Hikigaya Hachiman's Path to Reformation

He Rushes to Her Defense

An earful from the Guidance Councillor first thing in the morning…

Perfect.

JUST PERFECT.

This is the worst, I should have skipped my shift last night. Now I'm being sent to the Student Council room to get a warning slip...I wonder if he's there right now?

Now that I think about it, I haven't spoken with him in a while. It doesn't help that I sometimes arrive late to class. Since it's the first time that I became classmates with him, he's more reserved and quiet than I thought and rarely speaks during class. He's kind of cool since even when he's sleeping in class, he still manages to answer all questions that the teachers throw at him. Not that the teachers get mad or anything they're always pleasantly surprised. He's also really helpful and never turned anyone down when they asked for his help. And he's gotten taller and more mature-looking too. He was cool when I watched him play tennis the other week, I honestly didn't expect him to win at first, but I was really glad that he managed to push through.

I wanted to be with him a few times, have a little chat, go home or eat lunch together but I just can't push myself to do it since some classmates are always sticking with him…particularly that girl with the peach-coloured hair, the blonde bossy one and the one with the red-rimmed glasses. And they're all pretty girls too…

Especially the blonde one, I saw her go out of the school with him one day, and I can tell that she kinda likes him. Who knows where they went…

Sigh…

I knock twice and the door soon opened to reveal the StuCo president.

"Hello! How may I help you?" Her amicable smile greeted me and I felt some of the tension within me subside. Being greeted by someone like her made me at a loss for a few moments. "The Guidance Councillor sent me here to get a disciplinary warning slip…" I say.

"I see I see! Please have a seat!" She opened the door for me and I meekly walked inside.

"Pardon the intrusion…" I say and took a seat in the waiting area as she walked to one of the cubicles.

The place was bigger than I expected. The waiting area was right beside the door and it had a coffee table in the middle surrounded by two couches. In the middle of the room was a big table with folders and papers neatly piled in an organized way. The leftmost side was occupied by lockers and cabinets that contained numerous documents. One member was writing something on the table, while another one was looking for something on their bulletin board. There were some private cubicles beside the President's table and I couldn't quite see the occupants.

I heard some hushed voices and an audible groan, and then what sounds to be a chair being pushed back.

The StuCo President finally came back after a short while. She directed me to one of the tables where a guy had his back to us, looking for something in the cabinets behind his table. I took my seat and just waited for him to finish what he was doing.

"A disciplinary warning slip huh…? I think we're out of those. Let me print a new one." He sighed after failing to find what he was looking for. I quickly fixed my hair, even when it didn't quite need fixing, and tried to look as presentable as I can. He turned around, holding his temples and causing some of his hair to cover one of his eyes.

"Good grief, I swore I just-" He opened his eyes after fixing his hair, and I could already see the surprise that they had in them.

"Y-Yo." I give him a small awkward grin.

"Oh, Kawasaki. I've been expecting you." He casually returned the greeting without a second to spare and sat down on his chair.

Expecting me?!

Does that mean that I'm actually in deeper trouble?!

"No, you're not in trouble. Sensei just sent me the details ahead." He must have seen the nervousness on my face and tried to calm me down. Hearing his voice eased up the tension that's been building up inside me.

"We came up with, the slips I mean. But it's something I would have preferred not doing. Too many unnecessary lines of bureaucracy."

"Ah, I see."

"If we didn't have to do such a trivial thing, we could work more important matters."

"Ok..."

"Matters like faulty equipment, the sudden loss of water supply in specific areas around the school, club funds not being allocated properly, missing belongings, complaints on the prices of food at the cafeteria…" He started saying all of these things that didn't make sense to me. I was at a loss for words so I just nodded and nodded and nodded for the next several minutes until my neck started to hurt.

