Time quietly passed along through first and second period. Third period also went by without great event, and then it was fourth.
Once this was over, it'd be lunchtime. The mood in the class would probably be the same as it had that morning. I don't eat in the classroom, so it didn't have much to do with me, but how would it look to the other classes when the person who had been one of the most lively in the school was this dispirited?
Maybe they wouldn't actually notice. None of our teachers seemed to have noticed.
Fourth period was Japanese. The bell rang, and Miss Hiratsuka walked in. She looked around the room, tilting her head. "…Hmm. You're all quiet today. Oh well, let's get started." As expected, she was watching closely.
She instructed us to turn to a certain page in our textbooks before she read out something, then started writing on the chalkboard.
Propping my head on my hand, I opened up my textbook. I mechanically rotated my gaze between the book, the blackboard, and my notebook. But no matter which I was looking at, the rows of characters produced no meaning. Class went on by without anything entering my head at all.
It had been like this all day.
I'd been going round in circles, repeating questions for which no answers emerged.
I'd suddenly remember something, then my thoughts would drift again.
What did Orimoto think when she saw Yukinoshita and Yuigahama?
Maybe that was unfair to Nakamachi.
Is Isshiki going to come talk to me? And I have to do something about her election, too.
Oh, and on that note, I guess I have to give a progress report to Meguri, too.
Ebina can handle supporting Miura, and Tobe could help out with that, too. This might actually lead to things going well for them.
Should I have bought Komachi a chocolate croissant yesterday?
She still isn't talking to me.
And what is Haruno thinking? I don't really understand her and Yukinoshita's relationship. I've never gotten even a little closer to them.
Hayama's more listless than usual. I'm impressed he can put on a smile anyway. Is he not affected by that stuff? If so, then that's just great. If I'm the only one going around in circles here, then my own excessive self-consciousness is gonna make me sick.
Most of all, what are the two of them thinking right now?
At some point, my hand had stopped copying the text on the board.
Realizing that, I jerked my head up, and my eyes met with Miss Hiratsuka's at the teacher's podium.
"Hikigaya."
"Y-yes?" My name suddenly being called made me react with a twitch.
Miss Hiratsuka sighed deeply. "Come to the staff room after class," she said. Nothing more. Then she descended from the teacher's podium and left the classroom.
What about class…? I thought, and I looked around to see everyone already putting away their textbooks, notebooks, and stuff, pulling out their lunches, and moving their desks. It seemed while I'd been zoning out, the bell had rung.
I put away my books and other supplies, too, and stood from my seat.
Come to the staff room after class meant I was to come during lunch hour. I'd get this done before I had lunch. If I didn't, I'd lose my time to eat.
I hurried out into the hallway to find Miss Hiratsuka walking a little ahead. I followed her to the teachers' room. Though I was close enough that I'd be able to hear her, she didn't say anything. She silently communicated to me to follow.
Once we were in the staff room, she finally opened her mouth. "Let's use the back." By the back, she must have meant the reception space set up in the staff room. Behind a partition, there was a glass-topped coffee table and black leather-upholstered sofas. She'd brought me there before. "Sit." She indicated the sofa, and I sat there.
She sat down on the sofa on the other side, a little to the right diagonally in front of me. Then she pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
I gently pushed the crystal ashtray on the table to her side, and she nodded and hummed.
She took two or three drags, then tapped off the ash. "You weren't listening at all in class today," she said with a mildly irritated look. "Your exam scores are the one thing you've got going for you, so this is a problem." She blew out a full, disapproving breath of tobacco smoke, paused a moment, then got to the point. "…Yukinoshita came to talk to me this morning."
Since Miss Hiratsuka had gone to the trouble of calling me here, this had to be fairly important. I sat up straighter and listened closely.
She tapped the ash off her cigarette again. "To talk about running in the election for student council president." "Who's running?" I asked.
"She is," Miss Hiratsuka replied instantly.
Hearing that created a flutter of unease in my heart.
Yukinoshita was running in the election for student council president.
The question of why bubbled up. She didn't really like standing in front of a crowd; she'd said so herself. When the role of chair of the cultural festival had been pushed on her, she'd stubbornly refused.
Most of all, there was the Service Club.
Had Haruno's provocation roused her to action? Was the discord between the two sisters still stubbornly burning its hot embers, even now?
As I lost myself in thought, Miss Hiratsuka added, "And Hayama will be doing her campaign speech." "Oh…" Hayama, huh…?
It was true that if she was going to get anyone to do her campaign speech, he was the best choice—but only if there were no ties of obligation there. I don't know what's gone on between Hayama and Yukinoshita in the past; I've never known. However, based on the way they normally interacted, this felt out of character, especially considering the principles that motivated her behavior.
Had Yukinoshita decided over the weekend that she'd run, contacted Hayama, and gotten him to promise to do her campaign speech? Her motives and intentions were unclear to me, but as always, she was good at making things happen. That was the one thing I could say was like her.
Miss Hiratsuka crushed her cigarette in the tray and raised her face. "What will you do, Hikigaya?"
"I won't do anything. I can't nitpick her methods, can I?" Besides, it was common sense that Yukinoshita becoming student council president would resolve things in the smoothest manner. So there was no need to search out another candidate to back, either. I couldn't find any problems or faults anywhere.
Even more troubling was that I could easily imagine her as student council president.
Without realizing it, I'd been grinding my teeth this whole time. "…Well, if we're talking about if she has what it takes, she fits the role," I muttered. In fact, why hadn't I thought of that possibility in the first place? I'd unconsciously excluded it as an option.
Even though I'd known that place, that time together, could fall apart easily at any moment, due to any factor.
Miss Hiratsuka nodded. "Mm-hmm, yes…she's the most qualified person we could get. If others knew, teachers included, she'd be very much welcomed."
Indeed. That would probably relieve not only the teachers, but Meguri, too. If she found out, they wouldn't even have to have an election. That would essentially settle the whole situation.
When I started thinking about it, I suddenly realized something. "She hasn't told anyone yet?"
"No, she hasn't." Miss Hiratsuka smiled sweetly, then lit another cigarette. She huffed out another vigorous breath and pointed her fingertip at me. "Now then, I'll ask one more time. What will you do, Hikigaya?" she asked.
Before I could even think, I had a knee-jerk reaction.
I couldn't accept Yukinoshita's bid for student council president.
