Making up for lost time
- Chapter 2 -
~The First Request~
~ Interlude ~
For the first time in my life, I've truly experienced what it's like to be heartbroken. If I'm gonna be honest, it wasn't that shocking. It wasn't like it was unexpected, but there was a part of me that didn't want it.
As we sat there on the bench in the park, he ended it. If I were to describe it, I would say it was like ripping off a band-aid. It was quick, that way the pain wasn't so bad as if you slowly pulled it. When you're slow, the pain only gets worse. It lingers, multiplies, and makes the pain spread farther than it should. Even after you pull it off, it still hurts. But if you pull it off quickly, the pain is only temporary. That's why, when he finally told me his feelings, my heartbreak was like a band-aid.
Ever since that day, I've been able to look at those two with a smile. Knowing that my two best friends are happy, makes me happy too. Watching them grow closer after all this time, it does cheer me up a little. Those two have always been weird, never conveying their feelings, not communicating normally, doing things their own way. They're completely awkward together.
So when they begin to make progress, or do something out of their comfort zone, I can't help but chuckle from the side. I'm glad knowing that the pain I felt wasn't all for nothing.
When I see them, I do get a little jealous. Maybe envy is the right word. But I don't do anything about it because I don't want to do anything about it. There's no way I could, it's simply impossible. But there are those around me, like Iroha-chan, who say things like, "it's okay to not give up". It's making me feel conflicted. I want to continue to watch over those two, but she's spurring on these emotions that are deep within me. I don't like it. It hurts as much as the wound on my heart; these emotions that I don't want to feel.
She's trying to make me keep my eyes on the past, make me remember the pain, despite that I had already made the decision to look forward after coming to terms with my pain. "It's already over", I said in my heart. But it seems that the pain isn't over just yet.
2-3
~ The club, Yuzuki, and everything in between ~
Another uneventful day of classes has come and gone. It's what I would like to call, "Dreary days of youth". I'm all alone again in this new class, except I'm here with Hayama and Ebina. An unfortunate part of all this is that Totsuka is no longer here. Totsuka was probably the only person I could say was my friend in school, and now we've been separated in our final year. What have I done to deserve this…?
This is pure torture is it not? It would have just been better to be at least completely alone than stuck here next to Hayama of all people. Then there's Ebina… who's a whole 'nother can of worms. I'm not touching that with a ten-foot pole! A certain girl with a pink hair bun is no longer here either, though I guess that's okay.
But it didn't really matter anyway, I'm okay with my class experience staying the same as usual. Some things changed and some stayed the same. I could say this returning period of solitude gave me a chance to have some alone time.
But there was one specific thing that, in a way, didn't change from last year. A relationship that had no way of being any different this year. Our grades are a little different, not to mention that we're from two different worlds. We're still separated, never in the same class at the same time because of that reason.
The Service Club was the only place where we could officially meet each other during school hours. The distance between us was rather big. In that sense, it didn't change. But there was a slight change in that relationship that was beginning to make up for that distance. Of course, I'm talking about my request with Yukinoshita Yukino. My uh… g-girlfriend… urgh…
Is this real life? For a moment I thought I was dreaming. After all, I was sleeping in class again for the past few minutes. I-I'm not dreaming this, right? I pinched myself, but that didn't do anything except give me pain. I had to come up with a better idea.
I pulled out my phone to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. First, I opened LINE and looked at my recent messages. The fact that I have LINE installed in the first place already tells me this isn't a dream—but that doesn't tell me much, I could be crazy after all. I'm going to need hard evidence to prove I'm not losing my mind.
There in my messages the name Yukino was present. Opening the chat, I saw the last thing I had sent her, which was a picture of myself with Kamakura early in the morning. Underneath that message was her response.
"Here's a good morning Kamakura." Read 6:35 AM
"Thank you, I'll be taking that." 6:36 AM
She's… saving the picture? She didn't say anything about the picture though. No, "Ah, nice photo. You two look adorable" or anything. Hello? Is she shy or just embarrassed to say anything? I hope she isn't just ignoring me… But it's Yukino I'm talking about here, so I can't really complain. Or maybe I should? I probably shouldn't, she might say something really bad that couldn't be taken back. "You thought I wanted to see your dead eyes? Don't think so highly of yourself, it's really gross." Uwah… That's really horrible… She's my partner now, I shouldn't be thinking of her like that. Though I could see it happening…
But this was truly real. I was conversing with Yukino on a normal basis now. Before, we would never talk as much as we do now. We've started saying things like "good morning" or "good night" to each other. Those greetings before and after bed were new and exciting. They were special moments that I would look forward to at the start and end of each day. I couldn't help but think I was seeing a new side of Yukino.
She was surprisingly cute, given her personality. My old perception of her was that she was a scary ice queen with a certain amount of coolness and a glare that could kill you. Well, she still does but it doesn't have as much effect as it used to—for me at least.
Yukinoshita Yukino had sides to her that she's never shown before, so I guess you could say a good portion of her appeal is the phenomenon known as "gap moe". This was a rare occurrence in this world, so I'm completely blessed to be the one to experience it. I'm curious to see what other sides she might have alongside her cool demeanor.
Now armed with this newfound "gap moe" imagery, I have the ability to somewhat take on her stares like they're nothing. Although, I'm not completely immune. The stare she gives me during an argument can still be really scary! But she's entirely cute in my eyes so it's okay, I can take it. Cuteness overcomes all things. That, and maybe love. But cuteness is good too—Nekonoshita… Yukineko…
My mind continues to drift off as I think about Yukino in cat ears. Feeling a little tired from class, I lay my head down on my desk. The sounds of the classroom around me turned into background noise as I drifted off into a small nap, not paying any mind to what was going on around me.
