WARNING : I am not a native speaker. One of my reasons to re-write this fict is because I want to practice my English even just a little. So, read it with a grain of salt and please enjoy yourself.
—OoOoO—
Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami
Oregairu by Wataru Watari & Ponkan8
Genre : Supernatural, Action, Freindship, Slice of Life, and Little Bit Romance
Summary : Not the romantic comedy of youth that he experienced, not the quiet and normal life of youth he had. He never missed his day-to-day cursing his strange and annoying life. He is Hikigaya Hachiman and this is all his complaints as a jujutsu sorcerer.
Chapter 15 : And Then, Their Summer Begins.
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Saturday, around 9:00 a.m., Chiba University was not as busy as usual. Even though it was a weekend, Chiba University usually still had people walking around and doing activities on campus. Usually, some students carried out alternate classes, scheduled research, scheduled seminars, worked on projects or just hung out with friends.
However, the scene this spiritless-like young man witnessed was quite different from what he usually saw.
'If I knew only one gate was open and the queue would be this long, I would have left earlier and found a place to relax inside.'
Hachiman complained when he saw that there were still around 20 people in front of him lined up neatly.
Queuing was a natural thing for Japanese citizens. However, not everyone could come to terms with long lines. Hachiman was one of them. His face, which had always been impassioned, was now even more wrinkled, and his eyes looked even more rotten. If Hachiman lost even the slightest bit of control, maybe he wouldn't even notice releasing a little bit of his cursed energy—which felt really disgusting—out and affecting other people.
The reason Hachiman's mood was so low right now wasn't just him having to stand in line. However, there was something else that made Hachiman feel annoyed.
The boy felt a soft vibration on the cellphone he had been holding in his right hand. Reflexively, Hachiman picked it up and pressed the power button on the right side of his phone to see who had sent him the LINE message just now.
A sigh came out as the young man looked at the name on the screen and saw a preview of the message. Because the message was short, Hachiman could read it without opening his LINE.
'Sorry, I really can't postpone my work now,' such was the content of the message.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, the woman who was supposed to come with him, suddenly cancelled her appointment because she had other work that she suddenly had to finish as soon as possible. This, of course, prevented Hachiman from entering the seminar room, as Hiratsuka was the one holding the free pass for him now. And if Hiratsuka had told him earlier, Hachiman would have preferred not to have gone here in the first place.
Unfortunately, apart from telling him suddenly, the woman also said that she had acquaintance already on campus and wanted to buy on-the-spot tickets for Hachiman and accompany him to the seminar hall.
'Besides, why do they only sell the tickets for students and alumni, anyway?'
Well, this was not the first time Hachiman had come to a seminar organized by the college. As far as his experience goes, the organizers would divide the tickets based on the quota. For students, it would usually be 60%, for the public, it was 30%, and for alumni, 10%.
Because most alumni were already busy with their own lives, the quota for alumni was often left over and would be transferred to whoever would buy it on the spot.
However, this seminar was different. 80% was used for students and 20% for alumni. And because the organizers knew that not many alumni would come, the remaining quota could be used for the public, but on the condition that they must be friends or relatives of students or alumni.
In other words, if you didn't have a connection with one of them, you couldn't attend this seminar.
Hachiman's distance from the gate gradually eroded, and the line before him decreased. The fruit of his patience paid off when he finally became the one in the front row and was guided to the checkpoint.
"Please, raise your hands and open your bag," said one of the inspectors.
Hachiman opened his waist bag and raised his hands as instructed. After that, the officer started groping several places on Hachiman's body, such as the pockets of his blue jeans and examined his upper body, which was wrapped in a white shirt.
Well, different from usual where he preferred to wear only perfunctory clothes. Because he was going to attend a seminar this time, he chose to wear a semi-formal outfit. Slightly tight jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt—whose sleeves he rolled up to his elbows—were his choice. The hem of his shirt, which he tucked into his jeans, made the teenager look more alive than usual. A height of up to 177 cm made Hachiman look even more ideal.
Well, it's just that his dead-fish eyes and dull expression made people think twice about Hachiman.
While waiting for the officer to check his body and belongings, Hachiman took the time to look around.
Chiba University had several gates to enter the campus area. However, as far as Hachiman could see, what was currently opened was only the main gate. It's only half opened, though. Moreover, the number of CCTVs around the gate was also more than he remembered when he visited here last year. And more importantly, the inspection of everyone who entered, which they had never done before, caught his attention.
"Thank you for being cooperative. Now, may I see your student card? If you are not a student here, you can use another ID card and please state your needs."
Hachiman blinked several times. He had no idea there would be such a procedure. Well, the queue and checkpoint were about eight meters away. So, Hachiman didn't know about the examination procedure even though he joined the queue.
However, without thinking, Hachiman took his wallet from inside his waist bag and took out his Sobu High School student card. The officer observed him and recorded some important information, such as the name and address printed on the card.
"Hey, you're not going to do anything weird with this data, are you?" asked Hachiman.
The officer just smiled as he heard Hachiman's question.
"Of course not, and sorry for the inconvenience," he replied with a smile while looking back at the information he had written down, "So, errr… Hikitani…-san?"
"Hikigaya," Hachiman interrupted quickly.
"Pardon me. Hikigaya-san, do you have any needs at Chiba University?"
"I want to see today's seminar."
"Can you show me your ticket or invitation letter?"
Hachiman was a little confused in response because he didn't have both.
"Can't I just show it to the event clerk? I mean, I don't bring it now."
"This event is only limited to students, alumni, relatives or acquaintances. Do you have any acquaintance?" Asked the officer and was answered with a nod by Hachiman, "In that case, could you call your acquaintance here to fill out the accountability sheet?"
Hachiman's mouth opened with a stupid expression. The thing was, the one who brought Hachiman here was Hiratsuka. Then Hiratsuka couldn't come and be replaced by her acquaintance. However, his mentor did not give Hachiman anything about the name or contact of her acquaintance.
"Okay, wait a minute."
Hachiman opened his cell phone, about to contact his mentor. At this stage, there was nothing else Hachiman could do but contact Hiratsuka directly. However, a familiar voice echoed in the boy's ears before Hachiman could press the green icon on the screen.
"Don't worry. He is with me."
Hachiman and the officer—no, even everyone around them—turned their heads towards the source of the voice. Even those who couldn't hear her voice, their attention was attracted to her as if the figure had a strong magnet on her.
"Haruno-san?" Hachiman muttered subconsciously.
Hachiman's rotten eyes now widened at the figure approaching him. His eyes, which usually looked like dead fish in mud, now turned into dead fish in a garden pond. There was no difference, but you could see the positive side if you changed your point of view.
Whenever the dead-fish eyes met Haruno's eyes that radiated the warmth of spring, Hachiman always felt the melodious music ringing in his ears. As if unaffected by the stifling summer air, the woman continued to flash her reassuring smile and spread joy to anyone who saw her.
However, more than anyone else, Hachiman knew that behind the beautiful melody he listened to every time he met Haruno, there was also a final boss music accompaniment that gave off an intimidating pressure.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hikigaya-kun."
Haruno wore a white long-sleeved shirt with thin black stripes. She tucked the hem of her shirt into black pants with a loose bottom. To keep her pants from falling, Haruno wore a brown belt.
