AN for returning readers (sorry for length):

I'd like to thank everyone for the support this story's gotten so far. Unfortunately, as a few reviewers noted I slammed out the previous chapters were hammered out in one weekend, with almost no self-review, no sleep, and no plan! I'm pretty happy with them considering, but feel I was writing myself into a corner.

Therefore, I've gone back and made edits to the opening chapters (in particular CH3). If anyone is willing to go back and review the changes, I'd really appreciate it!

I don't want to waste anyone's time though, so if you don't want to reread old content hunting for the changes please find the big ones summarised below:

-Yui takes a slightly more active role in the opening (i.e. introducing the clique).

-Hachiman's paranoia has been (somewhat) toned down. My intent was to show him as an insecure kid despite avoiding further isolation in first year. But reading the original back think I made him worse than canon!

-The clique is (hopefully) more likeable. i.e. Yui has a little extra small-talk, removed the Yui/Yumiko fight (replacing it with Yumiko being protective in Ch2), and altered the bar scene so that Ebina dragged Hachiman along rather than everyone forcing a him to go.

-The debrief with Komachi didn't help Hachiman find a solution to Yui's problem.

I apologise for any confusion these changes have caused, and want to reassure you I don't plan on making this a regular occurrence. From now on I plan to lay out the overarching structure/themes for each "arc" prior to beginning and compare chapters against. Hopefully that will help me catch any problems before they're uploaded.

Whether you want to see the new version for yourself or just get straight to the new content, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

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For A Moment, His Mask Lifts

Freedom is a wonderful thing. It must be after all, else why would so many have fought in its name? Many consider it a fundamental right of man, from which all other rights are derived. But freedom is not the natural state of mankind, and it's a sad fact that people don't appreciate what they have until it's gone. The denial of choice is something everyone experiences at some point. But, though universal, its loss remains a tragedy nonetheless.

"Hikigaya, you're late."

Take myself, for instance. A little over one month ago my own freedom was cruelly taken from me by that most heinous of villains, the automotive industry. In the aftermath I was cruelly constrained by a cast of plaster, forced to limp and stumble in order to perform even the most basic of tasks.

But no longer! After four long weeks of hardship and struggle, that Monday morning the doctors had finally released me from my shackle. Once more I could unleash my will upon this pitiful world! I sighed contentedly as I gazed across my new domain, eyes full of hope and wonder.

"Hikigaya? Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

There were no crutches. The pain in my shin had dulled to a soft ache. My limp, though still present, grew less severe by the day. The very air tasted sweeter on my tongue.

"I won't say it again!"

Truly, this would be the beginning of my rebirth. I didn't think I'd ever felt quite so motivated before. Perhaps that was whywe could not appreciate our freedom until it was taken? Maybe only those who had experienced its loss deserved to appreciate the true freedom of the human condition?

SMACK

Never mind! Freedom was overrated! Pain was the the only truth. Happiness was a lie!

I collapsed to my knees, clutching my stomach in agony. Gasping, I managed to wheeze, "Did- did you just hit me?"

That has to be illegal, right?!

The demon standing over me glared. "Hikigaya, I tried to get your attention three times. Now get to your desk or you'll be speaking to me again at lunch today." She rolled up her sleeve, clenched fist promising unspeakable agony if I failed to comply.

I scrambled away in terror. Illegal or not, that psychotic grin sparked a primordial fear. Let someone else risk their neck turning her in because I wanted to live, thank you very much!

"Great! Now that that little interruption is out of the way, to business." Hiratsuka turned to address the class.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, the other first-years have already picked their class representatives for the year. I've delayed that decision for 1-C since some of us decided they didn't need to turn up for the first few weeks."

Oi, oi, why is everyone looking at me?

"That being said, it's about time you tykes started cleaning the blackboards. I need a candidate for male and female representative. Cast a vote. Have a rock-paper-scissors tournament. Battle royale! I don't care! Just have two names on my desk by the end of homeroom. It's too early for this..."

Without another word, our guiding influence rose to her feet and disappeared out the door. For a moment, there was only silence. Finally, one brave soul spoke up.

