AN: Hey, guys. Wassup? Yeah it's been like 4 to 5 months since I last posted anything. Sorry this took so long. Won't shove a rant/excuse on you at the beginning; Figured you guys would like reading the chap first. Rant would be at the bottom instead.
This chapter was…. Well it took a horrendous amount of effort, is all I can say for now. It's bloody long but you guys deserve the length after waiting so long. Hope you guys will enjoy this.
Oh yeah before I forget, here are the results of the AN choices in the last post:
1) Intermission: 17 votes
2) Episode 3 & 4: 25 votes
3) Saki Arc: 16 votes
Now you guys know what you're reading. Enjoy.
Chapter 6: He's a guy. He's my friend.
"Alright guys, you know the drill! Pair up and play!"
The gathered males let out various sounds of affirmation before splitting up in pairs as told. I didn't bother finding. Instead, I went towards the side of the court to start my usual attempt at cracking a concrete wall with a tennis ball.
"Hey, Hikigaya. Alone again, huh?"
I leisurely turned to regard my addresser with a lazy half-smirk.
"Did your wife make you a good breakfast today, Motohama-sensei? Because for a second there it sounded like you were hoping for something to change."
Motohama Raido, physical education and health science teacher. The guy was one of those laid back teachers that most students love to hang around with. He was one of my more preferred teachers since he doesn't get prissy whenever I sleep in class.
"As a matter of fact my lovely Saya made me some delicious curry today. I even have some packed for lunch back in the office."
Oi, don't go bragging about your successful marital life. You could get killed if the wrong person gets wind of it.
Class 2-J
"From this paragraph we can-ACHOO!"
"Bless you, Sensei."
"Sniff… Yukinoshita, make sure to remind me at the end of class to kill a certain rotten eyed cynic."
"With pleasure, Sensei."
Tennis Court
"You ok there, Hikigaya? For a second there you looked like something just crawled up your back."
"… Just the usual presence of death in my life. Nothing to worry about."
"… Riiight. Anyway, you sure you don't want to partner up with someone?"
"Like always I appreciate the thought but I'd rather not get stuck with someone who'd just be too scared to back me up or fight me." Seriously have you tried playing tennis with a guy who's about to crap himself whenever you so much as twitch?
"I'm sure Hayama and his gang wouldn't mind having you. He's probably the only guy here who could keep up with you."
Are you sure you're trying to motivate me here, sensei? Because I'd rather use my own head as a tennis ball then partner up with Mr. Perfect and his posse.
"That could work if you can get Hayama's idiot trio to stop being scared of me."
At that moment it was like the gods were agreeing with me as an opportunity came that would help prove my point. And by opportunity I meant the stray tennis ball flying right at me. On reflex I managed to catch the ball as it came within grabbing distance.
"Good reflexes."
Training to dodge the fists of very manly men would do that to you, but thanks for the complement, sensei.
"Sorry 'bout that! Didn't mean to-HI-HIKIGAYA?!"
Yes, I'm Hikigaya.
"Umm… s-sorry, Hi-Hikigaya-kun. I-I was just trying to slice the ball like, Hayato-kun a-and…"
Oi, stop stuttering. If you can't apologize properly then don't apologize at all, tako-head.
"Hikigaya-kun, sorry about that. Tobe didn't mean to send it flying your way. You mind throwing back the ball?"
As always everybody's friendly neighbourhood ikemen, Hayama Hayato comes to save the day. I'm not even gonna bother addressing the guy so I just threw the ball his way. [1]
"Thanks, Hikigaya-kun!"
Oh god, stop smiling already. It's like looking into the sun. I'm going blind!
Motohama-sensei sighed heavily as Hayama and his gang returned to their game.
"Well, looks like you won't be partnering up with anyone any time soon."
I didn't even bother to say it, my face already screamed, 'I told you so.'
"One day, Hikigaya, I'll get to see you playing with the rest of the guys."
"Sorry, sensei but I don't bat for the other team. You're gonna have to find another guy to put your fantasies on. I recommend Hayama. The guy rejects any and all females thrown at him."
What? I can't be the only one who thinks he's gay. Miura may be a headache but you can't deny she's pretty hot. She's practically throwing herself at Hayama and he barely bats an eye!
"Sigh… I keep wondering how Hiratsuka-sensei handles you."
"She's frustrated and I'm the only guy who can take her punches. You do the math. Now if you'll excuse me, Sensei, Wall-chan and I have some unfinished business."
Sorry, Sensei but I doubt there's anyone in this school who actually wants to partner up with me.
… Well, there's one guy but… I'd rather not call that chuunii. Wouldn't want to purposely raise my blood pressure now, right?
I guess it's just you and I till the end of time, Wall-chan.
I think I've said this before but lunch was a simple affair for me. I'd usually eat at my favourite spot by myself. My home base was on the first floor of the special studies building, to the side of the nurse's office and diagonally behind the cafeteria. To give you a better idea, it was a position from which I could see right out into the tennis courts.
I leisurely ate the hot dog, tuna onigiri, and yakisoba bread I had bought from the cafeteria. Was it a nutritious meal? No. Was it filling? Yes.
With food in my stomach and a MAX coffee to wash it down, I was at peace.
All the while, a pleasant wind blew past.
And then the wind changed directions.
It varied with the day-to-day weather, but because this school was near the sea, the wind would usually change direction sometime around noon. It was almost as if the morning's sea breeze was returning from whence it came.
Spending some time alone, just feeling that wind on my skin, wasn't a bad thing at all.
"Huh? Hikki, is that you?"
That same wind carried a familiar voice to my ears. When I turned around, I saw Yuigahama standing there, holding down her skirt to protect it from any more gusts of wind. If this was a generic anime, her skirt would be fluttering upwards while holy sunbeams blind the eyes of any glimpse of good bits.
"Whatcha doin' over here?"
