Chapter 5 - Avoidance
Thanks for the support everyone! Not all of you really enjoy this story and one of the most frequent comments I get is the cliche storyline. I already have ideas on what's going to occur in this story, as well as how it may end and answering some of the few questions you may have. If there is any….
A random question, but have any of you watched the greatest showman? I haven't, but I heard the soundtrack and it's really good. I'm hoping I can watch the movie soon
Anyways, next chapter. Read and review as much as you want.
Hikigaya Hachiman POV
"Bye, Onii-chan!"
Komachi waved her hands to as I rushed out of the door. Once again, I was late to class and I did not want to suffer Sensei's iron fists of wrath. Is there some kind of curse placed upon me where I'm doomed to wake up late over and over again, day after day? If so, who would place such a terrible curse?
The winter was still going as strong as ever. Snowflakes all fell down from the sky, shaped in many different ways, each one just a little bit different than the rest. Falling down gently, they spun around, disappearing when they touched the snow-covered ground.
Seeing this, I recalled my loner days all the way throughout my school and childhood life. Humans were vastly different from these ice crystals. Judged my whole life by both society and myself, I was forced to become a loner, becoming ostracized and excluded. Progressing through my life was a very different experience than how a riajuu, or at least a normal person, would experience. From day one, I was decreed to live life with only my sister and family by my side.
Entering high school was a change in my life. It was there where I met Hiratsuka-sensei in all her ramen-loving and unmarried glory. It was where I met bubbly, energetic Yuigahama and cold, unfriendly Yukinoshita. It was there where I joined the Service Club.
Funny how everything I thought I knew changed so much in a single moment. I've met someone whom I apparently knew, made new friends, quit the Service Club and lost my…
What do I even call Yukinoshita and Yuigahama? Friends? Acquaintances? Clubmates? My conversations with them were mostly kept short, with a few added insults mixed into the sentences. I was never close to them, to begin with, and it's obvious they were never close to me either.
Reaching school, I parked my bike outside and went inside, wondering how I would be able to face them today. Knowing Yuigahama, she would try to approach me and explain her actions yesterday. Not that I cared that much anyways. In the end, the relationship we had was fake.
As always, stealth Hikki worked perfectly whenever I entered a crowded place. No-one took a glance at me as I stealthily made my way to my seat. Good. I sat down, laid my head on the table, plugged in my earphones and quietly observed my surroundings. Not many people had arrived in class yet, so it was relatively quiet enough for me to relax. Hayama's clique also hadn't arrived yet with the exception of the man himself. Scanning the entire classroom, his eyes settled down on me.
His eyes looked calm at first sight, but I could detect a hint of anger in them. I had no recollection of doing anything these past few days that may have jeopardized his status or his clique in anyway. Come to think of it, the only person I've actually talked to recently was Yuigahama, but now that I've broken off ties with her, there shouldn't be any reason for any hostility.
Precisely at that moment, I recognized a blue-haired girl skip happily into class. Are you in some kind of fantasy? Who skips into class nowadays? Actually, who even skips at all? Sometimes, I really fear for the next generation.
I turned my head the other way so that it faced the wall and tried my best to look like I was sleeping so as to avoid the explosive bomb at the front of the class. Activating stealth Hikki to the max hopefully made me tremendously inconspicuous. How could I be called a prime loner if I couldn't even fulfil the most simple conditions?!
Then again, I have friends, so I guess I invalidated it anyways.
If my sense of time was correct, it was about 7 minutes until 8, which was when homeroom starts. You see, throughout my time pretending to sleep every morning has helped to me link certain, regular sounds with the time, thus allowing me to tell the time without looking at a clock or my phone.
For example, I could hear the footsteps made my Tobe's walk to the classroom, where he comes at 7:55 am. At 7:57, Ebina's nosebleed and graceful (read: graceless) fall to the floor should occur, with Yumiko's swift action in pulling out a handkerchief and covering her nose. At 7:59, I should be able to Yuigahama's sprint to the classroom as a result of almost coming late for class. With these sounds happening every day like a cycle of some sorts, I can identify each one and be able to tell the time.