Whatever arguments I came up with, they'd all be excuses for my initial reaction. But I'd get my reasons soon enough. I understood her plan was the wrong way to go about things. Ultimately, if she was going to take this on, it would be no different from what had happened with the cultural festival. I'd already rejected those methods.
Then I could take that conclusion to hold true this time, too.
"…Miss Hiratsuka, do you have the key to the clubroom?" I asked.
She fluttered her hand. "Yukinoshita uses it at lunchtime, as always."
That meant around this time, she'd still be in the clubroom, eating her lunch.
Once she'd announced her candidacy in this election, she wouldn't be able to withdraw. Whether I was going to stop her or not, if I was going to talk to her, then sooner was better.
When I stood up, Miss Hiratsuka looked out the window and puffed out a breath of smoke. "Even now that attendance is optional, she comes to get the key every day."
"…Is that right? Excuse me, then." I bowed, and Miss Hiratsuka raised her hand in return without looking at me. Cigarette smoke continued to waft above her.
I quickly left the staff room and headed straight for the clubroom.
The stairs and hallway of the special-use building were sparsely populated with passing figures. It made for a terribly bleak scene. But walking quickly kept the cold from bothering me.
I put my hand on the door of the clubroom and immediately opened it.
Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were there. Both of them had little boxed lunches spread out. My sudden entrance made Yuigahama stare at me, openmouthed. But Yukinoshita just eyed me coolly in the same manner as the other day, saying nothing.
"Yukinoshita, are you going to run?" I asked.
She answered me concisely. "…Yes." Then she quietly looked down.
"Huh?" Yuigahama was the only one surprised here, her eyes wide.
"You didn't know?" I asked.
"N-no…," Yuigahama said, her gaze sliding downward as she drew in her shoulders.
Yukinoshita gave Yuigahama an apologetic look. "…I was just about to consult with you about it," she said, but she was looking away from the other girl.
"It's not consulting if you've already decided," I said.
Yukinoshita had made this decision on her own, and she'd taken first steps on her own. It probably was true that she'd meant to talk about it now. Or maybe she'd meant to talk about it earlier. Setting aside the question of whether she'd actually managed to bring it up.
The events of a few days ago crossed my mind, and I asked, "Is it because of…what your sister said?"
But without looking at me, Yukinoshita answered. "This has nothing to do with her. I don't take the things she says seriously. This is what I want."
I didn't know what was actually true. I didn't understand either of the Yukinoshita sisters enough to be able to touch on their relationship. But even if I did address that matter, I highly doubted that would change Yukinoshita's answer to me.
It would be best to talk about something else.
"Weren't you going to back Hayama?"
"He has his club, and there's no one else suitable for the job," Yukinoshita answered, eyes on her own hands laid on top of the desk.
Hearing that, Yuigahama timidly said, "But you have a club, too, Yukinon…"
Yukinoshita looked up to smile at her and acknowledge her fumbling, hesitant attempt. "I'll be all right. This club isn't as much work as the soccer team, and I'm aware of how the student council works, so I don't think it will be a great burden for me."
So she said, but would it really work out so well?
Had anyone ever been on the student council while also being in a club? With Yukinoshita's abilities, maybe she could pull that off. But when I thought about the cultural and athletic festivals, I felt there were too many unknowns until she actually tried them.
I understood that she couldn't back Hayama. The soccer club was a core athletic club. Being their captain, he wouldn't be able to get out of practice that easily. That clearly meant he couldn't participate in student council activities. That was why I'd excluded him as a candidate from the start, too.
But that didn't immediately mean that Yukinoshita should run. "What about the possibility of backing a candidate other than Hayama?" I suggested.
"You were the one who rejected that idea," Yukinoshita answered instantly and icily.
Indeed, considering the time restrictions, it was unlikely we could select and convince someone with the attributes of a student council president and also make sure they won the election. I was the one who had pointed that out.
My mind does its best work only when criticizing other people. But I'd never thought that tendency would stand in my way at a time like this. I found myself scratching my head. "That's why you're gonna run?" The remark came out so short, it ended up sounding rather curt. Yuigahama's shoulders twitched.
But Yukinoshita calmly—no, in a manner even more glacial than usual, delivered her reply. "Objectively speaking, I believe it's best for me to do it. And I can easily beat Isshiki. Doing things myself, I won't have to adjust to working with someone else. I'm sure the other members of the student council will be motivated, so unlike the previous functions, I should be able to move things along smoothly and efficiently… And besides, I don't mind doing it," she finished saying all at once, then breathed a little sigh.
Her face was tilted downward as if she intended to end this conversation, and it seemed to reveal sadness, also a hint of grim determination.
Efficiently, huh?
That word in particular stuck with me. She wasn't the only one who had sought efficiency. I could think of someone else who had acted based on that rationale.
That was exactly why, if we were talking about efficiency only, there was another way. "Sure, maybe, but you could also not play in the first place," I said.
Yukinoshita raised her face from its sagging position. "Are you talking about your plan?" she asked me, a sharp glint in her eye. That look again.
But I wasn't going to back down now. So I looked her in the eye, too. "Yeah."
I didn't have absolute confidence in my plan. But even so, of the cards that had been dealt to me, I intended to draw those that had the greatest chances of success and greatest efficiency.
I'd already shown my hand.
Yukinoshita sighed, gaze leaving me for a moment.
And then she fixed me with a glare. I felt the pressure of an emotion close to hostility. "It's arrogant of you to believe that all the students in the school will act based on what you do or say. I don't think it's enough to resolve this."
She hit me where it hurt.
As Yukinoshita said, I didn't have that kind of influence. I was well aware of that. I had been able to stir things up within the small community of a committee. But being someone with no reputation or popularity, someone even lesser than your regular student who would never rise in the world, it was frankly an unknown quantity just how much effect my words would have on an unspecified majority. Even if people hated me, they might not even remember me. It was uncertain I would be fixed in the memory of the student body. And they might also consider me as a separate entity from
Isshiki.
But in that case, I simply had to once again carefully examine what needed to happen for our predicted results and then go above and beyond it.
"So then I'll come up with a plan assuming they won't." If being unfair and vicious wasn't enough, then I'd just have to use malice and spite. There were any number of ways to rake together hatred and loathing. People don't need reasons to hate others. They kinda annoy me, They're kinda nasty, or They're kinda gross can all become reasons to hate people.
My lips twisted in a sneaky smile. My expression did that on its own; I wasn't doing it intentionally. I looked back at Yukinoshita.