"Having lunch."
"Hmm, really? Why? Wouldn't it be better to just eat in the classroom?"
"If I did that then I wouldn't be able to enjoy my food. More importantly, why are you here?"
"Oh yeah! Truth is, I lost a game of rock paper scissors with Yukinon, so… I guess this is my penalty?"
"So talking to me is a penalty…?"
Well if it was for Yukinoshita then the prospect probably was a penalty, for the both of us at least.
"N-no, no! The loser had to go buy juice! That's it!"
Yuigahama hurriedly waved her hands, denying my assumption. She then proceeded to plop herself down next to me.
"Yukinon didn't like it at first. 'I can provide my own food. What do I stand to gain, aside from winning a trivial competition?' was what she said."
Yuigahama, if you're gonna imitate Yukinoshita you're gonna need more ice in your diet.
"Well, that does sound like her."
"Yeah, but then I said, 'So you don't think you can win?' then she was totally down for it." I smirked a bit at that.
"… Well, that does sound like her."
That girl was usually the very picture of cool, but when it came to competitions, she really hated to lose. She'd instantly gotten on board before as soon as Hiratsuka-sensei challenged her.
"And then, when Yukinon won, she pumped her fists a bit… It was really cute, you know…"
Yuigahama let out a happy sigh.
"I think this is the first time I've thought this penalty game was fun."
I don't know if it was the way she worded it, or maybe it was the tone of her voice. It wasn't hard for me to imagine her being pulled in by the crowd and doing things she didn't feel like doing, all in an act to fit in. It must have been a blessing for her to find someone who she didn't have to put up a façade for, someone who would only respond in truth on how they feel towards her.
Because that's who Yukinoshita Yukino is, a girl who doesn't dabble in lies.
"… You're probably the only person in the world who'd be happy losing a penalty game. I really wonder if you've already transcended the plains of simple air-headedness."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"It means to be or go beyond the limit of something, but I believe in this context it would be degenerative than progressive. Sorry for using such hard words."
"I wasn't referring to that and you know it! I'm not an idiot, you dummy! I passed the entrance exam to get into Sobu too, you know!?"
And so comes the patented Puppy Fiststm.
I turned my attention away from Yuigahama when I heard the soft crunching of footsteps. To my pleasant surprise, a silver haired beauty was approaching us from the tennis courts.
"Hey! It's Sai-chan!"
Yuigahama waved her hands and called out. It seemed she knew this person. As expected of a riajuu, they know practically everyone.
That girl noticed Yuigahama and picked up speed from slow steps to a little jog. How cute.
"Hey. Had practice?"
"Yeah. Our team is really weak right now, so we have to practice through lunch… We've been asking them over and over for permission to use the courts during lunch, and they finally gave us the okay. What are Yuigahama-san and Hikigaya-kun doing here?"
"Ahh, not much…"
Yuigahama said that and turned to me, as if to ask for confirmation. Well, I was actually eating lunch, and you were on your way to finish an errand, right? Really this girl has the attention span of a bird or something…
"I see." That girl, Sai-chan or whatever, gave us a smile.
"Sai-chan, you play tennis for class and even practice through lunch… That must be really tough."
"Yeah, but it's what I want to do, so it's fine… Ah, also, Hikigaya-kun, you're pretty good at tennis."
To my surprise, she turned the conversation to me. It was the first time that I'd heard that. Also, who is she?
"Oh…?" I wanted to ask her a few things, but before I could, Yuigahama butted in, sounding impressed.
"Really?"
"Yeah, his form is really good when he plays."
"Ahh… you're embarrassing me, ahaha… Yuigahama, who is this person?"
I said the last bit soft enough to make sure only Yuigahama could hear me, but the airhead smashed my efforts to itty bitty pieces.
"Hwahhh?! You're in the same class! You even take gym class together! Why don't you know?! I can't believe you!"
"You idiot, is 'subtle' even in your dictionary?! And last I checked, boys and girls don't take gym class together!"
I was trying to be so considerate, and she completely ruined my efforts… Now everyone in the world would know that I didn't know this girl's name. Great, she's probably in a bad mood…
As I thought that, I glanced at this Sai-chan's direction and saw that her eyes were tearing up… Crap, this was bad. In dog terms, she looked like a Chihuahua, and in cat terms, she looked like a munchkin… That was how cute and sad-looking she was.
"A-Ahaha. So I guess you really don't remember my name… I'm Totsuka Saika. We're in the same class."
"A-ah, sorry about that. I don't usually pay attention to the people around me."
"We were in the same class during the first year too… Ehehe, maybe I just don't have much of a presence…"
"Nah, that's not it… Oh, I got it! It's just that I don't hang out with the girls in our class very much! You know, I still don't know the real name of this girl here!"
"Cut it out and remember!"
My tasteless joke earned me a smack on the head by Yuigahama, but even that caused Totsuka to mutter with a grim look on her face.
"You sure are good friends with Yuigahama-san…"
"E-ehh?! W-we're definitely not! If anything, all I want to do is kill this annoying guy! Kill Hikki and then I'll die too… That sort of thing!"
"Yeah, that's it! …Also, that's damn scary! You're damn scary, woman! Lover's suicide?! I don't want that at all!"
"Huh?! A-are you a complete idiot?! I didn't mean it like that at all!"
"You two really are pretty close…"
Totsuka said that in a sad tone, and this time faced me. She proceeded to distill me information that would forever rock my world.
"I'm a guy by the way… d-do I really look that frail to you?"
"Eh?"
My thoughts and movements completely halted at that moment. I quickly looked to Yuigahama. That's a lie, right? I asked with my eyes. But Yuigahama, seemingly still angry, her cheeks still flushed red, just gave me a few strong nods.
Wait… Seriously? That can't be right. That has to be a joke.
Totsuka saw my doubtful gaze and turned bright red. Her head lowered, and she stared at me with upturned eyes.
