Hikigaya Hachiman's Path to Reformation
The Reluctant Player
You know, after reading the previous chapter several times, especially the end, I realized something. It was as if Hachiman was cheating on Yukino with Yumiko lmaaaaooo! Straight out of a school-setting NTR doujin!
Yukino got cucked haha.
The shy indecisive reserved Yukino vs the CHAD assertive and dominant Yumiko!
Ok serious time, here's the chapter!
I was never much of a fan of gym class, not that I have anything against the subject itself, nor the teachers. Partially because I didn't have anyone else to play with back in middle school so I hated gym class since I just played against the wall. Aside from the fact that it sometimes gets hot and I get all sticky with sweat, I also have to be careful about my health. It won't be good if I suddenly faint again after all. Thankfully, my previous saviour is around just in case that happens. I just hope she won't slap me too much like last time, my cheeks were red from her slaps when I woke up.
I was just doing my usual routine today by playing against the wall in the corner. I prefer this to people because walls don't make fun of you and call your names or throw tennis balls at you for fun. Oops, my middle-school flashbacks suddenly came to my mind.
Today was a different day.
"HNG!" I jumped and hit the ball with too much force, narrowly missing my opponent's face as it zoomed across the court for a score in my favour.
"Tch, I missed. My aim was a little off." I couldn't help say. A tiny part of his hair was burnt from the heat of the ball that missed him by mere inches. The place where the ball landed was a small newly-formed crater, still smoking and sizzling.
"HIKITANI BRO WERE YOU AIMING FOR MY FACE?!" Tobe Kakeru, I think that was his name, the loud annoying one, exclaimed with fear and terror. He was so annoying earlier, pestering me so much to play with him that I nearly lost my patience and walk out of the field. Fortunately for him, Ebina convinced me to concede to his request just this once.
"Perhaps," I reply while swinging my racquet around to make sure I get the angle and force applied right.
The only sport that I enjoy doing from time to time is tennis and swimming, I don't usually brag, but I swam two kilometres back in middle school just for the heck of it. I still don't know why I did it though. When I arrived home during that day, I recall instantly falling asleep on the couch and staying there for thirteen hours straight. Come to think of it, I haven't been to the local swimming pool in a while, maybe I'll go there one of these days with Komachi or my Mother.
"H-Hikigaya, you don't have to play too seriously you know." My teammate said carefully as he touched my shoulder. Tch, who does this guy think he is, getting touchy with me. Is he hitting on me?! Does he think I'm a typical high school girl that's easily flustered by a simple action such as this? Hayama must have sensed my displeasure since he immediately let go and quickly said his apologies. Our gym teacher had announced the end of class and instructed us to return to the building to have our lunch. My opponent ran ahead and was accompanied by some of the boys.
"My offer still stands y'know, I think you'd be a great asset in the football club." He said after shouting back to friends his reply. Good grief, he's still on with that? This guy doesn't know how to take a hint damn. I had already declined him last year yet he's still persistent, I'll give him that at least.
"Hoh, well I'll think about it then," I say boredly and scratched my neck.
"Please do! Would you like to join us for lunch?" He asked.
"No thank you," I replied and he excused himself and jogged to where his friends were. Since most of my class was already headed there, I followed suit as well. I saw Yuigahama's group a distance away and I saw them wave at me. In the name of common courtesy, I gave one in kind. Thankfully, they didn't walk towards me, and I quickened my pace eager to eat my lunch.
Miura was extra persistent the other day and was honestly a bit annoying, she took the time that I was supposed to use to play with my precious Vita-chan and read the new manga that I bought. I don't know what came over her when she snuck up on me as I was changing my shoes and dragging me to a nearby convenience store to buy snacks, the same one that we went to about a month or two ago. But then again, from my previous times with her and my observations in class, she's been always a bit pushy and assertive, even being bossy sometimes. Her reputation earned her a high rank in the social caste of our classroom, with Hayama sharing the same rank as well or even higher I don't know. As for myself, well, I don't care honestly. As much as possible, I'd like negative rumours about myself to a minimum at least, but aside from that, I don't like drawing attention to myself. I don't think of myself as a popular guy, if I was starred in a T.V. series, I'd be one of those nameless extra characters in the background.
After changing and getting buying yakisoba bread and juice from the cafeteria, I went to a spot behind the school building that I regularly frequent. The place was nice, it was under the shade and always had a cool breeze now and then. Since the school was near the sea, if you try and focus, you might smell a bit of salt in the air. Well, that's assuming the proper direction of the wind of course.
