The crickets chirped in the summer morning of Osaka, Japan. They had just disturbed the sleep of one Hikigaya Hachiman who had now woken up and was groggily brushing his teeth.
His family had moved into a better house. Bigger rooms– almost too big on first impression, a second floor and above average furniture all adorned their new living space.
The move had been rather haphazardous due to his father pouncing on a rare business opportunity to become the head manager of a branch; that paired with his mother also receiving significantly more pay than she did back in Chiba made it a mo brainer to move.
His face still sours from time to time in remembrance of what he had been torn away from…
'I want something real. I want something genuine.'
But time had waited for none and now he was going off to college. More aptly– going back for college. Back to Chiba, but sadly enough not back in time by two years, or even back to Sobu High.
No, of course, he was a college student now and Chiba University was his destination.
The smell of sizzling breakfast hit his senses as he descended down the stairs of their home, and of course by instinct he assumed it was Komachi who was fixing up some food for him.
But much to his surprise- and less admittedly- delight, it was his mother who was cooking while Komachi sat on the dinner table next to his father. She was using her phone while Hikigaya Negi read a newspaper.
"Mom? Dad? Aren't you getting late for work?" His voice caught the attention of everyone present but her mother as he sat down on the table while nodding to his father.
He heard her mother heave a sigh. "When will my foolish son learn? You're going off to Chiba today, we aren't going to see you in months, of course we're not going to work today." She completed with a chuckle.
"Oh…I- thanks I- I guess." The boy delivered. Hesitant and awkward due to not being on the receiving end of such affection many times in his life.
His dear little sister released a small laugh at his predicament along with his father.
"Quiet, both of you." His mother quipped at the duo as dead silence took its hold back onto the room.
Talk about whipped. He thought with a small snicker.
Her mother was a scary woman after all.
She was the one he had inherited his 'Dead-fish eyes' from. But while the same eyes paired with her sharp features and elegant beauty made Xū Hikigaya look like a demi-goddess descending from the moon, he could not say the same for himself.
He discarded the thoughts of 'unfair genetics' for now and took a seat. He had to get ready for his departure after all.
If life was a light novel, this would probably be the part where the scene would cut off to his departure. After all, a plot point that the Great Loner Hikigaya Hachiman– after high school, had taken to care for his body and grown what he would call 'above average' physically would be too much to just reveal without a good payoff.
He always had been taller than his peers and now– while he didn't have a 'buff' frame, he wouldn't shy from calling himself lean.
Maybe a scene where he would beat up thugs and save the cute, popular but not too popular, intelligent but not too intelligent and infinitely beautiful damsel in distress. He entertained himself with thoughts.
But this was reality, not a slippery slope of conveniently catered events that would thrust him into a romantic comedy.
So he just rid his head of thoughts and kept running on the road.
It was rather quiet around these parts, rarely ever a truck drove by while making minimal noise so as to not disturb the serene atmosphere that the prefecture was much known for.
His feet tread on soft grass at the side of the road for the next few minutes until they stopped near a residential area.
He brought his steady run to a stop and walked towards a particularly old fashioned home.
It didn't stand out too much from its surroundings, Chinese and Japanese architecture shared many similarities after all. However, its old age was noticeable.
He knocked on a brown oak door that was present at the corner of a wall and a few seconds later it swung open. An old figure stood on the other side, a lady of seventy years.
All the expectations that came with age adorned her. A round face and wrinkly skin with white hair that were tied in a bun. Except one thing. Her back was as straight as a stick and stiff. She wore red robes with golden embroidery of dragons and flowers that hung off of her straight shoulders.
His maternal grandmother. "So…" She spoke, expectation lacing her words.
"I'll be going today. Chiba." He said.
A small frown took over her lips before it became a scowl. She turned around and walked away as she followed. "I don't like that place."
The inside was a walled off compound with a small storage house on one side and a kitchen hut on the other. With the main living space being straight ahead.
"You never told me why." He said.
Over the last few months her grandma had been vehemently opposed to his return to Chiba
He had lived there all his life, and for all the right reasons saw it as 'home'.
Even if Osaka was not bad at all, it just wasn't home.
She had even gotten into a heated debate with his mother about a year earlier, when Xū had suggested that Hachiman consider going to Chiba U. seriously.
It had ended in his grandma moving back to her old home- here, the one she had occupied when she first came to Japan as an immigrant.
At his question she stopped completely.
And considering his voice, he was sure she had a solemn expression on her face. "It's a weak place."
"What?"
"You heard me. That place reeks of weakness."
"Huh?" He pondered her words and tried to make sense of the words.
Is she talking about urban lifestyle? He wondered. But that wouldn't be enough for her to fight mother.
Sensing her grandson's confusion she gave a sigh before turning.
And then her hand blurred.
Hachiman had taken punches to his guts when he had gotten into trouble with some delinquents bullying him for being a haffu as they called it.
And while they had hurt, ultimately he had been able to weather them and respond in kind.
But her grandmother's punches? He found himself kneeling on the ground, doubled over his stomach.
It didn't make sense.
People got weaker as they got older and older, at seventy years old she should not have been able to punch with the same intensity as a world-class athlete.
"The same you a year ago would have thrown up all over the floor. A year before that passed out. And a year before that? Probably hospitalised."
"F-fine Old hag I get it. I'll take care of my health there." He said while getting to his knees.
She heaved another sigh. "It isn't about working out, dear. It's in the air."
"What?"
She shook her head. "Chiba bay. Located next to Tokyo, 'The Land After'.
Why would that gather at any place which is a violation of its nature, it's perception. It'll be a hundred years before that place gets any good. Unlike here where it's practically saturated."
This entire conversation sounded like gibberish to Hachiman. Seeing his confused expression still, for some reason, her grandma's jaw hung open.
