"I don't see the value of going to Kyoto. But then again, composing a thousand-word essay just to justify that you cannot come is more work than actually coming here, so I guess it's better.' Hachiman thought as he took a sip from a coffee can he's currently holding. 'They're out of Maxx Coffee too! Kyoto is clearly inferior to Chiba.' The fish eyed teen's thoughts quickly thought back to the requests the Service Club had yesterday.
The sun is almost setting, and the duo of Yukino and Yui were chatting about the Kyoto Trip. "Yukinon! Are you ready for the trip tomorrow?!" The excited Yui shook the ravenette's arm, garnering her a look of mild annoyance. The pinkette did calm down, which made the raven haired girl relax. "But like, I haven't looked it up yet, so I dunno what's good or bad! How about you Yukinon?"
"There's the Ryoanji and Kiyomizu Temple, of course. But visiting other famous landmarks like the Rokuonji and Jishoji temples is also on my list." When Yukino finished explaining, she saw that her clubmate's face is looking for further explanation. "Perhaps I should've used the Ginkaku and Kinkaku Temples."
"Woah! You know like a lot about Kyoto, Yukinon!" Yui said as the ravenette flip some strands of her hair. "Kyoto falls under general knowledge."
'I get the feeling that Yuigahama's not the only person who's excited.' The dead eyed teen thought.
"How about you Hikki?! Are you excited to go to Kyoto?" The teen noticed that when Yui called out to him, Yukino became shocked and then looked at him with a light glare.
'Yukinoshita still harbors some resentment huh?' The fish eyed teen thought before responding to the pinkette. However, just as he was about to speak, the doors to the clubroom opened and revealed Hayama Hayato accompanied by his friend, Tobe Kakeru.
"Hello." The blond gave a curt greeting. "If you guys were wondering why we were here, it's because he needs some advice, that's why I brought him here."
Tobe however, was not up for it. "Nah dude, forget it. There's no way in hell I'm asking Hikitani for some advice." The man muttered.
"We're the ones asking for help here, you know?"
"Come on man, I really can't talk to Hikitani about this. You've got to be batshit to trust him about this!" Tobe's response elicited some looks from the trio. Both Yui and Yukino were angry at the man's statement. Hachiman, though angry, looked at him with a questioning look. "Tobecchi! What are you saying?!" The pinkette's response surprised the dead eyed teen. 'I didn't think I'll see this day, where Yui gets aggressive. She's so much of a peacemaker that I forgot even people like that have their limits.'
"While Hikigaya-kun is detestable…" Yukino started speaking. "We do not cater to people who doesn't know how to treat others. If you do not wish to display proper decorum while inside this room, I'm suggesting you leave as soon as possible."
"Didn't I tell you to not murmur about someone else, especially if they're in the same room as you do? Didn't you remember that or are you that stupid?" Hachiman spoke as he went back to the book he was reading. "If it was up to me, I would never help you. But this is Yukinoshita's club, and its up to her if she's going to help you or not."
Hayama seemed to get the hint, as he wanted to leave the place as the ravenette instructed. "Come on Tobe, let's go."
"Nah Bro! Since we're here, I guess I'll just tell it then. I don't have something to lose right?" The energetic Tobe spoke out. "So... about my request. I remember talking with Hikitani-kun and the boys about it in the summer camp before. Well, I just wanted some help with Ebina!" The man shouted the last part, forcing Yukino to cover her ears. "I need some help because I plan to confess to her in the Kyoto trip!"
Yui quickly stood up her seat! "So that's what you wanted our help with!" The pinkette was giggling before speaking once more. "Of course! We'll help you! Right Yukinon?" She turned to look at her friend to see if they shared the same sentiment, but she saw that she was reluctant. "Requests of this scope are out of our abilities, Yuigahama-san."
"Come on Yukinon!" The pinkette argued. "We could easily do this! Tobecchi only needs help with setting the mood! We can easily do that!" With the two girls at impasse, it was up to Hachiman to decide if they're going to take the request or not.
"Let me ask you a question before I decide." Hachiman spoke towards Tobe, who was nodding his head eagerly. "If you're going to push through with this, are you aware of the risks involved?"
"Risks?"
