Chapter 16: Even so, Hachiman can still ask for friendship

A fondness for power is implanted in most men, and it is natural to abuse it when acquired. So does that mean that humans are cursed to always abuse any power they come to hold? The greater the power, the greater the abuse. If I've learned anything through human history, it is that power corrupts. But is it possible to not succumb to its temptation? To remain strong in your core beliefs even with the power to change the world?

I looked down at my shaking right hand with a grimace. Turning away, I watched as two Surveillance Team members and three police officers dragged Suguru Kamoshida away in heavy body restraints. Unlike the restraints you'd see police officers use on regular people. These were bright silver lined with magical accents. They glowed softly as Suguru struggled in their hold.

We were at the back of the school. Several black SUVs, police cars, and an ambulance were parked near the forest behind the school. The police had closed off the area with yellow tape, and several officers stood in front of it. The remaining students, who were still in the school for their clubs or other activities, watched the scene with anxious curiosity. Some are from the ground level, and the rest are from the windows of the building.

"This isn't over, you brat! I know you're not who you say you are! I'll make you pay for ruining me!" I glanced at Suguru as he limped to a large reinforced police vehicle. He was glaring at me with as much hatred as he could muster. Before he could continue his yelling, the Surveillance Team and police shoved him into the vehicle. The doors were shut after they secured him inside. The police vehicle then drove over the grass and left the campus.

"Hikigaya." Haruno said as she walked over to me. She wore her hunter gear, a modified dark purple kimono, and black tights. A long black and gold katana rested on her waist in its sheath. Her armored boots clanged slightly as she walked on the grass. "How are you feeling? You hurt?"

"I'm fine." I grumbled and turned to the ambulance. Sitting at the back of the vehicle were Suzui Shiho and Ann Takamaki. A female paramedic was treating Suzui's injuries while she sat close to her in support. "What's going to happen to Kamoshida?"

Haruno sighed and glared lightly at where the reinforced police vehicle left. "Kamoshida will be stripped of his hunter's license and stand trial for his actions to Suzui Shiho. Trust me, Hikigaya. What he did today will not go unpunished."

"Good." I said dispassionately. My hands tightened into fists, and I sighed. "That's good."

Haruno smiled slightly at me and stood next to me. I looked down and saw that she was now a few inches shorter than me as she looked up. It seems she noticed as well and chuckled. "You did a good thing. You stopped what we women fear with our entire being; the unspeakable would have happened to Suzui if it weren't for you. So don't beat yourself up for what you did to Kamoshida. No one is going to hold it against you."

"Am I… in trouble? For attacking a teacher?" I said weakly and looked away from her. The paramedic was helping Suzui onto the ambulance so they could take her to the hospital. Ann was sitting beside her and was holding her hand. They turned to me, and Ann offered me a wave. Suzuis eyes shimmered, and she began to cry again as she saw me; she then bowed at me from where she sat. Before I could have done anything, the paramedic closed the ambulance doors and ran up to the passenger seat. I watched as the ambulance left the campus.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Suzui and Takamaki gave their statements and said that you only attacked Kamoshida in defense of Suzui's safety. But the Kamoshida's are a powerful family, so I expect their lawyers to fight the charges against him." Haruno said as she guided me over to her personal vehicle. A strong man dressed in a suit nodded at her as we got close enough. "Satoshi Kamoshida. He's a powerful S-Rank hunter who abandoned Japan to join the Scavenger Guild when they offered him an incredible contract."

"The Scavenger Guild? The one in America?" I asked in interest. Haruno nodded and gave her sword to her driver, who took it without a word.

"That's correct. Once he hears his little brother was arrested, I'm sure he'll return and demand his release. As an S-Rank, he has a lot of power and resources. But since he went up and left Japan, he's most likely not aware of the recent changes in our law regarding Hunter-involved crimes." Haruno stated and handed me a bottle of water her driver gave her. I accepted it. "And thanks to Satoshi abandoning his mother country at the height of the Gate incident. The prime minister stripped him of his citizenship. So, whatever rights he thinks he has here are no longer available. So it's safe to say Suguru Kamoshida will get real comfortable behind our newly built prison for hunters."