"Well... for the boys it's gotta be Hayama, right?"

Brilliant call, unnamed hero! Immediately there were nods of assent, the class united unanimously that, as top dog of the top clique, the honour and responsibilities of leader naturally fell upon Hayama's shoulders. Really, it was just the natural order of things, right?

"Thanks Naegi, but... I'm not sure that'd work." Hayama shrugged apologetically. "I've got soccer most afternoons, so I wouldn't be very reliable. It wouldn't be fair on sensei or the other rep."

Ah, of course! I nodded to myself. As expected of our leader, always willing to sacrifice his own position for everyone else's sake! The girls and a few guys in class gazed at the blonde boy with admiration.

Wait... isn't he just shirking responsibility?!

Hayama's charisma could be terrifying sometimes...

"Oh, that's a good point..." the other boy, Naegi, agreed. "Well, in that case, does anyone else want to be the boy's rep? Anyone at all?"

There was no immediate answer. As I glanced around, a few of the boys seemed to consider volunteering for a moment, but whether out of fear or laziness none raised their hands. I sunk back into my chair, seeing little point in paying attention as Naegi fruitlessly tried to convince one of the others to take on the responsibility. There was no way in hell I was volunteering for this, but if no one threw in their lot soon though we'd be here all morning.

Seriously, if you're gonna be taking the lead like this you might as well do it yourself...

"Um... I'll do it!"

"Ah, Guren! If you're sure?" I shot up. "I think he'd be great, right guys?"

"Yeah!" came a chorus of agreement from the rest of the class, happy to offload the task on anyone who said they'd be up to it. My mind scrambled as I considered what was happening. Guren was volunteering for the job? Why? What was the endgame here?

"Well, I guess that settles it." Naegi nodded to himself. "Guren-san will be the boy's rep. So now we just need one more name for the girls."

Though I'd stopped paying attention as I struggled to make sense of the situation, a few moments passed as the girls seemed similarly unwilling to volunteer for the extra work. Unexpectedly, Guren cleared his throat.

"Um... if no one minds, I think Yui-chan should be the girls rep." he requested. "She's hard working, respected and I think we'd work well together."

The pieces clicked into place. Oh, so that's your aim.

"Huh, Guren?! No, no I don't think that-"

"Oh, I see how it is!" a girl's voice cut in. Miura had crossed her arms, a teasing smirk on her face. "You just want to steal our Yui away, is that right? Honestly Guren, you're so obvious!"

Guren rubbed the back of his head, apparently embarrassed at having been caught.

"Still, though, I think it's a good idea!" The blonde turned in her chair towards Yuigahama. "You ought to go for it Yui! You'd do great. Plus you two will get a ton of alone time together!"

Still shocked at the sudden attention on her, Yuigahama frantically looked between the two in panic. "I uh, I mean... if everyone thinks so..."

She's going to crack again. Just like before.

Before I could stop myself, I'd opened my mouth.

"That won't work!" I announced loudly. The unexpected interruption silenced the rest of the class. Immediately over twenty pairs of eyes were fixed on me, and with them so was the overwhelming pressure their attention brought with it. In that moment, I understood first-hand Yuigahama's inability to resist. I wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and disappear.

"Hikitani?" Miura asked, looking somewhat annoyed I'd spoiled her fun. "Why not?"

"That is... well..."

Think Hachiman, think goddammit!

Yuigahama was looking at me, a strange expression between shocked and pleading etched on her face.

"Yuigahama..." I took a breath, trying to regain some semblance of calm. "...didn't you say you had singing lessons you were starting?"

Take the hint. Please take the hint!

"Yui-chan?! You didn't tell me that!" Miura gasped.

"Singing...?" For a moment I thought I'd miscalculated and she wouldn't see the lifeline I was throwing. Finally though, realisation dawned.

"Eheh, sorry Yumiko. It was like, totally a last minute thing, you know?" she laughed nervously. Collecting herself, she turned to her boyfriend. "Uh, sorry, Guren. Hikigaya's right though. I don't think I'm really cut out for being a rep anyway."

