Disclaimer: I do not own Oregairu or any brands mentioned.
Previously on Match Point: 8man, Yukino, Rorona and Yui officially become a team, working to take down Komanda and his underlings, freeing both Shizuka and Japan from his crime.
Saturday - Yukinoshita's Apartment – 08:09
"Here we have a man claiming to be the reincarnation of Jesus, explaining how he has the ability to fly."
Hiratsuka sits on the couch, barefoot with her feet on the coffee table, watching the news. In her one hand is a Coca-Cola, while in the other is an energy bar.
On the floor beside the couch are several marked up book reports that she just finished.
"As you can see in the footage, the man does in fact not fly – but instead slides across a bowling alley, after having poured olive oil over the wood. Thankfully, he was promptly escorted out."
The news reporter wears a red blazer and has long curly black hair. Her lips are glossy and eyelashes long, complimenting her spotless face.
"In other news, Norio Nagayama has recently been found guilty of trafficking various items and people through the Port of Chiba. It was originally reported that the well-known Detective Reo Touma was the one who busted him, but recently the key witness in the case has come forward and countered these claims."
The footage switches from the woman over to a man in a cast, speaking into a microphone.
"It was not in fact the Japanese Police who rescued me; it was a stranger – someone I've never met – who risked their own life to save mine. I cannot in good conscience let police force take credit for the arrest of Norio Nagayama, when their involvement consisted of trying to catch my rescuer and very little else."
A moment later, the footage goes back to the women, this time with a sketched image superimposed next to her.
As the image pops up, Shizuka raises her eyebrows and leans forward – instantly recognizing the drawing as Hachiman.
"According to several officer's accounts, this is the likeness of the unknown individual who intervened at the port. He is also rumoured to be working with Rorona Kobayashi, a man who recently escaped from jail. Who is this individual and what are his true motives? You'll find the answers on channel 17, first."
Hiratsuka takes the television remote and hits the off the button, as she hears a door open from behind her.
"Good morning." Yukinoshita greets, as she walks out her room.
"Hey…"
The teacher's response isn't too enthusiastic, and Shizuka promptly slouches down into the couch.
"Is Haruno back from her trip yet?"
Yukino glances over at the bare feet on the coffee table for a moment, before responding.
"No, but she contacted me recently. It seems the Aztec temples held little fruit."
"Well, tell me when she's back."
"I will."
A moment later, Hiratsuka turns around and leans over the back of the couch.
"Are you going out again?"
"Yes, I'm meeting someone."
"Just like last week and the week before?"
"That's right…"
"Who exactly are you meeting?" Shizuka asks suspiciously.
"Hachiman."
The response is quite blunt, throwing the older of the two off.
"H-Hachiman? Why?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"I guess not…"
"Good."
With that, Yukinoshita heads towards her bathroom to shower. Hiratsuka watches her off, before turning back and staring over at the TV.
Five Years Earlier
"Tell me Rorona, do you understand why you're here?"
In a small room, Rorona sits in a large comfy chair with both his arms rested on the arm rests. The expression on his face is a mixture of annoyance and sadness, as he stares to the side.
"Yeah… I understand…"
Opposite from him, a man with glasses and light grey hair sits behind a desk. On the desk is a piece of paper, and the man is holding a pen.
"Do you also understand that a psyche evaluation is simply routine, and you shouldn't feel like you've done anything wrong to be sitting here."
Rorona looks over at the man, nods, then looks back to the side.
"Good, good. You recently came back from active combat; will you tell me how life has been since then?"
"It's been fine, I suppose."
"Have you had trouble adjusting at all?"
"Adjusting?"
"Like, has everything felt normal?"
"If you want to ask if I'm about to go nuts and shoot up a hospital, I'll save you the trouble – I'm fine."
"You see Rorona, phrases like that don't make you seem fine. Plenty of people have come back from warzones, with their heads still in said warzones."
Rorona takes deep breath, tapping his fingers against the side of the chair.
"Like I said, I'm fine…"
"And you don't feel like you could use any help at all?"
The question gets a laugh, and Rorona grins at the psychiatrist.
