"...Hey!"
The final bell had rung only a few minutes ago and the corridors were filled with students as usual. Somewhere behind him, someone had called out, but the voice didn't sound particularly close. More importantly, it hadn't been followed by a name. Statistically speaking, the odds of someone actually calling for him were pleasantly low.
"...Oi! Please wait!"
The footsteps behind him grew steadily louder. Well, that was unfortunate. It appeared the voice wasn't simply traveling in his direction. Its owner was too.
Honestly, shouting "Hey!" into the middle of a crowded hallway wasn't exactly an efficient way of getting someone's attention. A name would've helped. ...No, scratch that. Experience had taught Hachiman that people who actually used his name usually ended up saying anything except "Hikigaya." There had been plenty of variations over the years, but "Hikitani" somehow remained the most popular. Maybe keeping it anonymous was for the best. At least then he could still pretend they weren't talking to him.
Giving up on pretending they weren't calling for him, Hachiman reluctantly turned around. Sure enough, two boys who looked to be first-year students had come to a halt a few steps away. They looked visibly relieved, as though catching him had been some kind of achievement.
"Uh... are you... Hiki... Hiki... Hikigatani?"
His friend leaned over and whispered the name.
"...uh no you moron its Hikitani?"
There you go. Hachiman closed his eyes for a brief moment before letting out a quiet sigh. This again. He had barely left the classroom, and this was already the sixth time someone had stopped him over the same rumor.
All because of that damn...
That... damn foxy girl.
Well, there was no point complaining now. Time to dust off one of his hundred and eight loner skills once again.
"Um... Who are you talking about? No idea who that is."
The two first-years exchanged a bewildered glance. "You aren't Hikitani?"
"I just told you I don't know him," Hachiman replied with a shrug. "Besides, why are you even looking for someone with such a weird name?"
'Although, considering it was supposed to be my name, I probably shouldn't have been the one saying that.'
"Well... we heard a bunch of people talking about Hikitani and someone said he looked like you."
"I see. I see." Hachiman nodded thoughtfully before answering in complete seriousness. "Then he must be an exceptionally unfortunate-looking fellow."
The two boys looked at each other again. The certainty they had approached him with was beginning to fade. His firm denial was making them wonder whether they had really stopped the right person after all.
"Wait... really? So, he's not the guy everyone's talking about?"
"The one rumored to have vanished from the emergency shelter out of nowhere?"
"...And then piloted that giant robot, fought the battle and saved the whole city?"
Hachiman stared at them for a moment before slowly raising a finger and pointing at his own face. "Look at me. Does this look like the face of someone trusted with humanity's future?"
The two boys did exactly that and looked directly at his face. There wasn't a hint of enthusiasm in his expression and his dead fish eyes looked as rotten as ever. It was difficult to imagine someone who looked like him being the pride of the school, let alone humanity's last hope.
"...When you put it like that..."
"Exactly."
"Yeah..." His friend slowly nodded. "I guess that's true."
Without another word, the two simply accepted it and walked away, quickly disappearing back into the crowd as though the entire conversation had never happened.
That was it? Seriously? It had taken them less than ten seconds to completely change their minds and he hadn't even reached the good part yet.
He had already come up with several backup stories in case his first lie failed. One involved an identical twin. Another relied on the classic government cover-up. He had even considered insisting the whole thing was nothing more than media fabrication.
Normally, whenever Hachiman told the truth, people like them always assumed he was lying. Today, he told the most obvious lie and everyone accepted it without the slightest hesitation. Somehow, all it took to erase the image of "humanity's savior" was asking them to compare it to his face.
Should he be relieved... or offended? Apparently, his dead fish eyes were more convincing than any excuse he could've come up with.
Well... whatever. It wasn't like he wanted to be recognized in the first place. If anything, this was exactly how he wanted the conversation to end. So why did it leave such a strange aftertaste in his mouth?
Putting the whole exchange behind him, Hachiman continued toward the clubroom. The fewer people he made eye contact with, the lower the odds of becoming today's public attraction for a seventh time.
After taking his time, Hachiman was finally in front of the club room.
Please let nobody else have heard the rumour yet. No, who was he trying to fool? If the entire school knew by now, then there was no way those two would still be in the dark.
Before Hachiman placed his hand on the door, he breathed in deeply.
At that moment, he could hear voices leaking out from the inside. He couldn't make heads or tails of what they were talking about, but it seemed like they were here already.
Having confirmed that, he opened the door in one motion.
Once he did, they stopped talking.
"…"
The three of them fell silent. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, who had been looking toward the door, now stared at Hachiman with faint looks of surprise.
They had probably thought he wouldn't bother showing up after arriving so late. They weren't entirely wrong. Just for today, Hachiman had actually wanted to go home early. Ever since the rumors started spreading after lunch break, people had been stopping him one after another. Even the attention he got during the whole Sagami incident felt tame compared to this.
But he had already told Yuigahama he would come, so... here he was.
Laid out on the table were quilted tea cozies alongside baked sweets and chocolates. Lined up one by one were a teacup and a mug, with steam rising from both.
The room felt warm and carried the faint aroma of freshly brewed tea. However, that warmth seemed to drop ever so slightly the moment he stepped inside.
"Yo."
Hachiman greeted them with his usual casual tone before making his way to his usual seat. Setting his bag down beside the chair, he sat down.
'Uh… Come on... at least pretend you don't know.' He thought as he noticed two pairs of eyes fixed squarely on him, the same way someone would stare at the last can of sugary coffee in a konbini store.
"So you came after all."
"Yep. Here I am. What? Don't tell me you thought you'd never see my face again."
"Indeed." Yukinoshita answered without hesitation. "Considering your recent behavior, I assumed you would simply stop coming."
"What kind of black company do you think this club is?" Hachiman leaned back in his chair. "As far as I know, it doesn't expel members for taking a couple of days off and even if it did, I have a doctor's note. Labor regulations should protect me."