Totsuka's hand slowly reached down towards her (his?) shorts. That small movement was already enough to captivate me.
"…I can show you proof, if you want."
I felt something inside of my heart twitch.
A little devil Hachiman appeared on my right shoulder. "Ohh, that's great, you should just go ahead and take a look-you might get really lucky, ya know?" Well, that's true… This was a pretty rare chance, after all. "Wait just a second!" Ahh, and now the angel Hachiman has arrived. "While you're at it, how about you ask her to take off her top too?" What the hell… What kind of crappy angel was this?
In the end, I decided to listen to my own common sense. Logic wins all.
Yes, with these kind of androgynous characters, their entire appeal lay in the fact that their gender was so ambiguous! And so, by reaching this logical conclusion, I was able to calm down and proceed with a cool head.
"In any case… I'm sorry. I really didn't know, but I apologize if I caused you any discomfort."
When Totsuka heard me say that, he shook off the tears that had been building up in his eyes and gave me a smile.
"Nah, it's fine."
"But, Totsuka… I'm surprised you can talk to me so calmly."
"Eh, ahh… Well, I sort of had the feeling that Hikigaya-kun wasn't that scary of a person from the beginning."
After Totsuka said that, Yuigahama stared at me.
"Reeaaally? But he's so scary-looking… if it was me I'd totes be too frightened to talk to him."
"You do know you're contradicting yourself right now? And who was it between us that so readily approached the other first?"
You're making a nice impression of a tomato right now, Yuigahama. Normally I hate the sight of said vegetable but this time I'll make an exception.
"S-Shut up, Hikki."
Oh, a pouting tomato. Cute.
"You two really do get along."
"S-Sai-chan that's not it! H-Hikki is just being a big meanie like always! A-Anyway, you said you didn't think he was scary right? W-Why?"
Suddenly being put on the spot made Totsuka look away shyly.
"…W-Well, he never did anything bad last year and never once disturbed the class. The only time he was scary was that time with Miura-san, but even then it was kind of obvious he did it for Yuiga-"
"T-That's enough, Sai-chan! I get it!"
Yuigahama was now practically glowing red while trying to not face me. O-Oi, I get that you're embarrassed but would you be so kind as to not pass it over to me?
Sensing the increasingly awkward atmosphere, Totsuka decided it was best to change subjects.
"B-But seriously, Hikigaya-kun is pretty good at tennis. Have you played before?"
"Well, I played a bit of Mario Tennis during elementary school, but I haven't played real tennis."
Yuigahama suddenly became excited, "Oh, that's the one everyone plays together. I played that too, you know. Playing doubles was reaaally fun, wasn't it~~?"
"…I've only played it by myself."
"Eh? … Ah... Umm, sorry…"
"What the hell, are you a psychological minesweeper or something? Is it your job to dig up every little bit of trauma I have?"
"Hikki's the one who has way too many bombs!"
Totsuka, standing to the side, seemed to be having fun watching the exchange between me and Yuigahama.
And just like that, the bell that announced the end of lunch break rang.
"Let's head back."
Totsuka left first with Yuigahama following after him.
I watched them from behind and suddenly felt a bit strange.
I see… They were in the same class, so it was natural for them to leave together. The sight brought out a memory, one of a cheeky brunette.
"Aren't you coming, Hikigaya?"
"Hikki? What are you doing?"
Yuigahama turned back towards me, seemingly puzzled. Totsuka also stopped walking and faced me.
I quickly waved the memory away and was about to follow, but I stopped.
Instead, I said the following:
"What happened to that juice you were supposed to buy?"
"Huh? … Ahhh!"
A few days later, I was in gym class again.
Because of my repeated practice sessions with the wall, I had become a master of tennis wall hitting. At this point, I could hold up a rally with Wall-chan without having to move a step in any direction.
In my head I could feel Wall-chan crying out for mercy after days of constant abuse, but I was feeling none of it. Just when I was about to resume my cathartic tortu-I mean practice, I felt something poking me on the right shoulder.
And who might this fairy behind my back be? There wasn't anyone who would talk to me, so this had to be some kind of supernatural phenomenon, right?
I turned about halfway before I felt a finger poke into my right cheek.
"Ahah, caught you~."
It was Totsuka Saika, giving me a cute smile.
Oof, what was this I was feeling…? My heart was seriously pounding. If he wasn't a guy, I would have asked him out and then gotten rejected on the spot.
I mean, once you saw Totsuka in his uniform it was plain as day that he was a guy, but when he wore his gym uniform, which was the same for guys and girls, his gender really wasn't obvious. It didn't help that he preferred wearing shorts to track pants.
His arms, legs, and waist were all slender, and his skin was pale white.
Well, it was true that he didn't have very large breasts, but it's not like Yukinoshita had those either.
For some reason, I felt a horrible shiver run up my spin.
"You need something?"
"Ah, the guy I usually pair up with isn't here today. So… umm, if you want, would you like be my partner?"
Stop looking at me with upturned eyes, dammit. You look way too cute like that. Stop blushing, please.
"… Sure. I'm by myself anyway."
Sorry, Wall-chan. Looks like you get that break after all.
Thank you…
… Did that just… no. Not happening. Stay sane, Hachiman.
"Phew, what a relief!"
I heard Totsuka mutter.
Dammit, he was seriously way too cute.
According to Yuigahama, Because of how cute Totsuka was, some of the girls at school had begun calling him "the Prince." I see, considering Totsuka was a pretty boy who had a feminine sense of cuteness, that name fit him to a tee. In addition, the name "the Prince" also made you want to protect him.
With that, my free practice with Totsuka began.
…
"Let's take a short break."
"Alright."
After a few enjoyable rounds of rallying between us, we decided on a short break. We sat down on a bench together. Wait, wasn't he too close? Wasn't he way too close?
