After they decided to hang together, the group of two boys and two girls went to explore the lower levels of the Arcade. The Gunpla Battle area was lumped with fighting games in the basement.

Hachiman looked around; it had reached the point where he felt somewhat paranoid. Thankfully, everyone noticed his distress.

Are you alright, Hachiman?" Akira grasped his sleeve in worry.

"Let's go elsewhere, Hikigaya-kun," Nao suggested to Hachiman. "This arcade will be chock-full of people wanting to know about you. So it's better to bail if you're uncomfortable with it. Besides, if we want privacy, we can just rent a karaoke room."

"That's actually a good idea," Hachiman agreed. "Does anyone mind?"

"I'm fine going anywhere," Akira said.

"So am I!" Zaimokuza huffed. "I've greeted my acquaintances anyway; we can leave anytime you wish."

"Nao-san, any place you want to go?" Akira asked.

"To be honest, I haven't had lunch," Nao said, rubbing her stomach with a reddened face. "Have you guys had yours? If you have, I want to buy some bread."

"You should never skip lunch. Even if you're dieting, you should at least eat a little," Zaimokuza pointed to himself. "Like I did."

"You did?" Nao blinked.

"Dieting? You?" Hachiman scoffed. "We've bought lunch together how many times by this point?"

"Do not underestimate my resolve!" Zaimokuza indignantly huffed.

"I haven't had lunch myself," Hachiman said. "Have you, Akira?"

"Let's have lunch then. Is there a Coco's here?" Akira asked. "Do you mind, Nao-san?"

"There is one right in this mall, so we're lucky!" Nao shook her head. "You can't go wrong with Coco's."

Hachiman could agree with that assessment. He loved Saizeriya, but Coco was the king of family restaurant curry. So they started walking to the Coco's in the same mall building, just one floor above.

"Akira-san isn't from around here, right? None of our neighboring schools had that skirt."

Hachiman was shocked that Nao was able to identify Akira's short skirt, 90% of which was covered by her black jacket.

"Ah, yeah. I came from Niigata," Akira responded.

"Woah, really? It was a long-distance relationship, huh?" Nao gasped. "I'm shocked. Most girls wouldn't dare to commit that far. Some of my friends were already anxious when they went to separate schools from their boyfriends, let alone across the entire width of Japan."

Well, it was hyperbole, but not by much. Niigata to Chiba was literally across Honshu Island, northwest to southeast. Both prefecture capitals were coastal cities, surrounded by massive farmland, and also important transit hubs for the nation's economy.

"It's worth the effort," Akira laughed. "People really missed out on him. Why not take him for myself?"

Hachiman briefly blushed, but even he questioned why, sometimes. In his case, Hachiman was an introvert, so he felt it benefited him to have a distant girlfriend. However, Hachiman still couldn't get a read on Akira's motive.

Even if she had fun with his company (something he still had a lot of doubt and insecurity about), their distance made meeting and dating hard. Just imagining that Akira would have to travel back and forth for a date made him anxious.

However, he was distracted from his deep thought when Akira grabbed his hand again with bright eyes that clearly showed a smile. Not that he would push her away or pull his hand back. Hachiman, who had spent almost sixteen years of his life in solitude, would not dare to let it go.

Not until he truly understood her.

"Hmm, I guess it's because, despite the mainstream popularity, some kids think Gunpla is childish and hide or discard their interest the moment they enter high school," Nao laughed. "Maybe that's why they left Hikigaya-kun alone."

Oh, if only that were the case! Hachiman snarked inwardly.

Zaimokuza was about to say something, but Hachiman clapped a hand over his mouth. He didn't need Zaimokuza to play defense.

Hachiman noticed how Nao suddenly became sad and wondered why.

"Everyone takes on society differently." Zaimokuza was unusually quiet when he pushed Hachiman's hand away and spoke again.

"People like me had nothing to lose by openly showing my passions. But some people had everything to lose. That's why they had to hide it. I don't think it's right to chastise them for it," Zaimokuza told Hachiman.

Honestly, Hachiman wanted to retort at that notion. But then he would be a gigantic hypocrite. Even Hachiman had a lot to hide from his classmates, regardless of their distant relationships.

"That's true," Hachiman mused. "To gain something, you must lose something."

"Is it something like an equivalent exchange?" Akira asked.

"The world is hardly ever fair. It's a cruel and unjust place," Hachiman scoffed. "When you're lucky, you get more than what you spent. When you're unlucky, you lose big without getting anything."

Akira could just see Nao cringe hard in disgust, while Zaimokuza gawked in disbelief. Akira wasn't exactly fond of that part about Hachiman; she just grew to tolerate it.

