6
Gallantly, Haruno Yukinoshita departs into the darkness.
In the end, I didn’t really hear any good information about Hayama’s course stream choice over the course of the next few days, and all I heard was a jumble of remarks from my classmates.
Seen from the outside, Hayama’s clique seemed no different from normal, too. Miura and maybe also Tobe were cautious of what seemed to be at the core of things, but they never touched it. Yet they still avoided ever blatantly acting distant, either.
There wasn’t much time left to resolve the request we’d gotten from Miura.
The submission deadline for the career path questionnaire was at the end of this month. The marathon was immediately before that. I had to find some kind of answer on Hayama’s choice by then.
All I knew right now was that Hayama hadn’t told anyone what he’d picked. That was it. So for now, I was forced to spend some time gathering evidence to help me deduce it.
I’d spent a few days doing that, and then the marathon was looming at the beginning of the following week. It was after school.
I observed how things were going in the classroom, then went out into the hallway. The situation hadn’t changed, and things were dragging on. Yuigahama seemed to be doing her own investigation, as she was proactively chatting with Hayama in the brief window before he and Tobe went to their club.
So then it should be fine for me to head to the clubroom without her that day. I left the classroom, walking along the hallway to the special-use building alone.
Ahead, there was Miss Hiratsuka, beckoning. “Going to your club?”
“Yeah, basically.”
“I see. Perfect. I was just thinking I’d go over there,” she said, and she pointed toward the special-use building before walking on ahead of me, prompting me to come. Apparently, she meant to walk and talk.
If she meant to come to the clubroom, could this be about work…? Though I felt my spirit draining away, there would be no point in struggling now. I would obediently follow.
“Do you have free time after school tomorrow?” she asked.
“Yeah, basically.” I had nothing resembling a plan. At most there was just that request from Miura, but it wasn’t like I had any concrete plans of action.
To be blunt, I was at a dead end.
Even if I inclined my ears toward the conversations around me (stalking) or closely watched what Hayama did (stalking) or tried waiting for the right moment to get Hayama alone (stalking), everything was a swing and a miss (strikeout). Considering when the submission deadline for the career path questionnaire was, it wasn’t just three outs—game set was only a matter of time.
I don’t know if Miss Hiratsuka was satisfied by my answer, or she’d assumed all along that I had no plans, but she dispassionately continued, “There’s a career path consultation event tomorrow, but we don’t have quite enough people…though the student council is also working hard on it for us.”
Hey, she only seems to be playing around! But she’s actually doing her job, huh!
“…And so Isshiki picked you out. She wants you to help with the work.”
Is the order a Hachibun? But hearing the word work does not make my heart hop-hop…
“But why would you come all this way for me…?” Isshiki spent so much damn time in the clubroom, she could have said then.
“Because it’s an official order from the student council. Well, if she’s coming to get permission from the teacher-advisor, then that’s progress. I don’t know what she means by it, but your club is perfect for personnel they can use freely without causing problems. It makes sense,” Miss Hiratsuka said with a nod. As a teacher, she felt she was personally seeing real growth from Isshiki.
…No, this is actually like a scheme from Isshiki. She’s going through the teacher so we can’t refuse. But if Isshiki is doing her best, then we could help her a little.
“Well, if that’s what’s going on, sure… But what are you doing for this event?”
“Basically, it’s for asking how to handle entrance exams. Think of it as an opportunity to ask some older students more specific details.”
“Entrance exams? Isn’t this kinda early? Why do it at this time of year…?”
“I did talk about this in homeroom.” The teacher got a bit of a sulky look.
…Oh yeah, I get the feeling she did talk about that. Maybe I kind of ignored it… Ah-ha-ha…
I pasted on a polite smile to mollify her, and Miss Hiratsuka breathed a short sigh as if to say, Oh well. “It’s because our school also has the International Curriculum. There are kids here looking to study abroad. They need to start preparing early, even if it is earlier than regular schools.”
“Study abroad…” Right, you don’t have to stay in Japan to pursue your studies. It wasn’t something I’m really familiar with, so it hadn’t occurred to me, but some people will go to universities overseas. One of the unique features of our school is its International Curriculum. That could make students more likely to be aware of the option of studying abroad.
Studying abroad, huh…? Wow… I actually had been out of the country before, at least, but I’d never thought about living elsewhere.
You wouldn’t decide that on a whim. So people who were seeking to study abroad may have already made the decision a while back. “So are there actually a lot of people who have already decided on that? I heard some people already submitted the questionnaire…”
“No, not really. Just a few. We’ve set the deadline at the end of the month. Most people will submit these things at the last minute… Ah, but Hayama did come to submit his.”
“Huh…” I got lucky for his name to come up. I didn’t even have to construct a whole conversation for the sake of asking.
But right as I was thinking that, Miss Hiratsuka gave me a sharp look out of the corner of her eye. “I won’t tell you. That’s private information.”
“…I…i-i-i-i-it’s not like I wanted to know anyway!”
“I know how you feel. It’s natural to be curious what schools your peers are going for. And it’s something fun to talk about up until entrance exams get serious.” She smiled nostalgically, then continued. “And with students like Hayama and Yukinoshita, even some of the teachers are curious. Their performance is related to the school’s achievement.”
“Huh, so there’s expectations, huh…?”
“You’re just as good when it comes to your arts grades, but… You just don’t get as much attention,” she said, puffing up her cheeks slightly with some indignance. But there’s nothing you can do about that. I’ve never once built a good relationship with a teacher. That means that even though I get good grades on exams, my grades on report cards are somewhat lacking. I seriously can’t understand why middle school teachers love the loud and mischievous (lol) types…
As I was recalling unpleasant memories, Miss Hiratsuka suddenly stopped. Swishing back her long hair, she looked me straight in the eye. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m doing arts,” I answered immediately.
Miss Hiratsuka gave a tiny shake of her head. “No, no, I mean further in the future.”
“Househusband.”
The moment I answered that, I got a smack on the head for it. Miss Hiratsuka put a hand on her hip as if to say Good grief and gave me a look. This was not her normal overbearing attitude—she was somehow big sister–like. Awkward.
Then she sighed. “Look at reality.”
I-I’m not running away from reality, I’m just facing my ideals, okay…? But her gaze was a little too sincere for me to say that.
Scratching my chin, I turned away to answer, “I haven’t made up my mind yet. Besides, it’s not like I want some kind of specialist or research job. Art won’t be a problem.”
“Nothing you’re interested in?”
“If there’s something I’m interested in, I’ll make it a hobby. If you make it your job, won’t that just make your life harder?”
Life is hard!! Or I think that’s what they said in an ad for the anime Jinsei. It was like, Life is so hard, goddammit, man.
“…That’s very like you. Well, I can see the logic. If you’re asking if your choice of faculty will have a major influence on your future, that’s not true for the majority of people.” Folding her arms, she looked out the window. “Some people go from science universities into publishing houses, and other people study social science and go straight into entertainment. Some people even choose language universities and travel all over the world. Students at law school don’t necessarily all wind up as lawyers and prosecutors. Even I didn’t go to school for education. Although none of this applies to doctors, lawyers, or research careers, though…”
“Yeah, and pharmacists and stuff…,” I said, and Miss Hiratsuka nodded.
It’s not like there’s a direct connection between your faculty and your future profession. I don’t know where my dad graduated from or what his job is now. Wait, that is a direct connection…
The division between arts and sciences is so approximate anyway these days, you hear about the “interdisciplinary viewpoint” and whatnot, where companies will deliberately seek out talent from other backgrounds. Ultimately, a lot will depend on the qualifications and skills of the individual. For example, I believe communication skills, communication skills, and also communication skills as well as communication skills are necessary in society. Awww man, I don’t want to think about getting a job.
“But still, as your teacher, I should tell you…,” Miss Hiratsuka said, clapping me on the shoulder, “there’s no need to decide your whole future right now. Transferring schools or departments, or going to one college while studying to get into another are all options, if you want. Changing professions is also possible. This is nothing more than one opportunity of many to choose.”