Yukinoshita rested a hand lightly against her chin, appearing to consider his argument for a moment.
"Labor regulations? I'm afraid those don't apply to students. However, since we're talking about you, I imagine wildlife protection laws would be far more appropriate."
"Hey! I'm still a human being, you know! and even if I were an endangered species, shouldn't you be treating me with a little more care and respect, then? Where's my protected status?"
"Ah, my mistake. You're right," Yukinoshita said, taking a sip of her tea. "I misspoke. You wouldn't be an endangered species you're clearly an invasive one. In which case, extermination protocols would be far more fitting."
As they kept going, Yuigahama's eyes bounced helplessly between the two of them like a ping-pong ball. She looked as though she wanted to join in, but every exchange only left her more bewildered than the last.
"Seriously?! I got demoted from protected wildlife to an invasive pest just like that?!" Hachiman grumbled under his breath. "...At this rate, I should've stayed in the hospital a little longer."
"I... you..." She hesitated for a brief moment before speaking again. "...I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me."
That... that wasn't the response Hachiman had expected at all.
Hearing those words leave her mouth made him instantly regret saying it so thoughtlessly. He had only meant it as another complaint thrown into the middle of their usual back-and-forth. Instead, it had gone in a completely different direction.
Like a single misplaced piece that brought an entire card castle crumbling down, the atmosphere changed in an instant.
On any other day, Hachiman would've considered this a complete victory. Getting Yukinoshita to apologize during one of their verbal exchanges was rare enough to be worth celebrating. But it sure as hell didn't taste sweet at all.
Almost as though sensing the awkward silence settling over the room, Yuigahama hurriedly clapped her hands together.
"A-Anyway…" she said with a small smile. "It's good to have you back, Hikki."
"...Yeah."
"But are you really okay?"
Hachiman gave her a tired look. "Didn't you already ask me that, Yuigahama? Why do I have to answer the same question twice?"
"Because you don't get to complain! Besides, Yukinon wasn't here last time, so you have to answer it properly this time too. Komachi-chan kept saying you were in really bad shape."
"I see." Hachiman shrugged. "I already told you, I'm fine. Komachi has a habit of exaggerating things. So, she probably made it sound way worse than it actually was."
"No she didn't, you dummy!" Yuigahama protested immediately, her fists clenching on top of the table. "You disappeared right in the middle of everything that was happening outside! Do you know how scared everyone was? And... and also—"
"You lost your cellphone, and nobody knew your whereabouts for an entire day," Yukinoshita added calmly before taking another sip of her tea.
'Wait, wait, wait. Don't start tag-teaming me.'
"Yes, that! and gosh, Hikki—"
"Yuigahama please don't make such a big deal out of it. I'm here now, aren't I? Besides, other than some gossip, I doubt anyone even noticed I was gone for a week."
The moment he said it, something ugly rose from the pit of his stomach before he could stop it. "...Hell, even if I had been caught in the blast radius of that N² mine and vaporized, nothing today would have been any different.'"
The room fell silent once again. Just moments ago, Yuigahama had managed to steer the conversation back toward something resembling normal. Yet with a single careless sentence, Hachiman had somehow dragged it straight back into uncomfortable territory.
Yukinoshita quietly set her teacup back onto its saucer.
"...You said that rather casually."
"Hm?"
"The N² mine." She looked in his eyes for a few moments before continuing. "By any chance were you close to the bombing site, Hikigaya-kun?"
Hachiman couldn't quite decipher the emotion behind her voice. Nor could he tell what question she was really trying to ask.
'...Okay. I decided I'd explain eventually... so I might as well do it now.'
For everyone's sake, it was probably better if whatever version of the truth or at least something that resembled it, came from his own mouth.
"Well... not exactly." Hachiman scratched the back of his head. "The blast from an N² mine is so ridiculously huge that you can see it from practically anywhere on the surface. Besides had I actually been anywhere within a few kilometers of it, I don't think I'd be sitting here right now. I was just making a joke."
Neither of them responded. Instead, Yukinoshita simply continued watching him in silence while Yuigahama sat there with the same expectant look on her face. Their silence alone was enough to tell him they were waiting.
"So you both have heard all those rumours by now, right? How much you all know?"
Yuigahama, who had practically been waiting for him to ask that all this time, jumped to the occasion to openly discuss the topic.
"Well... everyone's saying you and another guy... maybe a transfer student or something... are pilots of that giant robot. I mean, everyone in class heard Tobe and the others asking you all those questions today. Then I asked Tobecchi why he kept insisting on it. He told me Irohasu confirmed it herself. She said she overheard you guys talking about it and there was some kind of fight because of it too."
Kami-sama, she practically knows everything that happened this morning.
'Also... who the hell was this Irohasu? Ahhh... Wait, was that damn foxy girl actually Irohasu? I'm adding you to the list! You hear me?! The List of People I Want to Drop Dead! Right under that girl who sits next to my desk and always ignores me during the English-speaking pair tests, leaving me to lose marks every single time. And don't even get me started on that whole sagam— Ah, geez. Why am I even getting worked up over this now?'
Hachiman made sure none of that found its way onto his face.
"...Uh, wait. What do you mean by 'confirmed'?"
"The deranged student who ran out of the shelter. Who he was. Where he went and why he was deranged enough to do it." Yukinoshita replied while raising three fingers one by one.
"Those Rumors have gone around for days, luckily you are so unknown nobody could place a face to your name, except few students in your class who were there."
"...That's... fairly... possible."
Hachiman didn't even bother denying it. He had already realized as much the moment he walked into class that morning and everyone started questioning him about disappearing from the shelter. What he had not expected was that it had become the talk of the entire school over the past few days. Fortunately, just as Yukinoshita had said, nobody could put a face to the rumor. Aside from a handful of his classmates, no one actually knew it was him. No wonder the pilot rumor had spread so quickly. There had already been another rumor for it to latch onto.