"I guess you're lucky to have Akira-san," Nao sighed.

"Maybe. Countless men would kill to be me right now," Hachiman responded.

Normally, the way Hachiman said that, he would be proud and smug. But Akira saw how sad his smile was. Maybe Hachiman's low confidence was much deeper than Akira had guessed. Even though she knew it was there, that didn't mean she could see it from his perspective.

Call it egotistic, but Akira could hardly imagine a boy too good for her. In the first place, Akira would not aim for such people anyway. But even putting Hachiman's opinion of himself aside, it was a fact that Nao's opinion was very likely something many people would share.

Sunazuka Akira was too good for Hikigaya Hachiman.

Thinking like this, Akira felt a bit upset.

What she considered good qualities in a man might not be the same as others, but still, Akira was a person who paid attention to her image. She knew that for all the good traits Hachiman had, he also had a lot of traits that many girls would consider red flags.

Was it alright for her to feel so conflicted when she was the person who asked him out in the first place?

"Wow, I thought you were joking about dieting. Are you short on money or what?" Hachiman commented when he saw Zaimokuza's shockingly normal order. Usually, he would order a bazillion items that easily amounted to two thousand calories.

But today, he stuck with chicken salad and tortilla—a menu that he recommended to Nao as well.

"Shut up, bastard. I can slim my portion whenever I want," Zaimokuza grinned. "Unlike you, gum syrup mafia."

"What do you mean, gum syrup mafia?" Akira and Nao asked.

"This is the guy who abused Saizeriya's drink bar for the gum syrup. I swear he's addicted."

"Oi!" Hachiman was so flustered he almost slammed the table in anger, but he managed to rein himself in.

Akira always knew Hachiman liked sweets. She just didn't know he had to be super-tsundere about it, though.

"Akira," Hachiman asked when he saw his phone. "You're supposed to have a stream this evening?"

"Mmh, I did, but I think I'll delay it to a nighttime stream," Akira smiled. "Too late for you to watch, huh?"

"Nah," Hachiman grimaced. "Is it because you came here?"

"It would be a lie if I said it isn't," Akira nodded. "Don't feel too guilty; I just happened to be in Tokyo and whimsically came to visit."

"Hmm," Hachiman grinned as he picked up Akira's tab. "I'm honored. So I'll pay for everything today."

Akira widened her eyes. "That's not necessary."

"I know you have more money than I do, but at least let me do this," Hachiman brushed her off. "It's not like I can pay for your train ticket or buy something luxurious. But if it's just hanging out on a date, I have enough for both of us."

That was a little blunt of Hachiman, and many girls probably would be a little turned off by the lack of subtlety and modesty. However, for Akira, it was Hachiman trying to show a measure of effort.

"Define something luxurious," she teased him.

"Anything over 5000 Yen for a single item," Hachiman answered without hesitation. "I have 10000 Yen with me. No more, no less."

It wasn't a small number, but not too big either. A lot of video games these days cost more than that.

"Right," Akira pointed at the movie advertisement. "I want to watch that."

"Eh, sure." Hachiman looked at Nao and Zaimokuza. "What about you?"

"We're watching!" Nao huffed and nodded; for some reason, she had starry eyes.

"Have you watched it, Hachiman?" Zaimokuza asked.

"Yeah, I watched it with my little sister," Hachiman smirked. "Don't mind watching it again, though."

The film in question was none other than the third part of the Cosmic Era saga: Gundam SEED Freedom. Released much earlier in the year, it was basically entering its last period of theatrical release.

If you missed it now, you couldn't watch it again. Not in theaters, anyway. It should be possible to find it on foreign streaming services.

"Is it good?" Akira asked. "I just want to watch it since I finished GSD recently."

"It doesn't have much substance, but it's well-written and well-presented for what it is," Hachiman said. "Think of it as a character exploration movie and twenty-year-delayed fan service."

"I see. Then let's watch it."

When they went to choose the seats, it was still surprisingly packed. There were only a few rows with four or more seats empty.

"Where do you want to sit?"

"Up to you."

In the end, they settled with the arrangement of Zaimokuza, Hachiman, Akira, and Nao. Other than Zaimokuza animatedly overreacting to just about everything, Hachiman enjoyed the experience.

He was thankful that Zaimokuza had the ability to mute himself during the screening, at least. If Hachiman ignored him, Zaimokuza might as well be gone.

"It's so awesome!" Nao shouted. "I heard it was fun, but it was really fun to watch!"