"The possibility of danger and loss, Yuigahama-san." The ravenette clarified to Yui, who pouted at her friend. "Mou, I knew what risk meant Yukinon! I was asking what risks would Tobecchi face?"
"For one, getting rejected." The fish eyed teen spoke out. The pinkette quickly spoke out against the teen. "We're taking that for granted?!" Hachiman quickly spoke once again. "That's not all. Of course, if he gets rejected, the whole class will know it. This will lead to rumors spreading around. You'll start to hear whispers and murmurs about you."
"Are you sure about what you are saying Hikigaya-kun? Or are you just talking about your experience?" The quizzical look of the raven haired girl made the teen slightly irritated.
"Yes it is based on what I experienced, but that accounts to almost 80% of the population when it comes to guys. The only time it is easier to get rejected is if you're a pretty boy like Hayama is. This will trigger the reverse and cause the one you confessed to be subjected to scorn." Hachiman explained. "But that's not all, confessing to an acquaintance is hard enough, imagine doing that to someone you're on good terms with. That friendship will immediately be ov-" The teen was not able to complete his words as the blond prince of Sobu cut him off.
"We get it Hikitani-kun, we're aware of the risks involved. We wouldn't come here if we didn't know about it." Hayama spoke out.
"You just wanted us to set the mood right?" The dead eyed teen asked. This in turn surprised both Yukino and Yui, who expected him to refuse. "Well I guess we can help with that."
"Don't worry Tobecchi!" The bubbly pinkette stood up once again. "We're going to make sure that she'll say yes to you!" The dead eyed teen noticed that the blond companion of Tobe winced when he heard Yui's words.
"Thank you!" Tobe said as he bowed towards the trio. "Come on Hayama-bro, we still have practice!" The orange haired man dragged his friend.
'There's just something bothering me…' The fish eyed teen thought as he recalled the actions of Hayama earlier that day. 'Hayama's clearly trying to cockblock Tobe, going as far as sabotaging Tobe's request.' This led the teen to another request the Service Club received. 'I want things to stay the same… What kind of request is that Ebina? And why did she have to single me out? Her words went over their heads, because they interpreted it as making sure the guys are getting along. But clearly, Ebina wanted no confession happening.' The teen observed the hotel lobby, which was seemingly empty. He looked over at the souvenirs section and saw his clubmate.
Yukinoshita Yukino.
'Guess she's really a fan of Pan-san the Panda.' The teen thought as he observed the ravenette's action. She was hesitating and her had is going back and forth, clearly having second thoughts about the purchase. A few seconds later, the hand went forth once again, this time without any intention on stopping. That was the time Yukino decided to look around, which initiated an eye-to-eye contact between her and the dead eyed teen. 'There goes her courage.' The teen noted as the raven haired girl retracted her hand and quickly walked towards the elevator. She heard Hachiman say "Night" to her, making Yukino stop on her tracks and walk to where the fish eyed teen is sitting.
"Fancy running into you here." The raven haired teen spoke with haughtiness present in her voice. Hachiman chuckled once more before speaking. "A little too late for that now, isn't it?" This made the raventte blush lightly. She quickly recovered and tried to inquire about the dead eyed teen. "What's the matter? Did you run away because things got uncomfortable in your room?"
"No, I just wanted coffee." The teen answered. "Besides, if I had to run away from that, then I wouldn't go on this trip." Hahciman then returned the question to Yukino. "What about you?"
"My classmates turned their attention to me. I don't understand why they want to know about me." The ravenette explained.
"What's wrong with that? That means they care about you."
"You say that like it's not your problem." The ravenette replied. "If you hadn't done that during the cultural festiva-" She wasn't able to finish her sentence as fish eyed teen cut her off. "That's not my fault in any way, shape of form. If she cooperated and went down instead of looking for validation, nothing of the sort would've happened." The teen spoke out. "I admit I sounded harsh, but to me, I don't really care about the rumors. I've learned that you don't have any control on how people perceive you. Trust me, working as a convenience store clerk will make you realize some things." The teen finished explaining.
Yukino chose not to answer. She sat down beside the teen as he scooted over and chugged on his coffee once again. "How are the requests? I'm very sorry, I cannot be much of help due to being in another class."
