As Expected He Was More Warped Than Most
Cold. It was still quite cold even though winter was almost at its end. Snow fell from the night sky. Houses were being slowly covered by the snow. The people inside their homes were unaware of how cold it was outside. That was good. If they were unaware of the cold then wouldn't it mean the house they were inside doing its job of keeping them warm and sheltered from mother nature? Certainly so.
"Hahahaha!" A teenage boy laughed when the two men on the TV fell down. The woman behind him paid no heed to him as she kept her eyes focused on the pot in front of her. She was humming a tune to herself. The warmth radiating from the stove kept her close to it. Not to mention she was cooking dinner. The sound of the doorbell ringing could be heard. Prompting both the boy and the woman to look up.
"Keruchan. Could you go and-?" the woman asked the boy.
"Already on it!" the boy exclaimed. He jumped up from the sofa and began to walk away from her with a chuckle. "Probably Oyaji drunk out of his mind. He probably can't even hold his keys right."
The woman giggled at her son. Knowing he was right. "Now Now Keruchan. In a few years you'll be doing the same. You are your father's son of course."
The boy chuckled. It wasn't that He didn't want to drink when he got older. He just didn't want to be like his father when drunk. Sporting such a serious expression when you could barely stand or talk would be embarrassing. Hopefully he doesn't wind up like that in high school. Assuming he would end up making friends that did a lot of underage drinking of course.
The doorbell rang again. The boy yelled out."Coming!" His slow pace walk quickened. Not wanting to upset his father. Drunk and upset was a bad mix after all. Especially if you were anything like his father, Tobe Kyo. The doorknob was cold and the air outside even colder when he opened the door. Flakes of snow poured in slowly as he expected to have to help his father inside.
Imagine his surprise when he saw that his father wasn't alone. The younger man next to his father had his father's arm over his shoulder. Then again he shouldn't be too surprised. Considering how overboard his father went sometimes after a few drinks. Heck his face was still beet red! But that could also be from being exposed to the cold. The man next to his father was also sporting a red face. But the redness in his cheeks was far less noticeable compared to the older man.
"Is this the Tobe residence?" the man next to his father asked. The boy flinched when he got a better look at the man. As far as he could guess the man was far younger than his father but older than himself. Half of his face was covered by the thick scarf he wore. The two scars, one underneath his right eye and another over his right eyebrow sent an alarm bell though the boys' mind. But those eyes….
They were more than just a little frightening. But the seriousness those eyes held also resembled his father way too much for his liking. When the man wasn't drunk and without the fish like qualities of course.
"Is this the Tobe residence?" the man repeated his question. The boy returned from his daydream.
"A-Ah yes! This is the Tobe residence!" he stammered.
"Keruchan? What's taking so long?" his mother came up from behind. Wiping her hands in her apron. Her short brown hair that looked far different from his gray hair as it swayed when she took a short step back from being hit by the cold wind outside. "Oh my. I didn't know we were having guests. I'm Tobe Tama. Who might you be?"
"Kotomine Hachiman." the man, Kotomine Hachiman bowed. Or at least as much as he could with the older man hanging off his shoulder. "I am Kyo-san' co-worker."
"So you're the man my husband has told me about. Pleased to meet you. Thank you for bringing him home." Tama welcomed Hachiman inside. The boy noticed Hachiman calling his father by his given name. Were they close? At that moment the Kyo regained bits of his consciousness.
"Huh. Wha-? Wazz goin on?" his speech was slurred. The redness on his face lessened a little.
"Takeshi-san had me escort you to your home." Hachiman explained to Kyo. Kyo made a noise of understanding then chuckled. In a fashion that left the boy speechless. Considering that he had usually seen his father as a no nonsense person. Sure he was clumsy while drunk and it completely destroyed whatever serious aura he exerted but he always maintained that serious expression but when he wasn't drunk he was a stern parent.
"Ah that Takeshi. The guy needs to take it easy once in a while. Come to think of it. You gotta do take it easy too, kid. Lifes a fleetin! Shouldn't waste it all without having a little fun." Kyo poked Hachiman' cheek. Another thing he hadn't seen his father do in a while. Make a joke. Kyo used Hachiman as a crutch and stood up. His legs wobbled. Behind the boy his mother giggled. Kyo finally realized that his family was in front of him and let Hachiman go. His face loosing most emotions and returning to the seriousness the boy was so used to.
