Chapter 10
Enter, Totsuka Saika
"Pss, hey Hikkitani."
This was a fresh new level of hell.
"Hey hey, Hikkitani!"
Seriously, had he insulted someone important on his previous life?
"You know the answer for this one? Hikkitaniiiiii…!"
He must have committed quite the hideous crime if his punishment was having to handle Tobe so early in the morning.
And ignoring him was apparently not working as the guy kept turning to ask him about the damn math problem on the board!
But maybe, if it had been just that, he could have tried to just tune out the dude.
But it was never that easy, was it?
"Hikki isn't the best at math, actually…"
Well thank you Yuigahama, but that wasn't helping as much as she probably thought it was.
"Really? I thought you were pretty smart, Hikigaya-kun."
He could have also survived without Ebina now looking at him as if she had discovered something unthinkable. So what if math wasn't his forte? Everyone had a weak point, dammit!
"You guys are talking too much."
At the very least, he wasn't the only one that found the constant whispering annoying, giving that Kawasaki was giving them the stink eye whenever she could.
"The problem isn't even that hard anyway so I'm sure Hikigaya could solve it if he wanted to."
And while he was sure Kawasaki meant well, that comment felt more like a backhanded insult than anything else.
But all the newfound talking around his seat was still no the most annoying thing currently going on for him.
Rather, it was the fact that a surprisingly silent Miura decided to spend her day just poking at his back with the eraser bit of her pencil.
When she had started that at the beginning of the class, he had of course reacted accordingly, but the only thing his glare has gotten from her had been a raised eyebrow, almost as if she had been challenging him to say something about it.
And he actually hadn't, because if there was something he had understood by now, whether he liked it or not and even thought it still sounded like a lie, was that Miura was trying to get his attention.
So he pretty much lost if he started reacting to every single thing she did. Perhaps, if he did nothing, she would just get bored after a while?
That had been his logic, but one hour later and Miura proved to be incredibly resilient.
How he missed the days of Stealth Hikki actually working…
"C'mon Hikkitani just let me see really quick… Wait, you haven't even started the thing?!"
Well fuck you too, Tobe.
"Seriously, what did you do?"
"Why do you keep assuming I did something?"
"Either you did something, or blondie and her team of goons need to find a new hobby." Kawasaki snorted, which only made him sigh. Technically he had done nothing, and it was Miura the one pushing for…whatever she was looking for with him.
But explaining to Kawasaki that Miura was, apparently, his childhood friend and she was hell bent on reconnecting with him…it would made it seem, at least in his eyes, as if he was approving it.
And he was not, not only because he himself didn't even remember her at all, even if the evidence proved that the two did indeed play together as kids, but also because, well…
He just had a feeling there was something…off about the entire thing. It was something he couldn't shake off, specially since his mind just went blank whenever he tried to remember that period of time.
Not like Miura coming into his life with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball was the only new development that was giving him that feeling though…
"They must be just bored without Hayama around or something." He didn't like how often he had been lying as of late if he was being honest, but he really just wanted to keep every single crazy change that his life had taken as far away as humanly possible from one another for as long as he could.
Why? Because he could barely deal with one of those changes in his life at a time. Last thing he needed was them coming at him at the same time.
Frankly it was a miracle that Miura, Kawasaki and Yukinoshita hadn't ganged up on him by now.
Given his luck, he kind of expected for all of them to just decide to go to his home one day at the same time-
He couldn't even finish that thought without shivering.
"Right." Kawasaki was obviously seeing through his bullshit, but at least she was merciful by now trying to push an answer out of him. "Well, as long as no other crazy bitch-"
And just at that moment, almost as if the universe itself had decide to shut Kawasaki up, the door of the roof was slammed open with such force that both him and Kawasaki couldn't help but to stop eating, they attentions now firmly on whoever had arrived.
It was a brat.
Well, maybe a brat wasn't an apt description, given that she was obviously a first year, but the braids, glasses and rather short stature sure made her look like a middle schooler.
Although, If he had to point out her most striking feature, it would be the pissed off glare she had glued to her face.
"You!"
It did not help that said glare was being aimed purely at him.
Seeing the new girl marching towards him with such a glare would have been far more of an intimidating sight if she wasn't even shorter than Komachi.