There was no jewellery on her body. No bracelets or expensive watches were wrapped around her hands. And only a tiny black bag hanging from her right arm. However, even though no luxury items were attached to her body, the woman's appearance was exquisite and classy.
Yukinoshita Haruno didn't need fancy jewellery to beautify her body because her figure embodied luxury and majesty.
Haruno, who just came, now turned to look at the officer, who examined Hachiman.
"Where can I fill in the data as a guarantor?" She asked while taking out a pen from her bag.
Hearing Haruno's question, the security guard nervously pointed out the points Haruno had to fill in. Haruno nodded slowly and wrote whatever was needed without any such difficulty.
"Th- thank you for understanding, Yu- Yukinoshita-sama," said the security guard while bowing deeply, "Hopefully, you and your friend can enjoy a good time on campus."
Haruno nodded and showed her sweet smile. Didn't forget she bowed slightly as a reply and politeness.
"Come on, Hikigaya-kun," Haruno said and Hachiman nodded.
The two strolled side by side, and of course, they became the centre of attention.
Yukinoshita Haruno was not only the belle of the campus, but she was one of the highest figures standing on top of the social structure at the university. Yukinsohita Haruno was the embodiment of perfection. And seeing Haruno walking with a boy, anyone who saw them couldn't help but be curious.
"By the way, sorry for the strict inspection ahead," Haruno said, breaking the silence, "After the terrorism and theft incident at the Chiba Museum, we have no other choice but to tighten the guard."
"Well, no problem. That's understandable."
The attack on the Chiba Folk Museum, destroyed mainly by Turbo Granny, Quanxi, and Hachiman, caused many macro effects on Japan, especially in Chiba Prefecture.
Because the damage was said to be severe, the Japanese government had no choice but to cover it up as an incident of terrorism and the theft of historical objects in the museum. Some special units that were tasked with clearing traces of the fight couldn't do much because the damage couldn't be covered. Therefore, they changed the scene in such a way as to match the damage caused by terrorism.
In addition, if the only missing object in the museum was Hijikata Toshizo's sword, the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association—with the approval of the Japanese government—also took other items so that the true motive could be covered up. Therefore, the information circulating in the media today was the loss of historical items at the Chiba Museum, not just Hijikata's sword.
Unfortunately, even though the government and associations managed to cover up the actual incident, that didn't mean they could be free from the domino effect. Making terrorism a major issue puts Japan's credibility into question.
Japan had long been known as one of the countries with a low crime rate and high prosperity. The government did not disclose the background of terrorism—which did not exist—making other issues grow. This lack of clarity drove the public's trust slightly decrease.
The biggest problem was the economy and productivity of the people who had been hit hard.
Japan, known to be safe and investment-friendly, suddenly occurred in cases of terrorism and looting of a museum, making some foreign investors withdraw their capital. As such, the stock market in Japan was still in the red zone.
In addition, the incident made the activities more restricted. Every place in Chiba had stringent inspection procedures. Administration for goods to be distributed becomes longer. Access in and out by sea had been tightened.
Ultimately, everything that became more stringent put the citizens into a dilemma. On the one hand, they feel relieved because the government worked hard. On the other hand, they feared that terrorists would retake action at night.
"By the way, what about those who come in private vehicles?" asked Hachiman.
"In addition to the main gate, the East gate is also opened for those who bring private vehicles."
The University of Chiba, the Nishi-Chiba campus, had several gates. However, the main gate on the South side and the East gate were the ones that people frequented. Therefore, if there was an emergency like this, the two gates were used as the main entrance and exit of this campus.
Chiba University may not rank as one of the best universities in the world. However, this campus remained one of the favourite universities in the country and was built on a vast land surface. In fact, as a special dedication to creating a comfortable environment for learning, Chiba University had three different campuses.
The first campus was the Nishi-Chiba Campus. This campus was arguably the main campus and was established for general undergraduate and graduate school programs. In addition, several main buildings were on this campus, such as the rectorate building, main library, sports centre, and others.
While the second was the Inohana Campus. The campus was close to the Chiba Folk Museum, where Hachiman and the gangs fought. Because the Chiba University hospital was also built in this place, the Inohana Campus was automatically dedicated to schools of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry, et cetera. Even though it's not the main campus, the atmosphere on the Inohana Campus would feel very different and seem more luxurious. After all, a lot of money flowed into this place.
While the third was the Matsudo Campus. This campus was relatively new, having only been established a few years ago. This campus had a large plantation area with complete facilities. The main focus of this campus was on horticulture and all kinds of plant nurseries. However, here you could also learn about agriculture in general and in-depth. That said, this place was one of Japan's best places to study agriculture.
"Hey, Hikigaya-kun, did this onee-san manage to surprise you?"
Hachiman glanced at Haruno with a lazy look.
"Yes. I was so surprised, and I want to go home right now," Hachiman sighed and continued, "So, the acquaintance Hiratsuka-sensei was referring to is you, Haruno-san?"
"That's how it is."
"And how did you come to know Hiratsuka-sensei?"
"I used to go to Sobu High School, you know. You could say that Shizuka-chan and I are quite close."
'Shizuka-chan? Hiratuksa-sensei, huh? Well, that sounds pretty cute. However, I can't imagine that she can get along with someone like Haruno-san.'
Hearing Haruno's answer, Hachiman wanted to end their conversation. However, there was something that still made Hachiman curious.
"Did Hiratsuka-sensei tell you that I will be coming here?"
Haruno shooked her head slowly and replied, "Not really. At first, she just told me to help one of her students to attend the seminar here. Well, she didn't give me a name and I just agreed. And just a few minutes ago, she informed me that her student had arrived at the gate and said that the student was you."
Hachiman didn't immediately buy Haruno's story. He was currently facing Yukinoshita Haruno, the superior version of Yukinoshita Yukino. Dealing with Yukino alone made Hachiman had to rack his brains. Because of that, he didn't want to lower his guard in front of Haruno.
"In short, you can just leave right after helping me get the tickets, right?" asked Hachiman again, indicating a subtle expulsion to Haruno.
"Hahahahaha…."
Haruno couldn't help but laugh when a stranger—not her family—could dare to throw her away shamelessly.
"I was thinking that way. However, after I found out that it was you, this onee-san wanted to accompany you," Haruno replied as she drew closer to Hachiman.
The boy's cheeks blushed slightly when his arm accidentally nudged the side of Haruno's asset. However, Hachiman was able to regain control of himself quickly. He didn't know whether Haruno noticed a slight change in him. Either way, Hachiman hoped that Haruno didn't notice.
"No need to bother. You must be busy, right?" said Hachiman, who was still trying to gently drive Haruno away.
"Right, I'm very busy. Therefore, you should be grateful that this kind onee-san took the time to accompany you."
"Well, I don't need your kindness, anyway."
Hachiman knew that his words just now might sound harsh, and he was completely conscious of what he said. Just, Hachiman didn't want anything to do with Haruno right now. Hachiman wasn't someone who would say pierce words for no apparent reason. However, Haruno was the obvious reason for Hachiman to say those words.
The boy hoped that Haruno would be annoyed and that it would be better if she hurt. And then, Hachiman hoped that Haruno would reconsider her decision.