"I'm not the one who needs help..."
"Would you elaborate on that?"
"What's there to say? I'm sitting here in a comfy chair, while my friends – the ones who are still alive – are still over there."
"According to your file you were a medic, one of the bravest, but you had to be discharged due to not following orders. Do you feel that it was unfair, and you should've been allowed to continue your work?"
"Yeah, it's definitely unfair, but not for me. It's unfair for the people who'll go and die for nothing – while I'm here, helpless to save them."
"Is that how you feel, helpless?"
"Yeah…" Rorona responds, taking a deep breath. "I feel… Helpless…"
Present Day – Abandoned Basement – 11:12
"Okay, look at me." Yukinoshita orders, getting everyone's attention.
Currently she is standing next to a large monitor that's been set up in place of the whiteboard. It's high resolution and touch screen functionality make it perfect to present with.
Hikigaya, Yuigahama, and Rorona all sit on chairs a few metres away, staring up at the monitor.
"As you all know, the three lieutenants Miyuki Ishikawa, Hiroshi Maeue, and Norio Nagayama have all been arrested. These three lieutenants formed the base of the Five-Stars operation, however – as important as they were – they are replaceable. The next tier of Komanda's lieutenants are not replaceable, so it's crucial we hit them while they're hurt."
Yukino taps a file on the screen, prompting two images of question marks to pop up.
"The two final lieutenants operate in secret, their names aren't even available. Due to this, taking them down would normally be impossible."
"Luckily we have you!" Yuigahama interjects with a big smile, pointing towards her friend.
"That's right, because with my skills I was able to find some information on them."
"What do you have?" Hikigaya asks, leaning back in his chair.
"The first of the two lieutenants is a male, living in a penthouse apartment in Tokyo. The second is female and resides in a suburban area just outside of Chiba.
I found this out by tracking anyone whose cell phone frequently pinged near the Port of Chiba, Hiroshi's fight club, or Miyuki's strip joint. It took a long time but eventually I got several people who were at all these places multiple times in the last few years.
What I did then was take a look at all these people's bank statements. The two who pulled in the most money from the most questionable sources were Aimi Tsubaki and Aoi Koyomi.
Neither of these people have any digital footprint what-so-ever, and their involvement with Komanda is a mystery."
Rorona raises his hand, indicating he has a question.
"If we know where they live, why don't we just drop by their homes and find some evidence?"
Yukinoshita looks at him like he's a moron, before shaking her head and turning back to the monitor.
"We can't do that, Rorona – Because these two people are extremely careful. The chances of there being any evidence at all at their homes is unlikely."
"So what can we do?"
"I ran both of their faces through a custom facial recognition program I built. Each of them matched to two individuals, meaning both Aimi and Aoi have a separate fake identity.
Their fake identities are legally married, and the two of them have a joined bank account at the Bank of Japan with a safety deposit box. Whatever's in that safety deposit box could give us more information about them."
Hachiman stands up, then begins slowly pacing back and forth.
"This safety deposit box would be heavily guarded; I couldn't just sneak in and get it…"
"No, you couldn't… You know what that means don't you?"
He looks over at Yukino and smirks. Rorona raises an eyebrow, confused.
"I don't know what that means… What does it mean?"
"It means we're going to have to rob the bank." Hikigaya responds, looking over at his partner.
"Holy shit…"
Suddenly, the door behind them opens and someone walks in. Everyone turns around, looking over their shoulders. In the doorway, Hiratsuka stands with a handbag over her shoulder and a smile on her face.
"I'm here to see Hachiman…" She declares, making eye contact with the assassin.
Two Years Earlier
"Yukino, you are aware you why your mother wanted me to speak to you, right?"
In a small room, the wealthy-girl lays down on a couch. Her head rests on a pillow, and next to her sits a therapist holding a notepad. The window beside them allows some moonlight to shine through the thin curtains, slightly illuminating the otherwise dark room.
"Yes… B-Because I'm supposedly having trouble coping with my Uncle's murder."
"You say supposedly, do you not believe this to be the case?"
