Oberon had never really expected the little club his sensei had forced him into to end up accomplishing or tackling anything meaningful; pointless diversions and distractions that ebbed and flowed by the moon. But when Hayama had passed around his phone to display what was plaguing him and the class, he could not help but feel disappointed all the same.
In terms of objectionable content, Oberon had to admit, this was absolutely dull.
'Tobe belongs to a gang that hangs around at the arcade picking on people from Kaihin Sogo.'
'Ooka played roughly at a practice match just to take out the other school's ace player.'
'Yamato is a three-timing douchebag.'
… Well, the last one was almost poetic in its brevity, at the very least. But it was still such a far cry from the skullduggery and rumors that was sown under Morgan's rule.
Were she here, Aurora would have accomplished something far more barbed and pointed without even trying, at least before she inevitably went round the bend amidst the mundane vicissitudes of life. Wouldn't that have been a sight to see.
"It started last weekend." Hayama explained, whilst Oberon silently scrolled through his phone. "These messages were going around our class, and quite a few people who received them forwarded them to someone else."
"Chain messages." Yukinoshita intoned.
"Yes. Ever since these messages started circulating, the atmosphere has been getting more and more strained. Plus, I'm mad, since those are my friends they're talking about."
"Question." Oberon raised a hand. "Are you the sort of person to call everyone in your class a friend, regardless of time spent, or are these messages' subjects concentrated on the little clique surrounding you?"
"Probably the latter." Hikigaya muttered. "I didn't receive any."
"That's not saying much, Hikigaya." Oberon countered. "Nobody has your phone address."
Hikigaya tsk'd.
"Most of the messages are about my friends, it's true." Hayama frowned. "I want to stop it. It really doesn't sit right with me, after all… but I don't want this to turn into a witch hunt." He added. "I want to know how to solve things peacefully, and I was wondering if you all could help me out."
Yukinoshita scratched her chin in thought for a while, and then she spoke. "So you want us to put an end to this?"
"That's right."
"Well, there's nothing for it then." She nodded. "We must find the culprit."
"Yeah- wait, what?" Hayama rapidly blinked.
She crossed her arms, hands digging deeper into her arms.
"Whoever's done this… they must be brought to light." Yukinoshita spoke slowly, and Oberon watched as vermillion crept through the crevices of her aegean blue. "Sending chain messages… It's a despicable act that tramples on people's dignity. No, it's also craven. Unless the root cause is eradicated, no one can move on from this."
Oberon and Hikigaya exchanged a glance.
"Speaking from personal experience…?" Hikigaya hesitantly asked.
Yukinoshita looked away, quiet fire underneath her veneer.
"It was one thing if they stuck to their words and opinions when I confronted them," she muttered, "or if there was any humor in their cruelty. But Sagawa and Shimoda were unoriginal, cowards till the end, saying it was just a joke when I proved it was them flinging excrement on the walls beyond prying eyes."
"S-so you took care of them all." Yuigahama said with a rather strained smile.
"... I take it that the atmosphere within the class was awkward following that?" Oberon enquired.
Yukinoshita huffed. "Not for me, it wasn't. The rest of the term was very peaceful for me."
"That goes without saying." Hikigaya snorted. "Being alone usually is."
Before Yukinoshita could retort with more venom, Hayama cleared his throat.
"Is confronting them really necessary? The last thing I want is for this to get ugly."
"The situation is ugly already. A malaise has befallen your class because of someone hiding behind a veil brought forth by the ugliness of modern technology. If you want to put a stop to this then someone must show them the errors of their ways, and prove that actions have consequences." Yukinoshita declared. "The service club will find the culprit responsible, I will proceed to have words, and I'll leave everything that follows up to you." She narrowed her eyes. "Or is that not to your liking, Hayama Hayato?"
The violent splotches of righteous indignation never did quite sit well in Oberon's eyes.
Hayama sighed. "Alright then."
"Just as well." Hikigaya mused. "The very fact that the culprit went out of their way to change their phone address means that this will all go away once their cover is blown. It's the quickest way to solve the problem."
"Right." Yukinoshita stared closely at the cell phone Yuigahama had placed on her desk. "Yuigahama. When did the messages start circulating?"
"Last weekend, I think?"
"And what happened last week in class?"
"Um…" The girl frowned, racking her brains. Not that he could have blamed her. The tedium of high school life had the curious effect of making the days blend into one another.
"Hikigaya." Yukinoshita moved on, impatient. "Just to be thorough, what happened last week in class?"
Hikigaya's irritation bloomed as muted burgundy through Oberon's fairy eyes. And then, as he made to recall the past week, sunshine yellows marred by faded slate…
A bliss that one was wary about?
"... well," his companion muttered, almost daydreaming, "me and Totsuka were talking about our groups for the workplace tour."
Oberon blinked rapidly.
