Hajime drifted out of his dazed, deep slumber and slowly opened his eyes. He was staring into a bright light, which was beaming down into his eyes. When his vision adjusted, he realized it was just a simple fluorescent ceiling light. As his vision cleared, he looked around the room. The walls were a blandly white and there were a few empty beds next to his. Hajime realized he was wearing a hospital gown. His left arm was in a cast. Gauze had been wrapped around his abdomen, with extra packing on his right side, where his ribs had been broken. He was in pretty bad shape, but he was alive.
He looked down to the foot of the bed. He turned to his left and realized there was someone standing over him. It made him jolt awake with shock, as he didn't recognize them. It was a short boy, roughly his age. He had very short hair and a nice suit. He had an unfriendly demeanor and he looked down at Hajime with something bordering on a scowl.
"So, you're awake. Its about fuckin' time. You're Hajime Hinata, right?" The boy asked. Hajime nodded and rubbed his head.
"Yeah… I was out for a while, wasn't I? I can feel it… " (Wait a minute)
Hajime sat up straight in the bed, his eyes wide "Where's Natsumi?! Is she alright!? What happened after I got knocked out?!" Hajime blurted out. He had around a dozen questions to ask.
"Cool your jets, holy shit! Natsumi is fine. She only had minor injuries. You're the one who got your ass kicked," he stated, bluntly. Hajime sighed in relief. ( Thank God) . He never thought he would be so relieved to hear that Natsumi was safe. That nightmare was over.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that… So, who are you exactly?" He asked, still puzzled why this random guy was in his room with him, and had possibly been watching him while he slept.
"If you would just shut the fuck up for 2 seconds, I could explain everything to you. Now just zip it and listen to me," the boy said in an irritated tone of voice. Judging by his attitude, Hajime was beginning to guess who he was. The boy cleared his throat and straightened his suit. "I'm Natsumi's older brother. I'm in the 77th class B. Natsumi said you're a friend of hers, so I'm sure she told you about me already. I'm gonna skip the introduction."
Hajime suddenly remembered looking at Fuyuhiko's profile at some point. Being the Hope's Peak fanboy that he was, Hajime was at least familiar with all the Ultimates attending the academy. Standing before him was the Ultimate Gangster. So, this was the "Big Bro" that Natsumi was obsessed over. He was a bit… shorter than Hajime expected. However, he still had a mildly intimidating presence to him, or at least a hostile and abrasive one.
Fuyuhiko continued, taking on a professional sounding tone. "As a representative of the Kuzuryu family and as Natsumi's brother, I would like to formally thank you for protecting my sister's life. As such, the family owes you a debt or service, to repay your actions."
Th e way Fuyuhiko said it, it felt a little rehearsed. It was as if this statement was taken from some kind of official business template, written to be recited for cases like this. "The debt or service must be within rational and respectful limits. In other words, if you ask for something crazy like my sister's hand in marriage, I'll have to break your other arm, got it?" He growled, holding up a clenched fist, threateningly.
"I don't think you have to worry about that. I'm good," Hajime said, almost laughing out loud at the prospect. He pondered for a moment, what kind of thing he could ask for. Money, perhaps? That would certainly cheapen his act of heroism. He then remembered something. "What about that girl, Sato? What's going to happen to her?" He asked, feeling uneasy in his stomach. Fuyuhiko quizzically raised an eyebrow.
"What? You mean the girl that snapped your arm? What does that have to do with anything?" He asked, wondering if Hajime wanted extra personal revenge against her or something.
"I just need to know. Please," Hajime asked, looking into Fuyuhiko's eyes intensely. Fuyuhiko sighed and paced his way down to the foot of the bed and back, trying to think of the best way to put it.
"Look, that girl committed a serious crime against my family. She tried to fucking murder the daughter of the Oyabun. Do you realize the gravity of that? Right now she has been expelled from the academy and put under police custody. She is being transported to the Yoshigahara Medical Treatment Center, under high security. After she is released from there, who knows. But I can say that she is going to face real repercussions. Not just her, but her family too. They'll probably be forced to pay up. You know, reparations and whatnot. And that means going into serious debt for a real long time."
