Chapter 1
It has been ten years since that fateful break-up in Chiba, when the intimate connection between two hearts was severed because of their own personal problems. They say that time heals all wounds…but not all wounds are temporary. Some etch themselves and leave permanent scars on the surface, a sober reminder of how cruel reality can be when life gifts us the unexpected.
The ever-deepening night sky above Chiba was painted with tinkling lights and translucent clouds, drifting and coalescing as the earth continued its eternal movement. Even at this time of night, just after five in the evening, people crowded the streets, lining up in front of pedestrian walkways, awaiting the signal that allowed them to cross one street to the next, beyond the reach of vehicles. Its train stations filled with commuters just clocking out of work, students just recently dismissed from their schools, and drifters who fleet from one job to the next.
Amidst this activity, a black limousine turned another corner and sped away, weaving in and out of traffic with the deftness of an accomplished driver.
Inside the limousine sat Hikigaya Hachiman, in deep thought, brows furrowed and eyes unblinking, lost in his own world. He saw the tall buildings and many different shops as his limousine went past them; blurred afterimages drawing out memories of his youth.
Of his first sexual experience. Of how he slept with many different women before graduating high school. Of how he was the most hated student in Sobu, and the consequences of his selfish decisions that damaged his relationships with his friends and acquaintances. Of how a man helped him to become the person that he is today; a journey that took him around the world while expanding his business empire and forging long-lasting connections with other people.
All these experiences, earned through years of self-introspection, pain, and struggle; acquired through surmounting obstacles and challenges that would break most men. The Hikigaya Hachiman of the past is but an inferior construct compared to the Hikigaya Hachiman of the present.
What would his former classmates think of him now? Could they still recognize the man they used to harass and bully? Or would they remain oblivious to the changes wrought upon him?
As the limousine approached his destination, a classy restaurant filled with many people and cars parked neatly in rows along the restaurant parkway, he snapped out of his thoughts, smoothed creases in his black tuxedo, doing spot checks on his black slacks and black leather smooth-polished shoes and satisfied, alighted from the vehicle with the smooth motion of a man dressed for the occasion.
The people outside gasped as they saw his tall height and slim but muscular physique that complemented his attire, to the delight of the women and the envy of the men. He ignored all of them and surveyed the restaurant, with plants decorating the outside, and the sound of a band playing songs of salutations and reunions.
Chiba. Chiba. Chiba. Your lost and wayward son has finally returned to your embrace. Did you miss me?
The moonlit shadows danced to the beat their own rhythm; free in their movements and lithe in their gestures, it was a freedom that he coveted. To be free to express his heart and soul; to bear it for all the world to see. On this night of celebration, the windows reflected these shadows, illuminating the night outside.
Across the occupied dining rooms, passing by an arched entrance, whose parking lot is now filled with vehicles of all kinds; up the wide staircase leading to the entrance of the dining hall; where the stars glittered across the vast deep expanse of the sky, was Hikigaya Hachiman, alone once again.
A man of few words but of many silences; a man whose bearing demands utmost respect and fear; a man who dresses in black as the finest display of his genuine self. His once dead-fish eyes have been honed into a sharper, mysterious, but alluring shape, to the delight of the ladies and the despair of the men. His old slim body now chiseled to a finely carved statue of the Greek heroes of old; neither too fat nor too muscular; with a well-proportioned limbs, torso, and body.
Few would have thought just how much ten years would change a once ostracized man. If asked, his former schoolmates will tell you he was 'creepy' and 'scary' among other unsavory adjectives. Too few realize that men change, for better and for worse.
Today, on this auspicious day for the reunion of his high school batch, he once again stands near the corner of the spacious dining hall, holding a half-filled wine glass on his left hand as he observed the bustle of people in front of him. A few of his former female classmates pointed their fingers and whispered to one another as if eyeing a piece of meat up for grabs at the butcher's shop. The men, on the other hand, gave him glares and sharp glances as a form of defense not only towards their dignity as men but also to the women that they married.
