Chapter 60: A Past and Present She Never Expected.
—OoOoO—
Chiba City might not crack Japan’s top ten in size, but nearly a million people call its 271.77 square kilometres home. Where Tokyo buzzed with relentless energy, Chiba hummed at a gentler tempo. Life here was busy, but the city’s economic pulse beats with a laid-back rhythm, offering a welcome contrast to Tokyo’s constant rush.
“Isn't that Hikigaya?”
Hachiman jolted at the sound of his name cutting through the crowd. He was terrible with names and faces, but that girl’s boyish voice lingered in his memory, echoing even after two years of silence.
'Shit, shit, shit. I wish I hadn't heard it. I wish there were something in my ear right now. Like, shit.'
Perched on a long bench, eyes locked on his phone, Hachiman waged a silent battle within, tuning out the endless stream of strangers flowing past.
'Should I pretend I didn't hear that and just leave? That makes sense. It's crowded right now, after all. But it makes me sound like a coward. No, no, no. Since when did I care about labels like this?'
He shut his eyes, drew in a steadying breath, and braced himself to leave. But before he could rise, a hand landed firmly on his shoulder.
“I knew it was Hikigaya!”
'Oh, shit,' Hachiman cursed in his mind.
His face soured instantly, but he didn’t bother to hide it as he turned to face the brazen intruder.
A girl with short, shoulder-length hair with a slight brownish tinge. Her eyes were mirroring her wavy mane. Her cheerful face, with a few beads of sweat dripping off it, seemed brimming with energy, reflecting a morning's vigour unaltered by the comforts of summer vacation.
“Uh…,” Hachiman muttered.
The girl’s grin widened, clearly delighted by his awkwardness.
“It's Kaori, you know? Orimoto Kaori. A friend from middle school. You haven't forgotten me, have you?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s you. Haha, long time no see,” Hachiman replied awkwardly.
Of course, forgetting her was impossible. She wasn’t just another classmate. Their shared history was neither a fairytale nor forgettable, but something tangled and persistent, impossible to ignore.
Hachiman might dodge and deny, but from a certain angle, Orimoto Kaori was undeniably his first love.
People said that first love carved out a secret corner in the heart. A special place tucked away deep within the heart, one that remained eternal no matter how many seas and mountains were turned upside down, and untouched by time or even distance. That didn’t mean the love was still there. Instead, it was a special memory, one that, even after letting go and moving on, lingered as a bittersweet memory, one that might resurface unexpectedly, often making you cringe at your younger self.
“Yeah, long time no see, Hikigaya. I heard you moved to Tokyo after graduation, but I didn’t expect to see you here.”
'How did she know?'
That was the question that reflexively crossed Hachiman's mind. Though he didn't let it escape his lips.
"We meet here. Isn't that a funny coincidence, Hikigaya?"
Nearly a million people were scattered across 271.77 square kilometres. Chiba wasn’t tiny, nor was it sprawling. The odds of two former classmates crossing paths far from home? Practically zero. It felt almost unreal.
“Yeah, very funny, haha,” the boy replied with a dry laugh, “It’s hard to believe that we could meet by chance. No, I don’t even want to believe it at all.”
Orimoto blinked her eyes.
“Hahahaha! Now I remember how funny and silly you are, hahaha.”
'No, shut your damn mouth, you idiot. Other people will see us and assume we're close or something.'
Hachiman wanted to blurt out those words, but he knew he couldn't. Or rather, he didn't want to get involved with the girl any longer.
“Well, it’s nice to see you again. But I’ve to go for some business.”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned around. However, before he could even take the first step, a hand grabbed the sleeve of his jersey.
“Wait. Can't we talk for a minute?”
Hachiman glanced at the girl over his shoulder.
“I mean, I’ve been watching you for the past ten minutes, and I don’t see you busy doing anything other than staring at your phone,” Orimoto continued.
“Huh? You did what?
Orimoto’s smile stretched so wide her eyes nearly disappeared. If she had forgotten how endearing Hachiman could be, he had forgotten just how overwhelming she was. That, he grudgingly admitted, was part of her charm.
“What are you doing, by the way?” asked the girl.