“I see.”
I’m sure there are countless opportunities to choose your path, whether it be in higher education or in your career. Meaning marriage is one of those opportunities to choose! I don’t really know if there will be an opportunity! For either of us! But work with me here!
Ultimately, this just means there will be a chance to choose again. There’s no guarantee you can take back your failures. It’s pretty common to fail again and open the wound further.
“…But isn’t it dangerous to blow your first choice?” I asked.
“Mm-hmm. So what a teacher can do for you is increase your number of options… And also reduce them.”
“Should you be reducing them…?”
Miss Hiratsuka leveled me with a rather serious look. “Of course, the student is the one who decides. All we can do is offer advice. And my advice right now is…give up on your dream of being a househusband.”
Ahhh, there goes my option…
Eventually, the long hallway came to an end, and we approached the stairs. I was going on up, but Miss Hiratsuka went to turn the corner. She wasn’t going to follow me to the clubroom. Having informed me of Isshiki’s request, it seemed her business was now done.
With a casually raised hand, she left me and started walking off. I answered that with a bit of a bow.
Then she stopped, turning just her head back toward me. “…What if you could get a teaching position at university? That might actually be a good fit for you.”
“I’d never wanna be a teacher. I’d have to deal with students like me, after all,” I answered with a shrug.
Miss Hiratsuka smiled wryly. “True. I can sympathize with that.”
…What a thing to say after all our time together.
Bowing one more time, I watched her go.
When I opened the door to the clubroom, my eyes immediately met Yukinoshita’s.
She had a blanket over her knees and held a paperback with a cat-patterned book cover on it that seemed to be a favorite, but her eyes were on the door.
Yuigahama wasn’t there yet, and Yukinoshita was alone. She offered a little smile. “Hello.”
“’Sup,” I replied, and Yukinoshita snapped her book shut and stood. Then, as usual, she began making tea.
Setting out the Western- and Japanese-style teacups as the water boiled, she turned to me. “You’re a little late today.”
“Miss Hiratsuka asked me to handle some stuff…”
As she was putting the tea leaves into the pot, Yukinoshita cocked her head. “What was the request?”
“She said there was this career path consultation tomorrow, and the student council wants some help.”
“Ah. The student council… I’ll open up my schedule, then.”
“Yeah… Uhhh, it’s fine with just me, though.”
She said that so offhandedly, I just replied normally before I realized it. Seeing as how I was the only one Isshiki had asked for, it would probably be mostly simple labor, like setting up chairs and stuff. It didn’t seem necessary to bother Yukinoshita and Yuigahama about it.
Despite what I said, though, without any particular deliberation at all, Yukinoshita immediately answered, “I don’t really mind… It’s not like there’s anything else for me to do.”
“Well, that’s true…” I was stuck, and it wasn’t like Yukinoshita had any ideas, either. I was pretty embarrassed after my declaration to Miura, but this was the reality. Not to mention, maybe doing something would make Yukinoshita feel better.
After that, both of us stared wordlessly at the hot-water kettle, and as we waited for the water to boil, the door was smacked open.
“Yahallo!”
“Hello, hellooo.”
That characteristic greeting was familiar to me.
First, Yuigahama. And then the next one to step into the clubroom was Ebina.
“Hello, Ebina,” said Yukinoshita.
“Hey, there. Haven’t seen you since New Year’s.”
“Take a seat.” Yukinoshita offered a chair, and Ebina thanked her and sat down.
As Yukinoshita was preparing tea for the guest as well, I gave Yuigahama a look asking for an explanation. Why is she here…?
Yuigahama nodded back at me. “Okay, so we were talking about, like, asking people who might know about Hayama’s course stream, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So I asked Hina about it, too; I figured we might as well all think about it together. Right, Hina?” Yuigahama turned the discussion to her.
“I hope I can be useful, though.” Ebina nodded without any confidence.
Well, it wasn’t a bad idea. In terms of her relationship to Hayama and to Miura, her position was pretty close. She would be hard to talk to if it were me or Yukinoshita alone, but going through Yuigahama made it a possibility.
And besides, behind her fujoshi mask, she held something unknown to me. Even if she wasn’t quite correct, she might direct us to some kind of hint.
But Ebina’s expression was clouded. Even her glasses were clouded thanks to the tea from Yukinoshita.
“Hayato’s course stream, huh…? But, well, I haven’t really heard anything about it, either. And plus, Hayato is good at both fields, so I don’t know if I can say anything.”
“Ahhh, I thought so. Of course…,” Yuigahama agreed, shoulders slumping. Well, as long as you don’t have lopsided grades like me, narrowing down your future course based on your academics is difficult.
Maybe the idea of avoiding what you’re bad at is a negative one, but it works for me. Maybe not for everyone, though.
Leaning my cheek on my hand, I sighed quietly.
Ebina was still considering the matter—then she seemed to hit on something, opening her mouth. “Oh, but he has said something about the type of occupation.”
“Wait, what? He did?” Yuigahama asked.
Ebina nodded. “This was a while back, but during the workplace tour, I think he said, like, media or a foreign-owned company?”
“Ohhh, you’re right; I think he did.” Yuigahama clapped her hands.
Now that she mentioned it, I do kind of get the feeling he said something along those lines, back then. But both “media” and “foreign-owned” were too broad. I doubt media is really easier to go for if you do arts, and “foreign-owned” applied to a whole range of businesses. It would be impossible to calculate backward from that.
“But that could have just been out of curiosity. It’s a little weak to use as a basis,” Yukinoshita said, putting her hand to her chin. She was right. I mean, for that workplace tour, we’d gone for observation at a totally unrelated IT tech type of place.
But Ebina was aware of that, too. “Yeah, I think so, too. Plus…” She trailed off a moment. Her gaze was pointed toward a corner of the clubroom, not looking at any of us.
“Plus?” Yuigahama prompted her to continue.
Ebina gave her head a little shake. “Plus, we all ended up going to the same place anyway, so I doubt it’d be useful information!” she said, ending the sentence with unwarranted energy.
“Ah, yeahhh.” Yuigahama nodded along, but I wasn’t nodding.
What was Ebina actually trying to say there?
Yukinoshita folded her legs the other way and asked Ebina another question. “He hasn’t said anything else?”
“I don’t really remember anything that seems relevant…” Ebina tilted her head, searching her memory, but her eyes jumped right over to me. “But, like, wouldn’t Hikitani know better when it comes to details like that?”
“Huh? Me?” I pointed at myself without thinking.
“It’s true; Hikki does watch him a l—”
Ebina bounded out of her seat, cutting Yuigahama off. “Look! See! It’s that special gay eye conversation! It’s Hayahachi!”
“No, it’s not.”
What the heck is “special gay eye conversation”? Is she a wannabe Newtype or something? That woman! Step on her ships with a Gelgoog!
“Enough with that humor.”
“Ah, ah-ha-ha…”
“Agh…”
Yuigahama put on a strained smile, while Yukinoshita put a hand to her temple as if she had a headache and sighed.
Ebina was still doing her frightening fujoshi chuckle, but then she suddenly pushed up the frames of her glasses with a finger. The lenses flashed in the light, and I couldn’t tell where she was looking anymore.
“…Well, I’m not entirely joking, though,” she added. The words were so small, I just about missed them.
Before I could ask what she really meant by that, I heard the scrape of Ebina’s chair sliding on the floor as she leaned forward with enthusiasm. “Come on, I wanna have a passionate discussion about the possibilities of Hayahachi!”
“No way, no way in hell…”
“Aw, too bad. Right, then I should get going. I’ll see you later, okay? Yui, Yukinoshita.” And with that, Ebina stood up, heading for the clubroom door.
“Ah, yeah. Thanks,” said Yuigahama.
“If there’s anything else, I’d appreciate if you could tell us,” said Yukinoshita.
“Sure. See you, then.” Waving in reply to the two other girls, Ebina left the clubroom.
I looked at the door for a bit, then sighed. “Guess we need a little longer to get an estimate.”