"Hey Ai, have you been to that new café in the mall recently?"
"No, there's a new one?"
"Yeah! My friends were talking about it at lunch. Let's go there, they've got these really cute mugs!"
"Sure, let me pack my things and we can go."
It was another day of normal classroom discussion. My classmates who I don't really know the names of, go about their days as usual. Inviting each other to dinner, to play games together, to hang out until they stop having fun. The sublime days of their youth were just background noise to my ears. But a little part of me was wishing to have a piece of those experiences.
I lifted my head up from my desk because I realized that I wasn't that depressing, angsty, lonely person that I was a year ago. I still had that difficult personality of mine, but I wasn't quick to blame my issues on the world and the people around me like I had done so before. I remembered the me I wanted to be when I first came to school two years ago, before I had that accident.
Reminded of my conversation with Akiyama, I got tired of doing nothing and pulled my phone out once more, opening the LINE chat with Yukino. My mind was focused on the Service Club.
"So today's the day, huh?"
I typed my message and hit send. Surprisingly, she replied back with a good amount of speed.
"Yes. I assume you had a good conversation with Akiyama? We'll discuss it together in the club room. Are you on your way right now?"
"Not yet. I'm still sitting at my desk. Took a nap."
She sent a sighing cat sticker. She's been doing this too, which makes her even cuter. It's almost like she's actually a teenager and not some cold adult in a young girl's body.
"You aren't going to keep sleeping, are you? I hope you don't skip on club work because you are tired spending all night doing useless things."
Oi, what's with that accusation. I'm not always doing stuff like that y'know? This girl is always so blunt…
"No! And I haven't been doing anything useless! I just need to level up my black mage to 80 so I can have all level 80 jobs, it's not useless!"
"I don't know what you are talking about, but it sounds like you have no life."
Tch. I clicked my tongue.
"Isn't saying it's useless relative? Leveling up in video games is pretty important. It's an essential part to playing games."
"But leveling up in a game doesn't improve your grades, does it?"
"Urk…"
She's right… but… It hurts to admit it…. No matter how much time you sink into a video game, there's no real-world benefit that it can offer you. Maybe it can sharpen your reaction time, help with your memory, or increase your problem-solving skills, but it doesn't help with actual problems like homework.
Maybe if it were an educational game, but the only games people like me play are ones meant to entertain. Playing an educational game kind of defeats the purpose of playing a game. For most, they play games just to avoid studying. Although maybe if it were a dating sim focused on math—that would work wonders…
"Listen, I'll have you know it's a fairly fun game! FFXIV is nothing to scoff at, of course it's obvious that I would forget what time it is while playing. But last night was not one of those times!"
"So you were just slacking off like normal?"
"I went to bed normally!"
"I see. Then there shouldn't be a problem. Please make it on time to club today."
"Yeah yeah, of course. You know, about FFXIV, I think even you would enjoy it."
"I don't care, why would I play a video game anyway?"
"Of course you'd say that, heh. There are cats, plenty of cats everywhere. Fat cats, flying cats, baby cats, cat pets, you can ride a cat. You can play as a cat too."
There was a short pause, I could see she was typing. She eventually replied.
"What? You'll have to show me."
I knew that would get her attention. Cats are her weakness, and there are plenty of cats to be had in FFXIV. Though she wants me to show her right now, I can't really do that. I'll just have to send them to her later. I should probably start making my way towards the club room now anyway.
"Maybe later, I'm on way to the club room."
"Hachiman, don't ignore me show me the-"
I closed my phone as she sent me the text, essentially cutting her off. Sorry Yukino, but we'll talk about this later. I was worried about ignoring her text, but I figured it shouldn't take me long to get to the club room, so I think it'll be okay. I grabbed my already packed bag and stood from my chair.
Now came the hard part of the day. I had to walk past Hayama and Ebina on my way out, so I made an attempt to ignore them. But today my attempt ended up being futile, just like it has been every day since the start of the new school year. Hayama turned his head and looked at me even though he was in the middle of a conversation.
"On your way to club, Hikigaya-kun?"
Then he was followed by Ebina who also, unfortunately for me, acknowledged my existence.
"Bye Hikitani-kun!" She gave me a smile and a wave. She's still calling me that… What the hell.
I rolled my eyes, sighed, and slouched my shoulders having caught their attention on my way out. I wasn't too happy about it—rather, it would have been nice to get a goodbye from Totsuka instead…
"Yeah, see ya."
Defeated, I turned towards the door and raised my hand weakly, waving back to them without any real care. It was more of a courtesy for noticing me than anything else. I walked away from the two and placed my hand on the handle, opening the sliding door.
~ x ~
Rumble—rumble, shut.
I closed the door behind me and began walking down the hallway. I was thinking of going to the courtyard to grab a MAX coffee before club. I would do this regularly a few months ago, but recently I've been going to the club room with Yukino by my side. Today was a bit different, I guess we fell back into old habits.
When I think about it, if I hadn't asked Yukino to spend more time with me, would we spend so much time together like we are now? I wonder, what would our lives be like right now if I didn't make that request? I'm glad I did it because my everyday life has been filled with her presence. Any other alternative would have been depressing, maybe even miserable.
Before I could get a good distance from the classroom, I ended up bumping into a girl with peach colored hair and a noticeable hair bun.
"Ah"
"Oh..."
