As Expected He Was More Warped Than Most
Long ago, when man first learned to walk on this world, they lived in caves to protect themselves from the harsh weather of the changing seasons. To this day archaeologists find caves with markings that displayed how early man used to hunt and live in their time. And as days progressed humanity adapted to their surroundings. Caves got replaced by houses and eventually hunting was replaced by outdoor workplaces and eventually that was replaced by indoor workplaces for many. It all came back to being under a roof. They say the homes is where the heart is. They even say that as long as people who love you are with you, anywhere could be your home. Well he begged to differ on both accounts. But that just could be due to not having anyone that loved him. Or because of him being unable to loving. Unless it's both.
Kotomine Hachiman, age 17, second year high school student yawned through his nose. Cold wind assaulted his face even though the sun shined above him as he rode his bicycle through the near empty streets of Chiba's less populated route to Sobu high which was still somehow the fastest way to school from his apartment. Waking up from bed was a task that left him tired already. Especially after yesterday. How troublesome...
He pats his left pocket with his left hand to confirm the presence of the key to his apartment. Can't lose that or he'll have to sleep outside since the landlord was visiting his daughter's family in Iwaki for a few days. A blessing since he has yet to pay this month's rent. Not that he would have trouble paying it of course. But it's always a good idea to have extra money in case of emergencies. Sobu was not far from where his current position so he slowed down to avoid any potential accidents. Looking at his wrist watch he found out that there was still about 20 minutes till class started. Right on time.
A few minutes later he tied his bicycle to the bike rack and went inside the building. But instead of going straight to class he went to the opposite direction. His destination was the cafeteria which was empty at this moment. Standing next to the shutter he knocked on it five times. It rose halfway and a man poked his head out, noticing who he was looking at he raised the shutter some more.
"The usual please." Hachiman requested from the man in front of him. The man nodded and handed him a paper bag. Kotomine peeked inside then put the paper bag in his school bag then handed the man some money. "Thank you." he thanked the man, bowing his head slightly in appreciation and respect.
"Don't mention it." the older man bowed at him in return. He preferred not to fight his way here during lunch. Fortunately one of the cooks knew him since last year. And he was buying lunch before class started ever since.
He walked up to his classroom. Turning his head to the right he noticed his homeroom teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka not far away. Right on time. He entered the room, startling some of the students that sent him a glare right after noticing it was him who entered instead of a teacher. Rest didn't give him a second glace. Used to his timing by now. He sat down on his desk and waited for her to enter. 3... 2... 1...
The sliding door opened with a bang. Hiratsuka entered the room, visibly yawned then started class. Just like clockwork. But something was a little different today. He noticed her glancing at him multiple times during the entire duration of class. Seemingly trying to be discreet but it was kind of impossible to do because of some of the more diligent students were paying attention to her. Why she would do such a thing Kotomine did not know.
A couple of rows behind him sat a blond haired boy who raised an eyebrow at this. He too wondered what this was about. But before both the boys could continue their thought process the door opened again. Interrupting Hiratsuka from her lecture and catching the attention of everyone in class. Only one seat was empty. So the culprit's identity was already obvious.
Long bluish white hair tied up in a ponytail. Taller than most girls and even some of the boys in class. Quite a beautiful face that lost half of its charm by scowl that seemed to enjoy its place on her. And the second largest boo-
"Kawasaki." Hiratsuka glared at the girl that arrived late. Who returned the glare in equal if not with more intensity. 'The gall of this kid.' Hiratsuka sighed at Kawasaki, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "This is the third time you're late this month. You're lucky I forgot to do attendance this time. Don't let it happen again."
That was definitely a lie. Normally she would do attendance when she came into the room. But she would usually skip it when she noticed Kawasaki wasn't in class. How did Kotomine know this? Because it happened the last time and the time before that. The same thing happening three times in a row was no mere coincidence. It was definitely more than intentional. He himself was in Kawasaki's position more than a couple times in the past. Although he did receive a punch to the gut every time in the teacher's office from her. Was this what one would call a double standard? Hmm...
He pulled out a small notebook from the breast pocket of his undershirt and wrote down in it. Best to keep this in mind for later he supposed.