Seeing that, Yukinoshita firmly bit her lip and looked away from me. "…If you think everyone is thinking about you…that they hate you, then you are incredibly self-absorbed."
That one remark hurt way more than any logic.
The monster of self-consciousness hiding away in its labyrinth crawled even deeper in.
I hadn't been able to counter a single thing Yukinoshita had said.
When the conversation cut off there, in the silence, the wind rattled the window. The north wind blowing through chilled the clubroom.
"…You and I do things differently." She was facing the floor, her tightly clenched fists and narrow shoulders trembling in the cold. That was all she said. But it was the one thing I could agree with.
"Yeah…" We really did. I don't think it was about what was proper and improper, like about the pros and cons of a given method—we had different goals. That disparity was the distance between us now.
Yuigahama, sitting between us, was listening silently. She must have been in thought the whole time. As if her mind was elsewhere, she muttered, "Oh…so that's what you're gonna do, Yukinon…"
Nobody else said anything.
As I felt time gradually freezing over, Yukinoshita glanced at me. "Is there anything else?"
"…No, I just wanted to confirm that."
I don't know exactly what I wanted to confirm. This situation was different from the last time I'd rejected Yukinoshita's methodology, so I couldn't stand opposed to her methods so easily. I didn't think hers was the best way, but I was gradually coming to accept it.
"…Mm-hmm." Yukinoshita breathed a sound somewhere between a reply and a sigh, then began packing away her little lunch box. I could see there was still quite a lot of food left in it.
I turned around and left the clubroom.
I knew the sound of me closing the door behind me would be loud in the silent room.
I walked down the hallway of the special-use building far slower than when I'd come.
That was when Hayama came toward me from ahead. When he noticed me, he casually raised a hand. "So you came, too?"
I was impressed he could bring himself to talk to me. He speaks his mind to me, and then he's suddenly acting like he's fine. I really couldn't understand how he didn't feel anything about this. Or was he like Haruno in disposition, too?
"…" I didn't really feel like talking at all, so I asked with my gaze why he was there.
He shrugged. "They wanted to see me."
"Oh." I said. Then I slipped past Hayama, walking on ahead.
As we passed by each other, Hayama said, "I'm going to team up with Yukinoshita… What will you do?"
"…I'm not doing anything," I spit, and without turning around, I kept going down the hallway. I got the feeling I heard a sigh behind me.
What I'd said probably wasn't true—but truthfully, I couldn't do anything.
I couldn't see any points of Yukinoshita's to argue against. What she was saying made sense.
I didn't even know if it was okay for me to oppose this in the first place.
There was no reason for it.
If Yukinoshita was saying she'd run in the election, then she would unquestionably be the best candidate, and she was basically already elected. And of course, she was good enough to do it, and she also had Hayama's help, too.
I was walking along in such a daze that when I got back to the classroom, I realized I'd forgotten to have lunch.
Partly because of my hunger, I didn't absorb anything from my afternoon classes. I don't even know if I heard any of it.
But I was facing forward through every class. When I turned backward, I'd see Yuigahama and Hayama, and the intrusive thoughts would return.
I gave up on listening to the class or thinking and just leaned on my hand, alternating between napping and pretending to be asleep. I got through fifth and sixth period like this, until finally, it was time for homeroom.
Days like this, it's best to go home as fast as possible.
After the homeroom teacher made the announcements, we were finally set free.
The after-school bustle felt like it was going on in another world, somehow. I stayed apart from the din, getting ready to go and then standing from my seat. I went out into the hallway, and then when I headed for the school entrance, a voice came to me from behind.
"W-wait up!" I turned around to find Yuigahama running up to me. She seemed flustered, but she caught her breath and then said slowly, "Um…do you want to go home together?"
"I ride my bike. And our homes are in different directions." I gave her the completely obvious answer and said nothing more. I didn't get any feelings mixed up in this.
But Yuigahama didn't back down. "Yeah. So then…just that far," she said, pointing which way, I didn't even know.
Seeing the look on her face, I figured, Oh, she's not gonna back down.
Well, stopping by Yuigahama's apartment would mean I'd be kinda going the long way around, and I'd still get home. Even if I did go straight home, it wasn't as if there was anything in particular for me to do.
Besides, I basically understood what she wanted to talk about. Because so did I.
"…I'll go get my bicycle, so wait there," I said, pointing to the side entrance, then started walking.
"Oh, I'll go with you," Yuigahama replied and followed behind me.
"No, it's fine." I stopped her, then hurried over to the bicycle parking. With so many people at school now, it'd be embarrassing to go to the bicycle parking together. Worst of all, it'd draw attention to her. All the more so if she was at the bicycle parking lot when she didn't bike to school. I knew she was popular with boys, too. I got the feeling it wasn't very good for her to be seen like that.
I hurried to unlock my bike and headed to the side entrance.
Yuigahama was waiting for me at the side entrance, and when she noticed me, she waved her arm high.
C'mon, seriously. People notice this stuff.
I pushed my bicycle along, and when I was beside her, I prompted her to go. She nodded back at me and started walking.
I remembered which way her apartment was. I was fairly sure it was in a corner of the apartment block a few minutes walking from the station. It'd be fastest to bike there or take the bus, and I think there's a bus stop right in front of it, too. Yuigahama normally took the bus to school.
First, we went toward the station, going along the road by the park near the school. The leaves of the trees in the park had all fallen, and there were no children around playing. But the road by the park was sparsely populated with some intermittent clusters of students walking home from school. We were among those.
I just pushed my bicycle silently along, and she kept her lips shut as she walked.
It was as if the both of us were looking for the right moment to bring it up.
Maintaining this uncomfortable silence, we turned onto the road that curved along the apartment buildings. The slanting rays of the sun descended upon us through the shadows of the buildings.
A northern wind blew through the pale light of the sun. Its cold made me huddle in on myself.
Suddenly, she opened her mouth. "So…Yukinon's running, huh? In the election."
"Uh-huh." That was what was on our minds now. Yukinoshita hadn't even told Yuigahama of her intention to run. What was she thinking, and what did we want to do? I assumed that was what Yuigahama wanted to talk about.
But she said something completely different. "I think… I think I'll try running, too."
"What?" I asked back, turning to face her as I wondered what she was talking about all of a sudden.
But she pressed her lips tight, looking at the ground at her feet with a serious expression. So I fully considered the context of what she'd said.
