It was morning and the rain still haven't subsided. The wind wasn't as violent as the night but still fairly turbulent, and going out right now would be dangerous still.
Hachiman read up his phone to see tons of messages on it, courtesy of Yui and Saika.
There was one from Yukino, her concern was as always pretty clear. She was talking about committee meeting to be delayed because it's not like the storm is going to subside soon.
...
Yukino said:
Vice Chairman Hikigaya
I just discussed the matter of school with Vice Principal regarding school activities.
I have convinced him that it is very unlikely for the storm to subsidize soon, and thus, there shouldn't be any class today.
Likewise, regarding committee activity, it would also be suspended until tomorrow at the soonest.
Even if the storm ended before afternoon, consider that there wouldn't be any meeting until further notice.
P.S. I hope things are fine over there in your residence, my apartment sustained some damage and leaks.
...
"Who the fuck talks about meeting in the middle of a storm like this? Also, just how powerful is Yukinoshita to directly have enough authority to discuss with Vice Principal of all things?" Hachiman gawked, "No wonder they called her the most powerful president in the history of Soubu. Terrifying. That said, that last part was kind of sweet but concerning."
Not that he was unhappy that Yukino would actually send him a message in the first place. So he replied with acknowledgment.
...
Hachiman said:
This is Vice Chairman speaking.
Thank you for informing me of the good news, hopefully, things will get better over there.
Yukino said:
Vice Chairman, what do you mean by good news? Are you happy that there wasn't a meeting or that my apartment suffered some damages?
...
Oh fuck.
Hachiman said:
We're getting some breaks for once, it wouldn't be healthy for either of us to keep pressing forward mindlessly.
It would be problematic if any of us become sick from over-exhaustion. The committee members deserved that break.
As for your apartment, I hope it's not grave enough to disturb your rest and for the storm to subside soon, so it can get fixed.
Yukino said:
I see. On the contrary, not having school activities today made me anxious, so I cannot truly relax.
Hachiman said:
Maybe watch some cat videos instead?
Yukino said:
How do you know that I love cats? I don't think I've told your twin sister that.
...
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.
Maybe because Yukino was not involved in Kawasaki's case, she never get to see Kamakura the cat and reveal her strong interest in this timeline.
...
Hachiman said:
I've seen many cat icons in your personal belongings so I just guessed randomly. My bad if I get it wrong.
Also, this is the picture of my cat, Kamakura. It's a male.
Yukino said:
I see that makes sense, and I shall follow your suggestion. I truly appreciate it.
He looks absolutely majestic, by the way.
...
That was a nerve-wracking conversation and Hachiman sort of regretting the fact that he had to use an exceedingly formal tone with Yukino.
However, he had decided from the beginning that he will try to get to know her professionally first. And then, once he feels he was worthy enough in a position where he could see things with her at eye level, maybe he could finally understand this version of Yukino.
The reason why Hachiman misunderstood the original Yukino was because he saw her as beyond and above him, he put his own ideal upon her image, and always let himself be put beneath her.
He relishes in pain and humiliation he suffered from her because he put himself below everyone else. It was almost masochistic. And because of this, he deluded himself thinking he understood her the most.
If anything, of all student that Hachiman personally knew back then, he understood Yukino the least.
He doesn't want to repeat that mistake. And so, instead of looking at her from the bottom of the social ladder, he decided to climb that ladder to reach her.
The past him would have thought it would be impossible, but Hachi's existence gave Hachiman a certain perspective. What she can achieve, he certainly can. It's just a matter of how much effort and sacrifice he was willing to put in.
He decided to ping both Yui and Saika if only to confirm that Hachiman was alive and well.
There was a PSA that school was canceled pretty much in entirely of Chiba and parts of Tokyo as well. Hachiman wonder, if it's bad enough to actually affect economic activities of Japan as a whole.
Or maybe not, Japanese east coast where 80% of the economic activities takes place always been typhoon prone area due to directly facing the Pacific Ocean. He was sure there would be contingency by this point.
"[Flooding from rainbands in Tokyo-]"
"Jeez, I hope mother and father are alright."