Kyo walked inside and thanked Hachiman for bringing him home. Hachiman nodded back without a word. And turned to leave. Tama walked up next to her husband and elbowed him in his ribs. He gave her a confused look till she mentioned towards Hachiman who was leaving.
"Kid wait." the boy watched his father call out to Hachiman who turned with a raised eyebrow. But the grip he had on the doorknob did not loosen. "You wanna stay over for dinner?"
Hachiman stares in silence for a few seconds. Then looks down for a few more before looking at the Kakeru family. "Thank you for having me."
"I'll catch up with you in a bit Hayato. You two go ahead." Tobe told his best friend. Hayama nodded with a smile. He saw Hayama and Totsuka walking away before turning to Hachiman who was stacking logs on top of each other nearby. "Want some help?"
Hachiman paused. The log in his hands didn't weigh that much considering it was dry wood but considering there was still over a dozen logs for him to stack on top of each other for the bonfire he saw no reason to deny Tobes' helping hand. He nodded at Tobe who picked up a log with a smile. A few seconds later Hachiman felt the silence between the two of them getting awkward. "If you have something to say then say it."
"A-Ah sorry sorry." Tobe rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been... meaning to ask you about my Oyaji for a while Kotomine-san."
"He's your Otou-san." Hachiman stated, passing another log to Tobe. "You know him more than I do."
"Well yea. But I dunno how to put it." he saw Tobe looking away from him. As if trying to figure out how to 'put it' as he mentioned. "It feels like he's different around his co-workers you know? I mean it's rare for me to see him smile these days y'know?"
Hachiman wasn't sure why. But something about the way Tobe explained it made him frown. Since Tobe was looking away he didn't notice it. "I don't understand what you're getting at here. Your father is different around his co-workers?" Who was this father of Tobe Kakeru and what connection did he have to Tobe' father?
"Do you remember? It was like... a couple of months before first year?" Tobe asked. He saw Hachiman make a thinking expression which persisted for several seconds. He realized that was because he wasn't more specific. "You know, when you brought Oyaji home after a drinking party?" Hachiman finally remembered bits of what Tobe was talking about. "When you brought him home I was kinda surprised you know? I don't remember seeing him like that since I was a little kid. We used to talk a lot back then." he chuckled at faint memories of his father making old man jokes.
"Ah so you're Kyo-san' son." Hachiman began, standing on the tip of his toes to place the log in his reach to its place. The last log remained in Tobe' grasp. "I don't remember much about that day Tobe-san. But from what I can recall Kyo-san was drunk. Drunk people tend to do and say things they normally wouldn't."
"Wait, you didn't realize it was me all this time?!" Tobe exclaimed.
"Your hair color is different from what I remember." Hachiman shrugged.
"Oh yea." Tobe rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "My real hair color is like my Oyaji's. But the boys back in middle school used to make fun of me cause my hair looked like an old man's hair. So I ended up dying it to this before school year started. My Oyaji was really against it for a while. He still doesn't really approve of it. Maybe that's why he doesn't talk too much to me these days. "
"... Are you aware of the overall cost of attending Sobu for all three years of high school?" Hachiman started. It was a far off compared to the topic they were discussing moments ago.
Tobe thought for a moment then shook his head.
"... A little over three million yen. That should be close half of Kyo-san' three year income without added bonuses that vary because of work ethic. The rest of his income would go to things like insurance, food, bills and other necessities. Without additional income sources what he makes may not be enough sometimes." Tobe' eyes widened and grip he had on the log tightened. He never really thought about it. In all honesty, his admission to Sobu was a fluke. Even after all these months he had no clue on how he managed to get into Sobu. But he when he passed the entrance exam he just went with it. Sobu was a well known and highly praised school throughout Chiba. So he figured he would be able to get a decent education from here. "Sobu is a private school that boasts a graduation rate of 96%. And a 100% university acceptance of those graduates. It's supposed to cost more than the average high school and even some private high schools. The work your father does maybe important in our company but it doesn't really require any special skills. So the pay isn't exactly stellar. What I'm trying to say is, don't think less of him because he's not able to spend much time with you. He's just trying his best to provide for you and your mother. " Hachiman wasn't sure where that came from nor why he explained it with such detail. Yet even though the words came from his own mouth, he couldn't help but feel some form of... familiarity from it? Did he hear something similar somewhere? No, he couldn't recall. How odd.