'Man... my streak of misfortune never ends, huh.'
"Etto... some student whose family works at NERV said the giant robot's pilot was a teenager, so the rumor kind of started going in that direction." Yuigahama added while pressing her index together. "Then the whole middle-schooler thing just—"
"Brought more attention to a pre-existing theory," Yukinoshita finished for her.
"And the two of you just believed that?" Hachiman asked, looking between them.
"Should we not, Hikigaya-kun?" Yukinoshita asked while making it sound less like a question and more like an accusation.
"Huh?"
"While it all sounds rather bizarre, none of those rumors are nearly as bizarre as the way you've been behaving recently."
"So... is it true, Hikki?" Yuigahama picked up where Yukinoshita left off.
"No, it's not completely true," Hachiman muttered, scratching his cheek as he tried to figure out how to frame it without opening a whole new can of worms. "But... it'd be a lie to say it's completely false, either. How should I put this? I'm not a pilot or anything like that, nor did I do anything remotely close to what those rumors are claiming. But it's not like I have zero connection to it."
"Eh? what do you mean by that?"
"I kind of worked there," he admitted. "I was part of a program at NERV and did some work related to all of that. What I actually did is classified information, so I can't really go into the details, but in short... yeah, I had some connections there and I worked there for a while."
Yuigahama took a moment to process the information before another question immediately popped up. "Then why did you leave the shelter while the attack was still happening?"
"It was... kind of a miscommunication. I got a phone call and thought they needed me. There wasn't much time to think about it, so I just ran. Turned out they already had everything under control."
"And you were reckless enough to run alone into an active war zone because of a phone call?" Yukinoshita questioned. "To the point of getting yourself injured and admitted to the hospital?"
"Run alone? What do you take me for, Yukinoshita? Even I'm not that suicidal."
The lie came out of Hachiman's mouth so naturally that even he could hardly believe it himself and once the first one left his mouth, the rest followed just as easily.
"I got an escort about ten minutes after I got out. I only covered a short distance by myself before they met up with me. Yeah, we made it to the GeoFront in time and as for the injury... while I was heading toward the escort, the shockwave knocked me over. That was pretty much it. Other than that, nothing particularly crazy happened."
'VROOOM! BOOM! BOOM!'
'Wa…water …water… p…please thirsty please, hu…hurts'
'…respond… please… if you can hear this… we have injured… we can't move them…'
'Why didn't you or anyone came to help us sooner? If you had told them earlier… maybe they wouldn't have waited so long. Then…then Ms Betty wouldn't—'
'Wait! Get to safety! You don't have to do this! It's not worth it, Kid—no Hikigaya! Do you really want to die for this? To die for people who will never even care?'
'When was it… that I finally realized that all of this was just a big load of bullshit?'
'A special kid, huh? Tch What a joke.'
"Yeah, nothing crazy at all, Besides, it doesn't matter anymore."
Both girls tilted their heads at him and asked him. "Why do you say that?"
"Uh… because, well, the thing is, I had decided to quit and you can say that I have nothing to do from that place anymore."
Hachiman tried to make it sound as insignificant as possible. There wasn't much point in explaining further. It wasn't like there was some grand story behind it that needed to be told. Things had simply reached a point where there wasn't much left for him to do and being there had become unbearable. After what had happened during the first Angel attack, he couldn't imagine ever going back there.
"I see," Yukinoshita said, setting her empty teacup on the table. "So, you've decided that you have no further reason to remain there."
"Yeah. Pretty much."
Yuigahama looked between them, apparently still trying to process what he'd just said. "So... you're really not going back? But... did something happen to you there, Hikki?"
Seeing both of their reaction Hachiman wasn't sure why they were so surprised. It wasn't as though he has announced his retirement from humanity or anything.
"No need to take it that seriously," he said, trying to reassure them. "It was a long-overdue decision. The reason I was brought in for had already been finished for a while and there wasn't really much left for me to do. I was mostly just... there, warming a chair, I guess. So, I figured there wasn't much point in continuing."
That was about as much as he intended to say.
"So, yeah. I'm done with that NER—" Hachiman caught himself. "No, that place. I wouldn't mind doing something considerably less troublesome here in the club for a change. Just another day in the service club. Sounds good enough to me."
"Hey Yukinon..." Yuigahama covered her mouth, looking strangely impressed. "Is it just me or did Hikki just admit he loves being in the club with us?"
"I believe you're right, Yuigahama-san." Yukinoshita answered without hesitation.
"Uh, what does that mean?!" Hachiman looked between the two of them in exasperation.
That was seriously the main takeaway that she got from all of that? Talk about priorities man.
"First of all, that's a pretty generous interpretation of what I said," Hachiman said, looking at Yuigahama. "I just said I wouldn't mind doing something less troublesome here. You're reading way too much into it."
"But you said you wouldn't mind!" Yuigahama protested.
"Those are very different things. There's a considerable difference between not minding something and actively enjoying it. For example, I don't mind breathing, but I wouldn't exactly describe myself as having a passion for oxygen."
"That's not the same thing at all!"
"Why not?" Hachiman asked. "Sounds pretty convincing to me."
"I think Yuigahama-san's interpretation is reasonable. In fact, it would seem that Hiratsuka-sensei's request to straighten out your antisocial and reclusive nature might actually have some hope after all," Yukinoshita said, giving herself an almost satisfied nod.
Hachiman turned toward her, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Hey, why the hell are you agreeing with her too?"
"Your objection doesn't particularly matter," Yukinoshita replied calmly. "Yuigahama-san's interpretation will be the one we consider. Unless, of course, you're trying to claim that you're merely forcing yourself to remain in this club."
"Th…that's—" At that, he couldn't say anything. Whatever he had thought to say just now suddenly felt more and more unconvincing even to himself.