She observed Hachiman from the tip of his thumb, or maybe the tip of his shoe, to the top of his head without missing a single aspect.
A red long-sleeved jersey rolled up to the elbows covered her figure, paired with white shorts. His footwear included short black socks and white sneakers.
“Well, as you can see. Doing some jogging and stuff,” Hachiman replied.
Orimoto's face lit up with joy at the answer.
"Oh, really? Same here, then!"
Looking closer, he noticed she wore a short-sleeve blue t-shirt and calf-length shorts beneath a short skirt.
“Uh, hurray, I guess?”
Hachiman’s awkward reply made it clear he would rather not keep talking.
“That side of you doesn’t seem to have changed at all, huh?” Orimoto said casually, “In fact, that was my first impression of you, but turned out that you were like quite an active guy after we talked a bit, you know?”
“Please erase that part from your memory,” the boy replied quickly.
To which Orimoto immediately laughed.
“Ahahahaha. Why? You looked pretty cool back then, you know, class rep?”
Hachiman wasn't as gloomy as people thought. While living in the countryside, in his mother's hometown, after his parents divorced and after he returned from the Gojo residence in Kyoto, he made a few friends at his elementary school. Sure, some kids often called him Hikikaeru, but that wasn’t intended to mock him. Instead, it was because he frequently came home early.
Hikikaeru, literally meaning "Hiki-going-home" and "Hiki-frog", might sound like bullying, but it was simply how children play. In fact, on his birthday, he received some corn and potatoes from his friends.
When he was in junior high school and moved to Chiba City to follow his mother, who eventually found a new job, Hachiman was also quite social, though often awkward. He even had everyone's contact information and email addresses, and served as class president for one semester.
But how did an ordinary kid become a jaded, apathetic teen? The answer, it turned out, was simpler than anyone might guess.
—OoOoO—
“Huh? Orimoto Kaori? Who’s that? Is that the girl you like?”
Hachiman, who was walking home from school, jumped in surprise when he was bombarded with questions. He immediately stopped in his tracks and looked back, only to find a tall, white-haired man who had come out of nowhere, suddenly following him.
“What the…? Stop reading other people’s messages, Gojo!” the middle school boy replied fiercely.
Meanwhile, the man, Gojo Satoru, just stuck out his tongue indifferently without feeling any guilt at all for his actions.
“You forgot to add “-san” to my name, kid.”
There was no arrogant tone in those words, but rather a teasing with a mischievous smile.
"No adult should be snooping around in a child's phone, you know? Besides, what are you doing here? I'll kill you if you wanna visit my mother," the man said.
Despite receiving the threat, Satoru seemed unconcerned and stroked the black mane roughly.
“You idiot. Your mother is at work, how could I possibly visit her?” he replied.
To which, Hachiman immediately brushed the hand away and took a step back from the man with sunglasses.
“Then what are you doing here?”
“Nothing, I'm just bored.”
That utterly ridiculous response made Hachiman frown. However, Satoru remained indifferent as usual, putting his arm around the middle school boy's shoulders.
“So, who’s this Orimoto-chan?”
“That’s none of your business,” Hachiman replied quickly.
“Do you like her?”
“That's none of your business.”
“So, when are you going to tell her how you feel?”
“No, I won't. And it's none of your business,” Hachiman replied, his anger starting to show.
Once again, he tried to remove Satoru's hand from his shoulder. Although there was no resistance, the white-haired man showed no signs of giving up.
“That's right, you better not confess your feelings to her. She won't accept you, after all.”
These words successfully drew the boy's attention. After taking a few steps, he stopped again and turned to look at him.
“Huh? Why did you think she’d reject me?!” the boy asked with his voice slightly raised.
Instead of answering, Satoru just let out a grin, which made Hachiman tilt his head in confusion, not understanding the game the man was playing.
"See? You didn't deny me! That means you're serious about confessing your feelings!! Hahahaha!" the white-haired man said with a booming laugh.
Meanwhile, Hachiman's face immediately turned red, as red as a boiled crab that was emitting steam from all sides.
"What a fucking prick! You shitty little asshole!"