"Ah! That's it! It's because of the groups!"
"Eh? Really?"
Oberon looked around blankly, wondering if anyone was seeing the same things he was.
"Er… you see, when you make a group for these kinds of events, it affects your relationships afterwards. Some people take it really personally if they're not selected."
No. What was obvious to the attentive Yuigahama was alien to the other two. Here was incomprehension – in its turquoise and whites – on Hayama and Yukinoshita's visages. One had never been excluded before, and the other paid little mind to what other people thought of her, and the other was experiencing puppy love on the most unlikely of–
He was getting distracted.
Oberon decided to leave the matter of Hikigaya's curious preferences for another time.
"Hayama. Those messages were written about your friends, you said. Who is in your group for the workplace trip?"
"... Now that you mention it, I haven't decided yet. I guess I'll probably end up going with two out of those three."
"Oh." Hikigaya muttered. "Then that narrows it down considerably."
"What?" Hayama blinked.
"Well…" Yuigahama said, somewhat dejected. "Basically, we're gonna be in groups of three. And one of Hayama's guys–"
"The three idiots." Yukinoshita broke in.
"Yukinoshita, they aren't–"
"One of them," Yuigahama fought to continue, "is gonna get excluded, you know? And that person is gonna be super bitter about it."
"Really?" Oberon mused. "Assuming this line of reasoning is sound, it seems rather short-sighted of them. I don't know what they mean to accomplish, especially since dear Hayama hasn't even made his choice clear yet."
"Most criminals are idiots." Yukinoshita nodded. "You can't ascribe a sound mind to someone knowingly committing a crime."
"That's a little harsh, Yukinon–"
"That being said, maybe within the group, dear Hayama has shown favor with some people more than the others?" Oberon postulated, rubbing his chin. "Enough for one of them to take preemptive action?"
"That's probably it." Yukinoshita nodded, before turning towards a dumbstruck Hayama. "So, Hayama. Which one of your friends do you show the least concern for, and why?"
"Now hang on a sec!" Hayama let out a rare outburst. "Putting my feelings about them aside, I don't want to think that the culprit is amongst them. My friends are good people! And don't the texts say bad things about all three of them? It can't be one of them."
"Are you retarded?" Hikigaya harshly broke out. "It's obvious one of them sent a message to themselves so no one would suspect them. It's the easiest trick in the book to cover their tracks. If it were me, I would have avoided slandering one of them on purpose so they'd look suspicious to everyone else."
"Hikki, that's horrible…"
"Eh, I'd argue that it's not horrible enough." Oberon shrugged. "I've taken a look at all of the messages, and I must say this is all rather tame. Like their heart wasn't really into it. Stands to reason that the sender is someone who's in Hayama's little group, and can't really bring it within him to insult the people he spends his time with every day."
"Tame?" Hayama frowned.
"Oh yes. I've been both the giver and recipient of sheer unadulterated malice before." Oberon smiled disarmingly. "This is someone conflicted. I'm sure of it."
Beside him, Hikigaya shifted uncomfortably.
"Dubious phrasing aside, I must agree." Yukinoshita sighed. "My own experience with these sort of unpleasant matters may have desensitized me to this, but this doesn't fit the profile of someone you barely know. Sagawa and Shimoda were as good as strangers to me, as it were."
"Well, girls are usually crueler than boys." Hikigaya muttered.
"That being said, I must admit I don't have a clear enough profile on the three boys you call your friends." Oberon reasoned. "Why don't you tell us about them in detail, Hayama? We need to have a better idea of which one of your friends has the capability for utter bastardry."
He didn't need his Fairy Eyes to see that Hayama Hayato looked pained.
"Well that was unhelpful." Yukinoshita summarized. "All of them are capable of it."
"No they couldn't!" Hayama protested. "I said nothing of the sort!"
The three charming profiles Hayama had drawn up of his friends were torn to shreds in an instant under Yukinoshita Yukino's scrutiny. It seemed she also possessed the singular talent of picking out the faults in others. But in Hikigaya's opinion, she took a few giant steps further in bluntness. She'd make Clint Eastwood break down in tears if she put her mind to it.
"It's not good form to judge someone from just a little bit of evidence." Oberon tittered. "Makes you look self-absorbed, Yukinoshita. Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it."
"We are actively looking for the bad in three different people." Hikigaya muttered. "That's the whole point behind this request."
"Even so." The smug bastard shrugged. "If you want to have a precis of someone's true character, Hikigaya, you hurt them. Nothing major, really; a prod, a prick, a tug at a sore subject, a venomous jab, a little nudge," he elbowed Hikigaya in the ribs, smiling, "the instinct to defend oneself makes one forget for a moment to hide their true selves from the world."
He was beginning to long for the times that Oberon chose to keep his mouth shut. Not for the first time that day, he wondered just what it was about his friend – no, acquaintance – that made everything he said so vaguely unsettling.