She yelped as Yumiko suddenly wrapped an arm around her head. "Oh come on Yui, you're gonna keep calling him by his last name? I thought you were cuter than that!

"Y-Yumiko! Stop it!" Yuigahama's muffled voice yelped, drawing chuckles from around the class. Eventually though she managed to pull her head from the other girl's grasp. "Ahem... uh, she's right though I guess. Sorry Hajime..."

Ah, so that was his first name? The boy in question just shot her an easy-looking smile in return.

As attention turned away from us, I let out the breath I'd been holding. That had been far too touch and go for my liking. I settled back in in my chair as the discussion continued

"Um... if no one else wants it, I guess I can take the job." a new voice entered the conversation. All eyes turned to the speaker, a girl with short brown hair and grey eyes.

"Ah, Sagami would be perfect actually!"

"Yeah, you should totally go for it"

The sudden attention seemed to surprise her, causing her to shrink in on herself slightly.

Hang on, there's something off about that reaction.

Maybe I was imagining things, but it felt a little too stiff. Rehearsed even. I made a note to remain vigilant if I had to deal with her in the future, in case my hunch was right and this girl was more trouble than she let on.

"Well, I think that settles it." Naegi said. "Guren, you're cool working with Sagami right?"

I held back a breath as the boy glanced briefly back at Yuigahama, mouth half open as if about to protest. Eventually though he just nodded. Naegi smiled warmly.

"Great, I'm sure you're both gonna be amazing!"

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Another week had passed since Yuigahama had been asked out and so far I'd made zero progress. I'd just walked through the door to my apartment that Friday when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and was greeted by a text.

"We need more information."

Wow Ebina, why hadn't I thought of that? Leaning against the sofa, I texted back.

"Yeah, that's obvious..."

I'd been thinking of ways to find out more all week, but so far without success. My observation of Guren in class had revealed little. As rep, he'd performed admirably for these first few days. He seemed pretty well respected within his clique, and seemed to treat even the people outside it well enough. He was kind of like Hayama in that respect.

That was a thought. The two boys had spoken a few times since the week began, but it suddenly occurred to me that Hayama had always been the one to initiate. Perhaps there was some resentment there, or was Guren just more shy than he let on? Once again though I didn't have enough information to decide one way or the other.

My own attempts to speak to the boy hadn't yielded much either. Approaching uninvited had caused him to raise his guard, and I hadn't yet found a more natural way to slip past. He'd seemed pleasant enough, I suppose, but I couldn't be sure if it was honest or just a mask.

My phone buzzed again.

"If we don't make a move soon, Guren will." A moment later a second text arrived. "I heard him talking about date ideas today with Shuichi."

"Oh, what's he thinking?"

"Shuichi mentioned Destinyland. Not that it matters Hikitani :( "

"I know you know my name. Use it please."

"Not if you don't take this seriously!"

"I think we should invite her and everyone out this weekend..."

What was Ebina getting at? After a moment's thought though, I understood. We were on the clock, and the longer we took the more likely it became that Guren would make his move. Inviting Yuigahama out wouldn't solve the issue, but by filling her calendar we could maybe buy ourselves some time.

If we couldn't think of something soon though, it was inevitable that she'd be snatched away sooner or later...

Inevitable, huh?

My fingers tapped the virtual keyboard.

"Invite Guren."

There was no response for a few moments, then suddenly my phone shook in my hand, ringtone blaring. I sighed, resigning myself to an uncomfortable conversation.

"Hello?"

"Hikigaya." Ebina began. Even through the phone's speakers I could sense the dangerous undertone behind her sickly sweet voice. "What exactly are you suggesting."

"That you invite Guren too when we go 'out', or whatever it is you have planned."

"You know we're trying to split them up, right?! Why on Earth would we want him to come anywhere with us?"

"Two reasons. First, like you said, we need more information. Neither of us have had any success all week. We still don't know what his game is. His character. Nothing. For all we know he's actually a great guy."

"I really doubt that-"

"Same, but I want to find out for sure. Second, it's too late to stop him anyway." I heard her sputter over the speaker. "I don't mean we should give up. I mean, there's no way we can keep them apart forever. Say we keep her busy all weekend. How long can we keep that up."