"Hey, I wanted to ask Hikigaya-kun for some advice…"
Totsuka spoke with a serious look on his face.
Well, if he wanted to ask me for advice in secret, then I guess we had to be close like this. That's why we were sitting so close, wasn't it?
"Advice, huh…?"
"Yeah. It's about our tennis team actually… we're really not very good, you know? We don't have many people either. And when all the third-years graduate after the next tournament, we'll be in even worse shape. There are a lot of freshmen who joined but who didn't start playing tennis until high school, so they're not very used to it yet… and because we're so weak we can't get motivated either. I mean, it's not like people need to compete for spots to play, so…"
"I see."
That made perfect sense. Actually, that seemed like a common problem for the smaller, weaker sports teams.
Because your team wasn't very good, people didn't join. And because there weren't many people, nobody competed for a spot on the starting lineup.
Even if you took a break or skipped practice, you could play in the tournament, and as long as you were playing matches, you felt involved enough. There were definitely plenty of people who could be fully satisfied by that even if they didn't win any matches.
Those players were never going to get any better. And then, because they didn't, the team had no hope of attracting new players. And thus continued the vicious cycle.
"So… if Hikigaya-kun is okay with it, won't you consider joining the tennis team?"
"… Huh?"
Where did that come from…?
Totsuka saw the confusion in my eyes, and he seemed to shrink into himself as he sat there hugging his knees. He glanced at me once in a while with pleading eyes.
"Hikigaya-kun is good at tennis, and I think you can get better and better. I think you can motivate the others too. And… if it's with Hikigaya-kun, I think I can try harder too. U-Umm… I don't mean that in a weird way or anything! I-It's just that I want to get stronger at tennis!"
"It's fine for you to be weak… I'll protect you."
"… What?"
"Ah, sorry. My bad."
Seeing Totsuka's lovable innocence made me say the completely wrong thing there, even though I should be trying to be serious here. But come on, he is way too cute. He was so cute that I almost ended up agreeing to join his club on the spot. I almost raised my hand with the vigor of someone charging into battle to get the last piece of cake in the cafeteria.
But no matter how cute Totsuka may be, there were some requests I just could not grant.
Also, the cake is a lie. [2]
"… Sorry. I don't think I can do that…"
It wasn't that I didn't want to join. It was that circumstances wouldn't let me.
I knew that I was a very intimidating guy to my peers. I can predict that none of the tennis members would want to be around if I was to join in on their sessions.
In regards to myself, I don't like to deal with people who won't look me in the eye. I'd probably give it a couple of weeks to pad out, but in the long run I knew I'd be too irritated by my so called teammates if they were to still walk on eggshells around me. The only reason I wouldn't walk out of the club by then would be because I wasn't a quitter.
So if someone like me joined the tennis team, I guarantee that all it would do is get Totsuka depressed.
"… I see…"
Totsuka seemed disappointed. Meanwhile, I tried to find something to say in this situation.
"Well umm… don't worry. I'll try to figure something out."
Even though I probably couldn't do anything, I'd at least try.
"Thanks. I think I feel a bit better after talking with Hikigaya-kun."
Totsuka smiled at me, but I knew that his peace of mind was only temporary. At the same time, a part of me also thought that even if it was only temporary, if Totsuka felt at peace, that in and of itself was worthwhile.
"Impossible."
That, ladies and gentlemen, was the sound of rejection. I'm sure many of you out there are familiar with it. My condolences.
"I knew you'd say that. But really, can't you consider-"
"Impossible is impossible."
At least wait for me to give a solid argument, woman!
"And here I thought you'd jump at the chance to get rid of me."
"If I wasn't a woman of my word then yes I would have agreed to rid myself of you. Unfortunately for the both of us you still exhibit no change in your misanthropic ways. I'm sure you remember the bet we agreed upon."
"How could I forget? That thing is the only reason I bother staying in this club." That and the prospect of Hiratsuka hounding me every day if I don't.
"Then we have come to an impasse. Though you surprise me, Hikigaya-kun. I had not expected you to be so eager to help out a fellow schoolmate, especially one that you've just met. Perhaps you really are starting to change?"
"Uwaah… Don't get ahead of yourself, Yukinoshita. I've always been a nice guy. If someone were to earnestly ask something of me then you can be sure I will consider it very seriously."
"Just consider it?"
"Of course. I'm a nice guy, not a charity."
"Of course. What more was I expecting."
You're rolling your eyes but that smile shows your amusement.
"So what will you do if you do join the tennis club?"
"Are you actually giving me a chance to convince you, or is this attempt to further the conversation just for your amusement?"
"A little bit of both."
Don't act cute.
"I'm just curious really. I wanted to know if our methods would differ in regards to saving the tennis club."
"Well the first thing to do is to raise moral and skill level. We can do team building exercises and workouts for that. From there we can go on to impress more people into joining. After that it's just a matter of getting better and winning tournaments. Really, it's more common sense than anything else. What would you have done?"
"Let's see… I'd make them all run laps until they die, practice swings until they die, and then practice matches until they die, I guess?"
… Woman, you need help.
"Yahallo~!"
Yuigahama had her usual ditsy grin on her face as she came in. She seemed as carefree as ever.
However, there was someone else behind her with a serious yet feeble-looking expression on his face.
His lowered eyes were devoid of confidence, and he was weakly gripping the hem of Yuigahama's blazer. His skin was pale white. He reminded me of a faint dream, something that would disappear the minute you looked at it under the light
"Ah… Hikigaya-kun!"
He gave me a bright smile the moment he saw me, and color seemed to return to his pale skin. When he smiled like that, I finally realized who he was. Why did he look so gloomy…?
"Totsuka…"
He slowly pitter-pattered towards me, and this time, he grabbed my sleeve tightly. Hey, hey, that's against the rules! Didn't I say this was bad for my heart?
"Hikigaya-kun, what are you doing here?"