Hajime knew what going into debt would mean for a girl like Sato. The kind of life it would lead her to was not pleasant. He could imagine the kind of things she might be forced to do in order to repay her debts. Sato made some supremely poor decisions, but there was no way she deserved a fate like that.
"Look, Fuyuhiko. I'm going to make my request, ok? It's gonna sound strange to you, but I want you to hear me out," Hajime said with determination in his voice. Fuyuhiko's eyes widened.
"Wait… Ah shit… Please tell me you're not gonna say what I think you are," he groaned.
"That Sato girl has gone through enough. She is already going to have an expulsion on her record and a criminal history. She has mental issues that she needs to get checked out. At this point, she's not a threat to your family. She isn't going to be a problem again. This was an isolated incident. Can we just let this go?"
Fuyuhiko was a little bit flabbergasted. "Are you fucking shitting me? Did she damage your head or something? You're protecting the girl who almost killed you and tried to kill my sister? What… the… fuck?! You're gonna waste your request for that?"
Hajime didn't back down an inch.
"Look, to be totally honest, Natsumi did a lot to instigate this whole problem," (T hat's an understatement... ) "This is just a really messed up situation that never should have happened. But everything turned out fine, right? I don't think Sato deserves any more torment. So, please. Can you do this for me or not?" he asked, his gaze locked with Fuyuhiko's. Fuyuhiko sighed and turned away, putting his hands in his pockets.
"You're a weird guy, Hinata. I can see how you are able to put up with my sister. You might just be the ultimate fucking pushover. I've never heard of anything like this happening before, but I'll see what I can do. They are probably still gonna insist on keeping an eye on the Sato girl for a little while. You know, just to make sure she doesn't try anything crazy or come after Natsumi again. but I'll make sure they don't mess with her. That's a fuckin' promise. We take those seriously in my family, you know?"
Hajime breathed a sigh of relief and smiled for the first time in a while. That was a burden off his chest, for sure. "Thanks, Fuyuhiko," he said earnestly. Fuyuhiko scratched the back of his head and looked up at the ceiling.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. It's your shitty request… Oh, before I go, here. Take this. I havent opened it yet. It's for your eyes only," he said, tossing Hajime a letter.
As Fuyuhiko sauntered off, Hajime began tearing open the letter. He opened it up and it was surprisingly, handwritten. He expected it to just be some kind of generically typed thank you letter, maybe with a giftcard to McDonalds. However, this was written in ink, with professional calligraphy no less. It read as follows
To the young man, Hajime Hinata,
Allow me to be the first to say that your great deed and service to our family will not be soon forgotten. Without your heroism, Natsumi, the light of my world, could very well have been lost forever. Your quick actions and self sacrifice saved her life. Words cannot express my gratitude. It is my belief that fate has brought you into my daughter's life for a reason.
And so I make this proposition to you. Rather, it is a humble request. As you are already well acquainted with my daughter and have proven your loyalty to her, I ask that you will continue to watch over her, during her time at the academy. I ask you to do this not only as her friend, but a professional associate to the Kuzuryu family. I have even taken the liberty to provide you with a personal trainer, to hone the skills necessary to be an ideal protector and confidant.
If you should take up this offer, you would be allotted a generous monthly salary for your services. This offer does not permanently bind you to our family nor does it require any sort of lifetime or long term commitment on your part. Rest assured, such an agreement would be purely transactional, would only be withstanding during your time at Hope's Peak, and would not commit you to becoming a full-fledged member of the Kuzuryu-Gumi. However, the door to our family will be open to you, in the future, if you should take it. Regardless of what you choose, you will forever be seen as a friend to our chivalrous organization, for what you have done.
In closing, I would like to extend an invitation for you to accompany my children on their vacation retreat in Osaka this year and to attend our annual winter festival in Sendai, as a VIP. It is my hope that we may one day meet, face to face.
With great regards,
Oyabun Matsushige Kuzuryu.
Hajime could barely believe what he had just read. His hands were shaking and he dropped the letter in his lap. This letter was from the Oyabun of the Kuzuryu-Gumi, the leader of the nation's largest Yakuza family. He had personally recognized Hajime and taken the time to write him this letter. It was a lot to take in. Should he be terrified or honored? What had Hajime gotten himself into? His association with Natsumi had opened up new possibilities, but they were utterly terrifying. He put his hand to his mouth and seriously grappled with the information he had just been given. His thoughts were interrupted as the door to his room slowly opened. He stuffed the letter under his blanket.
