Workplace Tour, huh?

Where do I want to go? What do I even want to do in the future?

Anything I choose, I'll end up having three ice spirits critiquing my choice. Well four, but I haven't met that one and I would rather prolong that meeting as long as I can.

Speaking of which, the reason I'm up here, on the roof, instead of in the club room today is because Yukino had to prepare for a formal event she's going to be attending with her parents tonight. Having to wear fancy clothes and having to make idle chatter honestly sounds like a nightmare to me, but I'm going to have to attend those kinds of things eventually.

I already have it in my mind that my future is going to involve Yukino, so maybe I should choose a career path that exists within that world? If she's aiming to take over her father's position in the future, then a career path where I can support her would be best.

What kind of position would be best to support her? Thinking about it, that position would be the same one Yukinoshita-san has now? Not exactly an official position. I would basically be a house husband.

I mindlessly write down 'house husband' on my form, and just stare at it for a bit. Hiratsuka-sensei will definitely hit me if she sees this.

Before I could erase it though, the wind blew the sheet out of my hands and flew high up toward the top of the entrance of the staircase.

I walk toward the latter to chase after it, but before I reach it I notice a student climbing down and my eye catches a glimpse of a certain black lace fabric. Only a glimpse though because I suddenly became really fascinated with the floor. Concrete is really interesting, you know.

"What are you doing?"

"Admiring the floor."

"Are you an idiot?"

"In this instance I am a holy monk who will not be distracted by worldly desires."

"You're making no sense. Is this your paper?"

I finally let myself lift my head and get a proper look at who I am talking to. No blazer and her shirt is untucked, with the top buttons being undone. Her expression gives off a sort of 'I will beat you up' type of look. All in all, she looks like a delinquent. Though that could not be more the pot calling the kettle black.

"Yea. Thanks for saving it."

"Sure. But what's with this stupid answer you put on your career form. House husband?"

"That's just a placeholder name for a job position that doesn't have an official title."

She gives me a confused and dubious look. Without the necessary context I can see why a normal person wouldn't believe what I said.

"Well, you don't seem like the lazy type, so maybe you're telling the truth."

At least she didn't dismiss it outright. Wait a minute, why didn't she dismiss what I said? What I said didn't make sense at all.

"Wait, what makes you say that?"

She points to my name written on the work tour form.

"I recognize your name; you were one of the top students in our grade last year."

Oh yeah. I guess most people would maybe recognize the name, but not know the face attached to it.

"Also, Hiratsuka told me that 'Hikigaya Hachiman' from our class started a volunteering club."

"Well, that's not entirely right. I'm actually only a member of the Service Club, but the idea is still the same I guess."

Wait, is she in my class? I don't recall seeing her. Granted I don't remember most people in my class.

"Well either way, what you put on your paper didn't really match with what I knew about you. Or rather assumed."

"I see what you mean. It would be a waste of potential for the best student in our class to become a stay-at-home husband."

Can you really call it ego if it's true.

"I didn't say that. You get good grades but you're also the only other student sensei complains about. When I was talking to Hiratsuka-sensei yesterday she went on a tangent complaining about your personality."

Well, there goes my ego.

"Well you see- "

Before I can continue, she interrupts me.

"Sorry, I have somewhere to be right now."

She begins to turn away to the exit, but she stops herself halfway and points at my form.

"You know, in the bigger picture this won't be important, but you should still take this seriously."

Just like that she left. She didn't give me her name, though if we're in the same class she probably assumed I knew it already.

I don't think I would mind talking to her again.


"Hikigaya, what is this chuuni shit you wrote on your career form?"

I did erase the house husband from my career path report, but I still had to put something in place of it. After a quick search online, I ended up putting 'grey eminence'. In hindsight, I shouldn't have written this so late at night.

"I'm not being Zaimokuza. I'm one hundred percent serious."

"Enlighten me."

"Well, you know about Yukinoshita's family situation, right?"

"I've heard a bit about it from Haruno, whom I guess you already know."

I nod my head in agreement.

"Well, Yukinoshita wants to take over the family business and I was thinking about how I could support her in the future, and this is what I came up with."

"I see, so you plan on following her in your career path."

"Right."

Wow, she was so understanding and calm. I can't believe that-

"Hey Hikigaya, you guys said you two were just friends but that's not true is it! You two are in some kind of arranged marriage aren't you! That's why you're planning your life with her!"

She begins to sob uncontrollably and grabs at my blazer.

"Hey, you're supposed to be an adult! Control yourself!"

"How can my own student have a more successful romantic life than me!?"

This is getting kind of sad. I hope she finds someone soon.

"You were just pitying me now, weren't you?"