Hachiman would probably get a bit of a scolding from Hiratsuka when the woman discovered he had been disrespectful to her acquaintance. However, Hachiman was sure that Hiratsuka would understand his actions if he explained the reason.
"You see, this onee-san is a benefactor. I don't mind sharing kindness even if you don't need it," Haruno replied with a mischievous smile.
Hachiman felt like throwing up at that bullshit. Her words were exactly like the politicians who want to attract voters during the election. Her mischievous and confident smile seemed to show that Haruno didn't care about the nonsense or lies she spoke as long as it could lead to her goal.
'Besides, didn't you say earlier that you wanted to leave immediately if it wasn't me? Where is that kindness you mean to others, Haruno-san? I'd be very flattered if someone put me above other people, though. However, if that someone is you, for some reason, I rather torturing myself by watching Todo Aoi's naked body.'
Seeing Haruno's stubbornness made Hachiman subconsciously sigh. At this rate, Hachiman realized that Haruno would not leave him alone, no matter what he said. Continuing to reject Haruno would only make her even more attracted to him.
Hachiman could later knock Haruno unconscious by stinging her brain using the cursed energy. However, he wasn't so lowly that he used his supernatural power to escape from an ordinary human.
'Wait a minute, can Haruno-san be categorized as an ordinary human?'
On the other hand, Haruno also had a similar opinion. She followed Hachiman because she had a specific purpose. There was something she wanted to find out from Hachiman. However, Haruno couldn't just go ahead. She needed to measure how much Hachiman rejected her. And she realized that Hachiman had very high self-defence toward her.
The two people with the same clothing theme—a white shirt—walked side by side and were occasionally greeted by a gust of wind. Their footsteps were parallel and had the same Rhythm as if they were subconsciously trying to get used to each other.
Even though small conversations that might seem trivial were thrown from each other's mouths, in reality, Hachiman and Haruno's minds were currently in a state of defence and attack, respectively.
'Yukino-chan has a strong resistance whenever I tease her. Hikigaya-kun's resistance is equally strong, but the two are very different. Unlike Yukino-chan, who feels uncomfortable because I always tease, Hikigaya-kun is not like her, but he wants to reject me.'
If it was an ordinary person dealing with Hachiman, they might think that Hachiman felt uncomfortable and disturbed by their existence. However, Haruno could see a slight difference. No, to say that Haruno could "see" the difference was something a bit of an exaggeration. Rather than seeing, Haruno's intuition was more precisely that she should stick to Hachiman.
However, if Haruno did that and continued to hide her intentions, Hachiman's defences might just get bigger. If that's the case, Haruno would have difficulty dealing with it. And if she beat around the bush too much, Hachiman's suspicions would definitely increase.
Haruno was a cautious person. She preferred to talk about topics that relaxed the other person while slowly digging for information without the person noticing. However, when Haruno spoke to Hachiman, she felt this method would not work because the boy had been on high alert from the start.
That's why, based on the considerations she had thought through, there was no better choice than to confront Hachiman head-on.
"By the way, the incident at the masquerade last weekend was really horrible, wasn't it?" Haruno asked casually as usual.
The summer breeze that blows should bring a feeling of warmth and peace. However, what Hachiman felt right now was different. That cold, bone-chilling feeling was like dragging Hachiman into a heap of spring snow.
The overwhelming coldness behind her words, but the sensation as warm as spring on her charming presence, made Hachiman realize how dangerous Yukinoshita Haruno's poison was.
"Right. I felt like I wanted to pee my pants at that moment," replied Hachiman, who was miraculously still able to remain calm.
"Really? I was really worried because you suddenly disappeared like that," said Haruno.
"Sorry. This might sound pathetic, but I was really scared and left at that point."
The girl peeked slightly out of the corner of her eye to see Hachiman's reaction. However, the boy didn't show the reaction she expected.
Hachiman's vigilance was heightened when Haruno brought up the topic of their meeting at the masquerade ball last weekend. Maintaining an attitude to avoid appearing suspicious before Haruno drained more energy than he had expected.
"Well, that's understandable, anyway," Haruno replied again, lowering the tension between them.
'Even if I say so, your reaction is still suspicious, Hikigaya-kun,' Haruno said in her mind, 'Normal people when frightened tend to freeze in place for a while to process information. However, you, who instantly disappeared, were not the reaction of a frightened person. Whether you had seen anything similar or something, this is what I want to know.'
You couldn't say that Haruno's goal was noble because everything she did was just to quench her thirst.
"You were working part-time there, weren't you? Isn't there any gossip or something going around among the workers?" Haruno asked while looking straight at Hachiman, who was walking beside her.
"What gossip?"
Haruno lifted her head and looked up at the blue sky. Her right index finger tapped the tip of her chin, indicating that she was in a cute thinking pose, even though it was just acting.
"Gossip among workers. I mean, something like does anyone know the cause or not, or maybe it's just conjecture?"
Hachiman would not fall into the poison of Yukinoshita Haruno's charm. Even if Haruno showed a coquettish manner, it wouldn't be enough to fool Hachiman.
Put that aside. Hearing Haruno asking about the cause of the incident at the masquerade party, Hachiman couldn't help but think that Haruno had also asked the other workers the same thing. In other words, this was a trick question. If Hachiman's reasoning didn't match the answers Haruno got from the other workers, her level of suspicion would increase drastically.
'Even though I know her intentions, this is really difficult for me. I don't even know how many answers Haruno-san has gathered and what pattern of answers she has.'
Basically, Haruno, who had interviewed all hotel employees one by one separately, had a relatively large number of answers. Everyone's answer was, of course, different. However, even though they were different, you could still outline them. That was called the answer pattern. As long as the pattern or outline was the same, no matter how different the way Hachiman answered, it wouldn't make any difference.
"Who knows. I'm not close to them at all. I'm just a freelancer."
Japan had a reasonably unique employment system. You could find part-time and freelance positions in any work sector in this country, especially in the service and hospitality sectors. Why? Because part-timers and freelancers were paid less than permanent employees. The advantage was that you could appoint one of the part-timers as a permanent employee if needed.
Well, capitalism.
That aside, Hachiman, who worked as a freelancer at the event, had a work contract, and his name was officially registered on the event worker list. Haruno had confirmed it herself. There were no suspicious documents on staff details and event organizers. In other words, Hachiman's presence at the masquerade party was not against the rules.
Hachiman's reasoning that he didn't know anything about the rumours circulating within the staff was also quite reasonable. As a freelancer, he was no different from a foreigner. Whatever was in the staffing kitchen was none of his business, and he had no interest whatsoever in it. So, Haruno couldn't help but accept Hachiman's answer.
'Even though you don't have anything to do with internal matters, that doesn't mean you can just let go of what you see,' Haruno thought.
The masquerade party incident was no longer an internal hotel staff problem. The incident happened before the very eyes of the VIPs in this country. The fact that the incident was covered up by the emergence of various scandals and corruption cases made the VIPs reluctant to speak out for fear that their names would be used to cover up the case.
In other words, they didn't know what really happened, but they did know that there was a "big power" behind all of this. It made them instinctively not want to get involved with the "big power" to fear they would be sacrificed.