Natsumi walked into the room. She looked different than usual. She was a total mess. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, from when she banged it on the floor. Her left pinky and ring fingers were wrapped in white cloth, presumably from spraining them in the fight. Other than that, she seemed to not have any serious injuries. However, her eyes were puffy and red. It was clear she had been crying a lot. She walked over to Hajime. She looked down at him, sniffling a bit, but she put on a determined face and stiffened her bottom lip. "Well, go ahead… Lay into me. Tell me what a fucking idiot I am," She managed to get out, holding back her tears of impotence and shame.
"Well, actually I was just going to ask if you were alright, but-" Hajime was interrupted by a sobbing yell from Natsumi.
"Shut up! Just shut up!" she screamed, as tears began to streak down her cheeks. " Why… why are you still acting all nice?…What the fuck is wrong with you?" She asked, in an almost whimpering voice, covering her face with her hands, to hide her crying. "Im… I'm just a fuck up! That's all I am! This entire thing is all my fault! I mean, look at you! She could have killed you and this had nothing to do with you!"
Hajime closed his eyes and then smiled a bit. "Yeah, I can't really argue with that. This is pretty much all your fault. This all happened because you kept running your mouth and threatening people. You couldn't stop escalating the situation and it almost got you killed," he stated in a casual, almost upbeat tone. Natsumi's face was flushed, hot tears blurred her vision and flowed down her cheeks. His words felt like a stab to the gut. She didn't expect him to be so blunt about it. This kind of criticism was not something she usually accepted. It stung, but she needed to hear it. Hajime wasn't going to pull any punches.
"I know that. I get it… So, you hate my guts now, right? You don't have to talk to me anymore..."
"I never said that, Natsumi. That's not what I want. Yeah, you messed up big time. You made a mistake, and you're gonna have to live with that, but that doesn't mean that you deserved to die. It doesn't mean you're an evil person. You can still learn from this."
Natsumi stood there for a moment and covered her face with her forearm to hide it from him. Her face flushed red and tears were welling up again. She was far too embarrassed to let him see her tears. Hajime was shocked to see this level of emotional vulnerability from this girl. Natsumi herself couldn't pinpoint a singular reason why she was crying. All of her bottled up emotions came pouring out in that moment.
Hajime wasn't quite sure what to do in that situation. "Um… do you need a hug or something?" Hajime asked awkwardly.
Natsumi looked up at him with flustered surprise. "What?! N-no, I don't need a damn hug! I'm not a child! Weirdo..." Natsumi snapped, in an ironically immature manner.
Hajime blushed slightly as well. "I was just asking. Geez… Just try not to get too much snot on yourself"
Natsumi looked at him with a grumpy, indignant expression as she wiped her nose with her sleeve. She didn't have hostility in her eyes. She looked unsure and a little embarrassed at this whole situation.
Hajime felt a strange sensation in his chest. It was the same sensation he got when he was around Chiaki. This was the first time he felt that way around Natsumi. Natsumi sat down in a chair and leaned on the bed beside Hajime. Her head rested on her crossed arms on the edge of the bed, to Hajime's left. She sulked the same way she did on the balcony at school.
"My brother… chewed me out pretty bad earlier. I don't think I've ever seen him so mad."
That certainly explained why she was such a wreck when she entered Hajime's room. He had never seen her this dejected and meek. It was as if every ounce of her smug, self absurdness had just been crushed, leaving her as a broken shell of her former self.
"I think that's just because he doesn't want to see you get hurt. For him to get worked up like that, he obviously cares about you," Hajime tried to reassure the girl.
"Yeah, I know that but… that's not the problem. I want him to actually respect me. I want him to see me as someone he can depend on, not some useless kid sister that can't even survive on her own. I'm fucking pathetic. I don't deserve to be his sister," she seethed through her teeth, clutching the bed sheets tightly. Hajime placed his hand on Natsumi's shoulder tightly and looked into her eyes.
"Stop beating yourself up, already! I'm sick of hearing this bullshit from you. You're being an idiot," he blurted out, harshly, looking down at her.
"W-what? What are you talking about?" She responded, bewildered and shocked.
