As Expected He Was More Warped Than Most
Some people often tended to associate weather with emotions. Such as sunny with happiness. Thunderstorm and snowstorm with anger. Or even rain and cloudy skies with sadness. No one really knew why they did it. They just did. It made sense in it's odd way. With sunny skies you can't really tell if danger was lurking nearby. With thunderstorms and snowstorms you could see nature's fury running amok, destroying anything with no distinction between the the living and the non living. With rain and cloudy skies you could not decide weather it was a good idea to go and buy MAXX COFFEE from your nearest convenience store or not, therefore resulting in being thrown into doubt. So in a way, it did make sense. Most TV shows tended to show it like that as well, a person died? Their funeral in progress? Chances are, one of those two happened to be exactly when it was raining. If not both, regardless of season. It did have it's 'cool' moments though, like when the main character of a shōnen anime or action movies in general, finally got his/her chance to defeat the villain once and for all.
Too bad real life didn't work that way. Among other things of course.
The sun was shining brightly. A little too bright even. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead, rolled down his cheek and then fell from his chin right after. Hachiman wanted to tug at the collar of the shirt he wore right now. He wanted to tug at it really badly but he couldn't simply because the action would surely turn more than one head towards him. That should be avoided at the moment. After all, he preferred not to attract too much attention from his 'peers'. Staying incognito as much as possible would be for the best, lest he wanted to risk being caught as his true identity of being a high school student.
The shinto 'priest' in front of him and the rest of his co-workers finished his chants. They all took a moment of silence to honor the memories of their deceased co-worker. Hachiman couldn't remember any memories of Kaneda that he could actually consider worth honoring. But just like the monkey that tried to use a hacksaw after seeing a fake monkey use one on that animal documentary on TV he saw the other day, he simply copied the tanned man next to him and kept his eyes closed in silence. The moment of silence passed and then the process of moving the casket into the grave began.
Hachiman had never seen a burial before. So this was a completely new experience for him. It intrigued him a little bit. Making him question why the body was being placed into the earth like that. And if this process had been being used for since the birth of man, why hadn't the world been littered with graves, were the corpses dug out and replaced by another at one point after the initial burial? What was to happen to the corpse that was dug out to be replaced by another corpse? The question made him mildly curious. The burial also reminded him that while life was strong enough to withstand many things, it wasn't immune to death and decay. But ultimately death was everyone's destination so that was to be expected. Everything that lives has to die one day. And those that didn't would simply decay over time, regardless of how long it may take.
"Funny how life works sometimes, right?" a male voice caught his attention. Hachiman turned his head a little bit, his eyes darting to the left to see a pair of amber red eyes doing the same towards him.
"Yes?" he asked, unsure of where this conversation was going towards. He saw Satoshi turning back at the grave in front of them, many of their other co-workers were beginning to leave for their homes to continue with their activities. If Hachiman were to make a guess, they just showed up for the sake of being polite. The ones that remained were the ones that probably interacted with Kaneda more than those that left. Wait, didn't that mean he could leave too? Since he didn't really know the guy at all.
"Kaneda was one of the few of us that were there when Takeshi-san started this company. Before that he was... well... a lot like you actually." Satoshi said after running a hand through his hair. Like Hachiman and the rest of the people that had attended the funeral, Satoshi too wore a formal suit. Hachiman blinked in confusion as he heard that last part. Satoshi closed his eyes, reminiscing. "He didn't really have much to loose, no friends, no family, no background and a bad habit of getting into trouble with the local thugs."
'So that's what he meant.' Hachiman understood a little now. He certainly hoped there weren't too many people like him out there. An existence like this had little worth existing for. It was... unpleasant.
Satoshi chuckled after realizing the last part sound a little condescending. "Then again, guess I'm not one to talk about getting into trouble with gangs. Rocket, Aqua, Magma, Galactic. Had beef with em all..." he paused for a couple of seconds before rubbing his chin in a thoughtful manner, making Hachiman raise a questioning eyebrow. "Huh, I just noticed that all of those gangs had English words for their gang names. wonder why that is..."
Hachiman waited for Satoshi to continue. Satoshi did not disappoint.