The dead eyed teen didn't spare a minute to answer. "It's meh. Nothing much happened, but Yuigahama was trying her best to play matchmaker. She wasn't successful with her attempts though." The teen started speaking. "Tobe on the other hand, was taking the initiative this time. He's actively conversing with Ebina, which is good for him. If he can grow a pair, I really don't understand the need for his request."
"That's why I was adamant on not accepting it in the first place." The raven haired teen remarked. "And then there's Ebina-san's request, which if I correctly interpreted, she doesn't want Tobe to confess." This left a pregnant pause between the two, not really sure on how to continue the conversation. That was when the blonde fire queen of Sobu, Miura Yumiko, came down the lobby.
"I wonder where Hikio is…" The blonde murmured as she looked at the souvenir shop. "I haven't seen him since we got off the train." Yumiko then turned around and saw the man she was murmuring about, with Yukino. An unsettling feeling came onto her stomach, which made her a bit irritated. "Hikio!" The blonde exclaimed as both Hachiman and Yukino were surprised to see the blonde.
"Yumi." The dead eyed teen said as the fire queen got close to them. "What's up?" He tried to start a small talk.
"I've been looking for you." Yumiko replied. "I asked the guys in your room if you were there, they said you went out." The blonde then got a smug look on her face. "So, you're with Yukinoshita huh? You guys have something going on?" She was gritting her teeth as she spoke.
"I feel that you're misunderstanding something here Yumi." The fish eyed teen answered her. "It has something to do with the club requests we have right now."
"Oh, so it's about the Service Club!" The blonde breathed a sigh of relief. "What's the request about? I might be of help!"
"I don't think you'll be able to help at all, Miura-san." It was Yukino who replied to her, making her a bit annoyed.
"Hah? Why do you think I can't help?!" The fiery girl gave the ravenette a light glare.
"Because it's about your friends." Yukino quickly spoke out. This made the blonde confused. "What do you mean by that? My friends? Did any of them approach you guys?"
"Tobe and Ebina did." Hachiman answered. "I know that you know that Tobe likes Ebina. It was why he came to us, to ask for our help with confessing." Still confused, the fish eyed teen elaborated more. "Ebina's request wants us to stop Tobe from confessing."
"I don't like that you guys are trying to meddle with my friends." The blonde's glare came back, this time even harsher. "It's like you're playing with their feelings!"
"Yukinoshita didn't want to accept Tobe's request in the first place." The dead eyed teen was unaffected by the fiery glare of the blonde. "I asked Tobe about the risks involved about it, and he still wanted to do it."
"But still!" The queen bee of Sobu argued back.
"Would you do anything about this situation, Yumi? You can try to dissuade Tobe, but I don't think he's going to listen." Hachiman spoke out. "If you have any idea on how to proceed, then that would be helpful."
"Whatever!" The blonde exclaimed. "Just make sure you guys don't hurt my friends!" She stomped off towards the elevators, intent on going back to her room. This left Yukino and Hachiman once again.
"I don't know how you and Miura-san have been friends. I can't tolerate her sometimes." The ravenette said as she sighed.
"She's just worried about her friends. But I find her lack of action towards it a bit concerning." The fish eyed teen remarked. "She wanted a genuine relationship with her friends, but she wanted to keep the status quo too."
The two continued to talk until a seedy woman walked in front of them. The woman was trying her best to be unseen as she was covering her face with her jacket. The woman stopped in front of the two as they realized who the woman was.
"Hiratsuka-sensei?"
"That Ramen sure did hit the spot!" Hiratsuka said as the trio of her, Hachiman, and Yukino were currently in a Taxi. When the two of them spotted the teacher sneaking out, she brought the two with her as they all ate in a ramen bar.
"It certainly had an intense taste. It wasn't up to my liking." The raven-haired girl responded. "But why do we need to be your accomplices?" She questioned the teacher, who is still savoring the taste of ramen.
"This is clearly something a teacher would do." The dead-eyed teen responded. "But knowing you, you're far from the normal one." This comment got him a glare from the teacher. She relented her glare and sighed.
"Of course it isn't. That's why I bought you guys ramen too."
"You'll get in trouble if anyone finds out." Hachiman noted, which Hiratsuka proudly countered with her argument. "Getting into trouble is not a bad thing, that means someone was paying attention." The teacher then looks at the two. "And I'm watching you two, so feel free to make mistakes as much as you want." The rest of the trip was spent in silence, as the trio then was dropped off in a convenience store near the hotel they were staying. Hiratsuka parted ways with the two, saying that she's buying alcohol for the other teachers.