Why does the above make it sound like I'm some creepy stalker of some sort? I swear, I don't have any ulterior motive for any of this, none at all! I just pay very close attention.
That last sentence just contradicted me, didn't it?
Hiratsuka-sensei walked into the classroom and with that scary, Halloween-like aura of her's made us all go back to our seats. Strange, I didn't hear Yuigahama enter the classroom. Is she sick or something?
As I watched Sensei repeat the same procedure of role-calling and taking attendance, I felt a finger poke my back, Even though I had a sneaking suspicion of who it was since there was only one person in the entire class who would do that, I stayed silent.
Poke, poke, poke poke poke poke poke. The poking got considerably more frequent and harder, to the point where it felt like she was trying to stab me. I'm still a human being!
Turning around, I saw none other than Megumi sitting behind me, her hand bent towards me with her index finger facing me. She moved her hand forward poking me on the cheek. Naturally, I didn't give any sort of reaction, except for how my brain was processing how so- STOP. HOW MANY TIMES MUST YOU TAKE THIS TRAIN OF THOUGHT?
"Hachi, why'd you ignore me so blatantly?", she sadly asked. I still can't get over that nickname. It sounds like something you'd call a cat or dog. Have I really been downgraded so much to their level?
"It's homeroom right now." I gave her a random excuse just to stop her from annoying me. I didn't care about homeroom, but couldn't she do that to someone else?
She pouted. "Fine, I'll tell you later.", she said leaning back in her seat and moving her head down. I couldn't see what expression she had on her face since her hair and shadows were covering it. Weren't those things suppose to only happen in anime and manga? If they meant anything, it was probably my inevitable doom. I'm sorry, okay.
Unfortunately, Hiratsuka-sensei saw me and got another brilliant idea. "Hikigaya", she shouted to me, a smirk forming on her face, "Would you please stop staring at Ichiro so lovingly?"
Laughter chorused throughout the classroom as I glared at her. Hopefully, she was able to receive the message I conveyed with my eyes. 'Sensei, isn't it rude to comment on the topic of love on other people when you yourself don't even have a boyfriend and can't even get a date?'
Unfortunately for me, using her amazing powers as a teacher, she somehow deciphered the whole message and cracked her knuckles threateningly.
Aren't you supposed to be a teacher?! What's with the violence towards me and your mind-reading skills? What, or who, exactly are you?
As sensei continued down the list of names, she encountered a problem.
"Yuigahama."
No response.
"Yuigahama?"
Silence.
"Yuigahama!"
A tumbleweed rolled by.
That's odd. Yuigahama doesn't become absent without a reason. If she did, she would have told one of her clique members such as Yumiko or Ebina. However, they looked as confused as the rest of the class. It seems like Yuigahama was skipping school today.
The door unexpectedly slid open with a 'bang'! Speak of the devil and he shall come. In this case, it was a she. This person wasn't a devil either. Yuigahama Yui entered the classroom with her bag slung over her shoulder. Despite the time, I noticed that her breath wasn't ragged and her face wasn't red from running. In fact, it looked as though she had walked all the way to school.
Yuigahama bowed to Sensei. "Ah, sorry Sensei! I had a bit of trouble coming to school." Well, it had been snowing quite heavily these past few days so people are bound to come late. What a great excuse I could give to Sensei! But knowing her, she'll just unleash her unrestrained wrath on me until she deems that I'm telling the truth.
As Yuigahama walked to her seat, I noticed her giving a quick glance in my direction. It disappeared just as fast as it had appeared, but it was still a split-second glance. Was she glancing at me? Someone else, perhaps?
Whoever it was, during that glance, I saw that her eyes were red. Was she crying? Or did she have conjunctivitis? If the latter, I suggest you go to the infirmary and get that she checked. For all you know, it could become the start of an outbreak at school that will force all of us to become quarantined and become zombies that will quickly spread an infestation and decimate the world.