That was what Haruno was trying to pursue. She had asked the staff whether anyone tried to keep their mouth shut or not. The answers and patterns that Haruno got she would confront Hachiman with.
"Honestly, it's really weird and feels unreal, right?" Haruno said again, "I even asked the workers there."
Hachiman, who heard that, subconsciously swallowed his saliva with difficulty. To be honest, he didn't know what to do at this point to make Haruno less suspicious of him.
"Tell me, did you also get silence money from someone, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Eh? Is that what you wanted to know?" asked Hachiman.
Haruno nodded slowly and replied, "I mean, It's very strange to see this case not becoming a trending topic."
Hachiman was silent for a moment, thinking about what Haruno said.
'She asked. Did I also get the money shut up? Does that mean other employees get silent money? No, is Haruno-san telling the truth?'
Haruno's question was a trick question. Such a question could only be answered with "yes" or "no". If you go beyond those and give a lengthy explanation, you just showed that you tried to cover up your lies. Hachiman knew very well the pattern of such questions.
Unfortunately, the questioner was Yukinoshita Haruno. Hachiman couldn't read the true meaning of Haruno's question.
In the jujutsu world, Hachiman was one of the rising stars. His abilities and knowledge were recognized as being on par with first-grade sorcerers. However, Hachiman was still a boy whose experience was still limited. He had been involved in many battles and fought various enemies, from cursed spirits to humans. However, Hachiman very rarely got involved with behind-the-scenes affairs.
Jujutsu sorcerers like Hachiman were those who stood at the frontline. While those who took care of the remnants of the jujutsu sorcerers' work were the assistant managers.
Public speaking, human relations, controlling public opinion, and such were the skills of the assistant manager. How the assistant managers deal with victims or witnesses of the jujutsu phenomenon was also included in controlling public opinion.
Fortunately, even though Hachiman didn't know how the details worked, he knew in general terms.
'Leading me to answer "yes" or "no" is a trap. If I answered "no" and it turned out that the employees really did get the hush money, I would be caught lying. If I answered "yes", Haruno-san would ask "what did I get to keep my mouth shut?". And the more I answered, the clearer my lie became.'
"Well, some people came to me, but I ignored them before they said anything to me. I mean, what happened that night was already fearful, and I don't want to get involved in anything," Hachiman replied with a low tone and a gloomy expression.
The safest answer to avoiding a question like the one Haruno asked was not to answer "yes", nor to answer "no", and of course, not to give a long reason. Hachiman, from the beginning, had consistently played the role of a "cowardly teenager" to avoid the topic of events at the masquerade party. If you consistently play your cards right, you could devise a plausible excuse and simultaneously cover up other potential questions for Haruno.
In this case, Hachiman said that someone had approached him, but he ignored it from the start, implying that it was possible that Hachiman would get some hush money—no one knew—but he ignored it and didn't give the person a chance.
'In other words, this is the perfect excuse to avoid a "yes" or "no" answer and get me out of Haruno-san's trap,' Hachiman thought.
In a way, this was Hachiman's victory for now. In front of them, now near the main hall, which was used as a seminar room. This conversation would automatically stop because Haruno knew too that she couldn't carelessly discuss the topic when there were so many people around. That way, Hachiman could breathe a little easier, and when he was done from here, he would swear to avoid Haruno for the rest of his life.
However, without Hachiman knowing, Haruno was hiding her smirk behind her sweet smile.
'Bingo! You really know something, Hikigaya-kun!' Haruno was ecstatic in her heart.
Hachiman thought that he could get out of Haruno's trap. However, in reality, he was ensnared by Haruno's provocation.
Haruno's question, "did Hachiman get the money shut up too?" was a trap, and the woman had already guessed that Hachiman was aware of it. The question indicated that Haruno knew—or at least—asked hotel employees on a similar topic. Yes, Haruno did ask them. However, in reality, Haruno had never asked them about the money to keep their mouths shut.
Haruno didn't ask, not because she didn't have the chance, but because Haruno's sources didn't dare to talk about it. From the start, they were already terrified when Haruno started bringing up the topic of the incident. It was a real fear, and Haruno could see it clearly. Haruno could feel it because she still felt the same fear every time she remembered it.
However, the woman's curiosity was far greater than her fear.
Speaking of fear, Hachiman, who could tell that someone was approaching him, was already weird.
Look, you couldn't say all Japanese were academically or technologically aware. Japanese society was also not much different from people from other parts of the world. However, Japan was known for its secretive and cautious people. No matter how stupid or low their education level, they knew topics they could talk about in front of people and topics they couldn't.
Simply put, Japanese society was a group of people who were good at reading the room.
You could find Japanese people who were very talkative and friendly. However, on some topics, these same people would be very secretive. They would refuse to talk taboo without guarantors, lawyers, or police.
That's why Haruno couldn't extract information from the witnesses because Haruno didn't meet those qualifications. Not to mention the fact that the incident seemed very sensitive.
And right now, Hikigaya Hachiman, even though he was acting scared and his tone was shaking, made a little yet fatal blunder. If he was terrified, to the point of being able to disappear from the scene instantly—as he said—he should have had the same fear and would rather avoid this topic.
Unfortunately, Hachiman had programmed his defence system from the start to try to dispel Yukinoshita Haruno's suspicions of him. If he was scared, his defence system would reflexively avoid all kinds of topics.
Like when a needle suddenly stabbed your hand without you noticing, your defence system reflexively pulls your hand away because your brain perceived the needle as dangerous.
And therein lies Haruno's psychological misdirection. Haruno realized from the start that Hachiman had considerable resistance towards her and could also give the young man a direct attack. If his response was to refuse, avoid, or run away, it meant that Hachiman didn't know anything and was really afraid of what happened.
However, if Hachiman fought back by trying to undermine Haruno's suspicions, it meant that Hachiman's fear was a lie.
Haruno snorted tiredly, which of course, was just acting.
"Too bad, I thought you knew something, Hikigaya-kun."
Hachiman was silent for a moment before answering. He did think he could avoid Haruno's trap. However, the restlessness in his chest still could not go away.
"Sorry for not meeting your expectations," replied Hachiman, to which Haruno gave a soft nod.
Humans were basically the same as animals. Humans ranked higher because they had logic, while animals didn't. However, the survival instincts of humans were not much different from theirs.
Haruno looked at Hachiman's face with a charming smile on her face, but deep inside, there were many kinds of questions that the woman had hidden.
Hachiman noticed the pair of violets staring at him. The boy turned and looked directly into those eyes with a faint tinge of red that graced his cheeks.
"What?" asked Hachiman, which Haruno shook her head again.
'In the wild, there are only two ways for animals to survive. First, run away whenever you see danger or a predator. Second, being a predator and preying on other predators. Hikigaya-kun, which one are you?' Haruno thought.
That was another case that Haruno wanted to know about. For now, at least, she was sure that Hachiman knew what was going on and that the boy might know a world that Haruno had never seen.
Again, that was another case. Today was a big step toward her investigation. There was no need to rush into the next step. All Haruno needed to do was lower Hachiman's guard against her, which would take a lot of patience and time.
Because of that, Yukinoshita Haruno made a decision.
"You know, this onee-san is still angry because you suddenly left me, you know."
"Err… I apologize then."
"Date."
