Hikigaya Hachiman's Path to Reformation
The Summer Camp:
Epilogue
Rumi's hair tickles my nose while she's giving me a tight hug. Have I not been accustomed to dealing and being with children, then this moment would be very awkward for me. Their bus was leaving first before us, and we decided to come here to say goodbye. I was a little late since I took too long in the showers, but I still managed to arrive just when she's about to go inside the bus. She had already said her goodbyes to the others, they were a small distance behind me after she adamantly refused to take a step when I still haven't come.
Rika-san was waiting for Rumi to say goodbye to me, she stood beside the bus while giving us a small smile. I can also feel the eyes of her classmates from inside, most of the girls who were giggling with hands over their mouths, not to mention that I hear the faint and muffled sounds of childlike squealing behind the glass. I'm very sure that she's going to be bombarded by her giddy classmates when she gets inside… From the corner of my eye, I saw a few of the girls from last night who were giving us looks of indifference. Unsurprisingly, they weren't together anymore.
I hear her breath hitch and feel her shoulders start to shake.
Oh no, she's going to cry… If she'll cry then I'll cry too… I may not look like it but I cry really easily.
I gently started rubbing the back of her head to calm her down and she hugs me tighter with her small arms. "There there…" I whisper.
"I… *Hick* I don't want y-you to go… Or the others…*Hick*" She says with a muffled voice and nuzzles deeper into my neck. I feel her warm tears fall on my exposed skin.
This is the part that I dreaded the most… If I were in Rumi's shoes, I wouldn't want to say goodbye to the first people who were good to me either. I'd want them to be by my side always, to have someone that I can depend on and protect me. Everyone needs someone like that, someone who will say that it's going to be all right.
Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone like that when I was her age.
But like what Sensei said yesterday, this is part of growing up. You meet different kinds of people along the way, some good ones, some bad. As for me, well…better late than never I guess. Goodbyes will always be hard, especially in Rumi's case, but that doesn't mean that this is the end of it.
I slowly pull away from her, and she quickly looks down to hide the tears at the corners of her eyes as her hands were balled into shaking fists to prevent any more from coming out. I rubbed her head in an attempt to cheer her up.
"Where's the sneaky little girl who surprised me by stealing a kiss from me last night?" I say and chuckle when she made an involuntary movement of surprise from my words. Her hands went up and covered her face, much to my amusement.
"I-I thought you were k-kidding… S-Stupid Hachiman…" She mutters through her hands, and I can see the side of her face, as well as her ears, start to get red.
"Sorry that your first kiss had to be from a guy that got his lip busted on the night before." I joke, but she didn't seem amused since she made a disgruntled sound and bumped her head on my shoulder several times as if to punish me. I really need to learn how to make good jokes…
"A-Ah… That sounded rather inappropriate, wasn't it…?" I ask while awkwardly scratching my cheek, and she nods and rubs her head on my shoulder.
"Yes… Yes it was…" She says and pulls away from me.
"Well, it was worth it anyway. That was my first kiss too by the way." I shrug coolly and make a small smile when she finally takes her hands off from her face.
"M-Me too…" Her cheeks were red, her nose eyes and nose puffy and wet from the tears as she looked at me with a mixture of embarrassment and shyness. She wiped it away with her hand, but more poured out as she continued having hiccups. "Cheeky little brat…!" I reach out and playfully pinch and pull on her now-exposed cheek as punishment for her little stunt last night. "Don't just do stuff like that!"
"H-Hnngg…" She doesn't escape nor squirm from my grasp and just bears with it.
Once I let go, she tries to smile and laugh it off, but pouts as her lower lips start quivering once more. "…*Hick*...U-Umm… *Hick*" Some tears resume falling from her eyes, so I take out my carefully folded handkerchief and wipe them away while she stands still. Her breathing hitches as occasional hiccups come from her mouth, and I also wipe her red and wet nose while I was at it. "You know, I once heard a really cheesy saying. It went like this: 'A handkerchief not used to wipe away a crying lady's tears is not a handkerchief at all.' Or something like that." I say and grin.
She blushes and then starts giggling. "Hehehe… *Hick* T-That sounds really s-sweet… *Hick* Hehehehe…"
"See? You look cuter while smiling." I say and hold the side of her face, much to her delight. After I wiped the last of her tears away, I took her small hand and put my handkerchief over it. "Here, you can have this. Something to remember me by. Make sure you don't lose it."
She gives me a bright smile that could rival the Sun itself and looks down at it, before holding it tightly and clutching it to her chest. "Thank you! I will!" Her arms go around my neck and pull me in for yet another tight hug.