Yukinoshita stares up at the ceiling with a blank expression on her face.
"I am handling it fine."
"Your mother says otherwise."
"My mother is a liar."
"Why do you think that?"
"None of your business."
The therapist leans back and sighs, marking something down in her notepad.
"This is a safe place Yukino, I'm a friend. You can speak freely."
"I have nothing to say."
"The loss of a family member is always troubling, especially when they're a close one."
"My uncle was not lost, he was taken – and the people responsible will pay for it."
"That's not a healthy way to see it. Forgiveness and moving on are important."
"I'll move on when justice has been served."
"Sometimes justice doesn't get served Yukino; you can't spend your whole life waiting for something that might never come to fruition."
"If your idea of therapy is discouragement, I must say your failing quite hard right now."
Yukinoshita then sits up and looks over at the older lady.
"This is a safe place, right?"
"Correct…"
"In that case, I want you to know that when I found the people responsible for my uncle's murder - there will be no waiting, there will be no court case or trial. It will be them, sitting the grave they dug for themselves the night they executed my Uncle. After I see their corpses, perhaps I will move on."
"I…"
"That's all I have to say."
The room goes silent, as the doctor slowly looks away from the young girl.
Abandoned Basement – 11:50
"So… What are you doing here?" Hikigaya asks, as he sits on the computer table.
Hiratsuka sits opposite him, on the bed.
"Well, it's like I said – I came to speak to you."
Currently Yuigahama, Yukinoshita, and Rorona are out, having left the two of them alone while going get some lunch.
"And what is it that you want to speak about?"
His response draws a sad smile from the teacher, prompting her to look down at the floor.
"So, no 'How are you?' or 'How have you been?' then…"
There is a brief silence, as Hachiman frowns.
"How are you?"
"Not great actually."
The assassin raises an eyebrow.
"Did something happen?"
"Yep…"
"What?"
"You lied to me for months… Then took off…"
"This again…" He mutters to himself, turning around.
"Yes Hachiman, this again."
"What do you want from me, Hiratsuka?"
She looks up at him, then frowns.
"Well, for a long time I thought I wanted to never see you again, then I thought I wanted an apology, and now… Now I think I've gone mad."
"Why is that?"
He continues standing with his back to her.
"I saw you on the news. There a few articles about you online as well. A lot of people have come out and said you saved their lives."
"What people?"
"Some Chinese women, some teenagers from bad neighbourhoods, this other guy who said you rescued him, etcetera."
"It wasn't on purpose." Hikigaya states bluntly, turning back around. "They just got lucky, having been harmed by the people I was after."
"Yeah, and that's the issue."
"Why is that an issue?"
"Because look at who you are! You've done some crazy things in the last year or so; all just to help me – a person who hates you… Or, I suppose, hated you."
"What about it?"
"You shouldn't be doing this for me! When I became a teacher, all I wanted was to do some kind of good in my life, no matter how small – and here you are, doing massive amounts of good, and your reasons are completely broken."
"Hiratsuka, why are you here?"
"Because I think between the two of us, you need help more than me; and I'm here to help you."
"Help me?"
"That's right, you need someone like me to show you the way."
Hachiman chuckles and shakes his head.
"I definitely don't need that…"
Shizuka smiles and stands up.
"Yes you do, and that's why from today – I'm on the team!"
There is a long silence, as the he slowly realizes what Hiratsuka just said.
"Wait… N-No…"
"It's non-negotiable Hachiman."
"I don't think you understand what you're saying…"
"If Yui can be apart of the team, so can I!"
"Yui sits with Yukino and looks at screens all day…"
Hiratsuka walks up next to her former student and puts her arm around his shoulder.
"We can discuss the details later…"
"But-"
"Anyway, when I came in here, I saw you all discussing something; what was it?"
"Umm… The next step to taking down Komanda…"
"Great! So tell me, what good are the five of us going to do next?"
Hikigaya turns and looks her in the eye.
"We're going to rob a bank."
Author's Notes: Looks like Shizuka and 8man have finally made up! And now she's trying to join the team. Crazy times!