Yukinoshita's expression remained same as before but there was also a faint trace of amusement in her eyes. "There you go."
Hachiman let out a long, defeated sigh and leaned back in his chair. "…Fine. You two win this one."
Both girls looked quietly pleased by his acceptance. Neither of them pressed the matter any further, and Yukinoshita quietly placed a paper cup of tea in front of him. Hachiman took it with a small nod of thanks. After a short silence, the three of them gradually returned to their usual rhythm without saying much more about it.
Hachiman pulled out the assignment he had been putting off and began working through it. Yukinoshita had already returned to her book, which, as usual, had been invaded by several cat-shaped bookmarks peeking out from between the pages. Meanwhile, Yuigahama sat fiddling with her phone, occasionally glancing up at nothing in particular.
The atmosphere in the clubroom was strangely pleasant. There wasn't really anything happening and somehow that made it even better.
Just when Hachiman was getting used to the peace and felt like he might actually be able to finish the entire thing, unfortunately, that peace did not last much longer.
"Hey, Hikki. Yukinon." Yuigahama suddenly spoke up again from out of nowhere.
Ah. There it was. Yuigahama, you sure had a peculiar talent for waiting exactly long enough for things to become comfortable before saying something completely out of nowhere. It was the same old pattern as usual. Hachiman knew it, Yuigahama knew it and yet somehow, he still fell for it every time. Really, he should have learned by now.
Hachiman raised his eyes from his assignment. "What?"
"I was thinking, are we still having our school trip to Kyoto? It's sad it got canceled. I was sooo looking forward to it."
"Who knows?"
"I believe it has been postponed for the time being," Yukinoshita answered, her attention still on the page.
"Oh, I hope they make it clear when we are actually going," Yuigahama said. "I was really looking forward to it. I wanted to go shopping in Kyoto and buy souvenirs and stuff. There are so many things I want to see too."
Souvenirs.
The moment Hachiman heard that word, an unpleasant possibility flashed through his mind.
Oh.
Oh, shit. She was right.
If they actually went to Kyoto, there would be souvenirs and souvenirs cost money. After everything that had happened recently, Hachiman had absolutely no desire to spend a single yen from his own pocket for a while. For the time being, he intended to mooch off whatever pocket money he could squeeze out of his parents.
Now, what had happened to make him do that, you ask?
Well, you see, just the day before yesterday, the owner of the bicycle he had "borrowed" and crashed during the Angel attack had somehow tracked him down. Apparently, it had not been some random bicycle. No, it had been one of the last remaining models from some limited, expensive vintage series.
Hachiman still could not believe it. That shitty-looking bicycle? That thing? It looked so old that, for all he knew, even his hag of a grandma would have taken one look at it and decided to walk instead.
Naturally, Hachiman had checked, and damn it, the bastard had actually been telling the truth. That shitty mama-chari bicycle really was that expensive. Then came the damage bill. It was an absolutely obscene amount of money for something that had the aesthetic value of a rusted relic. Hachiman had tried to negotiate, of course. There was no shame in trying.
Unfortunately, the owner had casually mentioned that he could involve the police and contact Hachiman's parents if the matter was not settled. The last thing he wanted was to let his parents know about this or get involved in the matter. Faced with that, Hachiman had folded immediately.
He paid every. Single. Yen. While crying on the inside the entire time.
'If it was really that precious, why the hell would you leave it unlocked outside in the middle of an Angel attack?! Who does that?! And what kind of idiot leaves something that valuable outside in the first place? If it really was one of the last remaining models from some precious limited series, then maybe, I do not know, lock the damn thing up. Bring it inside. Chain it to something. Put a fucking sign on it. "DO NOT TOUCH, THIS BELONGS TO A MORON." That would have been helpful.'
Now his wallet was in critical condition and the mere thought of walking around Kyoto with Komachi's long, detailed souvenir list hanging over his head made him want to transfer schools or something like that.
"Thank goodness it's not happening right now. I barely have any money on me and if it happened, Komachi would empty me out with all the souvenirs she wants."
Yuigahama laughed at that, but Yukinoshita seemed to take the problem a little more seriously. She rested a hand against her chin and considered it for a moment.
"In that case, why don't you use some of the money you've saved from your previous job? Or, since you have more free time now, you could find a part-time job that's more appropriate for a high school student."
"And end up overworked and underslept like..." Hachiman frowned, trying to recall the name. "Kawa... Kawasa-something-san."
"Saki-chan, Hikki? You're thinking of her," Yuigahama said, helping him out almost immediately.
"No, no, that's not it." Hachiman shook his head, although the image of the girl in question had already come to mind far too clearly. "I'm talking about the tall girl in our class with the blueish hair. The mole under her eye. She wears black lace, too... yeah, that's not something I can forget."
As he muttered that, he suddenly stopped. It took Hachiman about a second to realize what he had just said and, more importantly, just how much detail he had somehow managed to say out loud without anyone even asking. Without even looking at sideways he can feel two distinct glares on him almost as if they are trying to drill hole in his skull with their looks.
With the smoothness of sandpaper, Hachiman immediately tried to correct himself before making things even worse.
"...Or so I h...heard, you know."
"…"
Yuigahama slowly narrowed her eyes while Yukinoshita simply stared at him with a look that resembled a lot what you would look like when you found something disgusting on the side of the road. Neither of them looked particularly convinced by his brilliant explanation, which was understandable. Even Hachiman wouldn't have believed it if someone else had said it.
"Anyway," he muttered, turning back toward his textbook, "I should probably get back to finishing this assignment."
Neither of them said anything, which was probably for the best. Hachiman picked up his pen and returned to the assignment, but the pleasantly relaxed atmosphere from earlier wasn't quite so pleasant anymore.
Apparently, describing a classmate's underwear from memory wasn't ideal for maintaining a peaceful clubroom environment.