The boy grumbled and turned around, continuing his journey home, which had been delayed by the crazy, uninvited guest. However, as if unwilling to give him a break, Satoru followed him again and put his arm around his shoulders from behind.
“But seriously, though. Do you think Orimoto-chan likes you too?” Satoru whispered in Hachiman’s ear.
The middle school boy wanted to chase the man away, but he knew it was pointless and understood that he was like a pest that would always come back, no matter how many times he got rid of him. Furthermore, Satoru had already come to a conclusion that couldn't be changed even if he explained it until he was foaming at the mouth. So, why not just hear what he had to say, right?
'No, it's not like I'm looking for someone to confide in or ask for love advice, dang it.'
“She's always been nice to me.”
"But she's also kind to others, isn't she? Being kind to others is basic socialising, you know? Nothing special," Satoru argued.
“She always replies to my messages.”
“How quickly does she respond to that? What's the content? Is she as enthusiastic as you are?”
Hachiman glanced at Satoru irritably, who always broke his imagination.
"Pretty normal, I think? She had club activities after class so that she couldn't reply right away. She also needs to study at night and can't look at her phone too much. And when the message came in, she was so considerate that she told me she was going to bed."
“Pfft….”
The sound of Satoru trying his hardest to hold back laughter made Hachiman's face turn tomato-red again. However, before he could protest, an adult hand grabbed the top of his head and rubbed it roughly.
“That means she’s not interested in you, to the point where she only replies to your messages when she remembers,” the man said after calming down the laughter that was about to burst out.
Meanwhile, Hachiman moved his head randomly to get the hand off. Eventually, he took a step back to get away from it.
"Listen, it's not that simple. Even though she doesn't know anything about my activity, she always cares about me and asks how I'm doing when I'm training too hard, and even helps me with my work as a class representative."
The boy still insisted that their feelings were mutual. His sharply sharpened eyebrows showed his distaste for the man, whom he considered too intrusive. However, he couldn't just shoo him away. Satoru's words still echoed in his head, making him question his relationship with the girl who had made him so happy.
“That’s natural, isn’t it? Like, isn’t it because she’s the female representative for your class, so whether she likes it or not, she has to help with your work, Hachi-kun?” Once again, Satoru dropped a line of logic that blew the flowers off Hachiman’s head.
And Hachiman immediately turned his head with a probing gaze at the man.
“Wait, how do you know she's the female representative in my class?”
As if having attained enlightenment, Hachiman's eyes widened as he realised something.
“Don't tell me you've been stalking the people in my class before?”
However, instead of answering, the man let go of Hachiman's shoulders and tapped his own head with his tongue sticking out.
“Tee-hee~.”
“Don't tee-hee me, you crazy bastard!”
Hachiman tried to kick Satoru in the shin, but his foot stopped in midair as if there was an infinite distance preventing it from touching the man. It made him groan in annoyance and glare at the man, hoping his gaze would eat away at his entire body.
“I never went to a normal junior high school, so I’ve always wondered what life was like there,” Satoru replied casually, shrugging his shoulders.
“Don't use my school life as your shitty fantasy materials.”
Hachiman just stared blankly, continuing his journey home once again after being repeatedly disturbed by the annoying man.
"That aside, listen to what I’ve to say, boy. Never be the first to confess your feelings to a woman, and be careful when choosing a partner."
Satoru followed suit, matching the boy's pace, making it seem like they were walking side by side. The contrasting heights made it impossible for passersby to resist stealing glances at the two men, especially Satoru, whose strikingly handsome features were so striking. It sounded like cool advice coming from a player. However, it was ironic, considering that Satoru himself had confessed his feelings first to the only woman he loved in the world.
—OoOoO—
After that, Hachiman refused to simply take Satoru’s words at face value. He began to observe Orimoto with a quiet intensity, memorising her routines, the subtle way she moved, and even the moments she glanced at her phone, both in the classroom and beyond.
Some might have called him a stalker, but for Hachiman, it was a desperate attempt to avoid a mistake that could haunt him forever.
'Thanks to that, it opened my eyes to the truth. Orimoto isn't a bad girl. She's very kind, friendly, and easy-going with everyone, but that's exactly the issue.'
“Hikigaya?”