My legs were still a bit sore, so I stretched and massaged them a bit to ease the muscle. That's not the only part of me that feels sore. Being in that club was more mentally exhausting than I thought, I greatly underestimated that place. I had thought of withdrawing my membership, but I have a feeling that Sensei would bring me back anyway. And that damned insufferable harlot is there as well! She seriously doesn't give me time to breathe. I swear if she keeps on going like this I'll have to ask Haruno to talk to her for me! She is a bulli through and through!
I heard footsteps behind me and I didn't quite bother looking around to see who it was. I mean seriously, what are the chances that someone I know would stumble upon me in the secluded part of the scho-
"Hikki?" I nearly choked on my food when I recognized who it was. I must have triggered a flag on my previous statement huh. I turn my head behind me and saw Yuigahama, a breeze came our way and lightly swayed the ends of her skirt. I quickly looked away in case I see something that I wasn't supposed to.
"What're you doing here?" Her footsteps drew closer and she sat down on the stairs next to me.
"I eat here from time to time," I reply as I slightly scooted away from her.
"Oh, ok. I'm here cuz I lost a bet against Yukinon! Loser has to buy the winner a drink!" She exclaimed as she started talking about what they were doing recently together.
"Y'know, I've played with these kinds of bets before, but this is the first time that I had fun!" She added and smiled to herself. Hoh, that smile…she likes Yukinoshita huh. It's honestly impressive how she managed to get close enough to her for Yukinoshita to allow to address her with a nickname. As far as I know, Yukinoshita doesn't have many female friends, or friends for that matter because of her obviously cold personality, topping it all off with her prickly vocabulary.
"So the bets you've had before were just bullying?" I say just to continue the conversation.
"No! Well…a few maybe…But I think most of them were just inside jokes and games you know?" She tried to convince herself and failing to do so.
"No, I obviously don't know since I don't have any friends. But I do enjoy inside conflict and seeing cracks forming in those groups of "friends". As for the jokes part, the same answer because I end up getting the butt of the jokes or become the joke itself."
She laughed awkwardly at the new information not sure how to react. "Ahahaha, but don't you always make inside jokes with Yukinon? You two always use those big words and I can't join in." She added.
"If you consider those verbal insults of hers as jokes, then I guess you're technically correct. It's not my fault that you don't understand us. You should pay closer attention in class." I reply which caused her to pout in frustration.
"Hey! I passed the entrance exams you know!"
"Yes, and I passed as well with perfect marks. Your point?" I replied and she started hitting my shoulder in annoyance. Uwaah, there she goes again, she should take a hint that this level of attack does not affect me. Now if it was Hiratsuka-sensei or Miura doing it on the other hand, then I have to be careful.
"Oh yeah, Hina said that she wanted to talk to you about something. I'm not sure what though." She said after thinking deeply for a while.
Hmm, that's new. "I see."
A stranger was walking toward us, holding a tennis racquet and still wearing our gym uniform. Yuigahama recognized the person and immediately stood up to greet her. It was a girl from the looks of it, and she was silver-haired with a boyish haircut. Her frame was lithe and delicate, shorter than me and the visible skin that was exposed on her creamy thighs was a distraction. She doesn't look familiar, well I wasn't the most skilled at recognizing people's faces anyway.
They started making light conversation, and I just listened on. Both of them seemed to be acquainted with each other with how relaxed they are. The person's name or nickname at least was "Sai-chan". Never heard of that name before honestly, maybe she's from a different class or even a new student.
"Oh, by the way, Hikigaya-kun, you're good at tennis right?" She said and turned her attention to me. Being suddenly spoken to by a cute girl like her caught me off guard, and I had to gulp before speaking.
"Huh?" Like an idiot, that was all that I had to say since not only did she caught me off guard, but her words took a moment or two before I could properly register them. Yuigahama looked at me curiously from the new information and scooted closer as if to confirm it herself.
"Is he?"
"Mm! His form is amazing." The girl said and flashed me a smile. Hoh, trying to sway me with words now huh, my gut feeling tells me that this person wants something from me. Needless to say, I'll play along for now.
"Thank you. I'm sorry but have we met?." I reply.
"Uwaah, Hikki I can't believe you. How rude can you be?! Oh wait, you're not good at remembering names." Yuigahama complained.
"It's nothing! Almost everyone in the class knows that you're terrible with names!" The silver-haired girl stated and calmed down Yuigahama. But still, she's not wrong though. And now that I hear about it, it's not surprising that word of that had spread around our Year.
"My name is Totsuka Saika." She said rather shyly and bowed cutely. I had to temporarily look away. Damn you teenage male hormones! I thought I had learned to control you properly ages ago!
"P-Pleased to meet you," I say miraculously without stuttering.
Yuigahama tilted her head to the side and examined my face closer. "Hikki, why is your face red?"
Stupid airhead! Get a clue damnit!