"Kaneda worked his ass off day in and out to pay of his debts. Kept telling me he would 'put himself out there' for getting married after paying off his debts. Raise two kids. Get a loan and buy a house." Satoshi sighed then looked back at the grave. "Guess sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to. Goes to show that our time here on earth is limited I guess. But everyone already knows that." A sad smile could be seen on the older man's face.
It was rare seeing Satoshi so... gloomy. Hachiman was so used to seeing a cheerful smile on the older man's face that seeing this depressed one just looked out of place. "That they do." Hachiman answered with a nod.
"So what are you two talking about?" the two men turned to their older co-workers. Takeshi was the one that asked and Hachiman was the one to answer.
"The amount of time we have on earth before death." Hachiman replied with a straight face. He didn't know why Takeshi grimaced at that. Even the ever serious Kyo who was standing beside Takeshi grimaced. Then they shot a look towards Satoshi who flinched with a nervous smile.
"W-Well!" Satoshi exclaimed, raising both hands in defense. "I was about to followup on that actually. Was gonna to tell him why life is worth living."
"I certainly hope so. This month has already been bad enough as it is." Kyo replied. Takeshi nodded in agreement.
"Oh yea. I heard what happened. How's your boy Kyo." Satoshi asked.
Hachiman kept listening. He was actually a little bit interested of what happened to Tobe Kakeru after camp. Since he never really saw the need, he never asked Hiratsuka of Tobe' current condition. Didn't hurt to listen in on it now though. Especially since he was already a part of the conversation-wait. Hachiman looked around, it should be okay now right?
"He'll live." Kyo began. Frustration could be seen in his eyes. "His left forearm had to be amputated." Takeshi and Satoshi both winced at the news. Hachiman on the other hand, finally unbuttoned the top button of his inner shirt. His body visibly slumped. The others took it as a sign of sympathy, unaware that it was actually Hachiman' body relaxing because his neck felt less constricted.
"If you need anything. We're all here for you." Takeshi placed a comforting hand on Kyos' shoulder. Satoshi nodded before elbowing Hachiman in the ribs. Hachiman made no noise but he did understand that he was supposed to make a 'comforting' gesture right about now.
"He may not have an arm. But he's alive and that's what matters." Hachiman was never really good at matters of the heart. Everyone here knew that already.
Takeshi sighed. "That's probably the most you'll be getting outta him."
"Umm." Hachiman wanted to give it another try. "He's a good kid?"
Satoshi stifled a chuckle. Takeshi cracked a smile and even Kyo' serious face melted away a little.
"Thank you for trying. You don't owe me anything but... " a sigh came from Kyo' lips. He turned to leave. "... I would appreciate it if you were to... look after Kakeru whenever you could."
Hachiman blinked, eyes widening ever so slightly as he realized the implications of that 'request'. Yet instead of asking how Kyo knew Hachiman' secret of being a high school student, he simply nodded.
"Life is short and even if you accept that you will die one day, it doesn't mean it has to affect your time while you're still alive. What matters most is how you spend it. Those that you want to spend it with. And the smiles you'd want to protect."
Those were the 'wise' words Satoshi told Hachiman after Kyo and Takeshi left. Hachiman thought of those sentences and what meant. Less than a few months ago, those words would have meant almost nothing to him. Save for the fact that they were told by one of the few people he 'trusted' in his life. Though he could not describe it even if his life were to depend on it, he... felt that he knew what they meant. It made no sense to him, not even a little. Normally such a thing would drive him insane. Yet something told him that it didn't need to... And that made sense... Somehow...
Earlier today Hachiman had returned to his own apartment. His arm had healed for the most part and did not hurt anymore. So there was no need for him to stay with Hiratsuka Shizuka any longer. She seemed a little down when he left, he wasn't really sure why that was. Maybe she realized she would have to cook her own food again? That shouldn't have been a problem though. He tasted her cooking. He couldn't really claim it to be good considering his 'condition' but it certainly was't anywhere near as bad as Yuigahama' cooking since he didn't end up with a stomach ache... Okay maybe using his pink haired classmate as a baseline for anyone's cooking was setting the bar a little too low... Speaking of cooking, He was doing just that a few minutes ago. Dinner was ready. All that was left to be done is to eat it. He placed the bowl of rice in front of him and picked up another. After filling it up he held up the rice bowl for it to be taken by-
A pause.
