my own body. It was complete and utter blackness whether I looked up, down, left, or right.
My legs were stretched straight toward the direction I perceived to be down, but I felt nothing below my feet. From a different view, I may be perceived as standing, but really, I was floating on my feet.
What is this place? And how did I end up here?
The thoughts came rushing into my mind.
I played back the events I last remembered, rolling a film through an imaginary screen in my head.
I found Sagami on the rooftop..
I confronted her..
Hayama pushed me against the wall and then..
Hiratsuka-sensei approaching me..
And then the honey toast..
...
And that was all that was there. Every single frame after that up until the point where I opened my eyes just now, was completely blank. To give you some perspective, if you took the frames between when Hiratsuka-sensei first read my essay, and when she consoled me after the concert, and you doubled it, it would only make up one-third of the missing chunk.
And then it hit me.
Ah, I got it..
This is my punishment for trying to create a world of my own design. The normies of the earth were not ready to face it. None of them were ready to put forth themselves and question everything before them. They were all satisfied with the lie.. No, they were scared of the truth. And that's why He put me here, to stop my disruption of the harmony that He had so fine-tuned. Heh.. even that guy gave up on me.. I wonder if He is Japanese..?
As I stopped pondering about nothing, I noticed something. I held up both of my hands, and saw that my body was outlined by some neon-blue light. And I meant that quite literally. If I rotated my hands, my fingers would overlap, but the light wouldn't. The light would just outline whatever appeared to me as a contour, but nothing inside of it.
I looked around one more time and concluded, "There is nothing here.."
"Of course, there's nothing here."
A voice came from behind me. It was sudden, but somehow I wasn't startled, and when I turned around, it made sense as to why. Standing (or rather floating) there about ten feet from me was a girl I knew. That short, light orange colored hair that flowed down to her collar, those red colored eyes, and most important of all, that side bun she wore were all features that made this person instantly recognizable to me.
"Yuigahama.."
The girl looked at me and waved.
"Yahallo, Hikki."
It could just be that the whole place was dark, but I felt her smile was the brightest thing I have seen in a while. Then again, it could also be due the fact that she had that neon light thing on her as well.
"Are you not surprised?" she said as she looked at me with a worried smile, and I had only noticed it just then, but her eyes were opened narrowly, twitching as if they were forced to be opened. Her lower eyelids were outlined by a heavy dark line, and her lips were dry, but despite all that, her gaze remained fiercely curious.
Am I not surprised..?
"Yea, I'm surprised."
Yuigahama puffed her cheeks. "Jeez, you could at least try to sound sincere, y'know Hikki?"
"That would be a complete lie on my part, then. If I were to play up my reactions, then that wouldn't be sincere either, wouldn't it?"
Her weary smile turned into a smile of reassurance, as if my half-baked answer somehow soothed her heart.
"Yuigahama, what is this place?"
She closed her eyes and gently shook her head. With a frowning grin, she responded.
"I really wish I had the answer.."
If you think about it for a second, then the answer is clear. Yuigahama Yui obviously wouldn't have the power to do anything like this. She could barely tie her shoelaces, why would you expect her to be able to do magic? She averted her eyes, and pulled her lips up sharply, creating an arc. After a few seconds, she looked back with her now determined eyes, having finished some sort of preparation.
"I do at least know why we are here.."
"Why" she says..
"Hiratsuka-sensei is in deep trouble."
That name just popped out of nowhere, as if it were some sort of joke. However, Yuigahama appeared completely serious.
"She seems.. alone? I don't know how I should describe the situation exactly.."
What kind of an answer is that, Gahama-san?! I gave you the privilege of my time, and this is the sort of thing you came up with?
"That is not a "trouble". There is nothing wrong with being alone, if anything, that's the one true way of experiencing youth.."
She chuckled.
"I'm glad you're still you, Hikki.." she said, giving me a warm smile.
Woah.. If this was some years ago, I would have put too much meaning into it, confessed and then got rejected right away.
"I tried to support her in every single way I could, but I kept failing.."
What could this be about, exactly? I thought. It probably has nothing to do with marriage, right? Would Yuigahama know anything about that?
"However, when I thought that everything was all over, you suddenly appeared before me, right here."
So is this place some sort of.. manifestation of her emotions? No, if that were the case, why would I be here?
"So, I guess this is how the Almighty-Whatever responded.."
"Almight-Whatever".. What a name befitting of a deity that she probably made up in her head in five minutes.. It was actually a perfect fit, so perfect that it's scary. I'm impressed.
"Hikki, please save Hiratsuka-sensei."
And once again, Yuigahama requested. What the heck does 'saving somebody' mean anymore?