"Must be the heat, I was never good with hot weather in the first place," I say quickly and pretended to cool myself down by taking off my black blazer and opening a few buttons on my inner white shirt and letting air pass through. I pulled that excuse out of my ass right now. Yuigahama's eyes lingered a bit on me for a bit before snapping out of it and facing forward. Huh? Is there something on my chest...?
"Hikigaya-kun, if it's not too much trouble, do you mind pairing up with me on our next gym class?" Totsuka-said flashing me a bright and charming smile.
HNG!
Good Lord, that smile is dangerous. I nearly confessed and got rejected on the spot! I should develop a resistance to these types of CHARM attacks.
"Hmm." Before I realized what I was doing, I found myself nodding at her words and she visibly beamed at my reply. Yuigahama watched our exchange curiously and must have found my sudden change of demeanour strange.
"Thanks! I gotta go back and practice then, there's only a little time left after all." She said and after bowing, ran off in the direction where she came from. Goodness, if she was here for a few more moments, I'm pretty sure that my heart couldn't take it. Something ticked in Yuigahama's head as if she finally remembered something urgent. Seriously, she was so cute that even I'm appalled at myself for not remembering that she and I shared the same class.
"Ah! I still have to buy the drinks!" She exclaimed and hastily got up. "Hikki, why don't you join us?" She added.
"I'll pass for now," I reply.
She nodded and then went on her way, but not before saying her usual goodbyes. "See ya in class Hikki. Don't scare away Sai-chan! He's been looking forward to meeting with you!" She said and walked away.
I waved her away and slowly frowned at her words. Something she said bugged me. What could it be…? I swear it's so trivial, yet so important at the same time…
Hmm…
Wait.
Did she say "He"?
"Thanks, a lot for helping me out Yuigahama-san, what did you say the name of your club was again?" Sai-chan asked as we walked towards the clubroom.
"Umu! It's called the Service Club!" I say. After gym class, I went to Sai-chan who just finished playing tennis with Hikki. Sai-chan was right, Hikki was good at tennis and a few of our classmates watched him play with Sai-chan. I'm just an average player, so I can't tell. Yumeko on the other hand watched him play and would sometimes comment about his form and footwork, she always does this when watching someone play. After gym class, I saw him and Sai-chan talk for a bit before separating. I don't know what they talked about but Hikki walked away with a serious look on his face. I know that face, it's when he's making one of his plans again!
"But I'm surprised Yuigahama-san, I didn't know you and Hikigaya-kun were friends."
"A-Ah, you think?" I say and Sai-chan nodded.
I don't know if Hikki feels the same way about me. Sometimes I feel that I'm just an annoyance to him, and he hides that part from me well. Come to think of it, I don't know much about him. He was never the most outspoken person after all. But then again, it's the first time that we're classmates so it's understandable I guess. It's really hard to make him open up! I know cuz I tried! Maybe he hates me, hmm but I haven't seen any signs of that. Sometimes he looks at people as if they were bugs and lower life forms that gross him out, but I guess that's just him. I also noticed that Hikki is good with Hina. She sometimes talks to him during breaks about stuff, and they trade manga from time to time. One time when they were talking, Hina whispered something in his ear and suddenly shrieked with a nosebleed and he had this super annoyed and disgusted look on his face. I don't know what they talked about though, and every time I would ask her, she would just grin and laugh.
Yukinon knows him better since they were classmates and Class Reps last year. You'd think they'd at least be friends but they're always at each other's throats! I really don't get those two! I guess the rumour that those two sometimes have verbal debates while in the middle of class was true! Sparks are always flying when they're in the same room, I can't imagine what they're doing when no one is around!
We were near the clubroom and we heard the voices before we even entered.
"Damnit woman, how stubborn can you be. I just wanted-" That's Hikki's voice, he sounds super annoyed and Yukinon cut him off before he could finish.
"And I forbid you to do it. That's final." Yukinon's voice was super cold like always, I can already imagine her sitting down and glaring at Hikki.
"Tch, and follow that your way of doing things? You'll kill them from exhaustion."
"And those left will be stronger than ever." I don't know why, but I felt chills when she said that.
"Ugh, can you hear yourself right now? You sound ridiculous and a try-hard. That was really cringy."
Uwahh, they're at it again…are they like rivals or something?
"Yuigahama-san, is this the clubroom…?" Sai-chan asked with a concerned face.
"Yeah, this is it," I tell him and I can see that he's trying to ignore the voices inside the room. I slid open the door quickly to get the attention of the two people inside to stop their fight.
"YAHALLO!"
Two pairs of eyes looked at me with surprise. From the looks of things, Hikki was in the middle of saying something when I interrupted him. I was right with Yukinon, she's just sitting on the chair while Hikki was standing up looking slightly worked up.