Good to know. Another valuable lesson had been learned today, despite there being absolutely no reason for him to have learned it in the first place.
________________________________________
It was almost two in the morning when Komachi woke up once again. She remained in bed for a while, staring at the ceiling above her with the vague hope that sleep would eventually return on its own, but it did not seem particularly interested in cooperating tonight.
Her body felt tired enough, yet her mind was still far too awake, going over everything that had happened over the last few days. Ever since the day of the Angel attack, it felt like her entire worldview had been shaken. There had been so much she thought she understood about her brother, her family, and the life they had been living, only to find out that she had been completely in the dark about so much of it.
She still wasn't sure how she felt about that.
Angry, probably at him, at Mom and Dad. Maybe at herself too, although she wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe it was because of all these questions turning in her head.
Why had nobody told her? Was she really that immature? Had Mom and Dad thought she was too young to understand something like that? Or had they simply not trusted her enough to tell her?
But most of all, she could not shake the feeling of wondering if there was something more. Had she really learned everything this time? Or was that truly all there was to it?
She rolled onto her side and pulled the blanket a little higher, hoping that would somehow shut her thoughts up. It did not. Her throat was dry anyway, so eventually she gave up on trying to sleep and quietly got out of bed.
The house was completely silent as she went towards the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water before sitting down on one of the chairs, taking a slow drink while rubbing her eyes.
She was halfway through the glass when she noticed a faint movement farther down the hallway. The door to her parents' bedroom was open and a few moments later, her father quietly stepped out.
'Is that Dad?'
Komachi watched him for a moment, wondering if he was heading to the bathroom or perhaps he was thirsty as well. It was the middle of the night, so there was nothing particularly strange about someone getting up for a drink of water. She almost went back to her glass, but her father did not turn towards the kitchen at all. He simply walked down the hallway as if he already knew exactly where he was going, passing by without noticing her sitting there.
Komachi's eyes followed him then she realized where he was headed.
It was inside Onii-chan 's room. "...Eh?"
Her father stopped in front of the door and opened it quietly before stepping inside.
That was strange. Why is Dad going into Onii-chan's room at this hour? It is not like the two of them never talk, but two in the morning seems like a rather strange time to suddenly have a conversation. Besides, Hachiman had always kept his door closed at night and he had maintained that habit for as long as she could remember. Their parents usually leave him alone too, so there is something about seeing Dad quietly enter his room now that makes her curious.
Komachi walked a little closer, although she was still too far away to see what was happening properly. Before she could make out anything through the opening, the door closed completely. She stopped and stared at it for a moment, wondering what the two of them could possibly be doing in there. Maybe Dad wants to talk to him about everything that has happened recently. After all, there is probably quite a lot they still have to discuss now that she finally knows about NERV.
Komachi remained there for a few moments, staring at the closed door. There was no sound coming from inside now, which only made the whole thing feel stranger. If Dad really had gone in there just to talk, then what were they talking about for so long?
She took another cautious step toward the room and stopped again, straining her ears for any indication that the two of them were speaking. Still, there was nothing. Then, after a little while, a very faint sound came through the door.
A frown appeared on her face as she tried harder on the noise. It sounded like a whimper.
She listened again, just to make sure she had not imagined it. A few seconds later, the sound came once more, weak and muffled enough that she could barely make it out.
What was going on? She wanted to know what was happening.
Komachi considered knocking, but in the end, she decided against it. Whatever Dad is doing in there, she probably should not interrupt him without knowing the situation first. So, she returned to the chair near the kitchen and sat down again, telling herself that she will simply wait for the door to open.
It would probably take a few minutes anyway.
Ten minutes passed.
Then twenty.
Then thirty.
Komachi checked the clock again and let out a tired yawn. Maybe she should simply go back to bed. After all, standing around in the hallway at two in the morning waiting for her father to come out of her brother's room was not exactly a normal activity either. Yet every time she thought about leaving, the faint whimper she had heard earlier came back to her. So, she stayed.
Eventually, nearly an hour had passed since her father entered the room. Komachi was beginning to wonder whether she really would end up falling asleep in the chair when she finally heard the faint metallic sound of the lock turning.
When she finally heard the lock click, she immediately got up and walked toward the room. The door opened, and her father stepped out. He looked somewhat tired but his expression immediately changed the moment he noticed Komachi standing there.
"K…komachi? What are you doing up at this hour?"
"I think I should be the one asking that, dad." she said, looking straight at him. "What were you doing in Onii-chan's room for so long?"
Her father looked as though he was about to answer, but Komachi noticed something in his hand first. Her eyes dropped to it and she immediately recognized it as an injection. No, not just one. There were almost four empty syringes in his hand.
Her father's hand twitched slightly as he immediately tried to pull it back. He glanced down at the syringes in his hand before looking back at her and letting out a tired sigh.
"Ah, this? Hachiman was still having some trouble tonight. He was experiencing quite a bit of pain around his waist and from some of his other injuries, so the doctor told us to give him an injection and some extra medicine if it flared up again."
Komachi looked at the syringes again. Four of them. Her eyes lingered on them for a moment before she looked back at her father.
"Four...?" she asked quietly. "He needed that many?"
Her father hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Not all at once. Some of them were from earlier. The doctor left us enough in case the pain became severe again."
"Oh... I see."
She leaned slightly to the side, trying to peek past his shoulder into the room. Through the narrow gap, she could see Hachiman lying on his bed, although she could not see him completely since he was covered by the blanket. He was not moving at all, seemingly sleeping peacefully now.
Her father noticed where she was looking and quietly moved the syringe out of sight.
"Anyway," he said, changing the subject almost immediately, "since you're already awake, do you want some ice cream?"
"...Ice cream?"
"Yeah. There is some in the freezer. I was going to have some anyway, so since you are here..." He shrugged lightly. "We might as well have some together."
