Hikigaya Hachiman's Path to Reformation
The Summer Camp Part 1:
An Awkward Misunderstanding
First of all many thanks to justwannareadgoodstuff who messaged me back on the 16th of August for telling me that this Fic passed the 300k words mark!
I couldn't have reached this milestone if it weren't for everyone's continued support!
I silently walked downstairs, careful not to wake up Onii-chan or Mom. Even though it's Summer, it still feels a bit chilly in the mornings. Kamakura was sleeping peacefully on his bed in the corner and the morning sun was already peeking through our windows. I looked at the time, the garbage truck must be coming in a few minutes I bet. I checked our garbage bins around the house excluding my Parent's and Onii-chan's room and they were already taken out. I slightly moved the curtains aside and saw them outside, waiting patiently to be taken.
There was a box a small distance away but still within the premises of our house. It was a big box, the ones that you see employees moving into their new department in movies and TV shows use. My Dad has some but I don't remember him coming, his car isn't even parked outside too. Taking out the trash is usually Onii-chan's job, he must have taken it out in the early hours of the morning when it was still dark out. I took another look at the box.
There was something hanging on top of it, it must have been closed hastily since its contents weren't fully sealed. I took another look at our wall clock and then at the box. I don't know why, but there's something bothering me about it.
Before I went out, I went to the closet in the living room to get and wear my tracksuit pants since I only wore this oversized shirt that I "borrowed" from Onii-chan over my underwear. The doorknob was still cold when I unlocked and opened it. I ignored the morning chill and made my way to it. Some of our neighbours just finished putting theirs outside, and I saw some watering the plants in their small gardens and housewives talking with each other.
It was bigger than I thought when I finally reached it. I moved it to the side away from the rest of our garbage, it was surprisingly heavy. What could this be…?
I kneel down and opened it.
There were some t-shirts, books, notebooks, novels, manga, thick papers bound by rubber bands and folders, toys, two pairs of shoes, photographs and lying on top of it all…
Were three shiny medals.
The boy in one of the photos wore elementary and middle-school uniforms, his hair was slightly messy and his facial expression grim. He looks very serious, one can even say that he feels annoyed at his photo being taken. In one of the photos, he was standing a small distance away from the rest of his class. In another, he was wearing a small frown as he looked at his classmates. Most of the photos of him were solo, either stolen shots or ones where he was forced to stop and face the camera. But his most striking characteristic of all were his eyes…
"Onii-chan…?" I whisper.
These are…these are his things from elementary and middle school… I even recognize some photos that were removed from the few picture frames that we have around the house. He's even throwing away his older novels and manga, the very things that he takes pride in. My first Shojou manga was from his collection, I saw it inside along with the others that I read when I was younger. He used to read this and teach me the harder Kanji characters when I didn't know them. His first English book and a few ones that he added to his collection over the years is here too, although I don't know the title since I don't know how to read…
I looked to my left and saw the garbage truck coming.
Why would he want to throw all of these away…?
These are his memories…
The thought of all of these being either incinerated or dumped in some landfill somewhere felt very wrong.
Hmm, let me think of a loophole…
Hmm…
Mmm…
Oh!
I grinned and closed the top, then lifted it will all my might and went towards the door.
This doesn't count as stealing since he already did the act of disposing of them, so I declare this as an act of RECYCLING! Let's save Earth-chan!
I let it go in front of our door and caught my breath before getting it and placed it on the corner beside our TV.
Ugh, that was super heavy… If I don't give myself a break before carrying them upstairs, I'm definitely going to fall! Poor Komachi's delicate girly body isn't made for this sort of stuff!
Kamakura had woken up when I sat down on the sofa, he went to the box and smelled it. Through the windows, I saw the garbage truck stop in front of our house and the garbage collectors take it.
Phew! That was too close! If I was a little late then…
Once again, I took the heavy thing in my hands and went up the stairs, going quietly as possible as well as careful not to lose my footing. I pushed the door open which was thankfully slightly ajar and put the box under my bed behind some other stuff that I store there then took off my pants. I'm really curious and bothered on why he would throw it away… I kinda feel bad for taking it without permission though…uwaahh the guilt is eating me up from the inside! What should I do to make it go away? Making him a huge breakfast would make him feel suspicious I bet. Maybe I could wash his back…
Ah, no I won't do that...!