'...' Wordlessly he placed the second bowl of rice on the table before picking up his own bowl and stared at it. To think he of all people had gotten used to having company around during meals. Hachiman' lips formed a frown... He had changed again without noticing it... And he still didn't know how or why... His frown began to turn into a scow-
*BZZT**BZZT*...*BZZT**BZZT*
That buzzing noise... A text? Hachiman looked at his phone that rested next to him. True to his suspicions, there was a text there. Who could it be?
He opened it and began to read it. An eyebrow rose in confusion as his lips thinned. He would have to go to work tomorrow so could he really afford to do this? But knowing her, he would likely be forced to go either ways... Rubbing the bridge of his nose he began to calculate the pros and cons about this decision. His musings halt for a moment when another text came to him. This time from a different sender yet detailing basically the same thing... Was this planned by the both of them? A sigh escaped his lips.
-The Next Morning-
Kotomine Hachiman waited next to an excited Hikigaya Komachi. Their meeting today was a complete coincidence. The fact that she and her friends were going to the same place as he would be going to was also a coincidence. One that he couldn't complain about. After all, Hachiman still found her smiles to be nice. It had faltered for a short period when her friends had claimed to have other things they needed to do urgently. But he knew better than that, they left because being around him put them at unease. But by the looks of it, she wasn't. That was... good?
"Hachiman-kun!" A voice yelled out, prompting the two turn their heads to where the yell came from. Komachi of course, had no clue who they were. All Hachiman had told her that they were waiting for two people before they could begin their 'journey'. "Who's this?"
"It hasn't even been 24 hours and you've already gone and kidnapped someone? Should I be calling the cops or what?" the other one, who definitely looked older than the first in Komachi' opinion, teased.
"This is Hikigaya Komachi. She will be joining us." Hachiman introduced her to them. Then did the same for them to her. "This is Hiratsuka Shizuka and that is Yukinoshita Haruno. They will be the ones to take us to the beach today."
"A-Ah! G-good morning! I'm Hikigaya Komachi." Komachi greeted them. More than a little surprised that someone like Hachiman knew such beautiful women. Older women no less.
"Yukinoshita Haruno here. You can call me Haru-nee if you want." Haruno winked at the younger girl before turning to Hachiman. Her tone changing a little. "You didn't tell me you're into younger women Hachiman-kun~"
"Don't mind her." Hiratsuka attempted to soothe a nervous Komachi. "She's always like this. But she's harmless for the most part."
Hachiman noticed a slight agitation in Haruno' tone and also... concern? But thought nothing of it. He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Can we get going now? The sooner we go there the sooner we can come back. I need to go to work today."
"Think that's a good idea?" Hiratsuka asked him. "Has your arm healed enough yet?" She had asked him of his job a few times in the past. Leading her to find out how physically taxing it was at times. Especially for his arms, legs and back. "The claw of that bea-"
"Yes it has healed completely." Hachiman abruptly spoke with his tone sterner than usual. "Let's go." He began to walk away with Komachi following him.
Unlike Komachi who still knew so little about Hachiman, both Haruno and Hiratsuka were taken aback. It was rare to see Hachiman interrupting someone. They shared a glance, unsure what to make of it.
The summer sun radiated above. It's light reached everyone directly under it. And the ocean waters reflected it's rays. Kids ran around, playing in the sand and waters. Many women were sunbathing. Yet both Haruno and Hiratsuka had yet to come back.
Hachiman was setting up their things in the sand with the help of Komachi. He didn't take much time viewing the beach even though he had never came to a place like this before. It was just sand, water and people. Basically the same thing he would normally see around a construction area or a park. And even on some anime. It was pretty much the same thing.
"Hey Onii-chan." Komachi called him. He sat down on the blanket and fixed the hawaiian shirt, courtesy of Hiratsuka and a giggling Haruno, he was wearing then looked at her.
"Yea?"
"Are you... going out with Haruno-san or Shizuka-san?"
He kept staring at her with his blank expression. "No."