Tobe didn't say anything. His eyes were unfocused and his face sported a frown. Seconds passed and Hachiman began to wonder if Tobe' brain short circuited. The sound of a phone ringing filled the air. Hachiman pulled his phone out and checked the caller ID.
"I'll be going on ahead." Hachiman told Tobe who, for once, wordlessly nodded in reply. He hit the accept button. "Good morning, Takeshi-san." He continued to walk towards the stream up ahead where the others were supposedly enjoying themselves. He wanted to get some sleep instead, since he was unable to sleep that well last night. Especially after that moment with Hiratsuka. "Yes My fever has gotten better." He didn't really understand why she was so upset back then. He was still alive. What else mattered? "No I haven't gotten any calls from him. I'll let you know if I do." Takeshi hung up, prompting Hachiman to put the device back in his pocket. The clearing came into view. The gadget took up so much space that it pushed the other contents inside his pocket against his thigh. One small object stuck out the most. 'Hope I don't loose this thing here.' It was small but he didn't have anywhere else to put it. Would be a shame to loose it after going through the trouble of having it made. He came upon a sight that made him raise an eyebrow.
"Try massaging it. I heard it helps." That was incorrect and he knew it. But the situation forced him to say it... Haruno was a 'bad' influence on him. His sudden entrance into the conversation made Yukinoshita and Yuigahama jump.
"Kotomine-kun. That doesn't really work." Yuigahama chided. Yukinoshita hugged her chest tighter, her cheeks flushing pink from embarassment.
"With breasts like yours I don't think you have the right to say that." Was his blunt reply. Out of all the teens he met in his short existence Yuigahama had the largest breasts. Said girl puffed her cheeks in annoyance. Though the blush on her face was apparent.
"As expected of a pervert like yourself Kotomine-kun. To bring up a woman's body so casually without a care. Do you have no shame or have they all left along with your purity?" Yukinoshita looked away from him. Not that he cared. Ever since the day she had figured out Haruno and he were acquainted the barrage of half baked insults had came back full force... He also had a suspicion that his 'purity' had something to do with it. But that could just be because of how she seemed to find a way to add it to nearly every insult she threw at him. Either ways it didn't really matter.
Hiratsuka came into the fray as well. "Don't worry about it Yukinoshita. You still have plenty of time left to grow." she pats Yukinoshita on the back. By the looks of it the older woman's words of comfort did nothing to help.
"So four years. Give or take." Hachiman got a glare from all three women. "What? The human body stops growing at the age of Eighteen to Twenty. Nineteen is a solid middle ground." He looked around to find a spot to sit down and rest a little. Maybe a nap? It wasn't like he had any obligations to fulfill here.
"While you are correct on the fact, your math is off. In four years I would be Twenty One. I expected a high school student to know basic math at least." Yukinoshita smirked. Her arms no longer crossed and hiding her 'great plains' as Zaimokuza once put it.
"What's going on here?" Kawasaki noticed Hachiman and came up to him. Unlike the rest of the girls and even Hiratsuka she was not wearing a swimsuit.
"Yukinoshita-san just lied to me." Hachiman points towards Yukinoshita who tilts her head in confusion.
"When did I lie? I never lie." when she said that Hachiman looked at her incredulously. Hachiman found the latter 'statement' she made incredibly stupid.
"You mean to tell me you're actually seventeen years old? My mind is blown." He saw Yukinoshita' eyes widen, seemingly scandalized. Both Hiratsuka and Kawasaki trying to hold in their laughter at Yukinoshita' reaction. Even Yuigahama stifled a giggle. All were aware that he was messing with her. All except Yukinoshita. "I always thought you skipped a grade or two. Looks like I was incorrect. You're nonexistent breasts made me think you were younger. Nevertheless, two years then. Good luck. You'll need it."
"Okay you two. That's enough. We're here to have fun not kill each other." Hiratsuka eyed Yukinoshita when she said that. Yukinoshita' glare did not falter in the least.
"I'll just go rest under that tree over there." Hachiman cracked his neck with one hand on his shoulder and pointed at a nearby tree on another with his other hand.