"That's a good girl." I pat the back of her head and give her a smile of my own after she separated from me. "Keep it safe for me since I might come back for it sometime in the future." She widens her eyes in surprise from my words, and I saw hope in them.
"Huh? What do you mean Hachiman?" She takes a step closer and I had to instinctively lean away, it is a tad bit difficult since I am also kneeling with one knee on the ground. She cutely pouts when I shake my head. The sound of the engine coming from the bus was hard to ignore, not to mention the many pairs of eyes on us and I knew that I had to finish things quickly.
"You'll know soon enough, no need for me to spoil everything." I give her a smirk and she huffs out in disappointment. "Anyway, it's time for you to go Rumi. Your classmates and teachers are waiting."
Her smile faltered a bit, and she looked to the bus as well as to Rika-san. To my surprise, instead of looking sad, she smiled and held her head up high, still red-eyed and having shallow breaths. Her effort in trying to hold back her tears and look strong was very commendable, and I give her a smile of encouragement. "Y-Yeah, I guess y-you're right Hachiman." She says and reaches for something inside her backpack, and takes out her camera.
"D-Do you mind if we take a picture together? Just the two of u-us..." She says shyly and looks at me expectantly. With how she's looking at me, of course, I can't say no to a cute face like that.
"Of course," I say and rub her head, causing her to giggle. She stands closer beside me and snaps a few photos of us. It was going as you would expect it until she sneakily smooched my cheek just as she pressed the camera's button. I start hearing squeals from inside the school bus.
"Oi… You mischievous little rascal…" I say and give her my signature dead-eyed look before pinching her side, but she just giggles more and laughs at me. It almost made me forget that she was so sad to separate from us just several moments earlier.
She completely disregards me and browses through all the photos taken and nods in satisfaction to herself. What the heck, where did all this sudden cheekiness come from…? Did the girls say something weird to her while I was away…? "You good to go? Have you checked all your belongings?" I ask.
"Yup, everything is all packed in here." She replies and pats her backpack.
"Okay stay safe then." I give her last one pat on the head. "Take care, Ru-" Before I could react, she leans forward and gives me a quick peck on the lips, then takes a step back and starts happily giggling with a bright blush on her cheeks. From the corner of my eye, I saw most of her female classmates start squealing even more loudly, the sound becoming faint because of the windows that separated us. Even Rika-san is surprised, and puts a hand over her mouth and started giggling as well when she saw the pinkish tinge on my cheeks.
Ugh! Why'd she have to do that! Twice in a row even…! Just when I lowered my guard, this happens again!
I wanted so badly to put my arm around her neck and rub my knuckles on her head, just like what Hiratsuka-sensei did to me yesterday, but I decided against it.
I sigh and shake my head, keeping an eye out for another sneak attack. "As I was saying, stay safe and take care Rumi."
She smiles with a bright blush on her cheeks. "You too, Hachiman!" After giving me a last hug and a slight bow, she turns and happily skips towards Rika-san, who ushers her inside after sending a wink my way. Seeing her happy like that was worth the embarrassment on my part. If I'm told to do it again, I'd do it without a second thought. Once the door closed, I saw her giddy classmates through the windows rush at her excitedly.
I'm sure they're asking about me…
I stood up slowly, watching the bus move out of the driveway and to the path that would take it to the main road. One of the windows went down, and I saw Rumi waving at me with a smile on her face.
"Hachimaaaaannnnn! Goooodbyeeeeeee!" She screams out with all her might as she puts both of her hands on the sides of her mouth.
I inhaled as well and prepared to give her one last sendoff. Uwaaah, I hope my voice doesn't crack at the end, I rarely raise my voice after all…
"BYEEEEE RUMIIIIIIII!" I yell back to her and waved my hands. I hear the others shout out their goodbyes as well. I am genuinely happy, her smile is contagious even at this distance. I'm honestly very pleased with how things turned out: I gained another friend, helped her out and made a positive impact on her life, as well as becoming a role model for her. I won't be able to see her again until after I come back from overseas, but that's alright. It's not like I'm never going to see her again. I have decided to personally watch over her, as well as occasionally visit her. She's just like me back then, and if no one else can help her, then I will do that. Such a pure and gentle little girl like her doesn't deserve to have a childhood like what I went through… If I can make a small difference in this world by helping this little girl that reminds me so much of my younger self…
Then that's all that matters.
…
…
…
L-Let just ignore the fact that she stole my first kiss, which was also her first as well…AND that I got called as a Lolicon Pedophile NEET as a result…
In yet another unexpected act of mischievousness, she put her hands on her lips and blew kisses my way, smiling, before their bus turned at the corner…and I didn't see her anymore.