Again with the Chuuni delusions. Popping up randomly out of nowhere.
Class ended peacefully without any incidents, except for my back being poked occasionally by you-know-who. How does the teacher not catch Megumi in the act, but gives me a scolding about my eyes when I looked straight at him. I know my eyes are as dead as a fish's but it still stings whenever they come up.
As the lunch bell rang, I got up, only to be stopped when a hand placed itself on my shoulder. Kawasaki Saki was standing there, her face bright pink and facing the floor.
"H-Hachi?". What's with the overly cute eyes? I didn't know you were capable of such an expression!
I raised my eyebrow in response. "Yeah?"
"Would you like to eat lunch with me?" That certainly caught me off guard. I didn't expect her, of all people, to say such a thing. Then again, I don't expect anybody at all, except for Komachi. Little sisters truly are t-!
"So is that a yes or no?", she asked timidly and shyly.
I didn't see any reason to refuse her. After all, we were friends, I guess. "Su-"
Suddenly, I was tackled and hit the whiteboard, knocking my head against it pretty hard. As I struggled to remove the weight from me as well as try to withstand the sudden pain, an accusing finger was pointed towards Saki, who was shocked.
Megumi had her right arm linked with my left and was laying on me, preventing me from getting up. "What's this?", she shouted, "A plan to abandon me while you two go off into your open happy la-la land?!"
"No, wa-"
"Trying to steal Hachi away from me?!"
"I wa-"
"You even admit to your crime!"
As Kawasaki desperately pleased her innocence while Megumi interrupted her every 2nd word, I was still on the floor, dazed by the events that had occurred and were occurring. The one thing I did manage to find out was that we were the main spectacle of everyone's attention.
"Hey, isn't that Ichiro-san and Kawasaki-san?"
"What are they doing?"
"Who's that underneath Megumi-san?"
"A virus, perhaps?"
"No way, are they fighting over him?"
"NOOO! ICHIRO-SAMAAA!"
What's with the last reaction? Are you all part of some secret fan club or something dedicated to a single person like the ones you see in anime? Why am I also associated with viruses? First, it was Hikigermia, now what will it be? Hikebola?
As chaos erupted inside the classroom, I could only lie down and watch it unfold before my very eyes. Was it really only yesterday we all met?
Thankfully, the commotion ended quickly when I quickly grabbed their hands and ran. Weaving through the corridors and halls that made up the school, I turned, twisted and ran, all the while making sure that I didn't lose my grip on the two girls behind me.
However, I somehow must have chosen one of the most people-filled paths today. Another thing I hate about crowds. They'll talk about the most interesting thing to them, which was a creepy weirdo who looked like he was dragging two beauties behind them forcefully. At least none of them tried to stop us.
Finally, I reached the rooftop, panting and tired from all the running. I haven't run like that in such a long time so I was completely drained out of all my energy.
"You, guys, okay?", I asked, huffing. I looked back, only to see both of them completely red in the face. Well, it's normal to be exhausted after running, but I did force them to run quite a lot. Not to mention that we ran all the way to the roof.
"Hah, hah, Hachi…"
"Hachiman…"
Nope. Definitely not okay. These girls were most likely formulating 101 ways to kill me in 101 different scenarios. Why am I always at the mercy of such Hikigaya-bloodthirsty girls? I need to diffuse the situation fast.
Quickly, I bowed my head and said, "I'm sorry, please forgive me dragging you two here!"
For the second time in three days, I really hoped I wouldn't be murdered. I waited for my inevitable doom to begin, as well as torturous pain as a consequence of my actions. Surprisingly, I didn't feel anything.
I looked up, only to see their faces even redder and them looking everywhere except me.
"It's o-okay H-Hachi.", Megumi sputtered out. Saki soon followed up with a 'Yeah, yeah.' At least they weren't going to kill me.
"Well, then let's eat lunch!", Megumi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. What's with the sudden change in attitude?
Humming to herself, she plopped herself down and took out a bento box out of nowhere. Huh? Where did she even get that? She patted the spot next to her. "Hachi, sit down."