If she'd said she was going to run, then it wasn't a joke. She was saying she was going to run as a candidate in the same election for student council president as Yukinoshita.
"Why…?" I asked. I didn't think Yuigahama would want to be student council president. Frankly, she's not the type.
She kicked a pebble at her feet. It bounced once, then immediately fell into the gutter. "'Cause I was thinking, you know, I've got nothing. There's nothing I can do or help with. So maybe if I was on the council, I could actually do something." When she finished saying that, she lifted her face. She must have felt shy about speaking so seriously and was smiling bashfully to cover it.
When I failed to offer any reply, that smile disappeared.
Only after that did I manage to speak. "Actually do something…? You can't just make such a selfish decision on your own."
"I'm not being selfish." Yuigahama stopped. Her head was drooping down, so I couldn't see her face. But her declaration had an accusatory edge. It was the first time I'd ever heard her speak like that. "Everyone else's been selfish." Her voice wasn't at all loud.
There was quiet anger in it.
It was true that I had no right to tell her that. Ultimately, during the school field trip, I'd done what I'd done selfishly, of my own accord. Of course, Yukinoshita had done the same when she'd decided to run in this election, too. We had been making nothing but self-centered decisions.
But even so, that was no reason for Yuigahama to be running.
"Have you really thought it over?" I asked.
Yuigahama nodded and looked down. "I have. I thought long and hard about it, and I figured this is the only way." She continued, words faltering. Her gloveless hands were clenching one strap of her backpack. "This time around, we're going to try getting things done. Because we realized we've been letting you handle everything."
"I haven't done anything."
"I dunno about that…" Her smile looked fragile. She tilted her head a little.
"It's true. So there's no reason for you to run." That was all I could say.
At the very least, I had truly never done anything good. Not a single thing worthy of praise or acclaim. I was just flailing around with my own selfish theories.
So there was no need for her to show this kind of consideration.
"But that's not the only reason." Yuigahama looked far away, toward the school. "If Yukinon becomes student council president, I think she'll focus on the job. And I know she'll be the best there ever was, and it'll be good for the school… But…it'll probably end our club."
"It's not going to disappear." I wasn't exactly lying; the club called the Service Club would remain.
But Yuigahama shook her head. Though her hair wasn't that long, it fluttered about, shining in the setting sun. "It will. During the cultural festival and the athletic festival, Yukinon was only focused on the one thing. And you know that, too."
"…" I understood that well. Every time a request related to a big event had come, we'd always been focused on it.
Yukinoshita could only do so much. Of course, she could do far more than your average person, but she still had a limit. If she were to become student council president, the sort of job that basically had some kind of work to do all throughout the year, the Service Club would be unlikely to continue activities as before.
As I was thinking, Yuigahama took one step out ahead of me. "You know…" She spun toward me, her skirt fluttering. Folding her hands behind her, she stopped on the spot.
Then she looked straight at me.
" I…love this club."
And that's why I want to protect it, her few words told me.
"I…love it." As she repeated those words, tears were building in the corners of her eyes.
Seeing that, I was speechless.
What should I say at a time like this? All that went through my mind was irrelevant impressions, and nothing would come out of my mouth.
Suddenly noticing I wasn't saying anything, Yuigahama hurriedly wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, then forced a smile. "W-well, um… I figured if I become student council president, if I kinda half-ass it, maybe I could keep on with the club. I mean, you know me. Other people won't expect much from me, you know?"
"Hey, but still—," I started to say, but she stopped me. She took one step forward, gently laid her hand on my chest, then gave a tiny shake of her head, keeping me from saying anything else.
Her face was so close. She was looking down, so I couldn't really see her expression. I was unable to back away, frozen there.
Slowly, she raised her face. "…That's why I'm going to beat Yukinon."
There were no longer any droplets in her eyes, and I sensed strong determination in her gaze.
I was about to open my mouth to say her name when she hopped back, putting a step's worth of distance between us.
Then she glanced all around, hitching her backpack up her shoulder again and babbling, "Oh, this is far enough! …S-see you!"
"Y-yeah…see you later," I replied with a short acknowledgment as she trotted off in a rush.
She must have heard that, as she turned to me again. "Bye, Hikki!" she said with a little wave.
I watched her go through the slanting rays of the sun, off where my hand wouldn't reach. The spot on my chest where she'd touched a moment ago felt like it was being constricted.
I casually raised a hand, then pushed my bicycle back the way I'd come.
When I reached the main road, I threw my leg over my bicycle. As I pedaled, I wrapped myself in my thoughts.
Yuigahama had said she was going to become the student council president in order to protect where she belonged, the Service Club.
If there was anyone who could beat Yukinoshita, it might be her. Considering her presence in the upper caste as well as her horizontal connections, she surpassed Yukinoshita, and she could well split Hayama's base. I would no longer be able to predict the votes of those who would have supported Hayama, including Miura.
Most of all, Yui Yuigahama was a wonderful girl.
That was why it wouldn't be strange at all for her to become student council president.
Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama.
One of the two would probably win the election. And then, no matter which of them lost, Iroha Isshiki would maintain her reputation.
There was no better move to make than that.
This would resolve the request we accepted from Isshiki.
But as a result—
—I was sure the club would be over.
Despite what Yuigahama had said, she'd probably do a proper job as student council president. I'm sure at first she'd only play the part, but that would only get her so far.
She didn't look like it on the surface, but she was a hard worker, and she took care of people. She was sure to become a student council president who was adored by the council; she would become unable to let those people down. That would lead her to try to wholly fulfill her responsibilities as student council president. Once that happened, it would become difficult for her to show up at the club.
As a result, our club activities would come to an end.
It would become something completely different, and all that would be left would be the name "Service Club" and the room.
I'd realized that already.
And not just me—they had, too.
If they were both satisfied with this choice, then I was fine with it. It wasn't okay for me to control other people's decisions based on my own personal sentimentality.
But…
But even so…
It hurts when someone forces you into a role.
It was really hard to watch them attempt to protect something important to them and, as a result, let go of that very thing.
Even as I knew you can't have a teen drama without something being sacrificed.
Even as I was arrogantly claiming that I wasn't a sacrifice, so I don't need pity or sympathy.
What a cruel contradiction.
Twilight and nighttime dark mixed in the sky as the cold wind tormented my fingertips. I'd been pedaling so frantically, but at some point, my legs had stopped.
7
Needless to say, Komachi Hikigaya's kindness is there.