"I got nothing to do. I'll join you." Kawasaki followed him. Hachiman spared her a side way glance but said nothing.
The girls didn't protest. Although they did look back at Kawasaki for a moment with concern in their eyes. Hiratsuka noticed it and wondered why that was. The rest of the Sobu students with the exception of Tobe who had yet to show up were playing in the stream. Hachiman stretched his limbs before leaning back on the tree and closing his eyes to sleep with his arms crossed.
"I thought you said you didn't have friends." the familiar voice of Tsurumi Rumi. Hachiman really just wanted to nap a little right now.
"Hello there. I'm Kawasaki Saki." Kawasaki greets Rumi and was left off put when the girl ignored her.
"I did." Hachiman replied. "It didn't change then and it hasn't changed now."
"I may not have any but even I know only friends make jokes like that with each other." he heard a soft noise coming from his right. So she sat next to him? That was unexpected, wasn't she afraid of him last night or something? Or did his tired mind make that up? His eyes slowly opened.
"Jokes?" he looks at her confused. To Rumi who had seen him give such words of 'wisdom' earlier at night, his near childlike confusion left her speechless. "I just said that to annoy her. Considering she is insecure of her petite body and considering mindset it is surprisingly easy to annoy her."
Both Rumi and Kawasaki sweat dropped. Kawasaki asked. "Mindset? She usually carries herself like an adult."
"A proper adult doesn't subtly whine about their problems to near strangers. Nor do they wait for their problems to fix themselves. That is not what makes a person an adult... Unless they're drunk or stupid. I know for a fact Yukinoshita is not drunk. Not sure about stupid though..." He remembered back to the day when the two of them were picking out gifts for Yuigahama. And how her demeanor changed so drastically when Haruno arrived. "She can behave like an adult as much as she wants. But it's just cringe to people that can see through it."
Kawasaki couldn't imagine Hachiman cringing for some reason. Maybe because she rarely saw him making an expression with too much emotion. Rumi looked thoughtful as his words sank in. So even someone that carried herself like an adult could be a child in reality?
"Then what makes a person a adult?" she asked. Looking at him this time. Kawasaki waited in anticipation for his answer as well. Keen on knowing what someone with his experience would consider a person as an adult.
"Ah Rumi-chan!" before Hachiman could answer. Yuigahama came to them and squats down in front of the young girl. "You're here. Wanna play with us?"
"No thanks. I'm good here." Rumi deadpanned at Yuigahama for interrupting before Hachiman could answer. Yuigahama frowned at that reply. Yukinoshita came up from behind her to observe the situation.
"Kotomine-san. You wouldn't happen to know where Tobe is would you?" Hayama suddenly called out to Hachiman who turns to look at Hayama then shook his head.
"Last I saw him he was with the bonfire logs." he replied.
Girlish screaming in the distance caught almost everyone by surprise. They rushed to the camp to investigate. On their way there Hachiman wondered how he should answer the question Rumi asked before Yuigahama came over. The answer that came to him made him wonder of how to explain it to her. Especially since it required a demonstration to be understood 'properly'. But even he was above that. He could no longer ponder of that as when they reached the camp they came upon a sight that even left Hachiman wide eyed in surprise.
A large brown bear, growling viciously as it steadily neared closer to a few girls and even boys. They were wearing swimsuits. One could only assume they were making their way towards the stream before this happened. In front of them was Tobe Kakeru with his arms spread wide open. The expression on his face showed he was as terrified as the children he was trying to protect. Hachiman couldn't help but mentally commend Tobe for what he was trying to do. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. From the corner of his eyes he saw a terrified Hayama and half expected the blonde boy to jump in to help his friend. But much to his surprise that didn't happen. Wasn't he friends with Tobe?
"Gaaaggh!" Tobes' pained howl caught his attention. He briefly looked up to see the girls watching with horrified expressions as Tobe fell on the ground with the bear biting down on his left forearm. Blood spilled out from Tobe' arm in front of the children before they ran away in different directions screaming in terror. The girls next to him gasped as Tobe cried out more in pain. Hayama was left wide eyed and frozen at the horrifying sight in front of him. A brief glance at the blond's legs showed Hachiman that Hayama' legs were shaking.