"As long as it takes."

"And how long before people notice she's avoiding him? How long until he calls her out? At least this way it's on our terms."

I paused for a second, thinking of how best to explain myself. "Think of it like this. If two people go to Destinyland by themselves, it's a date. No question. If another person goes with them though... well it's still a date, but the third wheel ruins it for everyone. And if a whole group go, is it even a date anymore?"

"I guess...that makes sense? Yui'd probably be more comfortable too if we all went as a group..."

"Exactly. And maybe so will Guren. Maybe he'll let something slip outside of class that we can use."

"... fine."

I smiled bitterly, annoyed but glad to hear her coming around. "It's not ideal. I really didn't want to spend my weekend like this, but it's the best move I can think of. We buy ourselves time and hopefully get some information out of the bargain."

"Ok, I get it! I'll message everyone and sort something out. You better be free though!"

"Yeah yeah, let me know when we have a plan." I finished, hanging up without bothering to say goodbye.

A short while later my phone buzzed again, the home screen greeting me this time with the cliques group chat. Almost immediately, it was replaced with another, then another, more messages flooding in from a group of riajuus who could type almost as fast as I could read.

Hina: "Hi guys! I was trying to think of what to do this weekend. Bowling sound good?"

Yumiko: "Eh, bowling? Why not Karaoke?"

Hina: "Cus we always go Karaoke Yumi! (¬_¬)"

Yamato: "Yes! Been waiting for another shot at Tobe!"

Tobe: "Sorry Yamato, don't think I can make it. Old man's a total buzzkill!"

Hina: "Oh no... anyway!"

Ooka: "Damn, harsh XD. I'm game though."

Hayato: "Sounds fun. Isn't there and alley opposite the arcade we went last weekend?"

Yumiko: "Well... if everyone else is going..."

Yumiko: "Yui, how about you?"

Yui: …

Hey, left on read? No way was she going to say no right? I wasn't giving up my weekend for nothing here!

Yui: "Sorry guys, Guren texting. It ok if he comes too?"

Hina: "Yeah, totally fine!"

Hayato: "Sounds like a plan!"

Hayato: "Well, Hikitani? You're the only one left."

I paused for a moment, surprised by how smoothly things had gone. Then, with a wistful sigh for my lost weekend, my fingers tapped out my response.

Hikitani: "Sounds good."

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CRASH

A round of applause and mock jeers greeted Hayato Hayama as he strode confidently back to the booth. On the screen above, a sentient bowling ball crashed into ten terrified pins, sending them careening out of view before the word "STRIKE" covered the screen in big comic-book style letters. Behind him, the lane bar dropped with finality as the machine scrambled to rearrange the pins for the next player.

The longer I hung around this group, the more convinced I became that Hayama wasn't fully human. How else could I explain the current score? Five bowls into our second game, and already he had taking a comfortable lead a full twenty points ahead of the second best player. Even a few players on the other lanes were watching.

The next player, Yamato, jumped to his feet, "Come on, man, that's such bullshit!" he complained. "This is the best I've played in months! You can't do this to me now now!"

"Hehe, sorry Yamato." Hayama rubbed the back of his head. "You're doing pretty great though! Been practising?"

"Hell yeah! I've been training non-stop to catch up to you and Tobe! I was looking forward to this!" he complained, stepping up to the rack. "And seriously, why do these things always take so long. I need my lucky ball!" he muttered to himself.

"Yeah, it's a shame he couldn't make it." Hayama agreed, sitting back. "You're doing pretty good too, Hikitani!"

"Oh, uh... thanks, Hayama" I shrugged.

My score was pretty respectable I guessed, clocking in just a couple of points behind Yamato in third place. The product of too many weekends where Komachi or our parents had dragged me along for a game or two as a child. Then later during in middle school I'd realised bowling could be a pretty good time-sink for a loner like myself. It was nice that Hayama recognised my efforts I supposed.

"Yeah Hikigaya, you've got to teach me how you put that spin on in the last shot. That was insane!" My target, Guren, complimented me from the bench opposite. "Don't you think so, Yui?" he said, nudging the girl next to him.