Moving into late November, the nights got pretty cold.
But I'd pedaled as fast as I could about half the way home, so sweat had soaked my clothes. Panting hard, I went inside.
I went straight to the bathroom, peeled off my uniform, switched on the shower over my head. I'd set the water on the hot side, and it stung my cold body.
Even after I washed myself clean, I didn't feel any better. I gave up and turned off the water.
All I saw reflected in the mirror was a drowned rat. My expression was dismal as hell, as always.
I came out of the bathroom and dried off, then changed into my lounging clothes.
When I went up to the living room on the second floor, the only occupant was the cat, Kamakura. He was doing that loaf thing, fast asleep with his paws curled under his body.
When you're tired, nothing beats animal therapy. All that pedaling had built up tons of lactic acid in my muscles, and I was really beat.
I sat down on the sofa, rolled Kamakura over, stretched him out, flicked his ears, smooshed his paws, and burrowed my face in his stomach fur. Oh man, this is so much fun.
Having been submitted to a smooshing, Kamakura looked at me with extreme annoyance and a blatant aura of suspicion, like What the hell is with this guy…? He really hates this stuff; man, he's so funny.
"Ha-ha-ha…agh." At some point, my laughter turned into a sigh.
"Sorry." I apologized to Kamakura with a pet, but he jerked his head away and leaped off the sofa. He continued on to the door, jumped at the knob, and adeptly opened it. Then he left the living room.
Whoa, close the door. It gets cold in winter, you know.
Now that Kamakura had left, I was completely alone.
Normally, this would be a precious time to pass in calm comfort. But the silence just made the same thoughts run through my head on repeat.
I was thinking about the student council election. I don't know how many times I'd had this internal dialogue.
Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. If one of them became student council president, what was the problem likely to occur? The end of the Service Club. I wasn't bothered by that in itself. That was inevitable anyway. I'd known it would end, sooner or later. Even if nothing happened, we'd eventually graduate, and the club would be finished.
So then what was the problem? I'd known all along that it wouldn't continue forever. What was the problem with that?
No, wait. Why am I trying to find problems in the first place?
In fact, the problem of trying to find problems was the problem, or in other words, the l'Cie of the Pulse fal'Cie would cause the Purge, and Cocoon would…
I received no answers, whether I considered it seriously or facetiously.
I stared at the ceiling and breathed a deep sigh. I wasn't going to get any answers when I didn't even know what the problem was.
When it came down to it, I was lacking in a prerequisite reason…
A reason to do something, to move into action. A reason to treat that problem as something to fix.
I had no reason from which to originate, so the problem wouldn't materialize.
Yukinoshita and Yuigahama announcing their candidacies had basically settled the matter of Isshiki, too. I'd say theirs was the better plan, more likely to succeed than mine.
So then there was nothing for me to do.
So there was also no reason for me to oppose the two of them over
Isshiki.
But I still felt uneasy, like I had to do something. I kept asking myself, Is it fine this way? And then, each time, I'd utterly defeat myself in argument and then raise the problem again, and I'd argue it down again, over and over.
What a difficult personality. Having a middling degree of intelligence creates some real head-scratchers.
But I'd resolved most issues somehow, so far. I'd never had anybody to talk to about my concerns in the first place, and even if I did, I wouldn't have talked to them.
You should only lean on people within your reach—and only to the degree that they can support you. If you go too far, you'll end up going down together. It's like if your loan cosigner was someone you weakly called a "friend."
Going with that line of reasoning, the range of people I could rely on was extremely small.
Since I'm not good at giving support for someone else, I won't receive support, either.
If the both of us were to fall, that would mean spitting on the kindness of the person who had reached out to me. It would be disrespecting the trust of that person relying on me.
A loner's creed is to live without bothering others. Our dignity is in not becoming someone else's burden. Therefore, I take pride in generally being able to manage things myself.
That's why I don't rely on anyone, and no one relies on me.
If there is only one exception, then I guess it'd be family.
You're allowed to bother your family as much as you want. I don't care how much they bother me, either.
Matters of kindness and trust and possible or impossible aside, with your family, you can reach out, if nothing else, and lean on them without reservation—even if my dad is pretty much kind of a useless human being, even if my mom is always fairly busy and occasionally tends to badger me a lot, no matter what a good-for-nothing I am, and even if my little sister is shallow, despite how cute and scheming she is.
These relationships don't need a reason.
In fact, you can make "because they're family" into a reason for everything.
Of course, that can also become a reason for resenting or hating them, though.
If I were to rely on anyone now… …who of my family would it be?
Well, this wasn't something that would work out somehow by talking to Mom or Dad… They'd be useless. Really, you know, they're there to support, occasionally scold, and love me. Before you bother yourselves over me, worry about your old age or your health or whatever. Live long lives, good grief.
Oh yeah, I think they're coming back late again tonight; corporate slavery is hard, huh? And as I thought to myself, the door to the living room creaked open.
Is it the cat again? I thought, turning around.
But it was Komachi who came in, wearing a slightly too-big tracksuit.
It seemed she'd come in for a study break to get a drink, as she completely ignored me and opened the fridge. But it seemed there was nothing much she was interested in, as she closed it again. Apparently, this was the only reason she'd come to the living room, and she made to leave right away.
Without thinking, I called out to her as she walked away. "Komachi."
"…What?" She turned only her head, looking at me out of the corner of her eye.
She's still angry… Maybe it wasn't time to talk to her yet. But now if I said it was nothing, then I'd hurt her feelings again.
Not knowing what to say, I groaned a bit before asking her a question. "Uhhhhh…do you want a coffee?"
Komachi gave a little nod. "…Yeah."
"…Roger." I stood up and got ready to make us some. I poured water into the electric kettle and clicked it on. As it heated up, I grabbed two mugs and prepared the instant coffee.
Komachi supported her head with her elbow on the kitchen counter and wordlessly waited for the water to boil.
I didn't say anything, either.
Eventually, the water boiled, and I poured it into the mugs. The scent of coffee rose with the hot water. Turning the handle toward Komachi, I handed her a mug. "Here."
"Mm." She took it and headed for the door. It seemed she meant to take it straight to her room.
Her actions said, Don't talk to me until things have cooled off, but still, I was not discouraged and called out to her. "Hey, Komachi…"
"…" She stopped in front of the door. But she didn't look toward me. She just silently waited for me to continue.
