So much of life, it seems to me, is determined by pure randomness.
— Sidney Poitier
April 5
I met someone interesting today. It wasn't the most ideal circumstances, but I went out on a limb and managed to secure my very own house elf, minus the ears, tea cloth, and tendency to inflict self-punishment.
His name is Hinata Shouyo and he has an old face. Not the wrinkly kind, but the kind that makes you think that you've known him your whole life. He exudes a similar aura as well, and were he not a stranger, I might actually be comfortable enough to talk to him like I would to Levi and Bean.
Does that make me a bad person for exploiting someone to do my housekeeping? Yes. But I don't care. Being a good person is overrated anyway. If I were a good person... I don't think I would be sitting here writing this journal entry. I'd be in a box six feet underground or floating down the Abukuma River.
I am not a good person. I am a very, very bad person. Would it make sense to say that the shittier you become, the better you get at hiding that fact?
How...
Amusing.
Thats enough of that for now, but expect further rants and rambles and general going off the tangent.
When we got back to my house, the first thing Hinata did was bombard me with questions, which was to be expected. He had walked right in the middle of a warzone. That other girl... Makoshima Naoko... we were about to fight. Had he not showed up, we would have.
Apparently, he knew her. He's good friends with her younger sister, I recall him saying. He asked me questions... and I answered none of them.
He cooked dinner for me that night, though I could basically taste his begrudged attitude in the food. Nevertheless, that kid could consider a career in the culinary arts.
Hinata Shouyo was a lot more colder to me that night than I would have expected of him. I guess that's only natural.
I'm responsible for taking away his free will.
What a heinous act.
Ha. Ha.
Maru rubbed her finger against the plate on the drying rack, checking for smudges. Hinata had done a pretty good job of washing up after her, even if he had scrubbed the dirty dishes in the bathroom sink. But there were still stacks and stacks of unwashed bowls and plates clogging the two kitchen sinks and stinking up the whole area.
Maru sneezed, rubbing her nose. Ah, geez. The house dust is getting worse. If I fall sick again, I'll have to see a doctor for sure this time...
Her uniform blouse was tousled and unironed, her blazer skewed and her skirt wrinkly. She scrunched up her nose at her reflection on the microwave lid, pushing up her round glasses.
Yeah, she thought, I think I'm ready for school.
She was forced to leave Levi and Bean home today, air-kissing them goodbye and promising them that she would bring them to school as soon as she found a safe hiding place. Obviously, the janitor's closet in the secluded third year corridor wasn't going to cut it anymore.
At school, Maru went straight to her locker and changed her shoes, glancing at her watch in regular intervals. She still had about an hour to kill until classes began. Since clubs were compulsory at Karasuno, there were fewer students than usual milling about the hallways, most of them attending early morning practice (in the case of sports clubs) or meetings (in the case of culture clubs). She still had to pick a club before this afternoon.
"Oh, hey, it's you," a voice said, an another girl sidled up next to her, nonchalantly placing her outdoor shoes inside her locker and putting on her indoor shoes. "Sorry if I scared you the other day. I was just majorly pissed, and I swear it wasn't directed at you."
Scared? Maru resisted the urge to snort. The girl—the one that had forced her into hiding in the boy's bathroom yesterday—hardly posed a threat to her. But she'd be lying if she didn't admit that the girl could be just a wee bit terrifying with her rage quits, which Maru guessed was a frequent occurrence considering how blasé she was being about the whole thing.
"That's fine," Maru said politely, not really feeling up to invoking her anger.
"I think my class is next to yours," the girl said after a moment of silence. "I'm Ennoshita Yuuna." Almost awkwardly, she brushed her chocolate brown (a much richer shade of brown than Maru's own mousy locks) short hair back over her shoulder.
"Saito Maru," Maru replied, giving her a shallow nod. "Nice to meet you too." She'd almost been tempted to introduce herself by her actual first name but decided against it at the last second.
Yuuna tilted her head slightly before saying, "Walk with me."