She noticed me first, and all I could do was let out an awkward breath. The girl I just ran into was Yuigahama Yui.
"Oh, Hikki…! Didn't expect to run into you here."
"Yo…" I mumbled under my breath.
Crap, what am I supposed to do here? Start a conversation? I wasn't expecting to run into her before club. As I was thinking of what to do, Yuigahama folded her hands together behind her back and spoke up awkwardly.
"S-So, are you on your way to club?"
"…Yeah, we're going to talk about Fujiwara's request."
"Oh aha, of course. That was kinda obvious, wasn't it? I don't know why I asked that…"
She scratched the back of her head. Was she awkwardly trying to find a way to start a conversation? That was the only conclusion I could come to, after all, this was the first time we've spoken to each other by ourselves since the joint prom. Not to mention, there's still an awkward atmosphere between us ever since that day at the park.
"Are you going too?" I asked.
"Mm." She nodded. "Yukinon messaged me about it."
"Ah, okay…."
I looked away for a second, it was a little awkward to run into her like this. When I looked back at her she was fidgeting and looking at me with eager eyes. A small part of me was curious about what was going through her head, but I pushed the thought away as it would open a can of worms if I asked. I'll deal with this later—I just want to get my coffee…
"Well, I'll go on ahead then. I'm going to drop by the vending machine first. See you later."
To cut off this awkward conversation before it gets worse, I turned and walked away. I was hoping that was enough to let me leave on my own; However, that only caused her to gain an interest.
"Oh, I'll go too!" She perked up all of a sudden and started walking, this time in the direction of the courtyard.
"Ah, you don't have to do that, I'm just going to get myself something. You don't have to wait for me. You can go on ahead to the club."
Yuigahama pouted, not satisfied. "Mmh! I'm going okay! I want to get something as well!"
"Oh, okay, okay…"
Geez, why is she pushy all of a sudden? I guess it's fine if she comes too, but I get the feeling we're not going to get to the club room in a timely manner. We both made our way to the courtyard, yet we didn't say a word to each other the entire time.
~ x ~
Beep—Clunk.
I punched in my selection for my MAX coffee, and then repeated it a second time. I took the second can and slipped it into my coat pocket. After I was done, I turned around to look at Yuigahama and backed away to let her get to the machine.
"All yours."
I thought she was paying attention because she was staring right at me, but she just stood there staring into space.
"Yuigahama?"
"Huh? Oh. Right, thanks." Yuigahama snapped out of whatever was keeping her attention and walked over to the vending machine.
Beep beep—beep. Clunk.
She put her money into the machine and made her selection. Meanwhile I was across the way fiddling with my coffee can. It was chilly outside today, so I was using the warmth from the can to warm my hands. I was also doing it to fill in the silence. This quiet atmosphere… I can't stand it.
"Say, Hikki…"
"Hm?"
There was a slight hint of hesitation in her voice. I-Is she going to address the elephant in the room?
"Um, so. It's been a while—dontcha think we should have Komachi-chan's party this week?"
O-Oh, that's what she wanted to talk about. For a second there, her tone of voice sounded like she was going to say something rather heavy. Now that I think about it we haven't done anything for Komachi's birthday. It's been a month already, who waits a month to celebrate their birthday? We should have done it long ago, but Komachi insisted we wait until all of us could celebrate it together, so we agreed to that.
It took a little longer than I thought, but we can celebrate her birthday without worrying that everyone might not be there. After all, there were some reasons for that, but we avoided that outcome in the end.
"Yeah, you're right—this week seems good. We can even celebrate her getting into Sobu too. She said she'd like that."
"Yeah! We're totally gonna do that! It'll be like—an ultimate party!"
Yuigahama was beginning to slowly brighten up ever since the start of this conversation. I guess when the subject turns to celebrating Komachi's birthday, the mood of any conversation gets brighter. Is this the power of my little sister? Of course it is, why would I ever doubt that? She's the cutest sister in the whole world! Oh, but she's only my sister, got it?!
"I'm getting excited already! We'll have to invite everyone else too!"
She was practically jumping with joy. Yuigahama must really like parties, huh?
"Well, we should talk with Yukino and the others about this later, make it official and decide on a time. Wouldn't want it to conflict with club activities."
"Oh, yeah…"
Yuigahama's excitement deflated as quickly as it came. That was… weird. She's not the type to get depressed like that, but when she does, she wears it on her sleeve. Yuigahama was the very definition of an open book. My curiosity got the best of me and I went ahead and asked, despite me not really wanting to bother.
"Yuigahama… you okay?" I asked, causing her to flinch.
"Huh? Y-yeah! I'm alright!"
She didn't look alright. It was obvious something was bothering her. Was it something I said earlier? Shit, am I really that depressing? Am I so unfortunate that just my words can make girls depressed? Maybe I shouldn't push it, after all, this could probably be deeper than expected.
"Ah, well, if you say so. We should be getting to the club room. Yukino's waiting for us."
"Ye-Yeah." She said pensively.
We returned to awkward silence again, as is normal for the two of us. We both left the courtyard and entered the special building. The distance between us was getting larger and larger, and created a sense of uneasiness. The walk to the courtyard was quiet, but this one takes the cake.
I could ask, "why is she acting like this?" I felt like I knew the answer already, but I wasn't positive if it was the correct one. Even if I did know what the exact answer was, I couldn't think of any way to solve it like I usually do. I never had to deal with something like this before.
"Hikki."
"…?"
