Chapter 51: A True Confession
"Yukinon, run for it!"
Hachiman heard Yui's wary cry. He watched as Yukino walked straight up to Zaimokuza, crossing her arms with a piercing gaze. "I believe I have the gist of it. Your request is to treat a disease of the heart, is it not?"
Zaimokuza looked viscerally uncomfortable, as if invisible insects were crawling all over his skin. He didn't dare meet Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes, instead turning to Hachiman with a pleading look. "I didn't come here because of some promise to fulfill your desires; that is far too noble a cause..."
"I am the one speaking to you." Yukino took a sharp breath, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Please look at your conversational partner when they are addressing you."
Zaimokuza lowered his arms, clutching his waist while letting out a strained, awkward laugh. "Hahaha, this is truly embarrassing..."
"Don't talk like that either."
Zaimokuza slumped, the light fading from his expression.
Akishin reflexively winced. That combination of a flawless appearance and a frigid, venomous tongue truly possessed a devastating destructive power against ordinary people.
Suddenly, Akishin noticed the papers scattered across the floor. He picked one up and realized they were covered in writing—was this a novel?
"Yukinon, you're amazing!" Yui praised.
Yukino pressed on, ignoring the compliment. "In short, curing your illness should suffice, right?"
Zaimokuza waved a hand weakly. "It isn't an illness..."
"Hey, that's enough..."
Hachiman stepped forward, unable to watch the carnage any longer. As he moved, his foot landed on one of the papers on the floor.
"This is..."
He picked it up, noting the dense handwriting. He glanced around the room; the white sheets that had been fluttering earlier were these very pages. He gathered them one by one in order, noticing one held in Akishin's hand but choosing to overlook it for now. Setting the stack on a table near the window, he turned to Zaimokuza. "A light novel manuscript?"
"Precisely." Zaimokuza took a seat, his voice regaining a hint of gravity. "It is a manuscript for a Light Novel. I intend to submit it to a newcomer's contest, but since I lack... acquaintances, I haven't been able to get a reader's impression. Give it a look."
Yukino pressed a hand to her forehead. "I feel as though something incredibly tragic was just relayed with startling brevity."
Hachiman asked, looking puzzled, "Aren't there submission websites for this? Just post it there."
"That is impossible. The denizens of those sites have no concept of courtesy. If I were to be torn apart by criticism, I might actually die."
"Your mental fortitude is terrifyingly brittle. However..." Hachiman looked up at Zaimokuza with a slightly pitying expression. "I suspect Yukinoshita is far less polite than any web novel comments section."
"???"
Yukinoshita Yukino tilted her head slightly, radiating a quiet menace.
"Alright then, are you all finished talking?"
Akishin stepped closer and placed the page he was holding onto the pile of manuscripts. He swept his gaze over the group.
Amidst their startled expressions—which clearly screamed, 'Chishima-sensei hasn't left yet?!'—he offered a thin smile. "Now that you've had your say, would you mind if Sensei spoke for a moment?"
"You're Chishima-sensei!" Zaimokuza stood up in shock. "Since when were you here? Did you use a vanishing technique?"
"I've been here the whole time!" Akishin replied. "Zaimokuza-kun, you know who I am?"
"Of course I do! Today, Hikigaya and Chishima-sensei became legends. Rumors are flying that Chishima-sensei only taught Hikigaya Kendo for five days, yet he managed to defeat Hayama Hayato—who has practiced for half a year—with a single strike. Could it be... that Chishima-sensei is a Sword Saint?"
"Oh? Is that so? Well, it's true we won, but I'm no Sword Saint. I'm still a long way from a title like that."
Akishin shook his head with a smile. He unzipped his sword bag, pulled out a blade, and held it firmly. Then, he looked at Hachiman. "Hikigaya, grab your shinai as well."
Yukinoshita Yukino asked coldly, "Chishima-sensei, what is your business here?"
Akishin looked at Yukino and Yui, his smile widening. "I have a matter to settle. Yukinoshita-kun, have you heard about what happened at noon?"
"Yes, I've heard."
"And what exactly did you hear?"
"I didn't hear the specifics, but I could hear them speaking ill of Hikigaya."
"And in your opinion, Yukinoshita-kun, what is the truth of the matter?"
"I wouldn't know."
Akishin turned to Yuigahama Yui. "Yuigahama, please enlighten Yukinoshita-kun."
"Ah! Yes, okay!"
Yui jumped, startled. She was still clearly a bit intimidated by Akishin. Taking a deep breath, she recounted the chronology of events to Yukino. "Um, Yukinon, it went like this..."
Meanwhile, Hachiman retrieved a battered shinai from the equipment box at the back of the room. Akishin approached, observing Hachiman's grip and posture before giving a small, satisfied nod.
Despite only five days of combat training, Hachiman was fundamentally different. Usually, it wasn't apparent, but the moment he held a shinai, his aura shifted.
Even though his eyes still looked like those of a dead fish, they could turn incredibly sharp in an instant. His body leaned forward slightly, the shinai hanging naturally. Even in a casual stance, if one looked closely, the tip of his sword was always threatening the space in front of him.
