Chapter 13: The Dinner

"What do you have there, Keika?" Saki Kawasaki asked as she sat next to her younger sister. The form in her hand was slid on the edge of the small table Keika was sitting in front of. They were currently in the family room of their home as Keika drew a crude picture with a black crayon. Kieka stopped humming and looked up from her drawing.

"Sachan! Look, I drew the hero who saved us from the rock man!" Keika said and raised her drawing to her older sister. Saki smiled proudly at Keika and held the piece of paper. The drawing was of a person's face, particularly a man's face.

The drawing depicted the man having thin, sharp eyes; on the edge of the drawing's right lip was a small, thin line depicting a scar. His hair, however, was drawn as several jumbled squiggles, so it was hard to tell what hairstyle the man had. "is this supposed to be him?" Saki said thoughtfully and studied the more blatant facial features of the drawing.

"Yup! Yup! What do you think, Sachan?" Keika bounced on her seat and waited for her sister's reaction. Saki smiled proudly and rubbed Kiekas hair lovingly.

"It's amazing, Keika! It's as if I had a photo of him!" Saki said lovingly and pulled Keika in for a hug. Keika laughed and enjoyed her sister's hug as the two enjoyed each other's contact.

The words' Hunter Trail License Application' were printed on the top of the paper Saki had placed on the table. The application contents were filled out completely with a black pen. At the button of the application was a section titled 'Appraised Rank', written in ink were the words 'A-Ranked'.

x x x

I slid open the door to the staff room and looked around the large room. Several desks sat next to one another and were covered with folders, books, and paperwork. On those desks were a few teachers from the school, working away on their tasks.

I scanned the room and found just who I came here to meet. Shizuka Hirastuka noticed my gaze and waved me over with a smile. That action got the attention of two other students who stood in front of her with a sheet of paper in their hands. Just as I did on my own. The students were Hayato and a blue-haired girl who seemed oddly familiar. She must have recently awakened. But why do I feel like I've seen her somewhere?

"Hikigaya!" Shizuka called out to me, uncaring of the annoyed looks she received from the other focused teachers. "Come here, come here!"

I nodded and walked over to them. As I reached them, Hayato frowned and looked away slightly from me. The blue-haired girl was giving me a curious look as she focused on my eyes and mouth for some reason. You picking a fight?

"Ms. Hirastuka." I greeted her. I then tried to give her the form in my hand but was halted by her outstretched palm.

"Not yet. We're still waiting on one more." Shizuka said with a lot less energy than when she had called me. I raised a brow and heard the sliding door open behind me. The paper in my hand crumpled slightly as my eyes landed on the form of Touji Hatanaka. His body was devoid of injuries, but he had cut his hair into a short buzz cut. Like the other two students and me, he had a filled-out form in his hand. Looks like his suspension ended.

Touji looked around the room, and his eyes met my own. They grew wide and then began to quiver erratically; the form in his hand began to tremble slightly, and he took a half step back. He then took a deep breath and forced his face back into his usual expression. He strolled over to us and stood on Hayato's right side.

"Now that everyone is here, we'll be able to get started." Shizuka said and made a gimmie motion with her hand. We all gave her our forms, which she quickly read and nodded. "Good. It seems everything is in order."

What we all had just given her was a Hunter Trail License Application. The Hunter Association had recently created a new rule allowing those under eighteen to participate in raids as long as they accompanied a full team of Hunters and had one B or A rank Hunter overseeing them.

This made it possible for those who awakened at a young age to experience and participate in an actual dungeon before they could apply for a full Hunter's license. However, depending on your appraised rank will determine what level Gates you could enter. E, D, and C ranks could only enter Gates of those ranks. B and A ranks could participate in all the Gates, minus the S-Rank. Those were only to be handled by S-Ranks and highly skilled A-Ranks.

Which means I won't be allowed into strong dungeons. I sighed and slipped my hands into my pockets. At least I can finally see the difference between official Gates and the instance dungeons.

