01: Knock The Air Right Out Of Her

It hurts and it hurts so bad and no, this time around she wasn't talking about her one-sided feelings for Hikigaya-sensei. No, screw it. Rumi was going to call him Hachiman. What the hell was he gonna do about it? It's not like he could read her thoughts. Because if he could read her mind, he would have realized that her feelings for him were completely genuine. But as you would expect, he didn't see her as a potential romantic partner. Not that she ever confessed her feelings to him directly. Rumi wasn't scared about getting rejected. It's just that she was waiting for the right moment.

Oh God

The pain was getting worse.

"Rumi-chan?"

Keika Kawasaki, her only friend in high school sounded a tad worried. Screw you bitch, Rumi wanted to lash out. As far as Rumi was concerned, it was Keika's fault that she got sick. According to Keika, the two of them were the best of friends. Well, if that was true, how do you explain Rumi's present condition? The pain was gradually becoming unbearable and the time to suffer in silence was slowly coming to an end. Rumi tried to stay quiet, she tried to ignore the pain. She tried to focus on the class, what the teacher was actually trying to teach, as he walked around the classroom. But as he walked past her seat, Rumi let out a soft groan.

Immediately his shadow covered her writhing form and Rumi found the courage to peek up at him, instead of hiding behind the pages of a textbook. She was greeted with the sight of a pair of rotten dead fish eyes which had grown less and less rotten over the years. But she didn't care about how they looked, because Rumi wasn't a shallow woman who only cared about beauty and physical appearance. And she was positive there were more things to love than a pair of eyes. For example, at this moment, it was the concern which flashed in his eyes that made her heart swoon.

"Tsurumi-san, are you alright?"

Tsurumi-san? Hachiman called her by her last name. Well, it was completely understandable. After all, they were in the middle of a class. He was a teacher. And she was just another student. Rumi wasn't angry. Rumi wasn't mad. But, how dare he use that honorific. Was he talking to her or addressing her father. And if you are going to use an honorific, how about using –chan.

What?

Was Rumi not girly enough to provoke the usage of the honorific –chan?

"Haa-chan, I think you should take RumiRumi to the infirmary."

Hachiman didn't even bate an eyelash. And she was being extremely literal, because Rumi was paying close attention to how he would react. "Why do you think that, Keika-chan?" he simply asked.

What

The

Hell.

Keika Kawasaki, who she no longer considered a friend, broke several important rules. First she called him 'Haa-chan'. When Hachiman started teaching at Soubu High and when he found out that Rumi and Keika would be in his class, he called them both to the faculty room and laid down several important ground rules. And one of them was how they should interact with each other. Rumi didn't really pay attention to what he was saying. She was just happy that he still remembered her. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know when she fell in love with him. Maybe it was during his many visits to the school, when he would come to take out Hiratsuka-sensei for lunch. It was the first time she realized the sick feeling she was experiencing was something called jealousy. And it didn't take her long to realize that she was jealous because she was in love with him.

Who knows, maybe the sick feeling she was experiencing right now was jealousy as well. After all, why did Keika Kawasaki got away with calling him 'Haa-chan', while she was stuck calling him Hikigaya-sensei. Not that Rumi wanted to call him 'Haa-chan'. She wasn't some brat in elementary school. Rumi was eighteen years old, a third year high school student and she was in love with Hachiman Hikigaya-sensei for more than a couple of years. But she was stuck in the student zone as she liked to call it. And it was even worse than being stuck in the friend zone. But no, she was getting ahead of herself. What was worse, was the pain in her stomach and how it was making her sick.

"Hachiman…" Rumi cried out softly.

