Disclaimer: I do not own Oregairu or any brands mentioned.
Previously on Match Point: Yukino and Shizuka deal with living under the same roof, while 8man and Rorona get the location of the real Fight Club.
Wednesday - Abandoned Basement – 15:59
"Six hundred and one…"
Hikigaya takes a deep breath, as he lowers his chest to the ground.
"Six hundred and two…"
He exhales loudly, then raises his body up, before lowering it again.
"Six hundred and three…"
Currently, he is winning a bet Rorona made with him. The older of the two said that Hachiman couldn't do more than three hundred push-ups in one go. Of course by now the assassin has doubled the amount suggested and is still going strong.
"Six hundred and four…"
While he does this, Rorona sits on the bed looking at news articles on his phone; occasionally he'll glance over at his partner, but for the most part he keeps his attention online. The two of them have been trying to kill some time since last week, and have agreed to head to the fight club later tonight.
"Six hundred and fi-"
Right before finishing the next push up, Hikigaya hears footsteps by the stairs leading into the basement, prompting him to quickly stand up. Rorona notices this and drops his phone on the pillow, before reaching behind his back and pulling out a handgun. The assassin runs over to a small crate, where he grabs a submachine gun and aims it right at the doorway. The two of them look at each other for a moment, then back at the entrance. Both are clearly ready for whatever's about to come through the door.
A moment later it opens up, and a young girl with light brown hair casually walks in, only to see the guns aimed at her. She backs away awkwardly and blushes. Rorona smiles and puts the handgun down. Hachiman looks at him, then at the girl, before slowly putting his gun down as well.
"Yuigahama…" He says, acknowledging her.
"Hi Hikki! Hi Rorona…"
Currently, she is wearing a yellow scarf under a thick bright red jacket. Yui also has tight jean-shorts on over black leggings with boots. Hikigaya is simply dressed in cargo pants with no shirt, while Rorona wears a polo top and jeans.
"Why're you here?" The assassin asks bluntly.
She puts her hands behind her back and looks to the side.
"I-I wanted to see how you were doing…"
He quickly jogs over to her and peeks up the stairs she came from, making sure no one is following behind. After checking for a good few seconds, he backs out and stands about a metre in front of Yuigahama.
"Well I'm fine... I heard you gave me your blood, and I didn't get a chance to thank you."
"Oh it's no problem…" Yui responds, as her eyes travel down his bare torso and over the large burn mark on his stomach.
It's clear what she's looking at, and Hikigaya doesn't dance around the topic.
"It's not as bad as it seems."
She chuckles nervously and shakes her head.
"I remember watching you bleeding in Hiratsuka-sensei's apartment… It was scary."
"Yeah." He agrees, frowning at the mention of his now ex-teacher.
Rorona doesn't pay too much attention to them, and quickly gets back on his phone.
"Yukinon told me everything by the way; about who you are, and what you do." Yui explains, as her eyes lock with Hachiman's.
"Well you inexplicably helped save my life, so I suppose you deserve to know."
In the back of his mind, he feels a slight worry. Yuigahama is a just a regular girl, and her knowing about his true identity as an assassin puts him in danger, not to mention she is clearly also aware of the location he's hiding out in.
"It wasn't inexplicable!" She responds, clenching her fists. "I wouldn't let anyone just… Die. Especially not you!"
There is a short silence, as they stand awkwardly in front of each other.
"I hate to ask this but…"
"You can trust me! If that's what you were going to say. I'm actually good at keeping secrets so… Don't worry about it!"
Hikigaya smiles at her and she smiles back, albeit more reserved.
"You're not scared at all? I'm sure Yukinoshita warned you to stay away from me."
Yuigahama takes a deep breath.
"Of course I'm scared, but not of you! I know you're a good person, and I'll never think otherwise no matter what!"
"You understand who I am right?" He asks, folding his arms. "I've murdered a lot of people. That's pretty frowned upon. It's strange you'd call me anything other than a monster..."
"No, it's not strange... Don't you remember how we met?"
He raises an eyebrow.
"I remember."
"You saved my dog! It all happened in a split second; his collar came loose and a car was coming, but then you jumped in. If you had hesitated for even a moment he'd have died. That means you didn't hesitate, and you saved him on instinct."
"That's all it takes to be a good person?"