"No thanks, I need to b-"
"That wasn't a question."
Ok sure, I was just getting ready.
Gulping I sat down, leaving Saki who was still standing up. As soon as I sat, Megumi opened her bento box, picked up some teriyaki with her chopsticks and moved them towards my mouth. "Hachi, open your mouth."
I couldn't believe. Was a girl feeding me? It must have been laced with poison or drugs. Waving my hand, I told her, "It's fine. I'll quickly go down to the cafeteria to buy some yakisoba bread."
"Neh, Hachi, does that mean you don't want to eat my food?"
"Well, I would be lying if I said it didn't look good…"
"So there's no problem if you eat my food?"
"Uhh…"
No! Snap out of it, Hachiman! Your years of reading up and observation show that this is just a trap asked by girls to their male companions. An innocent question is asked, followed by more innocent questions to lure people into doing their bidding, which is, in this case, eating the chicken. But a thin layer of disguised sweetness to cover a deadly trap is no match for our rotten eyes that see through every single lie in society!
But what if-
I'm the logical part of you, remember? It's my job to make sure-
Both trains of thought were suddenly assaulted by a peculiar taste sending signals to my brain. In fact, it was the piece of chicken teriyaki Megumi was holding.
Surprised by the spontaneous assault, I almost choked on the piece of meat, forgetting to swallow it and instead gulping it down whole. "Did you like it, Hachi?"
Megumi smiled gently and happily, as I gave her a 'what the heck were you thinking' look.
I then sensed another presence next to me. I turned and saw Saki sitting next to me, pulling out something out of her bag. The moment I saw that it was another bento box, I knew exactly what would happen.
"H-Hachiman, w-would you t-try this?", Saki asked timidly. Sure, why not? I opened my mouth to receive the holy food that was cooked by Saki.
The next moment, a pair of arms wrapped around my neck and pulled me back away from the piece of tempura Saki was holding. What?
My vision changed rapidly and now I was looking at Megumi looking down at me. Hold on, since when did I become so small? Or did she become very tall? Hey, that rhymed.
Using my five senses, I quickly processed my surroundings. Weird, there was something soft under my head. Almost the skin of a girl. Wait a minute, it is the skin of a girl.
At that moment, I discovered that my head was currently laying down on Megumi's lap. Meanwhile, Saki was stuttering like crazy to Megumi, who was grinning with a triumphant smile.
"H-hey Megumi…"
"I won't let you have Hachi! He's mine!"
"He's not even yours in the first place!"
"He'll eat my food only, and mine alone."
"T-that's unfair-!"
Listening to the two girls fight above me was strangely refreshing. Not to mention the warmth of her skin was making me feel drowsy. Staying up late last night to finish my homework probably contributed to my drowsiness. As I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but wonder…
...Is this what friends do?
If so, then maybe it's not so bad having some. In fact, it's feels nice. I could get used to this.
All of a sudden, a pair of chopsticks forced something down my throat. This time, I had no choice but to try swallowing it. Keyword: try. Gagging and choking, I looked up at the perpetrator, who was looking down at me with lavender eyes with her silver hair falling on my chest.
I tried to breathe, only to inhale in nothing. I think I really am choking… tell Komachi I love her and to not get involved with that insect.
"H-Hachiman!"
"Hachi?"
Before my vision fell black, I thought of one last thing
Friendship does have its ups and downs.
Listening to Hiratsuka-sensei lecture about a book we were using for modern Japanese literature was hard. I couldn't concentrate well and more than once I almost found myself falling asleep. To another person, it was a comical sight, watching a bacteria closing his eyes and moving his head down, only to jerk it up a few seconds later before repeating the two-step cycle again and again. Wait, did I just admit that I was prokaryote?
My back was also aching, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if it was completely red. From behind me and across the classroom, I could feel the occasional guilty glances of two people, who were the root cause of the problem. Let me explain.