"Really? Why not?" Komachi asked him as she sat next to him. Her frilly yellow two piece bikini matched the color of the sands underneath the blanket. But it was too revealing for Hachiman' liking, not that she knew that. She did see something in their eyes when they talked to him. She couldn't put her finger on what it was though. "They're both really beautiful."
Hachiman nodded. "...I do not believe that is enough to be romantically involved with anyone." He thought back to that girl from middle school. She too was attractive... At least that's what he remembered some of his old middle school classmates claiming. But he felt nothing towards her back then.
"W-Well. You're not wrong I guess..." Komachi scratched her cheek. "But don't you find them attractive at least?"
"I do." his blatant answer surprised the younger girl. "But if I needed physical companionship then I can simply hire a call girl."
Komachis' face goes blank for several seconds, leading Hachiman to wonder if he said something that broke her. "W-W-W-WHAT?!" her face became red.
"Call Girl is another term for Prostitutes." Hachiman explained, thinking the term he used was not one she knew. She should know what a prostitute was though right? She was what? Fifteen? Sixteen? Wasn't that usually the age where kids were normally introduced to things of sexual nature?
"I know what that means! Gomichan! Dimwit! Hachiman!" The redness on her face spreads even further. Normally when he would be needlessly insulted by Yukinoshita Yukino he wouldn't feel anything aside a tinge of annoyance. But this time, even though the series of insults were directed at him, Hachiman couldn't help but feel... amused? It almost made him want to sm-wait...
"What kind of an insult is 'Hachiman'?" he had heard his fair share of insults and 'flattering' nicknames thrown his way behind his back, but this was a new one. The confusion he felt was overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of... familiarity?
Komachi who suddenly realized what she said seemed to be shaken up by her own words. She struggled to find her voice back. "I-uh-I'll go check on the others! See what's taking them so long. Be back in a bit!"
She bolted before he could ask her what was wrong. Seeing her like that, on the verge of crying again, made his heart heavy again. For a second he thought about giving chase. But that would also mean abandoning all their things here. He felt torn between going after her and staying here. So he sat there by his lonesome and waited for them to return. The reason why the other two women that came with them weren't here yet was because they were changing into their swimwear. And he had no idea where they were right now.
"Kotomine-kun? Is that you?" a familiar voice called his name. He looked around, searching for the person. "We're behind you."
'We?' Hachiman turned to see Yuigahama Yui leaning down at him. She was close, too close in fact. He could see her bikini clad breasts rather well from this angle. But unfortunately the view didn't last long, he leaned back just as Yuigahama leaned forward and the results were catastrophic.
A couple of minutes later, Hachiman sat next to a flustered Yuigahama Yui and a giggling woman that looked like an older version of Yuigahama, with a glowing red palm mark on his cheek. Hachiman resisted the urge to sigh. "I was not expecting to see you here."
"That should be my line Kotomine-kun." Yuigahama responded, still flustered. "You don't seem like the type to... you know."
He didn't blame her for her assumption. If it weren't for the insistence of both his meddlesome teacher and Haruno he would have still been at home, likely sleeping. "They forced me to come."
"They?" Yuigahama asked.
"Yui-chan. Shouldn't you introduce me to your friend?" the woman sitting beside Yuigahama asked after setting down their own blanket next to the one Hachiman was sitting on.
"R-Right." Yuigahama seemed embarrassed by her negligence. "Kotomine-kun, this is mama- I mean this is my Oka-san. Mama this is Kotomine Hachiman. He's from school."
"Ah~" Yuigahama' mama... Yuigamama? Mamagahama? Bahama? No wait, that last part is a country or something. Hachiman was bad at geography. The woman's 'mountains' were definitely bigger than her daughter's. Making them the biggest Hachiman had ever laid eyes on... Mamagahama it is. "So you're that boy my daughter talks about so much." She giggled at her daughter's reaction but kept an eye on him for signs of any embarrassment. Much to her disappointment, there were none for her to poke at.
"Good afternoon." he greeted her. She looks him dead in the eye for a bit, taking in his features. Neither spoke a word and eventually both women begin to feel a little disturbed because of him not blinking the entire time.
"T-Thank you for looking after my daughter at school Kotomine-san." Yuigahama was a little surprised, hearing her mother be polite was nothing new. However, she didn't expect her to be this polite. Usually this tone was reserved for other parents or teachers at school... She was beginning to understand why Tobe told them that talking to Hachiman felt like talking to his father.