"I mean you're an… Assassin, and all those people you k-killed were by choice. When you saved my dog - you didn't have to decide, because it's just who you are."
He looks down at the ground, considering her reasoning. Regardless, to Hikigaya "good" and "bad" are constructs that are largely irrelevant. If he had to filter his decisions through the murky waters of morality, it's likely he'd have the ability to do a lot less. It's clear though, that Yui does not share this sentiment.
"Well I won't argue with you. Thanks for the blood, but right now I think it's best if you didn't come here. I'm fine, so there's nothing to worry about."
She frowns and clenches her fist.
"I didn't just come here for that."
Hachiman looks at her, and their eyes lock once again.
"I think you should go speak to Hiratsuka-sensei."
"No."
His answer is rather snappy.
"Why not?"
"There's nothing to speak about."
"But you two are friends, right? I understand and forgive you for lying, I'm sure she will too if you just ex-"
"No; my involvement has led directly to Hiratsuka's life being endangered. Me initiating contact will not help at all. Right now Rorona and I working to get the men who want her dead gone."
"But she's your friend."
"Actually, she's not. She's my former target. I'll do what I can to help her now, but we were never real friends."
Yuigahama gets an annoyed look on her face, as Hikigaya turns around and begins walking away.
"You should go home. There aren't too many busses in this area, and if you don't leave soon you might not be able to catch one at all."
She ignores his advice and stomps her foot on the ground.
"If you don't care about Hiratsuka-sensei at all, then why even bother to help her?!"
He stops walking, and looks over his shoulder at her.
"You don't need to care about someone to not want them to die an unnecessary death; I just said we aren't friends. Once I clean up the mess I've made, I'm going my own way."
"She cares about you!" Yui says candidly. "Hiratsuka-sensei told Yukino and me when we slept over at her apartment. I could tell by the way that she speaks about you that she cares. You should go see her."
The assassin walks over to a crate and pulls out a white dress shirt. He slides his arms into the sleeves, before buttoning the top up.
"Will you at least think about it?"
There is long silence, as he pulls some shoes out of the crate as well, puts them on, then ties the laces. When he is done, he looks at Yuigahama with a bored expression.
"Yeah, I'll think about it."
She smiles and turns around.
"I'll come visit you every week to see how you're doing!"
"Bring some food as well…" Rorona suggests, looking up from his phone.
"Okay!"
With that she opens up the door, and begins climbing the stairs out the basement.
"You shouldn't be so hard on her."
Hikigaya looks at Rorona, as he stands up.
"I'm not hard on her. Right now she's a liability."
"Shut up. You need to be more trusting, it's clear she likes you. Not to mention you owe her your life."
"Whatever..." Hachiman responds, running his hands through his hair. "Let's go."
"What? Where?"
"To the fight club."
"Wait... Right now?"
"What can I say? I'm feeling motivated..."
Yukinoshita's Apartment – 16:30
Hiratsuka looks to the left, then to the right - before slyly grinning. Right now she is sitting in an empty bathtub, holding a bottle of wine.
Before coming here, Yukinoshita told the older woman to grab only the most basic necessities from her apartment. That meant toothbrushes, makeups, clothes, and anything related to her school work. Hiratsuka tried to bring along some manga and anime Blu-rays, but Yukinoshita was quick to veto the idea.
Another item Shizuka wanted to take with was her mini-fridge filled with various alcohols. As expected - Yukino said no, but the teacher still snuck in one treasure: An expensive bottle of champagne she's been saving for a special occasion.
In her mind this "special occasion" was going to be a romantic dinner on a yacht with a celebrity. Instead, she's drinking it while hiding in her student's bathroom.
Yukinoshita is currently in the living room, getting her mandatory one hour of television consumption per day completed. During the time they've been staying together, Hiratsuka has noticed that when her student turns on the television - few things take her attention away, meaning she has a clear run to drink a bit of this wine.
'I should save a little for another time, since its not like I can go out…'
She giggles to herself, as she bites her lip and looks over every curve of the wine.
A moment later, Shizuka reaches out and begins pulling on the cork. When it doesn't come out, she pulls harder. Still, it stays lodged in the bottle.
'Hmm…'
She pulls it again, this time harder than ever before, clenching her face. Once again it doesn't budge, and a feeling of disappointment clouds the room.