"Ah, I'm a member of this club… Why are you here?"
"I brought a new customer with me today, fufu~."
Yuigahama's yuigahamas waved distractingly back and forth as she spoke proudly. What is this, Dead or Alive? [3]
"Well, I'm a part of this club too, ya know? So I thought I'd earn my keep. And Sai-chan looked like he had something on his mind, so I brought him here."
"Yuigahama-san."
"Oh, Yukinon. You totally don't need to thank me or anything. I'm only doin' my job as a member."
"… Yuigahama-san, you're not really a member though."
…
"I'm not?!"
She's not? Seriously? Hasn't she been hanging out in the club every day for the pass week? I thought this was one of those cases where she'd become one without me looking.
"Indeed. I don't have your application to join, or the club advisor's approval, so yes you're not a member."
"I'll write it! I'll fill out as many applications as you want!"
"So, Totsuka Saika-kun… Right? What do you want from us?"
Yukinoshita ignored the hastily-writing Yuigahama and turned towards Totsuka. He began to shake as he was pinned in place by Yukinoshita's cold stare.
"U-Umm… I want… to make the tennis team… better, I guess…?"
Totsuka was looking at Yukinoshita at first, but as the sentence progressed, he slowly turned to look towards me.
Please don't stare at me… My heart's starting to race dammit, so look somewhere else.
"I don't know what Yuigahama-san told you, but the service club is not some miracle cure-all. We are here only to help and promote independence. Whether the tennis team gets better or not completely depends on you."
"I… see…"
Totsuka shoulders drooped; he looked completely disappointed. Yuigahama must have told him something to get his hopes up…
"Where's that seal, where's that seal…" Yuigahama muttered as she began to rummage through her bag. She looked up when she felt all eyes on her.
"Huh? What is it?"
"Don't give me that… You made irresponsible false promises, Yuigahama-san. Now we have to break this young man's fragile hopes and dreams."
Yukinoshita threw merciless words at Yuigahama, but Yuigahama just cocked her head in puzzlement.
"Hm? Hmmm? But, I mean, I thought Yukinon and Hikki would definitely be able to do something… Was I wrong?"
Yuigahama said that in a completely nonchalant tone. Depending on how you took that statement, you could almost hear a bit of a teasing challenge in it too.
And, unfortunately, there was someone here who would take it just that way.
"…Hmph. Now you've said it, Yuigahama-san… Whether the brute over there can do anything is another issue, but to think you would try to test me like this…"
Yukinoshita laughed. Ahh… it looked like some weird switch had just flipped on inside of her… Yukinoshita Yukino was the kind of person who took all challenges head-on and used all her strength to smash them to pieces-hell, she would smash them to pieces even if she wasn't provoked. She was the kind of person who would mercilessly lay into even a peace-loving Gandhi like myself.
"Well then fine. Totsuka-kun, I will accept your request. All I have to do is help you improve your tennis ability, right?"
"Y-yes, that's right. I-if I get better, I think everyone else will try harder too."
Maybe he felt pressured by Yukinoshita's calculating stare, but Totsuka was hiding behind me as he answered. His face peeked out from just slightly above my shoulder, and I saw uneasy fear in his eyes. It was almost like looking at a trembling wild rabbit… And it made me want to put him in a bunny girl costume.
Of course, when the Queen of Ice offered you her help, it was natural to feel scared. I could almost picture Yukinoshita saying something like, "I'll make you stronger, but only if you give me your soul!"
I wanted to alleviate Totsuka's unease, so I took one step forward to protect him.
When I was close to Totsuka, I could smell the scent of shampoo and deodorant. He smelled indescribably like a high school girl… What the hell kind of shampoo was he using? L'Oréal?
"Well, now that we've agreed to help, what are we going to do?"
"I said it already, didn't I? Do you not remember? If you don't trust your memory, perhaps you should consider taking notes?"
"Wait, don't tell me you were being serious back there…"
As I thought back to when Yukinoshita was saying things about forcing people to work "until they died," I saw Yukinoshita smile back at me… It was almost as if she was reading my thoughts. Damn was that smile scary…
"And you're going to help."
"In what? Murder?"
"In formulating a proper exercise regime for Totsuka-kun, of course. You have experience in physical training, correct? Then surely you know the best way to bolster Totsuka-kun's growth."
"I had expected you to take the reins here. You sure you won't mind me taking the lead?"
"I'm not so petty as to disregard one's experience and skill. A good leader knows to place those who are capable in situations where they can flourish the most."
Are you a high school student or a corporate leader? In which case can I invest in some of your stocks?
"And it's not like you will be doing all the leg work. While you train his body, I will focus on his technique. The main point of this is to improve his tennis skills, after all. I believe this strategy will be most efficient."
"… Well, can't argue with that logic. Fine, I'm in. At least this way there won't be any unnecessary casualties."
Totsuka's white skin suddenly became paler and he began to tremble.
"Am I… going to die…?"
"It's fine. I'll protect you."
I said that and pat Totsuka on the shoulder. When I did that, Totsuka blushed and sent me a heated look.
"Hikigaya-kun… Are you saying that seriously?"
"Nah, sorry… I just kinda wanted to say it."
I'll protect you is in any guy's top three list of, "Things I Want To Say". (In case you're curious, number one is, Leave it to me or just go on ahead.)
Totsuka let out a short sigh and he frowned.
"I seriously can't understand Hikigaya-kun sometimes… but…"
"Hm, so Totsuka-kun has tennis practice after school, correct? Well then, let's start our special training sessions during lunch break. Shall we meet on the courts?" Yukinoshita interrupted Totsuka and began to quickly make plans for tomorrow and beyond.
"Roger~~!"
Yuigahama held out the application letter she had just finished writing as she answered. Totsuka also nodded.
And thus began our training from hell.
Several days later….
"Ugh!"