"Hi, guys! I brought Sai-chan to the clubroom since he needed our help!" I say and ushered him inside. Sai-chan greeted them both with Hikki looking slightly surprised at his sudden appearance. He looked at Yukinon with a questioning face and a brow arched upwards, she just shook her head at him.
"Yuigahama-san you-"
"I know I know I'm such an upstanding member, right? Sai-chan told me that the tennis club was in trouble so I led him here!" I say bashfully trying to hide my blush. Hikki covered his mouth and turned to the side, his shoulders shaking.
"As I was saying Yuigahama-san, you're not an official member of the club."
My eyes instantly widened at her words. "WHAT?! I'M NOT?!"
"You fool," Hikki said in between snickering like a creep. "you haven't even passed a letter of intent or anything similar." Yukinon nodded at his words and looked amused as I was scrambling to get a pen and paper from my bag.
"Okay, I'm gonna make one right now! Hikki stop laughing!"
After quickly making a letter and giving it to Yukinon, she accepted it and then we started talking about Sai-chan's request. She was listening very close the whole time that Sai-chan was explaining things. What Sai-chan wanted was to improve himself so that the other members would be motivated to do the same once they see the effort that he's putting in.
"Ah, I know that feeling. It's like you're being a deadweight to your team if you don't try hard enough. And as time passes by, some of your teammates might grow to get annoyed by you or just hate you for being lazy." I say and Sai-chan agreed. Hikki suggested that he join them for a while to help them train, practice and keep them in shape, but Yukinon immediately shot him down. Ohhh, so that's why they were arguing earlier.
"Knowing you, you would plan to join their ranks for a certain period, and then extend it indefinitely until I have no choice but to personally remove you from this club." Yukinon had a small cold smirk as she said that and Hikki was just playing on his phone pretending not to hear what she was saying.
"Prepare yourself Totsuka-san, we look forward to working with you," Yukinon said and I noticed Sai-chan gulp.
"You're gonna need it," Hikki said temporarily looking up from his phone before turning his attention to it again.
Its almost been a week since Totsuka's request was accepted by the Club. The damned Ice Queen saw through my plan to break free from my bonds, so I ended up staying. In all honesty, I didn't do much with helping out with the request. Yuigahama was enthusiastic for some reason, so much so that just being in her presence tired me out. As for Yukinoshita, she was just being her cold-hearted brutal self, training with Totsuka until he called for a water break or until Yuigahama beat him to it. Seeing that my help wasn't needed with the presence of the other two girls, I just tagged along with them either playing on my phone or reading a book in the corner, and occasionally buying drinks for them. Surprisingly, I saw an improvement in how Yuigahama played, before she was a below-average player that gets tired quickly, but now her stamina makes her capable of playing longer. As for her skills, they're still the same. Even Yukinoshita had to come to me to reaffirm her initial thoughts, which says a lot.
It was just another day for us, helping him practice. I just sat underneath a tree for the shade while I watched them play. For some reason, Zaimokuza dropped by and started telling me his new ideas for his LN. I told him that before making a new manuscript with a fresh idea, he should at least finish the one that he is working on right now. He seemed to accept this and said something along the lines of "Hmm, I see your wisdom, my friend. Truly the years have given you such insight befitting for a sage!" and walked away saying he'll buy drinks for us.
His Chunni praises were amusing, and he was buying me a drink so I didn't mind.
A few minutes after he left, a small group came over to the tennis court and as they got closer, it was Miura accompanied by her usual clique. It looked like they wanted to play, but only Miura and Hayama were wearing gym clothes. After they talked to each other from a distance away, I saw Yukinoshita intercept them and Miura walk to meet her.
I don't know why, but the thought of those two possibly butting heads was entertaining, but also annoying if things went out of control. Especially with Yukinoshita's ice-cold words and Miura's fiery temperament. Hayama had already shown that he has trouble controlling her, and I doubt Yuigahama can effectively tone down Yukinoshita's venom. The only solution would be for me to…
Sigh…the things I do for peace and order…I just want a quiet life…
Huh, The Ice Queen and The Fire Queen.
Reluctantly, I got up and walked jogged to them. The female Blondie saw me first and skipped over to meet me and pretended to look all cutesy, completely walking past and ignoring Yukinoshita, who looked insulted and appalled at her act. As if she had spit on her face or something. The expression she had on her face was priceless, and I had to resist rolling on the floor laughing while clutching my abdomen.