"Eh?" squeaked Hachiman, surprised and half unsure of what he heard.
When they arrived near the hall entrance, many people looked at them—Hachiman more precisely—with envious and hateful eyes. Haruno pulled the ends of Hachiman's arms down so the young man's height could reach her mouth.
Leaning slightly to narrow the distance, Haruno brought her mouth close to the boy's ear.
"Instead, take this onee-san on a date, okay?"
Hachiman, who heard those seductive whispers, couldn't do anything but blink his eyes a few times. A soft breath hit his ear, making the young man's body shiver slightly. An unbearable blush appeared on both of Hachiman's cheeks.
The boy immediately withdrew his body after he regained his senses. He looked at Haruno questioningly. Meanwhile, the figure who made him uncomfortable gave a broad smile so beautiful that it made it hard for him to breathe.
Paying no heed to Hachiman's reaction, Haruno walked towards one of the places where the QR code scanner was. The woman took out her smartphone and opened the email to find the QR code used as a ticket to enter the seminar.
'Right, no need to rush,' Haruno thought with a smile still on her face, 'I managed to confirm that Hikigaya-kun was aware of the incident. Next, I just need to learn about the world I didn't know about from him. This may be difficult, but if I can understand Hikigaya-kun's further, I will also be able to see the mysteries of this world.'
Yukinoshita Haruno had never previously believed in anything related to the supernatural. However, the events on the night of the masquerade and the incident at the Chiba Folk Museum made her admit that there were things in this world that cannot be explained by logic. And for her, this was her first step to seeing that new world.
Unfortunately, Yukinoshita Haruno never thought that the new world that awaited her was just a hell full of curses and despair.
—OoOoO—
The seminar about nanotechnology-based energy science went on longer than Hachiman expected. He thought it would only last three hours, like a typical seminar. However, the number of speakers who attended the event turned out to be more than he had expected.
Luckily, the materials they presented were not dull, and the presentations were pretty good. So, Hachiman didn't have to worry in case he fell asleep during the seminar or something. Well, Hachiman was a geek, but that didn't mean he could stand the ramblings of some people for hours on end.
"Are you sure you can eat this much, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Of course. Besides, hearing people rambled for five whole hours really makes me hungry."
"And I thought you came here mentally prepared for that?"
Hachiman glanced at Haruno briefly and then continued walking with a tray full of food in his hands. When his feet had brought him to a row of empty tables, only then did Hachiman—along with Haruno—stop and decide to sit down.
"Well, I actually rarely go to seminars. I usually only watch free seminars on YouTube," Hachiman replied after he sat down.
Free seminars on YouTube were an excellent option for nerds like Hachiman. He didn't need to wait for a particular speaker to present material on the topic he was interested in. You only need to type the name of the professor or university in the search field. In fact, if your ears could bear an Indian English accent enough, you could find a myriad of tech sciences in abundance.
"Looking for material on YouTube? What are you? A final year student working on his final project?"
Hachiman ignored Haruno's words and focused more on the food in front of him.
"Sorry, but I'll eat first," replied Hachiman, who ended their conversation for a while.
The University of Chiba's Nishin-Chiba campus had three cafeterias. The first cafeteria was a cafeteria that focused more on halal food. You could also call it a halal centre. The second cafeteria served a variety of noodles. While the third cafeteria served various types of donburi, along with toppings.
And it was in the third cafeteria that Hachiman and Haruno were. This cafeteria implemented a buffet system so you could customize whatever you wanted to eat. As for Hachiman himself, he ate a bowl of gyudon as his main dish. However, on the side, there were other slices of beef, such as one serving of gyukatsu, three tempuras, a few slices of salmon, and two boiled eggs.
As for drink, Hachiman only had one glass of water. Why? Because the water was free, he didn't want to spend more money on his lunch.
On the other hand, Haruno only ordered a small portion of the vegan poke bowl—a donburi variant for vegetarians—and a small bowl of mapo tofu. On her left was a medium-sized orange juice.
They ate their food quietly, especially Haruno, who had a perfect table manner. However, in just seven minutes, Haruno heard the sound of a glass cup being placed on her right side.
"Thanks for the meals," Hachiman said as he pressed his palms together.
Haruno, who now only had a few mapo tofu left in his small bowl, couldn't believe how quickly the teenager finished his entire meal.
After putting down his bowl and drinking his orange juice, Haruno couldn't help but comment.
"You can finish it all so fast?"
"Well, this is normal for me."
Haruno only blinked her eyelids a few times in response. For the size of a Japanese teenager, Hachiman was indeed quite tall at 177 cm. However, even though Hachiman only ordered gyudon as a main dish, the other dishes that Hachiman ate was equivalent to the portion of two adult men. And consuming it all in less than ten minutes was quite a feat, according to Haruno.
Well. In Japan, the people were famous for their fast-eating habits. However, no matter how fast you eat it, it would take you at least 13 to 15 minutes to finish the equivalent of two adults.
Plus, Hachiman's way of eating didn't seem messy. Even Haruno barely heard the sound of his chopsticks.
"What's normal to you seems abnormal to others, huh?"
Hachiman, who happened to be drinking, felt like he was about to choke at Haruno's slur.
"Really? I think a lot of people are crazier than me when it comes to eating speed, though. Like Korean YouTubers with their mukbang videos, for example," replied Hachiman.
Haruno didn't answer immediately because she was currently wiping her mouth with a tissue.
"That's why I said it's abnormal. I can't even think about it. Is your stomach okay? Your menu is full of meat, right?"
The meat was high in calories, protein and fibre. There was nothing wrong with high amounts of meat as long as you didn't have a disease like cholesterol. However, what was wrong was devouring meat or being in a hurry. Well, not only meat, all kinds of food were not recommended to be eaten in a hurry.
However, in Hachiman's case, eating meat was a must. Apart from that, he was still in his growth period, and his profession as a jujutsu sorcerer required him to have a prime body. Because of that, high protein foods like meat were an obligation Hachiman couldn't leave behind.
Or at least, that's the reason he used to say. Even though, in reality, Hachiman was just a geeky teenager who didn't like eating vegetables.
Hachiman didn't reply to Haruno's words. Instead, the teenager looked at Haruno's small portion of the vegan poke bowl, which had run out and the mapo tofu, which had only gravy left.
"Speaking of food, doesn't your menu look so sad, Haruno-san? Vegetarian? Are you that depressed or something?"
"Pfft…," Haruno responded, trying not to laugh, "I'm not a vegan. I've eaten meat for breakfast this morning. So, I only eat small portions at lunch to maintain my diet."
Instead of commenting on her diet program, Hachiman just let out an "oooh" from his mouth.
"I didn't expect. I thought a rich person like you would have bread for breakfast or something," Hachiman commented a bit disconcertingly.
"What if I have bread for breakfast?"
"No. I mean, it's just that conglomerate families in television dramas are always seen having western-style bread breakfast. Besides, let me tell you something. Breakfast toast with jam or even a sandwich will only make your day depressed."
"Are you an Asian pride or something?"
"Nah. I just put rice as the main meal above anything else."
In anime, there may be clichéd scenes where the main character was late for school and took only one piece of bread. The scene became popular and why many young people imitate it today was still a mystery.