"Oh uh, yeah!" she nodded. "Like, you twisted your wrist all like, woosh, right?" she added rotating her wrists in a way that'd probably really hurt if she tried it while holding a heavy bowling ball.

I was about to correct her when Guren spoke again. "Oh, so that's it huh? Wow, you picked up on something so small!"

Small? That's just basic knowledge, isn't it? And she didn't even do it right!

"Eh? No, it just because I was watching... never mind! I'm gonna grab a drink real quick! Anyone else want one?" the girl jumped to her feet, looking strangely embarrassed.

"Oh, uh, I'm good thanks, Yui."

"Ok, cool! Anyone else?"

Ebina nodded, rising to her feet. "Miura, you wanted to try that new flavour, right?"

"Ah, you're right!" she said, standing from her perch next to Hayama. "We'll just be a minute guys, so wait here. And you better not play our shots!"

Together the three girls left the booth and made their way over to a vending machine at the opposite side of the alley. As they left Ebina shot me a hidden thumbs up.

What, was she hoping he'd be more open with just us guys or something?

CRASH

"Six? Six?!" Yamato yelled from the lane. "Can you believe this? The ball's rigged, I'm telling you!"

Everyone laughed as the tall boy stalked back to the booth with an expression so sour a lemon would be jealous. As he sat down though it morphed into a big smile and he joined in.

"Well, guess we're stuck waiting here for a moment until the girls get back." Ooka began with a sly expression. "So... Guren! There's something I think everyone's just dying to know."

"Oh?"

"Mmmhmmm, consider it our due diligence. So you and Yui-chan? What brought that on?"

Guren turned to her nervously. "I'm not sure I follow?"

Hayama, picking up on the line, pushed the attack. "Oh, come on. What made you ask her out? What do you like about her? There must be a reason right?"

Next to him Yamato nodded, also curious. I said nothing, instead examining Guren's reaction and expression.

"That's... well, Yui is..." Guren paused for a moment, thinking.

Was he being serious? This was 'Boyfriend Question Time 101', and one of the most basic questions that he could be asked at that. In the early days of a relationship your partner's friends could make or break you. Did Guren seriously not anticipate being interrogated like this?

"Yui's... Yui! She's amazing! You guys must know? She's cheerful. Looks out for everyone all the time." He turned to me. "You should get that, right? Wasn't it her and Hayama who spoke to you first when you arrived?"

Oh, so he'd been paying attention that day, huh? Wordlessly, I nodded.

"I really like that attitude of hers. Not to mention... I mean look at her!" he directed our attention to the two girls. Yuigahama was giggling at some unheard joke, and despite myself I had to agree with Guren. Smiling like that, she looked amazing.

"So yeah, I guess that's why..." his head bowed, embarrassed. "Uh, I didn't say anything too weird, right?"

Ebina looked like she wouldn't let him off quite so easily though. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could continue Hayama interjected

"Not at all. It just means your feelings are strong enough to say what you really, think no matter what. To be honest it puts my mind at ease. Right guys?"

Eh? That was just some hammy lines to mask he didn't have a good reason, right?

"Mmm!" Yamato agreed. "To be honest, I was a little worried, but if you can say that so honestly who are we to say anything?"

"Still though." I interrupted. "It's all been pretty fast, hasn't it. I mean, you've only known eachother for a few weeks."

"Well, yeah." Guren nodded. "I suppose you aren't wrong. But that's just how it is sometimes, right? Have you never just... known you like someone?"

"Hah, you're making it sound like some fairy tale!" Ooka laughed. "What are you, Prince Charming?"

"No no. I guess that was a bit weird. I just mean, I'm sure I like Yui. So why wait?"

I met his gaze, trying to uncover any trace of some hidden motive I was convinced must be there. But my search came up empty.

"We're back!" Miura crashed down next to Hayama, sipping at some cherry flavoured drink that looked... actually it looked pretty good. Yuigahama and Ebina also rejoined us, the latter shrugging at me as if to apologise for not buying more time.

"So, what were you chatting about?" Yuigahama asked.

