[13] Fate
On April 1st, the first day of school, Hachiman woke up early as usual and prepared for his morning run. Despite having a physique comparable to the so-called mercenary soldiers, he maintained the habit of jogging in the morning and enjoyed catching glimpses of Yui along the way.
At the Yuigahama house, Yui also took out Sable and began her own morning jog, mirroring Hachiman's routine.
At the Yukinoshita home, Yukino's older sister, Haruno, encouraged her, "Yukino, it's your first day of school. Let me give you a ride to school!" Haruno's smile brightly.
Yukino, the young girl in question, gazed at her sister with a somewhat reserved expression.
"Sure," Yukino replied eventually. Once she was reassured that her sister's intentions were genuine, she nodded with a slight smile.
Haruno's eyes lit up with happiness upon seeing her sister's agreement.
After sharing breakfast together, the two sisters hopped into their car and headed towards Sobu High School.
The pieces of destiny seemed to fall into place as the events unfolded according to their predetermined path. The gears of fate had been set in motion, paving the way for the fateful meeting of the three.
At a nearby intersection regulated by traffic lights, it was Hachiman and Yuigahama who crossed paths first.
"Hey there, Hikki!" Despite the separation created by the road, Yuigahama's arms waved enthusiastically as she greeted Hachiman from the opposite side.
"Good morning, Yui!" Hachiman responded with a friendly smile, acknowledging her greeting across the intersection.
Seeing Yui, Hachiman's mood brightened, prompting him to greet her as well.
However, in that moment, Yui's dog, Sable, seemed to sense something and managed to slip away from her grasp once more. Sable dashed toward Hachiman, excitedly.
"Oh no, Sable, come back!" Yui exclaimed in frustration as the dog slipped from the rope again.
In the midst of this commotion, a car entered Hachiman's field of vision. The traffic light ahead was green, and the car maintained its speed without slowing down as it approached their side of the road.
"This is... Yukinoshita's family's car. What bad timing!" Hachiman's pupils contracted as he observed the unfolding scene.
The combination of dogs, intersections, and cars brought to mind the "Saving the Dog's Life" incident from the past. It was surprising to think that he had known Yui for quite some time, and yet a similar incident was occurring once again.
Was this a strange prelude to his future interactions with Yukino? Hachiman pondered, though he couldn't dwell on it for long. The car was approaching at a swift pace, and it was evident that Sable would be in grave danger.
"No, Sable!!" Panic gripped Yuigahama as she too caught sight of the approaching car.
Upon hearing Yuigahama's frantic cries, Hachiman acted without hesitation and sprinted forward.
Sable, the dog that had been a companion to him.It was only natural for him to attempt a rescue, not wanting to witness Yui's tears.
"Dididi!" The sudden appearance of a person and a dog caused the car's driver to panic, slamming on the brakes.
"squeak!!!" Just in the nick of time, Hachiman managed to seize hold of Sable, who was rushing toward him, and deftly evaded to the side.
"Boom!" The sense of relief didn't last long, however, as a sharp pang of pain shot through his leg, indicating that he is thinking to much.
"Ah, Hikki!!!" Witnessing the scene unfold, Yuigahama's fear escalated, and she rushed over to Hachiman's side.
"Hikki, are you okay? Don't scare me!" Yuigahama knelt beside Hachiman, quickly checking his body with concern, afraid that he might be hurt.
"Don't worry, Yui. It's just a minor scrape on my leg; nothing serious!" Hachiman reassured her, noticing the tears in Yui's eyes.
The car hadn't been moving at a particularly high speed, and he had only been knocked back due to his positioning. His injury wasn't severe at all. More importantly, Hachiman's current physical condition far exceeded that of an average person's.
While his physique surpassed that of an average person, it still fell within the realm of human limitations. As the saying goes, even the strongest are vulnerable. Hachiman felt a sharp pain as his leg came into contact with the car.
Due to the sudden braking, the Yukinoshita sisters inside the car experienced a jolt, but they quickly regained their composure.
"Mr. Yamada, what just happened?" Haruno, seated in the back, promptly inquired of the driver.
"Miss, a boy suddenly rushed out to save a dog, and I had to brake abruptly," the driver explained, his flustered demeanor settling somewhat.
"How is the boy? Was he hit?" Haruno asked anxiously, seeking details of the incident. The boy's well-being was her primary concern at the moment.
"It doesn't look like a serious problem on the surface, but I'm afraid we won't know the details until we go to the hospital for an examination." the driver replied.
"I understand." Haruno nodded, her attention then shifting to Yukino, who appeared somewhat displeased.
"Yukino, don't worry. The boy is alright. You can continue on to school,your sister will handle everything else," Haruno reassured with a smile.
"But..." Yukino expressed her surprise, finding it hard to imagine proceeding with school as if nothing had occurred.
"Yukino, please listen. Legally speaking, we were driving normally and hold no responsibility. However, in this situation, the Yukinoshita family won't choose to evade any responsibilities," Haruno said seriously, her gaze fixed on her sister. She understood Yukino's character well; without timely guidance, she might stubbornly charge forward like a bull.
"But the next steps are not something you need to handle. Right now, your priority is to go to school, understood?" Haruno emphasized, aiming to steer Yukino away from unnecessary involvement.
Observing Haruno's resolute expression, Yukino lapsed into a brief silence, eventually nodding with a somewhat grimace. "Understood."
She comprehended that lingering around wouldn't yield any productive results. She couldn't stand as the representative of the Yukinoshita family; that role belonged to Haruno, the one fated to inherit the family legacy.
"Very well, Mr. Yamada, please proceed to take Yukino to school. I'll handle matters from here. Let's hope there are no further issues!" With Yukino's agreement, Haruno alighted from the car and informed the driver, her tone decisive.
On the other side,
"Hachiman, are you hurt? I'll call an ambulance right away!" Upon learning of Hachiman's leg injury, Yuigahama swiftly retrieved her mobile phone, poised to dial for assistance.
"No need to worry, little sister. I've already made the call, and an ambulance is on its way. We'll handle things from here," Haruno interjected, appearing at the scene with a resolute expression on her face.
"Is that so?"
Witnessing Haruno's familiar yet unfamiliar presence, Hachiman couldn't help feeling a sense of helplessness. It seemed he couldn't escape the odd fate of being involved in a car incident—almost as if it was an inevitable occurrence.