(Hachiman POV)
Decidedly, I am a person who appreciates routine. It's something anyone could undermine the value of. Something people utilize every day but don't realize how much they love it until it's gone.
One part of my routine was that I would regularly eat my lunch at my designated lunch spot. Nobody else comes to eat here, because it's too far out of the way. Additionally, there is a pleasant breeze that rolls in from the east, and the nearest school taps are but a short walk away. It's the ideal spot - no, the perfect spot - for a loner like me
So when I returned from the cafeteria to find the vacancy of my abode filled by a stranger, I was forced to consider the possibility that my beloved routine might have been compromised.
"Ah-"
Whoops. In my surprise, I let my voice out before I was ready with something to say. Now this intruder - a scrawny girl - is aware of my presence. She turns to look at me, and I get a look at her face. Or half of it, at least. One side is curtained by her shaggy black hair. As for what I can see, well, I can say her face is exceedingly average, except for one thing. Her eyes.
They're a pretty shade of green.
Ah, actually there's another feature she has, one not quite as appealing. She has dark bags under her eyes. In the back of my mind, I note that despite the bags, she doesn't look twisted in the way that I do. Perhaps it's not the bags under my eyes that make me look miserable. Maybe it's just me.
I decide to extend my greetings. Hopefully we can work out a compromise that allows me to maintain my peaceful, solitary lunch breaks.
"Yo."
She pales. Visibly. An incredible feat considering that she was already pastier than anyone I've ever seen. Even Yukinoshita has a better complexion than this person. She looks terrified, as if she were just openly threatened. Oi, I may look like a criminal, but I'm harmless you know?
"A-ah, um...Y-yo." She fumbles with her response, and parrots my greeting.
Oh-ho. I think I've already figured out why she's here. She's terrible with people. I may not be good at dealing with people directly, but I have pride in my ability to read people. It's even more obvious when someone has traits I recognize in myself. Getting rid of her might be easier than I thought.
Still, a direct confrontation is not an approach I want to take. If the shoe were on the other foot, I wouldn't want to be chased out of my den. Hey, it's not the same as being fake! Probably.
I walk past her, and take a seat on the opposite side of the staircase. I begin to unwrap my food, but before I eat, I turn to her. I should say something disarming. It's a gamble here, but maybe she's the type to appreciate a comfortable silence. If not, well, maybe she'll leave sooner, and that's an acceptable result too. Though my pride and confidence would probably take a hit if I scared her off this quickly.
"Ah, I'm not a talkative type, so it's okay if we don't speak much." I offer casually.
She jumps a little when she hears me speak, and takes a moment to process what I said. After a moment or two, she processes what I said, and looks as if she wants to respond. She doesn't, though. Probably doesn't know what to say.
We eat in silence for a little, and I soon decide that this silence isn't as comfortable as I had intended. Psychology is fascinating like this. There are no obvious cues, and we're not looking at each other, yet somehow I am certain she is as uncomfortable as I am.
I make another attempt to clear the tension. "Ugh, this cafeteria food is garbage. You're lucky you got yours from somewhere else." To be honest, the cafeteria selection isn't exactly gourmet, but calling it garbage is a bit much. I just wanted an icebreaker.
"...Mm." She meekly responds.
Looks like it was a miss. Dammit, this is not my forte. Maybe if I think hard about Yuigahama, she will suddenly appear and fight this battle for me while I strategically retreat [1].
But Yuigahama is probably either loitering around with Hayama's clique, or getting cozy with Yukinoshita. I'm on my own for this one.
I should try one more time. I take a moment to think of something else to say. I try to find some common ground, but that's not easy when I know absolutely nothing about her. The only thing we have in common is that we have unhealthy looking eyes, and even I'm not obnoxious enough to point out the physical flaws of someone I don't even know.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice yet another intruder on my sacred ground. Miura, of all people, has trudged around the corner, and seems to be approaching me. Oh crap, this can't possibly be good. The girl next to me spots Miura too and looks about as unhappy as I am.
Miura approaches, and speaks in her usual bossy tone. "Oi, Hikio. Yui wants you to know there's no club today."
What?
"What?"
Why wouldn't Yuigahama just tell me this herself? In fact, why wouldn't she just text me or something?