The last time we did it… It was s-s-super embarrassing that I wanted to die! He teased me so much that I got all warm and dizzy on the inside. I couldn't sleep that night since all I could think about was him…
AAAAAAHHHHHH! I SHOULDN'T BE THINKING ABOUT THOSE KINDS OF THINGS!
*Ahem*
Anyway! As an Imotou, there are so many things that I could do for him that I could fill a book with it! He might never admit it but he loves it when I crawl in his bed to wake him up in the mornings! Though there was that one time where he got annoyed and accidentally shoved me, causing me to fall off the bed, but I wasn't hurt! In fact, he got guilty and let me do whatever I wanted, so I just snuggled into him until Mother called us downstairs!
I got up and went out then checked if his door was locked.
Thankfully, it wasn't…!
Carefully without making a sound, I tiptoed into his room. The covers were still on him and he was facing the ceiling. Onii-chan also recently developed a habit of sleeping without a shirt on, saying that it "Cuts some of our water bills and detergent expenses". I get to see him every morning walking around like that…
Hehehe~… Eye candy material~…
I slid under and snuggled up to him. His chest went up and down as he breathed, today is one of those very rare times where he doesn't wake up early in the morning to prepare breakfast for us. He's the one who usually does all the chores in the morning from sweeping the floor, feeding Kamakura and making breakfast and lunches. Mom sometimes forces him to allow her to help out but he's really stubborn! It's a good thing that it's Summer too, my suuuuuuuuper hardworking Onii-chan needs to rest from all the overworking that he's doing~!
I peeked through the covers as my eyes wandered through the room and I saw that his bag was already prepared and packed. I already did mine last night, so all I need to do today was to have our Mother drop us off at the volunteer activity thing!
I went back under and snuggled to his chest. Hehehehe, he smells really nice.
The memory of the time when I washed him came back to me, but the thing that I thought of was what happened after it. I still recall the scent of a feminine perfume on his clothes, it smelled really fragrant, not to mention expensive. I may not be experienced when it comes to this sort of thing but I have a feeling that only a rich upper-class girl could wear those kinds of perfumes.
Grrrrrrr… Who is the girl who wrapped herself around him! I looked up to him and pinched his cheek.
I pouted and turned away with a puff.
Hmph! He should have told me that he was going on a date at least! I could have tailed him and followed him to see the girl myself! She better not be those flirty girls who take advantage of simple-minded guys just to have him buy her stuff! She better not be playing with him like a toy or something! If he's going out with some girl, he should have asked for Mother and I's permission! She must be really pretty if she managed to convince him to go out with her, or maybe he got tricked and blackmailed!
Hmm, but I could be overthinking things. I mean what are the odds of him going out with a girl…?
…
…
…
Ok, maybe the odds are high, no maybe even higher than he cares to admit. He has always been stubbornly modest about literally everything.
Onii-chan isn't the same Onii-chan back in middle school. He turned a new leaf and changed for the better! If this keeps up, he might become a normie and a Riajuu! The very thing that he hated back in middle school! Ah but that's not really a bad thing, normies and Riajuus have lots and lots of friends, something that Onii-chan only has a handful of at the moment.
He carries himself quite maturely and with serious dignity in school and he's well-respected and known for his status in the Council and intelligence in his Year level, that's what Saki-nee says. He's even part of a club with two other girls, the "Service Club", I think it was called. Not to mention the fact that he's quite athletic and takes care of his appearance and public image now… He has everything: looks, intelligence, status, pride, confidence, fame and respect.
Something any girl would love in a guy!
(Though his eyes are still quite scary if he lets it out on purpose, and he has this really intimidating aura when he is serious about something)
Uwaaah! Maybe he even has his own secret harem in school…! And they do l-l-lewd things like hand-holding in public and other stuff…! Maybe that's the reason why he sometimes comes home late looking exhausted!
I was pulled from my thoughts when he moved behind me, then an arm and a leg went over my smaller form for a more intimate embrace. He mumbled something incomprehensible and I felt his bare chest and toned legs.