"How do you expect me to go about doing something as vague as "saving" someone? And what the heck does she need saving from, exactly?"
"I still don't have the answer.. b– but now that you're here, maybe I'll finally get to know!"
"You're not making a whole lot of sense here, Yuigahama."
"I know, haha."
Of course, I wasn't going to be convinced by the non-answers she gave me. She hadn't established a connection between Hiratsuka-sensei's case and I. Actually, there most likely was none, so I am once again being forced to partake in someone else's mission. Whatever happens, it'd be best if she doesn't turn it into a justification. If she ever does, then I have my own ways of stopping it, I've always had. Not doing so would be lying to myself. And to them.
"Why me?"
Immediately as I said that, however, the neon-blue outline on her body started blinking rapidly, causing her to panic.
"T– there isn't enough time for an explanation..!"
Yuigahama stepped forward and rushed over to me. She appeared to be running, but she wasn't as fast as her legs' motion were suggesting, so it looked like she was running under water or on the moon.
"Hikki, when you wake up, it'll be the year 2003, the time when the seed of Hiratsuka-sensei's problem is planted. You'll have an apartment near school, all expenses paid for. You'll receive a bit of money regularly. Just do what you normally would!"
"Wait.. hold up, that still doesn't tell me jack.."
However, as I tried reaching for her, she kept getting farther and farther away.
"Wait!" I said once more, this time however, what I was trying to reach for was not Yuigahama, but a cream-colored ceiling. One of my arms was in the air, my hand opened as if ready to grab something. The other arm, however, was grasping at the edge of a blue blanket that covered the lower half of my body.
I lowered my arm and slowly lifted my body up. My face was full of sweat, and I was puffing air out at random intervals. Like the aftermath of any other dream of that nature, my eyes were hit with all sorts of shapes and colors of the world, but my brain would not register them. Everything then felt very surreal.
And then, beep, beep beep… beep, beep, beep!
Barrages of high frequency tone hit my ears, pulling me out of the peaceful shellshock. I was truly awake.
Still sitting on the sleeping mat, I turned my head to the right to see a digital alarm clock on the floor next to me. It just stood there as if it had guarded me in my sleep.
7:30, it said.
I guess the only person I can trust is a clock. A clock is not concerned about what other people think. Whatever number it displays, it is that time. The clock does not lie, unlike normal people. It could only lie if its internals wear, in which case you could say it is not the same clock anymore. Without a clock, you would not know the time. I always need a clock.
I slapped the clock down and turned my attention to my surroundings.
At first glance, I immediately could tell that it wasn't my bedroom. In fact, it was a lot smaller, like a prison cell if it were fancy. I think even shipping containers are bigger than this. After a quick look, I found a door that led to another room. I pushed the duvet off of me and stood up from the sleeping mat. I took steps on the varnished wood floor headed towards the door in front of me.
What greeted me was another square room about the same size as the bedroom I came out of. On one side of a room was a coffee table, accompanied by two cushions, each on the opposite end of one another. Across the room appeared to be a tiny kitchen area, with the stove and the sink counters placed against the wall right next to each other. It's not a decent apartment by any means, but hey, it's free, that's the most important part.
In that "living room", there was yet another door. That one led to an entrance area where you'd put your shoes, and receive your mail. The bathroom occupied about three-fourths of that room, leaving the remaining space as a sort of corridor that leads to the front door.
Speaking of which, lying by the front door was a brown envelope. It lay there, at a random place between the walls, as if it was shoved through the bottom of the door, or through its letterbox. I walked through the corridor and picked up the envelope.
As I held it by the top, it felt like something was weighing it down. If I shook the envelope, the thing inside would bounce around freely as if it was the only thing in there. I opened the envelope and shook its content out and onto my hand. What fell out blew me away: a single five-hundred yen coin.
When Yuigahama said "a bit" of money, I didn't think she meant it literally, as in, an amount so little it'd fit in your palm. I wasn't sure if that was a joke, but I sure wasn't laughing. That amount, 500 yen, can get you four cups of noodles, after which you'll be left with about 80 yen to do jack with. Well, I guess you could get 8 sticks of corn puffs with that.. Well, those will be 8 corn puffs I don't have to work for, so at least they'd taste amazing.
I walked back into the bedroom to look at the clock, and it was 7:25. I quickly looked into the closet to see if Yuigahama had neglected this one basic thing, because hey, sometimes I can be proven wrong. Yup, two sets of uniforms for summer, two school blazers for autumn, and one coat for winter. So at least she got that right. I grabbed one set of uniforms and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. I'd rather take a hot bath at night, but at that moment, I felt like I just had a long journey, so I'll make an exception.
And just like that, I quickly made use of the facilities without as much a chance to familiarize myself with them.