Oberon turned to the others. "Though maybe that doesn't really apply in this situation. I don't think Hayama has as much as swatted a fly in his life."
Hayama smiled weakly. "W-well, that is…"
"He has."
Yukinoshita's interruption ushered an eerie silence in the room.
Hikigaya looked between Hayama and Yukinoshita, one chagrined and the other stone-faced.
Yuigahama didn't know what to do with herself, the poor girl.
And Oberon looked like the cat that had caught the canary.
"But that's not something we need to dwell on." She went on, unperturbed. "The groups are finalized the day after the next, so tomorrow is the only chance we get to find out which one of those three did it."
"Is there any chance we can just escalate this to a teacher?" Oberon pointed out. "If Hiratsuka-sensei had the time to observe both me and Hikigaya, she surely has the time to just nip this little situation in the bud."
"With fists." Hikigaya supplied.
"With fists." Oberon agreed. "If necessary."
He knew it was a pipe dream, but the idea of Hiratsuka delivering the Exterminating Last Bullet to any one of those three…
"That's unacceptable." Yukinoshita shook her head. "Beyond the fact that those of a higher authority tend to settle these disputes with more force than necessary, this is a request made through the Service Club. It's become a matter of pride, you see. I fully intend to settle this affair ourselves."
She turned to Hayama. "I take it you are of the same opinion?"
Hayama smiled. "I want to handle this delicately. Getting a teacher in on this is a bell that cannot be unrung. I realize I'm the one asking for help, and that it's bad form to put a condition on it all, but it is my hope that this is settled peacefully. Maybe one of them did do it, but I'm sure they didn't really mean to cause harm."
"Father forgive them," Oberon mused, "for they know not what they do."
Hikigaya grimaced.
The last thing he needed was for Hayama Hayato to buy into his own hype.
"So. To summarize." Oberon clapped his hand. "You want this situation to go away peacefully. You don't want to bring any of the teachers into this. We will find out who did it, and we will leave how you wish to deal with it at your own discretion."
"Sounds about right, yes."
Oberon stroked his chin, thoughtful.
"On another matter, before I forget," he turned, "Yuigahama, do you mind lending me 500 yen?"
Hikigaya blinked.
Asking someone for money was brave enough, but to do it so openly in front of others… Oberon really was a different breed.
Maybe a complete lack of shame was one of the qualities needed to be a riajuu.
"Eh? S-sure!" Yuigahama nodded, opening her coin pouch and taking out a large silver coin. "What do you need it for?"
"If it all goes well, I'll tell you tomorrow." Oberon smiled, pocketing the change, "Thanks a bunch, you're very kind."
"Yuigahama's kindness aside..." Yukinoshita turned to address her. "Of the three of us, you're the closest to the three of them. Could you look into this for me?"
"Ah… um," A slightly uncomfortable expression came upon Yuigahama's face.
"I realize asking you to spy on your friends is not a particularly pleasant thing to do," Yukinoshita lowered her eyes gently, "but it's not like there's anything I personally can do, and it's not like we have any other options…"
"Oi." Hikigaya spoke up. "I'm right here."
Yukinoshita raised a brow. "And you'll just go up and cozy up to them and prod around, will you? I'm being realistic here."
"I'll have you know that finding faults in people is one of my 108 special skills." Hikigaya jabbed a thumb towards his chest. "Alongside Stealth Hikki. I can do it for her–"
"H-hang on! I'll do it too! I can't let Hikki handle it on his own!" Yuigahama insisted with a red face, clenching her fists. "And plus! There's no way I can turn down one of Yukinon's requests!"
"... I see," Yukinoshita answered shortly, looking away sharply. Whether because of the sunset glow or her embarrassment, the color rose on Yukinoshita's cheeks.
Hey. He offered to help too. Where was his blush, god damn it?
Hayama was watching the two girls with a bright, invigorating smile on his face.
"Yukino-chan's made some friends. I'm glad."
Hikigaya almost missed it, from how softly he murmured it out of earshot.
Oberon did not, even as he blankly scrutinized the other pretty boy.
And then he smiled, two rows of perfect teeth.
"Alright then. Yuigahama! Hikigaya! We'll be counting on you!"
"YES!"
Yuigahama was all fired up.
Yuigahama was absolutely useless.
Recess. The following day.
From where he sat, he watched as she tried to steer the conversation amongst Miura and Ebina towards the tension between the three boys with all the subtlety of Johnny Knoxville holding a taser. That topic was promptly derailed upon Ebina's wild gesticulation about the intricacies of her homosexual fantasies surrounding the three of them, complete with a timeline that would not look out of place in a high fantasy novel. Miura gently got her back on track, told her to wipe her nose, and the queen bee took charge of the conversation once more.
When she realized he was watching, Yuigahama clapped her hands together, signaling her failure. Sorry!
