Walking past Sayori's home, I continue my walk to school. '...How troublesome.' At least, that was the plan.
Walking up to her front door, I knock twice.
…
Nothing. Knocking again proves fruitless once more. Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I do the unthinkable for a loner.
I called her.
"..Hello?"
She answers after 4 rings, sounding like she had just woken up. "Don't hello me, get your ass out of bed and get ready. I'm not waiting longer than 5 minutes for you."
"Eh? It's alrea-"
Hanging up, her timer starts. Leaning myself against the wall next to the door, I feel my patience slowly wither away. 'The things I do to get back home…' Distracting my mind with the passing clouds, the minutes painfully go by.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the front door creaks open, revealing a disheveled Sayori with messy hair and sleepy eyes in her uniform. She squints at me, the morning light illuminating her face.
"You're early." She mumbles, rubbing her eyes with one hand.
"No, you're late." I roll my eyes and push myself away from the wall, and start heading to school.
I hear Sayori stumble after me, trying to catch up. "Wait, wait! Slow down a bit, will you?" She calls out, her voice still groggy with sleep.
I slow my pace slightly, allowing Sayori to catch up. "You should learn to set your alarm properly." I say, glancing at her with a hint of annoyance. "I shouldn't have to wake you up."
"Don't be like that, Hachiman… Either way, you did this because you wanted to, not me." …Cheeky brat.
"...You're right." I admit begrudgingly, ignoring the grin she was throwing my way. 'Not like I could tell her why I did it…'
With that same smug grin, she nudges me playfully. "See? It's not so bad being considerate once in a while, Mr. Loner."
'I don't appreciate the violation of my personal space.' Rolling my eyes for a second time, I scoff at her words. "Watch it, Sunshine. I have my limits."
Sayori giggles, undeterred by my cold response. "Sure Sure, Grumpy Pants."
I don't respond, choosing instead to focus on the path ahead. We walk side by side, the silence between us punctuated by the occasional rustle of falling leaves or distant chatter of other students heading to school.
It's surprising that she doesn't bring up what happened on Friday, but I wasn't going to go out of my way to bring it up.
As we start to approach the school gates, Sayori nudges me again. "Hachiman? ...Do you think we can have lunch together?"
I glance at Sayori, her expression hopeful yet slightly uncertain. For a brief moment, I considered rejecting her offer. But… I can't afford to do so.
"Fine." I say with a sigh, relenting to her request.
Sayori's face lights up with joy, her eyes sparkling. "Yay! It'll be like our first year…Ah, but don't conveniently forget. Got it?"
"Yeah whatever." Slowing my pace as something catches my gaze, her eyes glance back at me in confusion.
"Hachiman? What is it?"
My eyes darted back to her. "...Get to class."
Nice Girls.
I have made my hatred for them very apparent. Yet, Sayori Watanabe is somehow the one I can't bring myself to hate. The airheaded childhood friend who can't help but help herself to any and all snacks, is the one I can actually stand being near.
"Watanabe-san! I l-like you, please go out with me!"
A stereotypical confession behind the school building, near the tennis courts.
It's not that odd now that I think harder about it. Sayori can be honest, a lot more honest than most other nice girls.
"Me? Really? Gosh…"
Yes, she'll lie. Yet, who doesn't? The crucial distinction is that her lies are not fueled solely by a desire to please others. She lies because…
"I'm really sorry, but I already…"
…She is a hypocrite.
"...like someone else."
Like me.
Taking a sip of my coffee, the bitter flavor reaches my taste buds. Taking another sip doesn't help, and only makes the preexisting bitterness worse. '...Life sure is bitter.'
In my peripherals, I see someone sit next to me. "You probably heard all of that, didn't you?"
"No idea what you're talking about." Taking another sip, I continue to stare out at the clouds. "Did you know him?"
Feeling a stinging sensation on my cheek, I notice Sayori's fingers pinching my face. "Hmph. Liar."
'Why are women so prone to violence?' Lightly smacking her hand away, I rub the pain away.
"If you must know…No. I don't think I ever met him before. Which is weird, because who confesses to someone you barely or don't even know?"
…
Sighing, I finally look at her.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
Yes. An annoying smile. "No." Looking back at the clouds, I hear her giggling.
"Oh, I know…You want to know who I like~." Not particularly, no. "Well, I'm not telling." Great.