Uwaaah… That was something that wives would typically do to their husbands in those old war movies…
Ah… I don't see him anymore…
He had a goofy and awkward expression on his face when I blew him a kiss, and it was worth the embarrassment on my part to see him make a face like that…
I was brought back to reality when I heard one of my classmates call me my name.
"Tsurumi-san! Tsurumi-san!" She says, I'm not so sure, but I think her name was Mitsugi-san. "Who was he?! Wasn't he the sunglasses-Onii-san who the others met the day before yesterday?" Her friends and others were right behind her, looking at me expectantly.
I am honestly a bit overwhelmed, but I steeled myself to at least make a reply. "Ah, yes that was him. His name is Hikigaya Hachiman…" I unconsciously touched the handkerchief that he gave me that was on my lap.
"Oh! So that's his name!"
"His name is really cool!"
"You know, I think I heard of his family name before!"
Mitsugi-san excitedly seats herself next to me, startling me because of how close we are. Her friends do the same too, are at least try but they weren't able to because of how narrow the seats were. "Tsurumi-san! We didn't know that you had such a cool boyfriend!"
"Yeah! That was really sneaky! Hehehehe! You should have introduced us to him!"
Of course, I couldn't help but get surprised at their words.
"H-Huh?! N-No, we're not like that…" I say and waved my hands in front of me as I tried to keep my voice from cracking.
All of them tilt their heads to the side before something clicked inside their heads at the same time that caused them to squeal and get even giddier. They had bright blushes while holding the sides of their faces with their hands. I couldn't understand whatever came out of their mouths because their voices sounded stirred and interrupted by giggles and squealing.
"Oh! So it's a fiancee thing?! Kyaaaahhh~!"
"Or a first love?!"
"It's like something from one of those shows my Onee-chan watches!"
"You gave him a kiss too!"
I blush profusely at how much they misunderstood us. Uwaah… I knew I shouldn't have done it…seeing his reaction to it after was too funny.
But I don't really regret it…
Before I could melt from all of their embarrassing words, Kushino-sensei dispersed my classmates, and they reluctantly went back to their seats with pouts. They said that they wanted to talk more after the trip, which really surprised me. Kushino-sensei and I made eye contact, and she gave me a knowing wink which made me squeak and blush.
The seat next to mine was unoccupied, and I put my bag on it and checked all my stuff. I went through the photos that I took throughout the trip and smile fondly at all of the new friends that I made. The handkerchief that I had on my lap fell, but I managed to prevent it from touching the floor with my foot.
There was something white inside it that I didn't notice before, and I pick it up to see that it was a small slip of paper that was folded tightly. I open it to see what it was.
Hi Rumi.
If there's anything you need, or if you just want to talk about stuff, don't hesitate to call or message me with my contact information below. :)
Yours truly,
Hikigaya Hachiman
And right below them was a set of numbers as well as an email address.
I smile and giggle to myself after rereading the small note several times.
This is really sweet of him to do…
"Tobe, Saika, have you checked your things?" I ask them as I close the door to the cabin. We already had a quick breakfast with the others, and we immediately started to get our things ready to finally end this short summer camp of ours.
"No problem here!"
"Mm, we're good to go Hachiman."
We joined Hayama who was at a small distance away waiting for us. After a short walk, while talking, we met up with the girls and Sensei who was patiently awaiting our arrival. Since Komachi, Saki and I came with my Mother, and Yukinoshita, Yui and Saika with Sensei, we would be separated into three groups while going back to Chiba.
As for Hayama, Yumiko, Tobe and Hina, their ride was already here and we made our goodbyes. While we're having a last-minute chat, Hina pulled me aside and motioned for me to lean down. I was a bit worried that it may cause some suspicion, but no one seems to pay us any mind. Saika was with us, so I can imagine that it helped quite a bit. We don't really mind having Saika overhear us since he knows as well.
"Hachi-kun, did you have fun~?" She says, and I catch the scent of her familiar perfume.
"Yes, I did," I reply as I watch Yumiko and Saki share a laugh over something that Yui and Komachi said, while Yukinoshita just looks at the four with an expression of bewilderment.
Saika turns to us and makes an apologetic face. "Hachiman, Hina, sorry that I can't go with you with the phone hunting and all. I have Tennis practice with the club like what Yoshiteru said at the group chat."
I shake my head at him. "No. It's fine, Captain. I'll just bring this perverted Fujoshi with me then."
Hina's smile cracks a bit, and she pinches the side of my arm for my retort. "Says the Lolicon Pedophile NEET…"
Before I could make a comeback, I suddenly had the strangest feeling that I am forgetting something extremely important. The two of them must have noticed the sudden change in my expression since they grew concerned and asked me about it.