O-Oh… I can't really say that I dislike this new…development. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one! To make sure that he was still really sleeping and not making this as an excuse to be touchy-feely with me (Though I wouldn't mind either way, hehehehehe~!), I poked his rib several times and he gave out no reaction whatsoever. Onii-chan has always been a heavy sleeper, but it doesn't hurt to check after all!
I giggled as I rubbed my cheek on his shoulder. Hehehe, maybe if I rub by scent into him more, those vixens after him will back off when they realize that he's already taken!
…
…
Okay, that sounded like what a crazy overly-attached girlfriend would say… Not to mention really creepy ugh…
It might be just me but Onii-chan has been a bit distant to Komachi lately, his hugs aren't really tight anymore and we rarely go into our lighthearted banters. He's always had a poker face on but now he looks perpetually bored and disinterested in everything. It was just a few days ago where we would watch funny videos and movies in his room until it gets late, I even fell asleep and we slept together here on the bed. Now he looks always drained and without energy, which is strange since he always gets the right amount of sleep every night from the fact that he retires in his room early.
Well, that's assuming that he immediately falls asleep, maybe he's suffering from insomnia or it's his anaemia acting up again. I do hope that he's still taking his medication…
He moved again and he turned his head here and there.
*poke*
I felt something poke my bum but I ignored it, it must be his phone or somethi-
My train of thought stopped when I noticed his phone on the table light up and vibrate from an alarm.
Wait, if his phone was right beside the bedside table all along, then what's this thing poking my behind…? It couldn't be his hand or something like that.
It's stiff and hard…?
Hmm…
It's morning, Onii-chan is a male.
Against better judgement, common sense and literally every word related to it, I pressed my lower half against it to give it a bit of stimulation.
It got bigger and harder.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" I screeched and fell down on the floor. Onii-chan woke up from my shout and shot up from the bed, his tired and very bloodshot eyes widening, quickly scanning the room and his body automatically going into fight-or-flight mode. Once he saw me on the floor, he went and bent down beside me.
"What the-?! Komachi?! What the heck? What's going on?!" He asked and immediately started checking my arms and legs if I had hurt myself. With his hands roaming around my body just after that revelation, it made my face extremely flushed from the embarrassment.
"Damn, I thought that there was a strong earthquake or something… Don't scare me to death like that…" He frowned deeply and hit my head after checking my arms and legs. "So? Why'd you screamed? Had a bad dream? Wait when did you get into my room anyway, did you sneak in here last night?"
I crossed my legs and sat up as I sheepishly scratched my cheek. "A-Ah… Yeah, something like that…" I averted my eyes away from him since I really don't want to see his boxers. He arched a brow at me but said nothing before yawning and looking at the clock.
"Hm, well seeing that we're up and might we might as well get ready for later." He stood up and closed his eyes shortly before nodding to himself. "I'll take a bath first if you don't mind." He went to his closet and casually took a new towel. It was only for a very brief moment, but I noticed that there were some missing things inside. The box that I hid under my bed, it was just there inside his closet in its usual place before it was outside.
"O-Ok! I'll get breakfast ready and wake up Mom then!" I stood up and patted down the creases on my shirt.
"Wake her up after you finished cooking. She was pretty tired last night. Also, there's still some food from last night so just reheat them or something."
"Understood!"
"Is Father here? I was waiting for him to come home but I fell asleep doing so."
"No, he probably slept in his office like usual." He nodded and was about to walk towards the door but stopped after taking two steps.
"By the way, did the garbage truck come by…?" He asked while facing away from me so I couldn't see what kind of expression he was making. But if I had to describe the tone in his voice…it was completely monotone without a shred or hint of anything that might give me a clue on what he was feeling.
"I think…? With the time and all, it must have come by maybe an hour or two ago…"
"Is that so. Excellent. That's good. Very good…" He nodded as a deep and heavy sigh escaped from his body.
I followed him out of the room where we went downstairs where he was greeted by Kamakura. He knelt down to scratch his chin before disappearing behind the doors of the bathroom. I wonder why he wanted to throw his old stuff away, it was pretty valuable. Well from my perspective at least. I should keep this from him, I don't know what his reaction will be if he found out that I hid it under my bed. Good thing Onii-chan respects my privacy so the chance that he'll find it after snooping around inside my room is pretty low. I took the ingredients from the fridge as well as our leftovers from last night. I was about to put them in the microwave and start cooking until when I remembered doing that to him in his sleep.