“Yes, it seems so.” Yukinoshita nodded, then reached out for her now-cold tea. Yuigahama had her mug in one hand and her phone in the other.
“…I’m going to the washroom.” With that one remark, I left the clubroom.
Not much time had passed since Ebina had left the Service Club room. She wouldn’t have gone that far. I wanted to ask her some more details—well, actually, I wanted to ask her what she meant by what she’d said.
Most of all, I surmised the reason she had not said good-bye to me was because she still had something to talk about herself. Or she’d just forgotten me. If it was the latter, that’s actually kinda like bullying, y’know? Invisible beings and stuff—if this were Another, someone’d be dead.
Still pondering the matter, I turned a corner to see Ebina was indeed ahead and walking very, very slowly.
Hearing my hurried footsteps in the hallway, Ebina turned around. “Listen, this is pointless.” That was the first thing out of her mouth. She spoke just as if she’d anticipated that I would come following her.
“What is?”
“Investigating him like this. Hayato doesn’t slip up that easily.”
I came to a stop, and her look hit me through her lenses. It was cold, not like Ebina’s usual expressions. Or maybe this hardness was who she really was. I’d felt it from her before, during the incident on the school field trip.
With a casual shrug, I broke eye contact. “…I figured. But we kinda talked big to Miura—we can’t not do it.”
“Hmm…”
After that, all words evaporated.
There was nobody in the hallway but me and Ebina. When the both of us said nothing, it went completely silent. The only sound was the wind rattling the windows.
Standing there in the middle of an awkward silence, scratching my head, I figured out what I wanted to ask Ebina. I cleared my throat, then opened my mouth. “But let me ask you—are you okay with that?”
“With what?”
“I mean, no matter how this plays out, things can’t be the same as they’ve always been.”
“No, I don’t think that’s true,” Ebina answered instantly, cutting me off. “I’m sure Hayama will manage to avoid that. I think Yumiko understands that, too. I don’t think a class change will collapse everything.” Every word out of her mouth was vague, but there was a ring to her voice that sounded like certainty.
“I see. You really trust him, huh?”
“That’s not it… I just think Hayato will probably choose a way that won’t hurt anyone. It’s not that I trust him exactly. It’s just a selfish wish.” Ebina stuck out her tongue and smiled.
I think before I never would have doubted what Ebina said. I think I would’ve assumed Hayato Hayama was that sort of guy.
But now, it was different. It wasn’t something clear or defined, but that hazy unease was lurking in the depths.
That’s what made me want to ask.
“C’mon, why do you think that?”
“…Because that’s who Hayato is. He meets everyone’s expectations.” Looking away from me, Ebina smiled one more time. There was nothing charming in that smile; it was ice-cold. The corners of her mouth were pulled up just slightly.
Seeing it so close, I thought better of replying. In the slight moment of silence that it gave rise to, Ebina hopped a step away from me and raised her hand up just slightly. “I’m going to head home, then.”
“Y-yeah…,” I somehow managed to say, then watched Ebina’s back grow distant.
I still hadn’t arrived at anything that really seemed like the right answer.
Something about it just felt wrong. Pondering the true nature of this feeling, I turned back to the clubroom.
When I happened to look up at the sky through the hallway window, I saw crimson and indigo mixed together in the dimming winter sky.
This sky would eventually turn to complete darkness.
It would betray no one’s expectations—the matter that didn’t even need to be considered. It was something to be taken for granted.
After Ebina’s visit, nobody else came, the club time came to an end, and I headed home.
Even if I announced my arrival at home at the door, there would be no reply. A couple of corporate slaves would not be coming back at this hour, and Komachi would have gone to cram school or be in her room.
Going up the stairs, I entered the pitch-dark living room and flipped the light switch. Click.
The lights flared on.
And then, in the apparently empty room, a figure hazily appeared.
“Ngk! You scared me…”
It was Komachi, leaning her face on her hand and zoning out.
Noticing the pathetic sound I made, Komachi snapped out of it, turned to me, and smiled sweetly. “…Oh, Bro. Welcome home.”
“Y-yeah, hi…”
I tossed my coat and bag on the sofa and turned on the heater. Komachi must have been zoning out like that for a long time. The living room was freezing.
“What’s wrong, Komachi?” I asked, taking a seat on the sofa.
Komachi got a sweet, shy smile on her face, then dramatically slumped facedown on the table. “K-Komachi really can’t anymore…,” she said tearfully, taking her head in her hands. “Sob… Komachi’s gonna fail these exams and ruin her life… Both the children of the Hikigaya family will become shut-ins, and all the neighbors will giggle when they talk about her… I just know my life is about to be over!!”
“Uh, I’m not a shut-in, though…,” I pointed out, but Komachi wasn’t listening at all. She mussed her hair into a wild mess, then once again flopped down onto the table.
Ahhh, she’s at it again… Exactly like the end of last year…
Well, there’s marriage blues, there’s maternity blues, and Tail Blue. I guess Komachi’s sort of Blue is entrance exams. That sentai team would also include a Red (the state of your grades) and a Black (the reputation of your employer). Yikes, what a terrible crime-fighting team…
But anyway, managing Komachi was something I did have a basic grasp on. “Why not take a break? And think about fun stuff.” I was going by the big bro manual, but Komachi didn’t react. She’d immediately leaped on that before…
Finding this strange, I leaned on the sofa and turned back to Komachi. She was hunched over, lips pouting slightly, and her hands were clenched in weak fists on the table. “…I can’t have fun right now.”
There was no humor in her tone like before, but her sulkiness reminded me of when she was little.
“Did something happen?”
“No,” she replied shortly. But that taciturnity actually communicated to me that there was something she wanted to say.
I just stayed silent and waited for her to continue. About a full minute went by. Aside from the second hand on the wall clock, the only thing making sound was the cars going by outside.
Eventually, Komachi sighed and capitulated. “…It’s, like, even when I take a break, like before I go to bed or when I’m eating, all I can think about is, like, I haven’t done this or I haven’t finished that,” Komachi put the words together, one by one. The whole time, she never looked at me, eyes down on her lightly clenched hands. “And, like…What if I don’t make it… or What if I fail?” Her fists squeezed tight.
In an attempt to be relaxing, I spoke as slowly as I could. “You don’t have to stress over it that much. You already got into a private school.”
“I don’t wanna go there.” Komachi jerked her face away from me, so I couldn’t see her expression. But I heard her speak, hesitating all the while. “Paying a lot of money for a place I don’t wanna go would be dumb…and I don’t wanna do that to Dad.”
Our parents both work, so we weren’t terribly strapped for cash. Frankly, I think they anticipated paying tuition for private school. But I don’t think Komachi was talking about money.
She felt bad for Dad, huh? Normally, she treats him like a pain in her butt, but she finally showed some concern for him now.
I don’t think even Komachi sincerely dislikes our dad.
Thanks to the pressure from entrance exams right now, something very close to her hidden true feelings was slipping out.
“And I don’t wanna hear people saying, like, I failed…”
Her voice was trembling.
Komachi was cheerful, full of smiles, and a good girl. She was considerate not only for the household but also for her big brother. I’m sure she acts cheerful like that at school, too.
But she had indeed distanced herself from her friends during winter vacation. I’m sure there was conflict and pressure in her social relationships that I can’t possibly know about.
The more cheerful you are, the bigger the difference when that brightness is lost. Private high schools had already started announcing acceptances, so the passing or failing of her classmates would be coming up a lot in her classroom. And an offhand comment with a sharp edge could stab her right in the heart, even if she’d normally shake it off.
That would make you want to distance yourself from people, from reality.
Komachi’s faltering words trailed off, and then instead of words, I heard something like a sniff.
I got up from the sofa and sat down opposite her. “Well, high school entrance exams are important. If you blow it here, you’ll be pretty behind, and it gets kind of hard to face your middle school friends.”
“Yeah…,” Komachi replied, but she didn’t sound like she really got what I was saying. Maybe she was hearing this stuff at school and cram school—maybe our parents were even saying it.
But I chose to continue. “But university entrance exams are more important, and getting a job is probably even more important. And each time, you’ll probably lose friends no matter what. If you blow it, yikes.”