I put a hand under my chin and frown while looking back in the direction of the cabin. "I… I don't know. I think that I forgot something…" I say while feeling all around my body for anything that I may have overlooked. Wallet, phone, my other handkerchief, watch… I didn't bring my gold necklace nor my wide-brimmed hat.
When I instinctively narrowed and shielded my eyes from the Sun while looking up in thought, it was when I remembered it.
"Ah, my sunglasses."
After thinking for a bit, Saika says that he hasn't seen it since the day before yesterday, which is similar to Hina's answer. He then went to the others to ask if they saw it around, Hina was going to join him too but he said that it's alright. I had already triple-checked my bag, and we scoured the cabin up and down before going out earlier so it couldn't be there.
Where could it be…? Let's see…
Yesterday morning, I was at the girl's cabin to help Yui reconcile Yukinoshita and Yumiko. Then I met up with Kushino-san, breakfast, then Hina and I got trapped in the girl's showers, the stream with Rumi and so on and so forth. She started thinking as well, and her brows furrowed in concentration.
She sighed and huffed out, looking slightly frustrated. "Sorry Hachi-kun, I can't remember…"
"Do you think it fell on the bushes or something? Maybe one of the kids found it and didn't bother handing it to the place's Admin for lost and found items?" I ask as my thoughts went and took every possibility into consideration.
Hina shakes her head. "I don't know." She says, before quickly looking up at me with wide eyes and gripping my arm. "Hachi-kun! The showers! Remember when I pulled you inside? It could have fallen there when we went out." She says in a low voice. We see Saika asking the others about it with all of them shaking their heads and shrugging after turning in our direction.
"Are you sure? That's really unlikely. Maybe I accidentally put it in your bag?" I say while thinking about yesterday's events. Now that I think about it, I think it did disappear at around that time.
"No, it's not in here. I would know if it was." She gestures to her bag while shaking her head.
We reluctantly went back to the main group just as Hayama, Tobe and Yumiko started getting on their rented vehicle, the YuYu pair finally separating after a brief and awkward goodbye after the blonde gave the Ice Queen an unexpected hug, much to her embarrassment. Yumiko gave all the girls a hug but whispered something to Saki and Yui, which caused them to giggle and playfully slap her arm. Komachi said something as well and grinned before patting her head. It's good to see them all getting along. Yukinoshita wanted to say something, but stopped herself and swallowed her words instead.
She was the last to get on, but before entering, she turned to me with a smirk. "See you later, Hikio."
I give her a simple nod. "You too-"
"Oh sorry, I meant Lolicon Pedophile NEET."
My eye twitched and I raised my fist at her while the others laughed. "Don't make me hit you on the head. I'll send you flying to Siberia."
She giggled and stuck out her tongue. Once their car was out of the driveway, Hiratsuka-sensei walks over to us and after hearing the small commotion about my sunglasses. After explaining things to her, Hina and Yui jogged to where the showers while Sensei sent a message to the Admin. Since things might take too long, Hina told Yumiko, Hayama and Tobe to go without her since she might take a while after accepting Sensei's offer of riding with them.
As I was busy thinking, Hirastuka-sensei turns to me with a raised brow while we were waiting for Hina and Yui to return. "You and Ebina are really close, aren't you?"
Oh.
"Does it look like that, Sensei?" I ask and she nods. "Hmm, I guess we are then." I shrug coolly. Vehemently rejecting Sensei would be too suspicious, the best course of action would be to gracefully accept it calmly. And I'm not one to get all flustered and start stuttering over such a trivial thing. She eyed me longer than I would have liked before speaking again.
"Why are you looking for it in the girl's showers anyway?"
"She dragged me to go with her yesterday morning since she had no one else to ask. I just carried her things."
"And it just so happened to fall there…? Inside…?" It's clear that she doesn't quite believe our story or at least a part of it. I can't really blame her. I'm going to have a little talk with Hina about how she should properly act in the future.
"I don't know Sensei, it doesn't hurt checking." I shrug and say in all honesty since I don't know as well. It could have fallen on the corner outside of our field of view or I could have carelessly put it on a branch somewhere while I was fixing my shoes for all I care. I seriously don't know. She observed me for a little while before speaking again. "Did you go inside?"
That sounds really lewd.
"No Sensei. I didn't." The lie tasted extremely bitter in my mouth, made especially so because it was Sensei that I was blatantly lying to.
She looked like she wanted to interrogate me further but stopped and sighed. "Hmph, at least you have someone that you can get chummy with after all. And it's a girl too." Sensei says with a small smile. I admit that Hina may have been a bit too clingy these past two days, and I even warned her yesterday and in the group chat as well, but she just can't stop herself. That's honestly not a good excuse, maybe I'll give her a punishment or something.