I was surprised that she actually said something, so I faced her. Yuigahama was suddenly within two feet of me. Woah, when did she close the gap!? I almost made a scene but the look on her face kept me from overreacting. A weird mood began filling the atmosphere.
"You and Yukinon are really close these days, huh?"
"W-what are you talking about?"
"I mean, you started calling her by her first name. I'm a little surprised, just last week you were using her last name."
"Oh, yeah. I guess that happened..." I remembered the scene from the kitchen and averted my eyes. Thinking of that hug made my face a little heated. Why did I have to remember that now of all times?
"You two've been doing a lot recently too. I guess things are going well?"
"Yeah… I'd say so." I continued looking away out of embarrassment. "Though last Thursday was quite the hassle…"
"Heheh" Yuigahama chuckled. "I'm glad."
I looked back at her.
"For what?"
"You two. I was worried you two would still be the same old, same old y'know?"
"Ah, I-I guess you're right…" I scratched my cheek. "I guess we have been making a little progress…"
"I'm glad." She repeated herself, but this time her face was different. She was looking towards the floor. It was like she made up her mind, or something else entirely. She had a lukewarm smile as her eyes seemed to say, "everything is fine." I didn't know what she was thinking, or what she was feeling. But I had a feeling there was not much I could do.
~ Interlude ~
I reached my hand out to grab his sleeve but stopped myself. I couldn't bring myself to touch him, not after what he said. It was unusually hard talking to him the entire time we spent together. I couldn't think of anything to say, anything to do. This totally isn't normal. I'm acting like a heartbroken girl from a shoujo manga, it's absolutely crazy!
I became friends with someone like Yukinon, so I should be good with someone like Hachiman too right? But I keep failing at putting our relationship back together after everything that's happened. How could I ever do it? All I can feel is pain.
When we were at the vending machine, he bought two cans of coffee instead of one, and snuck the other into his coat pocket. I knew what he was doing without having to ask. He was thinking of her. I was honestly jealous of Yukinon. She had someone like Hikki who gives her his full attention.
When I asked him about using Yukinon's first name, he blushed and scratched his head. He was probably thinking of what happened between the two of them when they were alone. My heart clenched. I felt guilty about still wanting to have a close relationship with him.
Is this the right way? I can't tell what I should do, I want to stay friends with these two but every time I look at him I'm reminded of that time at the park. The time my love was denied before I could have a chance at confessing it. A part of me wants to do something, because after all he never actually said anything concrete, as a certain person would have me believe. Can I even pull it off? I feel like there's only one way this will all end—and that ending scares me a little.
~ x ~
I opened the club room door and entered before Yuigahama. Just like usual, Yukino was sitting in her chair reading a book. But I could tell there was an unpleasant mood here, as she closed her book shut and briskly rose to her feet. Then out of nowhere, I was bombarded by Yukino's fierce but soft voice.
"You… what took you so long?!" Yukino stomped her way towards me. "Hachiman!"
What's going on here? What did I do?!
"You ignored my texts… How rude of you to pique my interest—only to ignore my questions and leave me hanging!"
She punched my chest, but it didn't hurt at all. Once again she hit me with a cat punch. She looked away from my face and looked downwards. Her fingers passionately squeezed my blazer.
"You are so insufferable…"
S-She's mad… I knew going along with Yuigahama to the vending machine was going to end up like this. She closed the distance between us and now stood a mere two inches from my body, not knowing that Yuigahama was present. She's so close…
"Uh, well…" I tried to say something, but Yuigahama revealed her presence.
"Mm, yeah. Yukinon, you two have gotten really close huh?"
"Eh...?" Yukino was startled. She quickly picked her head up and looked at the source of the voice. Yuigahama had stepped inside of the room and was watching us.
"Y-Yahallo…!"
"Ah, uhm. Good evening, Yuigahama-san." Yukino let go of my blazer, straightened herself out, and cleared her throat trying to pretend nothing happened.
"Yuigahama-san, why don't you take a seat already? And Hachiman, you need to work on your manners. You're horrible for ignoring a girl's texts."
"Huh, you sent me texts?"
This didn't sound good. I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
"Ehh, Hikki… you started texting Yukinon, but you ignored her? That's horrible…" Yuigahama gave me a disgusted look. As I was trying to assess my current situation, I was getting glares from the other side of the room. Gahama-san, could you please not gang up on me? I'm in the process of finding out where I messed up!
I unlocked my phone and noticed my phone was still on silent… Then I saw multiple unread messages from Yukino. This wasn't going to be good…
"Hachiman, don't ignore me show me the cats." 3:17 PM
"Hachiman, I hope you aren't ignoring me. Please show me what you're talking about."3:18 PM
"I wonder, are you on your way to the club? Why is it taking so long?" 3:21 PM
"Hachiman, what could you be doing that's making you ignore my texts?" 3:22 PM
At the bottom was a mad chibi cat sticker with "Grrr!" written next to it. Although it was very menacing given the context, it was rather cute. The rather depressing part of all this was that the sticker was sent two minutes after the last message, and the sticker was sent three minutes ago. I was gone for 10 minutes…
"Ah….. Sorry about that… My phone was still on silent." I scratched the side of my head.
I sat down in my chair next to Yukino who had a stern and upset face. I'll have to make amends now so she's not like this during our club meeting. Thankfully, I had just the thing. I wasn't meaning to give it to her as an apology, it was supposed to be a treat. I pulled the MAX coffee out of my coat pocket and offered it to her.
"Here."
"…?"
"I got this beforehand but, I guess this is also an apology. I promise I'll show you the cats later."