"Hikioooo, let us playyyyy~~." She immediately pleaded and grabbed my sleeve while sporting a puppy-eyed look, obviously attempting to make me feel pity for her and bend to her whim. The drama queen grabbed me for support, as if her legs might give in and collapse at any moment. Ebina suppressed a laugh as if she was having the time of her life which I returned with an annoyed grimace. Acting all cute, are we? Ha! Well, that won't work on me this time! Miura doesn't listen to me when I told her to stop this annoying habit of hers. It seriously gives the people around the wrong idea. I may not be very self-conscious, but when it comes to things like these, let's just say that I don't want rumours flying around…
I looked down at her with an expression akin to when you see a gross worm on the ground and contemplating whether or not you should stomp on it. I flicked away her forehead, causing a yelp of surprise. "Don't ask me, ask her." I pointed to the pissed off girl that she passed by. Her eye was twitching in annoyance while impatiently tapping her foot. I noticed Hayama had kept his distance from us, possibly wary of her. What's the deal with those two? Are they childhood sweethearts that got into a fight and broke up? Well, I honestly don't care either way.
"I don't care if you have a match with them to see which one of you can help Totsuka out," I say when she told me the situation. I am a spectator, nothing more. Should my help be needed, well I don't know what will happen then. I just want to laze around today as always.
Yukinoshita crossed her arms around her chest and narrowed her eyes at me. "Hmph, if you say it like that, then I believe we have no choice on the matter." She said and strode to the other end of the court, Yuigahama still looking conflicted on the matter. She must still be feeling hesitant about fighting Miura, they are friends after all.
"Oi, Yui. Don't hold back on us just because we're friends, ok?" Miura gave her a playful grin and jogged away to her side of the court. Yuigahama had not expected that type of reply from her, given the expression that she had. Needless to say, she looked relieved and motivated as she join Yukinoshita. After saying good luck to both sides, I went under the shade where I was joined by Ebina and made herself comfortable next to me.
"Hmm, was this part of your plan Hikigaya?" Ebina said as the match started. I was feeling really tired for some reason. I slept early last night and had a large breakfast this morning, so I'm quite baffled as to why I'm still feeling exhausted.
"I just don't feel like playing right now," I reply to which she hummed a response. The match had only just started, but Miura and Yukinoshita were going full overdrive. Powerful shots were sent here and there, only for them to be returned to the sender. It was basically their match, Yuigahama and Hayama were on the back doing their best to keep up with their partner.
"Say, when's the next part of The Courtesan's Wish coming out?" Ebina asked, her eyes still transfixed on the players in front of us.
"Maybe in four months, the author said that he's going to take a break," I reply.
"WHAT?! FOUR MONTHS?! Uggghhh, I want to read the next part sooo bad. A venomous snake bit the girl remember? And I have a feeling that she's going to die this time!" She exclaimed and started stomping her foot in annoyance.
"Highly unlikely. It would be a terrible decision to kill her off so early in the series."
"Yeah, but what if?"
"Well, that would be very problematic then. It may or may not make me lose interest. If that were to happen, then I'd go look for a new series to indulge myself in." I say.
"Still not interested in BL? I have a lot of recommendations for you. Just say the word~." She said with a laugh.
"Nope."
"Oh, yeah, my anime figurine arrived home yesterday. I ordered it online after scouring it for a long time. Ugh, it was really expensive too, it cost me a few weeks worth of savings, but it was totally worth it!" She said proudly, her eyes turned into stars and fist-pumping.
"Damn that's crazy but I don't remember asking." She gave a dirty look at my reply, and I had to chuckle at myself for my sarcasm.
I'm so hilarious, I should drop out of school and become a comedian. Though I'm sure that if I open it up to Hiratsuka-sensei, she'll give me an uppercut.
"You know, one day you'll get in trouble with that annoyingly placed sarcasm of yours." She sighed.
"Not really. I got into the Sarcasm World Championships held in Mexico City two years ago, and I won as the champion. The guy that I fought before I got that title was from Egypt I believe. I can even show you the medal I have at home if you don't believe me. In fact, if you're free after class, I can show it to you at home." I say, trying to make myself as convincing as possible.
She was surprised, that much was clear obviously from the tone of her voice and facial expression. "Woah, really?"
I turned to her with my trademark deadpan expression, with my usual neutral tone.
"No."
She then took off her shoe, grabbed my collar and threatened to hit me with it for my stupid stunt. Although I know she's not the type to do something like this, she may do it if encouraged. Miura saw what was happening and pushed on Ebina to do it with a shout. After I apologized and promised to stop, she continued with her story."Anyway, I want another one to pair with the one that I already have. The Heroine must always heave the Hero by her side, no?"
"I guess." I watched the ball that Yuigahama received get intercepted by Hayama's racquet. He was just in time to send it flying back to her court, which earned him a score.
"I'm planning to go to Kodobyashi in Akiba one of these days, wanna come? I always wanted to go there, and their gunpla display is impressive from what I heard." She suggested. Yodobashi was a big shopping centre just a few minutes walk from the station, I've never been to the place itself but we have driven past it when we took some shortcuts. They sold everything there, from gadgets to toys, to pre-owned jewellery and designer watches and glasses.