"By signing these, you have acknowledged you have all read the new set of laws and regulations recently implemented." Shizuka said and placed the stack of papers on her desk. She looked over us all with a no-nonsense expression; her eyes lingered especially on Touji. "Is that correct?"

I nodded in confirmation. A few days ago, I received an extensive email from the Hunters Association letting me and every other awakened person in Japan know that new laws and legislation had been implemented. Reviewing the two hundred pages of information I read would take too long. So the gist of it all was that Hunters or Awakened humans are no longer seemingly above the law. We will be held to a higher standard, and the people we protect from the gates will have more options available to them to prosecute us if we ever commit any crimes against them. The vice versa was also included.

The bill was an ingenious one that was very well thought out. It tackled a lot of the problems I had with the association and with how some Hunters handled themselves. I knew not everyone would have agreed entirely with the bill, but if they failed to sign off stating they had read and agreed with the new legislation, they would be stripped of their licenses and returned to ordinary citizens.

I looked over to Touji and couldn't help but be disappointed that this wasn't done before. He would have undoubtedly suffered the consequences of what he did to Iroha then. But the world of Gates and monsters was still new; it would take time for everyone to figure out how we would live in it. This bill was proof that things were getting better for everyone.

"Yes, ma'am." Hayato said respectfully.

"Tch! Yeah." Touji grunted out.

"Yeah." The blue-haired girl said with a nod.

"Excellent." Shizuka said and pulled out four small pieces of paper with an address and a number written on top. "I'll be taking your applications to the Hunters Association main headquarters after school today to get them processed. I should have your trial licenses ready by tomorrow. Usually, something this new would take a while to get traction, but I just so happened to have two Hunter friends who owe me a favor. I've talked them into agreeing to bring you four for your first dungeon raid. But I'll leave it up to you if you decide to go. This is completely optional."

I looked at the name on the paper, Chihaya Mifune B-Rank. The name didn't ring a bell to me. Then again, I only really bothered to remember all the S-Rank Hunters. Below the name was a number, presumably Chihaya's. I looked over to the blue-haired girl's paper and saw she had the same name as mine. That meant Hayato and Touji had Shizuka's other friend to chaperone them. It makes sense; Touji and I don't exactly get along.

"Other than that, you're free to return to class." Shizuka said, but her face suddenly grew panicked. "Ah shit, almost forgot. Hikigaya, stay behind for a bit."

The others walked out of the staff room and headed to class. I watched Shizuka reach beside her desk and pull out a long, thin box covered in a purple cloth. She then held out a small envelope for me. "Haruno asked me to give this to you."

I squinted my eyes and opened the envelope. Inside was a piece of paper that had a faint smell of lavender. I unfolded the paper and read its contents.

Hello again, Hikigaya!

It's your favorite S-Rank hunter, Haruno Yukinoshita! I sent you a little gift, so I hope you like it. It'll come in handy once you start going into the Gates with your trail license! I hope you think of me whenever you use it! If you ever need anything, call me! Or if you just want to talk, that's fine too! XOXO

What is this scary woman planning? At the bottom of the letter was Haruno's number. I sighed and placed the letter back into its envelope. Shizuka was looking at me with curious eyes.

"You know. I've never seen Haruno take a liking to anyone like this before." Shizuka said and held a hand to her chin. "Whatever it is, I suggest you tread carefully. She can be pretty scary. Okay, this is for you!"

I accepted the thin fabric-wrapped box; it was also scented. I slid off the fabric and found an expensive-looking box made of Shimakuwa wood. I opened it and saw a black and purple tanto blade. Intrigued, I placed the box on Shizuka's desk and held the blade.

[ ICE DRAGON FANG DAGGER ]

[ TYPE: DAGGER ]

[ CLASS: A ]

[ +95 Attack ]

[ 60% Chance to inflict freeze on any opponent. ]

[ 30% Damage against armored opponents. ]

Wow, this is a fantastic weapon. I moved the blade around and tested its weight and feel. I smiled at how it felt and sheathed it into its sheath. I read about the raid where the Draw Sword Guild took down several mighty ice dragons. This has to be a weapon Haruno had custom-made using one of their teeth. Is she bribing me? I looked up and saw Shizuka eying me from her chair.