"Sensei, it's like you're saying that I am unpopular with the male population. Saika, Hayama and Tobe are my friends too you know?" I say and she laughs and pats my shoulder. Not just them, my Senpais in the StuCo, the Class Reps that I got acquainted with as well as some Club Presidents, members and committee volunteers. I don't like to sound like a scheming snake, but I know who to talk to if I need a favour or something that I can't do because of the risk of exposing myself too much. Quite a few people owe me favours after all, and they are more than willing to come to my call to arms.
"What about that Zaimokuza fellow? I saw him in the Club once or twice."
"Yes, him too of course." I sigh and roll my eyes, but on the inside, I'm quite glad that Sensei changed the topic. She was about to say something until we both saw Hina and Yui coming to us. Both of them were panting with some sweat forming on their foreheads and I kind of felt bad for making them do it. To my disappointment, they both shook their heads.
"It wasn't there Hikki. We searched every stall and the place around it too." Yui says with an apologetic face, followed by Hina.
"Well..." I tried to hide my disappointment, but I couldn't help but accidentally give out a rather loud huff of frustration. I immediately regretted it since I had startled Yui and she withdrew her hand from me. That pair was given to me by my Father, I'm sure that he'll get upset when he learns of this. Maybe I can buy another one…
I felt Yui slowly reach out and rub my back. "H-Hikki…"
"Ah… And I have to return the car before I get a penalty, the Admin hasn't replied yet too…" Sensei makes a difficult face and turns to cheer me up. "Don't worry Hikigaya, if it's here then it's probably with them. Probably." Sensei says, and Yui and Hina follow up with their own words to try and uplift my sour mood.
"I guess that it can't be helped then…" I make a resigned sigh. I saw something akin to regret in Hina, she must be feeling responsible about it or something, which is completely illogical. It's my fault and no one else's that I got careless and lost it. The four of us go back to join the others, I was dragging my feet on the ground while Yui pushes my back forward.
"Hikki! Cheer up!"
I just groan at her, as if I have gone mute.
"Come on Hikki! What would it take to cheer you up? Do you want to go somewhere after this? I know a great place where they sell really good cakes and pies!" She starts walking beside me and pulls my arm forward. "Oh, I know! Let's go to my house! Mama says that she wants to meet you!" Sensei and Hina just watch the two of us with amused smiles on their faces.
Hoh, an offer for lunch or dinner at Yui's place…? The invitation sounds enticing, and I am honestly curious at how much this student of mine has improved her cooking outside the school. I don't really mind going to her place, I know where she lives since I had given her a ride on my bike home some time ago. As I recall, she invited me for tea but it was my turn to cook that night so I had to respectfully decline. And with a direct invitation from her Mother, then I don't need to feel nervous and anxious and all that.
"Really…?" I ask to make sure that she's not joking.
She smiled and nodded. "Really!"
"Hmm, well…" I say after thinking a bit and scratch my head as she looks at me expectantly. "It would be rude to keep your Mother waiting, then -" I stopped mid-sentence when I heard the familiar horn of a car.
Ah, she's here…
Yukinoshita perked up at the sound as well and looked around. She suddenly looked startled and I saw some fear in her eyes.
We soon saw the car itself, its sleek and slender form making its way towards us until it stopped at a small distance away. Hiratsuka-sensei had a look of surprise on her face, I didn't know that she was acquainted with her, much less recognize her car. As for Yukinoshita, she had stiffened upon seeing it and looked as if she had turned to stone.
The car's engine turned off, the door to the driver's side opened, and out stepped Yukinoshita Haruno wearing a white sundress. As always, she is breathtaking no matter what she wears.
"Haruno…?" I hear Hiratsuka-sensei mutter from under her breath.
"Oh! Shizuka-chan!" Haruno exclaims and skips towards us. Hina and Yui look at the newcomer and unconsciously took a step back, with the latter letting go of my arm and leaving Sensei and me to face her alone. She stops right in front of Sense and gives her a hug, where the older woman just lightly pats her back. "Haruno, are you here to pick up your little sister?"
She pulls away with a grin. "No, I'm not here for Yukino-chan." She says in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear and looks to the side, locking eyes with her little sister and scanning the girls who were around her. Yukinoshita had a look of confusion on her face at her older sister's words. She looks satisfied, then her grin widens and turns to me as she takes my arm and forcefully pulls me to her. I didn't resist when she rested her head on my shoulder. "I'm just here for Hachiman~…"
All eyes were on the two of us, and I deliberately unfocused my vision so I couldn't see the expressions on their faces. I sigh and turn to Haruno who looks like she's having the time of her life. "Haruno-nee-san…"
Even though I couldn't see her properly, I saw the vague shape of Yukinoshita flinch, as well as the others who were staring at us.
