The restroom was silent except for the steady sound of water hitting porcelain. Hikigaya stood there calm and unhurried, taking his time as if even nature's call mattered more than anything in the moment.
Behind him, two sets of uneven footsteps approached.
Ike and Yamauchi stood awkwardly, one on each side of the sink area, fidgeting with their sleeves, their voices dying before they could even speak.
No words. Just the suffocating quiet.
The kind of silence where breathing itself feels like noise. They exchanged nervous glances, as if waiting for him to finish, too afraid to interrupt.
Then, almost in sync, they tried to speak.
"Hey, about that thing—"
"Look, we didn't mean—"
Their voices overlapped, cancelling each other out. They both fell silent again.
Still facing the wall, Hikigaya sighed quietly. "You two really can't coordinate anything right, huh?"
"L-look, Hikigaya, we really, genuinely are sorry," Ike managed to choke out, "We never should have—"
Hikigaya lifted his hand slightly not to silence him harshly, just enough to say stop.
He didn't turn around. His gaze stayed fixed on the wall, the sound of dripping water filling the space between them.
"Enough with that, Ike." he said flatly. "How many times do I have to keep hearing the same line?"
Ike swallowed hard shame making his face hot. Yamauchi stared at his feet as he sensed the apathy in Hikigaya's voice.
Hikigaya finished at the urinal and moved to the sink, still keeping his back to them as he turned on the faucet. He began washing his hands slowly.
"I'm going to ask you both something, and I want an honest answer," Hikigaya said, "When I let you go yesterday, I told you something, didn't I? Do you remember what it was?"
Both Ike and Yamauchi tensed at once.
The weight in Hikigaya's words made it clear there was no way out of this conversation.
Guilt flickered across their faces it was faint but impossible to miss. Ike's lips parted, then closed again before any words could come out. Yamauchi shifted uncomfortably on his feet, his eyes darting between the floor and the reflection in front of him but avoiding saying it out loud.
Hikigaya glanced at them through the mirror. They stood behind him their figures small, two cowering reflections too afraid to face what they'd done.
His fingers curled around the edge of the sink his knuckles whitening.
"Why, so quiet you two?" he muttered. "Cat got your tongues?"
Still nothing. Just the sound of their shallow breathing.
His tone hardened. "I asked a question, didn't I?"
Seconds dragged by—no answer.
"Then ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!"
The sudden shout was so sharp and loud that it made both boy's recoil. The immediate shock broke their stillness.
Yamauchi jerked back slightly, his voice breaking first. "You... you told us we could tell whoever we wanted, to brag about it..."
Ike finished the sentence, his voice equally thin. "...but not to tell any teacher."
"Exactly," he said quietly, drying his hands with a handkerchief. "That's what I told you didn't I?"
"Yeah… that's what you said."
"Hmm," Hikigaya hummed, eyes fixed on the mirror.
Of course, he had known they would defy him. In fact, the moment he gave them that parting advice in the alley yesterday, he was hoping they would do the exact opposite. Because that parting advice was never about stopping them from causing trouble for him if anything, it was meant to lead them here.
It was the final move to set the stage for this confrontation. He needed them to escalate the situation by running to the teachers so he could completely finish what he started and take the matter to the next step.
He looked away from the mirror, the calm intensity in his gaze shifting toward their reflections behind him before speaking again.
"So, tell me… why the hell did I just find myself standing in front of Chabashira-sensei today, explaining this entire mess to her?"
Since his head was close to the glass his reflection nearly filled it, leaving Ike and Yamauchi with nothing to look at but his back and their own uneasy faces.
Seeing themselves like that, tense and cornered, felt worse than facing him directly. It wasn't Hikigaya's presence that unnerved them at that moment, but their very own reflection.
It was as if the mirror itself was forcing them to confront what they didn't want to see.
Ike hesitated, his mouth opening then closing again. "We… we didn't think it'd cause this much trouble, alright?" he stammered. "We J... just wanted to clear things up, probably. Didn't think she'd take it so seriously."
"Clear things up for who, exactly? Me, or yourself?" He let out a short laugh. "Heh… he…he that's seriously what you're going with?"
"Let me guess," he continued, his tone slow, almost casual. "You just wanted to teach me a lesson, right? Show me that you weren't just going to listen to whatever I said."
Yamauchi's shoulders tensed. "N-no, that's not—"
"Not what, Yamauchi?" he asked quietly. "Not that you just couldn't stand being humiliated like that by someone like me? So, you ran to the teacher to prove your little defiance. To show you wouldn't listen, that you could do the exact opposite just to convince yourselves you still had a say in it?"
He paused, his reflection still and unreadable. "To show me I couldn't just walk over you guys. That I was wrong to treat you like fools. You wanted to stand up for yourselves. Take back a bit of pride after what happened in that alley. Right?"
Neither of them answered. Their silence said enough.
"Actually," he said, tone almost casual, "you know what forget that question."
He slipped the handkerchief back into his pocket after wiping his hands clean, his reflection shifting slightly as he straightened.
"Let's skip why you did it and go straight to who decided it."