"You know, Hikigaya. You seem pretty familiar with how to handle a weapon." Shizuka said suspiciously, causing me to sweat slightly. Shit! I forgot I was supposed to be a regular student who's never wielded a weapon before!

"Ah? Well, I-I watch a lot of the Fate series! Yeah! I guess I've watched too much anime and must have picked up how to look like I know what I'm doing." I said quickly and chuckled. She eyed me with narrowed eyes. But suddenly, she jumped up and grabbed my hands like an excited schoolgirl. A wide, happy smile grew on her face.

"You're a fan of anime and the nasuverse! Who's your favorite character? Oh, better yet! What's your favorite anime?!"

I smiled awkwardly at her reaction. Who would have thought one of Japan's most famous A-Rank Hunters watches and enjoys anime? Deciding to go with the flow, Shizuka and I spent the rest of my lunch period talking about all the different types of anime and some of our favorite characters.

x x x

I looked over at the large apartment complex. I was in Kashiwa; it had taken me about an hour to get here. I looked down at the small gift in my hands. It was a large bag of peanuts, Chiba's specialty. I couldn't help but be reminded of what brought me here…

…it was the end of the school day, and I stood a few feet from the school's main entrance. My mouth hung low, and my eyes were as wide as saucers. Shouko was standing a few feet away from me with her hair pulled into a ponytail. Her school jacket was lying folded on her bag. A large, embarrassed blush sat across her face.

"What… did you say?" I whispered and watched Shouko step closer to me. Her arms hung rigidly to her sides.

"Hiqi… do yu… wat to com hav dinna… at my howse?" Shouko spoke as she signed. Her eyes were looking at me nervously.

She's speaking! While her words were slightly hard to understand and her cadence was a little off, Shouko was speaking. Of course, she can speak, you idiot! She's deaf, not mute! I stood silent as I berated myself and saw Shouko's face frown sadly.

"Isth… my voice weird?" Shouko said weakly as she signed.

"No!" I moved closer to her and smiled happily. "You have a very pretty voice!" I said and signed at the same time.

Shouko's face lit up in relief, her smile grew wide, and she gave me a nod. I then asked her why she didn't speak more often, which caused her to shuffle uncomfortably.

"Because… I wus scard." Shouko said sadly and looked at the school quickly. The images of the girls that bullied her passed through my mind. A surge of anger swelled in me, but I was quick to push it down. Was she nervous I'd make fun of her? Did those girls make fun of her?

"Did you think... I'd... make fun of you? That we all would?" I said slowly. Shouko shook her head negatively and waved a hand in front of her frantically.

"No! I new yu woudn't. I was... afraid. Afriad yu woudn't want to be my frend anymo." Shouko said while looking at the floor. An expression of shame was on her face. I closed my eyes and walked closer to her; Shouko took a shaky step back and flinched as if she expected to be struck. That caused me to freeze and back away.

I then crouched on the floor and looked up at her surprised face. I smiled softly and tried to make my eyes as gentle as possible. "Nishimiya. You're my friend. My precious friend. I'd never do anything to hurt you. That's a promise." I said as I signed.

Shouko's head shook slightly, and her eyes glimmered. She shut her eyes and slapped her cheeks. "I'm sowry." She said.

"It's okay." I said. "Nishimiya. What were you asking me earlier?"

Shouko jumped in surprise and looked startled. She laughed awkwardly and repeated her question...

...the elevator doors opened with a loud ding. I stepped through them and headed toward the address Shouko gave me.

"Let's see... ah, here it is." I said and knocked softly. I heard footsteps growing closer to the door, and it swung open.

This must be Yuruzu. I looked down at a young girl with short black hair. Her blue eyes looked up at me. She was wearing a red tracksuit over a white hoodie. After Shouko asked me to join her and her family for dinner, she told me about her grandmother, mother, and little sister. She didn't mention her father, but I didn't push for an answer. Everyone had their own family situations.