“Y-yeah…,” she said, sounding kind of confused.
But I replied to her with a fair amount of certainty, “But it’ll be okay.”
That made Komachi look up. Her eyes were a little wet and somewhat surprised. That look reminded me of when she was small, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Let me put it another way: As long as you balance the accounts at the end, it’s okay. It’s just like baseball playoffs. Going to a good high school and university is like the advantage you get from ranking first place in a season. It puts you ahead, but it’s not like that decides everything.”
Once, there was a team that was in third for the season, but then postseason, they started winning fast, and in the end, they even won the honor of being number one in Japan. You never know what’s going to happen. Maybe it’ll be just like that one playoff game, when they were losing and a pinch hitter knocked a dribbler to third for a base hit that led to a rally. Life and baseball are both a drama without a script.
I was going to make a passionate speech about this, but Komachi didn’t really care about baseball, and I don’t know if she even listened through the whole thing. She was facing me but not answering.
Hmm, my big bro radar is telling me this isn’t the lecture Komachi wants.
Not really knowing what else I should say, I scratched my head and just said what came to mind. “Well, anyway… If the time comes, I’ll manage taking care of you somehow.”
“Bro…”
“Supporting one person isn’t much different from supporting two. I’ll appeal to Mom and Dad with everything I have.”
“I wanted you to say you’d get a job…,” Komachi said as she gently wiped her eyes and smiled.
“That’s a last resort for me… Ah, maybe I shouldn’t say this myself, but your big bro is pretty capable. I can manage most things… So don’t worry.” I reached out to Komachi’s head and gave it a pat, then mussed her hair around.
“Listen, Bro, when Komachi sees you…” Putting her hand over mine, eyes still a little wet, she met my gaze. She paused a moment, then sighed like she’d lost her energy. “All this worrying is starting to feel ridiculous…” Then she gave my hand a little slap to make it go away.
“…Glad to hear it.”
You show my little sister just a little bit of kindness, and this is what you get… Oh, that side of her is cute, too, though? Hmm, but it’s a little different from the cuteness Big Bro was hoping for, you know…
“Agh, enough of this. Okay, back to studying.” Totally back to normal, Komachi stood with a scrape of her chair and began striding out of the living room.
But when her hand touched the doorknob, she stopped flat. “Thanks,” she murmured, then swept out of the living room, thumping the door shut.
Through the door, all I could hear was the sound of her slippers pattering across the floor a bit faster than usual.
After school the next day, Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and I went to the meeting room.
This was for what Miss Hiratsuka had asked me about the day before, to help the student council and set up the career path consultation. Though I’d said already that I would be enough, they’d come to the conclusion that there was nothing else to do anyway. The three of us should just get it done fast together! they’d said, and now here we were.
I hadn’t come to this meeting room since the cultural festival—well, planning the cultural festival, technically.
I touched the door to find the meeting room was already unlocked. Isshiki and the student council were probably already there. When I knocked, someone drawled, “Come iiiin.” When I opened the door, Isshiki was standing by the window. She turned around.
“Ah, there you are!” As if to say, You’re late! she pattered over to me and grabbed my sleeve to tug at it. But when she discovered the two behind me, she gracefully bowed. “And thank you to you two as well!”
“Yahallo, Iroha-chan!”
“What should we do?”
Yuigahama offered a friendly reply to her bow, while Yukinoshita looked around the room.
I also took a look around and found it still in its default state. The tables were laid out in a long, thin square, with the chairs lined up in an orderly fashion.
“We’re setting up for the career path consultation, so we have to rearrange things a bit. Also, us student councilors are sort of, like, observers for that or offering help where it’s needed.”
“Agh, it looks like it’ll be pretty time-consuming,” I said.
Isshiki’s shoulders dropped. “Yeah, really. Apparently, this is also the student council’s job… This is, like, nothing but chores…”
“Uh, that’s what student council is…”
“Nobody told me… Agh, if a certain someone hadn’t told me to be the president…” Isshiki shot me a rapid sequence of very deliberate-looking glares.
“Don’t be obnoxious… At least you’re doing your job. Even with all the complaining.”
“…W-well, I mean. It is my job.” Isshiki twisted around like she was uncomfortable, jerking her face away. Then she cleared her throat and flapped the printouts in her hands. “A-anyway! Please move the chairs and tables and make six individual booths using the partitions. You and the vice president handle the heavy lifting, please.”
I nodded, mentally doing a sideways peace sign and going Capisce!
Isshiki nodded back at me, next looking over to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. “And the girls, please handle the chairs. We’re putting one on the tutor side and two on the student side. And if you’re done with that, then please make some tea for the tutors.” Still examining the printouts, Isshiki gave further instructions. She was surprisingly brisk about it, and you might have even thought she knew what she was doing. When she gave orders, the clerk with the braided pigtails and glasses nodded.
Meanwhile, one of us seemed confused. Of course, it was Yuigahama.
“Chuuta?” Yuigahama repeated the English word Isshiki had used. “…Like a mouse?”
“It’s not the name of a pet…” It’s not like Nyanta or Hamuzou or Ebizou or Kikuzou.
While I was wondering how I should explain this, Yukinoshita readily stepped forward. “A tutor is someone who offers advice and academic support. In this case, I suppose they’re here to answer your questions.”
“That’s right,” said Isshiki. “Aside from the teachers, we’ve invited some graduates, as well as some third-years who have already been accepted through recommendation.”
“Graduates…” Yukinoshita scowled at the words.
What a coincidence, I think I’m imagining exactly the same thing. Often, the worse your bad feeling about something is, the more accurate that feeling is.
“All right, I have to go get the people who will be in the tutor role, so please handle the rest, Vice President,” Isshiki said, and she left the meeting room. Under the instructions of the second-in-command, we continued setting things up.
While I was carrying in the partitions with the vice president, he turned to me. “Sorry, thanks for the help. We just needed people for setting up the venue.”
“Ah, it’s totally fine. At least we know what the task is here.” Before, for the Christmas event, we hadn’t even decided on what we would do, and it had turned into a disaster. It seemed to me things had improved quite a bit, compared with then—both in terms of Isshiki’s motivation and the awkwardness among the student council. And also, in our relationship.
It didn’t matter what the catalyst was—if we could carry the heavy things together, bit by bit, then we could change the way things were among all of us.
We moved the tables and lined up the partitions, and then all that was left was a couple of tasks on the girls’ end. We’d handled our work pretty efficiently, and there was still time left before the event was scheduled to start.
Then I discovered someone who must have come a little earlier—loitering at the meeting room entrance and checking inside. Each time she went back and forth in front of the entrance, her familiar ponytail swayed.
I think her name was Honda, no, Suzuki…or was it Yamaha? I swear it was something motorcycle-like. She looks like a delinquent; it totally gives you that bike vibe. Bike, bike…bike, Kawasaki, bike? Yeah, Kawasaki is probably right.
Kawasaki seemed to be unsure whether she should come in or not, so I decided to call out to her. “Hey, it’s gonna be a bit.”
“…Huh.”
When I addressed her, she twitched and froze up. Her reply to me was very brief and curt. She never changes, huh…?
But I’d feel bad if she came all this way just to stand there and wait the whole time. So I decided to help her kill time until we were all set up. “So you’re here for the career thing, huh?”
“B-basically…,” she replied, acting kind of flustered. When she reacts like this, she reminds you of a normal girl, though. Someone scary like her, you’d never expect her to diligently attend an event like this—older guys would get a good impression from that, uh-huh.
Well, since we’re here, maybe I’ll try asking Kawasaki about her future, too. Dunno if it’ll be useful as reference, though. “So then what are you doing after high school?”
“Huh? Me? I…I’m thinking a national public humanities school.”
“Detailed but also vague…,” I said. For someone so apparently close to deciding the school she wanted, she was trailing off and sounding very worried.
Kawasaki gave me a look with half-lidded eyes. “You got a problem with that?” I could almost hear the unspoken ya punk?