A blur from his right caught his attention. Hiratsuka charged ahead making Hachiman' eyes widen. She pulled one of the logs away from the rest making the bonfire logs tumble down then threw it at the bear. The bear stopped biting down on the boy underneath it and growled at it's assailant.
'What is wrong with this woman?!' he was surprised by the strength of his own reaction. Even though he didn't say anything out loud. Hiratsuka taunted the bear then went into a full sprint towards the woods and away from them with the bear following suit. Hachiman shoved his phone onto the person next to him and dashed after the beauty and the beast. "I've called the police. Explain the situation to them."
"No, stop!" Kawasaki reached out to Hachiman but he was already gone.
Like the rest Yuigahama was also shocked of the sudden turn of events but snapped out of it when Hachiman' phone collided on her breasts. She grabbed onto it before it fell down. "Kotomine-kun?!". Hayama and the others rushed to the still downed Tobe in worry while Yuigahama spoke into the phone. "H-Hello? Police? We need help-"
Hachiman ran as faster as his legs could allow him. The cross he wore swung wildly from side to side. The bear was fast but for some reason it was staggering a little. The staggering was probably the reason why it had yet to catch up to the far slower woman in front of it. Questions raced through Hachimans' mind. What was a bear even doing here? Bears often wandered into the territory of man but actual attacks were few and far between the hundreds of sightings in japan. Especially without any signs of warning. Not to mention brown bears of this stature could only be found in Hokkaido. He saw Hiratsuka slowing down, exhaustion apparent in both her expression and the deep breaths she was taking. He took of his shirt just before Hiratsuka stopped. She turned to see him jumping on top of the beast and wrapping his T-shirt around it's head before being thrown off by the bear. He grunted when his back hit the dirt. Hiratsuka ran up to his side and pulled him up.
"Why did you follow me?!" she asked. Well, yelled. He didn't answer and grabbed her hand before pulling her away from the bear. It was still trying to get off his T-shirt from its head.
"We have to get out of here. That won't hold it for long." It wasn't meant to. They just needed to get away before the beast would regain it's eyesight. Hiratsuka was tired but Hachimans' tight grip on her kept her going. Before long they ended up back at camp. No one else was there much to Hiratsuka' relief. Hopefully they ran away to a much safer place. She hoped the bear didn't follow them ba-
*GROWL*
Never count your eggs before they hatched.
Hachiman turns his body to look at Hiratsuka. His eyes widened when he noticed the bear was right behind her. How did it catch up to them so quickly and without them noticing!? He had no time to think on it. Shoving her aside was all the time he had before the bears claw swiped at him. Blood gushed out of the open would that was inflicted on his right upper arm. He fell down on his side. Fortunately his good arm managed to cushion the landing. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt. When he opened his eyes the bear was standing tall on it's hind legs. His eyes widened. Was the bear really that big or did it just look that way to him because of his current position on the ground? Time seemed to slow down at that moment. Hiratsuka yelled a terrified 'No'
'Am I gonna die?' he had taken beatings before. He had taken them all without any resistance. For as long as he remembered he accepted his fate without a second question. He was even close to dying at one point. And one time, close to being subjugated to something even worse than that. But now... in the face of death. He remembered that he still had questions. Questions in need of answers. He needed those questions answered. And for that he needed to be alive ... 'I can't die here... I refuse to die here!' Two voices cried out in his mind, one his own and another he didn't recognize. It belonged to someone much younger than he that much he was certain of. But it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered at that moment. He needed to survive. No matter the cost. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. He needed to survive. For now that was the only thing that mattered. The pain from his injured arm and aching leg muscles vanished. It felt as if time itself was being slowed down.
*BANG BANG*
Time returned to normal. The bear roared in pain from being shot by the police that had just arrived. It turned tails to run away. It wasn't able to get far. The leg it was staggering on since it showed up earlier finally gave away causing it fall down. The beast growled one last time before it drifted off into unconsciousness. Blood oozing from the wounds it now had. The adrenaline wore off and his senses returned to normal. He released the breath he had been unknowingly holding.
"Gaaah!" The pain from his injured arm and aching legs returned with a vengeance. He clutched it as tight as he could. But that just made it hurt more.