"Sai-chan, are you ok!"
I jogged my way up to Totsuka who was slowly getting up from his fall. From the looks of it he had scraped his knees pretty roughly.
"I'm fine. Let's keep going."
"Like hell you are. You're barely standing up and your knees are starting to bleed. We're taking a break."
Though reluctant, he didn't resist as I helped him to a nearby bench with the girls not too far behind. I looked around in search of my bag as I remembered that it had a small med-kit packed in.
"Yukinoshita, Yuigahama. Have you guys seen where my bag is?"
"I'm not sure, Hikki."
"I believe you brought it with you when you went to the drinking taps. You might have left it there."
"Right, you guys wait here. I'll be back in a bit."
As I was leaving the court I heard the beginnings of a conversation between Totsuka and the girls.
"Do you think Hikigaya-kun is frustrated with me?"
"Sai-chan, Hikki isn't…"
That was as much as I caught as I left. I couldn't help but sigh as my thoughts concerning Totsuka began to surface.
Since we started his training the guy hasn't made that much progress. At least that's what Totsuka himself believed. He tried his best at all the exercises I threw at him and would even force himself if he had to. Recently there were times where I had to convince him that straining his body will only hinder any progress. It was obvious to me and the girls that the dainty boy was starting to get frustrated. Whether it was at us or himself, I wouldn't know. But I'm betting on the latter.
Realistically speaking, there was no way you could see any significant progress in just such a short span of time. Strength and muscle take weeks and months to develop, the same goes for tennis skills. You don't just get some significant boost in ability just because you did ten to twenty pushups for the past week.
This wasn't a shounen manga, this was real life.
And real life hurts.
"Now where did I put my bag?"
I arrived at the drinking fountains but my bag wasn't there. I saw something move in the corner of my eye. A girl was walking a ways away from me. I took note of the familiar object in her hands and immediately made my way to her.
"Hey, hold up."
My voice must have startled her because she did a small jump in surprise. When she slowly turned to face me I noted she was actually pretty cute. Her hair was done into two braids that rested across her chest with her bangs decorated with a few hair pins. Her eyes had a particular look to them, almost droopy if I were to put it. It was kind of adorable actually. What surprised me however, was the inviting smile she had on. It was the sort where you couldn't help but let your guard down once you see it.
"Yes?"
"… That bag you're carrying. It's mine."
"Oh? Really? I found it beside the drinking fountains."
"Yeah. Accidentally left it there."
She lifted it up and offered my bag back to me, still with that pleasant smile of hers. I thanked her as I accepted it.
"You shouldn't leave your things around like that. It would have been a real shame if someone were to have stolen it. Good thing I was there to pick it up. I was about to bring it to student affairs and place in the lost and found box."
I couldn't help but lazily smile as she lectured me. The tone of her voice carried a sweet and airy vibe to it, almost as if she was speaking in a dream. It was honestly pretty cute.
"Well, I'll remember that."
I opened my bag and pulled out my med-kit with relief. The second I did though, her smile turned into a worried frown.
"Is somebody injured?"
"Oh, yeah, a bit. A… classmate scraped his knees pretty badly."
"Oh my, you should hurry back and treat your friend then."
"Yeah, I should probably do that. Thanks again, uh…"
"Shiromeguri Meguri. 3rd year, class C"
Oh, so she's a senior. That name sounds familiar though…
"Hikigaya Hachiman, class 2-F. Thanks again, Shiromeguri-sempai."
I bowed my head slightly to her before quickly taking my leave.
What an interesting person. The vibe she was giving off was pretty easy-going, comforting even. It's almost like she was a walking teddy bear. I'm surprised she didn't even seem apprehensive to me.
"I wouldn't have minded talking with her a bit more…"
As I got closer to the tennis court I noticed something that made me pause. I could literally feel the rapidly forming frown on my face as I took in the situation.
"What the? The hell are they doing there?"
They, being the school's number one popular gang, the Hayama inquisition.
No one expects the Hayama inquisition.
"Why are you being so rude?! All we wanted to do was play some tennis!"
"Rude? I believe it was you who brazenly barged into our practice with your childish demands. Was that perhaps your way of asking permission? I'm sorry but I do not condone such brutish tactics. You can huff and puff all you like, and you can act like you're the king of the castle, but please do that privately and in your own time."
"H-Huh?! I don't understand a word you're say-"
"The hell's going on here?"
My timely interruption succeeded in gaining everyone's attention. Their reaction was as expected, I guess; Relief from the girls plus Totsuka, surprise and apprehension from the rest.
"Hikki!"
"Hikigaya-kun, you took your sweet time coming back."
"Well, things happened."
I turned to Hayama's clique, specifically at the blonde lioness of the group. Miura stared back at me with her usual amount of poison.
"W-What?"
Hmm?
Was it just me or do I detect a little quiver in her eyes?
Surprisingly enough she broke the stare-off pretty quickly. I was expecting a bit more bark then that. Maybe she's worn out from handling Yukinoshita. I don't blame you, Miura. It's tiring fighting a girl determined to burry you in spite and snow.
"Yukinoshita, you think you can handle this mess on your own?"
"I've been handling it just fine before you arrived, or do you doubt my negotiation skills?"
From experience, your negotiation skills sucks ass. But if you call verbally beating the other party to submission a form of negotiation, then yeah you're good.
"Sigh… as uncute as always. Alright, I'll leave it to you then."
I made my way over to Totsuka who was still resting on the bench I left him.
"Sorry it took me so long."
"It's ok, Hikigaya-kun."
I quickly got to work on Totsuka's knees, applying some alcohol rub and gauze patches.
"So, mind telling why the Brady Bunch are here?"
"Miura-san wanted to play some tennis but… she wasn't actually being nice about it."
"Typical."
"And Yukinoshita-san didn't take too kindly with them."
"Also typical."