"Hmmmm, I won't make any promises since I'm busy during the weekends." The offer was very tempting, and my previous plans to go there the past always failed because I either got too busy or lazy. Ebina also has a sharp eye for this kind of stuff, so I think she'll come in handy. Aside from her annoying kink, we have a lot of common interests and hobbies as I got to know her better. She's not hyper like Yuigahama nor teasing like Miura. Both of them tend to tire me out honestly. Ebina is more of a relaxed type and reserved type, and it amazes me how she even gets along with those two. She sneaked a BL manga in my bag as a prank once and as revenge, I threatened to burn her precious book at the school incinerator if she ever does it again.
She didn't do it again ever since.
"Ok." She nodded and we resumed watching the match, making comments now and then. It was honestly getting a bit boring, and I nearly dozed off once or twice, but something happened which was expected when playing such a physically straining sport like Tennis.
Yuigahama fell when she lost her footing, causing her to sprain her ankle. Yukinoshita was there attending to her and Miura also went to her to see if she was ok.
"Oh, looks like Yui hurt herself," Ebina said flatly, not really sounding concerned at all.
"Hmmm, looks like it," I reply with an equally flat tone.
"Are you going to go there?"
"Why should I?"
"I don't know, to check if she's ok?"
"I am not trained in first-aid. She's fine. Look, she's even standing up and limping away to sit down on the sidelines. The fact that no one is helping her walk answers your question." Ebina hummed a reply. I have to give Yuigahama credit for this one, for lasting this long when playing against someone skilled like Miura.
Yukinoshita started turning this way and there as if looking for something. She locked on to me and motioned for me to go to her. After sighing to myself, I excused myself to Ebina and walked to the other side of the court.
"Hikigaya-kun, switch with Yuigahama-san at once. I intend to finish this match." Once I got within earshot, she didn't even give me a chance to open my mouth and gave me orders straight away. Good grief…
"Tch, fine. You owe me for this one. Just when I was just lazying around. Seriously…" I mutter to myself as I started doing stretches. It wouldn't be good if my legs cramped right in the middle of a game after all. Good thing I'm already wearing my gym clothes. I heard words of encouragement from-
Wait, what the…? When did the crowd get this large? I didn't notice them grow to this number in such a short amount of time. Seriously, where did they come from?
Miura started throwing taunts at us, most of them toward me. And I had the simple yet perfect taunt to get her worked up.
"Ready to lose to me again?" I sent her a small knowing smirk and she tensed at my words.
Psychological warfare is really underrated. I mean seriously, with a simple word or two you could send someone's mind into disarray, especially when what you said is related to a certain event which caused them to express strong emotions like anger, defeat and frustration. She had a serious face when she whispered something in Hayama's ear, he looked more serious and resolute now. Whatever she said to him, it worked on making him focus.
"You have played against her before…?" Yukinoshita asked.
"Yes."
"And the result?"
"What do you think?" I rolled my eyes when I turned to her.
"I see. Then let's start." She said and readied her stance.
As I expected, Miura was extra careful, now that I entered the fray. She's still quick like before, but now she has her eyes on me. It caused a disadvantage to her because I chose to support Yukinoshita for the time being. But that doesn't mean that they were losing. Hayama was also playing safe, and his movements were more or less the same as Miura's.
Yukinoshita was skilled, that much was true, but she's slowing down now as the match progressed. The previous game ended when Yuigahama had to switch out, and even then she was showing signs of exhaustion. Her stamina won't last long at this rate. Good grief, this is what happens when you show off to everyone watching and go 100% right from the start. You tire easily and that gives the opponent a chance to take advantage of your weakness.
The ball was going towards my direction, it came from Miura and was coming in fast, but I managed to intercept and send it flying back to Hayama. He raised his racquet too late, and the score was ours. From her face, she wasn't expecting me to be able to return that shot. Even I was surprised, that was too close for comfort.
"Woah! That was crazy!" I heard a voice from the crowd exclaim. Soon, others started joining in and it started to get annoying. Honestly, how can you focus playing when you have such an annoyingly loud crowd such as this…?
I called for a five-minute break and went to my partner. No matter how much she tried to hide it, she can't disguise the fact that she has already reached her limit. Her legs were shaky upon closer inspection, and her face was red.
"Oi, go take a seat or something," I say.
"As much as it pains me to admit it, you're right. I have reached the current limits of my stamina." She weakly replied between breaths.
"So I'm gonna have to finish this alone then?"
"You can always raise a white flag."
"Hmph, luckily for you, I'm not keen on losing today." She blinked twice at my reply, obviously not expecting it.