"Stop saying stuff like "I don't deserve to be his sister" or "I need to prove I'm worthy to be his sister," What does that even mean? You are his sister. End of story. Whether you're a badass or not, it doesn't matter. Neither does having a talent. None of that ever mattered," Natsumi looked down in shame, her mind swimming with conflicting emotions. Doubt dominated her consciousness. She felt totally lost.
"So… what am I supposed to do then? What are you trying to say?" she asked, meekly.
"You don't need to be the world's ultimate little sister. You just have to be Fuyuhiko's sister. You just have to be Natsumi. That's all he wants. That's it. You don't have to be anything other than that," Hajime cut through Natsumi's words like a razor blade. The girl sat there, speechless. She felt like she had just shed a heavy burden off of her back. She just stared off for a few moments, before getting up and wiping her eyes. She turned to walk out of the room.
"I need some time to think..." she said as she stopped at the door frame. She turned to face him, but didnt turn all the way to actually look him in the eye. "Thanks..." She said before slipping out of the room.
Hajime was told that he would have to spend the rest of the week in the hospital. The doctors needed to observe the early stages of the healing, to ensure no permanent damage. They told Hajime that his left forearm would be slightly crooked when compared to the right, but the difference would not be that noticeable. He was lucky that Sato didn't bash him in the head, or he might not even be in this world anymore.
On the third day, he had a visitor. Natsumi walked into his room carrying a bento box. She brought it over to him and dropped it in his lap. She stood over him awkwardly for a moment, before clearing her throat.
"Here. I thought you might be sick of the nasty pig slop they serve here, so I brought you this. I went through the trouble of making it, so you better not complain, otherwise I'll punch you in the nuts," she demanded grumpily as Hajime opened it up.
Hajime looked down at the meal in his lap, trying to comprehend what was happening.
"Wait. You mean you made this from scratch, just for me? That's actually pretty sweet of-..." Hajime stopped mid sentence, because Natsumi's face was turning red with embarrassment.
"If you're not gonna fucking eat it, then I'll just give it to some hobo..." She steamed, clenching her fist angrily.
"Fine fine. Geez..." he said as he took out the chopsticks and began digging into the fried dumplings that Natsumi had cooked. The blond girl watched him with a slight nervousness on her face. He took a bite and paused for a moment. His eyes lit up with ecstasy. "This is… delicious! I had no idea you could cook!"
Natsumi's cheeks glowed red again, as she looked away. "Whatever..."
(Wow. Natsumi was actually nice for once. And… cute. Kind of like an actual girl.) Hajime mused to himself.
Hajime couldn't help but smile smugly as he began devouring the lunch that Natsumi prepared for him. He didn't get to savor that moment long because, a few moments later, the door slid open. A different girl stood in the doorway. He could recognize that face anywhere. It was Chiaki. She had something in her hand. It was a green bento box, sort of like the one that Natsumi had brought. Natsumi turned to her, surprised and annoyed .
"Uh, who the hell are you? I think you have the wrong room. We're kinda busy, so please piss off," she grunted, rudely.
Chiaki didn't even respond to Natsumi. She walked right past the uppity girl, completely ignoring her and she approached Hajime's bed side.
"How are you feeling, Hajime? I heard what happened. I couldn't believe it at first, but I'm just glad you're alright," she said, in a concerned, motherly tone. Meanwhile Natsumi was standing there in shock, her mouth agape. It took her a moment to comprehend what had just happened.
(She… she totally ignored me…) she thought to herself, dispiritedly.
"It's no big deal. The doctors say I should be out of here soon. It could have been a lot worse. So, don't get too worried about me," Hajime said with a smile.
"I brought you something. Two things actually," C hiaki said, handing him the bento box, as well as a handheld game console she had in her pocket. " I figured you would want something other than hospital food, so I brought this. Also, I thought you might get bored, so I brought you a game to play."
Hajime accepted the gifts with a smile. This girl was truly the best.
"Thanks a lot, Chiaki! I don't think I'll be able to play it though, with my arm like this. It's kind of a problem," he said with a pained grin. Chiaki shook her head.
