"Then you should be able to get his contact information, right...?"
--------------
"Hey, my sworn brother..."
"Are you Zaimokuza? Besides, I don't recall us having such a troublesome relationship," Hikigaya Hachiman replied, swinging his tennis racket with force to send the ball back across the net.
"A love triangle is undoubtedly the most complex. When three people speak, one is bound to be the interloper. The human eye can only lock onto one person's gaze at a time, meaning someone is always ignored. There are many sports for two, and plenty for four, but a game for three is a rarity in this world. Therefore..."
Thwack. Kagehiro Shiro hit the ball back perfectly.
"There's no helping the fact that one person gets left out," Shiro said, glancing at Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, who was silently practicing against a wall in the corner. He felt a small pang of guilt.
"If you're so guilty, why don't you go swap with him?" Hachiman hit the ball back again. Having won the rock-paper-scissors match, Hachiman was enjoying the victor's leisure.
"No, ultimately, it's the school's fault. Three classes are having PE together, yet the total number of students is odd. Doesn't that guarantee someone will be left alone?" Shiro turned his head to complain about the ruling class of Sobu High.
"Well..." Hachiman mused. Usually, he spent his PE periods as a "loner partner" to one of these two socially maladjusted guys. The odds of all three of them having the same period were slim, especially since they were in different classes.
Hachiman grumbled to himself, but realized that the PE classes he used to dread weren't so bad anymore. It was thanks to these two idiots.
Seriously, if we were all in the same class, I wonder what it would be like? he thought, a rare daydream for him.
"I heard Hiratsuka-sensei called you to the faculty office. What for?" Shiro asked curiously.
"For speaking the truth," Hachiman answered without hesitation.
"Right, I get it. Hiratsuka-sensei teaches Japanese and she's your homeroom teacher... so was your essay so revolutionary that the world couldn't comprehend it?" Shiro hit the nail on the head.
"Something like that..." Hachiman muttered, returning the ball. "In the end, she forced me into a strange club. Well, more of a 'Circle' for now."
Since there weren't enough members, it couldn't officially be called a club.
"A strange one..." Shiro sighed. So it's reached that point already. Being second-year students now, Shiro felt a sense of time passing.
"Wait... is it the Far Eastern Magic Nap Society? Or the New World Discovery Club? Or maybe..." Shiro joked. He really hoped a "New World Discovery Club" existed, though he knew angels weren't about to fall from the sky.
"None of the above. And what are those even from? Do such weird clubs even exist?" Hachiman interjected, unable to help himself from critiquing the names.
"Probably, though maybe not in this world," Shiro said dismissively. "So, it's the Service Club (Houshou-bu), then."
"You know about it...?" Hachiman looked at Shiro blankly. He felt like his club was already infamous for being pathetic.
"Of course. When you said 'strange,' that was the only one it could be," Shiro teased.
The name "Service Club" had a certain... connotation. If you didn't know the club's actual purpose, it was easy for the mind to wander into inappropriate territory.
"So... what do you know about this club?" Hachiman asked. He knew Shiro always had incredibly accurate "intel" from unknown sources, despite having no other friends.
"Since you asked... mhm, mhm..." Shiro nodded with a smug expression.
He caught the ball with his hand. "Let's take a break and chat while we rest." He gestured toward the side.
Hachiman glanced at the PE teacher in the distance. Well, there was no rule saying they couldn't rest. In the past, he only kept hitting the ball to avoid looking like a pathetic loner standing still. Now, he followed Shiro to a corner of the wall shielded from the teacher's view.
Shiro sat down cross-legged on the dusty ground without a hint of hesitation. Hachiman sat with his legs pulled up, hugging his knees.
"Yukinoshita Yukino. A celebrity at Sobu High. Along with Miura from your Class F, they're known as the 'Ice and Fire' Queens of the school." Whether that was a real title or not, Shiro didn't actually know. He was just making it sound dramatic.
"Heh... she is pretty intense," Hachiman admitted, though he acted unimpressed.
"Ahem. Anyway, let me tell you something you don't know. The name 'Yukinoshita' is very famous in Chiba."
"Never heard of it..."
"They are a prominent local family. Yukinoshita Yukino is the second daughter of the current head—the 'Young Mistress,' so to speak."
"She has an older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno, who graduated from Sobu High and is now in university. Word is she was a bit of a rebel against her family back then. She even formed a band with Hiratsuka-sensei and is very close to the current student council."
Isn't that just stuff about her sister? But, a rebel? Hachiman thought. The Yukinoshita daughters are certainly something. He recalled Yukino's razor-sharp tongue from earlier and felt his heart prickle.