After my choking episode, Megumi and Saki were at a loss on what to do. They couldn't take me to the infirmary fast enough and they had no medical knowledge of how to help a choking victim. Therefore, for some strange reason, they made me lie on the roof with my stomach on the floor. Then, they took turns softly stomping me on the back to get the piece of food out of my throat.
At least, that's what they told me. Why do none of you have any knowledge on saving a choking person? Especially you Saki. Will you lay the insect on the floor and continuously stomp on its back? Actually, I'm completely fine with that. Go ahead.
Every 20 minute, the bell would ring, which would signify that 20 minutes had passed. Yes, two times for the emphasis.
"Hikigaya!", Sensei yelled from the front of the class, "Meet me after school in my office."
Whispers of 'oohhh, he's gonna get it' to 'who's that' floated around the classroom. At least actually whisper and don't be a Tobe who shouts it out. With a tired 'ok', I went back to my endless cycle of trying to stay awake. This time, I fell asleep into a long, dark slumber.
Why do I feel like someone wants to put in the word 'eternal'?
The last bell rang, signifying the end of the day. I walked out of the classroom and turned the corner, leaning my back against the wall. I stood there, listening to the sounds of footsteps and chatter coming to life as people talked about today's events. I heard Megumi's name pop up a few times, along with 'the white-haired girl' and 'the dead fish-eyes creep'. Heh, at least I'm being acknowledged.
Come to think of it, why am I here? Oh yeah, I'm waiting for someone. But who? Nobody really asked me to meet them, so why am I here?
A pair of footsteps was walking my way? Again, why am I here? Am I waiting for whoever's walking? Guess I'll just have to see.
Short, pink-hair comes into my field of vision, tied up into a bun. With a bag hanging from her shoulder and her quiet footsteps, she gave me a melancholic feeling. She then looked at me and I realized why I was here.
This is where I waited for Yuigahama Yui every day. To go to the Service Club. Meet Yukinoshita. See Isshiki. Banter, insult, read, quiet, silence. Work, talk, think, drink. Did I come here because of my instinct? An impulse?
"H-Hikki…", Yuigahama said, like she's scared of me. Without a word, I turned around and headed in the opposite direction towards Sensei's office.
"Hikki!" Yuigahama ran up to me, her eyes threatening to spill a waterfall of tears if I didn't stop moving. "Hikki!". She grabbed my sleeve and pulled me back, but being the stronger one between us, I didn't fall.
"Let me explain!"
"..."
I didn't speak, not a single word. I was disgusted with myself. For doing the same thing I did after school every day, forgetting what had happened. What had transpired. Slowly, with my other hand, I removed Yuigahama's hand off my sleeve. "H-Hikki…"
She sounded hurt. Broken. So I walked away. Away from her. But not before saying one last thing.
"It's Hikigaya-kun, Yuigahama-san."
Hiratsuka Shizuka POV
Sitting in my office, I was grading and reading the essays of my students. Marking them was a normal day of work for me. As I read and graded each essay, I finally got to a specific essay. Namely, one made by a certain student of mine.
The topic I gave my students was 'Changing yesterday'. Just those two words. Nothing else. I gave it since it gave my students a lot of freedom to write about the topic instead of limiting it to a certain way in which they have to write it. That's what literature's about.
Back to topic. Said student wrote about regret. She said that if wishes and dreams came true, then the one she would wish came to reality was that she could change yesterday. She said she did something she didn't like, said something she didn't mean. She wanted to change yesterday so that she could always look forward to tomorrow again.
As I read the essay, the door to my office opened and I looked up, seeing HIkigaya. He sat down and stared at me with those dead-fish eyes. The eyes that people hated but hid all the good traits you'd only find in characters in storybooks.
"Sensei, why'd you call me here?". Going straight to the point like always. "Is it because I slept in your class again?"
I shook my head. "Nope. I need to talk to you about something important." The moment I mentioned the word 'important', his eyes flashed with a hint of recognition. It seems as though he knows what I'm talking about.