An hour later an ambulance had rushed Tobe off to the nearest hospital to treat his mangled arm. Hachiman was sitting down on on a bed inside an ambulance. The paramedic wrapped his injury with a thick layer of gauze and tied it to his neck so it didn't move too much. The wind tickled his shirtless body. He had been unable to wear a shirt till now because of his arm. The bear seemed to have miscalculated the distance between the two of them as it was only able to tear through flesh so his bones were left unscratched. According to the paramedic it should take about 2 weeks or so for his arm to fully heal and be functional again. There went the rest of this year's sick days.
"Thank you for your work." he nodded at the man who nodded back in return with a smile.
"Remember. Don't strain yourself. Let's not make that worse." The paramedic gave a few words of caution to Hachiman. Hachiman intended to follow that advice as closely as he possibly could. He got out of the ambulance only to have a waiting Kawasaki Saki grab onto him.
"I can still walk." she doesn't him go and opted to tell him that it was better to be safe than sorry. He dropped the matter and let her do as she pleased. The two walked to the rest of Sobu's representatives. At least they weren't wearing their swimsuits now. Out of all of them Hiratsuka felt the most devastated since she felt responsible for what happened. Her face showed nothing but regret. He saw Hayama consoling a scared Miura. The remaining three girls were silent. The sight before him... It warmed his-
"I'm sorry." Hiratsuka apologized. The rest looked at her confused. "If I hadn't gotten you all out here none of this would have happened."
"It's not your fault sensei!" Yuigahama exclaimed. "You couldn't possibly known something like... that would have happened." the others agreed with her. Even Yukinoshita.
"But I-" Hachiman cut her off.
"Bad things happen all the time. If you expect to live your life without expecting to get hurt then it's best for you to be dead." Hachiman' words made everyone freeze. They hadn't noticed him till now. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama looked away from him. They had all seen the scar on his back when the paramedics were pulling him away. Much to his surprise Kawasaki had been the most level headed when she saw it.
"H-How's your arm Hachiman?" Totsuka asked him. Hachiman gave Totsuka a blank expression.
"It's a flesh wound. I will live. That's all that matters." he dismissed their worries with a quick nod.
"Our ride should be arriving soon." Hayama spoke up. That made Miura and Ebina perk up. At this point they just wanted to go home. Hachiman could relate to that. It was Saturday, he was supposed to be cleaning his apartment today after all.
"Hachiman?"
Tsurumi Rumi approached them. Hachiman watched her with curiosity. Hiratsuka stood up.
"What're you doing here?" the older woman asked. "You should be with the rest of your classmates. What is that man doing?" Hachiman figured she meant the fat teacher that brought the elementary students here.
"I just... wanted to see if you're all doing alright." she fidgets under the gaze of all the older women and three men.
"We're fine Rumi-chan. See?" Yuigahama motioned towards all of them before remembering one of them was injured. "A-Ah except Kotomine-kun. But he'll be fine in a few days!"
"That's... good." Rumi nodded with an unease smile. "I'll be going now. Our bus just arrived."
Hachiman saw her turn to leave. "Wait."
Tsurumi stopped. "Y-Yeah?"
"Do you remember the question you asked before the bear attacked?" everyone flinched when oh so casually Hachiman mentioned the thing they were trying to forget. But he didn't care for that.
"Yeah. What makes someone an adult." she nodded. Everyone wondered where Hachiman was going with this. Hiratsuka raised an intrigued eyebrow when the word 'adult' was mentioned.
"I did something thinking and realized everyone has a different perspective on it. I have mine. Do you still want that answer?" she hesitantly nodded. "Hayama-san. Come here."
"Why?"
"You wanted to help her however you could right? This will will help."
Hayama came closer to Hachiman. Without warning Hachiman escaped Kawasaki's grip and punched Hayama square in the face. Surprised, the golden boy of Sobu stumbled back and would have fallen down if not for Miura catching him. Hiratsuka rushed in front of Hachiman and held him back in case he tried to follow up on that hit. Hachiman clenched and opened his palm to get the feeling back in it. He was fatigued. Loosing blood and all this moving around was starting to get to him. Not to mention that he wasn't able to get much sleep.
"What was that for?!" Miura was furious. Hachiman paid her no heed.
"Stand up Hayama-san." his voice as calm even as ever. Hayama didn't protest. He knew he deserved getting hit. Even though that was for a different reason, he still felt he needed to be punished.