Hikigaya sighed.
It was up to him, then.
He put on his earphones, turning off the music, and pretended to stare in space at the direction of Hayama's clique.
It was said that essentially thirty percent of all human communication is carried out with language. The other seventy percent of information we obtained was through a tableau of eye movements and subtle gestures. The phrase 'a picture speaks a thousand words' surely comes from the importance of this kind of non-verbal communication. In other words, even a loner incapable of conversing can, through some paradox, pull off seventy percent of what we considered communication. Right? Right?
He and Oberon weren't ignoring each other during all those lunches spent together. They were engaging in this seventy percent of communication too!
He allowed himself to be deluded for a little while longer before he sighed.
He needed to be realistic.
Hikigaya returned his attention to where Hayama and his cronies were.
Around the window seat, Hayama leant against the wall, surrounded by Tobe, Yamato and Ooka.
And just like Yuigahama was the airhead, Ebina the cloud-cuckoolander and Miura the cuckoolander's minder, all three of them had their pre-established roles to play.
"You, man. Our coach started hitting stray balls to the rugby club! Not good! And they were hard balls, too!"
"Yeah. Our club advisor flipped his shit."
"What a pain in the ass! Y'know, at least the rugby team is still good. Our soccer team sucks! Maybe we should devote half our time to playing mahjong too!"
Ooka set up the joke and Yamato carried it. Tobe shouted the punchline. They laughed. They glanced to see if Hayama laughed. Hayama smiles and gives a remark. The process repeats. It was like watching a well-rehearsed play.
'All the world's a stage', did Shakespeare not put it? People only performed the roles that were given to them.
In this case, it was Hayama who inadvertently bestowed upon them their lines and directions, whether he knew it or not. Idiot one, Idiot two, Idiot three. Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum, Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee's second cousin twice removed…
And here he was, saddled with the role of a loner.
At the very least, he liked to think he played it well.
He was in the midst of deciphering what it was Ooka was muttering when his phone buzzed.
Odd.
He could count the number of times he'd receive a message in school with one hand. Usually Komachi asking him to buy something on the way home.
Puzzled, he checked his screen, a single text waiting in his inbox.
Sender: Oberon
Subject: BLANK
Body: 'Get ready.'
…
Since when did that smug bastard obtain his phone address?!
Annoyed, he made to reply him, but before he could even start a draft, the door to the classroom opened with a click.
"Yahallo!"
Hikigaya froze, even as resisted the urge to turn around.
Like clockwork, the classroom suddenly welled with excitement.
"Ah! Oberon!" Someone exclaimed.
"The Fairy Prince is here!"
"Shouldn't you be causing trouble somewhere else?"
"Oberon! I had your ice cream just now!"
"Ah yes," he watched as Oberon raised a hand to his forehead, feigning pain, "truly, I try and try, but that ad campaign will surely end up being my greatest accomplishment in life."
"No way, man!" Tobe laughed, being the first of Hayama's clique to approach him. "You'll be in Hollywood one day! Along with Hiroyuki Sanada!"
"I'd honestly prefer being in the West End, Tobe," Oberon sighed, but rallied himself, "but no matter. Artists rarely get to be remembered the way that they choose to. Debussy was a pioneer in impressionist, experimental compositions, but most people just remember his early work, the comparatively simple 'Clair de Lune'... such is the fate of an artist, I'm sure!"
The class laughed, and Hikigaya watched in wonder as Oberon effortlessly seized control of the stage that was their class.
It was generally accepted amongst the Sobu High student body that there were two students that everyone 'knew'.
Everyone's Hayama Hayato.
Nobody's Oberon.
One was someone reliable, well-spoken, always willing to help you out, the kind of guy you'd be proud to call your friend.
The other was a troublemaker in every sense of the word, flitting from one conversation to the next and never staying long, but his roguish charm and ability to rub shoulders and connect with people regardless of their background ensured that people liked him all the same, even if they didn't know him very well.
Some stars shone impossibly brightly.
This too, he supposed, was 'The Zone'.
"Why are you here?" Miura's eyes narrowed.
"Oh right, before I forget," Oberon reached into his pocket, retrieving a coin. "That's what I owe you, Yuigahama. Thanks again!"
"Eh? Oh it's no trouble– ah!" He flipped it, and it was all the poor girl could do to flail wildly as she made to grasp it in the air, only to be effortlessly intercepted by a strong hand.
"Here." Hayama smiled, handing the coin to her, before turning towards Oberon. "Was there anything else, Oberon?"
Before Oberon could answer him, whatever held back Ebina was broken at last.
"I've dreamed about this day for years!" She squealed, glasses fogging as she hugged herself, shivering. "The two prettiest boys in school, breaching the concrete barriers that separated them, together at last—"
"Ebina…" Miura dragged her away.
