Disclaimer: (Read Chapter 2's)
The time displayed on my phone was 10:00 pm when I took it out to distract myself from the boredom of waiting. My boss told me that something important was happening tonight but he couldn't attend to it. Therefore, he only sent me. Something about it being good practice to fulfill my 'assistant managerial' duties.
I was standing next to some cement road barriers as the location Fujiwara-san had sent led me to an abandoned construction site. It's an odd scene to imagine if any passersby were to see me just hanging around piles of metal and big, clunky vehicles late in the night. I was even surprised to have found a sleeping homeless man laying right next to the fences when I got here. At first, I felt unsure if this was the place my boss told me so I double checked to make sure that the location he gave me was right. I even downloaded a second maps app and it gave me the same result.
Seriously… What made Fujiwara-san think it was a bright idea to send a high school girl by themselves to an inconspicuous area? I don't get paid enough to do this. Actually, since I'm an 'assistant manager' now, how much do I get paid? Did Fujiwara-san even mention that to me before? Gah, I'll deal with this next time I see my happy-go-lucky boss.
The crunching of gravel instinctively made my head turn as the sound of footsteps became easier to hear. I saw two figures approaching me sketchily. Panic gripped me at first but then a sigh of relief escaped me. Walking towards me collectedly, his basic black suit smooth and sharp, the way he walked removed any doubt of incompetency, Mr. Hikigaya appeared, with an expressionless face as ever. And right next to him in a baggy hoodie and sweatpants was none other than Mr. I-couldn't-care-less-to-be-here.
"Good evening, Kawasaki-san. Apologies if we kept you waiting for too long." Mr. Hikigaya greeted me frankly. His son just gave me a casual nod. Would it pain him to say at least 'hi'?
"No, it's fine Mr. Hikigaya. I haven't been here for too long."
"Mm. Very well then. Let's get going." The older Hikigaya commented as we all started walking towards the fences. "It's unfortunate Fujiwara-san isn't here but I suppose it's good practice for you to start getting used to these meetings."
"Yeah… He said he had gotten a hold of a few possible new clients. Fujiwara-san has thought of commercializing the Angel Ladder and so he considered franchising it." I told him.
"Hm? Perhaps he may pose a challenge to me."
"W-what? Ah, I don't think Fujiwara-san meant to-"
"Relax, Kawasaki-san. I am merely amused at the news. In fact, if he wishes to expand just like me, then I don't mind. Business is business after all."
I heard Hachiman let out a low, jeering snort. I sighed out with resignation. With an almost constant unreadable expression, I can't ever tell if Mr. Hikigaya gets offended or not.
We were now in front of a fenced door with a chain locking it in place. It was also the same spot where I saw the homeless man earlier. Said homeless man just groggily looked at us blankly, like we were just boring people.
"Whuh?" He sounded drunk, if his hazy look was anything to go by. "Do you have spare change?"
"Uh…" My mind turned up blank. I looked at Hachiman but that was useless. His face was aloof as usual. His father donned a similar expression as well.
"You got no money? Gosh darnit!"
I was waiting for us to start walking away, but Mr. Hikigaya reached into his suit. His hand came out and revealed a white card that was around the size of a credit card. He handed it to the laying person in front of us.
The homeless person squinted his eyes as they took the foreign object. After a few seconds of a meticulous look-over, the man just grunted before getting up, dusting himself off, and returning the card. I felt the air around us change as the homeless man didn't seem so dazed as before.
Before I knew it, the chains that kept the fence doors together clanked away as the man swung the creaky thin metal door.
"Excuse me. Go ahead, sir." The homeless man gestured us in.
Mr. Hikigaya gave a curt nod before moving in, followed by Hachiman and I. Well that was… interesting.
"Um, so Mr. Hikigaya," I spoke. "Is there another deal that you are closing tonight?"
"Mm."
"What are you trying to get this time?" I asked curiously.