Yukinoshita Yukino was many things. Beautiful, smart, rich, mature and a good daughter to her parents. But ultimately, no matter what others might say. She was still a human like everyone else. And as a human she also felt a lot of emotions. But due to her... special... upbringing she was capable of keeping those emotions in check. After all, showing weakness to her enemies would only give them more ammunition to use against her.
Now imagine her utter surprise, when the... person from yesterday that had called her dreams and ambitions both childish and foolish, come into her club and apologize with a bow. She was certain her shock was completely visible in her face and was thankful to whatever deity out there that he was still bowing.
"I apologize for laughing at your ideals yesterday. It was rude of me to say those things despite knowing how it could have effected you and this club's future. I do not know what came over me but I hope we can look past our differences and work together efficiently in future club activities Yukinoshita-san." was what he said. Certainly not the most sincere apology but an apology nonetheless. Professional even, in an odd way. One that you would hear from a subordinate give to his superior.
Yukinoshita Yukino was not a vain person. But if there's one thing she did well. That would be keeping grudges. But it was unfortunate she could do little about it. Since his presence was be required here. For as he had mentioned yesterday, a club requires at least five active members to be acknowledged as a club. Otherwise they wouldn't let her use this room for the Service Club's activities. And there was only so much sway the club advisor for the Service Club had on the school. The student council had already approached her about it. Telling her that if the Service Club would not be acknowledged as an actual club unless the club was to meet the requirements and would be forced to make her 'disband' the club if she didn't get enough people soon. Somehow she had managed to convince the StuCo President to lower the number to three in exchange she would not request the StuCo to allocate any expenses to them for any and all club activities. Now with him as a part of the Service Club she only needed one more member in the next three weeks.
Her cold stare did not make him flinch like it would to many others, which was both good and bad in its own way. Normally most teenagers her own age would have made an excuse and left by now and he was still here so that was good. But it also meant he had little respect for her. She could only hope that wouldn't disrupt their work. She sighed and sat down on her chair. "Your apology is accepted. See to it that it does not happen again, Kotorude-kun." She returned to the book she was reading.
"Kotomine Hachiman." he says. Her gaze met his with a raised eyebrow. "My name Kotomine Hachiman. Not Kotorude. It does not matters to me which you call me as long as it is either of those names. I will not respond to any variations or mutations of them. Such things are only reserved for close friends and loved ones."
Suddenly she didn't want to accept his apology anymore. Although it did make her curious as to why he would think insulting someone based on their name was something close friends would do. Or did he not realize that was an insult? "Is that so?"
He shows her a book. She raised an eyebrow as she read the title and resisted the urge to facepalm.
Yuigahama Yui was in deep thought. Err, hope no one heard that. They would probably laugh if they did. But she was indeed in deep thought!
'Everyone in the group have been helping me since I met them and I haven't been able to do anything for them in return. There has to be something I could do to show them I appreciate them...' she thought. She wondered to herself. There wasn't anything they needed help with as far as she knew. 'Oh I know. I should bake them cookies!' she mentally pats herself in the back with newfound vigor. She paused.
"But I don't know how to bake." she mutters. Her vigor was gone and got replaced by a could of despair. Her head hung low as she walked through the halls towards the main entrance to go home. Normally she would be hanging out with her friends but Yumiko asked Hayato to see a new ice cream stand that had recently opened up nearby and Yui didn't think she should intrude. Hina needed to buy some things and Tobe offered to carry her bags. Ooka and Yamato had already gone home saying something she could not remember. So there was no one right now that could help h-
She falls on her rear, wincing from the fall. Looking up to see who she hit to apologize, that is if she didn't hit a wall again.
"Are you okay? That looked like a nasty fall." she heard the person ask while offering her a hand. A fated meeting?
After her vision cleared, she noticed the person was not a man. "Hi-Hiratsuka-sensei?" well there goes that fantasy. "Yea! Like I'm totally fine. See?"
She took the older woman's hand and got up quickly to show her she was fine.
"Something on your mind?" Hiratsuka asks her with a smile. "You looked like you were thinking about something pretty hard."
'Sensei is an adult. Maybe she can help.' Yuigahama thought to herself and explained her case to the older woman. The woman in front of her raised an eyebrow at her before smirking as if she thought of an amazing idea.
And that's how she found herself in her current predicament. In the HomeEc room with two of the quietest people she had ever met. One of them being the boy from her own class.