"There's a reason I quit, you know. I'm also not required to stay inside the club." I sighed. Normally, I would have punched him by now, but it wouldn't help to fix the situation. "If you need to know why, ask Megumi or Saki."
I raised my eyebrow. Who were Megumi and Saki? "Who are you referring to?" Almost immediately, his expression changed.
"Sorry, I meant Ichiro-san and Kawasaki-san." I became even more curious. Kawasaki didn't seem like the type to interact with other people and Ichiro only came yesterday. Such a short time and already he calls them by their first name. "Why do you call them on a first-name basis?"
"Um, well… I guess it's because we're friends?"
Friends. He said that word in such an unsure tone. I guess it's because it's logical to assume he doesn't and wouldn't have friends, yet here he was, friends with two girls whom he conversed with yesterday. Nevertheless, I didn't press on the matter. I care about my students after all.
"Why don't you tell me why you quit yourself?"
"Where did you hear that I quit? I never told you a single thing."
"I came by yesterday to check up on you, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita. What I found was them crying their hearts out along with the student council president."
Hikigaya stayed silent. I observed him carefully, his actions and his words. "Oh."
For a lack of a better word to respond to my question, he responded blandly to my question. That 'oh' sounded like one elicited from a person who was told that a random stranger on the other side of the world had died. I sighed again.
"Hikigaya, why did you quit?" I didn't want to hear the story from someone else's lips. No, wanted to hear it from the man himself. Ever since I forced him to enter the club, I could see how much he had changed. It wasn't instantaneously, but slowly and surely. His interactions with other people and how he acted were very different if you compared the one from then with the one from now.
Still, he remained stubborn. With those eyes and expression of his that he had on his face right now, it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Probably something along the lines of 'Sensei, get a boyfriend. Better yet, get married."
I clenched my fists underneath the table. The nerve of this kid.
Letting a long sigh, I looked at Hikigaya. "Ok, you can go."
He blinked. "What?"
"I'm not going to get any information out of you, so I'll just ask Kawasaki and Ichiro tomorrow."
"Oh ok. Bye." With that farewell, he got up from his seat and started walking towards the door. This kid… even playing the guilt card won't work? He's too dense too even notice it!
And so, because he was facing the door, he never saw my fist coming towards him.
What do you guys think? It's been four days since chapter 3 has been uploaded. Did you guys like Hiratsuka' POV at the end? And for those of you who don't know, tempura and chicken teriyaki are Japanese food.
Did you guys enjoy the rooftop scene? Not the best scene I've written so far, but still, I enjoyed the interaction between the three of them up there. They may have become quite OOC in this chapter, but it's the result of having friends. Even Hikigaya Hachiman can change, you know.
Any suggestions for any POVs of certain characters? Or any ideas at all? Leave a review! Though I think most of the ones I'll get are ones telling me to improve my writing. Thanks for those, since it tells me what you don't like and like in this story.
Now, my first comment back to you guys! You know, the one where I personally respond to the most recent reviews I've gotten… that one. I'll do about 7 of them every chapter so that you guys don't get bored. So here they are:
Jjjk: Thanks mate! Can't wait to write it as well.
Anonmata: I haven't even decided on the main pairing yet, if there even is one. I still don't understand what you mean by 'waiting for the other shoe to drop'. Sorry, pardon my English. Anyways, thanks!
Guest: Well I guess you'll have to wait. It is hard to pick between Saki and Megumi, but only time will tell.
Onlyingame: Have you read the earlier comments? Especially the ones that came up when I posted chapter 3.
OsteoPoro: Woah, was this story too addictive? Hahaha, I guess my writing style is better than I expected. Thanks taking time off class to read this!
MislavMagium: Thank you so much for that comment. It got me really down when people reviewed this hard, but your comment reminded me that this was fanfiction. That I could write what I want to my heart's content.
RalphZiggy: Thanks for the idea. Also, sorry about Kawasaki not being too serious here, more like being a shy girl.
A quick question, am I making Megumi too much like Haruno? I don't really want that, so please give me your opinion.