Chapter 4

Kiyoshi's pov

The bell signalled the end of the fourth period, which I had spent looking out the window. Not many people my age understood the privilege of having a desk near the window in the classroom, especially in a rainy day like today.

Watching people hurrying to not get too wet or the typical scatter-brained who forgets to take their umbrella, not to mention those who walk absentmindedly and accidentally step on puddles was definitely more interesting than listening to a teacher who was as enthusiastic as his students. Actually, sometimes it looked like he was more eager to leave than us.

Ah, the joys of teaching.

Anyways, since today it was raining, most of my classmates stayed in the classroom during break. The rain didn't affect my routine, since I either stayed in the classroom or took a walk around the school during break times.

The girl who sat in front of me, on the other hand, did appear to be annoyed. During my time in the school I noticed that she didn't talk to people at all and never stayed in the classroom during breaks. Now she had to stay in the classroom against her will due to the rain.

"What are you looking at?"

Shit, she saw me staring.

"Sorry, I spaced out."

"Space out looking somewhere else."

Jeez, yes ma'am.

I took the sandwich that I had prepared before coming to school and started to eat it. With nothing better to do, I looked outside the window again. Until I overheard Yuigahama speaking, that is.

"Ahh, Yumiko really just has amazing style. And her legs are so pretty. But seriously, I have to..."

Legs? What? Where?

I turned my head and looked at Yuigahama, who was talking with the popular kids of the class. Hayama Hayato, the prince of Sobu High. The boy every girl dreamt for. Then there was Yumiko Miura, who was always following Hayato for some reason. I guessed that it was normal since they were from the same clique.

Remember the pyramid I mentioned before? Well, those two are the top of the top.

Below them were Yui Yuigahama, the cute and nice girl who asked for our help a few days back, and Hina Ebina, who was cute but somehow disturbing at the same time. I had seen her bleeding through her nose with an excited look on her face more than once. I did not want to find out why.

Then there was Kakeru Tobe, who I hated by the way. I had never talked to him, but he was so annoying.

'Never judge a book by its cover.', you might say. 'Shut up.', I would respond.

But seriously, I couldn't stand that guy. He overreacted for literally everything and was very loud. People like me who just wanted a quiet time probably had the same opinion of him as me.

Finally, there were other two boys who aren't even worth mentioning.

"Ehh, really? But that Yukinoshita girl has crazy legs too, right?"

Agreed.

"Ah, that's true. Yukinon's legs are pretty crazy..."

"..."

"...Ah, but, I mean, Yumiko definitely stands out a lot more!"

Yuigahama, do not lie.

But then again, I couldn't blame her. That was sadly how many groups of "friends" of people my age worked nowadays.

After a small, awkward silence, Yuigahama found the courage to speak again.

"Umm, I... have to go somewhere for lunch, so..."

"Oh, really? Then make sure you buy some of that stuff when you get back. You know, that lemon tea? I totally forgot to bring something to drink today. And plus, I'm having bread, so it's gonna be really rough if I don't have any tea, right?"

"A-ah, b-but I might not get back until the fifth period, so lunch might have ended, and, umm... y'know..."

What is this? The pet dares to revel against their owner? Heresy!

"Huh? Wait, wait, what's going on? You know, Yui, haven't you been staying late after school a lot nowadays? Is it just me, or are you not hanging out with us that much these days?"

"Ah, well, you know, umm, there's just some things I'm dealing with and, umm, it's just some personal stuff, and I'm really very sorry, but, umm..."

"If you want to say something, say it. We're friends, aren't we? Hiding things from friends, you know... That's not good, is it?"

Yuigahama had her gazed fixed on the floor. She looked like a kicked puppy.

"I'm sorry..."

"No no no, that's not what I want to hear. There's something you want to say to me, isn't there?"

Even I started to feel bad for Yuigahama, it looked like she had no escape from this one. Until-

"Hey, just-"

"Shut the hell up."

Hikigaya had stood up from his seat and tried to confront Miura, but he was quickly cut off.