I gripped the hem of my apron tightly before covering my face and sat down on the floor in front of the stove. That was so embarrassing…! I want to cry…! I'm going to turn myself in…!
"Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu… Komachi can't get married anymore… Onii-chan has to take responsibility..."
We were just walking away from the vehicle that Hiratsuka-sensei rented when an SUV parked a distance away from us. Our group of eight simultaneously turned out heads to it, Hiratsuka-sensei narrowed her eyes and then snapped her fingers.
"Oh, here comes our last remaining stragglers." She grinned to herself as we waited for the occupants of the SUV to step out.
The sliding doors moved to the side to make way. A boy gracefully stepped out, he wore a light blue fitting long-sleeved shirt, grey shorts and black sneakers. He put a hand over his gold-rimmed sunglasses, his watch glinting when it caught the light as he looked up to the Sun with an annoyed expression as if cursing it along with the Summer heat. He carefully checked his reflection from the glass and offered a hand inside the vehicle. A smaller and more feminine hand accepted him before she got out with his help.
She wore a ponytail on her silvery-blue hair, her shorts showed off her long and slender legs and she had a simple shirt with prints for her top. I watched her smile shyly and give him a meek bow in thanks as he reached inside the vehicle and got two bags with each hand. Another girl appeared, this time younger and more energetic than the two as she carried her own bag in her hands. The driver's side opened and out came a very youthful-looking woman, she was about to help him with his luggage but he held out a hand and politely refused. The four of them started walking towards us.
I noticed that the silver-haired girl would look at his hand from time to time.
I narrowed my eyes at her. Who is she? Why do I get the feeling that I had met her before?
"Hina… Is that Hikki with…?"
"I think so. What's with his get-up…? Is there a pictorial happening here or something…?"
"Wow, Hikitani looks fresh af! He's killing that get up! Oh look it's Kawasaki too! I didn't know that he was in cahoots with her!"
From the corner of my eye, I watched Hayato-kun put his hand on the shoulder of his very loud and boisterous friend. He looked very sorry for some reason. "Tobe, you should laugh while it lasts. When he joins us he's going to chew you out…"
"Huh? What do you mean?" The ingrate said but Hayato-kun just shook his head.
The only one who was in a completely different state among us was the blonde bimbo behind me who was laughing. "Pfff-! Hehehehehehe!" She tried to cover her mouth as best as she could but her giggles were still escaping. It was very annoying but I kept my mouth shut.
"Miura-san? What's so funny?" The silver-haired soft-spoken boy asked with curiosity. I took another look at his features, he was too feminine that it would be very easy to mistake him for a girl… I admit that I had to take quick peeks at his chest and the shape of his hips several times… He looks too much like a female that it is uncanny. No wonder Hikigaya-kun mistook him for a girl the first time they met.
As expected, Hiratsuka-sensei stepped forward to welcome them. "Hikigaya, good to see you here. Traffic wasn't much I hope?"
"Good Morning Sensei, nothing too serious." He said when he finally stood before us. That slicked back hairstyle… At this distance, he does look quite dashing more so than usual… He laid his slit-like eyes on each of us until he stopped at the blond bimbo. I heard a little giggle from behind me, and I almost missed it but I saw his eye twitch before slightly narrowing behind his sunglasses.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, good morning! Sorry for being a little late, I took a few wrong turns here and there." The lady, who was slightly shorter than Hikigaya-kun said in a smooth and pleasant voice. She looks similar to the youngest of the four as well as Hikigaya-kun himself. The little girl must be Hikigaya-kun's sister while the lady his older sister. "Looking very beautiful as always Hiratsuka-sensei! You could definitely pass as their senpai~!"
The one on the receiving end blushed while bashfully scratching her cheek. "A-Ah, is that so? Ahahahaha! You always know what words to say Hikigaya-san." Her eyes turned to Hikigaya-kun and to the younger girl with black hair. "Oh is this your sister?"
"Hm, her name is Komachi." He nodded.