Hachiman didn't worry too much about flooding in 346 Pro because it's elevated foundation, but he never knew about his mother's workplace.
His cat purred and shuddered, and then basically climbed his lap and curled himself there, sleeping again.
"You must feel really cold."
Hachi descended the stairs, yawning. Hachiman could tell she's not getting much sleep since her eyes looked worse than his own.
"How many hours you get to sleep?"
"Two, three hours I guess?" She yawned, "Seriously, fuck this noise. How could you look so refreshed?"
"Are you sure it was the noise and not something else?" Hachiman gleefully asked.
Hachi just realized what Hachiman meant and become reddened again from embarrassment. "T-that's not what I mean, idiot."
"Oh, what are you talking about?"
"Stop teasing me!" She punched his shoulder and made him flinch, "It's not about last night, I don't care about that kiss at all."
"What's that, you adopted Tsundere character archetype now? Strange." Hachiman sighed.
Hachi sat beside him, her breath still uneven. Her mind returned to what transpired last night, and even her lips could still remember the aftertaste. Sweet, sugary feel with a hint of caffeine...
She shook her head.
Seriously, what the fuck, Hachi?
"Hachi, you said you have hormonal imbalance issues and can be super emotional don't you?" Hachiman asked.
"Umm yeah, that's why I cry a lot," Hachi admitted hesitantly, "Why?"
"I've been doing some research myself." Hachiman told her, "We got hit hard by GSA."
"Gee-es-a?"
"Genetic Sexual Attraction." Hachiman said, "It's a phenomenon commonly observed among lost or separated relatives that reunited as teens or adults. Two people with close genetic relations strongly lust after each other when they meet for the first time in years or decades."
"Wait, what? SOmething like that actually exist?"
"Yep. The concept was first officially coined in the United States in 1980. However, they already exist as far as recorded history goes." Hachiman explained, "Do you know why it exists?"
"...Why?"
"Offspring." Hachiman said, "Keyed to the very genes of animals, including humans, is their drive to leave their genetic footprints behind. The closer the better, hence why, the strongest GSA cases often encountered between parent and children separated at a young age."
"Ew, that's absolutely disgusting." Hachi winced, itching to scrape her brain from all the terrifying thought. She couldn't imagine lusting after her mother or father. It's just unthinkable.
"I wish I'm joking." Hachiman sighed, "Humans naturally found people who similar to themselves more trustworthy and attractive. Do you know why people often seek a lover that also resembles their parents physically or mentally? This is exactly the answer."
"I see." Hachi sighed, "But tell me again, how is that you didn't feel the same with my parents? Or Komachi?"
"There is another phenomenon, which entirely opposite of GSA. This is called Westermark effect." Hachiman showed Hachi the relevant internet pages, "Westermark effect is the result of two or more people growing up in a close proximity to each other, and as result, actively dismissing each other as potential mates."
"This mechanism is believed to be created as a response against inbreeding."
Wait, what?
"Anyway, for me, there's no difference between your parents and your Komachi, to my parents and my Komachi. But you're different. There's no Westermarck effect built into our relationship." Hachiman looked down, slightly embarrassed. "We subconsciously considers each other as perfect mates, no matter how irrational and disgusting we think it was."
"O... Oh, that actually makes sense." Hachi nodded, seemingly eager to learn, but at the same time seriously embarrassed. Just how much Hachiman is holding himself back? Hachi actually curious and wanted to know...
No, no, no, stop that.
Hachi just realized how much emotion driven she was about it. Or rather, hormone driven. Her body had been playing her mind all along, and that's why she wanted that kiss from him last night.
Maybe even more than a kiss, even.
Which horrified her.
If Hachiman didn't have the mental fortitude to resist, he might give in to her temptation a long time ago and they might already do something that they cannot take back. Something that could easily tear this family apart.
"Honestly, I feel glad." Hachi smiled, "Now I'm no longer confused with my own feelings."
"Your feelings?"
"Yeah." Hachi said, "You know, the reason why I cannot be with Totsuka-senpai is that I still love him. I cannot be friend with him as long as I love him."
"Hoh..."