"Hey, don't worry. I loaded it up with turn based RPGs. With these games, you really don't need two hands to play them. You can totally play these games with one hand. I've done it before myself, when I'm eating potato chips. It's really not that hard"
Meanwhile, Natsumi stood in the background. She was speechless. She raised her finger to tell Chiaki off, but no words would come out of her mouth. She was standing there awkwardly watching Chiaki and Hajime happily chat together. It was like she wasn't even there. It was like she was a third wheel, except she wasn't even attached to the vehicle. Those two were a bike and she was just an old tire rotting in the gutter.
What was this feeling building up in her chest? She was used to being angry, but not like this. This hurt. She felt a chill sweeping over her. She had to say something, but she felt different than her usual assertive self. She was feeling smaller, weaker. Finally, she mustered the courage to speak up.
"Hey!" she yelled at the two of them. They stopped talking and looked over at her. Chiaki had a bored expression on her face and Hajime had a raised eyebrow. Natsumi stood there awkwardly for a moment, with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"So, do you know this girl or something? What's the deal?" Natsumi demanded.
"Oh. This is Chiaki. She is a good friend of mine who I play games with from time to time" Hajime said, casually, with a grin. Natsumi's blood went cold.
( Play games? What the hell does he mean by that?) Natsumi worriedly thought.
"W-what? Y-you never mentioned her before! I didn't even think you had any friends!" Natsumi blathered, pointing her finger at Hajime, as if she caught him in a lie. Chiaki perked up as well, putting her finger on her chin, thinking to herself.
"Hmm. Now that I think of it. I don't think you mentioned this girl to me either..." she muttered before leaning down, putting her face close to Hajime's. Hajime backed away a bit and looked at her with apprehension.
"W-what is it?" he asked
"Hajime… are you… what they call… a player?" She asked, in a curious, but unemotional tone. Natsumi's jaw dropped, words abandoning her entirely. Hajime nearly jumped out of his skin.
"What?! No! You've got it all wrong!" he yelled out.
Chiaki leaned back, satisfied with his answer, apparently. "Oh. I see. So you two are friends, then?" She asked. This time she didn't ask Hajime. She asked Natsumi. Natsumi's body jolted up straight, taken off guard.
"What? Yeah, of course! We are really close friends!" She stated, proudly, but then realized what she had just declared. Hajime spoke up.
"Wait… We are?" he asked, puzzled.
"Shut up, you!" Natsumi yelled at him, jabbing her finger in his direction. Chiaki just smiled.
"Ok. I guess that all makes sense, then. Hajime isn't really the type to juggle a bunch of girls..." s he said with a trusting, warm smile. And as she said that, the door opened again. A redheaded girl with a short bob stood there, holding a boxed lunch. She looked around the room awkwardly. There was total silence. Chiaki didn't say a word. Hajime didn't say a word, Natsumi looked like she was about to faint.
Mahiru looked around at all of them timidly, with beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She cast a nervous smile at Natsumi.
Of course, Natsumi was the one to finally break the silence.
"You gotta be shitting me!"
After a brief little whirlwind of social confusion and wild accusations, mainly on the part of Natsumi, Hajime managed to calm things down. Luckily he was able to convince Mahiru not to leave, which was her first instinct. He convinced the other girls to let him have some time to talk with Mahiru. Natsumi was avidly against it, as expected. She was totally fuming, but she eventually caved in and stomped out of the room. Chiaki left on more understanding terms. Finally it was just Hajime and Mahiru.
"I really didn't expect you to show up here… you know… after everything that happened. I figured I would be the last person you would want to see" he said, a bit sullenly.
"Well, you were wrong. I'm not that kind of person. I'm not a coward, regardless of what… she says," she grumbled, crossing her arms and puffing her freckled cheeks in frustration. "I actually came here to thank you," she sighed
"Thank me? For what?" Hajime asked, with a look of surprise.
"Are you stupid? You know what. For stopping Sato from… You know..." she replied softly, turning away. Hajime could see she was trying not to let herself get worked up.
"I didn't really do that much. I wasn't much use except for batting practice" he tried to joke.
"Don't shrug this off! I'm being serious, you jerk! If Sato had killed Natsumi, it would have been the end for her life too. It's just too horrible to think about. I still can't believe she would do something that crazy… I should have seen this coming! I should have done something!" She sobbed, clenching her fists against her forehead and squeezing her eyes shut. The tears were already streaking down her freckled cheeks. Hajime did his best to console her.
