Hikigaya Hachiman's Path To Reformation

Christmas Day With The Family

There's a baby beside me on the train today. It's cheeks are so pudgy and had wide eyes the entire time. Since the baby was wearing her jacket, she looked even pudgier to look at. Her young brown-haired mother was quietly talking to someone on her left side while her baby was on her right arm looking at me with wonder. Staring into the very depths of my soul. Drool was also dripping from it's mouth and when the little thing yawned, she had still had no teeth.

Why do babies keep staring, I wonder…?

A darker voice in the back of my head suggested that babies can see spirits and ghosts. And the reason why they keep staring at you, is because one is right behind you. I looked behind me to see if there's anything there. There was none of course, but who knows? Maybe I was just a breath away from the ghost behind me.

Anyway, the baby was amused, just staring at me and all, and began smiling and reaching towards me. Her tiny hands grabbed my black jacket and tried pulling herself to me.

"Onii-chan look, that baby likes you," Komachi whispered to my right ear.

"So it seems…" I said as I continued watching the baby in it's futile effort.

The baby's eyes turned to my hand and reached for it. Her tiny hand wrapped around my pinky and once again tried to move it to her. Realizing that her efforts were still in vain, she was about to sniffle and cry but then I decided to just let her to whatever she wanted to do with my hand and just held it in front of her.

Her tiny hands held my pinky and thumb and then started to move them together. The action seemed to be the most hilarious thing to this tiny human since she started to laugh and squeal. But then she started to draw my finger to her mouth to bite into it, such is the nature of babies. I'm guessing this baby is around 6-7 months old since that's the time they usually start teething. I retracted my hand and started poking her cheeks to amuse her.

Her mother noticed us and initiated a conversation after we introduced ourselves. She said that they were going to Narita Airport to welcome her husband home after two weeks away because of work. Apparently, her husband's Boss was a generous and kind man who took his employees for a vacation since its December after all. That must be nice, having a boss like that, oh wait, Tatsumi-san is generous and kind too. I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Boss! I spoke with her out of courtesy of course, and because I'm better at holding conversations with adults rather than people my age.

"Your baby is very cute and healthy." Komachi finally said something since she was just quietly listening to her the entire time.

"Thank you! She might not look like it but this little bundle of joy can wake up the whole apartment complex with her cries!" I took that literally and started thinking deeply if that was indeed actually possible.

I gave a small laugh as I imagined the scenario in my head.

They got off on the next stop where they would take the bus headed to the airport. We waved our goodbyes and Christmas greetings as the door to the train closed between us. Ah, the baby was really cute, I wish I could have held her…

Mom and Dad were at home just relaxing, I wager Dad is still sleeping at this hour. Its still early though, its still 9am so we can go back home as soon as possible. We agreed to meet at the entrance in 3 hours time, more than enough to buy everything we need and hurry back home before the crowds for the train swell to maximum.

I watched my little sister disappear from my vision on her way to buy her presents. Sighing, I took off my black gloves and put them in the interior pocket of my likewise black jacket.

My first task was the gift for my Mother. I had already ordered it from the store's website earlier this week and was ready for pickup today. I personally went to one of their branches near Mother's place, but when I went there during the other day to purchase it, they were out of stock and referred me to one of their other branches. I arrived at the store in no time and after verifying the authorization details and other trivialities, I received the gift already neatly wrapped.

MISSION PASSED RESPECT+

Now, for my Father's…

This time, I went to the Men's part of the department store to look for anything that caught my attention. Sadly, after circling the entire area thrice, nothing came to mind. Even after I scanned the clothes on display and carefully analyzed each shoe from the leather outside to its sturdiness, absolutely nothing made me sparked the desire within me.

Something good, utility-wise…it has to be something that Father uses all the time, or something that can improve his work performance. A thing that can help him at work…

From the public seat that I was occupying, I stood up so fast that the guy beside me gave a very unmanly and startled yelp. I made a beeline to the gadgets section of the mall and instantly went to those stores that sold that item that I was thinking about. After several minutes of looking at their displays, and reading each product's features as well as handling it to see it's weight and practicality, and of course, the price. I chose one specific product model and went to the different stores to see if everyone else sold it at the same price.