I nodded at her and took a sip of my water. It was a relief to hear that Suguru's brother wouldn't be able to release his brother easily. Otherwise, things could go south if Suguru decided to seek revenge against Suzui, Ann, or myself. I wasn't too concerned about Suguru coming after me, but it was a different case for his brother. An S-Rank hunter. As strong as I've gotten, I don't think I can handle a S-Rank yet. If he's anything like Suguru, then it's highly possible he'll come after me. My face seemed to show my trepidation because Haruno lifted a hand and lightly touched my arm.

"Listen. I'm sure you're nervous that the Kamoshida brothers might retaliate, but you can relax. Your reliable older sister here will make sure nothing happens to you." Haruno said playfully and patted my arm. "I'll keep an eye on Satoshi if he ever makes landfall. I'll let you know if there's any development with either of them."

I looked at her in surprise and nodded. At the same time, I couldn't help but be confused as to why she was so involved with me. First, she asked me to watch her sister, then gave me an A-ranked sword. Not to mention, she came to my aid as soon as I needed it. Just what was her intentions?

"Yukinoshita. Why are you helping me so much?" I asked and watched her look at me with a smile. She tapped her chin with her finger and hummed.

"Maybe I have a little crush? You ever think of that? Or perhaps you're into younger girls?" Haruno said playfully and looked shyly at me. I wasn't in the mood for playful banter and continued to look at her seriously. Haruno got the message and sighed, her playful persona gone.

"Tell me, Hikigaya. What do you remember of the car that hit you that day?" Haruno said and looked up at the slowly darkening sky. My mind quickly processed what she was trying to say, causing my eyes to widen slowly. Wait… was that limo hers? Haruno looked at me with an emphatic smile. "It seems you got it. The vehicle that struck you and put you in a coma that day belonged to my family."

I gripped the water bottle and looked at Haruno in a new light. It all made sense. The attention, gifts, and how she would drop what she was doing and come help when I asked. But to my surprise, I wasn't angry at her. It wasn't her fault I jumped in front of her family car and got hit. I made that choice. I sighed and turned away from her. Her eyes widened in surprise. It seemed she was expecting a different reaction.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm a little angry that your family limo sent me on my year-long sleep. But… I chose to save that dog that day. So I can't blame you or your family." I said and drank the rest of my water. "It's all in the past anyway. What matters is what we do today. And all you've done so far is help me. So… thank you."

"A-ah, right. That's very mature of you, Hikigaya." Haruno sputtered and looked at me with wide eyes. She fiddled with her bottle and smiled. "Can I ask you a question, Hikigaya?"

I nodded. "Have you ever heard the term 'Reawakening'?" Haruno said and looked into my eyes with a severe expression. I hummed and looked away from her pretty eyes.

"No. I can't say I have." I said and saw her nod.

"It's a pretty recent rare phenomenon occurring in Hunters. Reawakening is when a hunter undergoes a second awakening and receives a significant boost in strength, bypassing their previous natural limits. Basically, an E-Rank can jump straight to C-Rank, and B-Ranks can even become a S-Rank." Haruno said and eyed me carefully. "I believe that's what happened to you at some point. You were initially ranked as an E-Rank, but you were able to beat your classmate, Hatanaka, who is a C-Rank. Even now, Kamoshida wasn't the strongest B-Rank, but you defeated him without a scratch. Unless the device they used to measure your power was faulty, I see no other reason to explain your increase in power."

I was stunned by her explanation and looked down at my hands in awe. Was that what happened to me? Could there be other awakened humans who can level up? Was that what you received when you reawaken? Some part of me already knew that that wasn't the case. If it was, then this ability to level up would be the hottest thing to talk about. It would have worldwide coverage. If I tell her what's happening to me, maybe she can help me figure out what's going on. But can I trust her?

"If I was one of these reawakened humans. What would you do?" I asked slowly and saw her close her eyes and make a show of thinking.

"I would do… nothing!" Haruno said and poked my cheek with her finger. "Regardless of whether you are one of the newly reawakened humans or not, I'll leave the decision to you if you decide to tell anyone. I'll even keep those who get too close to the truth off your back. I owe you that much."

Haruno walked over to the back seat of her vehicle, and her driver opened the car door for her. She paused when she laid a hand on the door and turned to me. "You're a pretty interesting guy, Hikigaya. Don't be shy and call me, okay? I'll see you around."

