Chapter 5: Revelations

Well, this is awkward. It was lunchtime, and as per my invitation. Yui Yuigahama was now sitting to my left; she was excitedly talking to Shouko as we ate outside the gym building.

When Yui arrived at my classroom, I introduced her to Shouko. The two got along exceptionally well and became fast friends. Yui was surprised that Shouko was deaf but quickly got used to it and talked to her through Shouko's ability to read lips and her handy notepad.

I felt the coastal breeze hit my face pleasantly and smiled at its cold touch. The slight hints of salt and ocean water made me sigh in contentment. That's nice. I like this spot.

"It's sho delicious!" Yui said as she ate the small piece of beef from Shouko's lunch box. Shouko smiled as she watched Yui chew happily. "I can't believe you made something so delicious! I can barely make rice without burning it, so this is mind-blowing."

'I'm glad you like it! It was from last night's leftovers, so its fresh taste was slightly lost.' Shouko said through her notepad. Yui shook her head and smiled. "I can barely tell it was made yesterday. You're kinda amazing, aren't you, Shoutan!" Yui said, causing Shouko to look at her oddly.

"It's a nickname! Uh, do you… not like it?" Yui said nervously. I watched as Shouko's face lit up with happiness, her hand blurred on her notepad.

'No! I love it!' Shouko's note said, and Yui smiled happily. I unconsciously began to smile as I watched the two get along. But the happy scene before me also brought up something that happened two days ago. Something that made my chest tighten in frustration…

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A group of second-year girls were standing in front of Shouko; her books were sprawled out on the floor. One of the girls stood in front of Shouko, looking down at her with annoyance. She had a round face and short, brown hair. "Don't you have any respect?! You should watch where you're going! Maybe if you took that shit out of your ears, you could hear when we're walking and get out of the way."

The apparent leader of the group of girls walked past Shouko and bumped her shoulder. As she walked, she took a heavy step on the small notepad Shouko used to communicate. Leaving behind a large, dirty footprint. The rest of the girls laughed and followed behind their leader. Each of them went out of their way to step on Shouko's dropped belongings.

I watched all this happen from the end of the hall, frozen. I watched them all gang up on my friend and bullied her for her disability. My eyes trailed after the group of girls, and I felt my hand quake in anger; I took a deep breath and calmed myself. The cold feeling that enveloped my arms and legs disappeared. I then headed over to Shouko, who had kneeled and begun picking up her belongings. Once I got close enough, I helped pick up her books. Shouko flinched when she noticed my presence and quickly wiped away the frustrated tears that had built up in the corners of her eyes. She then looked at me with a forced smile that made my skin crawl. You just watched and did nothing.

"…Hikki? HIKKI!"

I was shaken out of my thoughts and saw Yui and Shouko looking at me worriedly. "Sorry about that. I got lost in my head."

'It's alright.' Shouko wrote out. She was smiling at me warmly. You goddamn coward. 'I noticed you do that from time to time.'

"Hey, Hikki? Since you're an awakened human. Does that mean you're going to become a Hunter?" Yui asked me nervously. She played around with the few remaining rice grains in her lunch box. Shouko nodded, seemingly asking the same question.

"I'm not sure." I said as I placed away my empty lunch box. "I mean, my power is at an E-Rank. So, I wouldn't be able to do much during a raid. Plus, I doubt any self-respecting Guild would take me on." Not until I grow stronger than I am now, at least.

'That's okay! I'm not too fond of the idea of you putting yourself in danger in those dungeons.' Shouko wrote on her notepad. 'Besides, there's more than becoming a Hunter for an Awakened human after all!'

"Shoutan's right! I'm sure Hikki can even land a position in the Hunters Association if he wanted!" Yui said quickly and nodded sagely. "Being a Hunter isn't everything after all."

They were right. Not everyone who had awakened had decided to join the fight against the monsters and Gates. Some chose to continue living their everyday lives and ignore their new fantastical powers in favor of an average life. It wasn't without consequence if those around you knew you were an awakened individual and had decided not to help take down the Gates. You would be seen as a coward and a waste of potential.

"Maybe you're right." I said to them both. "But I still have an entire year before I can even become an official Hunter if I decide to do it. I have time to think it over."

Shouko nodded, satisfied with my answer. A small ping caught our attention; it was Yui's phone. Yui picked up her phone and hummed at something I couldn't see. "Speaking of Hunters, it seems a new S-Rank Hunter had just awakened."

I arched an eyebrow at that. S-Rank Awakened humans were very rare. A single S-Rank could bring a nation to its knees in a matter of weeks if they decided to. So, it became global news whenever a new S-Rank Hunter appeared. "Where are they from?" I asked. From what I knew, there was an average of fifteen to thirty S-Rank hunters per country. Considering the strength of a single S-Rank, it became a silent arms race for every country to possess the highest number of S-Ranks.