He jolted at the sound of his name, as if the syllables themselves had caught him off guard.
“Yes? Did you say something?”
“Your eyes didn’t seem to be focused on me earlier,” Orimoto replied with a sigh, “But well, I was just curious, you suddenly ghosted me right before graduation and didn’t even reply to my Valentine’s chocolates. That made me a little sad, you know?”
A faint twitch flickered across Hachiman’s brow as her words landed.
Valentine's chocolate. Right. At that time, Orimoto did give him a chocolate, but it wasn't anything special because everyone else in the class received the same thing. In fact, it also helped him realise that there was nothing special about their relationship.
“Then what do you want? For me to confess my feelings to you? That’s impossible, right?” the boy replied jokingly.
Orimoto’s breath caught in her throat, her usual easy smile freezing in place. For a heartbeat, she seemed to forget how to breathe. She fumbled for her water bottle, taking a quick sip in hopes of steadying herself.
“Your jokes are horrible, Hikigaya. When a friend suddenly disappeared without a word, it really sucked, you know?”
She tried to brush away the awkwardness, but her words still carried the weight of discomfort.
“By the way, where do you go to school now?” asked the girl.
Hachiman hesitated, weighing whether to answer. After a brief pause, he decided there was no harm in sharing something so trivial.
“I went to Sobu after returning to Chiba this year.”
"What?! Sobu?! Like, seriously?!"
Orimoto asked hysterically, which was only answered by a slow nod from Hachiman.
“Wow. I heard even the transfer student exams are tough.”
"Huh? Really?" Hachiman muttered.
Contrary to what the girl had imagined, in truth, he had slipped into Sobu through back channels, thanks to Hiratsuka’s help. He never learned the details of his transfer, but Orimoto’s admiring look only deepened his guilt.
“And then here I am. I studied so hard for Funabashi's exam, but I still got rejected. Haha,” Orimoto replied, gently scratching the back of her head.
“You wanted to go to Funabashi? That Funabashi?” asked Hachiman,
To which the girl nodded.
Even though his life always revolved around jujutsu sorcery, that didn’t mean Hachiman was blind to general information, especially about Chiba Prefecture.
In Chiba Prefecture, three schools were considered top-notch.
The first, of course, was Sobu High, a public high school in Chiba City with an imposing academic record. While not always the case, occasionally, the children of politicians and businessmen, like Haruno and Yukino, attend the school.
The second was Kashiwa High School in Kashiwa City. A private school that, like Sobu, had a distinguished academic history. However, its track record extended beyond that, as it was remarkably successful in sports, boasting impressive achievements such as consistently sending at least one representative to significant events like the Inter-High School every year.
Lastly, Funabashi Academy, located in Funabashi City, was a public school with a combined junior high and high school education. Although the high school entrance exam was open to the public, junior high school graduates had a greater chance of continuing to high school because they were better able to learn the exam's criteria.
Despite knowing the competition was fierce, Funabashi Academy was highly sought after for its unparalleled athletic excellence and tradition. Despite being a public school, it competed with private schools affiliated with professional sports clubs. Therefore, for those aspiring to become professional athletes but lacking the financial resources to cover tuition fees, Funabashi Academy was a great option.
"That's news to me. I never knew you were aiming for that school," Hachiman said with genuine surprise.
Orimoto averted her gaze, nervously avoiding eye contact with the boy while her hand still rubbed the back of her neck.
“Well, I didn’t even tell my group about this, though. I mean, it’d be so embarrassing if I didn’t pass after telling them. Though I eventually failed the test, hahaha.”
Looking back, Orimoto had thrown herself into studying like crazy even before their last summer of middle school, but Hachiman never expected her to aim for Funabashi Academy. However, now that he knew the reason, it made sense. Orimoto was very active in the basketball club during middle school, and she possessed excellent athleticism for a girl her age, her athletic drive hinting at bigger ambitions.
'Then, when she said she forgot to reply to messages at night because she didn't touch her phone while studying, was that real?'
Hachiman shut his eyes and let out a weary sigh, willing the question to fade from his mind.
'It doesn't matter anymore. Even if Gojo-sensei hadn't warned me, Orimoto would still have rejected me simply because she had already set her priorities.'