Her anger suddenly dropped, and she gently reached for the can.
"T-Thanks…"
Maybe it was the coffee or the promise of cats, but I was able to lessen her anger. Yuigahama was sitting across the table and chuckled, a good sign that she was feeling better too. It would have been super annoying to have both of them not in a good mood at the same time, especially when we're about to talk about Fujiwara's request. I've experienced that once before, and it was not something I want to repeat.
"I guess I can accept your apology." Yukino pulled the tab open and sipped the coffee. "…It's nice and warm."
"Yeah…? …Glad you're enjoying it."
The room returned to its usual atmosphere.
~ x ~
The three of us eventually settled down. Both Yukino and I were reading a book, while Yuigahama was on her phone texting away. It was almost like nothing had changed from our second year. There was a problem, however. We were still waiting for Komachi to arrive.
This is the second day in a row! She's the president of this club and the one who wanted all this to continue, so why is she not here already?! Can she not be bothered to show up on time or be the first one here? Take responsibility dang it!
We didn't need to continue this club, I even said so before. But Komachi was insistent and forced us to join without my nor Yukino's consent. At the very least, she should act like a club president to compensate for our lost time here!
I could understand it, maybe, if she were wanting to spend time with her big brother. Ah, I kind of cried a little there. Komachi, I'm your big brother, right? It's so nice of you wanting to spend time with me! You're the best little sister a brother could ask for!—But that was completely untrue, false, and not the case at all.
Thinking that Komachi was here for my sake is a delusion. In reality, she just wanted to do very selfish things. It was back to how it was in the old days. I was once again being treated like air, like a non-existence. I'm sorry Komachi that your big brother is still the same as back then… But Komachi! Listen to this! Your big brother is going out with Yukino now! So, like, that's something you should be proud of, right? Right!?
My cries go unheard.
While I was crying softly on the inside, my sister finally decided to barge into the room.
"Heyo! Sorry to keep you waiting! Whoa, big bro why do you look so dead-er than normal?"
Crap, I was found out.
"There you are Komachi-san, good evening." Yukino put her book down on the table and greeted her, albeit not pleasantly.
"Komachi-chan, evening!" Yuigahama added.
"Good evening Yukino-san! Yui-san! Let's get club started right away!"
Yukino was looking a bit miffed at Komachi. I could have sworn her eyebrow just twitched.
"Komachi-san, you're late, but at least you are excited to start club activities. If this were a test on your capability as a club president, you would barely pass."
"Ouch, that's harsh Yukino-san…"
"How so? I only spoke the truth."
"Yukino is right Komachi, you need to show up on time since you're the club president. It's not a good image if you keep showing up late."
"Well, I see it as being fashionably late! Isn't it cool? It's totally fine to be fashionably late!" She tried giving an excuse that was typical of her. I wasn't about to let it slide though.
"No, there's no way this is fashionably late. And when is it ever cool?! We should have started 10 minutes ago!"
"U-Uh, that's—A-Anyway! What were we going to talk about today?" Komachi began to mumble then changed the subject, causing Yukino to sigh.
"We need to get all our information together. So, Hachiman, what did you find out yesterday? What is Akiyama-kun's side of the story?"
"Right well, it shouldn't take too long…"
I told them everything he had mentioned about Fujiwara. Not everything though, they didn't need to know about our other discussion.
"So he's clueless as well, I take it?"
"Yeah, she's his first partner too."
"Hm, that might be an advantage we can use. Fujiwara-san is worried because she thinks he's on another level than her, but in reality, he's actually not that unreachable."
"He was a loner like me once, if he can be honest with her I think it would calm her down."
"Though he isn't as depressing or gross as you. Despite that similarity, the major difference between you two is that he was able to move on from that."
"H-Hey…" Why did she have to single me out like that….
"So Akiyama-kun was able to move on from his dark past, huh. I see, so there's still hope for Hikki."
"You make it sound like I was and still am a lost cause…" Though I have to agree, I was definitely a mess back in the day. But I made progress, didn't I?!
"E-Eh, no?! I didn't mean it like that! But, well, I mean…"
No, you really were thinking that Yuigahama. I can't really blame you, however, I'd really like to move this conversation along…
"Anyway, there's something I still don't get." Yuigahama was having a hard time understanding—once again. "Why's he unreachable? They're dating, aren't they?"
She was probably thinking something along the lines of, "They're dating so they should know at least that much, right?". Unfortunately, Yuigahama, not everyone who starts dating is on the same page at the start. It's like those shows when two characters get together too fast or when they aren't ready. There are still questions both have about the relationship, or there's some misunderstandings about their situation. Relationships like that stem from communication problems. In this case, Fujiwara isn't communicating with Akiyama because of her shyness.
"I guess you wouldn't understand it Yuigahama. You don't know what it's like being lower in the social hierarchy than your love interest."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"What, you haven't seen Kimi ni Todoke? It's a super hassle to date someone that is more popular than you. There's rumors, all kinds of misunderstandings, and people get hurt quite often."
"Hikki, isn't that a shoujo manga?"
"S-So? Got a problem with that? Anyway! If you know what it is, then you get what I'm talking about. Their relationship is filled with misunderstandings."
Komachi jumped to her feet.
"So they have a communication problem? Then we just have to clear any misunderstandings between them! Let's do it right now!"
"Wait, Komachi-san."
Komachi was excited about solving the problem, but Yukino stopped her.
"We need to let those two solve their own problem. That's how this club works. She needs to learn so that she can do this on her own from now on."