"No, no, it's fine," Oberon waved her off, smiling, "we are nothing without our little eccentricities."
He turned to Hayama.
"I just wanted to let you know to come back to the club room after school today, as I'm pretty sure we have a solution to the problem you're facing."
Hayama froze.
Miura raised a brow, even as Yuigahama stammered beside her.
Hikigaya silently removed his earphones as he observed them.
"Problem?" Yamato blinked. "What problem?"
Oberon sighed.
"I heard about this trouble of chain messages being spread around the class about you all. Ghastly stuff." He gestured towards Hayama. "Our dear, reliable Hayama approached us to see if we could help figure out how to stop this, and I'm proud to say I think we came up with something that would make everyone happy!"
"Did you?" Hayama managed weakly.
"Yes!" Oberon puffed his chest proudly, pointedly oblivious to Hayama's discomfort. "By tomorrow, there'll be no messages of foul words and rumors about you all, I guarantee it!"
"Haah, that's a relief, man." Tobe exhaled, patting Oberon on the shoulder. "I didn't think it good to mention it out loud, since Hayama never really sought to talk about it, but no wonder! He was handling it himself! It's been seriously killing the vibe around here, Oberon."
"It has, hasn't it?" Oberon commiserated. "It's such a cowardly thing to do, isn't it? I always thought if you didn't like someone and you wanted it known you should just tell it to their face."
"Oh! Oh! Like that movie we watched!" Ooka snapped his fingers. "Oberon, d'you ever catch that movie with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell? The… The Other…"
Oberon smiled, holding a hand up, before he quickly affected a look of constipated rage.
"No I don't like you," he growled, even as Tobe looked absolutely delighted, "I think you're a fake cop. The sound of your piss hitting the urinal?! It sounds FEMININE. If you were in the wild, I would attack you. Even if you weren't in my food chain, I would go OUT of my way to attack you." He leaned closer to Tobe's face. "If I were a lion and you were a tuna, I would swim out in the middle of the ocean and freaking EAT YOU," he tilted his head, "and then I'd bang your tuna girlfriend."
The class laughed, and a few people even cheered – Ebina had fainted, two boys in close contact clearly being too much for her – even as Oberon returned to his smiling self.
"I love that movie! It's always nice when an actor is aware of how people perceive him, and can joke about it."
He looked around, eyes landing on each of Hayama's friends, before he clapped his hands.
"Well, it's been fun, I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome, the last thing I need is for us to be friends!"
"What's wrong with that?" Tobe laughed. "You can come anytime, man!"
"No, no, I've got a carton of melon milk with my name on it, and I've taken up too much of your time as is!" He pointed towards a still-silent Hayama. "Don't forget! After school! The usual place!"
He waved, amidst goodbyes and cheery smiles, and made to leave the room, though not before giving Hikigaya a significant look as he shut the door behind him.
"Weird guy." Miura muttered.
"Don't say that, he's good for a laugh!" Ooka nudged Yamato.
"He'll definitely be famous one day, don't you think?"
"S-so much material for my BL book, it's everything I dreamed—"
Amidst all of this, Hikigaya watched them all in silence, processing what he'd just witnessed.
He'd planned this.
The borrowing of money from Yuigahama was just an excuse for Oberon to drop in here unannounced.
In-and-out, dropping the stick of dynamite that was Hayama's request into the little pond that was their class, ensuring it went down easy with an antic or two, and everyone was back to normal, chattering happily for the rest of their lunch…
His eyes narrowed, sitting up straighter.
No. Not everyone.
Hayama's smiles were strained, even as he fended off Miura's queries and questioning glances.
Yuigahama was furtively giving him worried looks.
And also…
His eyes landed on one of the three idiots.
Ah.
… So that's what Oberon had intended.
"What was that?!"
It was rare to see the calm and collected Hayama in distress, even as he paced around the Service club after class had ended. "I thought we agreed to handle this delicately!" He cried.
"We did."
"No we didn't! What was the point of all of that?"
Oberon blinked.
"It's not as if I asked each of the three of them whether they did it or not, Jack-Bauer-like. If you recall, I imitated quite a different member of law enforcement." He shrugged his shoulders. "No, all I did was tell you to come here after school for a much-needed update on your request."
"I'm pretty sure you did a lot more than that," Hikigaya muttered, "the Mark Wahlberg impression notwithstanding."
"Well, I wasn't sure how much headway you were getting; Yuighama's clearly a lost cause – bless her heart – so I thought I needed to throw my hat in the ring and provide my assistance as a new member of the Service Club!"
"And that assistance being what, exactly?" Yukinoshita asked, rubbing her temple. "Playing the fool in Yuigahama's class?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Oberon was sporting the smuggest grin he'd ever seen, and his usual grins could be pretty smug, arms spread out in a pose of near-benediction. "I made Hikigaya's job easier!"