But that wasn’t the only reason Hachiman chose to bury his feelings and move on in silence.
Orimoto had a rather loose tongue. Her words flowed freely, secrets slipping from her lips as easily as laughter. She would tell her friends anything as if it were normal. Because of that, she was very popular at school, and quite a few people liked her for her friendly, sociable personality. However, that was precisely the problem. If he confessed his feelings and was rejected, he would likely become the butt of the school's ridicule, because she would certainly tell her friends.
“Here you are, Hikigaya-kun.”
A new voice sliced through the air, snapping the teenagers’ attention toward its source. Hachiman’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected arrival.
“Haruno-san?”
'Since when was she here? I didn't sense her presence at all,' the boy thought to himself, 'No, even after seeing her in person, she actually felt like a normal human with her cursed energy suppressed to the level of a civilian, which made me not notice her presence in the crowd.'
“Pretty impressive, right?” the woman replied with a mysterious smile as if she knew what was on his mind.
Then, she tilted her body to the side, peeking at the figure who had been talking to the boy.
“Your acquaintance?” asked the black-haired woman.
Hearing the question, Orimoto immediately flinched, letting out an "ah" and quickly bowed.
“I’m Orimoto Kaori, a friend of Hikigaya from middle school.”
The girl raised her head, glancing at Haruno with a questioning look.
“And you are…,” she continued, trailing off.
“My name is Haruno, and I am….”
Just like Orimoto, Haruno deliberately left her words hanging in the air, letting the girl's curiosity grow and enjoying the confused expression on her face.
“Well, Hikigaya-kun. What do you think I am?” the woman turned to Hachiman, “Your acquaintance? Your friend? Your senior? An alumnus from your school? Your clubmate’s sister? Or something else?”
Hachiman's eyebrows twitched at the question. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore it. After all, he knew Haruno was just teasing him into giving her the answer.
“Hey, come on, answer that question. You don’t want to keep Orimoto-chan waiting any longer, do you?”
With a mischievous grin, the woman nudged Hachiman’s arm, urging him to give her the answer she craved.
“What am I to you, Hikigaya-kun? When it comes to us, where do you position me, Hikigaya-kun?”
A low, frustrated sound escaped him. His eyes squeezed shut, trembling under the weight of her question. Finally, he opened them with a sigh, followed by a faint blush colouring his cheeks.
“Here next to me is Haruno, or as I usually call her Haruno-san.”
Hachiman’s gaze darted around, unable to settle. His blush deepened, painting his face red as he shoved his hands into his pockets, desperate to hide his nerves.
“Well, you could say, she's… my girlfriend.”
Uttering those words demanded more courage and bravery. Fighting a special-grade cursed spirit felt much easier than letting those words escape his lips. Even after he managed to say them, the itch remained in his throat, and his face burned as he wanted to bury his head in a hole.
Meanwhile, Orimoto could only gape, her mouth hanging open and eyes wide in shock. Her mind went blank, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe.
However, Haruno's clapping drew their attention. Ignoring the awkward atmosphere, Haruno's face lit up with a satisfied smile.
"As Hikigaya-kun said, I'm his girlfriend. Nice to meet you, Orimoto-chan," Haruno said with an innocent tilt of her head.
Orimoto choked, snapping out of her statue-like daze as reality finally caught up with her.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't know Hikigaya already had a girlfriend. Our relationship is nothing more than middle school friends," the girl said, not having the courage to look at her interlocutor.
“It's fine, it's fine. You’re just his old friend, after all.”
Orimoto let out a sigh she hadn’t meant to. She looked up, meeting the woman’s dazzling smile, a smile so beautiful it seemed almost otherworldly. Yet, beneath its brilliance, a chill crept down her spine.
“W-well, I didn’t know that Hikigaya had a date with someone, and it was his girlfriend on top of that,” Orimoto said while gently scratching her cheek with her index finger, “A-anyway, I don’t want to take up a couple’s time any longer. I know you guys want to do your own thing. So, I’ll take my leave.”
The girl bowed and turned to leave as quickly as possible. However, before she took her first step, she paused to turn to Hachiman, staring at him and deeply imprinting his presence in her memory forever.