I finally found a store that had freebies with each purchase and bought a utility accessory together with it. I swiped and paid for it with my debit card and requested the employees there to have it wrapped as a gift. I grunted to myself in satisfaction after personally checking my remaining balance at my card's closest bank. My parents regularly deposit my allowance into my account. Plus my monthly pay from working part-time, also with the fact that I am a huge cheapskate who only buys out of necessity, I can say without a doubt that I still had a sizeable sum all in all.

For Komachi, I returned to the department store and went to the women's section to buy her a new and warmer jacket. Komachi told me during the other day that she would usually wear a double layer when she went to school because her jacket wasn't warm enough. At that moment, I knew what I wanted to buy her as a present. It felt awkward scanning garments for women in this particular section, seeing that I'm a male and all. On the few times that my Mother dragged me with her to buy some new clothes, I would always wait on the border of the women's section. I was not alone however, and my fellow males who were with their female companions also waited with me in that area.

I finally found one that was just the right size for my small Imotou. The outside was leather as to prevent any cold breezes and the inside was warm mainly due to the fur linings it had. The collars were nonexistent, but a simple scarf around the neck will do the trick.

With my parent's presents held by my left hand, and Komachi's on my right, I made my way back to our rendezvous point with 30 minutes left to spare.

"Welcome home. Oh, Haa-chan you really went all out huh...~" Mother commented when we arrived and saw the stuff that I was carrying. After we removed our shoes and changed into indoor slippers we placed our stuff on the small table in the living room.

"We're home." We said in unison.

"Ah, Hachiman, Komachi, you're home. I was about to go out and pick you up." My Father voice from upstairs rang. After we took off our jackets, Komachi skipped over to the kitchen to help out Mom. While I stretched my body over the sofa and felt numerous joints all over my body pop in satisfaction. Kamakura jumped onto my chest from out of nowhere and started licking my head.

"Meow…" He purred.

"Yes yes, I'm glad to see you too buddy…" I ran my hand through his warm soft body and got a purr of satisfaction as a result.

I heard my Father's footsteps down the stairs, and shortly saw him sit at his new leather sofa he ordered a few days ago. He switched on the T.V. and started watching the news.

"Hoh…the snow is quite heavy in Hokkaido…" I muttered when they showed a neighbourhood there that was already filled with 2 feet of snow.

"Ah, yes. Snowfall was already heavy when I was there a few weeks ago. How were the gloves that I sent in the package? Were they good?" My Father asked.

The package that he sent actually contained a series of winter apparel prototypes that he and his associate were spearheading that was planned to be opened in Hokkaido.

"They were nice and comfy. I especially liked the black and dark-brown one." I replied. The former was the one that I used when I went out with Komachi.

After a few minutes, dinner was ready and we went to the table to eat. Dinner was composed of fried chicken, Japanese-style burger steak, deep-fried breaded pork, smoked and grilled salmon, some frozen vegetables, king crab, caesar salad with a boiled egg on top, scallops, miso soup, rice and green tea. Though I had to give the salad a weird look, since its the first time I saw caesar salad with boiled eggs…Oh and the curry from last night.

The first thing I ate was the king crab, I had to crack open it's legs with a scissor-like tool to gain access to the soft flesh inside. After that, I slowly ate small morsels of everything. The scallops were excellent with a small amount of vinegar and a dash of salt. I tried grilling it on the electric grill on the table, but it still tasted better raw. The salmon was great if eaten with miso soup and rice, though my little sister beside me was totally ignoring the seafood and grabbing meat left and right.

When everyone was finished, Komachi and Mom put away the plates and put the leftovers in the fridge and Dad went to the bathroom to take a bath.

I took my jacket and gloves put them on once more and changed into my outdoor footwear.

"Haa-chan? Where are you going?" Mom asked me when she caught sight of me.

"I'm just going to take a walk outside." Even though it's below 2 degrees Celsius outdoors, taking a short walk was always good after such a large dinner as this.