I worried saying this would make her disgusted with me, but I pushed through the unease and said it anyway. "…I want to ask your advice about something."
"Uh-huh. Komachi's listening." But she answered instantly, leaning against the wall.
I faced her directly for the first time in a week, and we looked each other in the eye, smiling like we hadn't in a while.
Komachi tucked her smile away for the moment and lightly cleared her throat. "But there's something you should say first, isn't there?"
She was right. We'd just been fighting, so it was asking too much to suddenly demand her help. Searching for the words I should say, I vigorously scratched my head. "…The other day was, like… I shouldn't have said that."
Komachi pouted, puffing up her cheeks. "Not only what you said. Your attitude sucked, and your personality, too. Plus that look in your eyes," she said.
"Yeah…" I couldn't argue with that.
And she kept going. "I'm sure it's gonna be your fault anyway, 'cause you did something."
"Yeah, true, true." She was completely right, and I had nothing to say in reply.
Her hounding was still not over. "And you haven't apologized, either."
"Ngh… That's true…" Now that she mentioned it, I got the feeling what I'd just said didn't count as an apology.
I opened my mouth to make a proper apology this time, and Komachi breathed a short sigh. Then she gave me a kind but exasperated smile. "But, well, this is you. So that's fine with Komachi, because Komachi is your little sister. So I'll forgive you."
"Well, thank you very much…" I know I made her mad, but she's still getting a tad cocky here… I think that grumpiness was pretty blatant in my voice and face. In fact, I was actively trying to make it come out.
Naturally, Komachi would notice that. She flicked her eyes away and cleared her throat dramatically. "And…Komachi's sorry, too." She bowed her head politely.
Seeing that, I smiled wryly. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'll forgive you, because I'm your big brother."
"Whoa, someone's gotten cocky now," she said, and we both giggled. Then we slowly drank our coffee. There wasn't any regular milk, sugar, or condensed milk in it, but it tasted good anyway.
Komachi put her mug on the table and asked me, "So what happened?"
"It's kind of a long story."
"…I don't mind," she replied, then came over to the sofa and sat beside me.
I finished my long, long story, including the field trip and the series of events leading up to this student council election.
Komachi brought in some refills of the coffee from the kitchen and then placed them on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
"Oh…that really is like you, Bro." That was her first impression. "But listen, Komachi can understand that 'cause she's Komachi. I've lived with you forever, so I get it."
I reached out to my mug, too. Komachi had made my coffee with lots of milk and sugar, and it wasn't too hot.
She gently sat down beside me and brought her coffee to her lips. She took a sip, then lifted her head. "I laugh it off, like, Oh, he's so dumb. I'll think, You're so hopeless. And then…I'll be a little sad." She put her feet up on the sofa, bringing her knees in against her chest. "But other people won't act like that. I think they won't get it at all, and they'll feel really hurt."
I hadn't really been wanting others to understand. So this was probably the sort of thing you'd call self-satisfaction. To be honest, I hadn't done it for anyone else. So nobody was going to understand or sympathize with me.
The one exception was my sister, Komachi, but she smiled a little sadly at me. "You're kind to me, Bro, but that's possible because I'm your little sister. I think if I weren't, you wouldn't even be near me," she said.
"Oh, I don't know about that." I considered it.
A Komachi who isn't my sister… Whoa, what's this super-ultrahigh-spec ultra-marvelous beautiful girl? I can envision a future in which I would instantly propose to her, get rejected, then kill myself, so let's absolutely make sure to stay away from her…
Yep, it'd definitely wind up like that. But I couldn't imagine a
Komachi who wasn't my little sister in the first place. I think we still probably wouldn't date or anything, because anything about Komachi or little sisters aside, I can't hang around people anyway…
Komachi is Komachi. If she weren't my little sister, there'd be no point in that sort of speculation.
"Well, that aside, I am glad that you're my little sister. And that was worth a lot of Hachiman points."
"B-Bro…!" Komachi buried her face in her hands as if hiding moist eyes. She put on a big show, adding some sniffles and an emotional sob while she was at it. But the show was over surprisingly fast, and in the next moment, she said nonchalantly, "Well, in Komachi terms, if you weren't my bro, I think I'd stay away from you for sure. I wouldn't even be aware you existed."
…Hey? Are you still angry? Could you stop the verbal domestic violence? "Well, you say that, but I actually have some good points, don't I?"
"Nope. And I don't wanna do this. I mean, it's such a pain."
You didn't have to go that far… You just made your bro sad. And she said it with a pretty serious look on her face, too.
She really is not cute…
As I was getting grumpy and nearly clicked my tongue at her, Komachi suddenly smiled and bumped me with her shoulder. "But having been around you for fifteen years, Komachi's gotten a little attached, like Guess that's just how he is. Oh, that was worth a lot of Komachi points!"
Hmm, but what you said before scored pretty low, though.
But she was strangely convincing. "…Well, it's true, fifteen years will do that." Accumulated time has a proper weight to it—enough that I could find my uncute little sister this cute.
Suddenly, there was a weight on my shoulder. Looking over, I found Komachi leaning her full weight against me. "…Fifteen years, starting now… No, the future's even longer than that."
She had to be talking about possibilities. She was talking about the possibility that, like how Komachi and I had spent fifteen years building our relationship, maybe you could build up time like that with someone else.
But for me right now, it still didn't seem very realistic. "Don't give me your cheap logic," I shot back at her.
Miffed, Komachi retorted, "Just how many years do you think Komachi has been listening to your cheap logic?" Then she shoved a finger into my cheek. "You've got a future! More after this! You got that?!"
"O-okay…," I replied.
She nodded like, Good, and removed her finger from my cheek. Then her expression turned a little serious. "…It's not only you. Komachi's got a future, too. I like Yukino and Yui. So I don't want the Service Club to disappear. I mean, I really think if you lose it now, you'll end up growing apart."
You can see someone every day, but you won't necessarily become close. But if you stop seeing someone you've become close with, you'll naturally grow apart. Human emotions can't be explained as simple proportional relationships.
Head still leaning on my shoulder, she asked in a sweet, cajoling tone, "So can you make it work out for me and my friends?" That was the singular answer I got from Komachi.
I think if she hadn't said that, I wouldn't have been able to do anything.
Some part of me had been looking, this whole time, for a reason to try to hold on to that place, the time I spent there. "…If it's for my little sister, I guess I've got no choice," I muttered.
I'm a wonderful big brother; I'll do almost anything for my younger sister.