"Apologize." that... command... made everyone take a step back except Miura who glared at Hachiman.
"Why should he apologize? You're the one that punched him!" Miura all but shouted. If her fury wasn't dwarfed by her worry for Hayama then she would have surely attacked Hachiman there and there. "Are you okay Hayato?"
"It's okay Yumiko." the boy in question tried to calm her down. He rubbed his chin and winced. He stood up straight as commanded. "I'm sorry Kotomine-san."
Hachiman turned to the scared Rumi. "Facing misfortune and learning to making the best of it regardless of how your own feelings on the matter. That is what makes a person an 'adult'."
The beauty of life can't be appreciated by everyone at all times. When a one is born, they receive a gift from god. One that will cease to exist eventually. For such was the law of nature. But that would be the beauty of it, wouldn't it? What would you do with the limited amount of time you have been bestowed upon birth? Perhaps strive to lead your life without any regrets? Perhaps strive for one where you are entertained till death inevitably comes for you? Perhaps one where you would attempt to become famous and have your name engraved upon the seemingly eternal passage of time? Perhaps one where you would seek your 'purpose' for being in this vast world of mysteries and wonders. For him in particular. Only the latter had been the case till that fateful day when his master had turned his back on him. Literally of course. The man felt warmth inside his black heart every time he thought of that day. But for now he would indulge himself in temporary satisfaction though. Until that time arrived once again.
He made a pleased sound. It was short and nearly silent. His lifeless eyes opened as he observed the altar in front of him for any signs of dirt in case it needed cleaning. The rapid sounds of clicking, beeps and 'action' music reached his ears. But that was there for nearly the entire morning.
"Hoh? Someone sounds happy." a boy(?) behind him asked. His golden yellow hair remained still as his head did not move. The handheld console being the sole thing he was focusing on even though he heard the noise the man made. As expected, the hearing of a heroic-
"Ah. Nothing of importance. Just an old investment finally bearing some fruits." the man said without turning to the boy. His eyes returned to being closed. The boy leaned forward from the bench he was sitting on. Now his elbows rested on the backrest of the bench in front of him. His blood red eyes had yet to leave the screen of the game he was playing.
"Old investment?... You mean that kid? He's still alive?" the boy sounded a little impressed at that. Just a little. Or maybe he misinterpreted it. The boy paused the game. A hand going down under the bench to pick something up. A golden glow came from where his hand went for a brief moment. After it disappeared he pulled out a bag of chips and started eating from it. "Good for him."
"It seems that our lord in heaven truly favors him today." the man opened his eyes once again as his lips curl up to form a smirk. Silence returns to the church. 'What will you show me next I wonder.'
-Chapter End-
Pretty sure over half of this chapter was predictable. Unfortunately I couldn't get too many characters speaking at the same time because so much was happening. Honestly though, with all the hints I've been dropping about Hachimans' past I'm sure most of you already have a good guess on what happened. Kudos to you if you did though. Not gonna lie. I was intending to have Hachiman actually fight the bear. But aside from that being too obvious it just felt too asinine. And no matter how I tried to write it I just felt the cringe chipping away at my sanity. So I decided for this at the end.
Poor Tobe, even though I'm one of the few fanfiction writers that actually paid a little attention to him it ended with him getting mauled. Be honest. Tobe is a lot more relatable to Hachiman even in canon. Average looks, kinda stupid. Pining after a girl beyond his league and even friends with a guy that doesn't really consider him a friend. I mean what kind of guy tries to sabotage his friend's confession? Oh well, till next time!
Note: Okay so I just noticed that I had reversed Tobes' name(Special thanks to Clipsus for pointing it out). I wrote Kakeru Tobe instead of Tobe Kakeru. It's fixed now. I may not care about spelling or minor grammar error to fix it as soon as possible but even I don't like it when a character's name is misspelled. Not gonna lie though. When I saw the review pointing that out I laughed really hard. Poor Tobe. Your side character power is so high that I forgot your name. But not high enough for me to completely forget your name apparently!
2nd Note: what sort of crossover would it be if the characters from the other franchise show up only thrice the entire length of the fanfiction? I'm gonna blueball you lot pretty heavily soon but even I'm not that big of a di©k
Changes from the original: A couple of spelling errors fixed and a few lines added+tweaked.