"-like honestly, what the heck? Not to mention the complaints from the drama club about the gym being haunted. Man must be high on Skooma I say. I mean who gives a single flying fu-"

There was a sudden gust of wind as I felt something impossibly fast move past me. The StuCo President came in a blur, and quickly covered Hikigaya's mouth. With her other hand, she started gently patting his head while sporting an apologetic face to me.

"I'm sorry about this~. Hikigaya-kun sometimes rants out of control, and he doesn't notice it until someone points it out~." She said to me and then turned her attention to the boy whose mouth she was covering with her hand. "Isn't that right, Hikigaya-kun~~?" She said sweetly and removed her hand while her other hand was still patting his head. He was kind of embarrassed and scratched his cheek.

"Sorry about that." He bowed and apologized to both of us.

She put a finger on her lips, the one that was on his mouth a few seconds ago, thinking about something and then started fixing his hair for him. "Hikigaya-kuuun, your hair is pretty long~. It gets messy pretty quickly now. You should get it trimmed, it wouldn't look good for the Head of the Disciplinary and Events Committee to be the one violating the rules, no? Specifically the one on page 25 of the School manual, Section 5: Guidelines of Proper Grooming for Boys number 4~."

He looked like he was thinking about something and shortly nodded. "Page 25 of the School manual Section 5: Guidelines of Proper Grooming for Boys number 4…Ah, you're right Senpai. I'll get this trimmed after class…" He sighed and yawned tiredly.

"Hmmm~! That's a good Kouhai~…" After pinching his cheek and patting his head one more time, she skipped back to her table and gave us some privacy. He didn't look bothered at all, not even making an annoyed face or a slight blush. It was more awkward to witness this since all he had was his usual poker face with his eyes staring into the depths of my soul.

Uwaah, they're so close…! I didn't know that they were so close!

He set aside some papers and got a record book from his drawer.

"Sorry about the mess. What were we talking about again?" He asked and absentmindedly bit into the pen that he was holding. My eyes lingered on his lips for a few moments before I managed to get a hold of myself.

"The disciplinary warning slip…"

"Ah yes." He handed me the record book and gave me a spare pen. "Your full name, date today, year level, class and signature, please. Oh and the reason for the warning. Please write legibly and do not make any mistakes. If you prefer another pen, do not hesitate to request for one." He sounded professional, and I unconsciously straightened my back when I heard the tone in his voice.

"So? What are you in for…?" He asked lazily.

"You make it sound like I'm a convict."

He smirked. "I always say that to everyone."

"Frequent tardiness," I say slightly ashamed.

"What is it this time? Slept late last night because of watching television? Forgot to set the alarm? Finished homework in the early hours of the morning?" He asked as if he asked this same question to countless students innumerable times. Like a policeman asking questions to a concerned citizen.

"S-Something like the last part…"

He was quiet the whole time while I was writing and leaned back on his chair while his eyes were boring themselves on me. His eyes have always been intense, and I could only equally hold his gaze before the need to look away was unbearable. This has always been a habit of his, the unbreakable gaze was something that still hasn't changed since the day I met him. Uwaah, I feel so self-conscious right now, I hope there isn't something on my face or a twig stuck on my hair or anything…

"Kawasaki." He said after I handed him back the record book. His unblinking eyes, studying and analyzing me. He narrowed them slightly as if finally seeing something he didn't notice at first glance.

"H-Hmmm?"

"Your eyes…" He rested his chin on the table and leaned closer. Head slightly tilting to the side analyzing something.

"I-Is there something on them…?" I reached for my hanky but I forgot that I had left it in my bag in the room. I was about to rub them with my fingers when I felt a hand swiftly and gently grab my wrist.

He shook his head and slowly let go of me. His hands were cold, probably because of the air conditioning in the room. But I couldn't suppress the warmth that was coming up to my face. With my fingers, I touched the area where he touched me. "Nothing. But…your eyes are bloodshot, eye-bags are a bit dark and you look slightly pale. Tell me, have you been getting proper sleep lately?" He arched a brow after asking and the intensity in his eyes eased a bit.