She looks at me, then frowns when she takes a closer look at my lip. "Haa-chan, what happened to your lip…?" She says and holds my cheek with some force when I instinctively leaned away. "Did you fall or something…?" She deliberately stood on her tiptoes to see better, giving our spectators a rather intimate display in the process. I must have gotten taller since she's a bit shorter compared to the last time I saw her. The material on her sundress looked quite thin and airy, and she showed off much of her shoulders which caused me to mentally get a hold of myself. Unfortunately, I took a peek at the pretty shiny emerald pendant that dangled a few centimetres below the base of her neck, just below her collarbones. When she caught me taking a peek, she grinned wider. With how close we are…if I look down…
"Something like that," I say and lean my head away from her, yet still making eye contact. If I do, then it would make me look weak.
"You weren't in a fight, were you…? Auntie would really be upset…"
I shake my head. "No. I just slipped and bit my lip." I reply and she slowly and reluctantly let go of me. Of course, she would be surprised to see me in this state. I didn't tell her that this happened. Haruno pretended that she just noticed the others and proceeded to properly introduce herself when Sensei cleared her throat.
"Hello everyone! I'm Yukinoshita Haruno, elder sister of Yukino-chan and alumni from Sobu High school! So I'm like your Senpai I guess!" She says in a cheery tone and everyone else starts introducing themselves.
After they were finished, she pats my shoulder several times. "As for what I am to Haa-chan here…" She sported a thoughtful look and put a finger to her lips. She's really enjoying herself and putting on quite a show huh… "I'm closer to him than being just called friends, but not close enough to be called a best friend. Oh! What about his girlfriend then~! That sounds rather nice~!"
There was a collective and audible intake of air.
Quite a few of them had looks of surprise, especially a certain someone's little sister. Komachi looked like she wanted to go to Haruno, but stopped when I gave her the slightest shake of my head. She has a teasing tone in her voice, not to mention her body language itself but I think some of them are taking her words too seriously. I can feel their gazes go up and down her figure, as well as thinking about how true her words are. I roll my eyes and sigh. "Nee-san…"
When I said her name again, she stopped herself before she could do it, but I saw Yukinoshita's lips almost purse on their own. She must be feeling irritated or slightly annoyed. I can't really blame her. If some guy that suddenly appeared starts acting the same way Haruno is doing to Komachi, I'd get pissed off too.
Haruno giggles when we lock eyes and then turns to the others. "Just kidding~! I'm like his older sister figure! So if any girl wants to get him, she has gone to through me first! Just kidding~! Hehehehehehe!" She declares which causes some brows to raise here and there.
She smiles happily and goes to Yukinoshita, who puts her arm around her waist which caused her to almost jump out of her skin. "It's good to see that Yukino-chan has friends! Please be patient with her, she's rather awkward and shy and sometimes doesn't quite mean things that she says, or something! Ahaha~!" Haruno laughs and Yukinoshita blushes profusely. The others didn't quite know how to react, and just gave out forced chuckles.
"Komachi, something came up and I have to go with Haruno." I say with an undertone that spoke no room for argument when our eyes made contact. All she could do was nod after looking at me with surprise. Saki gave me a worried look while she eyed Haruno warily, who was making Yukinoshita more uncomfortable by the second.
While Haruno was having fun poking reactions and making Yukinoshita flustered, Sensei pokes my rib with her elbow. "Hikigaya, I didn't know that you knew Haruno..."
"She knows my parents and tutored me several times before," I say in an even and dull tone.
"She's really pretty, isn't she?"
"Hmm, yup." Yui and Hina say from behind us. The younger looked like she's about to lose her patience and slowly unhooked her older sister's hands from her waist. "N-nee-san… Please stop... You are embarrassing me in front of my-" She caught herself and stopped before she could finish her words. Haruno grinned and was about to tease her again until I called out to her.
"Haruno, didn't you say that we're in a hurry?"
She turns to me and gives me a knowing look, we stare at each other for several tense moments before she shrugged and stepped away from her little sister. Yukinoshita watches her calmly return back to my side and puts her hand around mine, clearly sending an unspoken message and completely shrugging off the confused and slightly appalled stares on her without a care in the world. As if it weren't worth giving her time and attention to. "Mou, Hachiman is such a killjoy…" It's honestly amazing in a way. It was like I was seeing myself walking in the hallways at school.