'If you don't have breakfast but have the guts to eat bread while running, at least eat cup ramen, you dickhead. You only need two minutes to brew it. And you can brew and eat it as you walk.'
As the two—only Haruno—was enjoying their free time while waiting for the organs in the stomach to finish digesting the food they ate, a guy suddenly filled the row of empty seats before them.
"Haruno-san?"
Haruno, who felt called, looked up and saw a blonde-haired teenager. Haruno was slightly surprised, but she quickly covered it with one of her masks.
Hachiman, who sat on Haruno's right, couldn't help but set his sight on the figure greeting the woman next to him. Realizing who the boy was, Hachiman was a little annoyed. Hayama Hayato, that's the boy's name. For some reason, Hachiman didn't like seeing a thick-faced nice boy like Hayama. To him, Hayama was just a cheap version of the true nice boy like Okkotsu Yuta.
The boy named Hayato shifted his stance and turned to look at Hachiman. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Hayato, who knew the boy, could only stare at him in silence questioningly.
"You are … Hiki—."
"Oh, isn't this the Hikitani-kun that is often scolded by Hiratsuka-sensei?"
Hayato's words were cut off by the big mouth of brownish-orange hair who had just joined him.
'Hikitani? Who? Is it supposed to be me?'
Just as the big-mouthed teenager—whom Hachiman didn't know his name—came two girls.
Hachiman knew one of them. The girl with long blonde hair with a bitch-like appearance was Miura Yumiko. At least, Hachiman had spoken to her directly. Like when she brought cookies request, and when she got into a bit of a conflict with the tennis club.
The other was a shoulder-length black-haired girl. Hachiman couldn't remember. Thanked for his terrible memory of remembering faces and names, which made Hachiman forget to remember the girl with glasses. However, he felt like he had met her somewhere in the past.
"Hikio? Never thought I'd meet you in this place," said Miura.
Hachiman ignored that, and his eyes focused a little more on the bespectacled girl who was now waving her hand kindly at him.
"Who are they, Hikigaya-kun? Your friends?"
Heard Haruno's question, Hachiman turned to look at the woman beside him.
'Such a question? My friend? Isn't it obvious that this blonde guy came here first and called your name, Haruno-san?'
Then, he looked down again—at the table—and sighed softly. He knew what Haruno meant. Haruno wanted to play and act like she didn't know Hayato.
"Nah. I just happen to be in the same class as them."
Miura, who heard it was a little disapproved. Miura, who had exchanged several words with Hachiman, considered the boy her friend. Although not close friends like Yui, Hayama, and the others.
"It just happens to be one class, you say? Are you fucking kidding me, Hikio?"
The young sorcerer looked at Miura with his expressionless face.
"Apart from you and this guy," said Hachiman while pointing at Miura and Hayama, "I don't even know the names of the rest."
Ebina Hina—the name of the girl with glasses—smiled sadly when Hachiman didn't remember her, who was in the same middle school as her.
"That's rude, Hikitani-kun. We've even been in the same class for a few months now," commented the big-mouthed guy, "Or, are you just shy to meet us when you're on a date with this beautiful onee-san, Hikitani-kun?"
'Who are you calling me Hikitani, you punk?' Hachiman protested in his mind.
Hachiman's annoyance suddenly evaporated when he felt a springy sensation on his left arm. At the same time, he also felt that Haruno's hands were now embracing his left arm.
"Seriously? Do we really look like a couple on a date?" Haruno chirped.
The springy sensation made Hachiman's brain lose its function for a few seconds. Even though he was a jujutsu sorcerer who had seen the various evils of the world, Hikigaya Hachiman was still an ordinary healthy teenager. You could even say that having his arms pressed against the sides of Haruno's breasts was a very new experience for him.
However, Hachiman was a swindler. And being a swindler, he quickly corrected his expression and demeanour. As a result, Hachiman politely grabbed both of Haruno's hands using his free right hand. In slow motion, Hachiman let go of his left arm.
Even so, he felt disappointment mixed with relief when he didn't feel any resistance from Haruno.
"You guys… are dating?" asked Hayama in disbelief.
The blonde boy couldn't take his eyes off the sight of Hachiman's right hand, which was now gently gripping the back of Haruno's hand. On the other hand, Haruno, who thought her play had given her the desired result, gently removed her right hand from Hachiman's grasp.
"No. Haruno-san only accompanied me to the seminar," the young sorcerer replied curtly.
"Oh, so her name is Haruno onee-san, huh? My name is Tobe Kakeru," said the orange-haired boy with a big mouth, "I was waiting for Hikitani-kun to introduce you, but Hikitani-kun seems to dislike having his date disturbed."
Hachiman—who was again called Hikitani—could only let out a sigh. Because he had been called Hikitani many times by the big-mouthed guy, who he finally knew was named Tobe, Hachiman forgot the feeling of embarrassment because he was thought to be dating Haruno.
"The name is Miura Yumiko."
Hayama hesitated a bit as to whether he should introduce himself or not because he had known Haruno from the start. However, seeing Haruno acting as if they didn't know each other made Hayama inevitably have to follow the game.
"I'm Hayama Hayato. Nice to meet you, Haruno-san."
"I'm Ebina Hina, nice to meet you."
Hachiman looked at the bespectacled girl with shoulder-length black hair. He still couldn't shake the feeling that he had met the girl somewhere in the past.
On the other hand, Miura, who knew that Ebina went to the same school as Hachiman in middle school, glanced at the boy sharply because he didn't seem to recognize Ebina at all.
"Nice to meet you, guys. The name is Haruno, and just call me Haruno onee-san."
Hachiman glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. The fact that Haruno only mentioned her first name caught Hachiman's attention a bit.
Even though Haruno was a Yukinoshita, that didn't mean everyone would know her. In fact, from the Yukinoshita family, only the head of the family, Haruno's and Yukino's father, was known to the public because of his status as a politician and Chief Cabinet Secretary.
As for Mrs Yukinoshita, the person who ran the entire business of the Yukinoshita family, her face rarely appeared on the surface. And because violating privacy was a severe violation in Japan, Haruno's and Yukino's faces had never been exposed by the mainstream media.
"By the way, what are you guys doing here? doing industrial visit too?" Haruno asked.
"That's how it is. We wrote in our questionnaire that we were going to university, and Hiratsuka-sensei approved," Hayama explained with a friendly smile.
Seeing that made Hachiman feel a little annoyed. No, the rotten-eyed teenager wasn't jealous at all. However, Haruno, who played the role of someone who met Hayama for the first time, even though they seemed to know each other already, made Hachiman think that they didn't make any sense.
"By the way, are you guys really dating, Hikitani-kun? I never expect that you, who was always quiet in class, would also be interested in the opposite sex," said Hayama with a casanova smile.
"You're right, Hayato!" added Tobe.
Hayama's question made Hachiman snort again. However, at least, he seemed to be able to catch on to what was going on. You could say that Hachiman didn't have much experience with the opposite gender. However, Hachiman was a guy who was very good at reading the mood. Moreover, living surrounded by cursed spirits made Hachiman highly sensitive to people who looked at him with unpleasant eyes.
And for Hachiman, he knew behind Hayama Hayato's dazzling smile, there was a probing gaze upon him. Hachiman wasn't close to Hayama at all. So, it could be said that those probing gazes weren't actually directed at him. And the only oddity here was that Haruno and Hayama knew each other, but Haruno pretended not to.