I nodded and watched as Haruno entered her car. The driver closed the door and stepped into the driver's seat. They then drove away and left me to stand alone, an empty bottle of water in my hand.

x x x

"...after weeks of fighting, the dragon, Kamish, has finally been defeated by the last four remaining hunters! Ladies and gentlemen, the destruction and carnage from this event will go down as one of the lowest points in human history. The names of those Hunters are..."

I sighed as I passed a loud television and continued walking alongside the road. It had been a week since the incident with Suguru Kamoshida had happened, and things at school had been pretty annoying. The news that Kamoshida had attempted to rape one of the school's students spread like wildfire, causing the teachers and school board to scramble to ease the anger and worry from the parents of the entire student body. Thanks to Haruno and the surveillance team's intervention, the identity of whom Kamoshida had almost sexually assaulted has been kept secret.

That didn't stop the curious students from speculating who it could be. At the same time, Shiho took a week off school to recover from the horrible incident. Suguru himself had been found guilty by the court and was sentenced to fifty years in maximum prison. He was also stripped of his Hunter's license and any privileges he had alongside it. Thanks to all this, Suguru's reputation was destroyed, and every media station had been running his name through the mud.

During that time, Ann had opened up with me and explained how the entire situation between her and Suguru came to be.

[ Flashback ]

I walked into a small cafe in the outer skirts of the Mihama Ward. LeBlanc, what a unique name.

The cafe immediately gave off a unique feeling of comfort. Along the left wall were three booths with green patted chairs. Three multicolored lamps hung over each of the booths' tables. To the right was a long brown booth with five dark brown chairs with red patted seats. On the shelves were various ingredients and coffee beans. Around the corner was a blue fridge and a small kitchen. At the other end of the cafe was a set of stairs and a small bathroom.

Due to the cafe's small size, I could quickly find Ann. She was stirring a cup of coffee slowly—a sad frown on her face.

I walked over to Ann and sat down in front of her. She jumped slightly in surprise but quickly offered me a small smile.

"You actually came." Ann said with a relieved look. I frowned at her reaction and couldn't help but feel that she'd been stood up several times. "Um, do you want a coffee? On me."

I nodded and smiled softly. I was never one to turn down free food, especially coffee. "Sure. Thanks." Ann smiled and looked over at a man standing behind a counter.

The man was drying a coffee cup as he whistled. He was a middle-aged man with dark, slicked-back hair and a receding hairline. His eyes were an easy-going gray behind a pair of glasses. On his jaw was a chinstrap beard and goatee that flared out. He wore a pale pink dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. On his lower body were pale khakis held up with a white leather belt and white loafers. Over his clothes was a black apron with a white pinstripe design.

"Mr. Sakura, I'll have another coffee for my friend." Ann said with a familiar smile. Sakura smirked and nodded.

"Sure thing. I hope your friend is ready for the best cup of coffee in his life." Sakura said proudly and began working on a cup of coffee. I smiled at the man's confidence and turned to Ann.

"You know, this place has some of Chiba's best coffee and curry. Sh-Shiho and I come here a lot." Ann's voice choked when she mentioned Shiho, but she quickly cleared her throat and tightened her fists. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay." I said slowly and looked down at the table. "How is she doing?"

"She's... she's doing better. Shiho's strong, you know. One of the strongest people I know." Ann whispered, and Mr. Sakura dropped off my coffee with a small smile. I thanked him, and he returned behind his booth to continue cleaning more dishes. "Shiho put up with all of Kamoshidas abuse because she truly loves volleyball. So much that she was willing to put up with that monster for the chance to improve."

I nodded and took a sip of my coffee. My eyes widened at the incredible taste. No way, this is amazing! Could it be better than Max? No! Heresy! No, this isn't the time to be thinking about this!

"It's good, isn't it?" Ann said with a slight chuckle. I blushed in embarrassment but nodded.

"Takamaki." I said after a moment of deliberation. "How are you involved in all this?" Ann's eyes looked into my own for a few seconds. I watched as she took a deep breath and nodded to herself.

"I-I'm a model... It's a little hobby of mine. On one of my photoshoots, Kamashida happened to be walking by the location and began talking to me. I tried to get out of the conversation, but there were other people surrounding us. After all, he was a famous B-Ranked Hunter, well... not anymore, I guess. So it was almost impossible to tell him to leave me alone."