It still caught him off guard however, when she suddenly trusted her finger at his face once she had walked close enough.
"I won't let you take senpai away from me!" This…whoever she was, suddenly declare with fiery passion, even going as far as stomping her foot into the floor "Our love will prevail over you, you brute rascal!"
And then she was gone as fast as she came by, leaving nothing but bewilderment on her wake as he stared confusedly at the door.
What just happened?
Kawasaki's unimpressed look also told him exactly what she thought of what had just happened.
"So, Yuigahama-san?"
"Yes?"
He had a bad feeling about this.
"What is your opinion about…arranged marriages?"
…really subtle there, Yukinoshita.
Now if only her eyes stopped not so subtly shifting towards him.
Sure, Yuigahama could be dumb but…
"Oh! Like in those old romance flicks!?"
…Never mind then.
"…Of course."
"Hmmm…" And what's with the deep in thought expression she was wearing now? It was an easy answer, Yuigahama, she just needed to say it was an archaic concept-
"I think it can be romantic." Her response made him give her a betrayed look, which Yukinoshita seemingly didn't notice as she was too busy nodding approvingly at Yuigahama's words.
For someone that said she would fight against such thing before, she sure seemed to approve of it.
"But I think that depends on the people too." Yuigahama continued however, earning their attention once more. "Like, I think it would be romantic if both people loved each other already before it-"
"I'm glad you understand-"
"-but if they don't." Yuigahama then frowned, palpable sadness on her tone. "I think that would be like, the worst? I mean, I think it would be awful if someone forced something like that on me…"
…huh.
He actually agreed with Yuigahama on that one, surprisingly enough.
Maybe she wasn't that much of an airhead after all.
"And what about you, Hikki?" Yuigahama suddenly threw the question him however, taking advantage of Yukinoshita's moment of silence.
He was now the center of attention between the two though, which is not how he expected his usual clubroom activities to go today, and with the way Yukinoshita was peering at his face, he could tell that she was expecting some sort of positive comment from him.
He had none of course, so when he opened his mouth, it was to repeat something similar to what Yuigahama had said, but he was stopped by someone suddenly knocking at the door.
"Come in." Saved by the bell so to speak, as their attention swiftly moved to the door, he wasn't able to hide his surprise as not just one person, but a rather considerable group entered the clubroom.
And judging by their attire, they were all…members of the Tennis Club?
"We have a favor to ask to the Service Club." The apparent ringleader of the group gave a step forward, a tall girl with a ponytail and a serious expression.
He didn't expect for her to go as far as to bow to them, and neither did Yukinoshita and Yuigahama from what he could gather.
"Please, help us cheer up Totsuka-senpai!"
Of course he had been the one sent on this request.
Not that he had minded really, after all if it was something involving Totsuka of all people seemingly feeling down, then he certainly wanted to help.
But he still found it weird just how…insistent the Tennis club had been on this particular plan, if it even could be called as such.
"Captain Totsuka keeps insisting he's fine even though he obviously isn't, but if it is Hikigaya then, you might actually go through him."
Is what they had said to convince him, and while he truly believe they were overestimating his relationship with Totsuka, he still found it hard to say no.
Specially since both Yuigahama and Yukinoshita had no objections either.
"Ha!"
Which is why he was here, watching on the side of the court as Totsuka trained by himself with such an amount of focus that he apparently hadn't noticed him arriving just yet.
He also hadn't announced his presence as he didn't want to distract Totsuka's match against the wall.
And even though he wouldn't consider himself an expert when it came to Totsuka, even he could tell there was something off about the frown on his face.
Rather than one of concentration that he had seen before, Totsuka's current expression seemed far more…sad? Dejected? If he had to describe in simple terms, he looked like a kicked puppy.
Which made him truly understand the Tennis Club's worries if this is how he had been looking for weeks now apparently. He was now worried too in fact, especially since he didn't remember ever seeing such expression on Totsuka's angelic face.
So he waited there in silence, hands on the pockets of his gym uniform as he watched Totsuka do his thing. He wasn't keen on having to change his uniform, but it was all part of this master plan that he had signed up for.