“Nope. No problems here!” I reflexively straightened my posture. You can’t dial back that sharpness just a bit, huh…? No problems here, no punks here, no monks here. Please dial back that real-life Monk-class aura. Bet she could fire off Multifists…
“But if you’ve already decided, why’d you have to come?” I asked her.
“…My grades aren’t the best, so I just wanted to ask about that.” She was curt, but I could tell she wasn’t confident. It seemed she was unwavering in her choice of national public.
Ah, right. I remember she had a lot of siblings. Every household has their own stuff going on.
Every family will have their circumstances. That’s probably true for Hayama and Yukinoshita, too. In Kawasaki’s case, it would be her multiplicity of siblings. That’s why she was thinking ahead, trying to go to a public school. Her little sister was still in preschool, after all. It’d be best for Kawasaki to go for public school. She’s a good big sister, really. Night and day compared with a certain other big sister…
“Oh yeah, so is your sister doing good?” I asked. “Um, Mii-chan?”
“Huh? Who’s that supposed to be?” Kawasaki glared at me.
H-hey, I just got her name wrong here… Geez, sister complex… But what was her name again? …Haa-chan? I think that’s what she called me. I’m Hachiman, so it’s Haa-chan. So then Kaa-chan? …No, that’s just “Mommy” in Japanese.
In the process of reasoning by inference, I arrived at a familiar-sounding name and clapped my hands with a start. “Oh, it was Saa-chan.”
Instantly, silence fell. When Kawasaki snapped out of it, she scooted a step back. Face bright red, she snapped back, “Huh?! Why are you calling me Saa-chan?! That’s not a name you can use.”
“Ohhh, I get it. It’s Saki, huh?” That’s why her sister called her Saa-chan. That makes sense.
But this wasn’t making sense to Kawasaki, and she took another step backward. “H-huh?!”
Quit with the noises. Are you T, born in a temple? Or is it K, because she’s Kawasaki? Wait, it was Kei-chan. “Oh, Kei-chan, Kei-chan. I remember now,” I said.
Kawasaki gave me a sharp glare. “Next time you forget, I’ll smack you.”
“O-okay…” I can’t say it… I’m pretty vague on Kawa-something’s name, never mind her sister’s, but I can’t say that…
It seemed talking about her sister softened her up somewhat, though, and her tone did a 180 to something kind and gentle. “Also, um, this is only if you run into her for some reason, but…be nice to Kei-cha…to Keika.”
“Yeah, sure. I doubt I will see her, but if I do.”
“Uh-huh…,” she replied, somewhat reserved, and I nodded back at her.
The door to the meeting room opened with a clack, and Yuigahama poked her face in. “Hikki, we’re done setting up.” Then she noticed Kawasaki’s presence and called out to her with a wave. “Heyyy!”
Kawasaki did a kind of semi-bow, bobbing her head.
“The career seminar? Come in, come in!” Yuigahama said, beckoning Kawasaki in.
Watching her go, I opened the door to the meeting room all the way. This would make it easier for the other kids coming later to get in.
While I was squatting down to stick in a door stopper, I heard someone talk to me from above.
“Hey, that reminds me, I never asked… About where you’re going.” When I looked back, Kawasaki had turned just her head toward me.
“I’m going for private humanities.”
“Huhhh, humanities, huh?” Kawasaki said like she was disinterested, and then she walked off toward where Yuigahama was beckoning her.
…Well, we were both going for arts. If we were in the same class the following year, maybe I’d run into her sister again. If that happened, then I’d be nice to her.
After Kawasaki’s arrival, other students started to trickle in. Glancing over at the clock, I saw it was just a bit until the event was to start.
On the other side of the open door, I could hear loud voices chattering in the hallway. Yukinoshita, standing beside me, quietly inclined her ears to listen. Yuigahama also ambled over to us, looking over toward the hallway with curiosity.
I knew this voice, too. Eventually, the owner of that voice entered the meeting along with Iroha Isshiki. Just as I had expected, it was Haruno Yukinoshita. And following beside her was Meguri.
When Haruno found me, she offered a friendly wave. “Ohhh, if it isn’t Hikigaya. Hya-hallo!”
“Hi.” I bowed my head casually, and Haruno smiled in satisfaction before turning her gaze toward Yukinoshita.
Yukinoshita stood resolute, and the pair’s gazes clashed. “…Haruno.”
“So you’re here, too, huh, Yukino-chan? Good, good, you can get lots of advice from Big Sis,” Haruno said teasingly.
Yukinoshita’s eyebrows twitched, coming together. This is about to explode any second… Seriously, you guys, keep this stuff at home…
Immediately picking up on this dangerous atmosphere, Yuigahama stepped up beside Yukinoshita. “Ohhh, so you’re the graduate, Haruno!”
“Yep, yep. They did say they’d offer me something as thanks, so…here I am! ” Haruno smiled a very gleeful smile.
Does she just have nothing better to do? Like, does she not have any friends…? I began to suspect, but Haruno was the type of person who would be popular.
It seemed her number of devotees had increased by one that day, too. Isshiki came up right beside her sparkling eyes. “Man, it’s such a big help to have an amazing graduate like you here!”
“You think? It’s no big deal, though?” Haruno said with casual modesty, but her calm smile was confident, even bewitching.
“Oh, no, you’re, like, super-cool, Haruno! I totally look up to you. Honestly, sometimes I wanna be like you…”
“Awww, thanks!” Haruno swept up Isshiki into a hug and rubbed her back with aggressive affection. In her arms, Isshiki had a less-than-sincere smirk on.
Ahhh, she’s trying to cozy up to an influential character and acquire her know-how, isn’t she…?
But this foe was also a formidable one, and Haruno petted Isshiki’s hair with an enchanting smile—as if to say she saw right through her amateur calculations.
I didn’t need to see that… I very much did not want a second Haruno.
But creepiness is in the eye of the beholder, as Meguri was watching with a bright smile. Her Healing Wave, her fluffy-puff Megu-Megu-Megu rin Megurin power, made my heart fairly Megurisshed.
Noticing me looking at her, Meguri gave me a casual wave in greeting as she trotted up to me. “Hikigaya! I don’t think I’ve seen you in a while.”
“Uh, yeah… Did they call you in, too?”
“Mm-hmm. I’ve already gotten an acceptance, thanks to a designated school recommendation.”
As we started talking, Yuigahama hopped up to cut in. “What’s a…d-designated school recommendation?”
For some reason, Yukinoshita was the one to answer Yuigahama’s question. “It’s a system where the university offers a framework for recommendation to designated high schools, and those who have fulfilled the selection criteria will be picked out and recommended by the high school. What makes it different from self-recommendation is that the pass rate is quite high.”
Meguri nodded along to the explanation. “I knew you’d know all about it, Yukinoshita. You’re so informed! Our school has DSRs for some pretty decent universities. If you have really good grades at school, you can get a recommendation.” Meguri puffed out her chest proudly with a little smug chuckle. Very charming. Ahhh, I’m being Megurisshed…
But this former student council president was more than just fluffy pleasant. When she does something, she does it right. If not, she wouldn’t be getting a DSR.
And our oh-so-responsible Meguri glanced over at the clock. It was just a few minutes before the event was planned to start. She ambled over to Isshiki, who was still joking around with Haruno, and said to her, “So what should we do, President?”
“Ah, okay, so you go to the booth at the end, and beside you will be Haru…” Pulled back to reality, Isshiki was in the middle of assigning tasks when Yukinoshita glanced at the clock again.
Yukinoshita said to Haruno, “Can we talk?”
“What is it?”
“There’s something I want to ask. And Hikigaya and Yuigahama, too—could I have just a minute?” she said and beckoned us to a corner of the meeting room. The fact that she was calling us together and asking a question—I basically got what this was about. Yukinoshita had to be planning to ask Haruno about Hayama’s course stream choice. Come to think of it, it was true that Haruno had known Hayama the longest of anyone outside of or within the school. I’d say Yukinoshita’s idea was reasonable.