"I always thought, my feelings for you can't be real, that we can't be brother and sister if we feel this awful attraction to each other. And yet... now that you explained it to me, I'm seriously glad. We're not attracted to each other despite being brother and sister, we're attracted to each other because we're brother and sister who shared an identical history." Hachi smiled and held her burning cheek, "It's a twisted, rotten feeling, but it was something genuine."
Something genuine, she said?
Hachiman always found himself caught off guard by the sheer depth of depravity that Hachi's mind seems to delve into. Hachi can't be friends with Saika because she loved him? What a twisted black and white point of view.
Any other people would have called her stuck up and arrogant, perhaps even naive and deluded too.
But Hachiman didn't hate it. Not in the slightest. If anything, he felt it was a sentiment that he could totally get aboard with. Hikigaya Hachi refuse to build a relationship based on false pretenses and mixed feelings.
In this world that full of lies and deceit, he found that brutally honest view of human relationship refreshingly new.
"I see. Glad you calmed down." Hachiman felt somewhat weirded out, but smiling Hachi was really cute in its own way. "But don't misunderstand, it is not romantic love that we share, so I could never replace Saika as long as you still love him."
"That's not what I meant though." Hachi winced, "You're kind of dense about some stuff, do you?"
"I am well aware, Pot," Hachiman said.
Sometimes he pretends and lied to himself about not noticing something, to boot. But it's not like Hachi was any better, Hachi still hasn't noticed that Hayato is into her.
Hachi's guilt and anxiety about her distance with Saika have been replaced by her guilt and anxiety about her relationship with Hachiman. And this is why she couldn't sleep too well.
Now that her mind had calmed down and her misunderstanding with Hachiman have been cleared up, Hachi felt like she can focus her thoughts and feelings better than ever.
Hachi tried to recall the situation a few weeks back. And then she remembered. A few weeks ago, she slept in Hachiman's room to tease him, because she found his reaction to her funny.
Not only now she understood that those amusement and thrills she experienced was fueled by her own attraction to him, and likewise, his reaction came from his own repressed feelings, but...
"No need, just use protect... Oh wait, you're on a birth control anyway. Nevermind. Kids these days..."
When mother saw Hachi came out of Hachiman's room, seemingly disheveled, she didn't even look remotely shocked. Somewhat disappointed and disturbed perhaps, but not shocked.
Perhaps because Mother realized that something could always happen between her and Hachiman. She didn't even talk it out during breakfast, and three weeks went like that, her mother never said anything. Her mother never changed the way she treated her or Hachiman.
She wondered if father was the same. Back when Hachi still living a life of a boy, the father always been the more emotionally detached, perhaps sometimes even somewhat abusive toward her. This is sadly not entirely uncommon when it comes to the relationship between Japanese father and son.
It's only after he lost Hachiman that he finally realized that being tough and distant was the wrong approach, and he regretted it dearly. That's why he was so happy when an entirely different Hachiman came to this family. He wanted to pay for his past mistakes with Hachi, and bond with him as a real father and son should.
While the mother always been strict and merciless, she's also the one who always treat Hachiman like a proper mother would. Perhaps that's why she understood her children the most.
She will have to talk with her mother when she could get a grip on herself once more.
"So what now?" Hachi asked him, "What will happen between us?"
"When you really want to do it with someone, do you pounce on them immediately without any form of consideration or looking at circumstances?" Hachiman asked.
Hachi puffed her cheek, annoyed. "Of course not."
"Then there's no difference." Hachiman stroke the cheek of the sleeping cat on his lap. "We don't have to pretend nothing happened, we just don't have to act on it. It probably would help if you stop getting on my bed all the time though, even I have my limit of patience and self-control."
"Alright then, no randomly getting in your bed I swear." Hachi sighed.
Honestly, the reason why she always sleeps with him without his permission was that she felt an unexplainable sense of comfort and safety. Perhaps she always subconsciously seeks his physical affection all along.
If anyone else put in the same position, could they hold back from giving in to the temptation? Could they face each other like this? Hachi felt somewhat doubtful.
Only Hachi and Hachiman would be twisted enough to acknowledge this forbidden, raw, and physical attraction and at the same time not dwell on it too much.