"...J-just when is this rain going to stop? I-I sure wish I had brought an umbrella, hahaha..."

He quickly sat down again.

After that, Yumiko proceeded to interrogate Yuigahama some more while the rest of us looked at the scene like idiots who had nothing better to do. The truth, actually.

The atmosphere was too tense for my liking, so I stood up and proceeded to leave the class without exchanging a glance with anyone. As I walked through the corridors, I crossed paths with Yukinoshita, who was walking in the direction of my classroom.

Our eyes met but no words were exchanged.

xxxxxxx

The day after poor Yuigahama's interrogation, I walked towards the clubroom once classes had ended for the day.

Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were both standing in front of the door for some reason, peering inside with scared/disturbed expressions.

I didn't know what was going on, but, deciding that I couldn't let this opportunity pass, I silently creeped behind them with a grin on my face.

"What's going on here?!"

"Kyaaa!!"

Yuigahama screamed in shock, which was hilarious. Yukinoshita, on the other hand, looked at me with a scary expression. I was sure that I had startled her though, so I was satisfied.

"T-takeda-kun, don't do that!"

"We all know that your mental age is similar to that of a kid, but please refrain from doing such things in my presence."

"Yeah, yeah." I waved her off with my hand. "Why are you not inside the clubroom?"

"There is a suspicious person in the clubroom."

"Really?"

I opened the door and stepped inside. Just as Yukinoshita said, a strange guy with a winter coat and gloves was looking at the horizon while chuckling to himself.

"Wait, isn't he...?" I muttered.

"Do you know him?" Yukinoshita, who was hiding behind my back and peering at the outsider with Yuigahama, asked me.

"I mean, I never talked to him, but... Hey, you're Zaimokuza, right?"

"Eep!"

He definitely heard me, but for some reason was pretending not to.

"Great job Takeda-kun. The very sound of your voice scared him." Yukinoshita mocked.

"Ha ha, shut up." I muttered.

Every time I tried to speak to him he would shudder and ignore my presence, and it didn't look like Yukinoshita and Yuigahama would stop using me as a human shield any time soon, so we were at a standstill.

"C-can't you tell him to leave?" Yuigahama asked me.

"Sure, I'll make sure to scare the wits out of him so he never comes back. How does that sound?"

"A-ah, you don't need to go so far!"

"...He's being sarcastic." Yukinoshita whispered.

"Why are you here anyways?" I asked Yuigahama.

Before she could respond, however, the outsider suddenly turned around and spoke for the first time.

"Ku ku ku, to think we would meet at a place like this... What a surprise. I've been waiting for you, Hikigaya Hachiman!"

"W-what did you say?!"

Our heads turned to Hikigaya, who was standing at the entrance of the clubroom with a slightly annoyed expression.

"Hikigaya-kun, that one over there seems to know you..."

Hikigaya, however, didn't admit anything.

"To think that you would forget your old partner... How low of you, Hachiman."

"He's calling you his old partner..." Yuigahama spoke in a slightly accusatory tone and looked at Hikigaya with a cold stare.

"Indeed, old partner. You still remember me, do you not? How we braved those hellish times together..."

"They just paired us in gym class. That was it..." Hikigaya finally admitted.

I know what you might be thinking right now. Zaimokuza is exaggerating, gym classes cannot be that bad... Well, tell that to the devil who came up with the timetable. Who in their right state of mind would put gym classes so early in a Monday morning? Was that person a sadist?

Hellish times indeed.

"What do you want, Zaimokuza?"

"Hng, so you speak the name engraved in my soul... Indeed, it is I, the master fencer general, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru."

He was in Class C if I remembered correctly. Everybody avoided him in general.

"Birds of a feather flock together, don't they?" Yukinoshita asked Hikigaya with a smug smile.

"You idiot, don't lump me together with him... I'm not that much of a lost cause yet. First of all, we're not even friends, dammit."

"Hmph, I would have to agree. Indeed, I do not have any friends... I'm seriously alone, sniff."

Poor guy.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Your friend there seems to want something from you, doesn't he?"