"Oh, uhh…Why do you ask?" I avoided his question and threw him a new one.

He gave a small smirk as if he had expected my reply. "A personal request from Taishi…"

Taishi…? How did he get into this? And wait, when have they met…?

"You know, I first met Taishi a while ago when he was walking with Kei-chan around the neighbourhood. Time skip around a few weeks and he grew a liking to me when I helped him and Komachi with homework and school projects. He came to me recently with a request, one that concerns you. I'll ask the question again, what are you doing that makes you go home in the early hours of the morning?" He leaned back on his chair looking very satisfied with himself.

"He's a good kid, if a bit clumsy since he almost broke one of my most prized GUNPLA figures…Oh, and can you remind him to return the manga that I lent him? A friend of mine wants to borrow it." He added as an afterthought and muttered something to himself about GUNPLA and "Yodobashi".

I was at a loss, he cornered and caught me with my pants down.

"Uhhh…" That was all I could say as he patiently waited for my reply.

The unspoken question was in the air

It took some time before I could finally find my voice and muster the courage to talk. "I want to tell you, but this isn't the best place…" I say with a troubled face. I already had my voice low but I think that the other occupants in the room can hear little pieces of our conversation. I didn't want others to hear this. He gave a nod of understanding and put a hand on his chin.

"I see. How about after class?" He suggested and I agreed. I sighed in relief, it was as if a heavyweight on my chest was removed. I had been hiding the fact that I work part-time until morning and I had lied about my age. This was probably the best scenario to happen. If my parents found out, then I'm in trouble. If the school finds out then I'm in even more trouble.

At least he was concerned for me as a friend, and not as a member of the StuCo…wait, maybe it's both.

"I'll just give you the slip by then. I still have some work to do before I go back to the classroom so…" He started tapping his fingers on the table. I got his message and promptly stood up so I can give him some time. "Thanks. See ya after class then." He just nodded at me and moved his attention back to his work. On my way out I saw that there were a few students at the waiting area for their concerns to be heard. Looks like they have their hands full huh…

I returned to class with some time left to spare and started rereading some of my notes. Some unsavoury rumours were going around in class. I think those were called chain mail? Spam mail? I don't know or care much. Unfortunately, I was one of the students targeted. It said that I was a delinquent or something untrue, but it wasn't a problem for me since I had already dealt with this problem before. I didn't notice when he entered the room, but he was already there on his seat resting his head on the armchair.

Classes went by in a flash and after the bell rang, everyone started getting up and some were already leaving the room. From the corner of my eye, Yu…Yui…? Yuri? Yurigahama…? Ah! Her name was Yuigahama, now I remember! They briefly exchanged a few words, he said something that made her visibly disappointed, but she let him go regardless.

"So, where do you want to go?" He asked as we walked in the hallway together.

I shrugged. "How about one of those benches outside?"

"Okay, hopefully, there is still a vacant one."

After changing our shoes and going outside, we found one under a tree. We can see some members of the football club playing in the distance as he sat down across me. One of them waved in our direction and he returned it in kind.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Tobe."

"I didn't know you were friends with him."

He furrowed his eyes together and put a hand on his chin. "Not friends, but he's a good guy I guess. Though he can be loud, annoyingly obnoxious and cringy at times."

"Now then," He sighed and stretched his arms before continuing. "you can start anytime, Kawasaki."

I decided to tell him everything, and I mean everything. From the part where I first had the initial thoughts about going to summer school by relying on my funds, to lying about my age and almost getting caught by a local government official in the process. I told him about the days following my new daily schedule, and how exhausting and taxing it was to my body to the point where I wanted to skip classes to rest.

He was quiet the entire time and his eyes never left mine as I talked. Strangely, I don't remember a single moment where I broke eye contact with him.

"I see…am I the only soul that knows this?" He after I was done.

"Yes." I nod at him.