"Ha…ha…ha…"
"Yo!" So it was only once Totsuka finally finished his lonesome match that he announced his presence in his usual way, immediately earning a wide-eyed stare from an obviously surprised Totsuka.
"H-Hachiman?!" The confusion lasted for a few seconds as Totsuka looked at him like if he had seen a ghost, but then it was replaced by the most radiant smile he had ever seen on a person.
He had no shame in admitting his heart skipped a beat at that moment.
"You didn't have to force yourself like that…"
"It…was…. nothing." Sure, he was tired as hell, but that was his fault for trying to keep up with Totsuka of all people in a tennis match.
Suffice to say, he had been soundly defeated. Not like he ever expected to win the practice match or anything, but he at least would have liked to make Totsuka sweat more than the wall he had been using right before for practice.
This was his least favorite part of the club's plan, to say the least, but apparently 'setting the mood' as they had called it was of utmost importance, whatever that meant.
Which is why he was now trying to catch his breath as he tried to find the best way to ask Totsuka what had him upset as of late, something that his club had been unable to get out from him apparently.
But first he needed to decide on how he was going to-
"Kishika-san and everyone else sent you, didn't they?"
-Or maybe Totsuka would do it for him then.
"Was it…that obvious?" His inquiry got a giggle from a smiling Totsuka, who all things considered was looking quite happy all of a sudden.
Almost as if his previous dejected state had never been there in the first place.
"Well…" He started just as his fingers played with the center of the racket, his upbeat smile turning into a somewhat melancholic look. "It's not like you to just come and visit me…"
…Ouch.
He had to admit, he didn't expect such comment from him if he was honest…
But he understood from where it was coming from.
After all, every since the school year had started, he had barely interacted with Totsuka.
It was a sad result of the fact that, of all people, it had been Totsuka who had been moved to a different classroom for their last year.
Why, he wasn't sure, but it did mean that they barely interacted with one another by now. Totsuka had always been a busy person, after all, so they had mostly interacted during class, and since he himself wasn't exactly one to look out to interact with others, well…
"S-sorry!" The silence was broken by Totsuka seemingly realizing how what he had said sounded as he immediately backtracked by waving his hands in front of him. "I didn't mean to-I mean…"
"I understand." He sighed, honestly feeling a bit bad. Totsuka was one of the nicest people in his former class, after all. "But that means you know why they would ask for our help then."
"I guess…" Totsuka's smile turned into a frown once more, his gaze low as they both sat in silence on the bench.
"Do you…want to talk about it?" Not the smoothest of moves he had to admit, but he couldn't think of a better way to move things along right now given that Totsuka already understood his purpose here.
He didn't get an answer for a few seconds after that, or at least not verbally considering that even through his tired state he could still see Totsuka's face flushing even more for some reason. Maybe the cause of his mood was an embarrassing one?
"You…promise not to laugh? It's a bit…embarrassing." Totsuka's tone was surprisingly soft and meek, even by his standards, so he could only nod slowly in return.
Whatever Totsuka said next though, he did so in such a quiet tone that he honestly wasn't able to hear it, especially since he had his head down as he spoke.
"Could you repeat that?" He even went as far as to lean close so he could hear him properly, which only seemed to make Totsuka squirm on his seat. Did he stink that much because of the sweat?
"I…miss our old class." He was finally able to hear Totsuka's whisper, his words making him frown in understanding. It wasn't a feeling he was familiar with if he was being honest, but he did understand how troublesome it could be to be thrown at an unfamiliar environment.
Specially since Totsuka seemed to have a good relationship with plenty of people in his class, like Yuigahama.
"I see." He answered with a nod. "You were pretty close with Yuigahama, weren't you?"
"Yeah but…" He saw Totsuka purse his lips in what he recognized as…frustration? "It's not just her..."
He blinked, going silent for just a moment as he tried to remember who else Totsuka used to talk to there. Kawasaki perhaps-
"I miss you, Hachiman."
Oh…
Alright, so now Totsuka wasn't the only one feeling embarrassment, that much he would admit.
The silence that followed had him both shuffling in his place, with Totsuka keeping his head down and his eyes glued to the floor while he himself looked to the side as he tried to figure out how to go from here.