Suddenly, Zaimokuza's tears disappeared and went back to his confident self.

"Hachiman. This is the service club, is it not?"

However, the one who answered wasn't Hikigaya, but Yukinoshita.

"Yeah, this is the service club."

Zaimokuza looked at Yukinoshita for a brief second and then back at Hikigaya.

"...I-is that so...? Therefore, if Hiratsuka-sensei spoke true, Hachiman, you have a duty to grant my wishes, do you not? To think that after so many hundreds of years you would once again return to my service..."

"It's not like this club is here to grant your wishes... We just help out a bit."

Zaimokuza shuddered and tried to ignore her.

"I know that she can be scary, but she doesn't bite... I think." I tried to encourage him while making fun of Yukinoshita, but that only got me a glare from her.

"Why the hell are you only looking at me?" Hikigaya finally asked him.

"Ah- ahem! Hachiman. I have joined you here to see if you will abide by your oath to grant our wishes. It is a single, sublime desire."

Yukinoshita stepped forward and looked up at him.

"I'm the one talking here. When someone speaks to you, you should try and face that person directly."

"..."

"Why are you wearing a coat in this season?"

"...H-hmph. This cloak, as one of my twelve divine instruments, protects me from demonic energies of this world. But each time I reincarnate into this world it is this cloak that-"

"Dear god, can you please tell us why you came here before I kill myself?" I interrupted.

I was feeling embarrassment just by listening to him.

"A-ah, umm... Ehem! That's right!"

Turning back to his... normal self...? He took one paper from his school bag and placed it on a table.

"This is..." Hikigaya muttered.

"Hm, as expected... I didn't have to say a word for you to realize it. Truly this is proof that there was value in our struggles against those hellish times."

I curiously peered over Hikigaya's shoulder and tried to read the paper.

"What is that?"

"A draft novel... I think."

Zaimokuza cleared his throat to gain our attention.

"I am grateful for your keen insight. Indeed, that is a manuscript for a light novel. I intend to apply to a certain novel competition for new authors, but I have no friends, so I have no second opinions. Read that, if you would."

"For some reason I feel like there was something really sad in the middle of that..."

Ignoring Yuigahama, he took more papers from his bag and placed them on the table.

"There are sites where you can put this kind of stuff up and ask for feedback, so why don't you try one of those?"

"No use, those people have no mercy. Too much criticism. I would probably die."

"But then..." Hikigaya looked at us, Yukinoshita in particular. "Yukinoshita is going to be harsher than the people online, you know?"

"That she will..."

xxxxxxxx

The four of us took a copy of Zaimokuza's manuscript and it was decided that we would read it that night in order to tell him our opinions the following day. By the time Zaimokuza left the clubroom it was almost time to go home.

As we got ready to leave, I asked the question that had been bugging me.

"Why is Yuigahama here? Does she need help with something else or..."

Hikigaya just shrugged.

"Apparently she has a lot of free time."

I looked at Yuigahama with a puzzled expression. She scratched her cheek while laughing sheepishly... Cute.

"If you had come to the club yesterday like you were supposed to you wouldn't need to ask." Yukinoshita said.

"...I had something to do."

"Ah, that's why you left the classroom so quickly?" Yuigahama asked.

"Exactly."

More like I was trying to leave as soon as possible so Hiratsuka-sensei didn't notice. To be honest I had nothing to do, but I preferred to go home instead of coming here and be insulted by her.

Anyways, Hiratsuka-sensei somehow found out and I had to deal with her scolding. She could be a very scary woman sometimes.

xxxxxxxx

I was the last one to arrive the following day. The girls and even Hikigaya were already there by the time I entered the clubroom.

Yukinoshita was slightly nodding off, about to fall asleep. Hikigaya was fine, which was normal. He had spent most of the classes sleeping, the teachers except for Hiratsuka-sensei didn't even bother to scold him.

I quietly sat in my usual spot while waiting for Zaimokuza to arrive.

"Takeda-kun, did you forget to read the manuscript as well?" Yukinoshita asked me and Yuigahama looked down in shame.