"Let me see… oh! She's from Korea, and her name is Cha Hae-In; she's also around our age!" Yui said excitedly and showed Shouko and me a picture from the extensive press release of Cha Hae-In's debut. Like Yui said, Cha didn't look much older than us. She had short blonde hair and purple eyes. She was garbed in her Hunter armor and equipment. It mainly consisted of a red and yellow military-like uniform with silver armor on her shoulders, arms, and legs. Overall, she was quite the beauty.

"She's also been nabbed by the Hunters Guild in Korea. One of the top five strongest Guilds in their country." I said as I read the written article about her. This brought Korea's number of S-Ranks up to twenty-five, second only to the United States twenty-eight. While Japan only has a total of fifteen S-Rank Hunters, the most recent addition being a woman named Haruno Yukinoshita, who had Awakened three months ago. "We're falling behind."

"What do you mean, Hikki?" Yui asked, a confused look on her face. "Shouldn't more S-Rank hunters be a good thing? The more there are, the easier it will be to take out those Gates, right?"

"Usually, you'd be right. But human nature isn't as simple as that." I said slowly and took a sip of my MAX coffee. Shouko was looking at me with curiosity. "While it's true the more S-Rank hunters a single country has, the more it will result in that country being better equipped to fight the Gates. It also means that a single country will have the edge over the rest of the world in terms of strength."

"You can think of it similarly to the time during the arms race to build the first atomic bomb back during World War Two. Everyone was scrambling to build the bomb first to have the advantage. It's the same now. Just replace the bombs with Hunters." I finished saying. My explanation made sense to the two girls, and they nodded thoughtfully.

'I've never thought about it like that.' Shouko said through her notepad.

"It's okay. It's not something most people talk about, but it's a good thing to remember. If this country doesn't produce more S-Rank Hunters, we'll risk falling behind in power." I said thoughtfully, causing both girls to grow silent. We sat like that until the warning bell rang throughout the school. We all stood up and were about to head to our respective classes when Yui once again grabbed my jacket sleeve.

"Hikki. Can I… can we exchange numbers?"

x x x

"Hey there! Aren't you Hachiman Hikigaya?"

I paused and felt all the hair on my body suddenly stand up straight. All classes had ended, and I had started going home to begin today's strength training quest. Slowly, I turned around and saw a tall man dressed in a tight white shirt and red exercise pants. A silver whistle hung over his muscled chest as he looked at me with a seemingly pleasant grin. Suguru Kamoshida.

"…yeah. That's me." I said slowly. Suguru's smile grew wider as he nodded in satisfaction. The man approached me and laid a heavy hand on my shoulder. "I was excited to hear that this school had new potential, Hunter! Tell me, young man, what is your rank?"

You already know my rank, asshole. I noticed that several students paused on their way out of the campus to watch our interaction.

"Oh wow! It's Kamoshida! He's so cool!" A formal student said.

"What's he doing talking to that guy?" A male student whispered.

I stared into Suguru's closed eyes as he smiled at me. "I'm an E-Rank, sir." I said and felt his hand grow heavier on my shoulder. It was starting to hurt.

"How wonderful! I happen to be a B-Rank myself! Come, young Hikigaya. Walk with me." Kamoshida said and began pulling me towards the school's gym building. I tried to slow him down by dragging my feet, but his grip was iron-clad and extremely strong. Is this how strong a B-Rank is?!

We gathered quite a few looks as we walked through the school halls. Ranging from interest, confusion, and pity. We stepped outside and walked under the outdoor roof that led to the gymnasium. We stopped next to the gym's entrance, and a girl with black hair tied into a ponytail bowed her head slightly at Suguru. I could see deep fear and anxiety in her eyes.

"Ah, Shiho. Where are you going? Practice has only just begun." Suguru said with a significant smile, causing Shiho to freeze. I inspected her body and saw that she was covered in bandages and bruises behind her gym uniform.

"I-I was just going to go use the restroom." Shiho said timidly without meeting Suguru's eyes. Suguru nodded, and his fingers began to dig into my shoulder slightly. I hushed a grunt of pain that tried to rise out of my mouth. I won't give you the satisfaction.

"Of course! Go on, then! Our next set of drills will start soon." Suguru said, and Shiho bowed slightly before leaving; as she left, she turned to look at me and frowned. We entered the gymnasium to see several volleyball members practicing. The sounds of squeaking shoes and slamming balls echoed throughout the room. "You see, young Hikigaya. I've built a powerful team of elite volleyball players that will put this school on the map. And it's all thanks to my expert coaching and guidance."