So when he turned his head around, he did so ready to speak. At the same time though, it seemed Totsuka had decided the same, for he suddenly raised his head, his lips parted, making their gazes clashing once more.
And it might be just him but…wasn't Totsuka's look a bit too intense? As in, his cheeks were getting pink with how deep he was looking into his eyes.
"Hey, you two…am I interrupting something?
He had never been gladder for Hiratsuka-sensei's lack of tact.
"So…what's up?"
"…"
"…what?" She replied once she saw the unimpressed look he gave her. She could have at the very least tried a better opener than that.
"If this is your attempt at being cool with the kids-"
"I should punch you for what you're insinuating." He shut his mouth at that. He was already tired as it was, he didn't need for her to accidentally kill him with her fist.
"…"
"…"
A silence followed on the wake of her words, as both his and her gaze remained still on the setting sun in front of them, their elbows resting on the open window of the hallway that sensei had decided to use as their impromptu meeting place.
The only sound that left them for a while was sensei puffing out smoke out of her lungs as she kept inhaling that cigarette of hers.
"So…" She started once again though, breaking the silence. "I've heard some interesting stuff about ya' lately…"
"…I don't think a teacher should be paying attention to gossip."
"Hey, it can be a good source of info as long as you know how to read between lines." She answered matter-of-factly, but it only made him roll eyes.
"And what did you exactly get from doing that, sensei?" He asked, already expecting something stupid coming out of her lips.
"Oh, not much." She shrugged just as she did another intake of nicotine. "Just that you seemingly got yourself a harem in a week."
Turns out, choking on your own spit wasn't something that only happened on animes, as the next thing he knew he was having a coughing fit, with that only earning a snort from sensei.
"Glad to see you're finally enjoying your youth." She snickered at him, only making him glare at her. "What? Are you going to tell me you didn't get closer to Yukinoshita, Miura, and Kawasaki?"
"…"
"…"
"…just." He released a deep sigh, hos body suddenly losing the will to fight. "Don't call it a harem. This isn't one of those mangas you probably like to read."
"I've seen what you read, Hikigaya, so get off that high horse of yours." She glared back for a moment, right before she sighed as well, a softer look forming in her face. "But seriously though, is everything ok? Frankly speaking, I find it hard to imagine you actively looking to hang out with them just like that, so either you grew up far more than expected during summer, or something else happened…"
Oh, something happened alright.
And that was the issue, things just didn't stop happening.
And there were a lot of frustration that he felt like venting right about now, especially considering there weren't that many people that he felt comfortable enough to share said frustrations regarding the current stuff happening around him.
And Hiratsuka-sensei was definitely high on that list…
"It's…" His lips parted, his own expression softening for a moment before he shook his head slightly, his gaze returning to the front a second later. "Just some stuff I need to figure out, I guess."
…but that didn't mean he wanted to dump all of his issues on her just like that, even if he knew she would be more than willing to listen to him, even though she wasn't his Homeroom teacher anymore.
"I see…" Fortunately, it seemed sensei understood enough as she didn't make a push for it, and instead simply patted him on the back as she walked past him. "Just don't forget my door is always open if you ever want to move on from the brooding hero archetype."
"Very funny." He scoffed, but even so, the corner of his lips still twitched upwards for a moment. "But still…thanks for the offer."
He didn't hear a verbal answer from her, but the squeeze she gave him shoulder was more than enough.
"Would you like one last bit of advice? I'm still your teacher, after all."
She said after she walked away, her legs already going up the stairs.
"Sure."
"Go take a bath, you smell like crap."
Well fuck you too, sensei.
It was still a fair enough advice though, he had to admit as he entered the showers close to the tennis field.
It wasn't like he liked feeling sweaty in the first place, and a hot shower sounded like the perfect way to relax before going home.
He would have liked to talk with Totsuka a bit more, but he didn't find him once he returned to the field. Maybe he had left already? He would have to talk to him another time then.
At the very least, he now knew the source of his mood, so he supposed he accomplished the request?
For some reason, something told him if he explained the reasoning behind him to the tennis people, they were only going to tell him that he now needed to make up for making Totsuka sad.
He could already feel one more headache coming his way, which is why he started to really yearn for that shower.