"It's some small up and coming electric car company." To my small surprise, Hachiman finally spoke up. "Apparently they found a way to make perpetual energy viable. Imagine how ballistic the fuel sector got."
"Indeed." Mr. Hikigaya stated but he didn't look at either of us.
As we kept walking, I was now able to see a familiar crowd of suits huddle near one another. Their jumbled voices were heard as we came nearer, some appeared to be calm and relaxed while others were animated and very lively. It wasn't too different from my first experience.
"Hey look, there's the Bull Shark." One of them called out.
"Oh damn. About time they came too."
The amount of attention on us was unsettling for me. I wasn't used to it but I did my best to ignore it.
"Ah, Hikigaya-san." A soft masculine voice reached my ears.
"Bukake-san." Mr. Hikigaya greeted a smaller and thinner man who approached us. His head wasn't shaved but it was a really tight buzz cut. A pair of rectangular glasses hung on the bridge of his pointed nose. Was he wearing black lipstick?
"I was wondering where you were at. You almost made me think that you backed out." He said with an obvious faux smile. "It would have been nice to have won by default. Oho, ho, ho-"
Unexpectedly, my fight-or-flight instincts hackled as our surroundings suddenly felt very dangerous. I noticed a few other men near us visibly stiffen up and gave us wary stares. I looked to the man who had caused this ominous tension. Eerily enough, a smile adorned Mr. Hikigaya's face.
"Nonsense, Bukake-san." A bead of sweat rolled down the smaller man's face as Mr. Hikigaya spoke. "I am here now. Besides, there is no better feeling than crushing your opponents, right?"
The two businessmen held each other's intense gazes for a bit. The smaller man was the first to break and with a huff, he turned and walked away all the while muttering incoherently under his breath. Mr. Hikigaya impassively observed him walk away so I nudged Hachiman to get his attention instead.
"Hey, who's that guy?" I asked him.
"He's Gie Bukake, the head bozo of East Asian Acquisition Company. I'm fighting their fighter tonight." Hachiman offhandedly said.
"Huh… He seems…"
"Unpleasant." Mr. Hikigaya said abruptly. His face had returned to its usual stoicism. "He's nothing but a fly. Hachiman, squash him."
Just briefly, a small sadistic grin showed on the older Hikigaya's face. I heard Hachiman scoff at his father's change in behaviour. I let out a small giggle.
"Fine, whatever." He lazily said. "I'm going in now."
As he walked in front of us, I quickly reached out to tug at his jacket's sleeve. My classmate swiveled his head and gave me a questioning look.
"What?"
"Just… be careful, okay?"
It must be the lack of proper lighting here, but I swear I saw a faint tint of pink lit his pale complexion. Even his eyes widened slightly. Hey, don't look at me like that! I swiftly let go of his sleeve as I looked flusteredly anywhere but his face.
"Y-yeah, sure."
We just awkwardly stood in front of each other. I saw Mr. Hikigaya looking at us intently but he didn't say anything.
"Anyways," Hachiman spoke first. He started removing his hoodie and I saw his v-cut lines on his waist as the rest of his lean torso was revealed. My face felt heated as I tried to not get flustered anymore by his public display of toned muscles.
Okay, calm down Saki. I have already seen him shirtless before. It's no big deal. His abs are nice. His arms are nice. His chest is nice.
"Hold onto this, yeah?" Hachiman handed me his now folded hoodie.
"O-okay." When I took his hoodie into my hands, the first thing I wanted to do was sniff it. Gahh, I'm turning into some weirdo!
Hachiman had already walked on and lightly warmed up while he waited for the opponent to show up. From the other side of the crowd, some men parted ways as another guy walked into the improvised arena.
He was well built. He had a similar physique to Mr. Hikigaya and I can definitely see the muscle striations of his body. It was really obvious in his arms too, how they contracted and expanded quite visibly as they swayed around. He basically looked like a dried up human being. He wasn't even wearing shoes as he shifted his weight between his bare feet.