She chuckled smugly and then, in a particularly monotonous manner, said, "Yeah, it's for Komachi's sake. Because Komachi's selfish. Whoops, you got no choice now!"
"That's true."
I aggressively rubbed her head, and she squealed, shaking her head along with my hand.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," Komachi replied proudly.
I withdrew my hand and glanced at the clock. "It's about time to go to bed. It's late."
"Yeah. Then, good night."
"Yeah, night."
Komachi stood up and returned to her room. I watched her go, then I leaned back on the sofa again.
I'd obtained a proper reason and a problem.
I still didn't know Yukinoshita's true intention. So I still couldn't say anything about that.
And I couldn't accept what Yuigahama was doing. But I could understand it—because it was similar to what I was doing.
My old methods were never about self-sacrifice. And they weren't wrong. I'd drawn a hand with few cards, and so I'd done the absolute best I could with the utmost efficiency. And my actions had even brought good results, sometimes. So from my own subjective perspective, I could call that perfect.
But if an objective perspective exists, that perfection falls apart.
To eyes full of pity and sympathy, it would look like trite narcissism. Pity and sympathy are an expression of contempt for another person. Self-pity is an act that belittles the self. Both are despicable and utterly repulsive.
However, pity and sympathy probably aren't the only outside perspectives. I realized this for the first time when it was shoved in my face so plainly.
When you just don't want to hurt someone.
That feeling isn't pity or sympathy.
That's why I would never call what they'd done, could not let what they had done be called, sacrifice.
In order to keep Yukino Yukinoshita or Yui Yuigahama from becoming student council president…
…what was the one thing Hachiman Hikigaya could do?
It was the day after making up with Komachi. I'd been thinking the whole time, since morning.
What was it that Hachiman Hikigaya could do?
Nothing came to mind, and I was seriously freaking out.
H-huh? This is strange… I felt like I could do anything last night, though…
Thinking about it, given my current position, I'd never had many options in the first place.
For example, let's say I was to declare candidacy for student council president and run against them. Then what? No one would nominate me, and so I wouldn't even be allowed to run.
Or I could obstruct their campaigns. This would be really pointless if it were just me, too. Besides, slanderous flyers and nasty rumors were the wrong way to go about things. I didn't want to drag them down or show contempt for them.
Not only was I stuck at just two ideas, one of them was obstruction… There was shockingly little I could do. It seemed matters that would inevitably be based on majority rule, like student council elections, were incredibly incompatible with someone like me.
But I'd brought this on myself. There was no one I could ask for help, either. I wasn't the sort of person who would be allowed to trouble people—I hadn't built the relationships for that. Present me was suffering for past me's choices. And most likely, the present me would make the future me suffer, too.
My brain had been working and working at this the whole time since I'd come to school, but I still couldn't think of a way to fix this problem—even though I'd finally obtained a goal.
Even once we were on lunch break, I still couldn't think of anything.
There wasn't much time left until the election. The vote was on the Thursday of next week, and today was Tuesday. That was a full week, but my only available manpower was myself, and I had no plan to oppose the girls' plans, to boot.
Preventing Iroha Isshiki from getting elected as president while also keeping Yukinoshita and Yuigahama from winning seemed impossible, no matter what amazing plan I might come up with.
My one option was to come up with some other candidate—but I'd shot down that idea myself.
Should I put off the election? Or dismantle the whole system of student council elections? No, I had no method of accomplishing that. I was at total stalemate.
But still, I couldn't sit and do nothing.
In search of something I could manage on my own, I headed to the library.
At lunchtime, the library was deserted. Not only was it forbidden to eat and drink there, the library was a long walk from the classrooms, so it wasn't a very popular spot for lunch. The only time it was crowded was before testing times.
I surveyed the shelves and decided to search for civil documents and materials that might have some information about Soubu High School history, or summaries of student council elections. If I was going to try to beat the girls in the election, I'd have to think up some appropriate election promises and an election speech. If something came to mind while I was fishing around these documents, that'd be great. If I could discover a loophole in the election rules, that would be a real find. However, I found no such convenient documents as I went back and forth between various shelves.
I saw something that looked about right and went to pull it out. Reaching out to the very top shelf, I hooked it with my finger. The book slid out and fell.
"Yikes." I jerked my head aside automatically, but the heavy book smacked into my chest, knocking the breath out of me, and then spit got in my windpipe and made me choke.
And while I was coughing and hacking, the book next to the large empty space tipped over and landed with a tump, and then they were all falling over like dominoes clattering down, while the thinner and lighter books fell to the floor with a rustle of paper.
That noise, as well as the sound of me coughing and hacking, was especially loud in the quiet library, and the few visitors gave me cold looks. Oh, I could understand their feelings. If I saw some idiot making a racket in the library, I'd act the same way.
And so I somehow managed to restrain my coughing and endeavored to put things back where they'd been.
There were books scattered around my feet, and books on the shelf fallen over.
Agh, what do I do about this? Geez.
I sighed roughly and then crouched to pick up the books, and that was when a haughty voice descended upon me. "How wretched you are, Hachiman Hikigaya. Fwa-ha-ha!" I knew without turning around—Yoshiteru Zaimokuza was standing behind me, letting out a thunderous laugh.
"Don't be stupid. This is my default wretchedness. Do you need something?"
"A foolish question. I'm nigh always here at lunch. And as I knew you were here via ESP, I elected to take a moment of your time!"
Damn it, he's such an obnoxious, lame pain in the ass. Even a second of conversation with him is so exhausting. My back was bent over to begin with, and now my shoulders slumped even further.
Seeing my state, Zaimokuza unexpectedly squatted down and met my eyes. "…Herm? Whatever is the matter, Hachiman? …Do you have some concern?
"…No, not really anything important." Nothing I'd talk about with someone else.
But Zaimokuza adjusted his glasses with a click and said, "Talk to me."
"No, it's fine. It's not worth talking to anyone about."
"What nonsense! How much blathering have I done to you? …I can listen to your blathering, at least… Heh, I'm so cool when I reach out to the weak."
Very proud of yourself, aren't you, good sir? And weak? Hey… Are you one of those guys who wants to nurse a fragile girl at her bedside? I kind of get that.
But regardless of what his motives were, I hadn't expected to hear something like that from Zaimokuza, and I couldn't help but smile. "…The only cool thing you said was the first part. So who'd you rip it off from?" I said.