Currently, Hachiman and Yukino were walking towards the hotel.
Meters apart, the ravenette walked in front of the fish eyed teen. She stopped in front of the intersection, unsure about walking straight or taking the left. "We're taking the straight here." Her thoughts were interrupted by the fish eyed teen, who walked past her, making her follow him. Said teen became bored of the silence, and quickly started to engage the raven-haired girl in a conversation. "How's your mother?" The teen asked.
At the mention of her mother, Yukino then remembered her father's death and the involvement of the teen in front of her, making her scowl. "She's getting better. She's busying herself with the firm work. She also moved out of the apartment and returned home."
"How was Haruno-san?" The fish eyed teen asked this time.
"She also returned home. She talked to me last night about the trip and told me to take care." The girl walked faster, almost catching up with the guy in front of her. Hachiman this time asked about her. "How about you? How are you faring?" The girl ignored him and walked past him as they neared the hotel. When they reached the hotel, Yukino turned around to give her gratitude towards the fish eyed teen, but was unable to find him. All she could do was walk inside the hotel.
Hachiman detoured to a park nearby. He stopped following the ravenette when she ignored his question. Deeply thinking about the requests in their hands, his ringing phone cut through his thoughts. Quickly pulling up his phone, he saw that the one calling him was the blonde fire queen of Sobu. "Where have you been?! I asked about you from your roommates again, but they said you haven't returned. I also ran back down the lobby, but both you and Yukinoshita were gone. Did you leave the hotel?"
"I'm currently at a children's park near the hotel." The teen replied. "I was thinking about thing we can do about your friends."
"I'm coming there, don't leave or I'll kick your ass!" The blonde said angrily before hanging up.
Minutes later, the dead eyed teen saw the blonde walking towards him.
"Yo." The teen greeted.
"Yo my ass! Where were you?" Yumiko fired back. "You've been gone for almost an hour!"
"Well after you left us earlier, we found Hiratsuka-sensei trying to sneak out. She dragged us to a ramen bar to bribe us." The teen explained. "After that, she abandoned us in front of a convenience store, forcing us to walk towards the hotel. I decided to go here, just to think about how I can fulfill our requests."
At the mention of the requests regarding her friends, the blonde then became worried. "So, what have you thought about?"
"That I should confess first, in front of Tobe." The teen answered. "Knowing Ebina, she would decline, and that way, Tobe would learn about Ebina's feelings. That would mean his request will be fulfilled."
"That's just a stupid idea." The blonde replied. "Why would you confess to a person you barely know?! That would just humiliate you even further!" Yumiko exclaimed. "Think of something else! Like can't you just record a video or something? Or even try calling Ebina!"
'To call someone is a great idea. Who will Ebina need to talk to?' Hachiman thought. The idea he was given to had merit, he just needed someone the girl will talk to. While thinking about the possibility of the blonde's idea, the fish eyed teen spotted another blond in his peripheral vision. "Uhh Yumi, can you grab the two of us a drink from the vending machine?"
"Haah?!" Exclaimed the girl. "Why should I? You should be the gentleman and get some drinks for the two of us!"
"Alright alright, no need to get mad at me. I asked you nicely." The teen raised his hand in surrender before standing up and walking towards the vending machine. Once out of the fire queen's earshot, the teen was approached by the blond prince of Sobu.
"Fancy seeing you here, Hikitani-kun." Greeted Hayama, who was smiling nervously. "I was just looking for the nearest vending machine."
"There's a vending machine in the hotel's lobby." Hachiman pointed out.
"It doesn't have the drink I wanted." The blond fired back. "Besides, I was thinking about asking you about the Service Club's progress."
"It's going nowhere." The fish eyed teen answered. "Tobe's request can majorly be ignored, since he can naturally do things himself." He started to explain. "It's Ebina's request that stumps the girls. Her request wants us to put a stop on what Tobe's planning to do." Hachiman decided to confront the Hayama about his actions earlier. "Tell me Hayama, whose side are you on? You might look neutral on the surface, but I know you're rooting for one of them."