Minutes later, a man in a black collar with matching pants walked in between Hachiman and the really vascular guy. Hold up, that's the same bald referee as last time! Does he always officiate the fights? I would think that the Kigyo Organization would have more…
"Welcome everyone! Tonight should be a fun spectacle. Two companies battle for domination yet only will come out victorious!" The referee riled up the crowd. Men were cheering as the bout was about to begin. "Known to hold many assets, a company that thrives off of a collection of its smaller companies, yet they are managed by less than what they're made up of, Eeeeeast Aaaaasian Acquisition Company! And representing them tonight, a notorious fighter known to leave his opponents in a bloody mess, the one and only slasher, Eeeeeeyosuke 'Knifeman' Garinnnn!"
The already loud hollering got even louder. The suits around me pumped their fists as their behaviour crazed for bloodlust.
"And their opposition tonight," The referee continued when the sounds became more bearable. "A company freshly rocketing out of nowhere, turning heads left and right, up and down, the man leading them none other than the infamous Bull Shark, Gaaaaayaaaa Incorporaaaated! Representing them tonight, the rising rookie no one expected with a flawless record too boot, Haaachiman 'Eight Banners' Hikigayaaaa!"
Unlike before, there was actually more reception for Hachiman this time than last time. The shouts weren't as strong but it made me smile a bit that Hachiman has more people openly supporting him.
"Gentlemen, are you ready?"
"Osu!" Garin grunted. He adopted a wide stance. He led his left foot leading in front as he held his left hand forward in a knifehand position.
Hachiman simply nodded his head to the ref as he got into his own position.
"Remember, no killing! First one to incapacitate their opponents wins!" The ref added in quickly. "Alright… BEGINNN!"
The two immediately began circling each other. Shouts from the crowd were yelling so many things but I was hyper focused on the fight.
Hachiman was the first to make a move. He moved forward purposely as he threw a straight right punch. Garin sidestepped and countered with a right of his own. Hachiman also dodged his attack and tried to catch him with a high left hook. The other man ducked and gained some distance. They took a few seconds to observe each other. Their standoff raised my anxiety as the men next to me leaned forward.
Hachiman advanced again. When he got closer, it was Garin who struck out first. His fingers were extended out as he jabbed at Hachiman who barely evaded the strike at his face. He hopped back quickly as he brought up his arms higher. However, I saw a thin line of blood leak from his cheek.
"Oho, ho, ho!" I heard that Bukake guy cackled loudly from the other side. My eye twitched with annoyance as I briefly considered how to go about strangling that drag-looking man to shut him up.
"Kawasaki-san," Unexpectedly, Mr. Hikigaya's voice called out to me. I shot him a quick look but he didn't spare me a glance in return. He continued to speak. "Did you see what happened?"
"No…"
How was Hachiman bleeding? It didn't look like Garin touched him.
"Why is he bleeding? Garin didn't even hit him."
"It may appear that way. But look closer."
Garin got near Hachiman as my classmate did a low kick at the vascular man's shins. He succeeded in stopping Garing momentarily but Hachiman had to bend backwards as a high kick soared over his face. He didn't completely dodge as the side of Garin's foot barely grazed his face.
Another line of blood cut open his other cheek. What the hell is going on? It was like Garin was slicing Hachiman up. But I didn't see any visible weapons on him.
"What the?" I said. "He's not even directly hitting Hachiman! How is he making him bleed?"
Everytime Hachiman got close, Garin would lash out with a spear hand strike. Each time Hachiman blocked or dodged, his blood would be drawn out from an attack given by the older man. Now, Hachiman was on the defensive as Garin pushed him back with mixes of jabs and kicks, each hit opening up new lines of red liquid oozing out.
"Eyosuke Garin. They say he had trained by breaking hundreds of materials with just his bare hands and feet alone. The edges of the skin on his hands and feet have roughened so much that people compare them to a knife's serrated edge." Mr. Hikigaya told me as he kept watching. He still kept a neutral expression. "The knifeman, so they call him. This is the first time Hachiman has gone up against someone like this."