Today was a miracle. Meeting an old friend she had been so close to after almost two years apart. Orimoto didn't know if she would ever have the chance to see him again, and it might even be the last time she saw that face.
"And, goodbye, Hikigaya."
Without waiting for a response, the girl hurried off. Each step was heavier than the last. However, she forced them to move faster. Suddenly, a piece of a distant memory flickered in her mind. For a fleeting moment, she thought this chance encounter was a divine gift, a merciful reward for her relentless efforts. But now, it felt more like a message, a sign that even the fragment of her past was beginning to dawn on them their new story. The past was moving forward, leaving her behind.
She had built her life around her dream school, sacrificing happiness, romance, and even her puppy love. She cast aside everything that didn’t fit her ambitions. Yet, in the end, all her efforts crumbled. She lost it all, her dream, and the boy who once cared for her.
Of course, that didn’t mean the world was ending just because of that. However, the series of failures only weighed her down, whispering that she, Orimoto Kaori, was nothing but a pathetic loser.
—OoOoO—
"I feel a little sorry for that girl. I thought she would be the annoying type, but she seems pretty nice," Haruno said to herself.
Hachiman turned to the woman with one eyebrow raised.
“Hm? What did you say?”
“Nothing,” Haruno shook her head slowly, “Speaking of which, what were you two talking about earlier? She was your crush, wasn’t she?”
Hachiman's brows drew together. Haruno's words resembled a verdict rather than a question, challenging him to deny her claim. Lying appeared futile, yet a single thought crossed his mind.
“How did you know? Is that something people often say about women’s intuition?”
“Pfft….”
Haruno lowered her head, suppressing her laughter with one hand while clutching her stomach with the other, as though she might burst from the effort.
“You didn't even try to dodge it at all,” the woman said.
“Well, if I said she was nothing more than my classmate, would you believe me?”
“No, of course not.”
Hachiman sighed at the reply.
"So, how do you know? It's seriously not some weird thing like women's feelings or anything, right? Because that’d be really creepy if that were true," the guy said.
Haruno almost laughed aloud at Hachiman’s exaggerated reaction. His attempt to edge away, as if avoiding a wild animal, struck her as unexpectedly endearing.
“I would like to say that, but unfortunately, being a sorcerer doesn't give me the power of a psychic who can just read other people's minds.”
Haruno paused to take a breath. Meanwhile, Hachiman seemed impatient to hear what was next. He could actually pinpoint the reason why she knew this. However, the remaining options were equally likely, leaving him with no choice but to wait for the woman's explanation.
“Actually, it was Gojo who told me all that when I asked him how you were before joining the jujutsu school.”
Snap.
The moment that name left her lips, it felt as though a fragile thread holding his composure had snapped.
“Gojo Satoru, that damn bastard. Of course, it has to be him,” the boy growled, his fists clenched tightly, “I swear I’ll sew up that rotten mouth of his someday.”
Hachiman had suspected that man of being one of the suspects who had revealed his dark secret. He shouldn't have been surprised or overreacted. However, when that name came out of Haruno's mouth, his motivation to become stronger and beat him half to death suddenly increased a hundredfold.
“You… aren’t jealous, are you?” Hachiman suddenly asked.
Haruno stared at the boy, blinking several times stiffly. Of all things, she never expected that question to come.
"Me? Being jealous of her? Hahahaa."
Haruno’s laughter echoed, attracting startled glances from those nearby. She remained unconcerned, while Hachiman shrank under the attention of curious onlookers.
"Hey, could you stop that? I understand you're not jealous, but please stop laughing," Hachiman said, his embarrassment barely concealed.
“No. I’m jealous, you know.”
“Huh?”
Hachiman could only stare, dumbfounded. Haruno, meanwhile, was finally catching her breath, dabbing away a stray tear of laughter.
"It's surprising, isn't it? I didn't even expect it."
Without warning, Haruno seized Hachiman’s wrist and tugged him away from the scene with her surprisingly firm grip.
"Maybe it's the same thing you said at summer camp, about how it bothered you that Hayato knew me first. And I think today I truly understand that sentiment."