Miura answers me before I can ask. "Yukinoshita came to tell us, and Yui was gonna text you but she like, forgot her phone or something."
Okay, that's half an explanation, but I'm still confused about something. "Well why did you come here to tell me and not Yuigahama?"
"I said I'd do it if she goes to the cafe and gets some lunch." Her reply baffles me. This makes no sense at all. Why doesn't Yuigahama fulfill her own duty to me and you get your own lunch?
A theory pops into my head, one that begins to fill me with rage.
"...Are you bullying Yuigahama again?" I ask, though it sounds more like a demand.
Miura isn't happy about being challenged. "Hah? What the hell di-"
"You heard me, Miura." I snapped at her. Miura is visibly taken aback. Unused to being challenged. Her angry face doesn't fade, but she does appear to back down a little.
"That's like, not it at all, Hikio. The cafeteria was closer, so I thought I'd do her a favor by dealing with you." She says it as if defending her honor.
Dealing with me, you say? Well, you're not altogether pleasant yourself. I think of a word to describe her, but wisely choose not to elaborate. After the misunderstanding was cleared, I suddenly realize I just directly confronted Miura, a person who I really can't handle. My courage fades, and I turn back around and face my food.
"It's not like I'm pushing her around you know." She reiterates.
Before I can respond, Miura huffs like "Hmph", and turns on her heels and stomps off. She leaves quickly, and as soon as she is beyond earshot I voice my witty retort.
"Hah? Then like, say that earlier. Doing it like that totally makes like zero sense."
Top class humor indeed. I crack myself up.
I hear laughter that is not my own. I almost forgot that I had company. I look at the introvert that invaded my hidden realm and find that she is covering her mouth with her hand and squeezing her eyes shut, trying not to laugh. Evidently she was failing because I was treated to the chimes of her muffled laughter.
Objectively speaking, without any of my personal opinion involved in my conclusion, her laughter was adorable. A sharp contrast to her initial defensive and unsocial aura. It made me smile too, and I suddenly felt a little more comfortable in continuing the conversation.
"Oh? You like that one, do you?"
The bait was set. It's now up to her to bite. If she cuts me off now, then that'll be it for the conversation.
She responds. "Aha, yeah. Sh-" She's laughing as she speaks" "She was at the gate this morning. You really nailed it with that impression."
Ara? Arara? Someone who appreciates my sophisticated satire? This is rare! It's uncharacteristic of me, but I can't help but relish in the feeling. Still, I know not to push my luck. If I say something unfunny now, it will totally reverse the feelings of mirth and it'll be awkward again.
Source: Me.
Surprisingly, she decides to continue the discussion. "So you know her?"
"Ah, yeah. That's Miura. I don't usually deal with her, but she's friends with my clubmate so I have the displeasure of crossing paths with her."
"Mm. I was standing around at the gate this morning and she comes up demanding I get out of her way." She responds.
"Pah. Sounds just like her." I scoff. "She's always been the boss-type. Her attack power is pretty high sometimes."
My statement seems to somehow invigorate her. Maybe it was the gaming reference?
"Haha, but her defense seems to be pretty low, judging by the fact that you just stepped her out."
It's my turn to stifle a laugh. Or rather, I choke it out in my throat and it sounds like a suppressed sneeze. Either way, my humor at the situation is obvious.
"Yeah. You actually just witnessed a rare event. Normally nobody puts her in her place besides Hayama."
"Let me guess; Hayama is her boyfriend?"
"Even better. Her unrequited crush. A flashy smile and a flick of his wrist and she melts into a pathetic puddle of goo."
This time we laugh together. Wait a minute. Am I actually being social? This is surely an impossible phenomenon. I'm glad Yukinoshita isn't here to witness this. Her 'harmless' verbal attacks can really damage my confidence sometimes.
At this point I realize I still have no clue who this person is. A fact that makes this current phenomenon even more impossible. I'm chatting up a total stranger in my own high school.
"...Say, what's your name?" I ask, trying to seem casual. I think I sounded natural enough.
"Ah, Kuroki Tomoko. I just transferred in today."
Kuroki huh. That's a pretty badass name. Although if my earlier suspicions were correct, then Tomoko is a cruel and ironic name by contrast [2].
"Kuroki, hm? That's pretty badass."
She appears to blush lightly. Maybe it was a wierd compliment?