"You're not wearing your apron properly." Yukinoshita Yukino told her while fixing her apron. Yuigahama thanked her for her help.
"If you need me I'll be over there finishing my homework." the only boy in the room tells them before walking away from them.
"Ah Kotomine-san." Yukinoshita stops him before he could leave. "We will need you to taste test the cookies once they are made."
Hachiman pauses for a moment then nods silently at them once before sitting down and opening a book. He was not one to pass up free food after all.
Fifteen minutes later the cookies were done baking. The results were not flattering.
"I don't understand. How could this happen?" Yukinoshita was confused. No, completely baffled! Her cookies were perfectly done. But her companion's on the other hand was a far cry from her own. She looked to her right to see Yuigahama's reaction...
She looked like she was going to cry at any moment.
From across the room she noticed Hachiman still studying. Not looking at them at all. Leaving her as the only one that would suffer the current situation if she failed to salvage it. "Don't worry Yuigahama-san, I will personally look over yours this time. Let's try again."
Another Fifteen minutes later the next batch of cookies were done. This batch, while looking better than the last. Was... Well,
If she was confused before, she was definitely sure the pinkette did everything per her instructions to but the end result didn't look edible at all.
"How is the progress here?" Hachiman walks up to them. Before noticing the cookies. "I assume this is the... cookies you were going to make? They don't really fit the bill though."
"W-well!" Yuigahama tried to defend the deformed cookies. "Maybe they just look bad! You won't know how they taste until you try them!"
Yukinoshita was reluctant, she had no intention of missing school tomorrow on account of a bad stomach. Her mother would be disappointed and her sister wouldn't let her hear the end of it. She eyed the blackened cookies with suspicion but remembered that she fortunately did not have to eat them. "Well Kotomine-san. You heard her."
Kotomine Hachiman was unsure of what to do. He can't afford to have a bad stomach. It would throw a wrench in his daily activities. If anything, having to come to club right after class and stay the entire duration had already thrown his schedule in the grinder. He had to spend an entire hour last night to adjust everything accordingly. Not to mention his self preservation senses were tingling. But much like his life so far he decided to leave his fate to god he picked up one of the smaller 'cookies' made by Yuigahama and put it in his mouth. Chewed then swallowed in less than ten seconds. One of his brows rose.
"So? How is it?" Yuigahama asked him. He looks at both girls in front of him with his usual stare for a few seconds, making the pinkette fidget slightly and the Yukinoshita slightly uncomfortable. Yet the anticipation of his answer was still there.
"I have good news and bad news." he began, noting the confused expressions on their faces. "Which would you like to know first."
"The bad news." Yukinoshita instantly replied. "The good news could soften the blow slightly if the bad news is known first. Giving her more time to recover."
"Waah. That was so cool..." Yuigahama mutters under her breath then turns to Kotomine. "Y-Yea Kotomine-kun."
Hachiman for one, ignored that and wondered when Yukinoshita became so considerate of others. She had shown no such thing to him yet. Was this also another double standard? "The bad news is that this is the worst cookie I have ever consumed and I would not recommend this to anyone looking for sustenance." before the girls could reply he continued. "The good news is that is works really well as a substitute for laxatives. Now if you excuse me..."
With that he turned around and started walking with haste. "I must make a trip to the men's room." he reached for the door while making a quick observation about himself. 'Over a year of experience in eating questionable things and this does me in instantly. My stomach has gotten weak.'
The door closed behind him and Yuigahama sighed. Shoulders slumped in dejection as she scraped all the cookies she made into the trashcan. "It's useless. I can't cook to save my life. I should have known baking wouldn't be any different. I don't have the talent for this. Maybe I should just give up."
"Banish that thought Yuigahama-san." Yukinoshita's tone caught Yuigahama by surprise. "Those that do not attempt to accomplish their goals with all their effort have no right to complain about it. Nor do they have a right to be jealous of others that have succeeded where they failed. If you have no intention of giving it your all to improve then it would be best for you to not waste anyone's time with halfhearted efforts."
There it was, the one big lecture that makes people dislike her. All that's left is to be called names and left alone.
"So-SO COOL!"
...What?
"That was really cool Yukinon!" Yuigahama had stars in her eyes. "Like really deep and stuff. You're really smart aren't you?"