Because for them as of this moment, romance would be unthinkable. Hachi still cannot remove Saika from her mind, and Hachiman still getting himself adjusted to the new world.
But maybe, someday...
"Hey, Hachiman."
"Hmm?"
"Can I borrow your lap?"
"Sure." Hachiman moved Kamakura the cat away, much to the latter's annoyance. Then he picked up a book and began reading it quietly.
And just like that, Hachi went into dreamless comfortable sleep leaning on him. At least, until someone else wakes up.
やはり, 俺の関係の値はリセットされました
As Expected, My Relationship Values had been Reset
Disclaimer:
Original Story by Watari Wataru
Chapter 14 - After the Storm
Komachi finished her song and bowed, and everyone who watched there clapped their hands in excitement.
"Wow, Komachi-chan really cute, her voice was amazing, and she even knows how to act and dance." Anko whistled, "She's ready-made celebrity, serious."
"Seriously though, why are we doing Karaoke in the middle of a storm?" Hachiman asked.
"Shuss, go away you killjoy." Hachi buzzed him.
"I guess it's impossible for the neighbor to hear any noise in this wind, Nii-sama don't need to be too reserved." Benio took a sip off the teacup in her hand.
"Komachi-chan, are you interested to become an idol?" Chisato asked eagerly.
"Hmm, if you ask if Komachi is interested, I don't think so." Komachi said, "But I am considering it as a career option if I fail to get into Soubu."
"Hee, Komachi-chan want to get to Soubu huh." Benio nodded in acknowledgment, "I'm sure you can."
"It's not a sure thing." Komachi shook her head, "Compared to my elder siblings, Komachi often does badly at school. Being an idol probably something that Komachi only good at."
"But Komachi isn't giving up yet!" Komachi jumped and pointed, "There's no future for those who give up hope!"
"YAAY!"
Hachi and Hachiman both blinked and looked up, all quiet for some reason. They left the sofa and then looked at the window that was covered by the curtain for safety.
"What is it, Hacchan?"
Hachi and Hachiman both pulled the curtain slightly.
The wind speed had been reduced.
"Looks like it's going to stop at late noon huh," Hachi muttered.
"How you could notice that?" Anko pondered, "Turn on the Tv!"
The news indeed told that the wind that engulfed the region had changed its direction slowly, away from Japan, and because of this, it's likely that the storm will end in several hours, and then the rain and a strong breeze will last a couple hours more.
"Looks like you guys will still be stuck here all day!" Hachi laughed.
"Aghh! Let's do something! I'm really bored!"
Four hours later, it's almost time for lunch and the rain still strong, but the wind wasn't as turbulent as before.
By the time lunch ended, the wind had subsided for the most part.
"It will still a bit risky to ride a bike, but cars should be fine. Unless the wind changed direction again." Anko noted as everyone opened the curtain of the windows.
They heard the sounds of rain getting louder as someone opened the front door. "I'm home!"
"Eh?"
The three Hikigaya children popped out to see their mother came back early, the removed her raincoat, her dark blue hair damp but not completely wet.
"Get a towel for me, wouldn't ya? And could anyone get me a cup of ginger tea?"
"I'll get the tea," Komachi said, Hachiman picked the raincoat and put it on a hanger near the laundry area, while Hachi brought a towel.
"Sheesh, that storm was really terrible, I thought it would last more than twenty-four hours."
"You came early mom, what gives?" Komachi asked.
"Hmm? Ah yes, my workplace went bankrupt." She replied cheerily, which rather dissonant with the topic of the answers.
Everyone dropped their jaw from shock.
"What happened?"
"Upper management was complete dogshit, can't keep up with new regulation and made a lot of mistakes. Stakeholder flees and our stock price went on a freefall. The rest is history." She said, "It's not something a middle management woman like me can deal with."
"But you look happy, what gives?"
"Do you know how much pain in the ass is, being in the middle of the totem pole? You got pressure from top and bottom, your superior keep bitching and your subordinates keep whining. It's like being the meat inside a fat sandwich."