Even while she was hurt, Rumi wondered if her voice came out like a throaty moan. She wasn't trying to be sexy while she was in pain, but she would take anything he got. Who knows, maybe Hachiman was into that kinda stuff. She hoped not. For her sake at least. In the back of her mind, a voice told her that she had used his first name and called him Hachiman, something he had asked her not to do on a couple of occasions. After all, he was her teacher and it was rude to call your teacher by their first name. Rumi wasn't trying to be rude, she wasn't trying to disrespect his authority as a teacher. But it felt nice to call him by his first name. Somehow it made her feel closer to him. For a moment, she wondered whether he would get cross with her and tell her off for calling him Hachiman, but he did none of those things. Instead, he got closer. And closer. And then he gently touched her shoulder and urged her to look up at him. And all Rumi could do was fall in love with him all over again by getting lost in his eyes.

"Rumi," Did he know, he was using her first name as well. Shame on you Hachiman, you hypocrite, Rumi repeated in her mind. You are supposed to be a teacher, you are supposed to be better than your stupid students. But there you go, using my first name and in such a sweet, gentle and kind manner. How do you expect me not to fall in love with you, Rumi wondered.

"Yeah?" Rumi croaked out.

After giving her a small once over, which to her utter humiliation and disappointment wasn't even the least bit sexual in nature, Hachiman simply asked. "Are you okay?"

Rumi nodded her head. "I'm fine."

And just to prove her point, she threw up all over his clothes.

When she came to her senses, Rumi found herself waking up in the infirmary. The bed felt comfortable and the blanket felt warm. But because this was the real world and they were in a very real high school, there was an actual doctor in the infirmary. Unfortunately she had to be none other than Yukinoshita Yukino-sensei and at the moment, she was inspecting a packet of some unusual looking medicine. For some reason, Rumi grew worried.

"W-what's that?" Rumi asked.

Yukinoshita-sensei didn't even look at her and simply said one word: "Suppositories."

Rumi Tsurumi was scared. Never before had she felt something so close to absolute terror. And if she had the strength, she would have started shouting for her dear life and screaming for someone to save her from the clutches of this perverted psychopath. But all she could do was quickly sit up on her bed, grab the covers and pull them up to cover he breasts and tremble in fear. There was no question about it. Yukinoshita Yukino-sensei had lost her goddamn mind. Is this what happens to women who can't confess their true feelings for Hikigaya Hachiman. Did they just go crazy over time? Or was there something more nefarious at play here, Rumi couldn't help but wonder. Perhaps, Yukinoshita was trying to humiliate her. Or worse, do some permanent, irredeemable damage to her youthful body. Maybe she was just acting out of jealousy and wanted to take her out of the game, so that she could have a shot with Hachiman. Well, there was no way she was gonna let that happen.

"I will pass." Rumi told her. "I'm a virgin."

For a moment, Yukinoshita-sensei simply looked at her. It was like she was trying to understand what she actually meant. After a minute or two, she let out a world weary sigh and shook her head in utter disappointment. "I weep for the present generation of students." She leveled her with a smug look which was full of arrogance and boastfulness. "Do you want me to take a special lesson and teach you the very basics about sex-ed?"

Huh.

Well, this is awkward.

How do you tell a teacher, who may or may not be into girls that she, Tsurumi Rumi was not into girls and thus she had no interest in taking her so called special classes to learn about sex? Besides, she might be a virgin. But she knew about sex. In fact, Rumi was certain, she had the basics covered. Besides, where's the fun in knowing everything. It would be much better if someone older and more experienced showed her something new in the bedroom and taught her a thing or two. You know, like a teacher.

Not Yukinoshita-sensei.

But –

"I hope you don't go around asking that particular question to other students, Yukinoshita-sensei. Because I know the boys in our school would be very interested in taking that class."

It was Hachiman

And he was shirtless.