"What makes you think I'm interested in your love life? Last I checked, that is none of my business." Taking another sip, I hear her sigh.
"Honestly, Hachiman. You could at least act like you care… What will you do when we're finally adults?" You as an adult is a scary thought, Japan wouldn't be able to handle you.
"Become a househusband."
"Eh?! B-But aren't we moving too fast? I mean, we're just friends… not that I'm opposed to the idea, but there's a pro-" I don't even want to know what else you're muttering about.
"Who said anything about being with you?" I respond, slightly disturbed at the thought. "Anyways. Any news on the club?"
"No, but I'm sure everyone has gotten over Friday…"
"As if." Rolling my eyes at her naivety, I sigh as the memories of Friday resurface.
"What the hell, Monika?!" Pinky was…reasonably angry, and she even had Yukinawa-senpai backing her.
"Monika, why didn't you consult with us first? This is a serious breach of our trust!" At the time Sayori looked like she had something to say, but didn't voice it.
"Why didn't you say anything? You are the vice president, aren't you?"
"...I don't know. I guess I just froze up…" Froze up? …Right.
"And by doing nothing, you achieved nothing. Nothing has and will change if you continue doing nothing."
"H-Hey…That's a little harsh, isn't it?" She recoils at my words, and no it's not. "I couldn't just choose a side. I don't want to just dog pile on Monika, but I know that she's in the wrong here…"
'…It'd be stupid to call her exactly like Yuigahama, but the similarities between them are undeniable.' Watching the clouds go by, I let out a long exhale. "Why try so hard? No matter what you do, you'll never please everyone." I wonder… does she actually care about the bonds she shares with them?
"...I had a feeling you'd end up saying something like that." It comes as no surprise to me, the weekend showed me how well you actually know me. Too well, in my opinion.
It makes me wonder if this truly is a game or not.
Looking her way, I notice how Sayori's eyes glisten with a mixture of sadness and understanding. But instead of retreating into her usual cheerful self, she takes a deep breath and gathers her thoughts.
"You're not wrong. No matter how hard I try, someone will have to lose in this situation." A small smile forms on her face, yet it doesn't seem to hold much happiness in it. "I hate how right you are sometimes."
I raised an eyebrow, surprised by her response. Sayori's acknowledgment of my observation catches me off guard, and her willingness to admit the truth is much more surprising.
"That doesn't mean I'll just give up, though. I care about our club and the well-being of its members, and I can't just sit back and do nothing while things continue to fall apart." Her determination shines through her words, and I... She had something special with everyone in the club…
And I was intruding on it.
After School, Club Hall
Arriving at the door of the Literature Club, I find Sayori waiting outside. "What ar-"
She puts a finger up to my mouth, effectively silencing me. 'This woman needs to learn the importance of personal space.'
"Just listen." She whispers.
Moving her finger away from my face, I lean onto the wall next to the sliding door. Listening in on the conversation happening inside.
Monika's voice reaches me, though her words were for those inside. "-at's why I did what I did. I apologize for what I did, but I really didn't have a choice."
"...S-Stop bowing…It's really awkward, and…apology accepted. Just…don't do it again." Pinky, being the tsun-tsun she is, accepts the apology, albeit slightly awkwardly.
"...That isn't why I'm annoyed, Monika. I'm upset that you never bothered giving us a choice, you left it all until the very end…and…and...Nevermind." …What? That's out of nowhere.
"Yuri-senpai? …Ah. Hey, you two! Haven't you learned about respecting people's privacy?!" Oi, this wasn't my idea to begin with.
In a swift moment, the door to the club opens, revealing an amused club president. "Come on in before Natsuki bursts a blood vessel."
Sayori, who was previously frozen still, now answers after a couple seconds of silence. "...Ah. R-Right!" Sayori walks into the clubroom, with a more resolute look in her eye.
Staying where I was, I noticed the interested look given to me by Monika. "This doesn't involve me." Turning around, I walk off without a destination in mind.
Service Club
Running my finger across the table's surface, the dust sticks to it, leaving a visible line. 'I wonder what they'd think if they saw the state of the club.'
Oh? As expected of Hiki-lazy-kun. Can't even keep the clubroom clean during our absence.
Seriously Hikki? You could at least clean every once in a while.
'Oi, why am I the one to blame? …Stupid Imagination.' Walking to the back of the service Club, I open the locker that should have cleaning supplies. Inside, I find a cleaning spray and giant roll of paper towels, along with other stuff.