"Yeah, I guess you're right Yukino-san." She sat back down. "I forgot about that bit, haha…"
"So, what do you two think about this?" Yukino turned to me and Yuigahama.
"Fujiwara needs to have a heart-to-heart with Akiyama if she's going to solve this."
"Yeah, I totally agree. If Ayame-chan is having problems, she should be able to tell that to Akiyama-kun herself."
"That leaves just one thing, the "how".
"How…" Yuigahama muttered.
In order for them to change the one-sided view of their relationship, we need to come up with a solution that lets them convey their feelings. For those of us with no experience, it would be difficult. Even so, I already had something in mind.
"We should each come up with a different idea and see which one would work best. Komachi-san, what do you think?"
Komachi closed her eyes and thought real hard.
"Um, maybe we can get Ayame-san to open up to the idea that Akiyama-kun isn't that different from her?"
"Yuigahama-san? What do you think?"
"I think maybe Ayame-chan should be the one to talk to Akiyama-kun herself."
"Hm, that would work if she had the courage to do it. But I think it would be better if Akiyama-kun is the one to be assertive."
There was only one person left. Everyone's eyes fell to me.
"I think we should just create a situation where they can talk it out…"
Yukino chuckled. "Of course, the master of creating situations would suggest something like that. What did you have in mind?"
"We'll have them go on a date."
"A date?" Yukino pondered. "That's quite simple. I suppose it would give them ample time and chances to talk it out."
"I already talked to Akiyama about it. He showed interest, but I don't know if he'll actually ask her out soon…"
"Yukinon, you two have gone on dates already, right? Maybe you can give Ayame-chan some tips or something."
"W-Well, I'm not sure if they would really help…"
"Don't girls have their own idea of date etiquette anyway? Like the dos and don'ts of going out."
"Hikki does have a point, maybe it won't be that hard after all? We could take Ayame-chan shopping for clothes too!"
"That would depend upon their choice of location, but I suppose we could prepare for any event."
"Don't forget Akiyama-kun! The guy has to be properly prepared too!"
"That's where I come in." I proudly cracked my knuckles, but the girls just looked at me with doubt.
"What?"
"Big bro, I think I should help you with that too…"
I can't even do something so simple….
~ x ~
"E-Excuse me…"
Fujiwara opened the clubroom door and quietly shuffled inside. We waited patiently for her arrival, and it was time to discuss with her.
"Welcome, Ayame-san! Come and have a seat!" Komachi was finally acting the part of club president and greeted Fujiwara.
"T-Thank you." She mumbled. She sat across the table from Yukino and I in the chair next to Yuigahama. She was slightly shaking, prompting Yuigahama to give her a smile in an attempt to calm her down.
"S-So, what do you think?" She asked nervously.
"Well, we talked about it at length and reached several conclusions."
"Several conclusions?" She was confused as to what Yukino meant.
"Fujiwara-san, like we told you before you have to solve this problem yourself. We will only help you with the means. But I would like to ask you something first."
Fujiwara leaned forward to give Yukino her full attention.
"Tell me, what do you think about your relationship with Akiyama-kun?"
Yukino wasn't going to beat around the bush. She was going to get Fujiwara to think about their relationship, and challenge the idea that it's one-sided.
"Well, I don't really know what to say. I think I was just lucky that he confessed, he's so cool after all… I don't know what he sees in someone as boring as me."
"What makes you think that, Fujiwara-san?"
"What? Isn't it obvious? I'm not good looking, nor am I sociable... I'm completely at the bottom of everything—the last person anyone would pick for anything."
"Fujiwara-san, you're being too harsh on yourself."
"Yeah! Ayame-chan, you're not ugly at all, actually, you're pretty cute y'know!?" Yuigahama jumped in.
"What are you talking about?! I-I-I'm not cute at all..." She denied it, but Komachi decided to chime in, in an effort to boost her self-esteem.
"Ayame-san, I can totally see that you were meant for Akiyama-kun. Here—Look at my brother. He was able to get someone like Yukino-san. You don't have to doubt yourself so much, okay?" A rather interesting remark that made me visibly frustrated.
"Ahem." Yukino cleared her throat in an attempt to steer the conversation away from the two of us. What an angel...
"Fujiwara-san, have you not considered that he might feel the same way?"
"W-What?"
Of course she hasn't, this was the current state of Fujiwara's mindset. She's convinced that Akiyama is too good for her, so she continues to doubt herself as she has always done.
"Fujiwara, remember that he was the one who confessed to you first. Do you think he would have confessed if it meant nothing?"
"N-No…"
"It's not like he was doing it as a punishment game either right? He must have been going out of his way for you before then, am I wrong?"
"Akiyama-kun was looking out for me, yes…"
"So there should be no doubt in your mind that he loves you, isn't that right?"
"I… I wouldn't want to doubt him."
"Isn't that it? You just need to have confidence that he'll like you no matter what."
"But—that's the thing—even if I had the confidence, what would I do? Where would I go from there?"
"Fujiwara-san, if you want to continue your relationship with Akiyama-kun, then you need to properly communicate your feelings to him."
"I believe you are right, but…"
"You're already dating are you not? You've gotten over the most difficult hurdle already, so this should be nothing in comparison to that."
Fujiwara sat in silence.
"Ayame-chan, Akiyama-kun feels the same way. If I were you, I would like to talk it out with my boyfriend. I'd want to confide in him, and talk about our problems. Dontcha think that's what couples do?"
"…Uuu… I know—but—I don't know when I should tell him my feelings…"
"You should tell him while you're on a date." I said outright. If they needed a way to confront each other, what better way than on a date.