In other words, Hayama's curiosity was aimed at Haruno. And in the same time, Hachiman also did examine the blonde guy before him.
'Are they dating? Or Hayama is her ex? I don't think both. Haruno-san's reaction was too normal in front of Hayama, even though it was usually women who were the most emotional in these matters. On the other hand, Hayama looked irritated to see that I was close to Haruno-san. One-sided love, huh?'
Hachiman wasn't the only one who noticed the oddity here. The blonde-haired girl, who had been silent all this time, was also observing Hayama's behaviour in silence.
Hachiman, who could guess the outline of this situation, finally chose to follow Haruno's game.
"No, we're not dating. At least not today," Hachiman said flatly, "However, tomorrow Sunday we have a date planned, right, Haruno-san?"
It would be a lie if Haruno wasn't surprised at the sudden question. However, Haruno was a woman with a thousand masks at her disposal at any moment.
"Right. We're planning it," Haruno said with a cheerful smile, "So, if you don't mind, this onee-san and Hikigaya-kun will take our leave first."
Without waiting for an answer, Haruno stood up from her place and left, carrying a tray containing the dirty bowl and glass she used to eat earlier. And without saying goodbye, Hachiman also followed what she did and walked by her side. The two of them headed to the place to put the sinks provided. Didn't forget they also washed their hands and left the cafeteria.
"You agreed to take me on a date huh, Hikigaya-kun?" Haruno teased.
Hachiman turned his face to the side with his cheeks turning red.
"Well, I have a feeling that you're going to keep bothering me if I refuse."
Hachiman didn't want anything to do with Haruno, and he wanted to cut ties with her as soon as possible. However, he could not immediately do that. Running away from Haruno right now indeed made her even more excited and eager to pursue what she wanted. Because of that, Hachiman would drift away from Haruno slowly and gradually.
"So, what's your plan for a date?" Haruno asked.
Hachiman fell silent at the question. He hadn't thought about it. However, Hachiman thought he would take Haruno to a manga café instead.
"See for yourself later," replied Hachiman curtly.
Haruno only muttered under her breath. She didn't care where the boy would take her. Dating was just a cover for Haruno. After Haruno confirmed that Hachiman had involvement with the supernatural world, her next goal was to know more about that world. And Haruno hoped, as she got to know Hachiman more, she would also get to learn the world she never knew.
She understood that what she did was dangerous. However, the temptation to learn what she previously thought was fiction, she couldn't resist. After all, just a little peek into that world was fine, right?
"By the way, you know Hayama, don't you? Why are you pretending you don't know?" asked Hachiman breaking the silence between the two.
Haruno, who was walking by Hachiman's side, intending to escort the young man to the gate, turned her head to look at him.
She stared at him, pondering whether or not she should tell Hachiman the reason. When she realized she needed to be more open to Hachiman so the boy could open up to her, Haruno decided to tell the truth.
"Me, Yukino-chan, and Hayato, we've known each other since childhood. Well, the three of us spend a lot of time together."
'Let me guess. You must be their leader, right?' Hachiman thought.
Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud. Besides, it wasn't necessary, and he didn't want to cut Haruno off either.
"The three of us did a lot, and it would be too long to tell. Put it simply, he likes me."
Hachiman exhaled roughly. His guess was correct that it was just a one-sided love from Hayama.
"Does he still like you now?"
Haruno nodded and replied, "He still likes me. Well, even though he's not as persistent as he used to be, it's still annoying to see a guy who doesn't know his place even though he's been rejected."
"Is that true? I think women will be happy if someone persistently fights for them."
"Hahahaha."
Haruno's laughter drew Hachiman's attention to her. After the laughter stopped, Haruno continued.
"Women love to see the guy they like the fight for them so hard. However, if not, it will only make women uncomfortable."
"Even though that guy is as handsome as Hayama?"
"Well, liking someone isn't always about face, is it? Hayama is good-looking, but he's so boring."
Hachiman snorted lightly at Haruno's answer.
"Don't tell me your taste is a bad boy?" quipped Hachiman.
Haruno immediately turned to Hachiman with a terrifying smile.
"Bad boy or nice boy, they are all boring. In the end, you can clearly guess what they want," replied Haruno, who then looked up at the sky with a sad look, "Or maybe, this world is the boring ones? Can do everything easily and can get anything effortlessly. All of that … feels fake to me."
Unbeknownst to Haruno, Hachiman was looking at her eyes that were hard to describe. That expression on her face, and the way her lips moved word by word, were all new sights that a Hikigaya Hachiman had never seen from Haruno.
You might say it was an overreaction from Hachiman since they had only known each other for a week. However, Haruno was an expressive woman, but everything she showed was just a mask, all fake. However, her melancholy expression just now could hypnotize Hachiman, as if there was a strong gravity on her face.
Whether it was fake or not, whether it was just a charade or reality, or even if it was just an illusion, Hachiman didn't care. Because at that time, only one word rang in his head.
'Beautiful.'
Hachiman quickly withdrew his gaze, gazing at their footsteps moving in a matching rhythm.
"The point is, you're acting like we're on a date in front of Hayama to make him realize he doesn't stand a chance, huh?" asked Hachiman, still trying to clear his mind.
"I didn't think his feelings for me would go away just because of that. However, at least, I hope it can be a lesson for him to just give up."
Hachiman laughed bitterly inside. The woman was indeed ruthless. When she rejects someone, she won't do it half-heartedly. When that person made her uncomfortable, Haruno would crush that person's hopes into dust.
"You enjoyed it too, didn't you, pretending to date me in front of Hayato?" teased Haruno.
"Heh, how confident you are. Being around you is exhausting. Why should I enjoy playing such an annoying role?"
Haruno's mischievous smile grew wider, which gave Hachiman a dire warning.
"You enjoyed it. That's why you bothered to do that," Haruno replied curtly, "You vehemently denied that we were dating when we met your junior on LaLaPort. You also didn't take me to Yukino-chan's place when she ran away from me that time, even though you knew her location from Komachi-chan. Meaning, you're a person who will reject anything you don't like and don't do anything you don't think is necessary."
Hachiman was pensive at Haruno's description of him. In fact, the teenager wanted to immediately refute the woman. However, at the same time, he was also curious about Haruno's impression of him.
"That's why, seeing you want to play such a role in front of Hayato, that means the reason is between the two. Either you enjoy the role or you feel it needs to be done."
The young sorcerer couldn't help the tug at the corners of his lips. Thankfully his resistance was still strong, so Hachiman could control not to let out a big stupid smile on his mouth.
"Has someone ever said you were a terrible woman, Haruno-san?" Hachiman replied.
"If by terrible you mean a gifted young woman with full of talent, then yes."
"And i am sure, they're the ones who will willingly lick your shoes if you tell them to," replied Hachiman with a cynical smile.
Despite the unpleasant words, Haruno didn't feel offended. In fact, without Hachiman saying such words, Haruno already knew that the people around her were just people aiming for her status as the heiress of the Yukinoshita family. It wasn't like Haruno was bothered by that. In fact, Haruno was already very used to the situation and thought it was something she couldn't avoid.