What the fuck is that analogy about? Hachi and Hachiman wondered, while Komachi self-censored her ears by singing loudly.
"Your father already guessed it's coming anyway, so he told me not to get bothered." The woman smiled, "For the time being, I'd just go and pick part-time works and taking my time resting."
Komachi didn't seem to suspect anything, but Hachi and Hachiman felt there was a catch.
Still, the mother immediately greeted and familiarize herself with the three girls in the living room.
"...virgin, non-virgin, non-virgin." She pointed one by one.
Hachi actually mad enough to throw a slipper on the back of her head. Even for the standard of her blunt mother, that's just rude.
"Is this what they call mother instinct?" Anko winced, not that she denied her guess.
"Nah, Hikigaya eyes are just that special." Hachiman sighed.
"Well, a mother might be able to help I guess," Hachi muttered, even though she was really annoyed by her mother's sudden appearance.
"Well, knock yourself out. You don't need a guy this time around right?" Hachiman scoffed and went upstairs, "I'm just going to study some more."
...
"Well, now the pesky bug is out of the way, feel free to tell me anything, we're all girls here." The mother smiled widely, very curious about the three peculiar girls with naughty aura in front of her.
She felt that just like Hachi, they might simply be lost their way
"Don't worry, he knew everything." Hachi dismissed, "He might look like that but he's super trustworthy you know?"
"Oh, he did? Alright then." The mother said, "Komachi, you're about to be a high school student to so listen."
The three girls looked at each other and began telling the mother fairly short version of their escapades. Despite she looked like someone who would know anyway, they hesitated to tell her the full story.
Not that she really need it or anything.
"So basically, Anko, you're longing for fatherly attention, Chisato just want a lot of friends and Benio just want to be free. Am I wrong?"
Anko, Benio, and Chisato blinked.
"What, wait, how does that even work?" Hachi gasped in shock, then looked at the three, who seems to contemplate the mother's word strongly.
"She's right." Anko sighed, "I do have a preference for an older man because I thought they would be more mature and understanding. But well..."
As demonstrated yesterday, that's not always the case. Adult men can still be childish and completely awful. "I was wrong, college students and young adults are fucking immature."
"Adults who wilfully sleep with high school students ain't mature or understanding. They're a basket case of douchebags and social waste that should be avoided." The mother commented, "And Chisato avoid sleeping with Soubu student because you're embarrassed and feel that something is not right, you just want to get along with boys, but aside from flirting and sleeping with them you don't know how."
"Umm yeah." Chisato blushed, "It's not that I dislike sex, it's just that doing it with people you might have regular contact with is uncomfortably embarrassing... I just want to get along with my classmates and others..."
"And Benio, you want your parents to understand that you feel suffocated by their strict parenting, but at the same time, you don't want to disobey their orders. That's why you keep your chastity and avoid dealing with men, and instead channeled your fantasy through their stories."
"That's correct, Okaa-sama." Benio bowed politely, "I just want them to know that I hate it when they just keep pushing the boundaries of what I will obey."
"Alright then, I'm going to be blunt, and you better listen properly because I'm not pulling my punch here."
"Anko, you're in the position of danger. Adults are petty and selfish and they will use any means to obtain what they want. If possible, you should keep track those adults you sleep with and write it in a journal. If worst case scenario happened, people will know where to look."
"Furthermore, avoid risky activity like going home alone at night, and always keep extra security measures like GPS, cellphone beacon, and personal safety alarm."
"Is it that dangerous?" Anko became slightly paler, seemingly convinced.
"I'm just saying the risk is there. If by any chance any of them feel vindictive, they have far more power and influence to do awful things to you as retaliation. At the very least, you need to make sure you have everything at your disposal to protect yourself." The mother closed her eyes.
"Adults are scarier than children think. So you don't have to tell why you would want that, but you totally should consult it with your parents as a precaution. Tell them you feel anxious and uneasy about the increased crime rate and they will understand."
"Keep their profile, and make sure I'm well protected got it." Anko wrote it in her cell notes, she managed to calm herself down and focus, highlighting her outstanding sense of maturity.