Grabbing the spray and a handful of paper towels, I get to work on the table. Spraying the table down, I wipe the entire surface. Spraying it down again, I wipe it once more with cleaner paper towels.
Putting back the cleaning supplies and throwing away the trash, I open the window to let out the dust in the air. 'To work is to lose…but if i-'
"I knew you'd be here." Hearing the door slide open, I make eye contact with the emerald orbs of the Club President. "You're smiling again, are you sure it isn't because of me?"
Consciously curling my mouth into a frown, I try not to show my annoyance at her. "I'm sure."
She's unfazed by my quick rejection, walking past me and to the table. She drags m-the only chair, and places it at the center. Sitting on the chair, she leans into the table and rest her head on her hand, though her eyes never seemed to leave me. "Let's talk, Hachiman-kun."
Staring at her for a moment, I click my teeth in annoyance. "We have club." I remind her, as I attempt to leave.
"Are you sure?"
'Very.' Placing my hand on the door, I feel a chill run up my spine.
"Even if it has to do with how you got here?"
To Be Continued…
Ugh. Pushing out this chapter has been hell. Writer's Block is very real and it sucks…Which is why I hate this chapter. I just despise it.
You guys let me know if you like it, and if it gets enough hate I'll remake it.
Already dropping the Monika bomb, so soon too. God. I don't know what I'm doing. (I do…somewhat)
Subaru…Damn it, I've got Re Zero on the mind.
Ahem! Hachiman knows somethings up with Sayori, but can't quite put his finger on it. Or he does know and doesn't want to reveal it yet, the cons of being an unreliable narrator.
I fucked up. It had been so long since I watched Oregairu S2 that I chose such a shitty spot in the story for him to appear in DDLC. Recently re-watching it, I find out they're on talking terms by this point, BUT it's still before the amusement park so it's still salvageable.
Normally it wouldn't matter, but considering I want to implement romance into this story, it matters now.
I want to say Hachiman already likes Yukino by this point but I can't be too sure. And I don't know I'd this is Canon or Fanon, but I once heard the second Hachiman first stepped into the Service Club and saw Yukino, he fell in love. I want to say this is Fanon, so I will not have that be the case, but that doesn't change the fact that Hachiman still feels something for her after all the time spent in the club.
AHHH! I HATE WRITING! SO MUCH! AAAAAAAHHHHH! SO MUCH MISINFORMATION EVERYWHERE! I DONT HAVE TIME TO WATCH 3 SEASONS OF ROMANCE! AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!
Anyway. Other issue; how to love?
It's a matter of making this actually be believable, and I'm off to a great start, aren't I? Hachiman assuming that dating one of the dokis will get him home isn't a leap in logic…Nope, not at all. Then there's the issue of making the dokis/Hachiman fall in love.
The Dokis…they're attractive sure, but God do they need help. Hachiman…he's a character, all right. Re-watching Oregairu reminded me of how much of an asshole he can be at times. (Rarely in the later seasons, but it happens.) Still love him tho.
I wanna cry now.
Review answering time! Yay!
MALT T: Chapter 4 was Omake 2, which has been combined with chapter 3.
bluecookie420: I know! I'm just very deprived of attention…Uwah…
Thank you…
And Monika wins the Valentine Omake series, that doesn't affect the main story because it's NON-CANON.
G0dz1llex: Thank you, and I'm sorry if I made it a bit too confusing. With both Hachiman being an unreliable narrator and I being a novice writer, it was probably bound to happen.
And please…I can only take so much bullying.
MeetraSurik8: Thank you, and I know…I should have waited to drop it, but I was too excited not to. I also wanted you all to not be starved of content.
DDLC and Oregairu characters interacting? That sounds like a great spin off story, too bad I'm already so busy writing this. (And other stuff)
Oh man…I think I'm going to cry. Are you happy?! Because I am! Thank you so much for the kind words.
Incognito74: I only aim to please, my dear friend.
Completely normal: At this point just…Nevermind, I'm not angry! Nope…Alright, let me tell you something-
I probably won't. Due to this being its ending. (For now)
…I guess that's all for now. I will probably drop an Author's notes chapter in a few days. Just ranting, and will keep it up until the next update, so if you have any questions that don't go into spoiler territory, I'll answer. Though if you were to ask me who Hachiman ends up with, I might answer.
For now though? Goodbye and Good Night!
Love you…