"No, no. I was just thinking about how you'll find someone soon. For someone your age, you look surprisingly youthful!"

As I end that sentence, I feel the air get punched out of me.

"I'll have you know that among the staff, I am incredibly young!"

Please someone, take her hand in marriage!

"Going back a bit, I didn't lie. She and I aren't in a romantic relationship right now."

"Right now? Meaning that you plan to change that?"

"Do I need to answer that?"

"You dodging the question is an answer in itself."

She takes a lighter and lights a cigarette she pulls from her lab coat. She smokes and we stay silent a bit.

"Alright. I can see that you were being serious about your career form. But for just this paper I suggest finding a different topic. These work tours are meant to be in groups of three, and what you have isn't suited for that."

"Thanks. I'll get on that."

"And Hikigaya. Good luck!"

She gives me a big thumbs up and smile.


"Hey, did you put Yui up to something?"

"What?"

I came out here to enjoy a can of MAXX Coffee, but my break was interrupted by a certain girl with blond drills.

"Yui was asking a bunch of questions about Tobe, Yamato, and Ooka. It's not like her to do that."

"Oh that."

I click the button on the vending machine and wait for my drink to fall.

"So, you do know why she was acting weird."

I grab my drink from the vending machine.

"She was doing stuff related to a request we have."

"What kind of request?"

"Well, it's, ummm…".

I open my can and take a sip.

"Sorry but I can't tell you. Client confidentiality."

I should at least try to keep the request private.

"What the heck? These are my friends you're asking questions about! If something is going on, I want to know!"

She's more than likely has been receiving those messages too. Hearing Yui ask questions about them probably makes it sound like she's buying into the rumors.

"Alright."

Let the record show I at least tried to keep the request private. I was threatened and fearful for my life. I definitely had no choice but to tell her.

"I'm assuming you are aware of the messages that have been going around?"

"Yea, they've been annoying."

"We were asked to stop the messages. We think one of those three is the culprit."

"Huh? How does that make sense? All those messages are about those three."

"That's why we think it's one of them. The culprit is likely motivated by the workplace groups, and they are trying to not bring suspicion on themselves by including themselves in the rumors."

She takes some time to think about what I just said. I take another sip from my drink. Man, this is delicious. Oh, what if for the workplace tour, I put taste tester? Is there a MAXX Coffee factory nearby? I should check when I get home.

"I guess that makes some sense. Wait, if Yui was going around asking questions, then what have you been doing?"

"Observing."

"You mean you've been watching them? That's creepy."

"Would you call an investigator creepy for trying to catch a criminal?"

"You're a student, not an investigator. Still creepy."

"In any case, that's what we were doing."

"Did you figure out who it is?"

"No idea, but it doesn't really matter."

"What? How does it not matter? You think one of them is the culprit."

"The request was to stop the chain mail. Finding the culprit was just one way of doing it. I've come up with another way of solving the problem."

"How is that?"

"Well from my investigations- "

She gives a doubtful look when I say that. I'm never going to beat these eavesdropping allegations.

"… I concluded that while Tobe, Ooka, and Yamato are friends with Hayato, they are not friends with each other. They're friends of a friend. While they are all happy to hang out with each other when Hayato is around as soon as he leaves the air among them breaks down."

"I get why you think it's one of them."

"In all honesty, it's even possible that all three of them are the culprit, and they're all spreading rumors about each other."

"But how do you plan on stopping it then?"

"By taking away their crutch."

"Crutch? Oh, you mean Hayato! You want them to form a group without them."

I nod my head in agreement. She caught on to that quickly.

"If Hayato asks them to form a group by themselves, it should eliminate the original motivation."

"And if they're in a group together, then maybe they'll get closer!"

"That is certainly a possibility."

Whether it's high or low, who can say. I say low, but maybe I'm being cynical.

"You know, you're a lot smarter than I thought you were."

"What's with the backhanded compliment?"

"Well, you didn't exactly leave a great impression with our tennis match. Yukinonshita practically carried you two to victory on her own."

Blatant revisionism. I was definitely more helpful than she gives me credit for. That last shot I hit was amazing; Yuigahama said so herself.

"What does my athleticism have to do with my intelligence?"

"Well like, it's all about the vibe you give off. It's the opposite of Hayato. He's athletic, and smart, and he's popular with everyone and –"

"Yea, yea I know. He's everyone's Hayato. I've heard this all before."

I drink from my can of MAXX Coffee while Miura stands in front of me, now in a pensive state. Should I leave now? I've already been out here longer than I wanted to be. I begin to slowly take a step back, but she speaks up.

"Hey, you and Hayato go way back; you guys are childhood friends, right?"