"Hmm, I get it now. Are you going to keep your family in the dark?"

That was a difficult question, one that was always at the back of my mind every after shift. What they don't know won't hurt them, and it's not like Taishi is the kind of brother that's gonna tell our parents about this.

"For now."

"Hmmm, well I guess Taishi's concerns were justified then. I have a suggestion if you're willing to hear me out of course."

"Go ahead."

He got something from his bag, a flyer or something and gave it to me. It was an advertisement from one of the summer schools in the City. "Instead of working to pay for it, why not get good grades so you'll get qualified for a scholarship?" He said.

"I thought about that before, but I don't think I'd be able to," I say but he quickly interrupted me before I could finish.

"Nah, anyone can do it with enough effort." He said bluntly in a tone that made no room for further questions. I felt like I was slapped, but not in a bad way. It made me start thinking about the way that I was currently doing things, and the underlying meaning hidden below his words.

"It's pessimistic to say that you won't be able to make the cut. Even as a pessimist myself, I'd at least make an effort to try before reaching that conclusion." Ouch, he hit me where it hurts. He's brutal and doesn't sugarcoat his words, I'll give him that.

And he's right, I've been doing things wrong right from the start huh…

"Well, what are you gonna do about it then?" He arched a brow at me and waited for my answer.

There wasn't anything wrong with what he said, in fact, I completely agree with him since it's the most efficient solution right now. But I still feel like an idiot for evaluating myself so low like that. I should be more like him, more confident in myself and trust my abilities. And if there's still room for improvement, then I should give it my all.

"I'll follow what you said," I say slowly, and it felt like a massive weight was removed from my shoulders.

He sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. If you need any help, then I'd be more than welcome to assist you in looking for a possible school." He offered.

"Also, this isn't that of a big deal if you ask me. I mean, I work part-time at the weekends and sometimes volunteer at a daycare nearby at my Mother's request. A bunch of schools in the area came together to address this type of concern. They're coordinating with the local government and business establishments where most of their students are working part-time to resolve this issue. They're making progress, last time I heard." He added.

I fidgeted since what I'm gonna ask may either be too straightforward or shameless. But he offered his help, and it's not like we're strangers to each other. Plus, we've done it before at his house so…" I-Is it ok for me to ask your help during exams and stuff…?"

"I don't mind. As I said before, you're more than welcome to come over anytime." He shrugged. The way he said it made it sound so obvious that it made me feel dumb. I think he misunderstood me since I meant that I'll only want his help while we're in school, he must have thought that I want to go over to his house and study with him. But then again, I wasn't really specific so it's not his fault…

I bowed to him in thanks, and he quickly told me to raise my head. "Oh yeah, and before I forget." He took something from his pocket, it was a small piece of paper with the seal of the StuCo on it.

"Here's your disciplinary slip. Don't forget to enjoy your mandatory community service this weekend~." He said with a small sadistic chuckle. My arms were weak as I got it from him and put it in my bag. I had to resist crying on the spot.

Uwaah, I guess not everything ends with a happy ending huh…

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of work made you come home in the morning?" He asked curiously.

"Angel Ladder, a bar on top of one of the hotels in Chiba," I say.

He slowly blinked twice before managing to say something.

"I…beg your pardon…?" He said, as if not hearing my words the first time.

"Angel Ladder, a bar. I work there as a barkeeper."

"Angel Ladder, as in THE Angel Ladder…?"

I nodded.

He put a hand on his face. It was weak at first but then his low chuckle turned into a laugh. I have no idea which part of what I said was funny though. Maybe he worked there before or something…? I'll have to ask him about it later.

I haven't been to the club in a while, four days. I mean, I stayed there for maybe a few minutes before I went out. But it's not like I was skipping on purpose, we were reorganizing the StuCo room. Getting rid of old documents and storing them at the storeroom, scanning and making softcopies of all the said documents for safekeeping and also removing outdated news at the bulletins boards around the school. It was a sudden request by the School since they were suddenly afraid of a fire starting.