Once the girl's name was called, she immediately introduced herself. She gave us a pleasant toothy smile. "Yup! My name is Hikigaya Komachi, pleased to meet you! I'll be in your care!"
"Likewise, I can see that you brought Kawasaki with you too…" The girl with the silvery-blue hair nodded and greeted Sensei as well.
Ah, so that was her name. I remember now. I met her a few times last year when Hikigaya-kun and I would walk around the school together to fulfil our Class Rep duties. Even back then, he had cordial relations with her. I have never personally spoken to her since she gave off the air that she did not wish to speak to me.
"Good Morning Sensei, Hachiman wanted me to come and I couldn't refuse so..." She said and looked to Hikigaya-kun beside her.
Hmm, she is even on a first-name basis with him. Now I feel quite alienated…
"I thought that another person couldn't hurt so I invited her too. I hope this doesn't complicate things." Hikigaya-kun spoke up and gave Kawasaki-san a reassuring gaze.
Hiratsuka-sensei shook her head. "No no, it's fine. It's perfectly fine."
"Now then," The lady started and looked to the other three. "Haa-chan, Komachi, Saki, be good and don't cause trouble for Hiratsuka-sensei, is that clear?" Their reply came in the form of nodding in unison. "Haa-chan, the icebox is still at the back of the car. I have to go since I still have some work to do."
I spoke before I knew what I was doing. "I-Is it heavy? I could help if you don't mind…" I say and stepped forward as I felt several pairs of eyes bore holes on the back of my head. I may have sounded too aggressive but it is too late for that.
Hikigaya-kun had not expected me to speak and was caught off-guard. Thankfully, the pretty lady answered for him. "Haa-chan could use another pair of hands yes!" He gave his bags to the two girls as his little sister gave me curious looks before being ushered by Kawasaki-san to join the rest of the group. We both looked at each other from the corners of our eyes as I passed her.
The short walk to their car was terribly awkward, for me at least. No one said anything even though I half expected his older sister to start pestering me with questions. Had it been Nee-san, she would have immediately started her usual teases. He walked beside me a small distance away, his pace slightly faster than mine. I sighed as I tried to think on possible topics to talk about, if I did not get anything out of this then I would be nothing but a fool… I looked to him from the corner of my eye and realized that the perfect thing to talk about was on him all along.
"Hikigaya-kun."
"What is it, Yukinoshita?" He replied without turning to me, his eyes trained on a bird that flew above.
"Your sunglasses, are those new? They look very nice on you."
As expected, he took it very coolly and shrugged. "My Father gave these to me, some weeks back. I just didn't have the time nor knew the place where to wear them and all."
I was hoping that he would say more or expand the topic, but he was being his tight-lipped self as usual. Maybe he is just shy about acting too friendly with me while in the presence of his older sister since she might start making assumptions. Our extremely short exchange of words stopped to a halt when we finally reached their car. His sister opened the back with a single press of a button from her key. The cooler was larger than I expected and looked quite heavy. I do not doubt that he would be unable to carry this, but I do think that even he would have quite a difficult time. He reached in and dragged it to the edge before lifting it and putting it down on the ground.
"How many days are you staying here?" His older sister asked me.
"Two days, three at most."
"Careful, it's quite heavy." She warned when she saw the strained look on my face when we lifted it. This was heavier than I expected and I'm even using my two hands.
"Yes, thank you Hikigaya-san."
"Well, I better get going then! Haa-chan, just give me a call if you ever need anything or when it's time to go home!" She went up to him and kissed his cheek where he just rolled his eyes but accepted and returned it nonetheless. My sister has never done such a thing to me after we started to understand social norms and whatnot, so to witness it first hand especially when the two of them are of the opposite sex to each other before my eyes are rather embarrassing. I guess there are families like that out there huh… I'm not judging of course. If had to pick, I would not mind the rest of my family is more open and affectionate to me. Though I know that it is an impossible request at this point.
Still, she is quite a tease and a very bold one to do it right in front of his classmate.
Maybe this is an unspoken warning to me…? No, I must be imagining things. I should not make baseless and unnecessary assumptions.
I fidgeted uncomfortably when he turned to me after they separated. His sister gave me a small smile before opening the driver's door of their car and we waved her off as their car turned on and moved away from our line of sight.