"... You're welcome." Hachiman didn't really know how else to respond. Times like this reminded him of the day when he first realized talking to acquainted strangers needed a little more thinking than talking to complete strangers. "She is a good girl...?" wait, didn't he use that line already?
"K-Kotomine-kun?!" Yuigahama' face reddens once more. "I'm not a child!" she exclaimed. Even though she scolded him, she looked kinda happy... Hachiman did not understand women at all.
"We're baaack!" a different voice exclaimed from nearby. Hachiman and Mamagahama look to their left while Yuigahama stiffened. "Oh my~ we leave you alone for ten minutes and you've already snared two more women. Hachiman-kun you sly dog. Do I have to put a leash on you today?"
Introductions were done and words were exchanged. He noticed both Yuigahama and her mother having a harder time talking to Haruno than Hiratsuka or Komachi. Speaking of Mamagahama. She and Hiratsuka hit it off quite well. Hachiman thought of it as nothing less than two middle aged women conversing about middle age thin- Why was Hiratsuka glaring at him all of a sudden? And speaking of Komachi, she seemed to be avoiding direct eye contact with him as much as she could. Oddly enough, the thought of the younger girl ignoring him all of a sudden made his heart feel... heavier again. He wasn't fond of that. Then they tried to get him to go into the waters with them to play but he had declined, telling them that he didn't know how to swim.
"You don't need to know how to swim in order to play in the beach. But you should learn now. You'll be learning it either ways when the school starts making that swimming pool outside of the auditorium in a couple of months." Hiratsuka said, her swimsuit not the same one from summer camp. This time she wore a one piece that hugged her hourglass figure tightly and showed it off rather nicely. The exposed diamond shaped hole in the stomach area and oval shaped one on the back made her look much more attractive than usual. What she said had caught just about everyone's attention though. Hiratsuka blinked. "I... was not supposed to tell you that." As expected, Yuigahama was overly excited. Hachiman could vaguely recall a 'petition' being almost shoved in his face at the start of the school year by a the first year girl for a pool. Some of the students were more excited than others. Girls at the prospect of having a Swim Club and boys at the prospect of seeing girls in swimsuits on a bi-regular bases. The talk about the new pool died down when the school's board of directors declined their requests and eventually people stopped talking about it. "Keep it a secret please." Her pleas were heard, but not without endless teasing and 'threats' of 'blackmail' from Haruno. Everyone watched with amusement, even Hachiman found himself somewhat amused at their 'friendly' display. Having had enough fun in the sand, Mamagahama pulled Yuigahama and Komachi towards the water to play. For a woman in her forties she certainly had a lot of energy. As they left, Hachiman shamelessly eyed Mamagahama' backside. He had a hunch the moment he laid eyes on her. But her low cut two piece swimsuit was definitely more stimulating than he had previously suspected. Unfortunately though, his action did not go unnoticed.
"Oi." Hiratsuka smacked the back of his head with an open palm and an bemused expression on her face. "Stop that, it's rude."
"Not if she doesn't notice it." his instant reply shocked Hiratsuka and even Haruno.
"Hachiman-kun..." Haruno began the question burning in both her and Hiratsuka' minds. "Do you have a thing for older women?"
"Of course..." another instant reply.
A light shade of pink appears on their faces as their eyes widen when realized the full implications of his answer. Hachiman on the other hand, was oblivious to their thoughts and continued to watch the other three playing in the water. His eyes focused on the the... push and pull effect gravity had Mamagahama. But he still kept an eye on Komachi in case something happened. He then finished his sentence.
".. Who wouldn't? Everyone knows MILFs are superior to lolis."
"..."
"..."
"... Why don't you go and get us something. A drink or a popsicle or... something" Hiratsuka suggested with a wave of her hand. Haruno sighed, feeling slightly dejected.
"Who's paying?" he asked.
"You." was Haruno' curt reply.
"What?" Alarmed and confused, he looked at them. "Why me?"
"Because we said so." Hiratsuka rubbed the bridge of her nose.
Resisting the urge to sigh, Hachiman stood up. "Anything you want in specific?"