"Wait, so he doesn't know anything about Garin?!"
"Mm."
"Why didn't you tell him before? If he knew, he could've found a way to beat Garin sooner!"
Distressed rose through me as I clutched Hachiman's hoodie even tighter. He wasn't fighting back. He couldn't fight back. I saw Garin continue his relentless onslaught of slashes. By now, there were very few spots on Hachiman that weren't covered or smeared with his blood.
"Hachiman will not grow if he doesn't figure out how to deal with these situations on his own." Mr. Hikigaya said un-empathetically.
"But he will get so hurt!"
"That is unavoidable." His uncaring tone didn't sit well with me.
I watched anguishly as Hachiman suffered another cut. He still kept his arms up as Garin pushed on.
Garin was whipping his arms and legs against Hachiman. Blood trickled down my classmate's body but he stood tall still. I can see that Garin was panting as he continued to exert hit after hit on Hachiman. As he pulled back a bit, he raised his left hand, intending to strike down. He was about to bring it down when Hachiman all of a sudden sprung his right fist straight into Garin's chin. His head jerked up from Hachiman's unexpected strike.
"ORA!" Hachiman yelled.
"Nani?!" I heard Bukake exclaim.
Garin was jarred from the sudden hit as he wobbled back on the balls of his feet. The crowd wildly reacted as the tide of the fight finally took a turn. Hachiman didn't waste any more time and like he did in the beginning, he briskly walked up to Garin and delivered a left gut punch.
"Ora!" Hachiman grunted.
He wrapped his left arm around Garin, preventing him from any means of escape as his right fist repeatedly alternated between punching Garin's stomach and face.
"Ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, oraaaa!"
Garin's face was now full of more blood than what appeared on Hachiman. His eyes were spirals as Hachiman landed an overhead right straight into his face. I cringed as Garin's nose took on an unnatural angle. Hachiman let go of Garin and hopped lightly back. Garin was barely standing.
"GARIN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Bukake was shouting frantically. "HE'S RIGHT THERE! RIGHT THERE!"
The more muscular man swayed from side to side as he tried to gain a stable footing. Hachiman didn't hesitate any longer. As Garin struggled to catch him, Hachiman torqued up his torso. His left foot forward, he prepared his next strike.
A shaking foot in front of the other, Garin clumsily thrusted his right arm. But Hachiman was already ahead of him. This time with clarity that's as transparent as the cleanest water, I saw Hachiman's back leg swing up in a reverse motion, as his body rotated a full 180 degrees. The heel of his right foot was leading as he turned around.
Garin never stood a chance as Hachiman's heel meshed deeply into his cheek. The vascular man's head snapped violently to the side as he was lifted off his feet and did a revolution before landing heavily onto the ground.
It was the same finisher Hachiman used on that third year.
The referee rushed over to the knocked-over man and carefully checked his condition. After a few seconds, he lifted his head and shook it at Bukake.
The crowd cheered crazily. Men were jumping in place as others frantically started making phone calls. Some other people were exchanging bets.
"Noooo!" Bukake wailed.
My shoulders sagged down in relief as all the pent up stress that I unconsciously gained left me. If my hair wasn't its natural color, I'd at least have a few strands of grey hair tonight. Hachiman had won again tonight! My eyes snuck a glance at Mr. Hikigaya and if anyone were as close as I was to him right now, they'd barely make out the ghost of a grin on the usual stoic man's face.
Maybe I was wrong about him.
"Mr. Hikigaya," I grabbed his attention.
He arched an eyebrow at me.
"I'm sorry for not having so much faith in your son." I gave him my most sincere bow.
A low rumble was heard, then it turned into a weird hissing sound, until finally I heard a light laugh. Confusion filled my mind so I looked up only to find Mr. Hikigaya trying to keep in his mirth.