That's why Yukinoshita Haruno didn't believe in the existence of genuineness.
"You really like throwing shit in people's faces, huh?" Haruno replied casually, "Forget it. How about you? Why did you suddenly play such a role in front of Hayato? Do you feel satisfied when you see other people relying on you, Hikigaya-kun?"
Without thinking about his words first, Hachiman replied nonchalantly.
"Well, let's just say I get excited when I see a man's face in despair when the girl he likes is stolen in plain sight."
Haruno was silent for a moment before a loud laugh escaped her mouth.
"Hahahahaha, what is that? Do you like watching porn of the netorase genre or something?"
Hachiman almost choked on his saliva when Haruno's reply suddenly turned into "that topic". And when he recalled his words just now, he cursed his trash mouth that said without thinking.
On top of that, Hachiman was surprised to see Haruno talking about porn without the slightest shame. The image of a perfect noblewoman on her was as if she didn't care at all.
"Wait, it's not like that. I mean, you know, there's a damn brat who's currently liking Komachi. And even though I said that I would beat him up if he still clung to Komachi, that idiot still followed wherever Komachi went. So, well, since I couldn't actually beat up that damn brat, I got a little carried away and took it out on Hayama."
"Oooh, as expected of a siscon," Haruno replied curtly.
Hachiman sighed softly. Originally a netorase connoisseur, his image had now turned into a siscon. Although there was a slight improvement, it was not a good thing. In fact, Hachiman was just a person who loved his sister more than anyone, that's all.
Feeling that explaining wouldn't change anything, Hachiman decided to shut up and leave Haruno to her fantasy.
"Well, but I can understand it, anyway. If any useless boy approaches Yukino-chan, I might make him feel that life is the worst choice he has."
Hachiman glanced briefly at Haruno and smiled lopsidedly.
"Oh, we finally speak the same language, huh?"
Haruno didn't reply and smiled innocently as if what she said earlier wasn't a blunder. She didn't reply or resume the conversation, so only the footsteps could be heard between them.
20 years was an age that was still not worthy of being called an adult. However, Haruno was an exception. She was forced to grow up prematurely. Haruno had met and interacted with many people. In fact, this wasn't the first time Haruno had met a guy like Hachiman, who didn't hesitate to say what he was thinking.
It was all fake. Their smiles were fake. Their true purpose was shrouded in the words they spoke. People think that a conglomerate like Haruno, who was used to living in luxury, would enjoy a free lifestyle like a bad boy. Unfortunately, Haruno wasn't a naive girl that they could cheat on the dime they boast about.
They knew that Haruno always wore 1000 masks. They were also great at trying to impress Haruno, acted as if they could destroy the masks and made Haruno show the true face she's always been hiding.
Nonsense!
Haruno was not a pathetic woman who needed their help to show her true self. Those who thought the 1000 masks she wore were a sign of unhappiness were ignorant people who thought they knew everything about her.
Haruno was not a helpless princess to be pitied. To think that you could destroy Haruno's entire masks to gain her confession was genuinely foolish.
Haruno sighed softly as she closed her eyes. When she reopened, she turned her eyes to the right side where the boy who was younger than her was walking.
Haruno initially thought that Hachiman wasn't much different from them. Hachiman might refuse to admit that he and her sister, Yukino, were friends. However, whatever it was, Haruno used to suspect that the teenager would act like a late-night hero in front of Yukino and make her little sister depend on him greatly.
Maybe it's too early to judge a Hikigaya Hachiman. However, from Haruno's point of view, Hikigaya Hachiman was too complex to be something like "I can see the real you, the you that hidden behind those masks".
Hikigaya Hachiman gazed into a world that was far different from the world she had seen. That was what Haruno thought. The boy bore the cruel secret and responsibility on his fragile-looking shoulders.
And Haruno knew that those who steadfastly bore the burden of such a vast responsibility must not only see things from one piece. He didn't put himself on the surface as he looked at the world. His gaze was deep in the darkness of this world.
And because of that, Yukinoshita Haruno thought ….
'If it was you, would you be able to see the real me?'
Haruno smiled bitterly to herself at that hope. She was used to people who thought they knew about her. And at this moment, she wondered if the young man by her side could see it in its entirety or just an empty hope.
In the end, Yukinoshita Haruno was still a human. In a world full of falsehood and boredom, Yukinoshita Haruno also wanted to be found.
"Hey, Hikigaya-kun," Hachiman turned when Haruno called his name, "This onee-san will give you a bit of a challenge on our date tomorrow."
Hachiman's expression changed to annoyance instantly. Hachiman did not have the slightest intention to hide his objections to Haruno. And oddly enough, Haruno found it funny.
"Why do I have to follow your will to that extent? Besides, I promised you a date. So, it's only natural that I decide everything, right?"
Haruno chuckled at that.
"Something you can call date if both parties consider it a date. If you're just going to take me to a manga café, I won't admit it as a date."
Hachiman snorted tiredly at Haruno's words. The woman seemed to know he would take her somewhere cheap and hassle-free for an hour and then return to their respective homes.
"So, what's your request?" asked Hachiman, deciding to listen first.
Haruno smiled widely and replied, "Show me what I really am."
Hachiman's eyebrows shot up when he heard the vague request.
"What do you mean? The real you is you right now. Isn't that obvious?"
Haruno shook her head slowly.
"What I want is shreds of evidence, not words."
Hachiman knew that this was one of Haruno's games again. However, no matter how hard he thought, he didn't know what it was all about. Even if Haruno still wanted to extract information from him regarding the bizarre incident at the masquerade party, Hachiman didn't think that this was relevant to that incident.
And in such a moment, Hachiman realized again that it was difficult for him to understand Yukinoshita Haruno's way of thinking.
Haruno couldn't wait for the answer. However, the longer she waited, the answer she was waiting for did not come out. Because of that, she took the initiative to take proactive steps.
"If you keep quiet, I'll take your silence as approval, you know?"
Hachiman sighed and glanced at her.
"Whatever," he replied tiredly.
And just like that, the common thread between the two people who lived in the two worlds was slowly getting connected. And without the two of them knowing, on the first day they met, they had shared the curse of each other in this world.
—To Be Continued—
Author Note : Even though I was planning to write this chapter with only 6k to 7k words, it's tough to stick to the plan. In fact, there were some scenes about Hiratsuka that should have been there, but I had to cut them out because there were too many words.
Honestly, writing this chapter was more difficult than I imagined. Haruno's character is more complicated, in my opinion. I have to go back to reading LN and read some references about Haruno in some fanfics. I don't know if this is worthy enough to describe Haruno. However, I really did my best here.
As I said, the following chapters (maybe 2) will still focus on Haruno and Hachiman. Possibly later, characters will appear, but the main focus is still Haruno and Hachiman. I don't want to rush into action scenes because I don't want too many of them without a solid foundation.
Maybe some of you are dissatisfied with the plot that I'm slowing down now. However, I think this is important. Haruno here doesn't fill the heroine slot just for fanservice or sweeteners. Haruno will have a role in the story. That's why I want to develop Hachiman and Haruno's relationship more carefully.
So, what do you think about this chapter? And thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. Please leave your review for this chapter because your review is my encouragement. See you in the next chapter and stay safe.