I nodded and finished the rest of my coffee. "He kept trying to get my number, but I managed to get away before I was forced to give it to him. After that, I never saw him again. At least until I started Sobu High School, it was just my luck that Kamoshida was a teacher there."

"I see." I whispered and looked at my empty cup. So that's how they know each other. "I'm guessing Kamoshida kept trying to get closer to you once he realized you attended the school he worked at."

Ann nodded and played with her fingers. "I tried to get him to leave me alone. But then he figured out I was friends with Shiho... a member of his volleyball team. He said he'd remove Shiho from the team if I didn't agree to be with him. I-I couldn't let that happen! Shiho's my friend! My only friend..."

I frowned and nodded. Ann continued. "Being half Japanese made it hard to make friends... impossible even. Everyone stares at me for my looks and avoids me just because I'm a halfa. It wasn't fair. But then I met Shiho. It was during art class. I was making a painting, a pretty bad painting. She walked up to me and told me it sucked. Just popped out of nowhere and said my painting sucked as if it was the most obvious thing ever!"

Ann began to chuckle at the memory. I smiled as well and saw her wipe off a small tear. "She and I became friends after that. It's odd, isn't it?" Ann said and looked at me with a small, sad smile.

"Whose to say? Until recently, I had a hard time making friends myself." I said with a smile and saw her chuckle.

"I see you and Ryu-Sakamoto hanging around each other a lot. He a friend?" Ann asked and began playing with the end of her left ponytail. She had a sad, nervous expression.

"Yeah, Ryuji's a friend of mine." I nodded and looked up at the multicolored lamp. "You're pretty strong yourself, Ann. You put up with so much of Kamoshida's crap for Shiho's sake. It's admirable."

"No... I'm not strong. If I were, I would have stopped Kamoshida before he could have hurt Shiho. He may be in jail now, but he's still a hunter. What if he escapes one day and comes after Shiho or me? I don't know what we'll do if he does." Ann whispered and leaned over. I frowned as she hugged herself out of fear and anxiety.

"I'm not really good at cheering people up, but... Ann, I..." I sighed when she looked at me with attentive eyes. How did Shouko do this so easily? "I can... be your friend too. Suzui, as well. I'm going to be a Hunter, so I'm pretty strong. I'll make sure nothing happens to you both. I was the one who beat up Kamoshida and called the police on him. So I have to take responsibility for that."

Ann sat still and looked at me with wide eyes. I began to feel an embarrassed blush grow, and I shut my eyes. Goddamnit! Why did I say that?! I swore I would never have again asked for friendship after the first day of junior high fiasco. The laughs of all my classmates still haunted me once a month. I should leave. Ann sputtered and then began loudly. I felt my neck and head grow hot as I looked over to Mr. Sakura for help. Sadly, he had left his post.

Ann stood up and walked around the table. She was still laughing. She's leaving! This is exactly like in junior high! I bounced slightly as Ann sat beside me and leaned her arm on the table. She looked at me with a wide smile as her cheek rested on her hand. "You know, Hikigaya. This is the second weirdest way I've made a new friend."

I looked at her smiling face and felt my cheeks blush in embarrassment. I huffed and looked off to the side. Ann chuckled and patted my hand. "I'll be in your care then, Hikigaya. Let's be good friends, m'kay?"

...I shook my head at the embarrassing memory and rubbed my face. I looked up and saw JCHO Chiba Hospital. I looked down at my loose black shirt and jeans and nodded. I crossed the street once the light turned white and saw Ann looking around the busy streets and sidewalks. Her eyes landed on me, and she gave me a brilliant smile. She waved her arm around and jumped. Her energetic actions annoyed those around her.

"Hachi! Over here!" I waved at her weakly and made my way to her. I smiled at the nickname she had given me after we left the cafe all those days ago. Even if she was a bit of an airhead, Ann Takamaki was a good person. I didn't regret asking her to be my friend.

I stepped next to Ann and looked up at the hospital. Her expression grew anxious, and she reached for my hand. Another thing I learned was that Ann was pretty touchy. That aspect of her would take a while for me to get used to.

"You ready?" I asked as I looked at her. She was wearing a black sleeveless shirt under a plaid long-sleeved shirt. On her lower body were shorts and a pair of red Converse. Ann took a deep breath and nodded with determination.

"Yes. Let's go see Shiho!"