As lukewarm water sprayed on my face, I started thinking.
Yuigahama said that this is the year 2003, so that means I've traveled back in time. As ridiculous as that sounds, everything so far has stayed accurate to her description. Normally, this much would have already been a lot to take in: time traveling, waking up somewhere unknown, the fact that your teacher went to the same school you do, etc.
I was certainly surprised, yes, but not by what I've been seeing, but rather.. by my lack of reaction despite all of that.
Think about it, what would you probably do if this suddenly happens to you? You'd panic, right? You'd probably call out to your mother, or your siblings (but not your father, no). You'd probably run around in circles, looking for answers and all that. You'd have no idea what to do.
Heck, the shock would probably turn you into a different person in an instant.
Me? I felt none of that. I was in total control of myself. Is it because I am who I am? Well, for once everyone is right, then, that Hikigaya Hachiman is rotten. I remained unaffected even if I was taken away from my beloved family, and I'm sure the reverse is also true.
Actually, that's not quite right..
What I felt wasn't apathy.. It was.. Something else..
I thought about it for a moment.
Familiarity?
Yeah, familiarity – it felt like I had done something like this before.
Maybe it has something to do with the missing chunk in my memory.. But then again, memories are there to teach you a lesson, not for you to celebrate. If I don't remember any of it, then it's probably not worth remembering. Most memories are like that, anyways.
I concluded my thoughts and continued taking a shower, realizing that I probably didn't have so much time before school started.
––––––––––––––––––––
Thus, I've made it to school, just in time before homeroom. I managed that despite this being my first time taking that route to school. Since it's the early 2000s, I thought it wouldn't be wise to take a 5-something inch smartphone around with me, so I had left the apartment without it. Thus, I was without GPS, either. Man, I'm quite good at navigation. Maybe I'll become a pilot or something. Nah, working is for losers, and I'd definitely crash the plane.
Anyways, there was a piece of note in my shirt's pocket. The only thing written on it was 'You're in 3-F!', so from that I can safely say that I was assigned to Class F of Year 3.
And I'm not sure what's more shocking, the fact that I advanced a year without putting in any effort, or the fact that Yuigahama was so thorough in preparing all of this. I walked into the main building where the classrooms are. Normally, I would be in a classroom now, but since I'm apparently in 3rd year now, I had to drag myself up another floor. I probably don't have to tell you this, but having to do that at seven-something in the morning sucks. It really does.
I begrudgingly walked up the extra steps and got off at the 3rd floor. I walked through the hallway, somewhat surprised that this place hasn't changed much in the span of ten years. The colors of the wall looked more lively ten years from now, but that's probably because of regular maintenance.
I probably just happened to stumble across these at the end of that cycle, where a new paint job is due. It's kinda like entering your brother's room as he polished his mighty sword, and calling him disgusting even though he actually had been studying for a long time before that. Learn to knock, dang it!.. I keep telling you, I have been studying!
I looked at the plates above the classroom doors to see where my destination was. Luckily, it was not too far away from the stairs I used. Students from left and right, none of which I recognized, entered the classroom – that part remains unchanged. Although, amidst the morning chaos, there was one person that stood out, both in appearance and in action.
Leaning against the wall, under the plate that said '3-F', was a man clearly older than everyone else around him. That being said, he himself was also relatively young. He had short black hair with a fade cut. The top of his head was uncombed, and his short bangs would poke in whatever direction he turned. He wore a white shirt with sleeves folded up, revealing a digital watch on his left arm. A black pair of trousers, and a black pair of leather shoes – he stood out yes, but only to the extent that the shackles of society allowed him to go.
The man crossed his arms as he diligently scanned the hallway. He would have this serious look on his face, but would loosen up everytime a someone greeted him. He would give the students this smile that really sickened me somehow, and greet them back.
As I got within a reasonable range, that teacher turned his attention to me. He stood up straight and walked toward me.
"There you are!" he said, waving at me as he approached me halfway through the hallway.
"Good morning, sir." I said, giving him a brief bow.
"You are Hikigaya Hachiman right? The student who just transferred here."
Now that I've heard him talk in a full sentence, his voice was gentle, yet ambitious and brave, and it kinda reminded me of a few people.
It could be that listless guy, or that guy who took a pill to make himself younger. But most prominently, I think he sounded like that guy who wanted to become a mafia boss. In which case I shouldn't mess with him otherwise he and his shadow would beat me up as he screamed 'Useless! Useless! Useless!'.
"Yes, sir. That appears to be the case." I said.
"I see." he said, giving me the same sickeningly-sweet smile he gave to the other students. I understand that he's a teacher, but there is only so much fakeness I can take in before I hurl.