"…huh?"
But when he entered the changing room, he realized he wasn't alone there, which wasn't that much of a surprise considering the other person was apparently Totsuka.
Keyword being apparently, given what he was seeing, which had him frozen on the spot.
"…ehh…?"
And he wasn't the only one, since Totsuka was seemingly also frozen in place, his eyes as wide as they could get.
The reason? Well
Perhaps because of what he was seeing.
Now, it wasn't like it was his first time seeing another dude in a state of undress. Gym class kind of made it a necessity whether he liked it or not.
What it was though, was the first time seeing a guy wearing panties.
"eh….eh….?"
And maybe it was just the very specific thoughts he sometimes had about Totsuka had finally reached their logical conclusion, but he was pretty sure those were breasts that were being barely hidden by the towel hanging around Totsuka's neck.
And just to make sure he hadn't gone into the wrong place by accident, his petrified gaze met Totsuka's once more and yeah, that was Totsuka alright.
"kyaaaaaaaaa!"
And while such situation was filling his head with more questions than ever before, there was one thing that he now knew for certain.
A soap bar to the nose hurt a fucking lot.
"Well…at least it isn't broken."
He glared at Hiratsuka-sensei, although the scare factor was probably lower than usual due to the gazes that were stopping the blood from leaving his battered nose.
"Well that'll teach you to knock before entering anywhere." She snickered this time, his glare becoming sharper just before a sigh left her, her expression turning serious right before her eyes darted from him to Totsuka, who was sitting beside his bead with his-her eyes glued to the floor.
"I guess you two need to have a talk now." She said in a soft tone before leaving his side, one of her hand patting Totsuka's head a she passed by her. "I'll be outside to make sure no one comes in so… take your time."
And then they were left by themselves, with nothing but silence filling in the infirmary as Totsuka kept his-her head down, which he himself couldn't fault considering how he was also finding it hard to even look at him-her.
He was doing his best to block the mental image of what he had seen not that long ago, for both of their sanity's sake, but…
Damn this wasn't going to be easy.
"Sorry for hitting you…" Even so, it was Totsuka's soft voice, although right now it was also layered with obvious regret, that broke the silence.
"It's ok…" He shrugged for if he was being honest, getting a bar of soap to the face was the least shocking thing that had happened in the last 10 minutes.
Another silence followed on, this one somehow even more awkward than before to the point that even he wasn't liking the silence, especially with such a big elephant in the room.
But when he finally decided to be proactive for once, he was stopped by Totsuka suddenly slapping both of her cheeks with the palms of her hand, right before a shaky breath left her lips, her surprisingly piercing glance now aimed squarely at him.
"T-there's something I have to tell you, Hachiman!"
Saying that it was just 'something' was undercutting what she told him next, to say the least.
Because seriously, if it wasn't because he was already dealing with the insanity that was rich people, he would have thought Totsuka had been trying to play a prank on him.
But now that he had seen firsthand just how rich people seemed to act around…
So when she told him a tale of the rich and powerful needing a male heir, which made them have their daughter have to act as a man for most of her life, he believed her.
Did it sound insane? Yes, yes it did.
But Yukinoshita's mom had sent his parents to Brazil out of a whim so…
To think Totsuka's family was apparently that filthy rich and powerful though, to the point they could seemingly hide whatever evidence there was that Totsuka was, in fact, a girl and not a boy.
The fact that she was just apparently that good at tennis which meant she could easily go toe to toe with guys only helped with the ruse, to the point the only ones that seemingly knew outside of Totsuka's family were some staff members, like Hiratsuka-sensei apparently, and now him…
He knew Sobu was supposedly a place for either the rich or the smart ones, but still, how many people did he knew that were secretly loaded?
…maybe he should ask Yuigahama just in case, given that he doubted she had gotten in for her smarts.
But back on the matter at hand…
Wait, what was happening now?
"Y-you have to promise me, Hachiman!"
Oh right, he started zooming out the moment she grabbed both of his hands into hers, her watery eyes looking deep into his own to the point he couldn't help but to gulp.