"Eheheh, so now…"
"Now we have an argument on our hands."
As I was finishing with Totsuka's knees I could hear the snippets of conversation going on behind me. It seems Miura had had enough of losing to Yukinoshita and was, like usual, relying on Hayama to back her up.
"Ok, ok, I think it's about time we ended this argument. Yukinoshita-san, we apologize for intruding on your groups practice. Is there any way we can find a compromise in this situation? How about we practice together? It's more fun to play with everyone."
What the hell do you mean by 'everyone'…? Is it the same 'everyone' you use to beg your parents for something? Like, when you go, 'But everyone else has one!' Something like that? Who the hell is that 'everyone'?
"Ever the mediator as always, Hayama-kun… Sigh, very well. Lunch will be over in about a half hour so there's no point or benefit in extending this argument any longer. If you deem it such a necessity to bother us then you can use the other court. Just don't bother our side and make me regret it."
"Thank you. We promise not to get in your way. C'mon guys."
Wow, that was quick. And here I thought it would devolve into some useless death-match or something.
"Well, that ended quick."
"Did you expect anything less of me?"
"I expected a blizzard. You mean all this time they could have just asked to play on the other court? Then what was the point of the argument?"
"They initially wanted to join in with us but Miura-san over there seemed to have misplaced her common courtesy. I would usually ignore such riffraff but her attitude reminded me so much of those prideful girls in the past, I instinctively went on the offensive."
"Saying it like that makes it sound like you were the one at fault."
"In some ways it was. I shouldn't have been goaded in like that."
Yukinoshita looked a bit down at that. Luckily, a living pink stress-ball was there to cheer her up.
"Yukinon, you didn't do anything wrong. You were just standing up for us. Sorry about Yumiko. She can get pretty emotional when it comes to getting things her way. She's honestly a nice person if you get to know her properly."
I beg to differ. If Miura's nice then I'm a socialist.
"Thank you, Yuigahama-san… but please don't apologize for that person. People should own up to their mistakes and apologize on their own."
Yuigahama as always when out of words, proceeds to just glomp her target who for once didn't push away. I glanced to Totsuka by my side and gave a smirk and a shrug while he giggled in response.
"Well, now that that's settled, let's get back to work."
The end of school was signaled by the bell and everyone was already packing their bags. I slowly got up from my seat and proceeded to make my way out of class.
At least that was the plan before a certain someone stopped me.
"Hikigaya-kun, wait up please!"
Bouncing up to catch up to me was Totsuka. The fairy boy had his yellow two-sling bag slung over his shoulders. It made him look slightly smaller due to the weight pulling his shoulders down.
"What is it?"
"You don't have club activities today, right?"
"Yeah. Yukinoshita had something to do so she decided to cancel."
"I don't have any today either so… d-do you want to go home together?"
O-Oi, don't go asking such a question with a blush on your face. This isn't some kind of romcom, okay? We're both dudes, there's no need to be shy.
"Uh… sure."
The way back home was usually a fast affair for me since I'd just ride my bike. But seeing as I had company it wouldn't do for me to just cycle away. Unless of course Totsuka rides my bike along with me and we go into the sunset.
Ahahah-not happening.
"Ne, Hikigaya-kun… thank you."
"Hm? What for?"
"For everything, I guess. You've been such a great help to me these last several days. You taught me so many ways to work-out and get stronger. It's almost like a-"
"A shounen training arc, right?"
"Right! But it honestly hurts a lot and it's very tiring… n-not that I'm complaining or anything!"
"Relax, I get what you're saying. It really does take a toll on you, the whole training thing. Manga and anime make it seem so fast and easy but real life is just brutal. Honestly the hard part is just sticking to it. Don't just casually take a break when you feel like it. You'll be surprised how fast and easy it is to just find yourself get lazy, trust me. When I first started out I almost gave up a few times myself."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"How did you motivate yourself to continue?"
His question made me pause in my steps, my mind suddenly taking a dive into memory lane. I unconsciously start to roam my eyes across the many figures passing by, looking for that distinct bluish hair colour.
"Hikigaya-kun? Is something wrong?"
"U-Uh… nothing. It's nothing. Your question just made me… reminisce is all."
"… I-If it's not too intrusive, what were you remembering?"
"… An old friend. I had a friend who'd always kick my ass into gear if I ever slacked off."
My answer made him widen his eyes in surprise.
"… that's… sorry if this sounds rude but that's honestly very surprising."
"No offense taken, and yeah it's a shocker, right? The big bad Hikigaya Hachiman had a childhood friend."
"I'm sure the girls would be totally surprised if they heard this as well."
"More like they'll think I'm lying. Yukinoshita would probably call me out for making such a tasteless joke while Yuigahama would fret if I was sick or something."
Totsuka couldn't even laugh at that, probably because it would totally happen.
"But that sounds nice, having a friend that will help push you forward… Say, Hikigaya-kun. Do you think… you and I can have something like that?"
Disregarding how suggestive that sounded, it honestly caught me by surprise.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I-I meant… if you don't mind… becoming friends with me."
"Oh…"
"I know this sounds kind of awkward… I mean, we're in high school and all. I shouldn't have needed to confirm with you like this…"
"N-No… actually I'd rather prefer it if you said it straight up to me like this." Makes it easier for me to not read between the lines.
"Yuigahama-san told me you'd say that."
"She did? When?"
"When you left to find your bag. I… had a small chat with the girls. I told them about how I felt frustrated for not making any progress in training. You and Yukinoshita-san were doing so much for me. I honestly felt like I was wasting the service club's time."
"… You're not. Things like this take time. There's nothing wrong in being frustrated. God knows how many times I felt that way myself. I won't think any less of you if you want to give up-"
"I won't."
Those words were filled with a sense of resolution I didn't know was in him. The intense look Totsuka was giving me was anything but feeble.