"It is natural." He waved me off. "You are a caring person, Kawasaki-san. I think you will take good care of my son."
Huh?! I think he may have misunderstood!
"I-I, uh, I mean,-" I stammered embarrassedly. "Actually, never mind."
Mr. Hikigaya's normally blank face returned as he and I turned to find Hachiman nearing us.
Up close, he was drenched in his own blood like it was his sweat. I wanted to gag from the disgusting sight but the content grin on Hachiman's face kept my attention.
"So, I won." The son addressed his father. "It was annoying though."
"Mmm."
Hachiman turned to me. Even with his body bloodied, I still blushed at how lithe his frame is. Not going to lie, it was kinda… hot. All that sweat and blood mixing together, highlighting the lines of each muscle, it made them pop out even more. Eheheh…
"Oi, Saki. You're staring again." Gah!
"E-eh? How can I not? You're bleeding everywhere!" Good recovery, Saki!
Wanting to quickly shift the attention, I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and I began to carefully wipe some smudges of the crimson liquid off his face. I felt him stiffen up from my touch but he didn't resist me.
"Idiot, I thought I told you to be careful." I sternly told him.
"What are you? My mom?" He scoffed at me. I thwacked him in the side of his head. "Ow! Can't you see I'm bleeding, woman?"
"Oh, you are? You weren't complaining much when you were getting cut up by that guy."
"It's not like I could do anything about that."
"Hahaha, really? You looked like you were having fun fighting him."
"Tch. Am I that obvious…" He grumbled begrudgingly. "He was actually giving me a harder time than anyone else before."
"But you still took him down. I bet that Bukake guy is throwing a hissy fit right now. He was losing his shit when you knocked that guy back."
"Heh, I wish I could see that."
Him and I talked for a few more minutes. I noticed less of a presence around us as the crowd was starting to disperse. Some of the men in suits even approached Mr. Hikigaya, albeit timidly. Eventually, most of the blood had been wiped off of Hachiman though some remained. Some of his cuts were starting to scab over since most of them were superficial. I gave him back his hoodie though I wanted to hold onto it for just a bit longer…
"Ahem!" Mr. Hikigaya, Hachiman, and I simultaneously looked at the shrimp of a business man that is Bukake. He physically took a step back as we all gave him a heavy look. "H-Hikigaya-san, it is unfortunate that we lost, but that does not mean it'll happen again in the future, got it? We're going to crush you!"
After declaring his false show of bravado, Bukake indignantly stomped away.
"Geez, is he a sore loser or something?" I scoffed jokingly.
"He looks like one." Hachiman snorted. We both snickered at the small business man's expense.
It took me a bit to realize but our surroundings got oddly quiet. Some loud gasps were heard as others scrambled to bow. Even Mr. Hikigaya's normal stoicism hardened into a frown. I saw a group of people walking towards us as businessmen scattered away hastily. And then, I finally noticed the new arrivals.
There were at least three dozen burly men in black, professionally crisp suits standing tall. Each one was built like one of those big double-door refrigerators. Big, wide, heavy, and tough.
The hyped atmosphere just moments ago was replaced with a commanding fear. I saw Hachiman's face mirrored that of his father's, though it was a bit more unsettled.
In front of them was a thin woman with jet black hair done in a ponytail. She was wearing a kimono and stood calmly yet she exuded a suffocating pressure. Her icy cerulean eyes were piercingly sharp as they glossed over everyone like we were peasants. Wait, did I just unconsciously dub ourselves as lesser beings? I don't know who this woman is but my instincts recognized an apex predator.
"Ah, it seems that I've arrived too late." The woman commented languidly. She didn't look bothered by everyone's change in behaviour.
"Yukinoshita-" All the big scary men behind the woman turned their heads in unison to Mr. Hikigaya. "-sama…"
A bead of sweat rolled down the older Hikigaya's cheek. Even is uneased.