Curious, Maru complied. "Do you... want something from me?"
"Not really, no. I guess it's just nice to have a calming presence around when you have to deal with Kawashima Nagisa twenty four seven... Speaking of, do you maybe want to sit with us at lunch?"
"Eh, really? And Kawashima who?"
Something like amusement flashed in Yuuna's eyes. "You'll find out if you sit with us at lunch." Her gaze dulled as her face reverted into her default expression: a deadpan frown with a hint of thinly veiled disdain. "... You may regret ever tangling with her though."
"I... see." Maru paused. "I'll think about it. You said your classroom is right next to mine, right?"
"Mm..." Yuuna smirked. "I must say, I thought that you would have taken up the offer right away. You're new, aren't you? Which must mean you don't have any friends. So what's your deal?"
"My deal?" Maru raised an eyebrow. "Let's just say that I don't like shallow socializing."
"Well then," Yuuna patted her shoulder, "I think we might actually be great friends."
Maru's eyebrows raised even further. It looked like the verdict had already been reached without her getting a say in anything.
If Kageyama were a different, kinder person, he might have shot Hinata a look of sympathy as the pair trudged down to class together in their normal school uniforms.
Instead, he bluntly inquired, "What's with you today? You haven't played this bad since..." Kageyama trailed off before finishing, "The beginning of first year."
"Hm? Did you say something?" Hinata turned to him and Kageyama couldn't help but cringe upon noticing the dark bags underneath his eyes. During practice, he'd been too busy focused on other things too really take in Hinata's haggard appearance.
Despite this, Kageyama scowled, shoving the shorter boy. "Oi, when people talk to you, listen." It was something that Iwaizumi had drilled into all of them during middle school, though Kageyama often got carried away when his temper went off the charts. Due to this, he more often than not ended up not paying attention to others trying to speak to him.
"Sorry," Hinata groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I hardly," he yawned, "got any sleep last night..."
"Hn," Kageyama grunted, still vexed. "And why the hell not? Don't tell me you stayed up late playing games or something..."
"Of course not!" Hinata said indignantly. "It was just too hot last night, okay?" In truth, he'd collapsed into bed upon getting back from Maru's, but strange dreams had wormed their way into his head.
"Tch!" Kageyama scoffed as they entered the classroom, the teacher absent. "If it's so hot, then put your blankets away next time."
Hinata knew that this was Kageyama's way of showing that he cared: with advice offered in a rough and coarse manner. He smiled, grateful for his best friend's support. "Thanks, Kageyama."
Hinata tensed as he saw Maru's back facing him, her loose brown hair uncombed and greasy as always.
Kageyama cast him a sideways glance. "What?" He followed his gaze. "What?" he repeated, not seeing why Hinata would choose to show any special interest in Saito Maru of all people.
Hinata puffed out a sigh before grumpily sitting down behind Maru. "Nothing," he said to Kageyama, who gave him a short nod before taking a seat at his own desk by the window. Hinata irrelevantly noted that the class seating arrangement made Kageyama seem like an anime protagonist, unaware that Maru was thinking the exact same thing.
"Hey, Hinata." The boy in question stiffened when Maru turned in her chair, her voice bland, as if she was bored of him. "You have a lot of work ahead of you after school." Then she turned back.
"Right," Hinata muttered, "How could I forget?"
Jin-sensei made his appearance within the next five minutes and class started promptly after that.
Yuuna clicked her tongue in irritation as Nagisa took out her sketchbook and started scrawling down her ideas for her latest doujinshi.
"That old thing again?" Yuuna sighed. "Just don't touch my history textbook again and you'll be fine, I guess..."
Nagisa peeked up, grinning sheepishly. "Speaking of history... mind if I copy your homework? I didn't do mine."
A tick mark appeared on Yuuna's temple. "Again?! Geez, your hopeless!" Grumbling, she opened up her book in front of Nagisa, ignoring her thanks as she furiously started to copy down Yuuna's completed homework.