"I won't put all the work you, Yukinoshita-san and Yuigahama-san have done to waste. I'm going to get better and save my club, one way or another."
Hearing such strong words made me smile. I couldn't find even a hint of worry or trepidation in the guy. For the first time since I met him, I could honestly say he looked like the man he actually was.
"And I'll help you get there. As your… friend."
I earned a brilliant smile for that.
"Thank you, Hachiman."
"No problem, Saika."
And that ladies and gentlemen, is how I got my second male friend.
… Don't ask me about the first.
AN: Oooookay, time for KL's self-depreciation, excuse and ranting segment!
So, let's start off with an apology. I'm sorry for taking so long to put this out. I know by now I sound like a broken record with how many times I've delayed this story. I believe the last official chapter release was back in September 2016. So if we don't count in my revisions and rewrites, this would mean I've delayed this chap for almost 8 months now. So yeah, my bad.
I'm sure some of you guys were hoping for a February or even a March update, because seriously that's what I had set my goal on at the time. I would like to say writer's block or even school work delayed this chapter but the truth won't allow me to. The real reason is because of my own hubris. At the time I decided I'd do an original intermission chapter that would skim through the events of episode 3 and 4 plus put in story points for the Saki arc in the following chapter. Obviously I overestimated my own abilities. I was so stubborn in making such a scenario that whenever I run into a wall in writing I'd just delay the thing. It wasn't until midway in April I was done writing. I thought I produced a glorious piece of art.
Turns out it was just a pile of shit. A glorious pile of shit.
My editor took one glance throu-actually, he didn't even get halfway before he asked me to burn it. (TTATT)
4 months. 4 FREAKING MONTHS! All down the drain. I won't go into detail but after thoroughly reading it myself without author goggles, trust me when I say that you wouldn't want to read it.
So after learning my precious time and effort had been a waste, the only thing going through my mind was the one thing all author's dread to face.
The prospect of abandoning this fic.
Yeah. It was that bad, my writer's block. Mind you, during that time I was in the middle of my midterms which were being dragged about the whole month of April. So I had even more incentive to just be done with this fic.
But then out of nowhere, one guy called out to me. Shout out to Hachimari for being an awesome and supporting guy. I was reminded that there were a lot of people out there who'd be crushed if I don't continue this. So I picked myself up, wacked some sense into me, and started writing again.
And here we are.
Wow, that was a long explanation. Kind of let myself go there… but I figured you guys deserve a thorough explanation.
Now that the gloomy part is over, let's discuss the chapter!
So how did you guys like it? I'm gonna be honest and say that in order to get this out to you guys I had to take some… liberties from the original LN. A lot of the scenes are almost copy paste from it but I did my best to warp it into my own version. I'm sure a lot of you who are familiar with the LN would feel pretty pissed that I basically plagiarized. But hey, if it gets it out faster to all of you with top notch quality then I won't complain.
In case anyone needs me to clarify about this one scene; Hachiman has a med-kit in his bag because he knows and is used to the fact that there's always a chance of injury during physical practice/exercise.
Aaaaaand… well, that's honestly all I got to say actually. I kind of tired myself out with the whole apology thing. Regarding the next update, like usual don't expect it to be anytime soon. I have finals by the end of the month and immediately after that I'm going to intern till September at a construction development company. So yeah, hope to see you guys when it's all over.
As always, thanks for reading. Leave a review with your thoughts or flames and have a nice day. This is KitsuneLovers94, see ya guys next time.
Reference/Translation:
1) Ikemen: Handsome young man.
2) Portal reference. The cake is always a lie.
3) Dead or Alive boob physiques engine reference. Yui is using the Soft Engine. XD
Omake 1: The better guy
"Say, Hikigaya-kun. What do you say about a friendly match?"
I scrutinized the riajuu before me with eyes filled with suspicion.
"What are you playing at here, Hayama?"
"I was just curious between the both of us and wondered who's better at tennis. So what do you say, up for the challenge?"
Now usually I wouldn't give someone like him the time of my day… but the man in me couldn't help but take him up on his offer.
"Alright. Prepare to be humbled by the common man, Hayama."
"Ahahah, we'll see about that."
Off to the side, the girls were having a heated conversation regarding the sudden development of events.
"Hah! This looks like fun. Go, Hayato! Kick Hikigaya's ass!"
"I beg to differ, Miura-san. Clearly the victor will be Hikigaya-kun."
"That's where your wrong, Yukinoshita. Hayato is leagues better than Hikigaya. He'll never lose."
"You're claim is sorely based on your own feelings. If we compare the two skill-wise in regards to tennis then they are both of the same tier, decent. But if we were to take in their physical prowess then clearly Hikigaya-kun is on top."
A sudden stream of blood from Miura's bespectacled friend went unnoticed by the majority except for Yui.
"Hina-chan! Your nose!"
"Eheheh, H-Hikigaya-kun, o-on top. Guhaaaaah!"
"Hina!"
As the two queens squabbled while their attendants flounder about in a pool of perverse induced blood, the guys were trying their best to ignore the chaos.
"They sound like they're arguing on who has the better boyfriend. Right, Hikigaya-kun?"
"… Shut up and play, Hayama."
Omake 2: Motohama-sensei is proud, Sai-chan is sad.
"Hikigaya! I'm so proud of you! Finally the day has come where you're partnered up with someone!" (Motohama)
"… Is that really a cause for celebration?" (Hikki)
"Of course it is! But really, now I know why you never want to partner up with anyone. It's because you wanted to pair up with a girl! You're such a teenager, Hikigaya." (Motohama)
"… U-Um… but, sensei… I'm a guy." (Sai-chan)
…
…
…
"It's ok, Hikigaya. I won't judge. To one's his own, right?" (Motohama)
"Sensei, can I punch you?" (Hikki)
As teacher and student squabbled, no one noticed the tears running down poor Sai-chan's face.