Smugly, Zaimokuza said, "No, 'twas I."
"You dork. You're not allowed to say anything actually cool." I was exasperated at myself for actually being impressed.
But Zaimokuza, huh…? He'd completely vanished from my memory until this very minute, but maybe he could help.
If it was him…
Yes, if it was him, bothering him wouldn't hurt me emotionally, and there wasn't even a question of whether this would damage him or not—just standing there, Zaimokuza is a fatal wound. He is the living irredeemable. In a way, he's the type of creature closest to myself.
I couldn't count on him for anything. But I could trust the fact of his presence, which could destroy both good vibes and bad. Most of all, we'd been a gym class duo for some time. A hopeless and crummy duo, though.
"…Zaimokuza, I have a favor to ask."
"Hrm, so be it. So then what shall we do first?"
Surprised that he answered instantly, I couldn't yet think of what I'd ask of him. "Yeah… First, help me clean these up."
"O-okay… I shouldn't have said that after all…"
He'd probably been hoping for something cooler. Zaimokuza went completely back to normal, muttered that quietly, and obediently started organizing the shelf.
Sorry. Though I couldn't say this for sure, I'd never end up asking Zaimokuza for help. It'd probably end horribly. Me and Zaimokuza pairing up. Not even worth considering.
I roughly summarized the student council election situation to Zaimokuza and put off explaining anything about my specific plans until after school.
During the afternoon classes, I pondered over how to work
Zaimokuza into the current situation. But unfortunately—or should I say of course?—it didn't seem like he'd fit in at all. Was there anything Zaimokuza and I could do together…?
I never did think of anything before the end of school came. I had to meet up with Zaimokuza then. I'm kind of a jerk, thinking this was a bit of a pain in the ass when I'd been the one to make this request of him.
Homeroom ended, and everyone else left the classroom. Their destinations were various: Some were going to their clubs, some were going home, and some were going out to have fun.
One of these groups remained together in the classroom and didn't leave. This combination of blonde, brown, and black hair naturally drew the eyes of those around them.
Holding her head as she scratched at her pinkish-brown hair, Yuigahama moaned. "Fnggggh, hmm…" She had a mechanical pencil in her hand, but it didn't look like it was going to move.
In the seat beside her, Miura was pulling and releasing her blonde sausage curls when she suddenly thought of something. "Oh, wouldn't it be cool to come to school in our own clothes?"
"That's it!" Yuigahama pointed at Miura, then immediately wrote that down on a piece of paper. But then her hand stopped again, and she started moaning again.
Ebina, sitting opposite them, was also thinking and going "Hmm" as she combed through her black bob with her fingers. "It'd also be nice if they stopped doing bag inspections. They really do it from time to time. It's embarrassing when you have the stuff, you know? Like, I'll have doujinshi I borrowed from friends still in my bag."
"That's just you, Ebina," Miura said, and Ebina chuckled gleefully.
"O-okay, well, I-I'll write it down," Yuigahama said.
"You don't hafta write that down. More importantly, I wanna eat lunch on the roof."
"I'll take that, too!"
It seemed the three of them were thinking up election promises to use in Yuigahama's campaign speech. Hayama and the guys were probably not around because they had their club. Hayama was doing Yukinoshita's campaign speech, so maybe he couldn't help Yuigahama anyway.
Ever since Miura had seen Hayama hanging out with Orimoto and her friend the other day, she'd been prone to agitation and zoning out, but that must not have been on her mind when the guy in question wasn't around, as today she was brisk as usual. "Also, the bus is too crowded. It's annoying." She spun her hair around her finger and folded her long legs in the other direction… In fact, she may have been a little meaner than usual.
"I dunno if that's the job of the student council… But sure, I'll write it down." After writing that, Yuigahama considered and went "Hmm" again. But after scratching her head with the mechanical pencil, she stopped writing.
Then Ebina clapped her hands. "Oh, I want LCD tablets in the art room."
"I…don't really know what those are, but I'll write it down!"
Watching the three of them from a distance, I stood from my seat.
…Yuigahama was serious about running in the election. Her approach, and everything she was doing here, was very much like her.
When I got to the Saize near the station, I found Zaimokuza already there. You don't need to bother searching around the restaurant to find the guy, so he's convenient at times like these. I went to his seat, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Sorry to make you wait," I said.
Zaimokuza waved a hand as if to say, Don't worry about it. He was munching on something, and there was an empty plate on the table. It seemed he'd just eaten something. Based on the size of the plate and the crumbs there, it was focaccia. Beside the plate was an open container of sugar syrup. He was eating focaccia with syrup? Is that supposed to be good?
Oh yeah, I missed lunch. Should I order something, too? I was opening the menu when I suddenly realized—talking with Zaimokuza wasn't going to turn this situation around so easily, and it was also highly likely that this would drag on for a while. So then it'd be best to have dinner, while I was at it.
I pulled out my phone and called Komachi. Instead of ringing, some song I don't know jingled at me. Why does her cell phone always sing when I call it…? I was thinking when Komachi answered.
"Hello, hellooo."
"I don't need dinner today."
"Why not?"
"I'm having a, well, sort of a meeting-like thing with Zaimokuza."
"…Hmm. Where are you eating?"
"The Saize close to school."
"Got it!"
"Uh-huh." I hung up abruptly. It's nice and easy when you can communicate all that stuff in less than thirty seconds, with the minimal amount of words.
Zaimokuza, who'd been watching me talk on the phone, gulped down the rest of his cola and spoke with tons of motivated energy. "Now then, Hachiman. Let us begin…though I don't really know what's beginning."
Acting this eager before he even knew what was going on didn't exactly inspire confidence in me. It actually just made me uneasy instead. "First, can I eat something? I'm hungry."
"Herm, well, an army marches on its stomach, as they say. Eat what you please."
"Thanks," I said and immediately pressed the order button. A professional Saizeriyan (referring to a user of Saizeriya) never hesitates in ordering. I remember most of their regular menu, so I check only their seasonal and new items. Then in the time before the server comes to take my order, I instantly consider every possibility and make my decision.
By the time the server had come around, I'd already decided on my order.
"Milan-style pilaf, the assorted grilled meats, and the drink bar."
With a beep, beep on a smartphone-esque device, the server input my order.
Zaimokuza timidly raised his hand. "Oh, and spicy chicken, too… Oh, and also the hashed meat with turmeric rice."
You're still gonna eat…? Well, it's fine. The chicken is good.