From one perspective you could say that: not mine, though. Funny enough our conversation earlier applies a bit here.

"More like a friend of a friend."

"Friend of a friend?"

She suddenly gets an irked expression on her face. She then asks in a hesitant voice:

"That friend is Yukinoshita, right?"

Yuigahama must have told her about me and Yukino and now she's worried about competition because of what I said.

"Let me ease your mind, there's nothing between the two of them. Nor has there been in the past."

She releases a short sigh of relief.

"Well, it seems like you understand what I'm getting at."

"I do. I'll tell you right now, there's no point in trying."

"How come?"

God, where do I begin. Lingering feelings for someone who doesn't reciprocate them. A lifetime of receiving confessions from girls who don't know the real him. This part is only speculation, but if I had to guess: a high school romance isn't something his parents included in their plans for him. In other words:

"Hayato isn't interested in seeking romantic relationships. If you confess to him, he will flatly reject it."

"How do you know that for sure?"

"You're not the first girl to fall for him, and you certainly won't be the last. If you confess your feelings, you'll just be the nth girl he will reject."

Muira's reaction is sad? Frustrated? I tried to give as much of a restrained response as I possibly could given the turn of events.

Not to say I wasn't expecting this inevitable inquiry, but I guess I just assumed it would occur at the Service Club. It probably would have been better if Yuigahama was a part of this conversation; though it may have turned out worse if Yukino was here (no offense).

"This sucks, uhhh! So, you're basically saying I had no chance from the start."

"Look on the bright side, if you had no chance, then so does every other girl."

"How is that the bright side?"

"It is. Look at your position compared to every other girl. You have the benefit of standing by his side, meanwhile the rest have to look from a distance. Take solace in the fact he at least considers you to be a friend."

"Well when you put it that way, it doesn't make it seem as bad. It still sucks to know."

"People say you shouldn't open Pandora's Box, but I disagree. Yes, all those bad emotions get out, but so long as you don't close it too quickly there's some good that can come from it."

"Pandora's Box? Is that like an otaku thing? I don't get what you're saying."

"Pandora's Box is a very common phrase?! It's not an otaku thing."

"Well, I never heard of it."

Seriously?! Sure, it's used a lot in fantasy stories, but it's not like it's exclusively used by it.

"In layman's terms, what I was getting at was: Curiosity is good. Better to know what you know now, then waste the next year or years of your life chasing after someone who's not interested."

"Oh, I get what you're saying now, but why didn't you just say something like 'ignorance is bliss'? I would have got what you were saying earlier."

My metaphor worked perfectly fine. I was not the problem.

"Okay. I think this conversation has run its course."

I really want to go back inside.

"Oh, and for the record: I'm not giving up on Hayato. I get he's probably not interested in romance right now, but when he eventually is I'll make sure he sees me as his first choice."

I'd criticize her for being optimistic if I wasn't the one who told her to keep Pandora's Box open. See the metaphor works.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck on your future endeavors."

I raised my can of Maxx Coffee in salute to her determination.

"Thanks. Same to you, good luck with that Yukinoshita girl!"

"What?"

"You're totally going after her right? I saw how you were tending to her after our tennis match. You were treating her like royalty."

I really am an easy book to read, aren't I?

"Well thank you for your support. I'm going to go back inside now."

"I'll come with you."

I meant to go back alone.


"Miura came to talk to me yesterday, probably to ask about your type or something like that."

"Probably?"

Did she not ask you at all?

"I stopped her before she could ask her question. I told her that you weren't interested in a romantic relationship at the moment and she seemed to accept it."

I'm a bit relieved to hear that. Since meeting her that was a concern I had in the back of my mind; one day I would have to reject her feelings and ruin another friendship.

"I appreciate that you did that for me Hikigaya."

"I was trying to help her. Not you."

"Is that so?"

I give a small chuckle to his last retort. Still holding a grudge, I see.

"She hasn't given up on you, though. She intends to be by your side and gain your favor. Why did that last part sound medieval?"

"Well that's troubling. That's better than the first alternative, but not by much."

If she intends to wait for me to change my mind, she will be waiting forever.

"Hayato, why do you insist on living the way you do?"

"Since when do you have an interest in the way I do things?"

"I would understand if it was for yourself, but you're doing this because it's what others want from you. Aren't you tired of being everyone's Hayato?"

Ignoring my question huh? How rude.

"Just like you have your ideals, I have mine. In my position you would certainly find this to be a hollow way of living, but for me this is genuine."

You may not agree with my motivations, but so long as I can live up to everyone's expectations of me, I'm happy. On some level I'm sure you understand. For me, this is my way of helping people. Of course I recognize there are limits to how I approach things. Which is why I came to you for help with the chain mail.