"A d-d-date!?"
"Yeah, you're dating so it should be easy to do."
"But I couldn't do it so easily… and even if I asked him and we did go out, I don't think I could bring it up. I'd panic and wouldn't know what to do! I-I've never done it before, I've read it in books but t-to do it myself that's...!"
It was no good, Fujiwara is anxiety ridden. Any kind of confidence booster we gave her now would mean nothing since it's like trying to multiply by zero. Everyone in the room was silent, each of us trying to think of something. How could we make sure that her date went according to plan?
Yukino leaned over to me. "Hachiman, what do we do? We can't be there to help her out when she needs it."
"I don't know… and I won't suggest we follow them because it sounds like a massive pain..."
We were stumped, solving her issue from Fujiwara's side alone was near impossible. We'd have to get Akiyama to do all the heavy lifting.
"Maybe we should—"
A sudden slam from the door opening interrupted me mid-sentence.
"I've got just the idea!"
What the hell? Who is this person?
A tall woman with dark blonde hair stood in the doorway. Much like a certain teacher, she was wearing a lab coat, though with a different style. It was clear she spent a great deal of time on her outfit. She had her sleeves rolled up, the coat itself looked custom tailored. Underneath she wore a business suit and skirt, and wrapped around her neck was a cross necklace. She certainly looked cool, but I felt she was going to be trouble.
"I'm really glad I thought about this!"
"E-Excuse me, who are you?" I asked. For some reason everyone else was acting normal, I was the only confused one here.
"Ah that's right, Hikigaya-kun, we haven't met yet." She walked over to us with a confident stride. Everything about her was completely loud.
"I'm Yuzuki, this club's advisor! Believe it!" With one hand on her hip, she took the other and excitedly gave me a thumbs up just like Naruto.
Oh, oh no. They've duplicated! Did she really just say "believe it!" at the end of her sentence!? She's an old shounen-nut just like Hiratsuka!
She has this ex-delinquent vibe, but it would be better to say she acts like an American. She does look half-Japanese; I assume that's the reason for her personality. But something tells me those two might have crossed paths at some point, and if that's the case, I have no reason to doubt it.
"Make sure to call me Yuzuki-sensei by the way, I won't accept anything else!"
"O-Okay… will do I guess…" Yeah... definitely American.
Yukino wasted no time in asking the most important question, which I was dying to know myself. "Yuzuki-sensei, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I just so happened to hear what you were planning." So she was eavesdropping… "I think we can solve all of your problems in one fell swoop."
"What do you suggest then?" asked Yukino.
"Fufu, I'm surprised you didn't think of this before Yukino-chan~ You need to make sure their date goes without a hitch, right? But they need to do it on their own. So…"
Everyone was listening attentively.
"They can learn from those with experience."
She managed to confuse Yukino, who looked perplexed by her suggestion. Of course, we had already discussed about going over date etiquette with Fujiwara and Akiyama, so what was she suggesting that was different?
"What are you even talking about Yuzuki-sensei? If this was about experience, then there was no point in sending her to us in the first place."
"You don't get it?" She pointed at the two of us. "They can watch you two."
"What?" I asked, afraid of what she was about to say. She was putting emphasis on "watching" rather than "learn from".
"You can go on a double date."
I was shocked, no doubt Yukino was the same way. The thought of my role in this going further beyond giving advice sent chills down my spine. I suggested the date yes, but for some reason our advisor here thinks it would be best if Yukino and I tag along too. I'd be supportive of the idea if it were any other couple, but this is me we're talking about. Ignoring for a second that she stole my idea and bastardized it, I couldn't hide my distaste for the plan and rejected it outright.
""I refuse""
Yukino and I spoke at the same time.
"They totally synced just now!" Komachi yelled, but Yuzuki-sensei didn't care about that at all. She was more worried about us refusing it altogether.
"What?! Y'all haven't even heard me out yet!" She was visibly confused, clearly not knowing us that well. "Maybe I should try a different approach…" I could barely hear it but she quietly mumbled under her breath, going back to the drawing board in her head.
With her arms folded shut, Yukino stubbornly continued her refusal. "Because it's ridiculous." The room fell silent again.
"Oh, come on Yukino-san, it's a great idea, isn't it?" Komachi said. She was of course on the advisor's side from the beginning. This was just another plot of hers.
Yuigahama leaned forward towards Komachi.
"Eh, well, Komachi-chan, I don't think they—" she tried to say, but was interrupted by our loud advisor.
"Komachi is right, it IS a great idea!"
Yukino sighed. "You haven't given up..."
"Well Hachiman was the one to suggest it in the first place! They need supervision, and you two can help them out."
Hold on a second, "That was obviously not what I originally said! The words "double date" never came out of my mouth!"
"Eh, it's pretty much the same thing," she shrugged.
"No it isn't!" This bitch! If it wasn't for the fact that her power level exceeded mine, I'd throw hands right this second!
Yuzuki-sensei quickly walked over this way, which made me instinctively flinch. I thought maybe she read my thoughts, but all she did was lean down between me and Yukino and wrapped her arms around our necks. Her cross necklace dangled from her neck and her hair lightly brushed against my shoulder. Too close!
"Listen, why don't you two trust me?"
"I didn't think this is what you had in mind..." Yukino said.
"Hey, dontcha think this could help y'all out too?"
"I don't think we necessarily need this. We can always work it out by ourselves." I said.