"Oh, nothing you girls would be interested in! Just some stuff with the soccer club." Hayama deflected, shooting us all a look to keep quiet.

"Again?" Miura grumbled. "I swear, you guys really need other hobbies. Ah, is it my go?!"

As the game continued, I kept thinking back over what Guren had said, looking for anything out of place. No matter how I looked at it though nothing stuck out. By all appearances he was nothing more than an overly-sappy teenage boy with a crush and too much confidence. A bit annoying, but harmless. If not for what Yuigahama and Ebina had already told me, I don't think I'd have given him another thought.

Finally though, the game finished. Hayama won of course, his early lead too much for either myself or Yamato to overcome. Miura was a surprise black horse though, scoring a trio of spares in the final few shots to overtake the rest of us and secure third place. Myself, Ooka, Guren and Yuigahama drew fairly evenly, with Ebina bringing up the rear with a few too many gutter balls.

After that, people slowly said their goodbyes and broke off. Ooka and Yamato left first, apparently both having part-time jobs they needed to get to. Then Guren and Yuigahama followed, the girl staring down at their joined hands in surprise as he led them away to the station. I considered going with them, but in the moment I couldn't think of any excuse. Still, once they'd left I no longer saw any need to stick around – the others would soon be leaving themselves anyway.

Before I could say anything though, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, Hikigaya?"

Turning, my eyes met Hayama's. "Walk back with me?

What, why? I thought, but something about his tone told me it wasn't really an innocent request. It didn't escape my notice that, for once, Hayama had called me by my actual name.

"No problem?" I answered uncertainly, rising to my feet.

Across from us, Miura must have picked up on the sudden tension."Eh, Hayato? Something up?"

"It's nothing Yumiko-chan." he replied without turning to her. "I just need to ask Hikitani about some stuff from class."

It seemed that was enough to reassure her. Next to her, Ebina laughed menacingly. "Sneaking away for some alone time? When did this happen I wonder? Was I too busy looking at Ooka and Yamato, when all along you two were getting it on? Come on, Yumiko. We ought to leave them to it!" Behind her words though I caught the question hidden in her eyes. Not knowing quite what to say, I just shrugged back as Hayama wordlessly pulled me away.

We left the alley, splitting off from the two girls as Hayama lead me down the street. For a few minutes neither of us said a word, just slowly walking past the various shops and cafes which dotted this part of Chiba. As far as I could tell were weren't heading toward the station or any landmark of note. It seemed Hayama just wanted to put some distance between us and the others. Finally though, we entered a small square off the main streets.

"MAX coffee, right?" he asked, not waiting for my response as he slid a few coins into a nearby vending machine. I nodded.

Passing me the can and buying himself a cola, we stepped back and leant against a wall. Hayama cracked his open and took a sip. I waited patiently.

...

...

...

"Do you normally make people stand in the cold for no reason?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry." He laughed apologetically. "I was just thinking... this really is a mess, isn't it?"

I was hit by a sudden sense of déjà vu. "Mess?" I queried. "On the contrary, seems to me everything is going well, no?"

"Heh, I suppose it looks that way..." he met my gaze "But you know better, don't you Hikigaya?"

"I'm not sure what you mean?" I lied.

"No?" He gave me an unreadable look. "I think you do... or maybe not? We've only known each other for a couple of weeks I guess."

"Mhmmm... " I hummed non-committally. "And most of that time's been stuck in classes. Really, it's a miracle we're anything more than strangers."

"You're not wrong, but anyone else might've taken that the wrong way!" he laughed.

"Still, I like to think I'm a decent judge of people. And you've never struck me as unobservant." He gestured back the way we'd come. "You can tell, can't you?"

"Tell what?" I asked, a tinge of annoyance colouring my tone.

"That those two aren't as happy as they're pretending.

"They're still getting to know each other. Is that so surprising?"

"I never said who I was talking about. " he glanced it me, laughter in his eyes. I frowned, but let him have his little victory. He didn't look away, but after a moment his expression turned serious. "But you're right, of course. And you aren't happy either, are you? You or Ebina. Neither of you have let them out of your sight all week."