"E-eh?" For the second time today Yukinoshita Yukino was caught by surprise. Wait, who is Yukinon? Why is Yuigahama holding her hands all of a sudden? "Yukinon?"
"So I should keep trying to improve my cooking skills right Yukinon?" Yuigahama asked her. The other girl was about to ask Yuigahama to let her go but her words got caught in her mouth when she noticed the excitement in Yuigahamas' eyes. But before she could reply though she felt like she was being watched by someone.
Quickly turning to the door she spoke. "Who's there?"
There was a thud from the other side, almost as if someone fell down. A couple of seconds of silence before the door was opened with more force than necessary, the force catching both girls off guard. On the other side was...
"You're!... Who are you?" Yuigahama asks the boy that was still at the door.
"IT IS I! THE GREAT BLADE MASTER GENERAL, ZAIMOKUZA YOSHITERU!" the boy in a trench coat yells with vigor as he places both hands on his hips with a boisterous laugh. The trench coat he wore floated in the wind coming from the window behind him. "I have come for you my comrade! Bearing mighty gifts of-"
He paused for a second. Noticing who was actually inside the room. "Ahhh. Have either of you seen my friend Hachiman?"
Now that was a surprise to both girls. His odd attire and creepy personality aside. His declaration of being a friend of Hachiman was quite astonishing to them.
"U-Um." Yuigahama was hesitant to reply to the... large boy and Yukinoshita could not fault her for that. Yuigahama even took a step closer towards Yukinoshita who was only seconds away from calling the police on this character after all. "You're Kotomine-kun' friend? But he always says that he has no friends."
"Indeed! But just because he doesn't view me as his friend is no reason for me to not consider him my own is it?! We are akin to a king and his trusted advisor! Our bond cannot be expressed through mere labels such as friendsh-"
"If you don't have any business here can you please leave? We are busy here and don't wish to be interrupted." Yukinoshita finally found her voice and chose not to call the police... for now. Her tone made the boy flinch. 'Ah, there it is.'
"Forgive me oh Queen of the Icy Plains." he said and for some reason Yukinoshita felt attacked. "I have some things I was going to lend Hachiman but I did not find him anywhere and a teacher told me he was here. If you would be kind to point this lost traveler to Hachiman's direction so I may deliver these goods to him then I shall be eternally thankful." he showed her a shopping bag with an anime character on it.
"Kotomine-san is currently preoccupied with important club activities. I do not believe you will be seeing him anytime soon today." Yukinoshita's words made Zaimokuza visibly sad. "But if you really wish him to have it then you may leave it here, his bag is still here so he is bound to return eventually."
"I see. A great suggestion!" he puts the bag on the nearest cooking table. "May our paths cross once more in the future Queen of the Icy Plains and Mistress of the Mighty Mountains!" and with that he left. Not before mumbling something about a ' real life yuri bait'? Neither girls knew what that meant.
Both girls sighed in relief when the odd boy left. And finally Yukinoshita managed to get Yuigahama off herself. Seeing as how club hour was almost over they decided to give making cookies one last try. Five minutes into the progress of baking Yukinoshita said something that was on her mind.
"Yuigahama-san." she says and the person in question looks at her. "You are in the same class as Kotomine-san, correct? How is he in class?"
Yuigahama for her part was not expecting that question. But still answered her. "Well... Let's see. He's kind of quiet and really serious most of the time. Most of us don't really know how to talk to him usually. He usually doesn't talk to anyone but he won't ignore anyone if they try to talk to him either. Tobecchi even said that talking to Kotomine-kun felt like talking to his dad!" she puts a delicate finger on her chin. "But I think Kotomine-kun is a nice person. Maybe he just doesn't know how to talk to people? He's really dependable too! One time he helped me with cleaning duty when my partner left because she had something to do. But why the interest in him Yukinon?"
Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow after hearing such words of praise for such a dull and rude person.
"- have maintained a civilized relationship with everyone here without needlessly intruding in their lives."
His words echoes in her mind. It seems that he wasn't lying after all.
The door to the HomeEc room slid open once again and in came Hachiman. He seemed in a worse physical condition than he was before. Sweat rolling down his cheeks and his breathing was a little uneven. Yet the expression on his face remained the same as the one he had when he left.