"At three in the morning?"
"Of course, my daughter. That is what makes it even better, right?" Her father smiled faintly. "Heh. You can think of it as... you know, instead of thinking of it as eating late, think of it as an early breakfast."
"That's a weird way to put it. Alright, fine," Komachi said at last. "But I will have the entire chocolate one."
"The entire thing? You sure know how to take advantage of your father. Uh, can you leave some for—"
"Uhm..." Komachi gave him a mischievous look. "You know Mom probably won't be too happy if she finds out you were eating all that ice cream this late at night. It's such a shame, really."
"Alright, alright. You can have all of it. Just don't say—"
"Of course. I won't tell her and I won't tell Onii-chan either, so don't worry."
"You promise?"
"Ah, well, sure. I promise."
"That's my girl." He gently patted her on the head before turning toward the kitchen, and Komachi followed after him.
There were still more things she wanted to ask, but for tonight she decided that ice cream at three in the morning was probably a better thing to focus on than everything else.
________________________________________
The next morning, breakfast started just as usual for Komachi, like it had been for years.
Mom was busy getting everything ready while Dad sat at the table with the television on in the background. Hachiman was eating quietly across from Komachi, looking so sleepy that Komachi wondered if he was actually awake or just eating breakfast on autopilot mode.
"Hey, Onii-chan, you are actually chewing, right?"
Hachiman slowly lifted his eyes from his breakfast and stared at her for a few seconds. "...What kind of question is that? Of course I am chewing."
"I mean, you look half-dead."
"You already know this. Why do you keep asking the same thing every time? You know that some mornings I can be like this."
"Yeah, yeah," Komachi said, resting her chin on her hand. "So, what were you doing all night to end up like this? Playing games again? Or watching something until late?"
"How many times do I have to tell you I don't do any of that at night? In fact, I slept pretty well, so well that it feels like the entire night passed in a blink of an eye." He paused to yawn, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "But nights like that sure make me even more sleepy in the morning… not that you're gonna believe me."
"No. I believe you, Onii-chan."
Hachiman's sleepy expression changed slightly as he looked at her.
"...Huh? You do? That is new."
He sure looked surprised hearing that and Komachi could understand why. It was not like she had believed him before. Whenever Hachiman complained about being tired after supposedly getting plenty of sleep, she had always thought he was just making excuses after staying up late reading his weird light novels or playing games.
Afterall, how could someone sleep for more than eight hours and somehow wake up even more tired? That did not make any sense at all to her. It was not like Onii-chan had some kind of health problem either.
Komachi opened her mouth. "I mean I believe you since I saw you last ni—"
"Hachiman, can you come help me with these dishes for a second?"
Mom's voice came from the kitchen before Komachi could finish. She turned toward the sound and saw her mother holding a couple of plates while motioning toward the counter.
Hachiman let out a small sigh. "Alright, alright. I am coming, Mother, but do not blame me if I drop something here and there."
He pushed his chair back and stood up, leaving his breakfast for the moment as he went over to help. Komachi watched him go, briefly forgetting what she had been about to say.
The moment Hachiman turned his back, her father leaned in across the table, keeping his voice down to and whisper.
"Hey, Komachi... you aren't talking about last night, right? If your mom finds out we ate ice cream at three in the morning, we're both in huge trouble. You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"
"But it is not like I am talking about that," Komachi whispered back, a little confused by how alarmed he suddenly looked. "I was just going to say that I saw Onii-chan sleeping—"
"No, no, that is exactly the problem!" Her father quickly put a finger to his lips, glancing toward the kitchen. "If you say you saw him asleep last night, it is definitely going to raise questions and Hachiman is a smart kid. He will expose both of us to your mother."
Komachi stared at him for a moment.
Komachi could understand why he was so worried. Dad had already been warned about his blood sugar and Mom had become particularly strict about what he was allowed to eat. The last time she had caught him sneaking something he was not supposed to have, she had been angry enough to make sure he remembered the incident for quite a while.
So yes, she could understand the worry... but was this still a little too much? Was Dad not overreacting more than necessary?
Still, a promise was a promise. Komachi had said she would not tell anyone and she was not about to go back on her word just because Dad was being a little dramatic about it.
"Fine, fine. I will not say anything." She narrowed her eyes at him. "But this better be the last time you do something like that. Seriously, Dad. You have to take care of your health."
"I know, I know. Last night's haul will keep me going for a long time without any more sweets," he said, then smiled shamelessly. "Aah, I love you so much, Komachi! You are the bestest and most sweetest daughter in the whole world!"
He reached out to pat her on the head, but Komachi immediately raised her hand and stopped him. "Hmph. No, absolutely not. You will mess up my hair."
Her father froze, his hand still hovering in the air. Tears instantly welled up in the corners of his eyes.
Just then, Hachiman shuffled back to the table carrying a side dish and dropped into his seat with a long, tired groan. He glanced across the table and immediately found his father clutching his chest and crying as if he were about to die.
"...Why is Father crying over his coffee?"
"It is nothing," his father said quickly, wiping at the corner of his eye. "Your sister has just become cruel."
Komachi immediately frowned. "I did not do anything! I only stopped you from messing my hair!"
Hachiman looked at his father for a moment, then slowly nodded as though he understood exactly what he was going through. "I see..."
There was something strangely sympathetic in his expression, almost as if he were silently saying, 'I know that pain all too well Old man'.
Komachi immediately noticed the look on his face. "Stop looking at Dad like that! You two are so creepy."
"You would not understand, Komachi," Hachiman muttered as he picked up his chopsticks.
Her father sniffled, seemingly touched by his son's support. "At least someone understands me..."
"Please stop encouraging him, Onii-chan."
Before the drama could escalate any further, their mother finally came over carrying the last side dish. She set it down in the center of the table before taking her seat.