"Right. I didn't expect it to be so fun." Akira nodded. "After wasting so much time in the sequel, they finally explored Kira and Lacus' relationship. I'm not that big into romance, but I think they wrote it properly this time around."

"Right? I do think the plot formula is a bit stale, but it lines up well with everything that has been established before." Nao nodded. "SEED Freedom really feels like a proper conclusion."

"What Gundam sequel isn't repetitive in some ways?" Hachiman scoffed.

"Oh, Lord, not Astray." Hachiman commented dryly. "Wanked-up piece of shit."

"Hey, but the mecha are cool!" Zaimokuza said in defense. "Not to mention how they explore the underutilized plot points in the main series!"

"While pulling things out of their ass, I need to remind you." Hachiman argued. "Though at least it's not as schizophrenic as Crossbone Gundam. Astray is always focused on the small pictures instead of nonsense conspiracy. That's why it rarely intrudes on the main story. That, I'll give it credit for."

"What is Gundam SEED Astray?" Akira asked, clearly at a loss. "Does it have something to do with the Orb Union's Astray from the first series?"

"Yes. It's a spinoff manga series of the verse. The focus was given to the pilots of the four Astray prototypes. But especially the Astray Red Frame, which became the basis of Mass Production Astray." Nao told Akira. "It's pretty popular too, but people who dislike it are very vocal about it."

"Why is that?"

"Astray has a tendency to choose the rule of cool over consistency or rationality. Other than pulling things out of nowhere, like Hikigaya-kun said, they also had the tendency to defy the established norm. The fans liked to call it a very creative series for it, but the detractors dislike it for that reason."

"A lot of things in Astray can be divisive and inconsistent, and that's why it hasn't been adapted to a full anime yet. Gundam Astray is to the Cosmic Era what Gundam Crossbone is to the Universal Century Era. Cool spinoffs, but some people think they better stay as spinoffs and never see the light of the official canon anime."

"I see. Gundam fandom sure is full of internal schism." Akira nodded. She was reminded by the vitriol in the chat on her stream two weeks ago. "Nao-san is really a fan of Gundam, huh? You seem to know a lot about it."

When Akira said that, she didn't expect Nao to literally freeze up and stop walking.

"...Nao-san?"

"It's normal, isn't it? Gundam SEED is popular with casual Gundam fans, but in particular, with girls. Because the main characters are pretty." Zaimokuza smirked. "Really, though. Astray characters aren't as hot."

"Whoa." Hachiman remarked with surprise. He had NEVER heard Zaimokuza say anything negative about it.

"Huh, is that true?" Akira asked Nao.

"Nope, Zaimokuza is wrong. All of Gundam SEED characters are hot, even the villains. And Astray isn't an exception." Nao grimaced and hurriedly caught up. "Anyway, do you want to go elsewhere after this?"

"Hmm, I don't know." Akira thought for a moment, then clapped. "Right, let's go to Purikura."

"Woah! Let's go!" Nao huffed.

Hachiman noticed how quickly Nao's mood changed whenever Zaimokuza spoke. Specifically, whenever Zaimokuza seemed to try to defend her or distract others from focusing on her.

Hachiman had to admit that Zaimokuza was unusually smooth and confident about it, too. Most people would take his words and actions at face value. Unfortunately, Akira and Hachiman were too perceptive to ignore that.

CHAPTER 8 - A NEW BEGINNING, PART 4

Purikura, a Japanese abbreviation of [print card], is basically a self-service photo booth machine that's popular mostly with young girls. As for why it wasn't popular with boys, well, that wasn't actually true.

It was so popular with boys before... and now they banned unpaired boys from entering the area at all.

"WHY?!" Zaimokuza wailed. "This is extremely sexist."

"It is, but statistically, boys are always the ones ruining a Purikura zone. Either through stupidity or vandalism. Not to mention creeping and hitting on the female customers and making them uncomfortable." Hachiman said. "While the rules are too strict, they were never without reason."

Call it sexist, but in certain situations, gender dynamics absolutely do play a role. In other situations, the girls could have been offenders, but not in Purikura places.

"Right, I do think it's a bit unfair to do that." Nao wryly smiled. "But it is what it is."

"Oh well, then I shall wait for you all outside." Zaimokuza was about to leave, but Hachiman yanked his collar.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Hachiman asked.

"I mean, you have Sunazuka-sama and all, the single men should begone." Zaimokuza wryly smiled. "Even I have some self-awareness, you know?"

"I feel somewhat insulted for you to leave me out, you know?" Nao laughed. "I'm a girl, after all."