They were wrong however since some of them are still single, unable to find the right match. For all their swagger and bluster, they only utter empty threats and hurl meaningless invectives against him. A shame that even ten years later, an immature part of their personal selves still exists.
Hikigaya Hachiman does not care a whit about them; they do not know him, and assumptions hold no meaning; gossips and rumors are naught but empty vessels filled with null-water, utterly meaningless; but alas, they are contented to stick by their old prejudices, unwilling to move past petty thoughts into a mature sense of self.
A wide chandelier illuminated the center dining hall, with lamps of Victorian make lighting the corners of the wide expanse of the hall. Many tables were set and prepared by the industrious waiters under the competent leadership of the hotel manager, a man Hachiman has known and worked with a few times.
The decorations gave the dining room a classy old look, with pictures framed in aristocratic styles, the walls featuring rustic designs that appealed to the upper classes. Even the chairs did not disappoint, for they were of a make that would fit the home of a nobleman and his family.
A few minutes pass as he surveyed the spectacle before he went to a table near the entrance and spotted a primly dressed woman already seated on one of the chairs, watching him with a smile on her face.
Long raven hair, blue eyes, dressed in a low-cut black-blue dress that went down her knees, black heels, a pearl necklace dangling on her neck, she was a person that he knew very well. A beautiful lady who, despite their frequent quips and endless wordplay against each other, still loved him. Who embraced everything that he was; a cynic but at the same time an inspiration to others; a loner yet a leader who is willing to take-on responsibility to solve problems; an aloof personality whose kindness and humility shone through when the situation demanded it. These and more made Hikigaya Hachiman a better man compared to the others.
For Yukinoshita Yukino, there was no other man as fascinating, as hypnotic, and as addictive as Hikigaya Hachiman. Their eyes would ignite a spark that inflamed their passions and led to raw and steamy intercourse whether in the clubroom or in the classroom; sometimes their excess sexual desires would guide them to a love motel and make love all-night long, to the mysterious knowing look of her elder sister, and the suspicious glances of his little sister that made it seem as if she knows what they are doing together.
Yet now, the same thing is happening again. The moment she saw him, her heart fluttered, the memories of their erotic encounters coming back to her in clear fragments that made her face blush.
As Hikigaya approached her, she bit her lip to restrain her desire for him. When he sat next to her seat, her breath became haggard, gripping her skirt with both hands as she struggled to master her sexual energy, beads of sweat forming on her skin. Hikigaya Hachiman noticed the change quickly and put his arm around her while sipping on his wine glass.
He caressed the side of her shoulders slowly as he savored the wine, while she kept her mouth shut, biting her lips as he worked his magic on her. Then he lowered his arms and moved it under her dress, this time gently tugging aside her black panties and, using his fingers, worked her sex with the natural ministrations of a man accustomed to seducing and pleasing women.
"Ah…No…H-Hikigaya…N-not here…t-they w-will n-notice…"
"It seems you've been asking for this for some time, Yukinoshita. I never pegged you as an exhibitionist. Funny how time changes people, hmm?"
And his skilled ministrations continued, varying the intensity and the pressure that slowly built up the energy of her incoming climax. Their former classmates saw that the two of them were together, and gossiped about their relationship; some gestured towards them, their bodies close to one another; another noticed that the way they leaned into one another resembled that of long-time lovers; a few claimed that Hikigaya Hachiman was just using her as one of his 'mistresses,' a rumor originating during their high school years where his school mates would notice him having a different girl every week, bringing them to different places around Chiba.
Yukino Yukinoshita was now squirming in her seat, stifling the moans that threatened to break out of her highly stimulated body. Hikigaya Hachiman did not let up his movements, increasing the thrust of his fingers inside her, bringing her to a near climax, then slowing them down, preventing her from achieving total sexual release. His teasing continued to torment her; and when nobody was looking, he kissed her mouth, their tongues entwining; she tried pushing him away with her feeble arm strength which only made her more vulnerable to his sexual advances.