"Thanks, I think. You're, um, Hikio-san, right?"
Hikiosan? Who in the world is that? Oh, Hikio-san. Yeah, thanks again Miura for not knowing my name after being classmates for nearly two years.
"Actually no. Miura calls me that because she can't remember my name. She's not the brightest crayon in the box sometimes."
My witty joke scored me another laugh, and it sounds natural enough. The feeling is indescribable. Hearing her laugh, I giggle just a little myself.
"My actual name is Hikigaya Hachiman. Nice to meet you, Kuroki." I extend my greetings.
Actually, I should check if 'Kuroki' is appropriate. "Can I call you Kuroki?"
She smiles. "Sure. Kuroki is fine. Can I call you Hikigaya?"
I grunt in affirmation. We have officially become aquainted. In most situations it would probably be inappropriate to ask my next question, but I'm impossibly confident right now, and I can't help but wonder.
"Oi, am I wrong to assume you are not too good with people?"
Her smile fades, and I feel like an idiot. Regret consumes me, and I desperately look for the words that will allow me to take my statement back.
"Shit. Sorry, u-"
"Is it that obvious?"
Her question catches me by surprise. If anything tipped me off, it would have been the fact that she was here in the first place.
"Well...besides the fact that you jumped out of your skin when you saw me, nobody ever comes around here. I've been coming here to eat for almost a year, and this is the first time someone's been here when I arrived."
"...Hmm. Makes sense, I guess. I guess this means you're not good with people either?"
Hah, she noticed it. "Your deductive reasoning is impeccable."
She giggles again. "Yep. That geeky response just confirmed it."
Ugh! How rude! "Actually, I was going for 'dry humor'. That, and 'self-depreciation' are my strongest skills."
Another laugh. Am I actually pretty funny? I've never hit it off like this with anyone before. Not even before I lost a good chunk of my faith in humanity. I'm actually kind of stumped and am not sure how to express how I feel.
After a short, but pleasant silence, she speaks again. "I don't want to sound like more of a weirdo, but I've never been able to talk like this with...anyone before."
"...Really?" I can't hide my surprise. I knew this was an impossible dream for me, but to think she shared the same sentiments is sort of blowing my mind right now.
"Yeah. I actually um...I get social anxiety. Like, real bad. Even when I'm feeling confident, I just start making up random bullshit to make me seem cooler than I am. Nine times out of ten, this blows up in my face when my lies get exposed."
Whoa. Bearing your heart out on the first meeting? Yet somehow it doesn't seem inappropriate. In fact, it makes me feel like sharing a couple of things myself, just to show that I'm comfortable right now.
"Well, in my case, I've for the most part given up on fitting in, so I usually come off as abrasive, weird and-"
"Gross." She finished for me. Very rude, Kuroki. Although it's true that's what I was going to say.
"...Yeah."
"I know what that's like."
Before I can continue the conversation, the bell rings, signalling the end of our break. It feels like a shock to my system, and I snap back to reality. I quickly stand up, and I feel like the last 15 or so minutes was just a dream.
I chance a look at Kuroki, and as she returns the look to me. She seems to be experiencing something similar. The feeling I would imagine something like being defibrilated and waking up to the sight of the dull, unsatisfying reality that you're used to. I'm not sure what to say, and we're out of time anyway.
"Uh, I'm gonna get going." I purposely don't say anything like 'see you later'. This is more in character for me. I seem to have returned to my true form.
Kuroki looks a bit less natural than she was before, and mutters something incomprehensible before turning around and taking off, presumably to class.
I should do the same.
Alright. I know exactly what you're thinking. Both characters are way too OOC and would never open up like that even under the best of conditions. I realize this, and it's not just an oversight from inexperience. Though I can't deny that I am inexperienced.
I want to thank my first reviewers, and thanks especially to redghillie, who gave me advice on the structure relating to the dialogue. I'm still learning.
I wrote this entire thing in notepad, and can't remember if I wanted anything italicized or not. If I did, the concept will be lost until I reread my entire story.
I've written these first three chapters within the same day, and it's just because I wanted to get these ideas out. I have a couple more ideas, regarding the main characters' next encounter, but for now expect the updates to slow down a little.
[1] Fate/Stay Night reference.
[2] Tomoko is a name that means 'girl with many friends'