For a second, Rumi wondered whether she had died and gone to heaven. Or more likely was she rendered unconscious because of the pain and this was just another one of her fantasies. Because why the hell would Hachiman be walking around the school without wearing a shirt. Not that she was complaining. Wait a second, this was the real world. There were other women around. More importantly there was Yukinoshita Yukino, right here in the room, who according to Rumi's credible sources was his first, true love. And she was shamelessly staring at his chest, completely speechless. Really lady, what is your problem. Don't you have a job, Rumi wanted to ask. There is a sick girl in the infirmary and you are busy admiring your colleague in all his bare chested glory. This is no way for a proper, responsible adult to behave. She should leave the gawking and drooling to youthful teenagers like her.

Rumi cleared her throat and asked in a loud voice. "Sensei, can you do something about the pain?"

Rumi had tried to ruin the moment and grab Yukinoshita-sensei's attention. But instead she came face to face with the person she truly loved and once more, she was floored by the concern in his eyes. Really, how could anyone call his eyes ugly? They were beautiful. Maybe it was true what they said. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And she was beholden. Does that make sense? It makes sense in her mind. Which was not functioning properly, because Hachiman was really close and he was peering into her, as if he was trying to look deep into her very soul. Rumi felt her throat go dry. She had been dreaming about having his undivided attention on her for ages, but now that she finally had it, she didn't know what to do.

"Have you given her some medicine?"

The question was clearly meant for Yukinoshita-sensei, but Hachiman didn't take his eyes off of her. Rumi gulped. She licked her lips. Her eyes started to wander. He was no longer the scrawny kid she knew back when she was younger. Well, neither was she for that matter. While he was still lean and wiry, there was a hint of muscle and strength hidden behind his shoulders and arms. And he really looked quite handsome without his shirt on. But thankfully Rumi could match him now. Puberty had worked its wonderful magic and though she was still on the shorter side, she had developed over the summers and grown into possessing a rather womanly figure. Nowhere close to the curves of Keika though. Damn her and her entire family. But at least, Rumi had Yukinoshita-sensei beat in the breast department and she still had a few years to increase he cup size. Not that she thought Hachiman cared about a pair of breasts. But she wasn't naïve enough to think it didn't help.

"I was about to give her some medicine."

Yukinoshita-sensei's words broke her out of her thoughts and she felt a form of coldness wash over her, like she was left to drown in the middle of the vast ocean. Rumi found herself feeling scared once more. The pack of suppositories in her hand reminded her of every personification of death holding onto a scythe. Really, Yukinoshita Yukino was like an angel of death and she would have no mercy for the likes of her. Rumi tried her best to escape and all she could manage was throw up a few excuses.

"There's no need for medicine." Rumi argued.

"Yukinoshita-sensei, Haa-chan, please don't listen to Rumi."

Ah yes.

The real culprit was finally here.

"Keika-chan, do you have something to say?"

Stop calling her Keika-chan, you stupid Hachiman. Why does Keika Kawasaki gets a free pass and gets to call him cute nicknames and act all close and personal with him. As far as she knew, Keika Kawasaki didn't have any romantic feelings for Hachiman. No, that dubious honour fell upon the shoulders of her older sister. Kawasaki Saki and Hachiman even dated each other for a short while. But they didn't last. And now she was her ultimate source for all the information she could possibly ever need when it came to knowing certain things about him or the women in his life. As it turns out, Kawasaki Saki was rather forthcoming with details when she was drunk. Besides, she had Keika in her corner to help her out. But for the time being, she was doing the exact opposite of helping.

"RumiRumi ate some food I gave her." Keika looked close to tears. "I told her it was made by Saa-chan. But it was actually made by Taa-chan."

Really,

No really,

Rumi needed a new best friend.

Hachiman took out his phone. "I think I should call a hospital."

You would think he was over-reacting. But he really wasn't. Hikigaya Hachiman was just taking precautions. And it was endearing how much he was worried about her wellbeing. He was really an outstanding guy. She couldn't have fallen in love with a better person. And if she were to die here today, because of food poisoning caused by eating Keika's brother's horrible food, Tsurumi Rumi would have, but one regret in her short lived life.

Screw it.

"Hachiman, I love you."