"Ehh? But Kamiya-san is kind of a different issue." Zaimokuza panicked. "Wouldn't it be problematic if anyone found out?"

"We're already hanging out like this; what's the worst that could happen?" Nao smacked his shoulder. "If you leave, your claim to be a straight man is revoked."

"SO EVIL!" Zaimokuza wailed. "You know that I'm gynophobic, right?!"

"Then man up. Don't lie and try to act like you're not curious about what it's like inside." Nao goaded him and presented the entrance, which made Zaimokuza shut up and enter the booth in fear and confusion.

"Whoa, she's surprisingly savage." Akira widened her eyes. "What an interesting girl."

"That's an Alpha queen for you." Hachiman pointed. "Kamiya might be humble, but she's one of the top five girls in Soubu High's second year. Being pretty alone isn't enough; you gotta be sociable and dominant in this cutthroat academy."

"I see. Is she your type?" Akira eyed him, clearly suspicious.

"I wouldn't know. This is the first time we've talked." Hachiman sensed the danger and pushed Akira into the photo booth to shut her up. This was not a conversation he wanted to have on their second date.

"But the vibes are good over there." Akira removed her mask and smiled. "Don't you think so?"

"Maybe it is. She's certainly more comfortable with him than the average girl is. That might be because she's being nice, though." Hachiman shrugged. "But that's just my opinion. We're in different classes. So it's not like I know everything about that guy."

"Is that really the case?" Akira chuckled. "For someone who was conscious of her image, she sure was ready to throw it down for the sake of an unpopular classmate."

"You think so?" Hachiman raised his eyebrows.

"Yep, maybe you can call that female instincts." Akira said. "If I was wrong, I'll pay for the next meal we have."

"Deal." Hachiman said.

Hachiman was extremely skeptical. It couldn't be that easy, could it? Then again, it's possible that Zaimokuza and Nao had some history. Hachiman considered himself observant, but he was by no means omniscient.

Nevertheless, taking pictures with Akira still felt awkward and heart-rending.

"Nice." Akira said. "Mind if I post this on my Stargram?"

"Just censor my face as usual." Hachiman scoffed. "Even if they recognize Soubu High's uniform, no one could tell it was me. In fact, people might call me insane if I told them I'm dating a social media model and a streamer."

"Heh." Akira laughed. "Sometimes I couldn't tell if you're embarrassed being with me."

"On the contrary, I'm not." Hachiman responded with a carefree smile. "I just hate it when other people get to dictate my relationship. I think I'll legit punch the first person who tells me to break up with you for your own good."

"Oh." Akira was surprised by that response.

"But I guess I understand why you feel that way." Hachiman told Akira as they walked out. "You don't have to worry. If there's any insecurity involved, it's entirely on my part. If you want to start being open, I'm entirely fine with it."

"You are?"

"Yeah." He offered his hand. "Nothing would ever change on my part, so you get to decide."

He said that, but the fact that he offered his hand first made Akira wonder.

Was Hachiman truly an unchanging person? Or would he slowly change without admitting, or even realizing it?

Grasping it, Akira didn't feel any sense of disgust. Even though he was a bit sweaty, Akira didn't mind at all. All she could feel was reassurance and comfort.

"You're so stiff, haha." Nao laughed when she walked out. "I'm sorry for making light of your fears, but you did your best."

"I told you! It's a clinical problem." Zaimokuza growled. "I never knew Kamiya-san was such a bully."

"But you got over it." Nao pointed at the printed sheet. "Look, the photos are great toward the end."

Hachiman squinted his eyes and noticed that Zaimokuza looked like he was about to die in the first frame but became increasingly more animated and familiar toward the end. Nao also posed in quite a ridiculous way, which might have helped ease him in.

"Kamen Rider pose, huh." Hachiman remarked offhandedly.

"Oh, those are good pictures. But can you match mine?" Akira showed her printed sheet.

"This isn't a contest, oi." Hachiman lightly chopped her head. Sometimes this girl could be strangely competitive. Perhaps that's what a true gamer girl is like.

"Joking aside, wanna take pictures with me, Nao-san?" Akira nodded. "You're so pretty; I want you on my Stargram account."

"Eh? I don't mind. Don't forget to tag me later."

"If one of them were a guy, that would be a smooth pickup line." Hachiman thought. He didn't feel jealous at all, though. Akira had multiple times called him handsome (which he agreed with); she's just too accustomed to praising people for their appearance.

Female friendships work in mysterious ways. It hadn't been that long since they met, and they already exchanged contacts. Or maybe that's how extroverts work. Hachiman couldn't relate.