"Sheesh, you two... Experiences like this can always make you wiser. See things from a different perspective." She let go of us and stood upright. "I guess I have no choice then... well, I didn't want to have to do this."
I squinted my eyes at her, then she went and opened her mouth. "Hikigaya-kun, you should man up some. I don't see what the trouble is ~(- ε -)."
It was like I got shot through the chest in an instant; I fell back into my chair. Unfortunately, Komachi added insult to injury.
"Right?! I've always told big bro that he needs to get out more!"
I continued to sink into my chair. My [conflict avoidance] senses were tingling which prevented me from fighting back. This woman wasn't going to budge and even put my pride as a man under fire to do it... Sorry Yukino, it's all up to you now. I put my faith in your horrible stubbornness!
"And you too Yukino, just think of it like going out with friends. You don't have to do anything crazy~" She teased Yukino, clearly enjoying it.
"But it's completely different!" She retorted, audibly upset. I rose from my deflated state hearing a different tone than what I expected. Up to this point she appeared calm, but as time went on, she got more and more flustered—and angry. Her emotions were clearly written on her face.
"Hmmm? Is there something that Yukino-chan isn't capable of? Oh my, I thought nothing bothered you. I guess Shizuka-chan was wrong about you after all."
"That's… not really the issue here…" Yukino held her right arm tightly. But despite her clear discomfort, Yuzuki-sensei continued to pester her.
"I guess showing little Ayame-chan here the ropes is too difficult for you. A shame, I guess you won't be able to solve her request. Their relationship is doomed, DOOOMED...!" She said, acting overly dramatic. What the hell is wrong with this teacher?! She's making my eyes hurt!
Yukino's mood quickly changed from perturbed to offended, and now looked at Yuzuki-sensei like she had just punched a cat—a reaction I know all too well. Inciting her anger would normally ruin any plans at winning, but unfortunately Yuzuki-sensei was going to get what she wanted, obviously issuing her a challenge like that. I sighed and brought a hand to my face. I was going to be dragged into this even if I didn't want to, and believe me, I don't. It's just that if Yukino is involved, I'm involved too. That's how it was going to be from here on out.
"So that's how it's going to be then?" She closed her eyes, flicked her hair back, and looked at Yuzuki-sensei confidently—as she's always done anytime anyone issued her a challenge. "We'll do it then, if you think it's so beneficial."
Proud, confident, and beautiful. Though I knew it was going to be a pain for me, it didn't seem so bad when she said it like that. But her slender fingers were gripping onto my jacket at the same time, and I could feel how much strength she was putting into it.
"Yukino, you..."
"It's fine." She said under her breath. She didn't want me drawing any attention to it. I simply kept my mouth shut and let her continue.
"Ooohhh nice!" Komachi clapped her hands excitedly, while Yuzuki-sensei celebrated to herself. I'm certain Yukino is aware that she played right into her hands. Though why she let it slide so easily, I can only imagine she had a sudden epiphany in the middle of all that pestering. But still...
"I guess it wouldn't hurt?" I shrugged and addressed to no one in particular.
"Big bro, that response is really lame... But you're making progress after all! I'm so proud of you!" Komachi wiped away her fake tears. I decided to ignore her.
"Yukinon, if you think it's a good idea then I agree. I think it'll be super fun...!" The earlier worried Yuigahama was now supportive of the idea, given Yukino gave her okay. But Yukino still had her reservations about it.
"I don't know about fun..." She looked away embarrassed. In order to get the spotlight off of her, I moved everyone's attention back to Fujiwara. Apparently, I was the only one who was aware of her current state.
"I think you've forgotten what Fujiwara thinks about this."
She had been silent this entire time. By the time everyone else turned their attention to her, she was already a complete mess.
"A what? A double date, that's crazy! A date is crazy but…!" She murmured to herself. She was spiraling into a hole of anxiety.
"Fujiwara-san are you okay with this?" asked Komachi.
"Eeep! What? What's going on!?"
She wasn't paying attention at all… Komachi explained the situation to Fujiwara.
"How about it?"
"I don't know… That sounds pretty embarrassing… and difficult."
"Ayame-san, I believe you can do it! Have fun with him and tell him your feelings!" Komachi gave her a big thumbs up.
"B-But what if I never bring it up? I'm sure I'll miss my chance!"
Yuzuki-sensei folded her arms, and with a smile on her face did her best to assuage her fears. "Komachi is right Ayame. But I'll tell you this, it won't happen right away. If you take your time you can open up to him when the time is right."
"Even if it takes all night?"
"Even if it takes all night."
"I see..."
"Yep, so go with the flow! If you see a chance, take it! Hesitation is your enemy!"
"Uhm... well..." Fujiwara was nervous, but she was clearly changing her mind. She raised her head and looked at the rest of us.
"Well, if you give me that much support… I guess it's not so bad."
And thus, everyone was onboard with Yuzuki-sensei's plan. It wasn't exactly what I planned, but I guess the end result is the same. Relatively. Who am I kidding, this is going to be a pain in the ass.
Afterword:
Hey there, this is a heads up for anyone new reading this or returning readers catching up. The next chapter after this is a "soft ending," but it isn't the actual completion of this story. If you didn't know I announced over a year ago that I was rewriting the story, and I'm getting close to being able to post it. 2-4 is super short, and is meant to be an extra chapter. The reason is that I hadn't gotten far into 2-4 before dropping it entirely and starting from scratch, so there's literally nothing of substance after that. What I did was compile what was fleshed out enough to be a cohesive chapter. If it's a bit weird to you, that's why.
- Amethyst Ninja