Yukinoshita mulled it over, frowning.
"... I'm afraid I don't understand." She confessed.
Hikigaya sighed. "It's like Lupin III."
"Hm?" Yuigahama blinked. "The thief?"
He nodded. "Lupin always sent a calling card before his planned heists. Usually, the measures the people took to prevent the robbery only assisted in his plans, be it moving the item somewhere more secure where he could steal it whilst it was in transit or instilling a sense of panic in his victims that he took full advantage of." He gave Oberon a significant glance. "And here I thought my methods were underhanded."
"Don't flatter me!" Oberon waved him off, before turning to address the rest of the room. "It's all very good for Hikigaya to observe the three, but one can only observe so much in their natural environment! I just made sure their minds were on the sordid subject of these dastardly messages for the rest of the day."
Yukinoshita put a hand on her chin, thoughtful. "… and so, the culprit will act differently."
"Exactly! But I didn't just stroll into Hayama's class to help Hikigaya, no." His eyes gleamed. "It was also to confirm my suspicions as to who the culprit was."
"How'd you figure?"
Oberon turned to him, conspiratorially. "Think about who's most suspicious to you. Recall the messages that we read yesterday. Haven't you noticed one of them is not quite like the others?"
Hikigaya racked his head. Curious, Yukinoshita read the messages off Yuigahama's phone.
Wasn't it all just a lot of drivel and nonsense?
One was a bully, one was a roughhouser and the other…
Hikigaya blinked.
"Huh." He breathed.
He couldn't believe it didn't occur to him. Whatever happened to his 108 skills?
"I take it you and I are of the same mind as to who the culprit is." Oberon nodded, before turning to Hayama. "I think it's safe to say, we've solved the problem! All you need to do now is confront them–"
"Hang on a second!" Hayama raised his hand. "I don't know who it is exactly you're accusing, but I can't just confront them about such a sensitive subject just because you have it in your mind they're the culprit, what if we're wrong?"
"If you want to put an end to this, then that's just the risk you'll have to take." Oberon was completely unsympathetic. "If, by some chance we're wrong, just apologize and tell them what made you arrive at that conclusion. Blame me, if need be."
"That'll just make things worse!"
"Yes, but you'll arrive closer to the truth. They'll understand that it was an… honest mistake; you're friends, and you're trying your best, after all."
"Friends don't accuse each other of these things!"
"Friends also don't send nasty texts to each other, do they?" Hikigaya rhetorically asked.
"Eh, they do, but that requires a certain level of friendship to be reached." Oberon tried a different tack. "I don't like it myself, Hayama, but the fact is, someone has been sending these messages. And all I did in class was point out that there is a problem, throw a negative into the light, a problem that it seems no one within your little group of friends has publicly commented upon for God knows why. You approached us to figure out who's been sending these messages, did you not?"
"I approached the service club for help in making this situation go away peacefully!" He corrected him.
Oberon went blank. "But that's impossible."
He looked away. "You want this entire situation to go away, with finding out who it actually was being a low priority for you, without any form of confrontation at all. Even when you asked us for help, I don't think you have an exact idea of how you want us to pull this off." He rattled off. "We're not miracle workers, Hayama. I believe Yukinoshita said it best that what we do here is teaching a man how to fish and not just giving them fish for a day. You need to take the final steps yourself."
"Oberon…" Yuigahama murmured.
"... If it makes you feel any better, it's not Tobe." Oberon smirked. "When it comes to criminal masterminds, people usually talk about obfuscating stupidity, but take it from me: he's a nice guy, but that one's not faking it."
Hayama looked around in vain, but only Yuigahama seemed to be affected by his distress. Indeed, Yukinoshita was ignoring him, still holding Yuigahama's phone, content to silently stare at Oberon as though he was a particularly engrossing third act.
"Yukinoshita," he tried, "surely you don't agree with this!"
And then Oberon laughed.
"Yes, why don't you tell Hayama what you think about all of this, Yukino-chan?"
The reaction was immediate.
Yuigahama's phone fell with a clatter.
Hayama did a double take back towards the Fairy Prince.
And Yukinoshita…
Hikigaya blinked.
Yukinoshita was paralyzed.
It was the first time since he'd known her that the aloof girl had shown any sense of alarm.
No, not just alarm.
Was that… recognition?
Oberon blinked, looking around in confusion at the mess he'd inadvertently made, before he sighed.
"It seems I overstepped. I can see I'm not welcome." Oberon took out his phone. "I'll leave you all to it, then."
"What are you doing?" Yukinoshita asked sharply, recovering quickly.
The teen busied himself with typing out a text. "In case dear Hayama ever changes his mind as to how he means to handle this matter, or wants to know who ended up benefiting from his ignorance."
He gave a pronounced push of a button, and shortly after, Hayama's phone buzzed in his pocket.