"What are you masochists or something?"

"Is that what it seems like to you?"

Always candid aren't you.

"So what do you plan on doing for the workplace tour?"


Walking down the hallway I spot a familiar figure staring at a wall of flyers. As I near, she notices my presence and looks in my direction.

"Hey, Hikigaya.", she says in an angry voice?

"Yo…"

Ah wait, I never learned her name did I. When everyone was writing their name on the chalkboard earlier, that would have been a good time to learn her name. Actually, was she even in class at the time? Is she ever? Either way:

"I didn't get the chance last time, but I wanted to ask for your name."

She gives me a surprised look. Her mouth left slightly open.

"What?"

Did I ask something weird?

"Am I being too forward, asking for your name?"

"No, not really. I just didn't expect you to be the sociable type, is all."

Sociable type? Does she think I'm that much of a loner? Yukino is right: I do have too much of a standoffish look.

"You can call me Saki, if you want."

"It's nice to formally meet you, Saki."

I give a little bow and she returns the favor.

"Right back at you. Hachiman."

Oh, she's calling me by my first name. I think I'm more surprised about how sociable she is than she is of me.

I look to where she was looking earlier, and I notice a flyer for a cram school. I guess it is that time of the year.

"Saki, are you looking into getting into a cram school?"

Her eyes return to the flyer she was looking at earlier, and glares at it for a few moments before giving a short sigh.

"I have too many things on my plate to apply for one."

Despite the impression her appearance may give, for all intent and purposes Saki seems like she's a good student. She seems to take school seriously, but something isn't letting her realize her ambitions.

"It's not like cram schools are the end all be all. You can still study on your own, and with the power of the internet all the information you need is at your disposal!"

"Ah, I guess that's true.", she says in an awkward manner.

Was I too upbeat when I said that last part? I wanted to make the alternative seem really good.

"You can also form study groups with your friends. I hear that's something other people do."

"From the way you said it, it sounds like you never experienced one yourself."

"I haven't. But my younger sister has. For proof of how effective it is, she was within the top 50 of her grade last year."

She was 49th, but she didn't need to know that.

"You're a bit sis-con, aren't you?"

"Is it wrong to want to be her biggest supporter? Because if not me, then who else? An outsider?! I will never let that happen!"

"On a fundamental level I agree with you; I want to support my younger siblings too, but you're too over the top with it."

Maybe I was. Usually when I'm called a sis-con, it's Yukino baiting me into bantering with her. It's like a trigger.

"Oh, you're an older sibling too? It's nice to meet a kindred spirit. Wait, you're not obsessed with meddling with your sibling's romantic life, are you?"

The last kindred spirit I met was Haruno. I would rather not meet Haruno 2…

"No more than you are, I hope."

No more than me? Hmmm. Too early to definitively say for sure.

"By the way, did you finish the calculus homework, specifically the third section?"

"I'm in the middle of working out the problems in the third section."

In truth I've been putting off working on it. Instead of being a studious student in real life, I'm being a studious student in my eighth run of Persona 4.

I then noticed Saki taking her phone out from her pocket and extending her arm toward me.

"You said study groups help you learn right? I'd like to take you up on that."

"Oh sure."

I took out my phone and exchanged my contact information with her.

"Thanks. I'll contact you tomorrow and we can help each other out with homework. I'm actually running a bit late, so I need to be going now. It was nice chatting with you Hachiman."

She runs off, down the hallway, waving goodbye to me. She left just as abruptly as last time, but at least I got her name this time and her number too.

I look down at the new contact in my phone. Did I make a new friend, or perhaps just an acquaintance? Though she did call me by my given name, so maybe the former.

Either way. I feel a sense of… content meeting her. Also, a strong motivation to work on my math homework.

Hmmm… Maybe this 'friendship' won't work out after all.


Pretty simple chapter; I tried not to tread to much of the same ground as the canon. Framing the arc through Miura's conversation helped keep things fresh while also leading into her own story. The main goal of the chapter was to set up Kawasaki and Hikigaya establishing a friendship much faster; the whole naming situation is a bit convoluted, but I wanted to set it up for a really funny, obvious interaction with Yukino and Yui. Kawasaki is still closed off in this point in the story so the only realistic opening Hikigya would have to befriend her is through studies which will lead into the next arc. This is my opinion, Kawasaki is probably the second best relationship Hikigaya could have, behind Yukino (to be clear there will be NO second love triangle in this story). In any case I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.

*I forgot to put 'no' in the first upload of this, sorry or the confusion if you read the note.