"Also..." Shiro paused.
"..."
"..."
"Hey, and then what?" Hachiman glared at Shiro, who was being intentionally mysterious.
"Also, you share a bit of an 'ill-fated bond' with her."
The fact that Yukino's car had hit Hachiman, causing him to spend the first three weeks of high school in a hospital bed, didn't seem like a huge deal to Shiro—well, in the grand scheme of things. Yukino wasn't the driver, and Hachiman had only been there because he was saving a dog.
"Ill-fated bond?! Hey, don't talk nonsense. I don't remember knowing anyone that important," Hachiman denied immediately.
"It's an ill-fated bond, trust me." Shiro looked at Hachiman, the corners of his mouth curling upward. He was enjoying this. This was the joy of "spoiling" someone's life story! It had been a long time since he felt this.
"The car she was in hit you, putting you in the hospital for three weeks. Her family protected her so well that she wasn't even allowed to meet you, the victim. It's understandable; the Yukinoshita family has power in Chiba, but they have enemies too. If people found out the eldest daughter's car hit someone and it looked like a hit-and-run cover-up, it wouldn't look good."
"Ah..." Hachiman was stuck on the part about the car hitting him. After a moment of thought, he sighed. "I guess there's no helping that."
"Yeah. At least the result is you're okay, and they covered all the medical bills. Aside from your reputation as the 'weirdo who missed the first three weeks of school,' there's not much to complain about."
"Well, there's no helping it," Hachiman repeated. He had no other thoughts on the matter besides accepting the reality of it.
Was the Yukinoshita family's handling of it good or bad? Shiro wondered. They were utilitarian, being a family of politicians. But given that they raised daughters as well-mannered as Haruno and Yukino, they had to have some standard of morality.
Shiro shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "And one more thing..."
Here we go again, Hachiman thought, let out a soft huff. Shiro always stopped at the most dramatic points. What "bomb" was he going to drop now?
Why did Hachiman feel this slight spark of anticipation? He felt like one of those "normies" gossiping in the hallway.
"The owner of the dog you saved... she was actually very eager to visit you in the hospital to thank you, but you never met her."
"I didn't do it for a 'thank you.' I just did it instinctively. No, I just wanted to do it. Anyway, how the hell do you know all this?"
"How do I know? Well, she's been wanting to make cookies for you for a while now."
"Cookies?" Hachiman looked confused.
She hasn't gone to the Service Club with her request yet? You're a bit slow, Yuigahama Yui, Shiro thought.
"And you said 'she'... who exactly are you talking about?"
"A girl. And you know her."
"I know her?!" Hachiman was stunned. He started frantically scanning his memory for every girl he knew. High school? Middle school? Maybe even elementary school?
Memories of his "dark history" began to pierce his heart. The shadows of the abyss were rising!
"I'll just tell you, seeing that pained expression on your face." Shiro shook his head. He understood. He truly understood the soul-crushing weight of remembering one's past embarrassments!
"You know her? Do you know her name?" Hachiman demanded.
"She's in your class. Yuigahama Yui."
Yuigahama Yui? Who? That was Hachiman's first thought. Then he remembered. Ah... she's the one always following Miura around in Hayama's normie group. The one who looks a bit like a 'bitch' type.
Peachy-pink shoulder-length hair, slightly permed, tied into a distinctive "bun" (dango). She usually had the top two or three buttons of her shirt undone. Definitely a 'bitch' type, Hachiman decided, judging her purely on surface impressions.
"She'll probably come to talk to you soon," Shiro predicted.
"Talk to me? Spare me." Hachiman made a face of pure exhaustion. He always kept his distance from Hayama's group.
Hayama Hayato. A blonde, sun-kissed ikemen. A social ace and a "good guy" to everyone. The leader of Class F, the ace of the soccer club, and the next captain candidate. He was the pinnacle of the "normies"—the poster boy of Sobu High. He looked more like a protagonist than the boy sitting in front of Shiro.
Shiro knew the hierarchy well. In Class F, the top girls were Miura Yumiko (the Queen), Ebina Hina (the Fujoshi), and Yuigahama Yui (the Dango). The "Queen" had a crush on the "Prince," which is why the groups merged.
What was the name of the leader of the second-tier girls' group? Shiro tried to remember but blanked. He'd probably remember if he saw her.
"I think it's a good thing. Maybe she wants to be friends. It's not every day you get sorted into the same class in your second year."