"As long as its cold anything is fine." they answer in complete unison.
-With Hachiman-
Hachiman looked around. Even in this large beach with seemingly countless people running about, enjoying the sun and playing in the ocean. It was difficult to spot someone selling cold goods like a Popsicle. He was able to find a vending machine close by and grab a MAX for himself but the others would not likely want a beverage so sweet. He had no idea what the others would want in canned drinks and had considered taking beer for the older women, but that idea was scrapped the instant it came. He had no intention of dealing with a drunken Hiratsuka and Haruno at this time of the day. With this many people around them no less. Besides, when they came here Hachiman spotted more than a few people licking on a Popsicle. It was probably the type of thing people ate in beaches more often than canned drinks. A bead of sweat fell from his chin. Even with the light attire he was wearing it was still very warm. So he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his lean upper body. A few glances were sent his way by some women much to his surprise. But it didn't last more than a second. There were plenty of other men with better bodies and more importantly, a better face walking about in this beach.
"Get your Popsicle here. Cold and sweet." the words reach his ears. The tone forced him to take a pause. The tone was bland, emotionless even. He scanned the sandy beach once again for the voice. By the sounds of it, this person was selling exactly what he was looking for. Aaaand there! It was a man in green swim trunks and a half sleeved hawaiian shirt like the one Hachiman was wearing, but with different patterns. Hachiman closed in on his target.
The vendor stopped moving as he felt a presence behind him. He turned to come face to face with Hachiman. They both stop in their tracks, taking in the expressionless faces of each other. Hachiman noticed a few things about the man. This man was pretty tall, while not the tallest person he had come across in his short life but still noticeably taller than Hachiman himself. And considering the average height of the people in Japan, Hachiman was pretty tall for his age when he stood at full height. Helped fooling his co-workers about his age. Despite how the man's face made him look a little on the thin side, his exposed front side spoke otherwise. No... This man wasn't on the thin side.
This man's body did not have a single milligram of unnecessary body fat in him. All of the flesh Hachiman was able to see was pure muscle. And at that moment Hachiman realized, this man is-
An odd tension arose, triggering his fight or flight instincts. Hachiman didn't feel like this since the bear attack back at Chiba Village... No. Even the bear wasn't able to make Hachiman feel this nervous... 'This man is dangerous.' A cold sweat rolled down his cheek.
"How may I help you?" the man asked him, bringing Hachiman back to reality.
"I'll have a-" he told the taller man what he wanted. The man complied and dug into the cooler hanging from his shoulders for Hachimans' order. While this happened, Hachiman continued to stare unblinkingly at the man. The last part about this man that stuck out to Hachiman was his eyes. Eyes that were so similar to his own. Yet far worse. Lifeless... Even... Empty... They reminded him of the eyes he had from a few years ago. He couldn't help but wonder who this man was.
"That would be-."
Hachiman paid the amount. The man slightly bowed at Hachiman, thanking him for his patronage. Hachiman did the same, without speaking a word to the man. They parted ways. Hachiman glanced back at the other man just once.
"To think... There are even more like me out there..." his thoughts were vocalized subconsciously. At times like these, Hachiman realized how vast this world truly was. A visible frown appears on his face. He also realized, how hopeless his search truly was.
His thoughts, swirled around the concept the rest of the way back to the others. When he got there, an odd sight greeted him. There were at least a dozen men of various ages standing around where Hachiman placed their blanket. Even Hachiman could see they were trying to 'pick up' the girls. Even Hiratsuka and Mamahagama. Heck Hiratsuka was milking up the attention they were giving her without giving away any vital information about her or the others. Despite Harunos' smile, to Hachiman she looked almost bored to death and the other three were obviously flattered but also uncomfortable. Many of the men gave what they probably thought as 'handsome' smiles, trying to get the women of their choosing to 'hang out' with them.
"Hey there little lady. What might your name be?" a boy, whom Hachiman guessed to be around his age, asked while looking at Komachi. One of Hachiman' eyebrows twitched.