"N-Nee-san? What about m-" Yukinoshita was about to follow her, but stopped at what Haruno said next.
"Sorry Yukino-chan, you can't come with us. Our family driver will be the one taking you home. I already have permission from Uncle and Auntie." She says firmly without even turning to her, and only does so when she's right next to me. Sensei, Hina and Yui had taken steps back to give us some space. I can't blame them, and I would do the same if I were in their shoes. With the way Haruno acted, she's sending a clear message to everyone here. Yukinoshita looks quite hurt at being left out, her facial expression says exactly that. I don't know if these two sisters have had a conflict before, or if they never got along in the first place, but I don't really care since it's honestly none of my business. Aside from the occasional remark being lightly thrown by Haruno, she barely mentions nor asks about her little sister. It's the same with Yukinoshita, her answers are vague and short when asked about her family, especially about the topic of her older sister. Also, she doesn't know that I'm this acquainted with her older sister since I honestly had no reason to tell her. Haruno never directly spoke of it, but that is what she wanted.
From the edge of my peripheral vision, she turns to me to defend or support her. She was pleading with me with her eyes. To say or do something, to at least offer a helpful word or two.
I keep my mouth sealed and pretend to type something on my phone that I secretly took out earlier. I could practically feel the ends of Haruno's lips turn upward. If no one else was around, she would have definitely gave out a sadistic laugh.
"So that's that!" She claps her hands together once and then intertwines her arm with mine. "We'll be taking our leave then!"
"I'm sorry that it's so sudden, but I didn't really know how to explain things," I say, and after I give a short farewell, she leads me to the seat beside her, and I open the door and enter her car with my bag in my hand.
"Shizuka-chan! Let's hang out sometime!" Haruno says while giving Sensei a wave, before opening the door and entering the vehicle. She turned on the engine, and the car drove forward and went back to the path that would lead us to the main road. I watched everyone that I left behind at the side mirror, they were still standing there, not quite sure how to react to how fast things just happened. Sensei turned to the others and said something that snapped them out of the daze-like condition that they were in. After sending us one final look, she ushers the others away so they can start preparing for their departure as well.
"Haruno… That was too sudden."
She grins and turns to me. "Hehehe, I know right? Shizuka-chan's expression was priceless~!" I didn't share her mirth and tell her to keep her eyes forward. The last thing that I want to do is to have both of us involved in a car accident. Since the path was clear, it didn't take long for us to reach the main road and go along with the other cars headed in the direction of Chiba. I kept an eye out for Rumi's bus just in case we pass by her.
"Wasn't that a bit too much…?" I ask after several minutes of silence.
"Hmm, not really. If I wanted to, I could have done more though."
"A-Ah, I see… Well, thank you for picking me up Haruno." I say and give her a slight bow that looked silly because of the seatbelt that I had on me.
"Don't mention it! I like driving in the mornings anyway, lesser people on the road and all that. So about what happened…care to tell Onee-san what you were doing these past two days?"
I gave her a brief summary of all that happened, of course, I didn't mention that Yumiko and Yukinoshita had a small fight, my meet-ups with Hina and the finer details when we helped Rumi. She was strangely quiet, which is rare for her to do since she would always add in a word or two. But this time, she just listened.
"Sounds like you had fun Haa-chan~!" She grins when I shake my head at her words. Seriously, she's copying my Mother too much. I wonder how many times those two meet behind my back. Not to mention how much she knows about me through my Mother.
"On the other hand, you have a surprising number of female friends. I didn't get to see this Yumiko fellow but it sounds like you two get along well. You're on a first-name basis with all of them too. Well, except for…"
"..."
I knew who she was talking about of course. They do share the same surname after all.
"Wouldn't Yukino-chan feel left out and isolated when she's the only one that's being treated differently among all of them? I can't imagine how she must be feeling… You are her friend after all, am I right?" She says.
It's something that's been on my mind for some time, but I ignored it since she didn't seem to mind it. But now that I think about it, I have noticed a bitter smile and slight looks of disdain when she thinks that no one sees it in the rare moments that I watch her. When she was with me last night, it was randomly decided on a coin toss as to who should be with who and where. And by pure coincidence, she got stuck with me in a place where I could watch everything unfold without being seen. She tried to hide it, but I think she was glad to get paired up with me.
"..."
Haruno ignored my silence and continued. "She must feel kind of bad. I mean if I were in her place, I'd definitely feel a bit alienated. Tell me, why aren't you calling her by her first name anyway?"
"It's unfair that you're trying to make me feel guilty. Haruno, she and I aren't as close as you would think." I say calmly as I watch the trail exhaust of a plane high in the sky. In a few days, I'll be riding in one to take me someplace very far away. My Father already has the ticket, and he even bought a new travel bag for me.