Yuruzu's eyes widened, and she slammed the door close. "GRANDMA! MOM! There's a yakuza at the front door! Call the police!"

"Huh?" I said dumbly and heard rushing footsteps. The door was pulled open, and a red-faced Shouko bowed at me repeatedly. Apologizing for Yuzuru's rude action.

"It's okay. That's what little sisters are for." I said with a chuckle. She stepped aside and let me in. I slid my shoes off and followed her into her home.

"Pardon my intrusion." I said softly and looked around. Several pictures of dead insects and animals were taped to the wall to my left. A television was in the far left corner of the main living area, and to my right was a long dining room table. Beside it was the apartment's tiny kitchen and fridge. Along the wall was a desk with a computer, and a bookshelf stood filled to its left. Overall, it was a well-lived, comfy home.

"You must be Hikigaya." An older woman with grey hair pushed back by a hairband with a knot on top said. She wore a light brown cardigan jacket and a white shirt over a long green skirt. "Shouko has told me much about you, young man."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm Hachiman Hikigaya." I bowed and lifted the gift bag with my favorite city's famous peanuts. "It's not much, but I hope you all enjoy it."

"My, what a polite young man. I'm Ito Nishimiya, Shouko and Yuzuru's grandmother." Ito said and placed the bag of peanuts on the dining table. There were several piping-hot entrees as well as side dishes. The aroma made my already hungry stomach gurgle lightly. "Good! It sounds like you're hungry. Shouko here made quite the feast for your arrival."

Shouko's face glowed red; her expression turned slightly sheepish. Yuzuru glared lightly at me from behind Ito.

"I see Shoukos friend is here." I turned and saw a woman with hair similar to Shouko's, albeit slightly paler, walk into the room from the left. She had on a blue button-up shirt and green slacks. She looked over at me and smiled softly. However, I could see a guarded look in her eyes "I'm Yaeko Nishimiya, Shoukos mother."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Nishimiya. You have a lovely home." I said with a respectful bow and then motioned to the gift bag. "I brought a gift for you all. I hope you enjoy it."

"How thoughtful." Yaeko said and motioned for me to sit. "Please, have a seat. Make yourself at home."

I nodded and sat on one of the free chairs. Despite myself, I couldn't help but be slightly nervous. This was my first time at a friend's house, and I hoped I was respectful enough. I wouldn't want Shouko's family not to like me. I turned to Yuzuru and saw her huff at me. Well, two out of three isn't bad.

"Tea?" Shouko said as she signed.

"Ah, yes. Thank you." I said and made the sign motions with my hands.

Yaeko, Ito, and Yuzuru looked at Shouko in surprise as she went to grab a teacup and a plate. They then turned to me and looked at me with a new light. I missed these looks due to looking at the dozens of photos on the wall.

"You know how to sign." Yaeko said as she sat across me; Ito then took the chair beside her. I nodded and looked up at Shouko as she sat a cup of steaming tea in front of me.

"I do. I learned to be able to better communicate with Nishimiya at school." I said and took a sip of tea. How about that? It seems my cat tongue leveled up with me. I was pleased my usually sensitive tongue wasn't burned immediately like usual. "Thank you."

"Yur welcom." Shouko smiled and was about to sit beside me, but Yuzuru quickly beat her to the punch. Shouko pouted and sat on the far right seat.

"So." Yuzuru said and eyed me suspiciously. "Sho says you're an awakened human, right?"

"I am." I nodded with a small smile. "Are you interested in Gates and stuff like that?"

"Maybe." Yuzuru said and leaned on her hand. "You must be pretty strong then. What rank are you?"

"I guess I'm sort of strong. I'm ranked as an E-Rank." I said and watched her face grow in disappointment. By this point, I should be somewhere in A Rank now.

"E Rank?! Never mind, you're just a weakling then." Yuzuru looked away, disinterested. Yeako looked over at Yuzuru and glared slightly. This caused the young girl to sit up straighter.