"My name is Kasuga Haru, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. Pleased to meet you, Hikigaya-kun."
"Yes, sir. I'll be under your care, Kasuga-sensei."
"Oh, you can drop the rigid stuff. Just keep my title, that's all I ask."
I see. So he's one of those guys. Adults who want to be popular with young people by acting ten years below their age. He probably couldn't get a foot in on his colleagues so he's trying to get along with the kids instead.
To give credit where it's due, it seemed to be working for him.
"Kasuga-sensei, goood… morning! Whassup?!"
"I'm doing awesome, bud!"
Most of the students who passed by us would greet him casually. They did call him "Sensei", but the tone made it sounded like they were talking to a friend. He would be equally loose in return, and he seemed to be popular because of that.
But that's not really saying much.. He's already practiced this for at least a decade longer than these gullible people. And since he's relatively young, he still had the looks to be able to pull this off. Hah, try doing this in another ten years when your forehead starts to look like a WiFi signal!
The longer I look at him the more he reminds me of Hayama Hayato, so logic dictates that I should stop looking at him.
"I gotta say though, Hikigaya-kun, your mother was really something else."
Huh?!
".. Sensei, what do you mean?"
"She's really beautiful."
Why the heck did he just compliment my mom?! And why did he have to start off with that?! Is this how people from the 80s talk?!
"..You think so?"
"Yea, she looked like she was barely older than me. She looked exactly like you, actually. it's just your eyes that were different. Her's were really cold, like ice.. but I'd say it fits her black hair really well."
"..I see."
But then I realized, his description of my mother was somewhat.. Off. Thinking back to this time.. So when I was seven or eight.. No, I don't remember her having long hair. And while she pretty much neglected me at this point, she wasn't exactly cold. Maybe he met someone else who is related to me? But even then, do I have a relative who can be described as "cold"?
"Ah– "
Then, the teacher turned his attention to somebody behind me. I didn't follow suit, as I'd thought it was just another student who happened to pass by. But as soon as he said the name, I simply couldn't ignore it.
"Hiratsuka-san, good morning."
You could say it was morbid curiosity. Whatever it was, it wasn't something noble.
I turned around and there she was, in all her former glory.
Those gray eyes, and those black hair that flowed with the wind as she walked through the hallway. It was the same silky smooth hair, just wasn't as long as my eyes were used to. It was as if, without her lab coat, there was nothing for her hair to rival.
Speaking of which, her uniform was nothing short of immaculate. There was not a single hint of wrinkles on her white shirt. Her bow was worn tightly as if it was about to choke her neck, and her skirt went down as far as her knees. Going downward, her socks were worn completely straight up, and her in door shoes were spotless.
All in all, her general appearance matches how I imagined her to be in a uniform.
What I did not expect though was her eyes, or rather, the state they were in. They were the same pair of grey eyes, but dry and unfocused, almost clouded, even. It was a complete contrast to the pair filled with burning passion that I was accustomed (read: had adapted) to.
When she caught a glimpse of her teacher, her eyes narrowed. Her face immediately turned to a one that was a balanced mix of distrust and disgust. Whatever she wanted to say to him, it wasn't pleasant. She gave her teacher a quick, almost dismissive bow and in a blink of an eye, she dashed past him.
The teacher's expression turned sour as his student walked into the classroom. When he knew she was out of hearing distance, he turned back to me with a troubled smile. "Man, puberty is one heck of a thing."
"Sensei, that person.,"
"Ah, that.. Hiratsuka Shizuka. She's your classmate."
"I see."
As I said that, the teacher made a face as though he had realized something. He then gave me a grin that was filled with smugness.
"She's hard to get, you know?"
Hey! Don't you ever joke about that! If you had a 3rd of the information I have about her, you'd realize how wrong that is, Kasuga-sensei!
Knowing her, I'm sure she would probably give me a jab at lightning speed if I so much as approached her. Not to mention, I wouldn't want that anyway. Assuming she somehow finds these glorious eyes of mine attractive and we got together – just imagine the sort of situations she would get me into! Oh wow, just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine.
"No, Sensei.. That's not.."
"Well, well, you don't have to be shy. I'll be sure to give you the proper support when the time comes!"
This guy isn't listening to me.. and teacher-student romance is not cute, anyway! I mean, I guess it could be, but this is Hiratsuka-sensei we're talking about here. She'd probably kick me out of the house and tell me to go get a job!
"But it's almost homeroom, so I sadly can't help you right now, Hikigaya-kun. Come on, let's get inside and introduce you to your new friends!"
And that's when I realized something. Before I could even begin to approach this issue, there was one hurdle that I had to get over, one that would call into question my entire identity. As I followed Kasuga-sensei into the classroom, I began thinking.