When we gathered in the corner of the meeting room so as to avoid gathering attention, Yukinoshita asked her frankly, “Do you have any idea what Hayama has chosen for his course stream?”
Haruno blinked two, three times, perhaps surprised by the question. But she quickly let out a short, scornful laugh. “Hayato’s course stream? Why do you want to know that?” Her tone was disinterested but could be taken to mean that she knew something.
Watching her carefully, Yukinoshita repeated her question. “Do you know something?”
Haruno breathed a long, exasperated sigh. “I dunno? I don’t care, so I’ve never asked. I’m sure he’s already decided anyway,” she replied bluntly. Then she gave Yukinoshita an unpleasant smile. Her eyes were filled with a dark, sadistic shine. “…And you’d know without asking me, Yukino.”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking you,” Yukinoshita replied with the same cold gaze and sharp tone. Her provocative reply made Haruno bring her eyebrows together just a little.
But Haruno immediately hid the reaction. “Think about it yourself,” she said, cool and composed without being stern.
“…”
That somehow chiding remark left Yukinoshita speechless. Yuigahama gave Haruno a wide-eyed stare. I was a little surprised, too. I couldn’t sense any malice or ill will from her, but there was clearly no goodwill, either, and her tone was too detached to call affectionate.
Haruno immediately stuck out the tip of her tongue and gave another teasingly mean smile. “Here I was thinking you’d begun managing on your own, and now you’re relying on others again. It was cute when you were little, but now… Oh, actually. More importantly, what about your course stream choice?”
That question snapped Yukinoshita out of it. Sweeping her hair off her shoulders, she gave Haruno a haughty glare. “I don’t think there’s any need to tell you.”
“Mom asked me, too. We can never quite get the chance to ask, aside from times like this. You never talk about anything important. Your big sis doesn’t know what to do.” Haruno put a hand to her cheek with a wry smile. Her manner was joking, but that softness quickly vanished, and she glanced over at me. “…Right, Hikigaya?”
“Uh, well…” I didn’t know how to answer when put on the spot. Haruno’s piercing eyes captured me and wouldn’t let go.
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Yukinoshita biting her lip and looking down. “…It’s none of your business.”
“So cooold! Oh yeah. Hikigaaaya, c’mon, c’mon, you come ask Big Sis about stuff, about all sorts of things… I’ll teach you anything, okay?” She prodded at my cheek with her finger, examining my face. The chest of her blouse would normally be hidden by her scarf, but now that we were indoors, it was peeking open, and the sweet scent of her perfume wafted too close, too close, too close!
“Uhhh, well, I’ve already decided, so…” Taking a step away to return the distance between us to what it was, I bent myself backward as far as I could go. She puffed up her cheeks in a pout. Guess she didn’t like that.
Then, huffing out a bored sigh, she turned to Yuigahama. “Awww. At least I can hear about Gahama-chan’s choice.”
“I’m an afterthought?!” Yuigahama wailed at receiving such careless treatment, and Haruno giggled.
While this was going on, Meguri and Isshiki came over. They must have come to call for Haruno, since it was about time to start. Of course, some students came over at the very last minute, too, so the meeting room suddenly got very lively.
Then, among those there, I caught sight of Hayama and his friends. He’d probably come accompanying Tobe or Miura, who were with the group. Of course, they noticed our presence. Though we were in a corner, Haruno tended to draw attention as an outsider to our school.
From the entrance area a little ways away, Hayama called out, “Haruno…”
“Oh, it’s Hayato.” Haruno raised a hand slightly in a little greeting. After that, it was like the stir in the meeting room got just a bit louder. Haruno tilted her head. “Feels like people are looking at me.”
“I mean, well, you stand out.” I wasn’t going to say this out loud, but objectively speaking, Haruno was so pretty, it would be hard to keep your eyes from following her if you saw her out on the town. In the school environment, she stood out even more.
But Haruno didn’t look satisfied to hear me say that. “It feels a little different from that…”
“Ahhh, I know—it’s the rumor,” Isshiki muttered as if she’d just remembered.
That made Meguri react. “The rumor! It’s kind of wonderful, isn’t it? I like hearing about these things, too.”
“Rumor? Wait, what? Iroha-chan.” Jumping on that word, Haruno smiled sweetly at Isshiki.
“Uh, ummm…” Wondering what she was allowed to reply, Isshiki shifted her gaze between the indignant Yukinoshita and Hayama, who was chatting a ways away. She ended up saying nothing.
But Haruno didn’t stop there, setting a light hand on Isshiki’s shoulder. “Tell me?” That was all she said, and that made the question all the heavier. She had her usual smile on, just patiently waiting for Isshiki to say. After a few seconds of silence, Isshiki gave in, and with one eye watching how everyone else would react, she softly whispered into Haruno’s ear.
Haruno listened gleefully as she made mm-hmm listening noises. Damn, if she finds out, it’ll be a disaster…
But her response turned out quite different from what I’d imagined.
“Ohhh, is that it? …We went over this a long time ago, you know,” she said frostily. After thanking Issihiki, she turned to leave as if her fun had been spoiled. “Let’s go, Meguri.”
“Okay!”
The two of them headed for the booth that had been indicated for her. Right before leaving, Haruno turned her head back and waved. “See you later, ’kay!” she called cheerily.
By contrast, Isshiki wore an awkward smile. Then her head slowly rotated toward me like a rusty machine, and she breathed a little sigh of relief. “Th-that was scary… That’s definitely Yukinoshita’s sister!”
“Nobody thought she wasn’t.”
“That’s a rather unpleasant link to find between us.” Yukinoshita put her hand to her temple and sighed.
Yuigahama gave her shoulder a pat. “It’s okay! You’re not really scary!”
“That just feels like another way of making fun of me…”
“Huh? N-not at all! You’re like, um, like, kinda…cute!” Yuigahama said emphatically, making a fist.
Taken aback, Yukinoshita quietly looked away.
Uh-huh. You guys are close, huh…?
Anyway, the career consultation was beginning. Fortunately, the only thing we had to help with was setup. It looked like we could leave the rest to the student council.
“All right, Isshiki, we’re gonna go,” I said.
“Right, thank you very much.” Isshiki bowed politely at us.
I nodded back at her, then called out to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. “Then let’s get back to the clubroom.”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, okay.”
When I was about to leave the meeting room with the two girls, we passed by Hayama and a cluster of his friends near the entrance. I glanced over to see him chatting pleasantly with Miura and the rest.
“Ah man, who should I talk to?” Tobe said.
“There’s still time before your turn, so take your time thinking.” Hayama smiled wryly, then slid his gaze to the front. Ahead of him was Haruno.
“Hey…are you close with her, Hayato?” Miura murmured, without looking at Hayama.
Looking somewhat surprised, Hayama turned to Miura but then immediately broke into a broad smile. “…She’s just a childhood friend.”
As their conversation continued behind us, we headed back to the clubroom.
A little desktop calendar sat on the clubroom table. Well, it wasn’t so much a calendar—most of the paper’s surface area was plastered in cat photos, so if anything, it was a desktop cat photo collection. Whatever it was, I was having a staring contest with it and groaning.
“…The tea is done.”
“Mm, yeah. Thanks.”
While I was glaring at the calendar and slurping tea from my Japanese-style teacup, Yuigahama came over to peer at the calendar. “Not much time left until the submission deadline, huh?”
“Yeah. But I have no idea…”
So far, I had indirectly asked a bunch of people about it, but nothing had come up that could help me figure out what Hayama had picked. Maybe it was because I’d been asking the questions badly, but still, I didn’t want to ask too directly and have it get back to Hayama. I’d asked him already and got a no. That meant he didn’t want me to know, and things could get uncomfortable if he found out I’d been prying anyway. I wanted to avoid creating any trouble for Miura.
As I was counting the remaining days and gathering my thoughts about various matters, there came the click of a teacup meeting a saucer.
I turned around to see Yukinoshita’s expression was more serious than usual. “Hikigaya… I’ve mentioned Hayama’s parents before, haven’t I?”
“Yeah. You said they were a doctor and a lawyer, right?”