After a moment, she had a look of understanding. "I see. So you were deliberately playing slow, saving up energy for this exact moment? You knew this would happen." She said.
"Anyone could see that you were about to reach your limits," I say flatly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
She looked to the side and nodded to herself, before straightening up and standing tall and proud while facing the opposite team. "Prepare yourselves, Hikigaya-kun here will strike the decisive blow for this match." She declared and went to the benches. Why did she have to say that, like what the heck? Like what if I lose? That would be terribly embarrassing to me who would have to deal with the brunt of the shame.
Miura's stance relaxed a bit, and I could see Hayama sigh relief. Hoh, they're underestimating me, or at least starting to. But that gives me an edge. Being underestimated can be advantageous if you know how to work with it. I know because that's one of the principles that I live by. Never show your true potential unless the need arises. Best to stay under the radar for now and avoid attention from the masses.
We resumed, and I started playing safe. I made sure to keep them on their toes, making them tire out more quickly than myself. Hayama was not a bad player, but when compared to his partner, she was definitely better than him. So what I did was to always send the ball flying in his direction, to which Miura would then run and try to intercept out of instinct. When I saw the signs of exhaustion on them, I then started to do the next phase of my plan.
I closed my eyes before serving and felt the all too familiar breeze make contact with my skin.
I served and calmly watched the ball soar.
Three seconds left…
Two…
One…
And…
The breeze that I was waiting for came at the exact time that I needed it. The ball changed direction once, and since Hayama was running to it, started running in the other direction. The second breeze came in and made the ball too far away for him to get to in time. From the direction of the people watching, I heard a certain Chunni starting to ramble nonsense, and I had to forcefully cancel the sound out so I won't lose my focus.
"What the heck was that…?" I heard Miura mumble to herself, Hayama's apologies were on deaf ears since she was still processing what she just witnessed. After a moment, she shook her head and resumed her usual position, readying her stance once more.
Well, there goes my plan.
That was all there is to it.
Seriously.
That was it.
Of course, I could make another high serve that could end the match. Since the sun was right on top of me if I were to make an irregular serve at a let's say 85-degree angle. Assuming that I was to use that approach, then they would be too blinded by the Sun to be able to see that ball coming directly at them. But I don't like that. Too many ifs and assumptions, and taking risks is not my forte.
What's the use of complicated and intricate plans if they are unreliable and risky?
A wise man, well not necessarily wise, but a man nonetheless once said: "Education is important, but muscles are importanter!"
Sometimes, good 'ol brute force is just the way to do things, and I intend to do just that.
Tch, damnit. I lost to him again.
I thought we'd be able to take him down since it was 2 vs 1, but he managed to hold us off and still win. Even when we're playing during gym class, he always doesn't go beyond a certain point when it comes to physical activity. I seriously thought that we'd win, but I think I got too overconfident in myself knowing that he always had to keep his health in check. Tch, this guy is a bag of surprises one after the other. Not to mention that I had my pride on the line because of what that black-haired witch said to me!
There was a small crowd cheering on the sidelines, most of them were our classmates. And I saw Hikio calmly walk to the nearby benches behind him. Yui and Hina went up to congratulate him, and they were joined by that rascal Yukinoshita after flashing me a smirk that made my blood boil. Tch, who does she think she is?!
"Good work Yumiko." Hayato said between breaths behind me. Even he was exhausted since he was sitting on the ground while trying to catch his breath. "Was he always that good?" He momentarily looked up as he started massaging his legs.
"Yeah," I reply and slowly start to feel the exhaustion creep up my body. He said that he'll catch up when I told him that I'll be going to where Hikio was sitting. As I was getting closer to them, I noticed that the crowd was starting to disperse, classes might start soon and I have to change clothes and maybe take a quick shower…I'll take Yui with me, but definitely not that Yukinoshita girl!
"You did great Hikki!" I hear Yui say when I was close. They were surrounding him as he leaned on the wall behind him. His hair was a mess and his white undershirt was literally stuck to his skin from the sweat that he had. His eyes were closed, and some chubby guy was fanning him, all the while stating how proud he was of his performance. The thing was, he was saying all this over the top stuff straight from a book or something.
"Hachiman, that was amazing!" Hearing Totsuka say his first name was a surprise. He finally made a friend that he allowed to use his first name! I feel so proud, like a Mother seeing her son walk on his own for the first time. But then again, I feel jealous. He never called me Yumiko, and I know he's too self-conscious to even suggest doing that. How would he feel if I called him by his first name one of these days…? Maybe I'll try it to see what his reaction would be…
"You have exceeded my expectations, Hikigaya-kun. For someone like you to actually make an effort to do something…" The Yukinoshita girl said haughtily, which really annoyed me. Seriously, what's her deal talking down on him like that. For someone with a background like her, she sure does have some trashy words. I ignored her in the meantime and focused my attention on the one who beat me for the second time.