"I mean, I technically didn't forget..."

I had the intention to read it. In fact, I was even curious, but... I couldn't even read more than ten pages.

"I tried... I did."

"Haahh... At least you tried I suppose."

It seemed that Yukinoshita was too tired to scold me today.

"This one begs your pardon..."

We all looked towards the entrance. Zaimokuza looked slightly nervous, but he soon masked it and put on a brave face.

"Well then, let's hear your impressions."

"I'm sorry. I don't really understand these kind of things too well, but..." Yukinoshita started.

"I don't mind. Even one such as I occasionally wish to hear the opinion of the common folk. Speak your mind."

"I see, then..." She took a deep breath and stared at him with her usual cold eyes.

"It was boring. In fact, it was almost painful to read. It was boring beyond imagination."

"Ooof!"

Zaimokuza's face changed from a confident one to that of a kicked puppy.

"H-hmm... Well then, for future reference, would you kindly inform me: which parts of the work were boring?"

"First off, the grammar was a mess. Why did you reverse the order of the sentences so much? Don't you know how to use particles? Didn't they teach you that in elementary school?"

"B-but..."

"Besides, the narration is too long and it's really hard to read. Also, please refrain from trying to make people read an unfinished story. Before we even talk about literary style, maybe you should go and get some common sense."

"Hgyah!"

Zaimokuza let out a dramatic shriek.

"Let's stop here for now. It'd probably be bad if you went through everything in a single setting." Hikigaya said.

"I still have a lot more to say, though... Well then, fine. I suppose Yuigahama-san is next."

"Eh?! M-me?!"

Yuigahama had been reading as fast as she could for the last few minutes, so she should at least have an idea. I was kinda curious, would she say something nice to encourage him?

"U-umm... Y-you sure do know a lot of tough words..."

"Uwaaaaa!"

I gave him a few seconds to recover before speaking up.

"Right. So, umm, my turn." I coughed awkwardly. "Do you want me to be nice or honest?"

"Gahh!"

"You finished him off..." Hikigaya muttered.

I shouldn't give my opinion since I didn't read that much, but judging by Yukinoshita's words I was glad I didn't.

"W-well then... Hikki, go ahead."

Zaimokuza looked at Hikigaya with hopeful eyes.

"G-gngh... H-Hachiman. You understand me, right? The world I created, this vast landscape of a light novel magnificence... You understand it, right? You understand this profound story I spun and all those fools cannot hope to appreciate... Right?"

Oi.

"So, who did you rip-off to write that?" He asked.

"Gahhh!"

"...You're the one with no mercy. That was definitely much more cruel than mine." Yukinoshita said, taken aback.

"Well, the important thing is the illustrations. So don't worry so much about the writing."

"That's something I can agree with." I said. "All you need to get my attention is a cute girl in the cover and..."

Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were staring at me as if I was trash.

"It is nice to come across such a cultured individual!" Zaimokuza suddenly said.

"Ehem. Hikigaya, go on."

xxxxxxx

"...W-would you..."

Zaimokuza looked at us with fire in his eyes.

"Would you read my work again?"

"You..."

"Are you a complete masochist?" Yuigahama, who was now hiding behind Hikigaya's back, asked him.

"Do you really want to do that again after what you went through today?"

"Of course. That certainly was quite harsh criticism and made me think that I wanted to die... But! Those words still made me happy. To have something I wrote for fun read by someone else, critiqued by someone else... That is definitely not a bad thing. Having my work read makes me happy."

I was starting to admire this guy. Having a goal that he wanted to reach and not giving up... I admired his determination.

"Sure, I'll read it." Hikigaya told him.

"You can count on me as well." I said.

Zaimokuza's flashed us a genuine smile.

"When I finish a new novel, I'll bring it here."

After saying those words, he turned his back to us and strode grandly from the room.

When I joined the club, I thought the other students wouldn't come at all. However, we had already "helped out" two students in less than a week's time. I couldn't help but wonder if I would spend the rest of my high school days like this.