In anime and manga, it is often shown how a confession of love couldn't be heard by the main character because of certain loud sounds. It could be fireworks going off in the night sky. It could be the wind. It could be a number of unreasonable reasons or interruptions which causes the person you love to be unable to hear your confession. But this was the real world and reality was never ever so merciful.

"Ah, I just came to drop off some notes." Kawasaki Keika said as she hurried out of the door. "Get well soon, Rumi-chan!"

Hachiman didn't quite meet her eyes. And he was trying not to look remotely affected by what he had just heard. But he was failing miserably at it. In the end, he simply gave up and decided to copy the actions of his student.

"Get better Rumi."

Well, at least he called her by her first name.

She would take it as a win.

Hachiman was about to walk out of the room, and leave her to wallow in her own misery, when Yukinoshita-sensei decided to let her cold presence be known.

"Don't forget your shirt, Hikigaya-kun."

By now he had walked out of the infirmary, but after hearing her voice, he quickly made a U-turn, came back in, grabbed his shirt from the back of a chair, almost knocking it down in the process and hurriedly walked out of the room, as quickly as his legs would carry him. He didn't even bother with a hasty goodbye.

And now she was stuck in the infirmary with Yukinoshita-sensei.

Tsurumi Rumi didn't have the courage to meet her eyes.

Yukinoshita Yukino showed a bit of mercy and put the pack of suppositories down and picked up a file of regular looking medicine. Without saying a word, she took out a pill and handed her a glass of water. Rumi too followed her example, accepted the glass of water and took the offered medicine. Thankfully, it didn't taste bitter. After a short while, Yukinoshita-sensei went back to her seat and started browsing a medical magazine, trying to look like a proper doctor. Rumi was more than happy to be left to her own devices and be completely ignored. But since when did she ever get what she truly wanted. For some reason, Yukinoshita-sensei decided to engage her in small talk. And she picked the absolute worst topic imaginable.

"Flatulence is a common symptom of your ailment. You don't need to worry, Tsurumi-san. I'm sure Hikigaya-kun wouldn't think less of you."

"…"

Tsurumi Rumi bit her tongue to stop herself from telling Yukinoshita-sensei to just shut the hell up. Instead she just flipped around and went back to rest, pulling the blanket up to cover her entire body, trying not to feel embarrassed. Really, there has to be a god somewhere who was laughing his head off at her miserable attempt to confess her true feelings to the person she loved. Or was this the universe simply telling her that her love was doomed and she should rather just give up.

Rumi frowned and strengthened her resolve while trying to ignore the subsiding pain in her stomach.

Screw you god of romcom, she said.

I will make Hachiman fall in love with me.

You will see.

A/N: I decided to re-upload this story in this account. I don't know why, but for some reason I feel queasy writing stuff on my other account. I don't know how to explain it. Anyway, I think I will use that account to post stories which are not related to Oregairu. Speaking of which, I was thinking about writing fanfics for other fandoms too. I think I am ready to explore a little. So, which other fandoms should I write for? If you can, let me know in the reviews.

Also, I listened to you guys and I started posting my fanfics on other sites as well.

In Archive Of Our Own, my user name is "Betrayed_Dreams" and there you can find "Labcoats and Loners" and "8man's Journal: Looking Into The Mind Of An Unstable Police Detective."

In SpaceBattles, my user name is "Betrayed Dreams"

In Wattpad, my user name is "BetrayedDreams."

But let me say this, I still enjoy writing and uploading stuff here. This is the best platform, in my humble opinion.

Now it's time for a poll -

Poll#1: Which Fic Should I Update Next?

Option 1: Eighteen and Jealous.

Option 2: Ikebukuro : A Bohemian Rhapsody.

Option 3: Ore Ga Iru : As I Expected, My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong.

Please pick accordingly.

Hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter.

Leave lots and lots of reviews, follow and fave.

Won't betray your dreams.