"You're part of the problem, you know," said a voice from the left, and Yuuna turned to see Tsukishima Kei looking amused.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Yuuna retorted, feeling her temper bubble as that infuriating smirk played on his lips.
"You're smart," he said flippantly. Dismissively. Yuuna clenched her fists so hard that her nails made little half-moon marks in her palms. "I'm sure you can figure it out in your own."
"Bastard," Yuuna muttered lowly as she turned away from him, deliberately letting him face her back.
Yuuna couldn't help but notice Nagisa's blushing face. Don't tell me she has a crush on that jerk... even a weirdo like Nagisa could so much better. But she soon dismissed that possibility when she identified just what kind of look was on her face.
Suddenly, Yuuna felt herself pitying Tsukishima.
The unsuspecting blonde had somehow made himself the apple of Nagisa's eye in the worst way possible: as potential doujinshi material.
Yuuna wondered if there were any others that the fujoshi had caught in her intricately spun webs, absently tapping her fingers as she watched Nagisa hum as she copied the homework answers.
"I got attacked yesterday," Nagisa suddenly blurted, biting her lip. "By five men wanting to rob me."
"Wh-what?!" Yuuna stared at her in disbelief. "How did you get away?"
Nagisa dropped her voice into an even quieter whisper. "Two really scary girls saved me before they tried to fight each other because one thought the other was going too far with beating up the robbers. It's pretty good material if you ask me, but I wouldn't want to go through that again. Anyway, one of them goes to our school but I can't for the life of me remember her name. But I think I've seen her in the classroom next door. Can you come with me so I can thank her?" Nagisa laughed nervously, twirling he ponytail in one hand, sketching in the other. "She's really scary and I kinda don't want to go alone..."
Yuuna rolled her eyes, trying to downplay her relief. "Coward," she said, not meaning anything by it. She stood up. "Fine, let's go—"
"Ack, not now!" Nagisa pulled her sleeve, making her sit again. "Break is nearly over. Why don't we wait until lunchtime, huh?"
Yuuna scowled. "You just want to keep putting it off until the last possible moment, don't you?"
"Am I really that easy to read?"
"Considering we've known each other since diapers, yes."
Lunch came by far too quickly for Nagisa's liking, and Yuuna had to all but drag her down to the classroom next door to find her savior.
"But Yuu-chan!" Nagisa whined, pouting.
"Shut up!" Yuuna snapped as she continued to pull Yuuna by the arm. "You wanted to do this so don't leave me hanging out to dry!"
Nagisa groaned as Yuuna pulled the door opened, her gaze sweeping over the leaving students before she peeked into the room. The teacher was still inside, as was a few students. All of them were male.
"Damn, we must have missed her!" Yuuna exclaimed.
Nagisa shrugged, hope blooming in her chest. "Oh well, I guess I can't apologize anymore—"
Yuuna tugged her arm again and the girls found themselves standing in front of a sandy-haired guy.
"A brown-haired girl, huh?" the boy said, contemplating their inquiry. "There's only one girl tall enough in our class to kick ass... but I can't remember her name. She looks kinda dumpy, actually. Hinata Shouyo sits behind her though, and I see them sometimes talking. If anyone knows, it'll be him."
Yuuna glared at Nagisa. "Why doesn't anyone remember her name? God!"
"Well, sorry for being too hyped up on adrenaline to function!" Nagisa shouted back, pouting again. "Hinata Shouyo... isn't he on the volleyball team?"
"That's right," said the boy before bidding them good day.
"Looks like we know where we should go next then," Yuuna said, taking Nagisa by the arm again. "Come on. Most of the volleyball players start lunch practice about now at the gym."
They found the gym quickly, and heard the squeak of volleyball sneakers against the wooden floor and the bounce of a ball as they pushed the door open.
"Hey, isn't that your brother?" Nagisa pointed to Ennoshita, the captain of the volleyball team.
Yuuna snorted. "Yeah. Okaa-san says that he needs to focus more on his studies than volleyball."