"Don't blame yourself for this. That's not going to help anything. Besides, it's all over now," Hajime explained in the most empathetic, yet honest way he could. He had already consoled one girl today and it wasn't like he was some kind of expert in this field.
"But It's not over though…. You know that," the girl responded despondently.
"Sato… is going to have a difficult road ahead of her. This is definitely going to make her life more difficult from here on in, but I promise you it's not the end for her. She can still recover from this and she can still have a future. But she is going to need your help," he said, placing his hand on Mahiru's shoulder.
Mahiru wiped her reddening eyes and looked at him, sniffling a bit.
"But I don't even know if I can face her after all this… " she choked out.
"You guys are really close, right? She really cares about you. I don't see any reason..." Hajime trailed off as he watched Mahiru place her palm on her forehead, closing her eyes, and taking in a few deep breaths.
"Look… Things are a bit more complicated than that," she said, in a calmer tone, as she was finally pulling herself together. Hajime scratched his head awkwardly.
"Yeah… I… uh… Think I might know what youre talking about," he said, trying to be as delicate as possible.
"I'm not gay, alright? I'm just not. But things were different for Sato," she admitted, glaring at Hajime with clear embarrassment showing.
" Oh..." Hajime responded, looking away, unsure of what to say. This was complicated. Mahiru took a deep breath and began telling Hajime the whole story.
"I knew that Sato had feelings for me that were more than friendship. Of course I knew that. And the truth is I… I exploited that. I used her feelings for me to keep her around, since we were in middle school. Before she came into my life, I was picked on and bullied by the other girls. They were so cruel and I was so weak. But Sato was strong and fearless. She stood up for me, when no one else would. So of course I wanted her around. And It didn't take me long to realize that she wanted something more out of our relationship. But I just… couldn't see her in that way. She respected me and never tried to force anything on me. She just stayed by my side all these years, when she could have been happier with someone else. I was just leading her on, for my own selfish reasons… So, I take back what I said earlier. I am a coward. The worst kind."
Mahiru's hand was running through her hair, her fingers gripping her skull, as she grit her teeth and once again was unable to hold back from crying. "So, you tell me, Hajime. How am I supposed to face her now? How can I tell her the truth now?!" Mahuri whimpered, overcome with regret and self hatred. Hajime had never even imagined this kind of situation before. He did not have any kind of advice, off the top of his head, to offer in a case like this. He pondered for a moment and then let out a calm sigh.
"There's really only one option, isn't there? You know what it is. You need to go to her and tell her the truth. It may be rough on you. You may feel like a terrible person for it, but you don't have a choice. If you're actually her friend, then you don't have the right to just move along and let Sato spend the rest of her life full of doubt and regret. She deserves to know the truth. She deserves closure."
Mahiru blinked a few times and then wiped away her remaining tears. "You… make it sound so obvious when you say it like that..." she mumbled, looking down, in shame. "But if I tell her that, she is going to hate me forever. I wasted entire years of her life"
" No! That's wrong! You guys made great memories together. You guys have been best friends for years. There is no way that means nothing. I don't think Sato would take those years back for anything in the world. She didn't stick around just because she was attracted to you. If you tell her the truth, I know she will accept it," Hajime said with strong conviction in his voice. Mahiru took in his words and then, finally, her mood lightened. She stood up.
"I guess I just needed a swift kick in the butt to clear my head… You're a great guy Hajime. I mean that. I really have no clue how you ended up with Natsumi," she said with a wry smile.
"Hey! Who said I was "with" her? We are definitely not an item. Seriously," he insisted desperately, to which Mahiru just chuckled. She then leaned in towards Hajime, looking into his eyes.
"Oh? Is that so? Well then, I guess she won't mind if I do this" she whispered. Leaning in to plant a kiss on Hajime's left cheek. Hajime froze up and his face was flushed. Mahiru blushed slightly too and briskly shuffled to the doorway.
"See you around, Hinata" she called with a warm smile, giving a final wave as she left him there with the bento box she made for him. Hajime was still a bit stunned from what happened. Then he looked down into his lap, where there were three bento boxes, two of them unopened.
( What the hell am I gonna do with all these?!)