Komachi of course, having never had anyone hit on her so blatantly flustered pink and laughed nervously. "Oh. Um. I'm Koma-"
"Either step aside or get lost." He almost growled out. The men who were ignoring him till now turned to look at him literally glaring at them. The girls had finally noticed him as well. Most wide eyed at Hachiman' 'outburst' with the exception being Haruno and Hiratsuka. Haruno looked at him rather curiously while Hiratsuka hid her shock surprisingly well.
The younger ones subconsciously took a step back upon laying eyes on Hachiman. Then fled the scene before things got rough. The ones that remained just mirrored the scowl on Hachiman' face.
"Who are you supposed to-" one of the older men began but Hachiman didn't let him finish as he slipped through the gap created by the younger men when they left and sat down in front of the girls. When the men realized that the girls they were hitting on knew Hachiman, they left. Feeling very displeased, annoyed and a little angry at the outcome.
"Take your pick." Hachiman presented the frozen treats to them.
-Later That Day-
Evening rolled around, aside from the part where random men literally spawned around the girls from nowhere nothing else happened. It was time for them to leave. Yuigahama and her mother had left before them. With Mamagahama telling them that they needed to go for personal reasons. Hachiman yawned, the day had tired him out somewhat. After the Yuigahama duo left, Hiratsuka had taken it upon herself to teach him how to swim. With Haruno and Komachi watching from the sidelines him on as he flapped his arms and legs around like a fish out of water... the irony of that was not lost to him. The former giving pointers every now and then and the latter cheering him on like he was in some sort of competition.
Hachiman yawned tiredly as he lugged their things by himself. It wasn't much and he was used to carrying heavier objects. Working in his current condition would be brutal. But for some reason he couldn't bring himself to complain about today. Even in his own thoughts. Today was a very... pleasant experience to say the least. The girls walked in front of him. It boggled his mind how Komachi had trouble talking to the older women in their group when they first met but now they were chatting along like long time friends. But he supposed it was a given, seeing as how outgoing and friendly the younger girl was. Unlike the likes of him, It should be relatively easy for her to make friends. But that was good... He... Hachiman wanted her to be-
The memory of seeing Komachi visibly shaken up and the image of her in the verge of tears the day she fixed his hair came to his mind.
-better than himself...Happy...
Just as they were about to turn a corner leading to the parking lot, a pair of hands came up from behind and covered his mouth and eyes. Before he could make a sound he felt more arms grab him and his body being picked up by them. The umbrella and blanket slips from his grasp and fell on the ground.
-With The Girls-
They approached Hiratsuka' car with the owner of said car in front of the other two. All in all, the two older women considered this to be a successful day. They had originally intended to bring Hachiman here in an attempt to show him a good time and maybe even have him 'open up' a little. Also while having the additional presence of Hikigaya Komachi and the Yuigahama family was unprecedented by both of them, it didn't seem to hinder their plans one bit. In fact, even if it seemed a little presumptuous on their part. They thought that Hachiman seemed to be kind of... pampering Komachi? He was definitely paying more attention to her than anyone else, in a non sexual way of course. Truthfully it caught both of them by surprise as they had never witnessed that side of Hachiman. Not that they minded of course. It was actually kind of refreshing.
Hiratsuka opened the driver seat door then turned around. "Alrighty. Get in everyone. And don't forget to put the umbrella in... the... trunk?" As she was talking, she noticed one of them missing. The only male member of their group in fact. "Aaah... Where did he go?"
The other two seemed to finally notice as well. Turning around they couldn't find Hachiman.
And so the search began. They found their umbrella and blanket on the ground nearby and called his name multiple times but there was no replies, asked random people if they saw someone of his description. Only to be reminded of his lack of presence which made people ignore him without realizing it at times. The sun was going to set in a little bit yet there were no signs of Hachiman returning.
"Where could he be?" Hiratsuka asked, the frown she had not leaving her face.
"Sh-should we call the police?" Komachi suggested, clearly worried for Hachiman.
"The police won't do anything about this before at least 24 hours passes." Haruno interjected, she may not show it but she too felt more than a little concerned now.
"Do you think he could have been kidnapped!?" Komachi asked, horrified.
"Doubt it. No one is stupid enough to try that in broad daylight." Haruno answered. Even though the thought did cross her mind when they discovered their things on the ground earlier.