"What are you getting at?" I said lowly and watched as his eyes finally opened. His broad smile vanished, replaced by a thin frown. I felt a bead of sweat fall down my neck.

"What I'm getting at is that I don't need a fame-hungry newbie trying to outshine me and my team. Not that an E-Rank like yourself is capable of anything besides being a pack mule, but I've seen lesser hunters make big splashes in their pursuit of fame and power." Kamoshida bent to my eye level, and his grip on my shoulder tightened to the point I felt my bones creak. "So take this as my one and only warning, boy. Keep your head down in this school. Do that, and you and me will have no problems. Is that clear?"

I gritted my teeth in pain and fell to a knee. Some volleyball team members paused mid-practice and watched as I struggled not to yell in pain. I even saw that one of my homeroom classmates was part of the volleyball club. He was looking at me with pity and fear. If I remember correctly, his name was Yuuki Mishima. I looked up at Suguru and watched his eyes glow red with power.

"Crystal." I said through gritted teeth. Suguru's frown vanished, and his wide, fake smile returned. He let my shoulder go and patted my back like we were long-time friends.

"Perfect! Now move along, young Hikigaya. I have a team to couch." He swatted me in the back, and I flew back into the gymnasium's doors. A loud smack echoed in the room, gaining the attention of everyone inside. "Oh dear! It seems my strength slipped for a second there. My sincerest apologies!"

I stood up slowly and glared at him slightly. Suguru continued to smile at me; I pushed one of the doors open and stepped outside. As I walked away, I heard Suguru yell at everyone to return to practice. I walked far away from the gymnasium and stopped to lean on the side of the primary school building. I grit my teeth in pain as my right shoulder and back roared in agony. That fucking hurt.

I slid down the wall and leaned my head against its cool surface. Anger and frustration swelled inside my chest, and I struggled to gain control of my breathing. Why didn't I fight back? I'm an awakened person, aren't I? But I knew why. Our difference in power was evident. He would have squashed me like a bug.

"Hey, man… you alright?"

I turned my head and saw my blonde-haired classmate. Ryuji Sakamoto. I sighed and nodded at him. "Yeah. I'm okay." I said tiredly. Ryujis eyes looked at me disbelievingly. Ryuji walked over to me and slid down next to me. I looked at him oddly.

"Kamoshida… What a piece of shit." Ryuji said and looked up at the blue sky with angry eyes. "That's not the first time he's used his power to threaten students into doing what he wants."

"Heck, He was a piece of work long before these Gates began popping up everywhere. Even in junior high, he liked beating up on us kids." Ryuji said and kicked the ground in frustration. His eyes lingered on his right knee, but he grinned at me. "The names Ryuji Sakamoto! It's nice to meet ya!"

"I know, we're in the same homeroom." I said with a small smile. "Hachiman Hikigaya." I nodded in greeting.

"Wait, for real?" Ryuji said in shock, but he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, I don't pay much attention in homeroom." Ryuji leaned forward and leaned on his knees.

"You really took a beating from that asshole. How's your shoulder?" Ryuji said and looked over at my right shoulder. I sighed and moved it slightly but ended up wincing in pain. Shit, that stings. I'm glad that my body is capable of fully healing after a full night's sleep. Otherwise, I would have been in a lot of pain for a while. Thank you, system!

"I'll be alright." I said slowly and rolled my shoulder but winced when my back burned with a sharp pain. I then stood up and looked up at the slowly setting sun. "I should head home. It's getting late."

Ryuji smiled and hopped to his feet. "Hey, how about we go out for a bite to eat? My treat?" I looked at Ryuji briefly and nodded with a slight grin.

"Sure. I'll never turn down free food." I said with no shame. Ryuji chuckled and waved at me to follow him. I couldn't help but grin at his charismatic nature.

"Well said! I know this great place sells the best beef bowls!"

x x x

"Man, that hit the spot!" Ryuji said and placed a large bowl on the counter of the small restaurant we were at. I couldn't help but sigh contently myself. To my surprise, the beef bowl had been pretty tasty.

"That was pretty good." I said as I finished my own large bowl of food and turned to Ryuji. "Thanks for the food."

"Nah, don't mention it." Ryuji waved me off and offered me a weak smile. "It's the least I can do. Earlier, I saw Kamoshida dragging you along to the gym. I wanted to do something to help you, but… I couldn't. I was frozen in fear and ended up just watching." Ryuji spoke with a frown. I noticed he was rubbing his right knee unconsciously. "You see, back in middle school, I was part of the school track team. We were pretty good. Too good, you could say."