“…Huh? Are they?!” This was news to Yuigahama.
“You never heard that?” I said.
Yuigahama pouted, kind of sulky. “It doesn’t exactly come up in normal conversation… I mean, I don’t know what your parents do, Hikki.”
“My parents are just normal corporate slaves, both of them.”
“Ah, same here. Although my mom is just a normal housewife…”
Ahhh, no surprises there… Thinking about how badly she fails at cooking and the weird ways in which she can be housewifey, that kinda made sense.
The environment you’re raised in will affect your personality at least somewhat. I mean, my aversion to corporate slavery is due to my upbringing watching my parents go through it. Oh well, their double income has meant our family has never suffered financial hardship, so I am thankful for that, though. And I’d even say my parents’ influence has made me positive toward the independence of women. In the future, I’m sure Komachi will also get a job, which’ll make ours a triple-income family. It’ll be very stable and secure.
As I was dreaming of my wonderful family plan, Yuigahama was moving on with the discussion. “Soooo then is Hayato gonna inherit the family business?” she asked.
Yukinoshita put her hand to her chin and tilted her head. “I’m not sure… His father runs his own law office, and his mother’s father runs his own practice, so I think there is the possibility…”
“Then that doesn’t seem like it’ll narrow his choice down to arts or sciences,” I said. Of course, both lawyer and doctor require licensing. If his only choice were one of those two, that would naturally narrow down his options, but if both were possibilities, then no dice.
“Nghhh.” Yuigahama moaned, then jerked her head up. “Wait, so then wouldn’t either one be really amazing?”
“Indeed. I think they’d generally be seen as a wealthy family.” Yukinoshita nodded.
It’s true—both doctors and lawyers have a strong reputation for making lots of money. I’d known this fact about Hayama’s family intellectually, but hearing it again now, it was pretty wild. Why does a guy like that attend our school? Go to some better private school.
Well, I guess it’s similar enough for Yukinoshita. With that thought, I looked over at her. “Wait, would your family say that?”
“If we’re speaking in cash”—Yukinoshita used the English word—“I suppose they have more. In overall assets, I wouldn’t know, though.” She said it so carelessly, like it was nothing. A young lady of tender age shouldn’t be saying things like cash or assets.
Meanwhile, Yuigahama was staring up into thin air, tilting her head as she muttered out the English, “Cash…card?”
Ohhh, you know cash card? Good, Yuigahama! Later, I’ll tell you all about debit cards, too.
Anyway, leaving Yuigahama aside, it was time to think about Hayama’s course stream.
First of all, I was sure I was right to assume that he was going to university, and that was big. Hayama had fantastic grades, scoring second place in our year on proficiency tests. If he hadn’t wanted to go to university, the teachers would’ve freaked out, and based off what I’d heard from Miss Hiratsuka, that wasn’t happening.
Good so far.
But what I wanted to know wasn’t Hayama’s future itself. This was ultimately just about his choice of arts or sciences, about Hayato Hayama during his third year of high school.
“…I have no idea,” I muttered.
After a bit of thinking herself, Yuigahama opened her mouth. “Maybe it’s arts. I feel like everyone is.”
“Yeah. Well, I could definitely see that.” The profile of Hayato Hayama that most people would picture was generally something like that. He didn’t start up conflict, he was friendly with everyone, and he was even capable of being nice to people like me and Zaimokuza down at the bottom of the social ladder. Imagining his star-studded yeek-yeek tee-hee life in the arts courses invited no discrepancies with my preexisting impression of him.
But there was something a little off about that. It was still unclear how I should take this.
When I resumed my pondering, Yukinoshita gave me a look like she had something to say. When I gave her an answering glance, she began to speak as if she were still working through the matter herself.
“I think…he’s picked…sciences…”
“Why?” Yuigahama asked.
Yukinoshita looked down uncertainly. “I don’t have a solid foundation for this assumption, and, um, this would also involve myself…” There was still hesitation and misgivings in her tone, so I stopped her without a thought.
“…You don’t have to force yourself to talk about it.”
But Yukinoshita opened her mouth, then closed it, opened and then closed it, until eventually, she raised her head with some resolve. “No, um… There’s no harm in knowing, is there?”
She sure is bad at talking about this. Not like I’m in the position to criticize. Yuigahama and I both straightened slightly in our seats and turned to Yukinoshita.
She slowly began to talk. “You know Hayama and my family have a long-standing relationship, right? He, my sister, and I were often together when we were small. My sister being who she is, Hayama and I typically followed her lead… So it might be fair to say he’s grown up under her influence.” When Yukinoshita was done talking, she breathed a little sigh.
This wasn’t much different from what she’d said at some point, back during the Christmas season. But now that I’d seen the three of them together with my own eyes and heard with my own ears their conversations of old memories, it actually felt real.
Hayama had shared time with those sisters.
I’d heard about who Hayato Hayama is now. And I’d heard about who Hayato Hayama used to be. What I had to consider now was who he would be in the future. Anything else, I would leave aside for the moment.
“Um, so Haruno took sciences?” said Yuigahama. “Then maybe he’d go with science, too. Stuff from when you’re little can be pretty powerful.”
“Yes…but I can’t say that for certain,” Yukinoshita replied evasively. Yuigahama and I both gave her looks, prompting her to continue. “Though this may seem contradictory…,” she began, “I believe that if he intends for our families to continue relations into the future, it would be more efficient for him to inherit the law office.”
“So wouldn’t that make it arts?” I said.
Yukinoshita gave a tiny shake of her head. “There are other ways our relationship could be maintained…”
Well, that was true.
You’d be able to maintain that relationship through other fields, not only as a lawyer. You might not even have to do it as a business thing. For example, like marriage—it doesn’t sound like something that happens in real life, but it’s definitely a possibility.
As I was considering this, Yukinoshita supplemented, “Of course, I don’t know what his family is thinking. I can’t say that won’t influence his future. I’ve never heard anything to suggest he would turn his back on his parents’ wills.”
“Ohhh yeah. Hayato generally does family errands and stuff, huh?” Yuigahama expressed her plain impression of things, and Yukinoshita nodded.
Now having heard about this, I had a general understanding of Hayama’s family situation. But it still wasn’t enough to resolve things.
I found myself unconsciously scratching my head, and a sigh slipped from me. “Of course we can’t go asking Hayama’s parents. That’s between him and his family; it’s out of our league.”
“True enough… But I think my mother hopes for our relations to continue, at least.” Yukinoshita’s expression was somber. I looked away slightly.
“All right. For now…I’ll think about it a bit,” I said, ending the conversation.
I wanted time to gather my thoughts. At this point, the only avenue left was to make conjectures based off what few pieces I had. Now, I would just think about Hayama’s future course.
Most of all… I had to do it, or I’d imagine something that my heart didn’t want to imagine.
I expelled a long sigh to imply that the conversation was done for now, and Yukinoshita and Yuigahama both relaxed in their chairs a bit. We all reached for our teas at about the same time, and a peaceful silence was born. My now lukewarm tea felt nice going down my dry throat.
The sound of a teacup clinking as it was set down rang out in the quiet room, and Yukinoshita slowly opened her mouth. “Um…”
“Hmm?”
“I apologize for the other day, when my mother drove you off… I should have spoken a little better.” Once the words were out of her mouth, she pressed her lips together in a line, gazing at the wobbling surface of the liquid in her teacup.
Yuigahama gently stroked her shoulder. “It doesn’t bother me at all. Besides, we can’t be butting in on a family gathering. Right, Hikki?”
“Yeah. It’s really not something to worry about.”
“…Thank you.” With a peaceful smile that contained just the faintest hint of sorrow, Yukinoshita inclined her head slightly to me and Yuigahama. Everything about that gesture was beautiful: her straight back; her hands lightly folded on her knees; her thin, graceful fingers; and the long eyelashes hanging from her closed eyelids.
I was staring at it all when Yukinoshita lifted her face, and our eyes met. We both immediately turned away.