"Why would anyone even want to kidnap him?" Hiratsuka asked, frustrated at being unable to find Hachiman. "Let's look for him again. We might have missed a place. He's got to be around here somewhere." They set out again. It wasn't until almost six PM when they finally found him. Lying down on his side near a ditch with bruises all over his body. His shirt was torn in several places and he had a busted lip. There weren't many people there as most had already left. The few that were there, saw Hachiman but did not help and ignored him. The sight made Hiratsuka angry and Haruno frown. But more important things needed their attention.
"Onii-chan!?" Komachi rushed to Hachiman' unconscious form. The other two followed behind.
-Later That Night-
Hachiman grimaced as he lifted the stack of two boxes. It took a lot of convincing from him but he managed to get the girls to let him come to work. His body ached but he still needed to do it. After all, not working meant no money. And no money meant no food. It also meant no MAX. When he was 'kidnapped' by those men from before, the very same men that were hitting on the girls. The older ones at least. He already knew what was coming. Guess they didn't take his intrusion while they were trying to 'woo' the girls too kindly. He knew they wouldn't kill him, if they wanted to kill him then they could have done so without needing to kidnap him, so there was no need for him to try retaliating and as usual he just laid there, taking all their punches and kicks. He seemed to have lost consciousness somewhere along the line because he remembered being kicked in the face at one point then seeing the crying face of Hikigaya Komachi on another. When his vision cleared he noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt and he had multiple small band aids covering his torso. He realized both Haruno and Komachi had seen the scar on his back. He didn't understand exactly why he didn't want them to know about it but he still didn't want them to know. Fortunately neither had asked about it so Hachiman did not bring it up either. He guessed that Hiratsuka had told them the story behind it if not just lied about it. However, that did not stop Komachi from crying... Hachiman felt his heart grow heavy at the memory again.
"Whoa there. Take it easy." he head Satoshi speak. His legs wobbled and he winced. Who knows how long he would be feeling this ache. The older man came over and picked up one of the boxes on Hachiman' hold. "Didn't I just tell you to take it easy?"
"Sorry." he apologized.
Satoshi sighed. "Why is it that after I tell you about the importance of living and staying healthy you go and get yourself beaten up black and blue again?"
"It wasn't on purpose." Hachiman reasoned.
"Better not be." the older man chuckled. "You gotta learn to stand up for yourself kid. If you don't, who else will? Shouldn't expect lady luck to save you every time you know. Just takes a single hit to the wrong spot to get permanently crippled. If not worse."
Hachiman looked down at the single box in his hands. It was true and Hachiman knew it. That even though he was unlucky enough to be put into situations like those. At least he was lucky enough to come out of those alive and relatively unscathed. The words 'stand up for yourself' kept echoing in his head. The image of Komachi crying, Hiratsuka and Haruno concerned for his well being floated in front of his eyes as he walked forward. The heavy feeling in his heart returned. The thought of Komachi crying if something worse happening to him made his heart grow heavier. The grip he had on the box tightened a little.
"Satoshi-san?" he stopped walking. The man in question looked back at Hachiman who was now a few steps behind.
"What?"
"You said you were a delinquent when you were younger right?"
"Something like that."
"Then... can you teach me how to fight?"
"..."
-Chapter End-
*whistle* well crap, this one is almost a week later than it should have been. I am so sorry for that. Things have been a little hectic around the neighborhood and I wasn't able to sit down on my laptop as much as usual. I'm trying to give Hachiman the motivation to fight/live for others(ie Haruno, Hiratsuka and of course Komachi) in this chapter. I hope I managed to do a passable job on this one.
Also, yes. That man Hachiman bought the popsicles from was indeed 'Souichirou Kuzuki', the most underrated character in all of Fate(imo), from Fate/Stay Night. Like literally, we know so little about him even though he's such a badass. This is just me trying to make Hachiman realize that he isn't special and there are plenty more people in the world that lead a life that are as purposeless/lifeless as him while also letting my third favorite FSN master(you read that right) make a cameo. Once again, sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoyed it.
MILFs are superior to lolis ~ Kotomine Hachiman. Guess he likes em big and plump. My boy here is a man of culture.
Changes from the original: Some spelling errors fixed and a few sentences tweaked+added.