Hachiman scoffed. "Give me a break. Asking the victim to be 'friends'? That's just pity."
"Your persecution complex is getting worse, Shiro-kun," Shiro said, patting Hachiman's shoulder.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Couldn't it be that after seeing your idiotic act of bravery saving a dog, she realized you're actually a 'Good Person' and not just some shut-in loner?"
Hachiman felt like Shiro was mocking him. Was "idiotic good person" even a compliment?
"Whatever. It sounds like a pain..."
You're not even denying the 'shut-in loner' part, are you? Shiro thought.
"Even if the other normie groups are questionable, Hayama and his crew... well, they're 'Good People' in a general human sense."
Hachiman let out a cold laugh. "Normies should just explode..."
Shiro laughed as well. "You could be a normie too, you know. Come on, I've always wanted to try horseback riding. Want to go to a riding club this weekend?"
Thinking of the glorious, wasted hours of his weekend, Hachiman refused immediately. "No way. Why would I go outside on the weekend? Besides, can you even ride a horse?"
I've ridden horses for three lifetimes and played 'Mount & Blade' for two. How could I not know? Shiro thought.
"I can. And I'm more than good enough to teach you," Shiro said with a proud grin.
But Hachiman's "Laziness Defense" was impenetrable. "Not going. I'm staying home to read manga and take a nap all afternoon."
"See? There's a reason you're not a normie. Everyone has their own lifestyle, and a leisurely one isn't bad. Before we become 'corporate slaves,' we should enjoy this peak time of our lives in our own way."
In reality, Shiro hadn't set foot in a stable in this current life. The days of wielding a long spear and charging on horseback were long gone.
Hachiman, of course, knew nothing of Shiro's past-life musings. "My dream is to be a professional house husband," Hachiman said, sticking to his guns.
"What a coincidence. Me too. And I can work as a freelancer. Earning money while staying home all day is the ultimate happiness." Shiro grinned. "See? We really are best friends!"
Chapter 2: Wishing Nothing Changes
PE class ended just like the countless ones before it—uneventful. Normally, Shiro—who hated the smell of sweat and the inconvenience of not being able to shower immediately—would have loathed PE.
Even now, Shiro tugged at the collar of his light green school gym clothes and sniffed. It still smelled faintly of laundry detergent, but he decided he'd wash it as soon as he got home.
Watching Shiro do this, Hachiman looked down at his own gym shirt for a moment before giving up on the idea of sniffing it.
"I was originally going to swap with Zaimokuza halfway through."
"We ended up talking until the bell rang. Can't be helped. I'll make it up to him next time," Hachiman said. What else could they do about the "extra" person?
"Want a drink? My treat," Shiro said, calling out to Zaimokuza as he walked over.
"This... is this 'Giving salt to the enemy'? Or do you plan to..."
Ah, he's a severe case of Chuunibyou, Shiro thought. Even Shiro wasn't this far gone. Zaimokuza was terminal; there was no cure.
"As expected of the union of the Dragon and the Tiger! A worthy rival to face me, the Shogun of the Blade!" Zaimokuza said, covering half his face with his hand. "But listen, Hachiman, I will never—mmph!"
Hachiman lunged forward and covered Zaimokuza's mouth with his sweaty hand, preventing a new "dark history" record from being created—the kind that makes you want to bang your head against a wall at 2 AM.
It looked like they were fighting over him—these two idiots. Zaimokuza clearly had no intention of lowering his volume, which meant he was on a direct path to social suicide. Does he want me to die with him?! Hachiman thought. Treasonous!
"Mmmph! Hey, Hachiman, your hand smells!" Zaimokuza's voice muffled through Hachiman's fingers.
"Shut up, idiot." At least you have the energy to worry about that. Hachiman felt like he had just stopped a madman from pressing the nuclear button at the last second. The peace of the world was his achievement.
The sound of metal cans hitting the ground echoed. Both of them turned to look at Shiro.
Seeing them looking, Shiro tossed a can of MAX Coffee toward them. The can spun through the air. "Catch."
Hachiman let go of Zaimokuza and reached out with both hands, hooking the can out of the air. It was a MAX Coffee—the pride of Chiba.
He loved this stuff—coffee with more sugar than actual coffee. Even a drink that was essentially coffee-flavored syrup had its loyal followers.
***********************************************
For advanced chapters up to 20 chapter ahead is on my Patreon
My Patreon name : M7md_sol
If your having trouble reaching my Patreon
Just write M7md_sol Patreon on Google search and I'll probably be the first page that shows up and thanks for any support you guys give