Yukinoshita-sama? For some reason, that name sounded familiar to me…
"...To what do we owe this pleasure of your visit?"
Immediately, this Yukinoshita woman's entourage of men encircled all of us. I heard squeals of fright and saw others visibly shaking.
"Oh, I just wanted to watch and have some fun. Is there a problem with that?"
"No." Mr. Hikigaya replied without missing a beat.
"Hmm, good. Rika," The person who she called was the bald referee who rigidly straightened up. "Who won tonight's Kigyo battle?"
"T-that would be Hikigaya-san, ma'am!" The bald man pointed straight to Mr. Hikigaya.
"Hikigaya… the Bull Shark? So you're the one who I keep hearing about recently." The woman mused. "And who did you fight?"
"That would be me, Yuki-"
"Silence."
Bukake squealed unmanily as one of the big men suddenly stood behind him.
"I was talking to Hikigaya-san. Speak again and I'll have my bodyguard rip out your tongue."
Bukake furiously bobbed his head up and down. Sheesh, she's frightening. Hachiman clicked his mouth but didn't do anything else. He was probably feeling the same as me.
The Yukinoshita woman gave her attention back to Mr. Hikigaya, giving him a nod.
"I was going against Bukake-san tonight. The wager was the purchase for Bariki Company."
"Well, congratulations Hikigaya-san on your newly acquired asset. I only regret I could not see this match unfold."
"Thank you, Yukinoshita-sama." Mr. Hikigaya bowed his head.
Everyone was still unsure of what to do. But no one dared voiced their complaints outloud.
"Well, there is nothing else for me here now so I will take my leave." Yukinoshita spoke. She turned to walk away but her mouth opened up again. "Oh, I do have one more thing to say though. I am announcing the upcoming Kigyo Elimination Tournament!"
Multiple reactions came out. People's jaws were dropped, some dropped to their knees, I even saw one or two guys faint. Hachiman and I shared a look. Neither of us knew what this meant. Mr. Hikigaya on the other hand didn't seem so excited about this news.
"It will be taking place in three month's time. All Kigyo members are welcome to enter," The temperature of the abandoned construction site we were in felt freezing as a frigid smile spread across Yukinoshita-sama's face. "If you dare."
And just like that, that shivering aura receded. Though the goosebumps on my skin remained for a bit longer.
"There will be more details over the course of the next few days. That is all I have to say. Until next time." The Icy empress was escorted out by her mini army of bruisers as the rest of us wallowed in recovery.
"That was…" I breathed out.
"...scary." Hachiman finished for me.
Everybody around us soon collected their wits. Their cheeriness from early was long gone as most sported looks of uncertainty. The Kigyo Elimination Tournament? What the hell did that mean? Just by the mention of it, everyone became extremely guarded.
"So, are we joining?" Hachiman asked his father.
"No." No hesitation!
I saw Hachiman narrow his eyes.
"Why not?"
"It's impractical for us."
"You don't think I can't do it." It didn't even sound like a question of doubt.
"There are monsters that even you can't face yet."
"What makes you so sure I can't handle them?" Hachiman gritted his teeth.
"I've no doubt you can go up against them eventually." Mr. Hikigaya breathed heavily. "But you'll be crushed before you realize it. You don't stand a chance right now."
All three of us were quiet. Mr. Hikigaya coolly held his son's withering gaze. I swear, these Hikigayas have the most unnerving stares I've ever come across. Is this a Hikigaya thing? Neither of them was relenting and it really amazed me how stubborn they were being about it.
Like father, like son I guess.
"How about this," Mr. Hikigaya gave in first, surprisingly. "To prove that you can compete with the extreme, you will beat ten fighters around your grade level."
"What?" Hachiman and I said at the same time. Apparently, he mirrored the same incredulous thoughts as me.
"Did I stutter?" Mr. Hikigaya glared. I'm glad he's not looking at me though because I would have withered away from his deathly terrifying look.
"Fine, whatever. So I just gotta beat ten guys." Hachiman huffed.