“L-let’s call it a day. I’ll put away the tea things.” Yukinoshita must have felt a bit awkward, as she hopped to her feet and began to clear the dishes away. She set the teapot and cups on the tray, and she looked ready to go straight to a sink outside the clubroom to clean them.
“I-I’ll help wash them!” Yuigahama started getting to her feet, but Yukinoshita stopped her.
“I’m fine. Wait for me.” Then she briskly left the room with tray in hand.
When she was gone, Yuigahama and I exchanged a look. Then Yuigahama smiled and giggled. “Yukinon’s slowly started opening up to us, huh? Before, she never talked about her family and stuff, right?”
“Well…maybe you’re right.” I think this was probably her own way of meeting us halfway. Even if it was really awkward and sudden and a little off in the wrong direction. She could handle most things deftly, but she was a total klutz with things like this.
Not that I could point any fingers.
I guess I should sit down and ask her, too, one day. Right now, I don’t really know where I should begin, but one day, I will.
Parting ways with Yukinoshita and Yuigahama at the school entrance, I headed for the parking lot.
The sun was fully under the horizon, and a winter wind blew between the school buildings. The other clubs had already finished up, and the courtyard area was utterly quiet.
Walking through the courtyard, I heard a voice calling “Heeeey.” But when I turned around, there was no one.
“Up, up!”
As told, I looked up. Above me was the student council room and Haruno Yukinoshita waving her arm out an open window.
“Hold on,” Haruno said cheerfully, and then she popped out of sight.
“What is she doing…?”
She really has nothing better to do, huh? I was thinking, when someone else came to stand by the window. When I took a good look, I saw it was Iroha Isshiki. She bobbed her head in a bow, and with a smile, she waved bye-bye at me, then yanked the curtains closed. What’s with her…?
What was up with that? I was wondering, gazing up at the student council room window, when I caught the sound of jaunty footsteps getting closer. I looked over right when Haruno came running up to me.
“Ahhh, I got so deep into conversation with Shizuka-chan and Iroha-chan—didn’t realize it got so late!” Haruno must have hurried over quite quickly, as she was a little out of breath. Then she glanced all around the area. “Where’s Yukino-chan? She’s not with you?”
“She takes the train.”
“…Awww. I waited for nothing.”
Huhhh? Didn’t you get deep into conversation? Pulling an ambush, eh? Sheesh, she’s scary… Most likely, after the career path consult, Haruno had been keeping warm in the student council room as she stared out into the courtyard the whole time. I’m sure she was making Isshiki help her kill time, too. It’s not my problem, and yet I’ve suddenly started feeling sorry for Isshiki…
Haruno seemed to pull herself together, coming up next to me to clap a light hand on my shoulder. “Then you’ll do. Walk me to the station.”
“Huh?”
Haruno seemed unhappy with my reply, putting her hand to her waist with a pouty look. “Whaaat? You’re going to make a girl go back all alone at this hour? A gentleman is supposed to escort a lady.”
Uh, it’s your fault for staying here this late, commonsensically thinking… The remark came up to my throat, but I swallowed it. Or to be more accurate, my breath was taken away.
Haruno took my arm, bringing her mouth close to my ear as if to tell me a secret, and whispered, “It’s not often that you get to walk back with such a pretty older girl.”
I shivered as a chill that was not from the winter cold ran up my spine. When I panicked and took a step away from her, Haruno giggled in delight. …She’s really teasing me here. Unlike Isshiki or Komachi, her devilishness was Demon Lord levels. And as you know, you can’t escape the Demon Lord.
Fanning my heated cheeks with one hand, I pointed toward the parking lot. “Well, fine, I guess… Can I go get my bicycle?” I answered, and Haruno lined up beside me and started walking.
“Yeah. Then let’s go together.”
There was an actual issue here, being that it was already dark, and there were places that had low visibility between here and the station, like the park and narrow back alleys and stuff.
Also, I am a man who has lived through Japanese society, a world of age-based seniority and female superiority. I’m weak to older women. While I’m at it, I’m also weak to younger women, with my sister first on the list. I also can’t be firm with guys, either. I mean, I’m the weakest of all humanity.
We left the parking lot and went out the back gate. I pushed my bike, wheels rattling along as Haruno and I walked through the nighttime town.
It wasn’t far to the station. The houses by the park still had lights up from Christmas, weakly illuminating the dark night path.
Considering she’d been the one to tell me to walk her back, Haruno didn’t say anything on the way. Of course, I didn’t start any conversation, either, and all that could be heard were the passing cars, the voices leaking out from houses, the winter wind blowing past, and our footsteps.
Eventually, when we approached a bending path, Haruno spoke to me for the first time. “So what course stream are you going with?”
“Well, arts, I guess.”
“Ohhh, you’re always reading, huh? As expected of the literary enthusiast.”
“Ah, well, uh…I guess.” Before, when I’d run into Haruno in town, I had been reading a book. But I’d just been reading because it had been awkward… That was just the Book Barrier technique. Since my reason was a little pathetic, I naturally looked away from her.
But Haruno pulled ahead by half a step, bending forward a little to examine my face. “What kind do you read?”
“…Basically anything. Except foreign stuff.”
“Hmm. So then Akutagawa, Dazai?”
“I read some literary stuff… I just read more normal, general fiction.”
Frankly speaking, I can enjoy literature when it’s already up my alley, but when it’s not—sometimes the only opinion I can come up with is something stupid and pretentious: This really was the ultimate literary work! No wonder it’s so famous! I thought it was an enduring masterpiece, so five stars! In that respect, you can bash entertainment fiction like light novels as much as you want, so you can still enjoy yourself even if the content lacks any appeal. And so light novels are the best! The hell, that’s the worst way to enjoy something…
As I was thinking such thoughts, Haruno nodded and made listening noises as she walked beside me. “Then you might not be suited for arts. I think you’d have more fun with social sciences, that sort of thing.”
That made my mouth hang open. Suddenly, she had started giving me advice. Since I hadn’t been looking for it, I wasn’t all that happy about it—but I figured I should be grateful for her kindness. “…Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Haruno smiled, then cleared her throat. “So then have you asked Yukino-chan which faculty she’s going for?”
Ngh, so this is what she really wanted to talk about! Thanking her was pointless… “Oh, I haven’t asked her which she’s picking.”
“…Well, I guess she won’t bring it up herself. Be sure to ask her, okay, Hikigaya?” She smacked me on the back.
Uhhh, it’s not that easy… But I couldn’t tell her to ask herself. I doubted Yukinoshita would so obediently answer Haruno, and most of all, I hadn’t actually asked her myself. I can’t tell someone else to do what I haven’t done.
“Make sure to ask before the next time we see each other,” Haruno said solemnly, and then she went “Ah,” as if she’d just remembered something. “That reminds me, have you asked Hayato directly?”
“Yeah. He kind of told me off and wouldn’t say.”
“Hmm, he wouldn’t say, huh…?” Haruno said, her eyes moving away from me and toward the station’s main street coming into view ahead. But she didn’t seem to be watching the flow of people coming and going. Her narrowed, well-shaped eyes probably were not on the present. “I see. Hayato had his hopes up, too,” she muttered suddenly.
This didn’t seem directed at me, but I asked back on reflex anyway, “About what?”
Haruno finally looked toward me and offered an enchanting smile. “About what you’ll find, maybe.”
And with that, Haruno sped up her pace a bit to come out ahead of me. Then she spun around, the hem of her white coat fluttering. “This is far enough; we’re at the station now. Thanks for walking me here.”
“Yeah—okay, then…”
I was about to offer her a casual bow when Haruno thrust her index finger in front of my face and continued in a bouncy voice, “Make sure to ask what Yukino-chan is picking. I’ll be checking your answers next time.”
“I don’t think that’s what checking your answers means…,” I said.
Haruno poked my cheek and smiled. “Don’t sweat the small stuff. See you!”
With a little wave, Haruno gallantly walked off. Rubbing my cheek where she’d poked it, I watched her go. She didn’t look back, and she was eventually swallowed by the waves of people.
But even among the crowds, Haruno Yukinoshita stood out.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login