"If you don't end up confronting them, I suppose the matter will be resolved all the same." Oberon stood, pushing the chair back towards the table as he picked up his bag. "Chances are, the culprit's scared enough by what happened today and what our solution presumably entails to not do it again. Probably cleaning up his act as we speak, as a matter of fact."
He took a look around, and Hikigaya noted that he was no longer smiling. "I believe I've done as much as I can."
And with that, he turned, making for the door, an airy hand raised in good-bye.
"Ta-ta."
The door slid open, then shut, and the Fairy Prince exited, stage left.
An eerie silence descended upon the four students in the room.
Yukinoshita remained unsettled.
Yuigahama was staring at the door, unsure of herself.
And at some point, Hayama had collapsed upon his chair, deep in thought.
Hikigaya pursed his lips.
It was up to him, then.
"... you planning on checking your phone anytime soon, Hayama?"
Hayama's face darkened, even as Yukinoshita sighed.
Come on, now, it was a question that had to be asked.
"Hayama," she murmured. And to his ears, that sounded downright friendly, all of a sudden.
"A-ah..." Yuigahama started to life. "I'm just gonna check on Oberon. Make sure he's okay."
"Why wouldn't he be?" Yukinoshita muttered. "I'd say he rather enjoyed it."
"Yukinon." Yuigahama reproached her, even as she hurried after him. "Oberon's only trying to help."
And with that, she left the room, leaving the three of them alone at last.
…
Hikigaya was determined not to be the one to break the silence this time, so he watched as the other boy wrestled with his own thoughts.
"... I don't really have a choice, do I?" Hayama spoke, frowning. "When it's laid out for me in this manner."
Yukinoshita blinked.
He sighed.
"Yuigahama's right. That was unkind and unbecoming of me. I asked for too much." He looked towards the door. "Maybe I should clear things up with him as well–"
"No."
"No?" Hikigaya repeated.
Yukinoshita pursed her lips. "Oberon's actions aside, Hayama's right in that the conclusion you and Oberon have arrived at today isn't a sure answer. It's one thing if we have solid proof, but if you don't want to proceed with this course of action over circumstantial evidence, we will have to respect that and explore our other options."
"You were all fired up on this just yesterday." Hikigaya observed, puzzled. "Whatever happened to your sense of justice?"
Yukinoshita looked away, towards the setting sun, lost in thought.
"... this isn't really like back then," she murmured, "is it?"
Hayama made to speak up, before he looked guiltily away.
Hikigaya observed the two of them, lost in their little world, before he cleared his throat.
"I suppose," he muttered, "if you're not willing to confront him, there's something else we could do. I didn't suggest it at first as it wouldn't solve the problem so much as put a bandaid over it, and you'll have to pretend this whole thing never happened–"
"Oh don't worry about that. Hayama's very well-practiced when it comes to ignoring problems." Yukinoshita muttered.
There she was, quiet fire again.
Hayama laughed softly, even as he turned to Hikigaya with interest.
"What do you suggest?"
Hikigaya crossed his arms. "Well, when you're not with the three of them, have you ever noticed…"
The Fairy Prince was halfway down the steps when he heard the pitter-patter of footfalls behind him.
"Oberon! Wait!"
He stopped, taking a moment to school his expression into something more pleasant, before he turned around, expectant.
Yuigahama appeared before him, stopping at the stair landing as she caught her breath.
"What is it?" Oberon smiled.
The girl blinked, sheepishly rubbing her head. "That was… pretty crazy, back there, wasn't it? I've never seen Hayama so… well… I've never seen Hayama like that before!"
Of course you haven't, you stupid bitch, that was the whole point.
"I've been told I have that effect on people sometimes." Oberon chuckled, affecting an air of helplessness. "You play the fool long enough, you're bound to step on a few toes eventually."
"He doesn't mean it, you know?" Yuigahama tried, struggling to put her thoughts together. "I don't think he wanted to offend you–"
"Perish the thought, Yuigahama. I'm not offended, I'd hate for you to think so." Oberon shook his head. "I realize that what I presented to him today was a difficult decision, and it's natural to react to it in such a manner–"
"You don't have to leave, you know?" Yuigahama interrupted him. "We know you're just trying to help. I didn't manage to do much–"
"I'm sure you did your best."
"But you already figured it out just like that!" The girl insisted. "You and Hikki! You did a good job. And you're good for him, Hikki, I mean. It'd be good for Hikki to have someone to talk to. So don't leave–"
"Relax, Yuigahama."
"Hm?"
"I just thought it best for me to retire for the day. I've done what I could, and now it's time to allow dear Hayama some time to cogitate." He gave a reassuring smile. "I'm not leaving the club, Yuigahama. I fully intend to observe how this little comedy plays out to the very end."
"O-oh. That's good. I'm glad!"