The Ice Harlot has completely ignored me since that day.

I for one, welcome the silence. It feels nice not being snapped at for literally every single move I make or word I utter.

I had warned Yuigahama a few days ago that any attempt by her to make Yukinoshita and I reconcile will end terribly. If she even attempts doing it, I will grab my stuff and walk out of the room without a word. Thankfully, she followed my wishes, albeit reluctantly. But there doesn't seem to be any changes between them, except for the fact that Yuigahama is more reserved and avoids talking about things that might provoke her. As far as I can tell, they don't have any progress with Hayama's request, and the rumours are still around even now.

Not that I care.

Words are just words. I have already built a good name for myself in the school, so any rumours that sprout NOW would be just nonsense to those that know me.

And A LOT of people know me, even if I can't exactly recall their names.

Right now, I was organizing the files and data that we had on the computer. I'm amazed Shiromeguri-senpai worked with this PC since it is so old and slow, freezing now and then and causing me anxiety for the fear that I didn't save my work. Maybe I'll write a letter of request for a new PC to the Principal. Anyway, I was moving the folders here and there, doing some renaming and moving them to our external hard drive when the door opened.

Shiromeguri-senpai came in, her shoulders slumped and dragging her feet across the floor looking exhausted and drained of energy.

"Good Evening Senpai." I stand up and greet her.

She looked up, surprised that I was still occupying the room since its nearly dark outside.

"Ah, Hikigaya-kun, you're still here?" She said and laid down on the couch nearby.

"I wanted to finish things now so I won't have to do much tomorrow."

"Hmm, well keep up the good work…" She said and closed her eyes. I watched her chest go up and down as she breathed, some strands of her hair covering the skin on her neck as one of her hands rested on her abdomen. The meeting with the teachers must have ended later than expected. Poor Senpai, she must be exhausted. I wordlessly got up and went to make some tea. I picked her favourite one, and after several minutes, I laid the cup of tea on the coffee table beside her. I poked her cheek twice to get her attention.

"Senpai, here's some tea."

"Thank you…" She said as she sat up.

"You're welcome." I then went back to the computer and resumed my work. Aside from the typing sounds that I was making, the room was silent. Senpai had a faraway look on her face as she sipped on her tea. There must be something on her mind that's bothering her.

"Senpai, how was your day?" I ask her.

She didn't respond to my question, and from the corner of my eye, she was still staring off into space.

"Senpai…?" I call out to her louder this time. That seemed to break the spell that she was under since she was slightly startled by my voice.

"Ah, sorry Hikigaya-kun! Your Senpai spaced out hehehe. What were you saying again?" She flashed me a troubled smile that made me a bit worried. It's the first time I've seen her make that face, and I started thinking as to what was the cause of it.

"As I was saying, how was your day?"

"Hmm, it was normal I guess. Except for the meeting with the teachers, nothing really interesting happened as far as I can tell." She shrugged to herself and then faced me. "What about you Hikigaya-kun, anything interesting on your end?"

"Nah, it's been so boring lately that I wish something would happen," I reply. I might have triggered a flag there, but I don't care. I'm confident that I can handle anything.

"But you're part of a club, aren't you? Why don't you spend some time with your clubmates? You've been dropping by here longer than usual. We don't have much to do anyway, well, except for the reorganizing that is." She said before fixing her skirt by flattening the creases and crossing her legs. I gulped when I got quite a view of her supple thighs. I always loved them. I want to rest my head on them. Uwaaah, they look so soft, I want to tou-

Damn you brain, I hate you. Stop being horny, please.

"T-They know my position, might as well come here and finish some stuff than lazying there doing nothing," I say.

She sipped some tea before continuing. "Hmmm, is that so. What did you do with Maya-sensei last weekend?" She asked.