"Are you two done here yet?" he asks them before noticing the bag Zaimokuza left him. Picking it up he peeked at the contents inside then nods at it. His gaze turned to the girls who had yet to answer his question.
"I'm going to keep trying until I get it right! Cause that's the way to be succeed, isn't that right Yukinon?" Yuigahama said then turned to Yukinoshita.
"That is correct." Yukinoshita nodded then added. "Also my name is not Yukinon."
"Keep trying until you get it done, right? An inspiring ideology but not necessarily correct." Kotomine went to his schoolbag and placed the gift from Zaimokuza next to it.
Hearing his words made the smile on Yuigahama' face falter and Yukinoshita frown.
"What's wrong with not giving up?" Yukinoshita began. "If you give it your all then you can't possibly fail."
"I do not know where you heard that from but that's not even remotely true. A person can try as many times as he wants but if he gets the same results from his efforts repeatedly then his actions become nothing short of a fools errand. Even if you were to see progress, however slow it maybe. At a certain point you will have to decide if you are gaining more from your efforts or losing valuable resources and time."
"So you would suggest we don't try at all? Cut our loses and give up?" Yukinoshita glared at him. "How do you expect anyone get anything done with that mentality?"
Hachiman shook his head. "You're not listening to what I'm saying. When an activity is done multiple things have to be taken into consideration to its success. Such as the person doing the activity along with his/her capability in completing it. What I'm trying to say is that, Just as your dreams can betray you, your hard work can fail you."
Yukinoshita was about to retort but Yuigahama spoke before her.
"I think I understand now." she said before smiling brightly at the two before quickly taking off her apron and picking up her bag. "Thanks for your help Yukinon! You too Kotomine-kun! I'll keep trying at home."
Yukinoshita barely got a word in as Yuigahama had already left. The chime of the oven caught her ears. She pulled out the cookie Yuigahama made and placed them on the counter. They were the same as before just a little less deformed but deformed nonetheless. She looked at the mess they made while making cookies and looked up to ask Hachiman for help cleaning. But he was nowhere in sight. Alarmed she rushed to the door and opened it. But the boy in her mind was still nowhere in sight. She didn't even take a moment to question how and when he had left the room without her noticing as dejection set in at the thought of the mess she was going to have to clean up on her own.
Kotomine Hachiman rode on his bike to his next destination of the day. He did not feel ashamed or guilty for Yukinoshita when he left right after Yuigahama when the former was not looking. After all he had already sacrificed his health and that's all he could afford today. At least he managed to get his homework and some studying done. So no need to stay awake beyond midnight and wake up like a zombie. Hopefully Takeshi-san won't be too mad if he was a few minutes late.
As he sped up to get to his destination faster, he passed by a group of four middle school students who were talking among themselves. Out of the group of four, only one spared him a glance.
One of the students, a girl with short black hair and a long curved cluster of hair on the top of her head turned around with wide eyes. Mouth hanging open slightly as she watched the older boy on the bicycle ride off to the distance before he was gone from sight.
"Komachi-chan! Hurry up or you'll miss the bus!" one of her friends call out to her.
She turned to her friends then closed the distance between them. "Sorry I thought I saw someone I know." Her friends didn't say anything and they continued on their way. 'I was probably imagining things again.'
-Chapter End-
What? You CAN yawn through your nose! I swear I've been doing it since high school. The amount of times I managed to fool my teachers is amazing. All you gotta do is keep your mouth shut and breath heavy a couple of times, best part is you can keep your eyes open so no one will ever notice. But enough about that, I'd rather not have this turn into one of those fanfics where the ANs are over a quarter in length compared to the entire story. So I'll try to make this quick. I will ATTEMPT at making this HachimanxSensei(I mean this chapter she barely interacted with him). I won't be promising anything mostly because I suck at keeping them. For now I'm just trying to introduce as many characters as I can before introducing other elements to it. I call myself a mediocre writer because unlike most I am incapable of writing a fanfic as I originally intend it to be and end up making something different. ALSO, who said there won't be Haruno in this? I certainly haven't. She has a special role here after all. Winkwink~
Changes from the original: Hachiman narrated as Hachiman instead of Kotomine like later chapters. A couple of small spelling errors removed. And a couple of lines removedadded.