It doesn't take her long to realize she'll need something to get the cork out, so Hiratsuka gently places the bottle down, before climbing out and the tub and walking towards the bathroom door. Using all her focus, she silently unlocks it and pulls down the handle. The Yukinoshita family isn't cheap, so there's no need to worry about creaky hinges.
She tiptoes out the bathroom and towards the kitchen. To her left is the back of the couch where Yukino is sitting facing the TV. A news station is relaying all the current events of the day. The teacher smiles, and continues her trek to the kitchen.
Upon reaching her destination, she kneels down by the different draws, opening them one by one. Eventually she finds a knife that should be able to remove the cork. Hiratsuka grabs it, then begins making her way back. As she re-enters the bathroom, she silently shuts the door, and strolls merrily towards the tub.
However, to her great surprise the champagne bottle has disappeared.
'What the…'
Suddenly the door behind her opens, and Shizuka turns around in a panic. In the doorway is Yukino, standing holding the bottle with a disappointed look on her face.
"Do you truly have no self-control?"
Fight Club – 20:42
Hikigaya and Rorona slowly walk through a massive crowd of people all gathered in a wide underground clearing. In the middle of the clearing is a large cage, where two shirtless men can be seen throwing punches at each other. Above the cage is a disco ball, which is reflecting several rainbow coloured lights flashing around the club. In one corner is a DJ standing behind a turn-table, and in-between two large speakers that are blaring music out. The loud music is matched only by the cheering crowd watching as the fight takes place.
"Well… This is certainly interesting!" Rorona says loudly, trying to speak over the noise.
"Not really, it seems pretty normal for a club!" Hikigaya responds, equally as loud.
"You're like ten years old, what do you know about clubs?"
The assassin chuckles, as they continue pushing through people.
"This is the perfect place to carry out a hit. Shoot someone and no one will hear, not to mention all the drugs; swap out cocaine for rat poison and your target will never know what hit them."
"Oh yeah, sorry... Sometimes I forget you're a psychopath."
As they arrive at the other end of the club, the amount of people begins to decrease. There is a bar connected to a wall, along with some couches placed about where people can be seen relaxing. Rorona and Hachiman sit down on the stools and both order some water. To the side, they notice an old man with a beard speaking to some guy who looks about twenty.
"Please sir, you gotta give me a job! I've proven myself! They're gonna evict me and my little brother!"
The man looks at him and sighs.
"Sorry kid. I got ten others wanting work just like you. Not just anyone can get in bed with Komanda, know what I'm saying?"
"I'm begging you."
"You mentioned you had a little brother right, how old's he?"
"F-Fourteen, why?"
"How about this: I get your brother some product, and he pushes it for me throughout his school. If that works out, I'll see about giving you some more permanent work."
"You want my brother dealing drugs?"
"Are you in?" The man responds, not really answering the question.
The younger the two puts his head in his hands, before nodding frantically.
"Good, now get outta here."
Hikigaya and Rorona listen carefully, as they sip their water.
"That's him." Rorona says, shifting his gaze towards the old man. "That's the lieutenant."
"Huh, interesting tactic, getting the guy's little brother to commit a crime like dealing."
"Yeah, most of the guys who come here looking for work are bruisers. They can guard stashes and maybe knock a couple heads together. For the most part they're expendable and Komanda knows this. Getting their families involved in crime gives him a big amount of leverage; so let's say Komanda needed someone killed for cheap, he could threaten one of his men to do it, and if they didn't, then he'd get their families arrested. This also prevents them from confessing."
"Sounds like a nice man..."
"He's no worse than any other big gun. No one cares about the guys at the bottom, or what they go through."
"Let's just get this done."
Rorona nods and leans forward.
"So, what's the plan?"
"I'm kind of over killing people, so I want to get this guy arrested. Calling the police to this club won't do much, especially if no one rats him out. An anonymous tip probably wouldn't be much help either. I'll need to get into his office, find some evidence, then hand him over to the cops."
"How do we get you into his office?"
"I'd hazard a guess that when he wants to speak real business, he wouldn't do it out here. If I can get him to hire me, I should be able to get to the office."
"Wait… Why would he want to hire you?"
Hikigaya slides off the stool and stands up.
"Just wait and see."
Rorona shakes his head disapprovingly, as the assassin walks off, leaving him at the bar.
Yukinoshita's Apartment – 19:21
Hiratsuka peaks over Yukinoshita's shoulder, as the younger of the two sits at her kitchen table, writing answers in a workbook.