Yuuna really should have known better. It was practically a given for a ball to fly towards two innocent girls when said girls walked into dangerous male territory. She grimaced and bit down a shout when a ball flew towards her head, flinching.
She really would have rather taken the blow than for what happened next to actually happened. Yuuna looked on, mortified, as Nagisa stood in the way... and started doing a strange dance that made Yuuna question her best friend's sanity even more so.
Nagisa performed a series of hand movements. "Magic moon prism power! Make up!" The ball smashed her in the face. "Gyak!"
The boys openly gaped.
Yuuna flushed, embarrassed. They couldn't stay here. Not when she knew that the boys would overreact over Nagisa's ball to the face incident, so she grabbed the fallen Nagisa by the arm and dragged her the hell out of there. Besides, from the lack of orange hair in the gym, she could safely assume that Hinata wasn't there at all.
Hinata rubbed his eyes and yawned as he pressed a random button on the vending machine, not caring what he got as long as the drink was caffeinated. Some of the third and second years would be at practice (surprisingly, they had gotten no first year entries this year, but it was still early days), and he would join them later. For now, he needed a good wake up call.
"Hey, Hinata-san!" Suddenly, Jin-sensei was next to him and slapping his back and laughing heartily. "You look like you haven't slept in a week!" He leaned in, his glasses flashing under the sun as he held his thumb out in a friendly gesture. "If you got anything to talk about, just remember you can tell me anything, okay?"
Hinata was about to speak when Jin-sensei cut him off with another one of his loud laughs, "Anything as long as it's not about money, that is!"
"Money?" Hinata echoed.
"Eeyup!" Jin-sensei sweatdropped, sighing. "Just between you and me, I'm a total sucker for spending money on frivolous things..."
Hinata tilted his head to one side, curious. "Like what, sensei?"
"Eh..." At that, Jin-sensei laughed again, though it was more of a nervous chuckle this time. "... Strip clubs."
Hinata stared at him. H-hah? Did he just say... strip clubs?!
"Yes, that!" Jin-sensei groaned and pushed his face into his hands, rubbing his eyes. "I'm an unmarried thirty year old man, Hinata-san! Give a guy a break, wouldja?"
"S-sorry!" Hinata stammered, flinching away when his teacher grabbed his shoulders to support himself. "Sorry for asking!"
Jin-sensei let go of him and waved his hand flippantly. "Maa maa... let's forget this conversation ever happened, okay?" He inserted his money in the vending machine and picked up a bottle of ice tea. "I've been depressed lately and I say things to students that I shouldn't. Study well!" Stupid stupid! If you kept talking, you would have ended up telling him that you only pursued a career as a teacher so you could be close (but not too close) to high school girls! Despite his affection for high school age girls and his being a closet pervert, Jin-sensei would always maintain professionalism. He wanted to enjoy himself by teaching and observing, not get arrested.
When the man was gone, Hinata sighed in relief, dropping his head to the side in exasperation. "Our school has a lot of interesting people..."
A/N: I think it's clear that this story is just going to be filled with randomness; a different tune to Orange City and Kindergarten Bully. But don't get me wrong, things do happen for a reason, just not BIG reasons. Jin-sensei inadvertently revealing to Hinata that he spends his time in strip clubs will come up again in the future.
If you're familiar with my other works, I think you'll probably figure out one thing... GIRLS GIRLS AND MORE GIRLS. Almost every single OC relevant to the plot is female. Because, well, I like girls, and not in the context you are probably thinking about. And as a girl, I relate mostly to other girls, hence the abundance of female characters in my fics. And I'm going to continue this streak by adding Yachi into the main cast as well.
R&R~ (I mean, if you want...)
Also, I'm kind of shit at drawing, but have this on for size...:
https():/ /divinepetal()deviantart()com/art/Naoko-and-Sumire-729171704
Just remove the () and change it to . (except for the one between https and :, just remove the parentheses for that one) and also delete the unnecessary space between / and /