"Behave yourself, Yuzuru." Yeako scolded but then smiled softly at me. "I'm sorry for her rudeness."

"It's okay. I have a younger sister, so I understand they can be playful." I said, but then my stomach growled loudly. Yeako, Ito, and Shouko chuckled at my hungry stomach.

"Well then, how about we eat before the food grows cold?" Ito said with a warm smile.

We all ate in peace and enjoyed the delicious meal cooked by Shouko. As we ate, Shouko's family asked me the occasional question, which I answered as best as possible. I tried to help clean up when we were done eating, but Yaeko and Ito refused my offer.

"Hey."

Yuzuru whispered and motioned me into a large room. I looked back at Shouko and saw her drying the dishes her mother had finished washing. I stood up and walked over in the younger girl's direction. When I stepped into the room, I saw a blue curtain pulled halfway through the center of the room. There were even more pictures taped around the room and curtain. Yuzuru pulled me onto the chair in front of a wide desk and glared at me. How cute.

"What are your intentions with my sister?" Yuzuru whispered and pointed a camera at my face. Ah, the pictures are hers.

"My intentions?" I asked and looked at her inquisitively. Yuzuru's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and she poked my chest.

"Yeah, your intentions! No one just learns sign language for someone they just met, so tell me. What are you trying to get out of her." Yuzuru said seriously and eyed my chest in confusion.

"Nothing. I did it because Shouko's my friend." I said. Yuzuru looked boggled and tilted her head to the side. "I learned how to sign so I could talk to her more easily. I don't want her to feel excluded, so I learned."

"That's it?" Yuzuru whispered. I nodded and looked at the picture on the curtain.

"That's it. So... why do you take pictures of dead bugs and animals?" I said and looked at a photo of a dead lizard. Yuzuru looked over at it and frowned.

"It's because..." Yuzuru said and looked at the floor. A silent battle was growing on behind her eyes. Finally, she relented. "Because I want to remind her to live." She whispered extremely softly, however, due to my senses. I was able to pick clearly.

"Remind who to live?" I said softly and looked at her with concern. I stood up and bent down in front of her. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach and looked her in the eyes. "Yuzuru."

"You're really her friend? You care about her, right? This isn't some game?" Yuzure said softly and looked away from my stare. I nodded. She took a deep breath and plopped down on the chair I previously occupied. "Maybe... Maybe I'll tell you one day, for now. Just keep being her friend. Okay?"

I knew there was more to this, but I knew if I tried to pry. I wouldn't get anything more from Yuzuru. However, I had a feeling that I knew what it was. I just hoped I was wrong. I smiled softly and nodded. Almost as if on some brotherly instinct, I rubbed the top of Yuzuru's head softly.

"I will."

x x x

"You're such a freak!"

When I was younger, I strongly desired to connect with those around me. However, due to being born deaf, I had run across several misunderstandings, disinterest, and bullying.

"Wah wah bluh bleh bub buh." A young boy with black spiky hair read a book while making a show of mocking me. The teacher looked uninterested and ignored the blatant bullying. The faces of several of my classmates chuckling played through my mind.

I had hoped that when I brought a notebook to my elementary class, I would have had an easier time making friends by using written words instead of the weird sounds I'd make. However, I quickly gave up on that idea when a classmate of mine cruelly tossed my notebook into the school's pond.

'Congrats, Nishimiya! Sahara went off somewhere. Teach us Nishimiya-ese sometime! Hurray, hurray!'

"That's gross!" The black-haired boy yelled as he threw my hearing aid out the window.

As I grew older, I grew to not care about what happened around me and fell into a dull routine day in and day out. I never tried to make friends again and kept my head down. But that didn't help. I was still the subject of being bullied by those around me for my disability. It wasn't fair.

I could still remember the sharp pain I felt when my right hearing aid was ripped from my ear, how my warm blood ran down my neck and my arm.