"Yukinoshita, let's hurry up. This heat is killing me." He says while fanning and opening the first few buttons on his shirt. I saw several drops of sweat fall from his forehead, where they travelled further downwards to his exposed neck and disappeared under the fabric.
"Ah, yes…" I say and lifted the cooler with him at the same time. My stamina is something that I am not quite confident about and he is quite aware of this. We were halfway back when he told me to stop and I did so as I shook off the strained feeling in my arms.
"By the way Hikigaya-kun…"
"Hmm?" He hummed in response as he checked his phone while waiting for me to catch my breath.
"Your sister is rather endearing isn't she?"
He turned to me and blinked a few times behind his sunglasses, seemingly confused. "Komachi…?"
"Your older sister gives off this very calming and relaxing aura that makes you feel at ease for some reason. She also appears to be fond of you, that much I can tell with your nickname. 'Haa-chan', hehehehehehe." I covered my mouth as I lightly giggled when I recalled their exchange.
He tilted his head to the side. "My older sister…?" He said and mouthed something I couldn't read.
"Mm, I was not aware that you had one. You always show your siscon tendencies to your younger sister, but never to your elder."
Something clicked inside him as he slowly nodded at my words. "Ah…"
"Yes. She is very pretty as well."
"Yukinoshita."
"Hmm?"
"Her name is Hikigaya Hitomi."
"Oh, that is a nice-." I say but he interrupted me before I could finish.
"She is not my sister." He deadpanned.
I turned and blinked several times just staring blankly at his face as his words dawned on me. Wait, could it be…? I recalled Uncle Hikigaya Joshirou's facial features and tried to look for it in the lady's face that was apparently not Hikigaya-kun's sister. I could not find one, but he and his little sister does share some traits from the lady earlier. He got the shape and colour of his eyes from his Father that much I can tell, but that ahoge on his head and the form of his jaws… B-But, she looks very youthful! If that is the case, then-!
"The lady you saw, Hikigaya Hitomi, is my Mother."
Well, this is rather embarrassing.
I stared at the ground, wanting so desperately to hide and cover myself under the Earth.
I felt him poke my arm when I was unresponsive. "Oi don't feel bad. It happens all the time when I go out with Mother. People mistake her for my older sister. Though there was that one time where we're mistaken as a…" He visibly cringed when he whispered the last part. Even without him continuing, I have an idea as to what he means…
"Even so. I must apologize." I say and give him a slight bow.
"What's with all the formality…? Come on, let's hurry so we can rejoin the others." He said and I followed his lead. We lifted together as we make our way back to the group, I see that the others are conversing amongst themselves while they wait for us.
Goodness, I could not even do something as simple as introducing myself to his Mother. That was an excellent opportunity that I failed to take advantage of due to my indecisiveness. I should be more observant next time…
"Did you say something, Yukinoshita?" I heard his voice but I did not turn to him to save myself from further embarrassment.
"N-No. Nothing."
Hello, I'm back!
Yup, I forget to add my A.N. at the end, for the readers who read this a few hours ago. Sorry about that!
This Arc will have around three parts. I'll leave it to your imagination on which things will happen and in which part with respect to the Anime. As for Saki, I wonder why 8man brought her along...? A sense of guilt maybe? Or he just genuinely wants her to join them...? We also saw how Yukinon failed to in her mission to get close to 8man by introducing herself to his Mother. She even did it right in front of her other "rivals". That definitely affected them somewhat and I can imagine some of them making their own moves as well.
So I got bored and reread the reviews...
Out of the 91 reviews on Chapter 45, "Sociopath" was mentioned 11 times while "Psychopath" was mentioned 3 times. It always gives me a good chuckle when I read the "Hikigaya Hachiman's Path to Degeneration"
Am I a sadist if I laughed at those who said that they were utterly horrified and appalled by the development? Lol
A reviewer said: "I pray that this arc doesn't end in tragedy."
Ohohohohoh... Who knows...?
Just like what Hjpbjb0j said in Chapter 45: "This chapter deserves a Dame Da Ne!" The 2nd half of that chapter is definitely a Dame Da Ne moment.
Anyway, expect another chapter in a few days!
As always, favourite, follow, review or PM me if you want!
Bye for now!