"Alright, everyone, let's eat while it's hot."
They began eating, and for a little while the conversation naturally died down. The television continued playing in the background, mostly ignored by everyone at the table.
"...And in other news, the world-famous Black Pen Circus has officially announced its return to Japan, with Tokyo-3 set to host the troupe for the first time in more than a decade. The announcement has already created a wave of excitement across the country, with fans eagerly awaiting the circus's long-anticipated return..."
Hachiman paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth and glanced toward the television. "This Black Pen again?"
Komachi looked up as well. She had heard that name several times already, but until now she had not really paid much attention to it.
"They have been showing this news since last night," Hachiman said, lowering his chopsticks again. "Are they really that big of a hot shot?"
Mom looked toward the television as she reached for one of the dishes. "Of course they are. Black Pen is one of the oldest remaining circuses in the world. They are almost a century old. Before the Second Impact, they were extremely popular."
"Really?" Komachi looked at the screen, where a few old videos of circus performances were being shown. "I do not really get the big deal."
"Me neither," Hachiman said. "I mean, their name sounds so weird. Who even names a circus Black Pen?"
It was a circus. What else could there be? People doing tricks, jumping around, riding things and probably wearing really silly costumes. Maybe there was something impressive about it, but Komachi could not exactly imagine getting this excited over one.
Their father laughed at them. "You two really do not understand, do you? The Black Pen Circus troupe really is the best of the best."
Hachiman gave him a doubtful look and Komachi didn't looked too convinced either.
"Were you a fan, Dad?" Komachi asked.
"Not particularly."
"Oh." Her father took another sip of his coffee before suddenly adding, "Actually, your Aunt Ritsuko was."
Hachiman choked mid-sip and quickly coughed into his hand, while even Komachi stared at their father in disbelief.
"Wait, really?" Hachiman asked, clearing his throat as he looked at him. "Aunt Ritsuko? As in Dr. Akagi Ritsuko? That same cold doctor lady who practically lives in that shitty lab coat of hers all day used to fangirl over circus acrobats?! Come on, Father. Don't joke like that just because you want us to buy into this whole circus hype."
Their mother nodded. "Yeah, your father is right. For some reason, she was absolutely crazy about Black Pen back then. Whenever they were performing in Tokyo-3, she would try to catch every show she could. I am pretty sure she even skipped one of her major exams at school just to see them."
"Guess everyone has something unexpected in their past, huh."
Mom laughed again as she thought back to those days. "Well, it has been a very long time since Black Pen came back here. More than a decade, like they said. I suppose there are probably quite a few people who still remember them."
"Yeah," Dad said. "Especially the people who grew up watching them."
Their mother checked the time and stood up from her seat. "Alright, we're done here. Your father and I need to leave for the office. You two make sure you head out on time as well."
"Understood," Hachiman replied.
Their parents soon began getting ready to leave and Komachi watched them for a moment before glancing back at the television.
So... Black Pen really was a big deal, huh? She still did not really understand the hype. But apparently, Aunt Ritsuko had once been one of their biggest fans. That was probably the surprising part of the whole thing.
Their parents eventually finished getting ready and headed off to work, leaving Hachiman and Komachi to make their own way to school. The two of them followed them outside a few minutes later, stopping near the front gate where Hachiman's bicycle was parked.
Komachi stood nearby while Hachiman unlocked it and checked the tires out of habit. There had been something on her mind that she had been wanting to ask, so she finally decided to bring it up.
"Hey, Onii-chan?"
"Hm?"
"Were you having some kind of problem yesterday?" she asked casually. "Was your waist hurting or anything? Or were some of your other injuries bothering you?"
Hachiman paused with one hand still on the lock and looked up at her with a slightly surprised expression. "Huh? Where did that come from? Don't tell me you are worried that I might make us fall on the way or something."
It seemed like Onii-chan had completely misunderstood what she meant and thought she was worried about falling off the bicycle on the way to school. Well, no harm in letting him think that. If that was what he wanted to believe, then it certainly made things easier for her.
"That is not what I meant. I was just asking, you know. You were pretty badly hurt before, so I thought maybe something was still bothering you."
He turned the key and finally released the lock before straightening up. "I am perfectly fine, really. The doctor said I'm almost completely healed anyway."
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Geez, Komachi, you really do not want to fall off the bicycle, huh? Looks like I just have to show you."
He let go of the bicycle and straightened himself before stretching both arms above his head and then without warning, he leaned back farther and farther until he completely bent backward, pressing his hands flat against the ground. His torso remained hoisted upside down in the air like a grotesque human bridge. Slowly, he tilted his head around toward her, staring with those dead-fish eyes while hanging upside down.
"There. See? No problem."
Komachi stared in absolute horror, her jaw dropping as she looked at him hanging there. "What the heck are you doing?!"
"I am showing you that I am perfectly fine," Hachiman replied, his voice sounding completely normal despite the ridiculous position he was in. "You do not need to worry about me, Komachi and I am definitely not going to crash us on the way."
"You are going to get yourself injured again! And you look stupid as hell right now!"
"That is irrelevant. The point is that I am not injured."
"Okay, okay! I get it!" Komachi waved her hands at him. "Now stop doing that before you actually hurt yourself!"
Hachiman finally lowered himself back onto his feet and stood upright again, brushing his hands against his pants as though nothing particularly strange had just happened. Komachi sighed and watched as he reached for the bicycle again.
"So... you have been taking your medicine properly, right?"
"Yeah. I had been."
"Had been?"
"I stopped the day before yesterday. The doctor said I was almost completely healed, so there is not much point in continuing now."
Komachi nodded and looked ahead, pretending to be satisfied with that answer. She hesitated for a moment before casually adding, "Then what about the injection they gave you for the pain?"
Hachiman looked at her strangely. "Injection? What injection?
"Yeah. You know, the one you get when it hurts too much."