"Yo Hikio, that was great. You really don't hold back huh." I say.
The reply that I was waiting for didn't come, which was strange. Wait, now that I notice it, he hasn't said a word since sitting down. At this time, he'll usually immediately shoot down any praises sent toward him and shrug it off as if weren't a big deal.
I went right in front and went eye level with him, I didn't care if everyone was giving me strange looks. His breathing was deep, and he gave no reaction when I lightly hit his shoulder. After moving some strands of his hair, I saw that his eyes were closed. Which must mean…
"Damnit, looks like he fainted again." I lowly muttered to myself and sighed. Seriously, he should have called for a quick break or something, or maybe he was too prideful to even consider that option? Still, I guess I have to take the initiative now, maybe give him some space to breathe, let him lie on the bench and fan him to cool down his body or something…at this rate I'll become his personal nurse…
Before I could stand up, one of his eyes shot open and stared directly at me. It caught me off guard and I let out a cry of surprise.
"Oi I'm still quite conscious you know." He said and fixed his hair, finally revealing those half-lidded eyes of his. Sweat still fell from his forehead to his cheek, and he quickly wiped it away with a handkerchief. I stood up and took a step away from him, and everyone else to followed suit after he requested to be given some breathing room.
The chubby guy gave him some water to drink, and I went and got my water bottle as well. Hayato looks like he's ready to go, but I think I'll stay back for a bit. He went to Hikio and asked him to go to the showers early so he won't be late for class. Hina apparently found something funny about what he said and started pestering and pushing Hikio to go with him to the showers. He just gave her a grossed out look and shook off her arm.
He started spacing out and just stared off into space while everyone around him was busy with their conversations. The only one who broke off from the rest of the group was that Yukinoshita girl, she sat on a different bench a small distance away occasionally taking sips from her water bottle. I was also seated at a different bench because this is where my bag was and just decided to stay here. After all, I'm too tired to move right now.
Around twenty minutes later, we were leaving the area back towards the school building. Hikio was at the front, together with the weird eccentric guy who was currently talking about stuff and Totsuka who was doing his best to understand him. Hina and Yui were talking, but I didn't quite feel like talking right now since all I wanted to do was to take a shower and get a change of clothes. That left her club president beside me, looking blankly in front and hasn't spoken a word after we left.
Still, I'm quite surprised at Hikio.
He managed to attract quite a few people to him, even though he proudly proclaims that he's a loner, it looks like some people went to him instead. And that included me. I still don't know what particular trait that he has that made me attracted to him. He's doesn't make jokes, on the rare occasions that he makes one, it's usually terrible. He doesn't try and act cool, when he hit my head last week at class after reprimanding me, I had to admit that was kinda cool. But when I mentioned it the other day, he cringed at himself and told me never to mention it ever again because of the embarrassment. He's proud because of what he achieved through his hard work, but never arrogant and wipe it on people's faces to make them feel bad. He's too serious for his good, that's why some students who were never classmates with him are wary and intimidated by him. He's not the pervy type, I can attest to that. I once thought that he was hitting on me, but it was just me being self-conscious and reading in-between the lines too much.
In short, I have no clue why I decided to befriend him, but I don't regret it one bit!
It's really ironic, he doesn't make an effort to go out of his way and actively seek out new friends and make them come to his side, yet here he is right now, surrounded by people who have made a bond with him one way or another.
Life can be weird huh...
Hello dear readers, I hope you are well. As for me, I'm doing ok I guess...? This chapter took longer to finish than I expected because of school stuff mostly. I added some of Yui and Yumiko's perspectives here so you can understand a little bit more on how they see things differently. Try reading in-between the lines, or not. I changed the flow quite a bit in this chapter concerning the episode as you may have noticed.
I MAY have made Yumiko too likeable, after reading the positive responses in the previous chapter. Another addition to the Yumiko-gang is a welcome one I say!
Oh, please do remember that this story has the "COMEDY" tag, so some OOC scenes and dialogue are just added for HUMOUR and aren't important to the plot.
Aight imma reply to some of the reviews...
Fate Rider 88: Yes, Malaysia is on the 13th spot.
Molomar. Thanks, we'll see you in the future!
bluefish1945: Dark Souls boss music!
Mestre720: HOW DID YOU COME ACROSS THIS FANFIC WHEN YOU'VE NEVER WATCHED THE ANIME?! Lol but seriously how tho?
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated blah blah blah you know what I mean.
See you in the next chapter and don't forget to smash that MF like and subscribe button! (I always wanted to say that even though it a bit cringe lol)