His voice stayed calm, but it carried a weight that made both boys tense up again.
"Which one of you thought it'd be smart to do the exact opposite of what I told you?"
Silence.
"I'm not asking for both," Hikigaya continued. "Just one name. You guys tell me who made that call to go against me, and maybe—just maybe—I might show little mercy to the other one. So, what do you say?"
Ike and Yamauchi both swallowed hard, the words catching in their throats.
Slowly, Ike turned his head, his eyes fixing on Yamauchi.
Yamauchi felt the shift instantly, a cold jolt running up his spine. 'W-wait… why are you looking at me like that? Don't look at me…'
Panic snapped out of him before he could think. "N-no! It wasn't me! I... I am not the one."
"Hmm…" Hikigaya murmured, calmly repeating the denial. "I see. So, it's not you, Yamauchi. Then who is it, if not you?"
Yamauchi didn't hesitate this time. "It was Ike! He was the one! He was the one who said we should go to the teacher first thing this morning!"
Ike stared, his expression a mask of shocked disbelief. "What… what are you even saying, Yamauchi? Seriously? You can't be serious right now."
He took a step forward, voice rising. "You're the one who insisted we should do it! You said we'd look pathetic if we didn't! You said we had to go to a teacher!"
"No, I didn't!" Yamauchi shot back instantly, almost reflexively. "You're lying! You're totally lying! You were the one who pushed it!"
"Hah—are you seriously doing this now, Yamauchi?" Ike snapped, "Why… why are you like this, damn it?" He pointed his finger toward him. "Why do you keep lying like this, you bastard?"
Yamauchi's eyes widened, "I-I'm not lying! You're twisting it! You're always twisting stuff! Don't put this on me!"
Something in Ike snapped hearing the same line again.
He'd been forcing himself to stay calm since yesterday—
Forcing himself not to think about how low and pathetic they must've looked in that alley. The pain, the humiliation, the fear from yesterday still lingering like a bruise under the skin.
Forcing himself not to remember Yamauchi crying, scrambling for excuses, shifting everything onto Sudo the moment things got bad.
And now, watching him do the exact same thing—
The same trembling denial,
The same panicked blame-shifting—
It scraped against a raw nerve Ike had been desperately trying to bury.
"OH, SHUT UP!" Ike exploded and shouted in frustration. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU BASTARD! He only said HE MIGHT SHOW a mercy. Not that HE WILL! So WHY THE HECK are you already throwing me under the BUS. You FUCKER."
"I…I am not doing that don't say that. You you—"
"Not doing what?" Ike growled under his breath. "NOT DOING WHAT HAAH? Tell me! Didn't you said last night we should complain? We have a chance, we can win and we can't let him go like that. SO WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING OTHERWISE NOW?"
Yamauchi's voice cracked. "That—t-that—! That's not what I meant! You're twisting it! I didn't say it like that!"
"Yes, you DID!" Ike shouted.
"I—! I only said those things because YOU agreed too!" Yamauchi burst out, words tumbling over each other.
"You also said we should complain! YOU said we can't let him get away with it too! YOU supported it too!"
Ike blinked, thrown off for a second.
Yamauchi's breath caught for a moment and his expression changed his panic turning into irritation.
"That's right…" he whispered,
"That's right… I wouldn't have done it—I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS—if YOU didn't support me!"
His voice cracked into a scream. "SO, IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FUCKING FAULT!"
Hikigaya watched their frantic argument through the mirror, a quiet sadness settling in his gaze as he saw them crumble together.
This was the exact moment he had worked toward.
Not out of cruelty or revenge.
But because this was the only way he knew how to make them see the truth for what it was.
Ike and Yamauchi's so-called friendship had never been built on anything solid. It wasn't trust or loyalty or even understanding. It was just… mutual avoidance. Two people agreeing to ignore their own flaws as long as the other did the same. A shared delusion they kept alive so neither had to look at themselves too closely.
The moment he asked 'who decided', he had already intended for it to happen.
In the mirror, he could see the truth clearly: the moment they were forced to stand alone, their entire illusion fell apart.
'…I guess this is it,' Hikigaya thought. 'They're too worked up to see anything clearly now. If I'm going to end this, it has to be here. Just one more step… then it's over.'
He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
'…Alright. Time to wrap this up then.' he told himself as his fingers began moving across the screen.
Behind him, the shouting grew harsher.
"My fault?! MY FAULT?!" Ike shouted.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LIKE THIS?! You betrayed Sudo yesterday without blinking—WITHOUT THINKING—like a little BITCH!"
Yamauchi recoiled after hearing that.
"And now you're doing it to ME too?! Trying to throw me away just like you did him?!" Ike spat. "You lying piece of shit. you're ALWAYS lying!"
Yamauchi stared at Ike, his chest heaving. Liar? After everything, Ike of all people had the nerve to call him a liar?
'Why is he talking like that to me? Acting like he's above me? He's no better… he's NEVER been better.' He thought as he clenched his teeth.
The nerve of this pathetic loser acting all high and mighty now, trying to pin this whole mess on him. His irritation mixed with panic and started swelling into something hotter and he didn't even know why.