"Just curious. Yuigahama's living her life to the fullest. I guess we're just getting sucked into the atmosphere." I cringed slightly, the words sounding wrong coming from me. Maybe worded like that though, Hayama might believe the lie.

"And during the class rep selection?"

"I was just reminding my friend what she'd told me last week. Seriously, can you believe how forgetful she can be?"

He laughed. "I'm happy to hear you call her a friend. Maybe you'll say that about me too one day... But that was a lie, wasn't it? I spoke with Yui just a few minutes before then, and she still hadn't decided if she was going to start lessons or not. There's no way you could've known."

Shit. I'd thought that since Miura hadn't known, she'd not told any of the others about wanting to sing. Now I was paying for that assumption.

"It was nothing. Really. I just could tell she didn't want to get dragged into extra work."

"Nothing, huh..." he stared at me expectantly.

Damn riajuu, what do you want from me?

I broke. "Fine, fine. Let's pretend you're right..."

"Great! So, what are you planning to do then? About Guren?"

"Right now? Just keep an eye on things." I admitted. "I've been trying to find some chink I can exploit to get rid of him. He's smart though. In terms of our classmates opinion, he's only a little behind you I think? So long as he has that, Yuigahama comes off worse if we make a move."

"I see...then that's good."

"Good? Like you said, she's not exactly happy right now."

Hayama nodded. "Maybe, but you said yourself that they haven't known each-other for long either. I'm sure if we give them the space they need they'll sort things out for themselves."

"They won't. You're falling for his act."

"What makes you so sure there's an act?"

"Ah, Yuigahama didn't tell you did she?" Maybe this explained our disagreement? I recounted what Yuigahama and Ebina had said about the confession. Once I filled him in, I was sure he'd agree we couldn't leave things as they were.

He looked back where we'd come from. "I want us all to get along. With each other. With Guren. With the rest of our classmates. What good would making enemies do?"

"Still? Well, I guess I understand the sentiment." I admitted. "But... any relationships like that. They'd be a lie."

"I wouldn't put it like that." he agreed. "I'd say it's just giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. But even if you call it a lie, so long as it works out then that's fine, isn't it?"

Eh?

"You aren't the only one with secrets, Hikigaya. Like you said, we're little more than strangers. I hope that changes one day, truly, but I'm not naïve enough to expect total openness from people. Especially from someone like you."

I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it after a moment. It didn't seem like he'd meant that as an insult.

"But that doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?" Hayama continued. "Every relationship is built on masks. That doesn't make them any less real though. It's only when something breaks them that people get hurt."

"You're saying that just because he seems sincere... we should just leave them to it?"

"That's right." He nodded. "I'm not saying we shouldn't worry. But unless Yuigahama asks for our help herself, it's not our place to make that decision."

The worst part was, I couldn't even disagree. Hayama was completely correct. Even about Yuigahama and Guren. Both were putting on an act after all, and she'd never requested our help. Me and Ebina had taken it upon ourselves. Who knew, if we just left things alone there might eventually be real feelings there?

Only, for some reason, I refused to accept that. The sight of Yuigahama, looking so lost on that train platform, wouldn't disappear from my mind.

"Hikigaya, I really think it would be best if we just let things play out."

"I... I don't think I can do that."

"Even if your meddling gets someone hurt?"

"Mmmm. Because Yuigahama is hurt now." I argued. "Behind the mask. You see it. I know you do. And I can't just... hope, that things get better."

"And what about everyone else? What about Guren? You don't care about him?"

"You do?" I asked, surprised.

He nodded. "Tactless confession aside, he hasn't really done anything. Whatever you do here, I doubt he'll be thanking you for it."

"You really do care about everyone, don't you?" I was bewildered. And... angry? Crushing the empty can in my hand, I turned away from Hayama and prepared to leave. "I don't want to hurt Guren, but if it's between him and Yuigahama, or any of you actually, I know my answer. Maybe you should think about yours."

"Hikigaya! You're going to make enemies if you aren't careful."

I didn't turn back. After all, if I wasn't willing to accept that then why had I even come this far?

"I'll see you on Monday, Hayama."