He broke away from their kiss and saw that she was already in heat, her glazed eyes making her more irresistible, leaving her defenseless. For all her poise and attitude, Yukino Yukinoshita was at his mercy; and Hikigaya Hachiman had plans with her, of the sexual kind, and the night was still young…
When passions are taken too far, they defy all logic. In the face of overwhelming emotions, logical thought and rational thinking take a backseat; even the most brilliant and most intelligent men and women in history have become slaves to their passions; it is human nature to do so. And today is no different.
Inside a luxurious bedroom, Yukino Yukinoshita straddled Hikigaya Hachiman's rock-solid physique, pumping up and down as she released all her pent-up sexual energy from their previous 'session,' using her slim body and firm control of her hips to stimulate the phallus thrusting in and out of her.
Beside their bed were the discarded vestments that they wore in their high school reunion; cum-stained black panties, sweat-soaked dress and polo shirt; discarded black heels and black leather shoes; all of them haphazardly scattered on the clean marble floors.
Her hair bounced and fluttered alongside her rhythmic movements. Their eyes locked on one another; she lost in eternal sexual bliss; he a look of intense focus. Though Hikigaya Hachiman was a caring person, someone willing to risk himself for the sake of others, things were different now.
Hikigaya Hachiman hated mingling with others; he saw them as using fake pretenses and false empathy to forge bonds with people. To him, being genuine is more important than being a changeling. Yet he knew that finding that genuine is going to be a difficult journey. That it was not going to be easy to achieve.
And finding genuine meant change; change that he hated. Yet ten years pass and now he is here, a changed man. He is the Hikigaya Hachiman that people knew, but with modifications. A great many changes that shocked them.
One of these changes is him taking the lead when he and Yukino rode inside his own limousine, ordering his chauffeur to drive them to the nearest fancy hotel as she bobbed up and down his erect member, reaching climax a few minutes before arriving at their destination, his cum still dripping from her sensuous lips, and alighted from the vehicle, their faces flushed and bodies now aroused, ready to take their lovemaking to the next level.
But then, is Hikigaya Hachiman's sexual relationship with the youngest daughter of the Yukinoshita family genuine? Can he still consider this relationship as something real and authentic despite the carnal implications inherent in such a connection? Or is there more to being genuine that mere sexual gratification?
He grunted as he came inside her, his seventh of the night, gripping Yukino's thighs with his arms as he did so. Yukino arched her back, tongue lolling, blue eyes lost in ecstasy.
She knew that with their current pace, her chances of getting pregnant rose; yet she felt no fear on the possibility of bearing new life; their own child born of their love for one another.
But, she thinks, can this be called love? This constant state of satiating their carnal desires; in releasing their pent-up sexual energy, a form of genuine too?
All this was lost upon her as she felt his seed inside her, ignoring the box of condoms near the bedside table. The smell of sex permeated the atmosphere which only heightened their sexual tension and went for another few rounds.
Lost as they were to their bestial urges, the two instinctively knew that the spark that attracted them to each other was still there, only diminished it in its brilliance, and wan in its hue.
What would Yukino's family think of her relationship with a man like Hikigaya Hachiman? Would they disown her? Humiliate her? Force her to break her connection with him? She knew how far her parents would go just to ensure that she follows their commands, their wishes, and their dreams.
But tonight, on this special moment between them, trapped in their own personal paradise, she decided.
To try again. To rekindle the relationship that they had ten years ago before their bitter break-up due to their immaturity and inferiority. To show the world that no other man is worthy to stand beside her than Hikigaya Hachiman.
And of course, to show to her parents that as a fully functioning adult with her own career, she can decide for herself. She can do whatever she wants without their interference. That she can make a name for herself even without their support.