After being told to to be careful and come home soon, I opened the door and went outside. Watching the snowflakes fall from the sky was peaceful. The sky itself had and an undertone of red reflected from the cities on the ground. I walked through the ground, my feet making crunching sounds as it made contact with the patches of snow. A sudden cold breeze made me instinctively put my hands into my jacket's pockets. I had no destination in mind, and I would walk until my stomach felt better. No other soul was walking outside, the streets before me were mine.

Walking like this and having no one else but yourself has always been comforting. It's very refreshing having some quiet time alone, your head is clear and your emotions are relaxed. Whenever I'm feeling stressed and irksome for some reason, walking around like this always seems to calm me down.

If there was a frozen lake nearby and attracted a lot of ice skaters, I would have loved to hang around there. But unfortunately, this isn't St. Petersburg, the former Imperial Capital of Russia, where they have many frozen lakes and rivers fit for ice skating.

As I passed around a corner, the lamp above me had a mirror, and I saw myself leer at my reflection with a grumpy face. Woah, did I always look like that? I look like a thug, no wonder people look at me with apprehension on the street, in those rare occasions that they had the balls to look at me in the eye, that is. It was maybe 200 meters from my house that I felt my stomach pain subside. Since I usually walk fast, the distance was nothing, and I began walking back home at a faster pace.

I came home and found everyone sitting in the living room watching T.V. After a few moments of me taking off my jacket and shoes, I joined my family to start the exchange of presents. I was seated beside Komachi and our parents were on the other side while the presents were on the table in between us.

Komachi received a pillow from Mom and new shoes from Dad, while her gift to Mom was a coffee mug with a big heart and a wallet for Dad. When Dad asked why she gave him a wallet, she replied "Because your wallet smells really gross!", to which Mom started laughing and Dad vehemently denying the stench and insisting that Komachi smell the wallet to prove his statement. Needless to say, Komachi reeled back in terror and hid behind me. Tch, that pillow looks super soft and comfy…I'm gonna steal it! I gave my first gift to Mom and eagerly watched her examine the gift with its wrapping still covering it.

"Ara ara, what could this be~?" Mom said in a singsong tone. She got hold of the wrappings and tore them to shreds, a bit too fast there Mom, a bit too excited, are we?

"Oh!" My Mother exclaimed in surprise and joy and stood up, hugged kissed me on the cheek. Even though I was confident in keeping my face stoic as possible, my Father's smirking face made me lose cool and I felt a blush on my cheeks from the embarrassment.

"It's the perfume that I always wanted!" We went to that store some time ago, and she was still having double thoughts on whether to buy it or not. Even though I was not a fan of perfume, I would get a headache and feel nauseous if the scent was too strong, I took note of it's appearance and would secretly sneak into my parent's room to see if she had bought it yet. Thankfully, she didn't.

"Thanks, Haa-chan!" She let go of me and returned to sitting on the sofa.

I gave my Father his present, and, like Mom, he examined its exterior before opening it.

"Wooow!" Komachi exclaimed in amazement followed by a "Hoh…" from my Mother as she eyed me with a small smile.

My Father removed the top cover of the box to reveal the tablet inside, along with a Bluetooth keyboard to complement it. It had a 10.5-inch display and was coloured steely grey. I'll admit that this was a bit expensive, but I honestly didn't mind.

"This is a wonderful gift, thank you Hachi." My Father rarely addresses me with my nickname, he must be elated if he's using it now. Komachi and Mom huddled together as they observed the tablet with interest and waited for it to boot up. I couldn't help suppress my smug grin as I waited for them to see the surprise.

"Your laptop is old and heavy, the future is now!" I proclaimed, to which my Mother and Father laughed.

When it finally turned on, Mom was the first one to give out a reaction she started laughing her heart out while Komachi was squealing. What the heck is with that reaction? Are you a pig? Oink oink oink.

Before the present was wrapped, I did some editing. One of them was making the wallpaper a photo of our entire family. My parents still looked the same in the photo, both of them were handsome and beautiful as if they have stopped aging when that photo was taken. I was 7 years old in the photo while Komachi was still 4 years old. My Mother was 24 when I was born, my Father 25, quite young in this country's standards. In the photo, I held Komachi's hand with a big smile while she had a funny goofy look on her face as she stared at the camera.