"Chisato, I think you will have the hardest time adjusting to the future, at least socially." The mother switched her attention to the rainbow-haired girl, "In high school, everything will be more or less fine once you stop sleeping around. But once you get into college, it won't be the same anymore."
"College?"
"Gossips spread faster than wildfire, and if you just happen to share a campus with someone you sleep with before, chances are that people will see you for what you were in the past, not what you are by that point."
"Ah, eh, uh..." Chisato look shaken, looks like she seriously didn't think of it properly.
"When something like that happens, make sure you always have enough ammo. If your former sex friend harasses you, you tell them their weakness and kill their pride as a man. Plus, the more trustworthy friends you have, the less chance of rumors blowing out of proportion." The mother ruffled her hair to cheer her up, "What's done is done, no use crying over spilled milk. What you need to make sure is that you stopped doing what you're doing now and start getting yourself together."
Chisato sobbed and sniffed, but otherwise nodded in response to her caring advice.
"Benio, I think your problem isn't really that bad in comparison, but it's also one that would decide where your future is heading. Rather than not wanting to do what your parents told you, is there something you simply want to do?"
"I... just want to be like normal high school girls." Benio said, "I want to play with my friends and have a normal boyfriend. And maybe, somewhere along the way, I can find what I really want to do. And if I could not, then I will faithfully entrust my future to my parents' guidance."
"Communication is the key then." The mother crossed her arms, "Make sure you convince them that you're not going to abandon your studies. However, I'm a parent, and parents are stubborn to change their view, so it's going to be a hard fight on your part."
"Mom sure didn't cut corners eh?" Hachi said, "Easier said than done you know?"
"But if I didn't tell them that they will be clueless and blindsided. Knowing worst-case scenario makes it easier to prepare yourself." The mother winked.
Ah.
They really are mother and daughter indeed.
"You two really resembles each other, Okaa-sama," Benio said, "Nii-sama and Hacchan look like you."
"They have their dad's eyes and height though." The mother snorted, "Nii-sama?"
"Beni-tan has a brocon fantasy, but she's an only child so..." Chisato explained, "It seems that she adopted Senpai as her own."
"Ehhh? Really?" Komachi puffed her cheek, seemingly jealous.
"I'm sorry I didn't ask permission, Komachi-chan." Benio bowed apologetically.
"It's fine, you can be my Oneechan too, the three of you." Komachi leered at Hachi, "I only had an Aneki here."
Benio closed her lips and let out a soft, amused laugh.
Hachi looked away defiantly with a "Hmph."
Hachi wanted Komachi to call her with Aneki because it sounds tougher, but it sticks well, and Oneesama is the only acceptable alternative, which Taishi exclusively used at the moment.
"But I think now I got the plan to make them experience it." Hachi posed like a super sentai, with her usual flawless confidence. "Their second-semester debut."
"Second-semester debut?"
"Yep." Hachi pointed dramatically, "This is around the time for the school festival, so naturally, members of a class will get closer to each other. In this precious three weeks, we're going to show your character charm."
"We're going to have cosplay cafe for the festival, so obviously, three of you going to look really pretty, but pretty face alone isn't enough." Hachi said, "We need to show off your personality too!"
"How?"
"That's easy," Hachi grinned wickedly, her eyes even more terrifying than that of Hachiman. It sent chills to the three girls, and even Komachi seems disturbed by her expression.
Meanwhile, Hachiman received a phone call from Yukino as he was studying.
"Huh? Something important about the committee?" Hachiman asked, "Alright then, I'll be there, Chairman."
Hachiman picked out the hanging Blocktech coat in his room. It was one of the most expensive Uniqlo clothes he bought yet at 9900 yen, but it has been serving him well, in this rainy season.
Plus, it looks so fucking cool. The dark blue color totally brings out his manly charm.
He picked it and buttoned up, readying himself for a wet ride.
He pulled the chain that tied the bikes together under the heavy wind yesterday, and then slowly removed his bike from the group and pull it out.
It seems that everyone still busy in the living room, so he decided to simply go ahead and tell them later.
And with that, the high torque 50cc engine growled, breaking the echoing sounds of the rain.