"Last weekend huh…I helped some of the newcomers. Oh and Sensei taught us some judo moves as an extra." Sensei was hard on me that time, she kicked my ass hard, put me on the ground and told me to "Step the fuck up! You're a man aren't you?!"

Seriously, single women are aggressive in more ways than I could imagine.

Senpai was amused. "Remember that time when you accidentally ripped your pants because you forgot to bring our uniform? Hehehehe." She started laughing as I cringed at the memory.

"Ah, I got cocky and did it anyway. Everyone laughed at me but at least I got the stance right. Also, I was wearing boxer shorts so it wasn't a big deal." I reply slightly embarrassed. "You should come back Senpai."

She shook her head. "I can't. I'm a Third Year you know? I'm already looking for possible schools for college, and we're gonna get busier at the second half of the school year."

Oh yeah, she's right. When that happens…she'll have to step down or deal with her responsibility at the StuCo and prepare for graduation at the same time.

The StuCo room without Shiromeguri-senpai would be…

Very lonely…

If that happens, I don't think I can be here anymore. It's not that I don't like the other StuCo members, it's just that it feels wrong to be here without her. I owe her for being here in the first place, she was the one who appointed me to my current position. I owe Shiromeguri-senpai a lot, and because of that, she's one of the few people that I hold dear. And I would do anything she asks of me in a heartbeat.

"Oh no! I forgot my pen at the conference hall! Hikigaya-kun, wait for me ok? I'll be back in a flash!" She said and rushed out of the room.

With that, I shrugged and forced myself to finish things up.

A notification from my phone caught my attention. Without taking my eyes off the computer, I got my phone and opened the message.

What I read next made me stop.

"The StuCo Pres is so annoying lololol XD. Her voice makes me puke and the personality is super annoying, trashy and irritating roflmao. How did someone LIKE HER even become the StuCo lmao XD! This school is just stupid!"

This is…

A chain mail…

How did they get my-?

Wait, I remember distributing my phone number to the committees and volunteers last year to better coordinate with them.

That's how they probably got hold of it…

I took my hand off of the keyboard and placed them on my lap after putting down my phone.

I took a moment to think about the current situation.

I consider myself a very calm and collected person. I might sometimes get annoyed but I never get mad. Not once have I remembered myself being angry at something or someone. I'm fine with being badmouthed and getting called derogatory names. I'm quite used to it, resistant even.

But when it's being directed at someone I care about, then it's an entirely different matter. Especially to someone kind and gentle like my Shiromeguri-senpai that I look up to and admire. She doesn't deserve to receive any words like that.

"Good grief, now these mongrels have targeted Senpai. How dare they...Lowly scum, I'll find you, whoever you are…"

Hello everyone!

Hope all of you are safe! My country is in lockdown due to the 2019-nCoV, and our Nation's Military, Navy and Air Force is enforcing very strict procedures to prevent the spread of the virus. But we're doing fine.

Anyway...

Hachiman finally started to take things into his own hands! I wonder how he'll find the one who started this mess. Saki got some well-deserved scenes, best Senpai Meguri too. Hmm, Hachiman got triggered at the last part huh. Looks like he adores and loves Meguri, as he should! She's the closest thing to a real older sister to him after all! And the one who knows him best outside of his family! It's only logical that he'll get a bit protective of her, and get quite mad at the false rumours!

Reply time!

2theMoon: Thanks! I was honestly unsure of how everyone will react to Yui here.

Echonic: Yes, Hachiman is a lowkey Sadist lol.

jargax: Thanks! Who knows, Yui might make a decisive strike sometime...

Sperance: On point mate.

GunBade2020: As I said several chapters ago, there will be "Main Girls" and "Supporting Girls". It's up to your imagination to decide who belongs to which category!

Z BoX 360: THANK YOU! Finally, someone mentioned Ayanokouji!

SrChangeling1: Crazy coincidence huh.

Stay safe and God Bless us in these trying times!

AND STAY AT HOME!

Seriously, STAY AT HOME!