"What you doing?" Shizuka asks curiously.
"Homework." Yukino answers, not looking away from the book.
"Yeah obviously, but what homework?"
"Social Sciences."
"Why don't you do the language work I gave you?"
"I already did it, along with all the other subjects. All that is left is Social Sciences."
The teacher grins.
"That's too bad… I could have given you all the answers for your language work."
"No need, I already knew all the answers. Also, if you give a student the answers, the homework is rendered pointless."
"I guess you're right…"
"I am right. How did you even become a teacher?"
Hiratsuka frowns at the remark, and walks over to the chair next to Yukinoshita, then sits down.
"Yui is coming over for a sleepover later." Yukinoshita says, writing something down.
The mention of Yuigahama peaks the teachers and interest, and her frown quickly disappears.
"I used to love sleepovers when I was your age; we would paint our toenails, speak about our classmates, and read magazines!"
She smiles at the memories.
"Then when we got older, all that got replaced with beers, cigarettes, and-"
"I arranged the sleepover with Yui to discuss the subjects she's under-performing in." Yukino interrupts. "There will be no painting toenails, speaking about classmates, or reading magazines. Let alone the other stuff you mentioned…"
"You're such a wet blanket Yukino! At this rate, Yui will be the only friend you ever have! Other than me of course."
The young girl looks up from her workbook, before closing it and standing up.
"I'm not a wet blanket - I'm responsible."
She begins to walk away, as Hiratsuka stares at her with a warm smile.
Fight Club – 21:05
Rorona sits on the bar stool, facing the crowd. He has his left elbow rested against the counter, with a Coca-Cola in his right hand. After Hikigaya left him twenty minutes ago, he has been nursing this drink through a plastic straw, waiting for him to return.
Past the crowd is the fighting ring, where two sweaty men have just finished their fight and are walking off. In the middle of the ring is a referee, though he looks more like a nightclub bouncer with his large physique and bald head. As the men leave, a new person enters. He is white, with tattoos all over his body. The man is thin, but muscular. Another thing to note is that his left eye is missing. The crowd begins cheering, as music plays loudly.
From the other end of the ring, Hikigaya steps through the chain-link gate. Rorona's eyes widen, and he leans forward to get a better a look. The assassin has only his cargo pants on, leaving him bare feet and shirtless. To the side of Rorona, Hiroshi Maeue (Komanda's lieutenant) watches closely, as he drinks some beer.
Inside of the ring, Hikigaya and his opponent begin walking closer to each other, while both rotating around the centre point.
"What's your name kid?" The one-eyed man asks, as the loud crowd cheers in the background.
"Does it matter?" Hachiman responds, raising his fists in front of his face.
"I don't know… You look young, but that burn on your stomach don't seem like something the average kid would get, even in an accident. So I just wanna let you know: I won't go easy."
The flashing lights and loud music give an overwrought atmosphere, exciting everyone in the club.
"Are we going to fight or you going to chat me to death?"
The one-eyed man grins, and begins running towards Hikigaya. As the distance between them closes, he goes in for the punch. Without blinking, the assassin catches the man's fist and pulls him to the side. He then elbows him in the face and kicks him in the stomach. A moment later, Hachiman swipes his opponents leg, dropping the man to ground.
"Guess I win…" He says, as he turns around and begins walking away.
"Huh? Win?"
The one-eyed man jumps up and tackles Hachiman to the ground.
"You don't win until your opponent gives up."
He punches the assassin hard in the face, then begins to strangle him.
"Or until they die…"
Hikigaya raises his legs, then wraps them around the man's neck and shoulders. He proceeds to roll over, pulling his opponent off of him. A moment later, he knees the man in the face, knocking him out. The crowd cheers loudly, with Hiroshi clapping softly from the bar.
Over the next hour, several men challenge Hachiman to a fight; all of them end up meeting a similar fate. Needless to say, he's got the lieutenants attention.
Author's Notes: This Hiroshi guy is a real piece of work, but what can you expect from one of Komanda's top guys?
Here is the review we will be responding to this week:
Clipsus says "Poor Yuigahama, Hiratsuka is cucking here without even trying."
This is true. Get ready for 92 chapters of NTR and feet.
Speaking of chapters, the 36th chapter will be up next week - as always.