Haruno marched on, dragging Hachiman behind her, never once glancing back to meet his eyes.
“She’s not just any girl, but your first love, after all. The one who happened to steal your heart before me. In every way, I know I’m far more perfect than she is. But just because she’s your first love, I can’t help but feel anxiety,” the woman continued.
Hachiman was floored by the raw honesty in her confession. For someone as high and mighty as Haruno, admitting her fears clearly cost her more than she let on.
However, more than that, Hachiman never thought that those words would come out of her mouth.
A figure who always seemed mature, calm, calculating, and unswayed by her feelings, in this moment, was feeling anxious about love. In that regard, Haruno truly felt like an ordinary girl. He glimpsed a side of her he never knew existed.
The woman who always seemed so composed and untouchable was, in this moment, just a girl anxious about love. Hachiman glimpsed a side of her he never knew existed.
“W-well, I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but I feel quite happy to see that you can also get jealous,” he said.
He instinctively averted his gaze, unable to face even Haruno’s back as she pulled him along.
“You like it when I’m jealous? You’re the worst, Hikigaya-kun. You wouldn’t intentionally use that as an excuse to make me jealous even more, would you?” Haruno replied while peeking behind her.
“What? Of course not. Why’d I do something so troublesome?”
Relief softened Haruno’s features into a smile, but to Hachiman, that smile looked oddly menacing.
“Yes, you better not. Because if you keep doing that, I might actually kill you, you know?”
Haruno may have said it kindly, even sounding like a joke, but Hachiman could sense the darkness behind those words.
“You’d be a criminal if you were doing that. And the association would probably really label you a threat,” the guy replied with a bit of a joke.
"No, they wouldn't. Or maybe, they couldn't."
Haruno's quick reply made Hachiman's eyebrows raise.
“What? Why? The police might still be able to be bribed with money, but the association won't pass up an opportunity if it can actually make you comply with them.”
Haruno let out a soft chuckle, covering her mouth with her free hand. Suddenly, she halted, forcing Hachiman, still in tow, to stop short behind her.
She turned, beaming at Hachiman with a smile so bright and warm it could outshine the sun itself.
"They won't be able to do anything to me. Because after I stab you in the back, I'll slit my own throat to end my life."
—To Be Continued—
Author Note: Another chapter is done.
This is actually a chapter I didn't plan, but it always makes me so tickled that I have to do this. If you remember, in the early chapters, like the first quarter of this story, Hachiman once said that he almost confessed his feelings to Kaori if it weren't for Satoru, who, though reluctant to admit it, saved him from being the butt of the school's ridicule.
I wanted to leave it at that with just a brief narrative. However, as the story progressed, it felt wrong if I didn't at least give a sneak peek of what happened at that time. Therefore, this chapter was made to provide a rough idea of how Hachiman's past diverged from the canon events due to Satoru's influence. Which, indirectly, also made him a boy who, while still a loner, is less negative than in the first season, when he didn't even believe in friendship.
That's why I once said that Hachiman in this fic drew on the second-season version.
Besides that, I quite enjoyed writing about Kaori. In fact, she's my sixth favourite heroine after Haruno-san, Hiratsuka-sensei, Yukinon, Yumiko, and Sakisaki. I also added a slight twist to her character. In the canon, she had no feelings other than pure friendship for Hachiman, but here she shared quite mutual feelings. If you ask me why, I mean, why not, right?
Also, this chapter shows that Hachiman's younger self, while inexperienced, can actually show flaws in his observations. I wanted to emphasise his humanly side with his flaws in observing Kaori. He said he did everything he could and wasn't surprised if someone called him a stalker. However, he failed to understand Kaori's goal during middle school: to continue her education in Funabashi.
In this regard, I want to emphasise the aspect he once said, "People only see what they want to see." After his conversation with Satoru, he wavered and thought that Kaori might not be interested in him. Therefore, his observations weren't about seeking the truth, but rather seeking validation for his concerns. Like, he wanted to justify not confessing his feelings as the right choice, but never understood what Kaori was going through.
Welp, that's all from me. The weather here is getting worse with three tropical cyclones potentially forming in Indonesia. So, stay safe and be healthy. See you guys.