"No, I never got one." He frowned slightly as though trying to remember. "Or anything extreme like that in my medications. I have not even taken a pill since two days ago. Where did you get a crazy idea like that?"
Komachi froze for a moment at his answer. She did not reply, her mind racing as the whole thing was simply too strange to make sense to her.
Dad had told her the injections were for Onii-chan. He had gone into his room in the middle of the night and stayed there for almost an hour, and when he finally came out, he had several empty syringes with him.
But Onii-chan was saying there had been no injection at all. So then... what had Dad actually been doing in his room the whole time?
That meant he had lied to her again, right?
Komachi quietly looked back toward the house.
There really was something going on in their house and this time, Komachi was going to have to find out what it was herself.
________________________________________
That afternoon, the Service Club was remarkably peaceful, which was exactly how Hachiman preferred it. He was slowly working his way through the pile of homework that had been accumulating on his desk. It was not particularly exciting, but at least there was a measurable result to it. At this pace, he might actually manage to clear most of it by the end of the week.
Then he could finally return to the important things in life. Books. Games. Sitting somewhere comfortable and doing absolutely nothing productive.
He could almost feel the sweet sweet rush of dopamine already.
Unfortunately, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita had decided to ruin the peaceful atmosphere by talking about something he had absolutely no understanding of.
"And so Hina, Yumiko and me were trying this face mask with butter from Karibu—"
"And I."
Hachiman corrected her without even looking up from his homework. Yuigahama stopped halfway through her sentence and turned toward him with an annoyed look.
"Mph! Fine! Hina, Yumiko and I were trying this face mask with butter from Karitè."
"Karité, Yuigahama," Yukinoshita corrected calmly, taking another sip of tea. "The karibu is a species of reindeer that went extinct with the Second Impact,"
Yuigahama's eye twitched. "Will you too let me tell my story!? I am pretty sure you could just listen till the end without correcting me"
"As you wish."
"Ok."
"Anyway, we put the mask on and after a few minutes Hina starts saying that her face feels really ticklish. She asked if Yumiko and I felt the same thing, but we did not, so she went 'Ehh?!' and immediately washed her face. It was all red! She was having an allergic reaction to the Halibut butter and almost got a chemical burn, so I had to use almost all of my moisturizer on her."
Yuigahama finally finished her story and looked at the other two expectantly.
"You can correct me now."
Yukinoshita took the lead. "Yuigahama-san, it is karité, not halibut. Halibut is the common name for three species of flatfish in the family of right-eyed flounders."
"Uh, I... I see, Yukinon," Yuigahama nodded thoughtfully, although the look on her face suggested she had no idea what she was supposed to do with the latest installment of Yukipedia.
"Any comments about what I said, though...? Anything at all...? Hikki...? Yukinon?"
The two dark-haired teens exchanged a guilty glance.
"You should really test products on a reduced area before applying them wholly. It spares you from this kind of incident," Yukinoshita said as composedly as ever.
"Wow, Yuigahama. Uh… well such a tragic accident."
Unfortunately, the moment the words left his mouth, Hachiman realized his delivery had completely ruined the effect. Whatever sympathy he had been trying to show somehow came out sounding like he was making fun of her instead. Great. So much for his carefully crafted response.
Yuigahama's expression began to sour.
'Quick, you fool. Do something before she starts nagging.'
"I truly do not get why girls spend money on these things when you are going to cover your faces in make-up anyway."
Truth be told, it was not his finest piece of conversational maneuvering, but at least it seemed to have worked.
"Hikki, that is such a boy thing to say. Taking care of your skin is the most important part to look good, even with great makeup and all. Imagine if you did not put eyebag moisturizer on, not even a jar of concealer could hide your eyebags," Yuigahama explained.
"Uh... I guess you are right. It is just that all these things do not really mean much to me. Face wash, moisturizer, cream, masks... whatever else there is. I have one bottle in my bathroom that I use for basically everything, so explaining all the rest to me would probably be a waste of time."
"You mean your face wash?"
"I think so."
"You think so?"
Yukinoshita stared at him for a moment, "I suppose that is all the more reason to say that putting a deadfish in a dress just gives you a deadfish in a dress."
"Oi! One, that is not the idiom. Two, it feels oddly personal, so apologize to all the sea life that survived the Second Impact. Three, Yuigahama, do not play with my heart. There is no such thing as eyeb—"
Knock Knock Knock
"Come in." When Yukinoshita answered, the door opened.
At the door stood an unexpected visitor. Then again, the people who came to the Service Club were usually strange enough that you wondered why they had ended up here in the first place, but this time even that seemed to have been taken to another level. It was a girl with red eyes and white hair carrying a bluish tint. Even Yuigahama and Yukinoshita seemed to need a moment to take in the sight of her.
Hachiman, however took even longer to process the sight. It was not because he did not recognize her. Quite the opposite. He knew exactly who she was.
Ayanami Rei.
And somehow, of all places in the world for some reason she was currently visiting their Clubroom.
"I was told this is the place where students come to receive assistance." she continued in her usual monotone voice. "That is why I have come here. I have a request to make."
________________________________________
Authors Note:
Hey everyone, Chapter 11 is finally done! We hope you enjoyed this one. It certainly took us a while to finish this chapter, but as you can probably tell, there were quite a few elements we wanted to introduce and set up. Planning everything out and then carefully fitting it all into the chapter took some time.
We hope it left you even more intrigued about everything that's going on and gave you a few more things to wonder about. It was certainly one long chapter to write, so we hope the time we took was worth the wait.
For now, that's all we wanted to share. Thank you so much for giving this story a chance and sticking with it. We'll do our best to keep working on the upcoming chapters and get them out as soon as we can.
As always, feel free to share your thoughts below, we genuinely enjoy hearing your feedback.
Stay tuned for more!
—CacciaFulmini & Raijinmaru_K2