"AAAHHH! ONII-CHAN WHY DID YOU PICK THIS PHOTO! IT'S SO EMBARRASSING TO LOOK AT." Komachi went over to me and started shaking my shoulders. Mom told her to calm down before her shaking became too violent that it would decapitate my head and send it flying.

After everyone calmed down, it was Komachi's turn to receive her gift. When she opened it, she was delighted to see the jacket that I bought for her and immediately tried it on. I sighed in relief when I saw that it was just the right size for her.

"Thanks, Onii-chan!"

"You're quite welcome," I replied cooly.

It was Mom's turn to give her presents, and since she already gave Komachi her's, it was me and Dad's turn. Dad received a pair of premium leather gloves while I received a pair of 5 kg barbels. Nice, I was thinking of buying one. Well, these are a tad bit too heavy for me, but I'm sure I'll get used to it after continued usage. Thank you for the wonderful gift, Okaa-sama!

"You're always jogging and working out in your room during the weekends, so I thought barbels for you would be nice!" My Mother said.

"Thanks, Mom," I say as I put them down. I was right, these are too heavy for a beginner like me. If I use these, I'll end up hurting myself like a stupid newbie in a gym, the typical ones you always see during the 1st week of January. I mainly do leg and lower abdomen exercises and have never lifted weights before. And since starting Taekwondo under Tatsumi-sensei's wing emphasizes high-speed kicks and other leg strikes, well, let's just say that my arms are still scrawny. Well, there's always a first for everything as they say. Komachi gave me a book lamp, which I greatly appreciated and always wanted. As for Dad, he gave Mom a white slim-fitting long-sleeved cotton shirt that was also one of his prototypes from Hokkaido.

And finally, it was my turn. I wonder what he got me this time?

"Just a moment…" He excused himself and went upstairs. Huh? I turned to Komachi but she was engrossed in my Father's new tablet while Mother was whistling and refusing to make eye contact with me. I gave her an impassive look while sweat started to fall from her forehead.

Hmm…how suspicious…

"Here we go…" I hear my Father's voice before I saw him. From the strain in his tone, he must be carrying something heavy or struggling at least. When we finally saw him, he was carrying a long flat rectangular box that he didn't even bother covering with wrapping. Not that the wrapping would help hid it's contents anyway, I could have correctly guessed what it was even if it was covered with a gift wrapping.

It was a silver high-tech looking electronic piano, similar to the ones usually on display at the front of musical instrument stores. Thanks to my skills honed in gunpla assemblage, the different parts came together and soon looked exactly like the one in the assembling guide. We put it beside the wall so it wouldn't get in the way. The piano also had a book for beginners, even though the designs on it looked a bit too cartoony and childish…

Well, I've only touched a piano a few times in my life at school, so I had no idea what those buttons meant.

"This looks nice. Thank Dad." I say

"I know that it's a bit late but I always wanted you to know an instrument or two when you were younger." He said as scratched his head.

I imagined a younger version of myself playing the piano. With constant practice and determination, I could have become very skilled at my current age. Well, that's just my imagination anyway, this isn't an anime were playing the piano was pounded into my very being at a very young age after all. That, along with the expectations of my parents, teachers and anyone else relevant enough to be mentioned, would cause a massive amount of stress to a growing child. Inevitably, at my grandest public performance, watched by hundreds of people, I would have a mental breakdown as a result. After that, I would disappear from the public eye for several years, my name never forgotten, but made as an example of a terrible and possible outcome.

*Hikigaya, that was WAY too depressing. That went downhill faster than Napoleon's Grande Armee after their catastrophic invasion of Russia!*

Ah, my depressing internal monologues are surfacing…

"Well, there's a first in everything I guess…" I say as I slumped myself back on the sofa.

And so ended our simple, yet fun celebration of Christmas.

Well, there you have it. I hope this was a satisfying read for everyone, I had to go super Saiyan, Bankai, Dragon Force, Jinchuriki-mode, Plus Ultra, The Zone, Gear 4th, sacrifice my sanity and humanity to become a lvl 45 Edge Lord and whatever OP moves and modes out there to finish this.

Feliz Año nuevo (Happy New Year) to everyone!