The nervous smile the blond had dropped entirely. It was replaced by a serious look that the dead eyed teen saw only once. "I'm not going to beat around the bush Hikitani. I've tried to persuade Tobe not to continue this, but his mind is made up."
"What's wrong with his plan? Won't it make your clique better if they hooked up?"
"That would only happen if Ebina accepts his confession, which she won't." Hayama argued. "That's why I tried to discourage Tobe."
"Is that why you're meddling with Yuigahama's advances?" Hachiman accused. His remark made the blond go pale. "You're the one who has everything to lose here if the confession happens, that's why you're doing your best to deter not only Tobe, but Yuigahama." The teen paused, inserting a coin at the vending machine. "I know why you're doing this, and it disgusts me. It's even worse when we factor in that you're just doing the same to Yumi, leading her on just to make sure you've got your bases covered. Good job." The teen then selects the favorite drink of the fire queen. "This will be the last time the service club will help you with your clique Hayama, make sure this is worth it." The dead eyed teen grabbed the drink, and walked back to the swing, with Hayama in tow.
When the two arrived at the swing, Yumiko instantly closed in on Hayama. "What are you doing with Hikio, Hayato?!" The blonde questioned. "Did you guys talk about something?"
"No no." Hayama responded. "I bumped onto him while I was looking for you. The girls were asking about your whereabouts, so I volunteered to find you."
Hachiman gave the blonde her favorite drink, which she smiled at. "I think it's best for you to go with him, Yumi."
"Are you sure? We haven't even talked about how you would execute my suggestion!" She asked.
"It's fine. I can manage." The teen replied. He was confused to see the blonde's smile drop down before leaving with her fellow blond.
He spent the night thinking about Ebina's request.
"Ebina-san!" The orange haired Tobe called out to the glasses wearing girl, making her turn around and wonder what the teen will say. Everything seemed to be perfect for Tobe. The lighting of the bamboo forest, his and her friends around him, even the Service club were there, all so he could confess and hope his feelings reach the brunette. 'It's now or never!' Thought Tobe. He was ready, he just need to say the words of affection.
He wasn't able to.
Not because he was not prepared, or that he forgot, or that he didn't seize the opportunity. Tobe waited for this moment.
He was just not given the opportunity to do so.
Ebina's phone rung, stopping all the momentum the orange haired teen had. Ebina answered her phone and talked to the caller. "Yumiko! Why did you call?!" The brunette then walked forwards, leaving Tobe who looked sad and upset.
"It's okay Tobe, you'll have your chance next time." Hayama slung his shoulder at his crestfallen friend and comforted him. The orangette was comforted and praised for what he was trying to do, leaving the girls of the service club rooted at their place, confused to what has happened.
With Hachiman, he was stuck between Shizuka and Chifuyu, as they dragged him out to be their pack mule.
Receiving a text from his blonde friend saying that she was done calling Ebina, Hachiman smiled to himself. 'Request Accomplished.'
"What are you smiling on about, Hachiman?" Chifuyu asked, who was surprised to see the teen smile.
"Nothing Chifuyu-nee-san." The teen replied. "Just a good news."
And so, the trip and the requests came to a close.
A/N: What's next for the Service Club? Is Yukino still mad at him for what happened? And the most important question, Fuyume where? Find out on the future chapters of Hachiman Becoming Better!
Hello! Jasserru here! Happy Holidays to everyone reading this. I've uploaded this chapter on the 24th (In my country) so this feels like an early gift to you guys. Not much really happened here, and I just skipped the majority of the Kyoto Trip. I just didn't wanna deal with it, to be honest.
Sorry for not updating this quickly, it's just that I just write when I'm in the mood to write, and most of the times I just lie down the bed and question my existence and mortality. But hey, we do go through that phase at one point of our lives.
Anyway, enough about that, I've been thinking about future works lately, and I plan to now write about the continuation of Ten Years Forward, as it feels like I've been talking about it for the long time but still haven't acted on it. But that story is a three-shot at most, so it's not really that much of a bother. Funnily enough, I just wanna complete it so I'm one step closer to my goal, which is to release an 8Bowl story where girls are sent to a universe where they haven't won yet, leading to some shenanigans.
Follow and Fave if you liked it, leave a review if you have something to say, and as always, thanks for reading!
-Jasserru fades to black