She smiled. It was a kind smile, soft spheres of pinks and yellows and oranges around her, and for a moment Oberon felt pity, and wondered whether he really should put what he observed over the past day to words.
Truth was a cruel mistress, after all. Lies were much kinder.
…
But it wasn't as if he cared one way or the other, did he?
"You're a very nice girl, Yuigahama." His eyes gleamed as he gave the girl a once-over, before he spoke.
"It's almost a shame you stand no chance at all."
"Eh?" Yuigahama blinked, but Oberon ignored her, content to proceed down the stairs as if he hadn't said anything at all.
"I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Y-yeah!" Her voice was muted, and Oberon was sure if he turned around he'd seen the browns and blues of confusion and dawning melancholy before he squeezed his eyes shut.
He didn't have to witness it himself, now, did he?
That was what fairies did, after all. Make a mess of things and let someone else deal with the clean-up. The blasted nickname of 'The Fairy Prince' that had stuck to him all this time wasn't for nothing, he might as well live up to it.
Besides, the girl might have been dense, but he would have been surprised if some small part of her hadn't already arrived at that conclusion.
In the burgeoning romantic comedy that was the Service Club, Yuigahama was the earlobe: just there. Lost between the complicated dynamics between the cynic and the idealist, the hero and the heroine, caught between their interplay with little opportunity to contribute meaningfully. Hers was a role of inevitable loneliness that she refused to see clearly for the stark despair it'd give her.
No. That was unkind of him.
Maybe it wasn't denial, as it was hope that circumstances would change and things could turn out for the better, in a manner that favored her dreams and fancies.
…
"... what a stupid bitch," he murmured, and he made his way outside.
The skies were orange, patterned here and there with pink clouds that resembled trays of Parker House rolls. Students were leaving in twos and threes. The soccer club was packing their equipment. Shouts and exclamations of excitement and irritation, the sounds of students in their youth. A few people took notice of him and waved. Oberon waved back, for it meant nothing to him but something to them. The little cues of yellow were telling enough.
Why must he bear witness to all of this? To what everyone was feeling?
He wasn't happy, and like most unhappy people, knowing for certain that everyone else was happy made him feel that much worse.
Did it really take so little to make these shallow people smile? To make them so revoltingly happy?
…
Oberon sighed.
He looked back, outside the nurse's office, where he usually sat at lunch.
In his opinion, Hikigaya didn't quite go far enough.
Youth wasn't a lie, nor was it evil.
It was just pointless. Lessons. Conversations. Hiratsuka's guidance. Hikigaya's lonerism. Yuigahama's dogged optimism. Yukinoshita's noblesse oblige. Hayama's request.
Bullshit. All of it.
There was no cat. There was no cradle.
Against the people that had ascribed some meaning to it all, surely it'd come off as lies to those that begged to differ.
And now, it seemed he was stuck observing this little farce as three people struggled to find some meaning in their pointless existence.
A meaning that was shaping up to be a romantic comedy, as twisted as it was.
That was fine with him. Every play needed a dandy and a gadfly. Shakespeare himself frequently employed the use of a fool. He read his share of Oscar Wilde. He was sure he could play the role well on his own, meddling and nudging things into its inevitable conclusion.
As Oberon crossed the school gates, he frowned.
His heart was still.
Blankly, he reached into his shirt pocket.
The moth was lifeless, those little wings of papier-mâché no longer fluttering against his chest, those eyes unseeing forever more.
… Half a week had barely passed.
It didn't really deserve to be named after Blanca, now, did it? Not that he wanted to pretend otherwise.
This, too, was ultimately fruitless.
Oberon closed his eyes, silently mournful.
He looked up.
A star was shining brightly even though the sun had not yet set, flickering bravely. Sirius, he was aware of it, but the sight was enough to make him pause in hopes of something greater, somewhere impossibly far away.
Unbidden, the memories returned of another foolish girl, clad in resplendent armor, eyes like his with golden hair, watching him as he tumbled uselessly into the swirling void.
"... what was the point of bringing me here, you stupid girl," he ground out.
No one could have heard him speak.
Those words would never reach anyone, let alone her.
Oberon was alone.
Finally, he smiled, settling his bag more securely on his shoulders as he chucked the little moth ignominiously into a nearby drain.
Airily, the Fairy Prince set off in the direction of the setting sun.
I've been told I indulge in my worst habits of meandering sometimes.
I can't deny it.
From a Doylist perspective, it's just me throwing seeds everywhere hoping that some can be used as callbacks later on and it'd feel thematically appropriate and whatnot. From a Watsonian perspective? It's Oberon speedrunning his understanding of the dynamics within the group.
Some of you may have a better idea of where this fic is going after this chap. Unfortunately, the main bit it teases is still quite a while off. Like the original work, this is very much a slow burn. But we'll get there. Eventually.
Thanks to Fallacies and GenericOregairuFan for betaing.