"Kamoshida happened to be the volleyball teacher in my junior high school, and he didn't want to share the spotlight with the track team. So he dug into my past and found some personal information about me." Ryuji said with a lost look in his eyes. "He began spreading that information throughout the school. So when I found out, I became angry. So angry that I attacked him, which resulted in him breaking my leg and disbanding the track club. That club was my ticket to making it into the big leagues so I could help my mom. But I threw it away by picking a fight with that asshole."

We sat in silence, and I couldn't help but look down at my glass of half-drunken water with empathetic eyes. I turned to Ryuji and saw him shake his head and smile. But his smile didn't reach his eyes. "But that's all in the past! Now I just have to get through high school and get a normal job like everyone else."

"Hey, Sakamoto. It's okay to be mad after what happened to you." I said slowly and drank the rest of my water. Our server placed down our bill with a smile and left. "I think you're a strong person. To keep moving on and smiling through it all is pretty admirable. If it were for me, I'd probably just wallow in depression and give up. So don't sell yourself short. You're a strong person."

I wasn't sure why I said all that. I was never one to try to cheer someone up, but after hearing everything Ryuji had gone through, I couldn't help but want to cheer him up. He was like a golden retriever, so I couldn't help but try to help him somehow. I wonder if becoming friends with Shouko unlocked some hidden friend-making feature inside me.

Ryuji looked at me in surprise but quickly smiled brightly. "Thanks, Hikigaya! You're an alright guy! Hey, I know! Let's be friends!"

My eyes widened at his question. Another one?! Am I on a roll or something? Junior high me would call me a dirty liar if I told him I was making friends as easy as I am. "Are you sure? You have heard about what they've been saying about me, right?" I asked with a nervous smile and watched as he chuckled.

"What? That you're some runaway Yakuza? Man, you can't listen to them rumors. It's all a bunch of bullshit." Ryuji said and paid the bill. We stepped outside and looked up at the orange and pink sky. "So what do you say? Friends?"

Ryuji turned to me and held out a hand. I looked at it for a few seconds and grasped it with a smile. Maybe I wasn't wrong after all? Maybe my high school life will be one I'll remember for the rest of my life.

"Yeah, friends."

x x x

[ QUEST REWARDS ]

[ CHOOSE YOUR REWARD ]

[ You may choose one of the rewards below. ]

[ REWARD # 1: STATUS RECOVERY ]

[ REWARD # 2: STAT POINTS +3 ]

[ REWARD # 3: RANDOM BOX ]

I sighed and chose the three stat points. Today's strength training quest was arduous due to the immense shoulder and back pain I received from Suguru today. I was very tempted to choose the status recovery reward to heal immediately, but I knew that I needed the stat points for the dungeon. I'd just have to put up with the pain until I fell asleep and healed.

I walked towards the back of my house and sat on the porch. A thick layer of sweat covered my skin and made my workout clothes stick to my body. I'll let my body cool down, and then I'll go shower. I stared at the night sky and watched the small stars glimmer in the vast pool of darkness. Behind me, I heard the sliding door open and close. Soft footsteps echoed behind me, and Komachi sat beside me.

"Why didn't you tell me about Yuigahama?" I said suddenly, causing Komachi to stiffen. I turned to her and watched as she looked away from my gaze. "Answer me, Komachi."

"Because… I hate her." Komachi whispered and hugged her knees to her chest. My eyes widened at her answer. "I hate her because if she didn't walk her dumb dog that day, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt and fallen into that coma. I hate her because she took you from me."

I sat stunned. To hear that my sweet little sister was capable of hating a person was something I never thought possible. She looked at me with tear-filled eyes and continued.

"Yuigahama visited you. She visited you every month to see if you would get better and wake up. Every time she came, she would leave behind a little card for you. Right there on your bedside table." Komachi said and rested her cheek on her knee. "It made me sick with anger, but I couldn't find it in me to tell her to leave. I could tell she was drowning in guilt. She'd sit in the room with you and talk. Talk and talk about a bunch of random things."

I watched as Komachi smiled; it was most likely something she did unconsciously. I looked away and stared at the grass below. "I see." I whispered and felt my cheeks heat up slightly. She came every month. Now I understood why she openly apologized and cried in front of everyone at school. She had to get it all off her chest when she saw me awake. To think I was about to yell at her in anger. There's always two sides to a story.

Komachi stood up and looked down at me with a frown. I stared back and watched her turn around to open the sliding door. But before she could walk into the house, she paused.

"I don't think I'll ever forgive her for that, big bro. But… I hope I'll find it in me to be able to someday." Komachi said and walked into the house.

I closed my eyes and dragged a hand across my face. My body was no longer hot. It had cooled down after my brief rest and talk with Komachi. I hope so, too, Komachi. Yuigahama isn't a bad person. I rose to my feet and walked inside. I wanted to go to sleep, but before that, I needed a shower. A long, warm shower.