"Hmm? Is that how it is?" She asks and I nod. "I thought you were close friends already. Didn't she see you as some kind of rival or something last year?" She already had an idea of what I was to Yukinoshita when we met at Angel Ladder a month or two ago so her words didn't come as surprising. That was before she and I had the argument that strained the thing that we had for some time.
"Is it really rivalry when one side doesn't even acknowledge the other?" I reply, which caused a smirk from her. "I honestly can't see myself being beaten by anyone at school. I mean, I do have so many tricks up my sleeve. That flash drive that you gave me, my dependable Senpais at the StuCo, the people who owe me favours and not to mention, my most trusty asset: You."
She starts giggling, but I saw no blush on her cheeks. "Awwww, that's so sweet of you. But being called an asset feels weird. It's like I'm a tool or just a chess piece or something. You shouldn't compliment girls that way, Hachiman. One day they might spite you for it." She says with a slight warning undertone.
I shrug and ignore her. "Hmph, be that as it may, you are still very important to me."
"Was that a confession~…?" She cooed in a sweet voice. If I was not accustomed to her teases, I would have gone pink on the spot.
"Interpret it as you like," I say rather coldly.
Instead of replying immediately, she got quiet and studied me from the corner of her eye. I asked her if something was wrong when her gaze was starting to make me feel anxious because her eyes weren't on the road. When she spoke, there's no hint of mischievousness. Instead, she sounds concerned. "Hachiman, did something happen? You sound a bit annoyed for some reason…"
Her words immediately made me reflect on how I spoke to her, and I apologized. "Ah, sorry. I lost something when we were there. Still must be on my mind and all." She shakes her head to tell me that it's fine.
"Is that so… Well cheer up! Onee-san is here! Even though it's only for a few days, we're going to have lots of fun, you and I! You're mine." She says cheerfully, which reminded me of how Yui tried to cheer me up earlier. Uwaah, I wonder if Yui's offer is still on the table…I hope that she doesn't think any less of me. I just ignored how much Haruno emphasized the last part.
I roll my eyes and rest my chin on my hand, absentmindedly looking at the scenery to my right. I saw Chiba in the distance, the tall buildings that towered over the city like giants. If I force my eyes a bit, I can see the thin blanket of air pollution that unfortunately hangs over it.
"By the way, Nee-san." I say while not facing her.
"Hmm…?"
"If you're going to post pictures of us in your social media accounts, can you not include me, or just blur my face at most…?"
She made a small sound of confusion at my strange request. "Hmm? Why?"
"Other than the fact that I don't have an official social media account since I only use dummies and throwaways, I… I just don't want to show my face too much." I say while trying to keep my voice calm and hiding my right hand from her, which had started to twitch by itself again. If this keeps up, I'll have to hide my left one too.
Haruno started giggling, probably thinking that I wasn't serious.
But I am.
I am dead serious.
"Heeeeh, what's this Haa-chan~? Are you embarrassed to see me with you? Hehehe~! Well, if you say so, I guess Onee-san can compromise~. I'll just need to show it to him as proof, hopefully, he doesn't force me to post them though~!" I have an idea as to who she means, but I'll set that aside for the time being.
"I see, well thank you for that."
It wasn't the answer that I wanted to hear, but it's the best one available so accepted it for now. I'm not the one making the shots.
These next few days are going to be exhausting now that I am snared by Haruno… I swear, I never to catch a break, do I?
Hello everyone! Ivanov117 here!
It's exactly one week after my previous update, this chap literally squeezed all of my brain juice and I think I'm going to take a little break idk lol.
The Chad Tsurumi Rumi vs the Virgin literally every other girl in the fic. Rumi was such a chad in the previous chapter, as well as this one! I made her extra cheeky since I loved her interactions with 8MAN and I thought that they were adorably innocent and fitting for someone of her age. We'll see her again, not to worry! I think we all know who her first love is!
Hint: He is also known as "Lolicon Pedophile NEET"!
As for Haruno, she really pulled a sneaky move huh. Taunting the other girls like that, getting touchy-feely with 8MAN while they were watching, in front of her little sister even! I think it riled up quite a few heads, maybe it'll even cause them to take action and stake their claim…? Jealously, betrayal, questioning their relationships and possessiveness and all that. Who knows what's going on in Yukinoshita Haruno's mind?
Okay, enough of me poking your heads to turn your gears for fun!
To the guy who asked if a Hachi x Iroha or Hachi x Komachi smut is on the way… Well, who knows?
As always, favourite, follow, leave a review or PM me your thoughts if you want!
I'll see you lot next time!