"No, not just 'any' ten guys."
I tilted my head and Hachiman grunted in annoyance.
"You will fight ten opponents. But of my choosing." There was no room for discussion in his firm tone. "These ten are ones who I deem almost close to matching the skillsets of those participating in the tournament. If you can beat all of them a month prior to the tournament, then I will register us. But if you suffer one defeat, not only will we not enter the tournament, I will choose a new fighter."
Hachiman growled at his father's proposal. Personally, I'd rather he didn't enter as well. If Hachiman's father thinks there are worse fighters than Garin then I can only imagine what kind of monster those are.
"I don't have much of a choice…" I faintly heard my classmate mumble. "Alright. I'll do it. So are you going to tell me who I'll be going up against?"
"No, I won't say."
I heard Hachiman groan out loudly.
"Figures. Like everything else, you don't make things easy."
Mr. Hikigaya snorted. "God gives us food. Yet man still hunts for them. You'll know when they come. And don't think about fooling me. I will know."
His son sent him another glare but it did little to affect him.
"Hachiman, are you sure about this?" I could at least try to change my classmate's mind. "You don't need to do this. No one is asking you to."
"You too, Saki? I literally just won over a guy who practically had knives for hands!" Hachiman scoffed. "I thought you believed in me. Do you think I'm still too weak?"
I heard an undertone of anger seeping into his voice.
"No, that is not what I meant!"
"Then what are you trying to say?!"
"Nothing! I'm just worried about you okay!" I irritatedly yell back at him.
"Worried about me?" Hachiman gave a derisive snort. "I don't need your worry, Saki. I've gotten this far and I'm still standing. I don't care if you're concerned about me or not, I can do this. If you think I can't, that's fine. Just don't get in my way."
He walked off from us. His words stung. They sounded bitter and callous, almost spiteful. A mixture of emotions swirled in me as I blinked my eyes frustratingly.
"I must apologize, Kawasaki-san. It is my fault for getting my son heated up." Mr. Hikigaya sighed heavily. He looked like he aged decades as I looked at him. His stoic face giving way to a much more tired one. "Hachiman struggles just like any of us would. He's very bullheaded even when he was younger. So please be patient with him."
"Er… I'll try Mr. Hikigaya. But your son is a real jerk."
A small chuckle racked the older Hikigaya.
"Please, call me Uncle from now on, Kawasaki-san. If his behaviour persists, I'll straighten him out."
"O-oh, okay U-Uncle. And, um, thank you." I wiped my eyes in a lame attempt. I can't believe Hachiman's father was trying to make me feel better, of all people.
The man's face returned to its stoic nature.
"It's getting late now. I will have my chauffeur drive you home, Kawasaki-san. Also, please inform Fujiwara-san of tonight's developments. I have an idea that I'd like to discuss with him soon."
I nodded as Uncle brought out his phone and made a call. I did the same but I sent a text detailing of what happened tonight to my boss.
Hachiman… You big, insensitive, idiot, Hachiman!
AN: Um, this chapter was mixed for me. I wanted to add more to this but I had already put in everything what I wanted to show in this chapter, hence it being shorter than the previous ones. Trust me, I've gone over the drafts of this chapter SO many times, re-reading and re-typing and then doing some more re-reading and re-typing. I believe this is the best I can do for this chapter at least... Also, because I am mediocre at writing, I'm considering sharing my drafts for 'beta-ing', if that's a word. So ONLY if you are interested AND willing, please PM me an email and we can talk it out. Though, it'd be nice to have a different beta for every chapter so you guys can get your ideas in too!
I also started rewatching Oregairu. And damn! It feels weird seeing it with a more knowing perspective. Another thing I didn't remember was the fact that the whole 1st season had a bunch of JoJo's references.
Anyways, that's it. I'm already thinking out how the next chapter is gonna go so anyone interested in 'reviewing' it, PM me.
Stay healthy, Scribere out-