"I'm trying my best!" I said as I fought the mean boy on the floor of our classroom. "I'm trying my best!" I said in my garbled voice as I cried.

Maybe things would have been better if she had never been born? Her father would have stayed with her mother. Her mother would still be happy because her father would be there to love and care for her. Her sister wouldn't have been brought down with her and bullied for her self-isolating tendencies. She would still be in school. My fault; all of it is my fault.

One night, I decided I was done being a burden to my family and swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills. As I drifted to sleep, my mother found me and made me throw up everything in my stomach. I was taken to the hospital and treated for my overdose. My family paid closer attention to me afterward.

I'm a failure. I can't even die properly.

When I started High school, I didn't expect things to change. After a few days, I was proven right. Other girls began to make fun of my voice when I introduced myself during introductions. After that, I used my notepad and reading lips to communicate. I never tried speaking again.

"Hey, you. What's that in your ears? Ew! That's disgusting!"

"Oh? You're still here? Get lost, will you?"

I did nothing as I was bullied and continued on as if nothing ever happened. I never spoke back or fought; I hated confrontation. I didn't want to create any more problems for my family to deal with. I was sure this was the High school life I would live until graduation. But then… then I met him.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you too. My name is Hachiman Hikigaya. First year."

I didn't know why I took the time to talk and introduce myself to him that day, but there was something about his eyes that felt... familiar to me in some way. I felt a tiny spark of hope in my chest when he wasn't bothered by my lack of speaking skills, so before I could make a fool of myself. I left. It wasn't until a few minutes later that I found out he would be in the same class as me.

"…you want to be friends? With me?"

I thought I was done with the idea of making friends. But something inside me wanted to try; I wanted to know if things would be different. Because he was different! I mustered all the courage I had and asked him to lunch. To my surprise and happiness. He accepted! I knew then that if I was going to ask him, it had to be then. So, I asked him to be friends.

"I'd… I'd like that."

I felt like I was on cloud nine that day. I had made my first friend, my first real friend. From there, things only got better. I met more people who didn't look at me like I was some freak or bother. I met people who wanted to become my friends genuinely. I knew it was because of him, always him.

"I don't ever wanna see you or your worthless friends anywhere near Shouko again. Am I clear?"

While I was born mostly deaf, I was still able to hear slightly with the help of my hearing aid. I wasn't sure why I could, but that day, I could sense and listen to what he said as he stood up for me. The way I felt safe in his presence was a new experience for me. I wanted to be near him more and talk to him more. When he told me he learned to sign for me, I felt my heart beat so fast I thought it would burst.

'Yes, I learned for you. I wanted to be able to speak to you better.'

Why? Why was he able to make me feel such a sensation?

"No! You have a very pretty voice!"

No, my voice isn't pretty. It's ugly... I hate it. I hate myself.

"Nishimiya. You're my friend. My precious friend. I'd never do anything to hurt you. That's a promise."

Even if I hate myself, is it okay for me to want to be happy? Hachiman's smiling face made my heart feel light. Light and free of my self-loathing. It was a feeling I never wanted to let go of; I never want to let him go. I know it's selfish, but I want him all to myself.

I opened my eyes and looked at Hachiman, who was staring off into the night sky. We were standing on a small bridge near my apartment. The soft, flowing water beneath us shimmered in the moon's pale light above. After tonight's dinner, I suggested we walk here to get some fresh air. I watched his sharp eyes sparkle as the moonlight reflected off his small pupils. He noticed my stare and turned to me with a small smile.

"Thank you for inviting me over for dinner, Nishimiya." Hachiman said softly.

"Shouko." I whispered. He looked to me in surprise. "Call me, Shouko. Please."

Hachiman looked at me for a while. After a few seconds, he grinned and nodded. "Okay. Shouko it is then."

I felt my heart quicken as he said my name. I shifted back and forth on my feet as I tried to calm myself. A large smile stretched my face while a giggle escaped my throat. I never thought I'd like the sound of my name as much as I did now.

Hachiman Hikigaya... I think I've fallen in love with you.