"I-I understand if you're upset that I lied to you." Her voice was desperate enough that it took him out his stupor. "I'll do anything, but please, if others were to find out my family would be-"
"I won't tell anyone." He interrupted her, a sigh leaving lips for a moment. He had to admit, seeing her so scared her like that did upset him.
Besides, right now, he could honestly relate to having to keep things secret from others, even though his own seemed frivolous in comparison to her who had been seemingly living a lie for more than a decade now.
He didn't like it, but he understood.
The sigh of relief that left her right after he said that was a big one, with even her shoulders sagging, her shaky expression slowly forming into a relieved smile.
"You're really kind, Hachiman." He had no shame in admitting his cheeks heated just a bit at her soft voice. Surely, it wasn't that big of a deal, right?
Then again, giving what she had told him, he supposed stuff like blackmail was a real concern for her and her family if the wrong people were to find out.
"Don't worry about it." He was really killing it with the lame responses lately, wasn't he? At the very least it seemed she found it amusing given her sudden chuckle.
Her laughter died a few seconds later however, just as her expression turned surprisingly serious, her eyes once again zeroing on his own with an intensity that he didn't expect from Totsuka.
"There's another thing I have to tell you, Hachiman." She suddenly declared, and it was only now that he realized she still had his hands in her own. "The truth is that I…!"
"…?" He remained quiet however, even as he saw Totsuka struggle with whatever she wanted to say, her cheeks seemingly growing redder with every second that they passed in silence.
"That I…that I…" She was growing quieter with every word, with even her ears seemingly going red, and he had no shame in admitting he was forced to look to the side to avoid his own face heating up at such a sight.
"…"
"…"
"…Sorry for interrupting you guys again…"
No but seriously, was Sensei ever going to learn how to knock?
Even if seeing Totsuka squeak out of surprise was a sight for sore eyes, still…!
It was a while later that finally had him by himself, standing by the entrance of the school just as a deep sigh left his lips, for now that he was alone he could actually process what he had just learned.
His conclusion was a simple one.
Rich people were fucking insane.
And he was pretty sure that Totsuka's parents were committing some sort of crime. What crime, he wasn't sure as he was no lawyer, but everything she had told him sure as hell sounded illegal to his ears.
Also, Totsuka was a girl, which put into perspective a lot of stuff they had done together last year.
And he had also almost seen her naked today.
Alright so that was something that the him of the future would have to deal with because the him of the present did not have the cool head to handle it at the moment.
Specially since Totsuka had made it clear she wanted to talk to him about some other stuff soon enough. Surely, she didn't have any other massive secret lying around, right? Because he didn't think he could handle any more at this point.
At the very least, this particular issue wasn't that complicated on his end, as the only thing he had to do was to not spill the beans about Totsuka. Easy enough, right? It wasn't like knowing her secret was going to somehow throw another wrench into his life, right?
…why did a shiver just go down his spine?
"Senpaiiiiii!"
Oh, that explained it-
"Help me, Senpai! Someone's stalking me!"
-Say what now?
Writing fluff with Totsuka was awfully calming not going to lie. Like, considering the other characters and what roll I gave them in this story, with Totsuka I can let things be more chill.
For now, at least, and yes, Totsuka was the low hanging fruit I had to use, and I have no regrets. Same with the bathroom scene, all just part of the obligatory course. Same with like, the sauna episode or the beach episode.
Spoiler alert btw.
Let's move along with Iroha now.
Once again, thank you all for reading this chapter! Did you guys know the has not been recording views since like 2 months now? It won't stop me from updating or anything, but I think it's wild the bug has lasted this long so I can only hope you guys are still liking this.
Next Chapter: Enter, Ishiki Iroha.
Plots so Far
1) Yukinoshita Yukino: "Because of my grandfather, my high-class Club President suddenly became my fiancée."
2) Miura Yumiko: "I discovered the most popular girl in the school is my old childhood friend and now she won't leave me alone!"
3) Kawasaki Saki: "My mundane high school days are being threatened by the Yakuza Princess' constant flirting!"
4) Hikigaya Komachi: "I somehow became the inspiration for my cute little sister's ongoing romantic comedy light novel and now she keeps setting me up with every girl I know!"
5) Totsuka Saika: "My adorable classmate ended up being a girl and now I have to protect her secret with my life!"