"Has Xū told you..has your mother told you nothing?"
"... No?" That came out more as a question than an answer.
Her shoulders dropped as her back hunched. A severely defeated expression came on her face as an intense sadness infected the air around her.
"Granny, you alright?" He asked with concern.
"No…" She shook her head. "It's...its her decision I guess. She's the matriarch now. I can't do anything, not anymore. Guess your sister's still there but…"
"Komachi? that? Grandma I- I have no idea and I feel like you're really not telling me something crucial."
"That I am. But you do not need to know now. If that's what it is then…I'll leave it be." She said with a deep sorrow emanating from her words before turning around. "Stay here."
And so she opened the door to the main living space and disappeared inside. He heard the sound of shuffling fee, furniture being shifted and a hatch being opened before another sound of furniture being put back followed.
His grandma stepped out and threw something at him– this time without putting her monstrous strength to use.
He caught it and waited for her to say something but nothing came out of her frowning face. Almost a minute lan uncomfortable silence hung in the air as Hachiman's gut squirmed with sadness and concern.
"What are you waiting for now? Go. Live your life as you have chosen to. Or well, your mother has chosen to."
"Grandma I…" He wanted to say something but he knew words didn't come to him. He knew nothing was going to make her grandma reveal anything further.
So, he simply bowed to her. "Gratitude."
A small smile came up on her face.
The walk back was filled with confusion and a creeping sense of dread. He was upset that what would be the last time he saw his grandma in a long time, turned out so messy. As much as it struck him as childish, he wanted it to end in a hug and sweet blessing from his grandma but… Life had happened.
He felt tears cornering his eyes for some reason as a latent sadness took over him.
But with a sharp breath he dismissed his moping, he could do it later. And it wasn't like it was all bad. At Least he had her permission.
Even if he was hurt, he had to carry on.
Hachiman stood with two bags. One slinged around his shoulder and another one, larger and heavier, was set on its wheels.
The metro was to arrive soon and there was a moderate crowd around him. He was faced away from the tracks and three figures stood looking at him
"Yeah yeah Mom, I'll take care of my diet." He replied to the spew of instructions his mother had been uttering since the last minute or so. Komachi looked equally concerned and his dad looked on from the side lines.
"Fine. But make sure to not take any classes at eight in the morning. I remember making that mistake, those years were hell." She said as if reminiscing a tragedy.
"Hachiman." His father called out and he looked at him. "Take care." He said before moving in for a hug.
His father never had been any good at showing feelings. So this gesture meant more to him than he thought. He hugged back.
"I will Dad. I will."
"Oh look at you two getting all mushy." Her mother joined in on the hug. They stayed like that for the next few seconds before separating and Hachiman looked at his sister who had been looking receded during the whole ordeal.
"Komachi, you uh, are you okay?"
"You're going." She replied.
"I…I am yeah. But not forever. I'll be back for vacations and…".
"But you're going."
Hachiman frowned at the words now that he realized. Even back in Chiba, when his parents were still wage slaves that toiled away at work every moment they could, he had always been there for her. He was the only person to come home to, the only person to talk about her day, the only person to cry and laugh with. The only constant in her life.
And now he was going away.
He had to choose the right words and he had to be careful. So he took a moment to ponder before replying.
"Yeah. I am." He said before bending forwards a little so that he was eye to eye with her.
"I'll be going away. I'll come back to check on all of you in the vacations, yeah. But that'll be in a while. So you'll have plenty of time to spend without your trash big brother." He put a hand to her cheek.
"But you'll be ok. Because you have a mother and a father. And because you're the amazing little sister in the world. Got it."
She stumbled on her words, opened her mouth as if to say something but nothing came out. A second later her eyes watered and she tackled her with a huge. He patted her head in reply.
"Guess I'll have to grow up finally."
She's blaming herself, not good. Hachiman thought. "Komachi look at me." And so she did, her chin propped against his chest, eyes watering. "You're already so strong. You took care of your Onii-chan for so long, can you even imagine what I would be like if I didn't have you?"
She chuckled at that.
"See? You're already this stronger. Guess my amazing little sister will just have to get a little more amazing."
Komachi stepped away from him. "I get it. Guess I'll have to stop depending on you huh."
His mother walked into his sight before hugging Komachi from the side. "Hey now, don't you dare get all mopey."
A small frown adorned her delicate features. "I know we haven't been there for both of you nearly enough but, I hope you aren't forgetting you always have us Komachi. I promise we'll do better from now on." She patted her head.
He felt a weight lift off of his shoulders as he nodded to the both of them.
A few minutes later the train arrived and he waved a final goodbye to his folks.
And so the train doors shut and Hikigaya Hachiman went away. Went back.
He watched the scenery pass through the windows of the train. Trees and buildings panned out of view as more took their place, people scurrying, cars honking as life went on.
He took out the headphones from his bag which was propped up in his lap and put them on.
Another thing fell out of the bag by accident, the necklace his grandma had tossed him.
The thread seemed to be made of black corded fibers looped around an insignia. The Yin and Yang Symbol. But instead of expected Black And White, the halves of the symbol were Red and Gold.
He traced his fingers over the shape of the symbol. It felt slick and elegant for some weird reason.
The Gold Half gave his fingers a buzzing tinge as if it was made of…energy.
And the Red Half felt like a raging inferno constantly building and building with hunger.
He shook his head and tucked the necklace back into his bag. He intended to wear it later on but for now he didn't want to risk it getting stolen or more probably, lost. It was a four hour long train ride after all– Osaka to Chiba.
And so he closed the zipper of his bag, closed his eyes, put on a song–
"Sun is down, Freezing Cold, That's how we already know, When it's here…"
And drifted to sleep.
[Cyan out]