Hachiman and Zaimokuza removed themselves from the area, waiting at the front door of the Purikura place.

"Yabe, I thought I almost got a heart attack." Zaimokuza whined. "I pray for normies to suffer; I guess that was karma."

"Many boys would kill to be in your place. Be thankful." Hachiman snorted. "Your relationship doesn't seem to be awful. Certainly, she's less judgmental of you than the other girls."

Although the girls didn't hate him the way the boys did, some of them still thought Zaimokuza was a bit of a weirdo and creepy. Even though they knew he was a 'safe' guy, they still kept some distance from him.

From what Hachiman saw, Nao treated Zaimokuza differently. She didn't treat him like he had a chuunibyou affliction. If anything, didn't the photos prove that she was willing to engage with his delusion to make him comfortable?

Was Akira correct to assume there was something special between these two?

"Well, for that, I'm certainly blessed." Zaimokuza seemed clueless about what Hachiman hinted. "When girls are that passionate, even I couldn't help but go with the flow. What about you, Hachiman?"

"I hate it. Going with the flow, that is."

Because in the past, Hachiman always made bad judgments about how he interpreted the social flow around him. That's when he decided he would be the unbreaking rock that doesn't lose to the river.

Out of the Purikura place, Nao became pale and shocked.

"Hikigaya-kun, I wish you eternal blessing and a long, healthy life because I'm supremely confident thousands of men wish for you to die." Nao told Hachiman with unbelievable bluntness. She must have realized who Akira was now.

"Thank you for the kindness." Hachiman clapped his hands and bowed.

"Really though, fate sure works in mysterious ways." Nao returned to her normal, cheerful self. "For Hikigaya-kun to have such a pretty girlfriend, separated coast to coast. I wish I could talk more with Akira-san, but I'm worried about our privacy."

"Then let's just go to karaoke and keep the conversation there." Hachiman grinned. "Could you think of any place with better privacy?"

Well, there was one place. But Hachiman would be labeled a sex offender if he so much as suggested it.

"For real? Are you fine, Akira-san?"

"Of course!"

And so, they spent one and a half hours in the karaoke, most of which they didn't spend singing but instead just talking.

"I see. No wonder Hikigaya-kun is so skilled." Nao nodded. "I suppose I can understand the reason why he wanted to keep a low profile. If people in Soubu High knew he was in the Nationals and even teaming up with famous Idols, he would never see peace ever again."

"To a lesser degree, the news about Hachiman's actions today is already all over the school by now." Zaimokuza said. "Although people like to pretend they're above it, Soubu High still has a substantial number of Gundam fans. I'm sure they'll start paying attention to him."

"Fuck me." Hachiman already regretted everything.

"I just want a peaceful high school life. Is that too much to ask? Leave all the shenanigans in the game world."

"Maybe next time don't act like you know what you're doing." Akira told him. "You should have let me take care of it."

As an arrow proverbially pierced through his heart, Hachiman couldn't defend himself in that regard. Although he truly considered his actions objectively the best, he really didn't think much of the consequences.

"Well, if you keep a low profile for the next two or three weeks, I'm sure people will get bored." Nao cheered him up. "Besides, at the end of the day, I'm very sure everyone is thankful for Hikigaya-kun because you saved our school's pride."

"That's right. If an outsider took care of our problem, we'd lose face." Zaimokuza huffed.

"High schoolers really fight over the dumbest shit," Hachiman remarked coldly. "That's youth for ya."

Then again, he willingly participated, so he had no one but himself to blame.

After spending a good part of the afternoon together, Hachiman and Akira parted ways with the other two students.

"Well, I suppose it's time for me to go home." Akira winked. "Time flies fast when you enjoy it."

"Want to come to my place anyway?" Hachiman cluelessly offered.

Is this guy serious? His face looks so innocent. Akira thought. Her brain went into overdrive for a moment thinking about various outcomes, which inadvertently made her blush.

"Is it fine?"

"Yeah, besides, if you want to stream on time, you can use my setup." Hachiman pointed back with his thumb. "Or my sister's, rather. I already asked her if I can borrow her streaming equipment for you to use."

Akira didn't know why she felt disappointed; she should have known there wasn't an inch of dirty thought in this guy's head. Or rather, even if he had such carnal desires, he would never show them. This boy was a king of mental compartmentalization.

But even more than that, she felt touched. Did Hachiman arrange all this without making a single call? He had always been like that. Even though he appeared cold, he was always considerate of the people around him.

And with this feeling in mind, she tightened her embrace on his arm. "Thank you, Hachiman!"

Akira wondered, what kind of family did Hachiman have?