"YOU shut up! Don't say anything A…about Sudo, you pathetic coward!" Yamauchi screamed as he stumbled closer to Ike, his finger jabbing violently at his chest.
"You think you're some noble hero now? You're the one who screamed it! You screamed 'It's Sudo!' "
"SO DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" he roared, voice cracking. "YOU SUPPORTED IT TOO! JUST LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO. DAMMIT!"
Ike shoved Yamauchi's hand away with brutal force. "I supported—?! YOU were the one who kept pushing it! You convinced me, you piece of shit! You—"
Clap. Clap.
The sudden clapping made both of them stop mid-shout. They slowly looked toward Hikigaya again as they heard the sound.
Clap. Clap.
"W-Why… why are you clapping?" Ike asked, voice shaky.
Hikigaya ignored the question entirely.
Clap. Clap.
"…Wow," he said softly, almost sounding tired. "That's all it took for you two, to end up like this. It's kind of sad. I guess… or maybe even pitiful. Honestly, I can't even tell the difference anymore."
Neither boy understood what he meant not fully but something in his tone made their stomachs twist.
Not until the moment they saw themselves in the mirror once again.
And it hit them—
The faces staring back looked like strangers.
Hikigaya let out a long, quiet sigh. "…I see," he murmured. "So there really is no hope for you two after all."
Both boys stiffened.
"I kept thinking," he said quietly, "that maybe—just maybe—you two weren't completely hopeless. That yesterday might've meant something for you guys."
He let out a short, humorless chuckle. "Guess that was just wishful thinking on my part."
He shook his head slightly, still facing the mirror.
"I'm getting tired of all this," he said quietly. "Like really tired."
His eyes lowered to the phone in his hand. "So, I've made up my mind. I'll just end this whole thing here."
"I was going to go to the Student Council room and explain everything in person," he said. "But honestly? Just thinking about it feels exhausting. Too much effort for something this pointless."
"And you know what? I noticed earlier the school has a complaint portal. So, I'll just do it here instead."
Their voices caught in their throats as they heard him say it.
He continued casually, "So, I'll just file the complaint through the school portal. You two can head to the Student Council room on your own later. Whatever punishment they hand down… it'll almost certainly be expulsion."
Hikigaya raised the phone a little higher, angling it through the mirror's reflection so they could see the screen.
The entire screen was already filled with the report. It looked like he had listed everything about the incident including the assault, the bullying, the circumstances, along with the attached video and images as evidence.
He scrolled slowly, letting them see just how long it was.
"Here, you two. I've pretty much explained everything for you guys. So, you don't have to do a thing… just go there and accept the outcome."
Their breathing turned shallow as they realized just how detailed and thorough his complaint was.
Yamauchi took a shaky step back. "We—we didn't mean— we weren't trying to—"
"H-Hikigaya—wait—please—" Ike's spoke his voice filled with desperation. "Can we just… can we talk first? Please?"
"Talk you say?" Hikigaya repeated quietly. "There's nothing left to talk about, Ike."
His hand stopped scrolling, the thumb hovering over the final button.
He lowered the phone slightly, eyes lifting to meet their reflections in the mirror.
Then slowly, without any urgency Hikigaya turned around to face them directly for the first time since they entered in this washroom.
The moment his face came into view, both their shoulders twitched.
He wasn't scowling or smirking… but there was a strange, off-putting creepy smile on his lips that felt wrong to look at. The kind of expression that made their stomachs tighten for reasons they couldn't understand.
"So," he whispered, holding up the phone between them, thumb hovering over the screen, "Shall we finish this?"
And without waiting for an answer—
He raised the phone slightly.
"D–don't," Ike gasped. "Don't you dare—"
"I WON'T LET YOU!" He screamed and charged at Hikigaya with full force, nearly tripping over his own feet as he reached out for his arm. "STOP—STOP, DAMN IT!"
But before he could get close, Hikigaya simply lifted the phone higher and used his other hand to grab Ike's shoulder pushing him back not roughly but enough to stop his momentum.
Before Ike could get his balance again—
Hikigaya pressed [Send] without a second thought.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author's Note:
Hey everyone, this chapter is finally done. I hope it turned out alright.
Writing it took longer than I expected. When I first planned this confrontation, I thought it would be a quick and simple scene, but it ended up becoming much more detailed than I expected. I originally meant to cover the entire conflict in one chapter, but by the time I reached this point, I was completely drained. Balancing studies and writing at the same time didn't help, so I couldn't push any further.
Because of that, I'll handle the rest of the confrontation in the next chapter. The good news is that my schedule has finally lightened up, so I should be able to write more consistently again and hopefully release chapters a bit faster.
If anything feels off, whether it's pacing, structure, or character interactions, please let me know. Your feedback really helps me improve.
I've also posted this story on SpaceBattles, so if you use that platform, you can check it out there too.
Thanks again for giving this story a chance. Your comments and encouragement mean a lot to me and keep me motivated.
Stay tuned for more.
—Raijinmaru