The other three reflexively turned to watch. Yui finished her summary with a tone heavy with pity—she clearly felt Akishin's training methods were excessive—and the look in Yukino's eyes as she watched Hachiman shifted ever so slightly.
Akishin pulled up a chair and sat down, his hands resting on the hilt of his sword as he stared at Hachiman. The evening sun filtered through the window, casting a hazy glow over Akishin's features.
He spoke with a flat, level voice. "Hikigaya, regarding today's incident... what are your thoughts?"
Hachiman stared back with his half-lidded, dead-fish eyes. "What do you mean, Sensei?"
"That Hiratsuka-sensei of yours is worried sick. She nearly got into a massive row with me over it. I guaranteed her that I would handle this properly. So, tell me, what are you thinking?"
"Are you talking about the rumors? Cough! They're certainly not pleasant to hear. Regardless, being the target of so much animosity... no one really enjoys that."
Hachiman looked down at the shinai in his hand, then back up at Akishin.
The other three didn't dare make a sound. They could feel the atmosphere in the Service Club had completely transformed.
Akishin shifted the shinai in his hands, offering a smile that bordered on exaggerated. "Haha, exactly. That's the point. Hiratsuka-sensei is afraid you'll be hurt by all this. So Hikigaya, tell me... are you hurt?"
Hurt? Hachiman knew he didn't mean a physical wound, but a mental one. That was very much Hiratsuka-sensei's style.
"No," Hachiman shook his head.
"Give me a reason."
Akishin raised his shinai with a grin, the tip pointing straight at Hachiman's chest.
Hachiman glanced toward Yukino and the other two.
Instantly, the three of them sat up straighter, reacting to the tension.
"H-Hey, loner... what's with that look?"
"Gwah! Hikigaya-kun, don't do anything stupid! Even if Chishima-sensei is here, I'll still call the police, you know!"
"Hikigaya Hachiman, answer with composure! I, General Zaimokuza, am here!"
Hachiman let out a small smile. Under the twilight glow, he looked unexpectedly cool, leaving the three of them momentarily stunned. He said, "Thanks, guys."
Then he looked at Akishin, finally answering the question.
"Sensei, it's because this time, I'm the winner. Like you said, they're just a crowd of idiots. Is there any reason to care about the words and opinions of fools? No. They only serve to make me realize more clearly that—this time—I am the one who won."
As he finished speaking, the Service Club fell into a silence so profound you could have heard a pin drop. Yukino and the others hadn't expected such an answer from Hachiman.
Was this really the Hachiman they knew?
"Hahaha! Interesting, truly interesting. Hachiman, I didn't misjudge you. Wild beasts always walk alone; it's only the sheep and cattle that huddle in groups. Yet, so many people can't tell if they're a lone predator or just a stray sheep."
Akishin's laughter, tinged with a hint of madness, echoed through the room.
Suddenly, Hachiman's pupils constricted. He snapped his shinai upward!
CRACK!
A violent impact resounded. Hachiman was sent flying backward, crashing into the floor as the shinai in his hands shattered right down the middle.
Yukino and the others stood up in terror.
Akishin stood where Hachiman had been a second ago, holding his own shinai. His gaze was sharp, pinning Hachiman down. "Hikigaya, I acknowledge it. I acknowledge that you are fit to be my disciple—to be the student of Chishima Akishin. What do you say to that?"
"...Obviously, I agree. Otherwise, the days I spent getting beaten to a pulp by you would be for nothing. Hah! Chishima-sensei, I truly feel like you aren't human. You're a monster, a lunatic. But... you've been good to me."
Hachiman stood up, his face contorted in pain. He looked at his ruined shinai and asked, "Why the sudden attack?"
"To see your reaction. To see if you would hesitate."
"That's a truly terrible sense of humor. Unfortunately for you, I made up my mind a long time ago. My own decision."
Feeling the throbbing pain in his back, Hachiman was certain he'd have a massive bruise there soon.
"Should I call you Master now?"
"No need."
"Why not?"
"Because I haven't earned the qualification yet. At the very least, I need to bring home a Kendo championship title first. Only then can you take pride in a formal apprenticeship ceremony. By the way, here's a bit of insider info: your teacher has already defeated Suzuki Tsuyoshi."
"...Is that true?!"
"Pure truth, purer than gold. I thought you'd call me a liar immediately."
"...I feel like Chishima-sensei could do just about anything, no matter how impossible."
"Then you think too highly of me. Remember the two lines of writing in my Dojo?"
"I remember."
"Then remember them forever."
"..."
"Your sword is broken. Take this new one. Go home and learn how to maintain it yourself. If you break it again, buy your own next time."
Akishin reached into his bag, pulled out a brand-new shinai, and tossed it to Hachiman.
Then, he looked at the three teenagers who were still frozen in place, offering them a warm, breezy smile. "Alright, my business is done. Yukinoshita-kun, Yuigahama-kun, Zaimokuza-kun, I'm leaving Hikigaya in your hands. Sensei is heading out now~"
Without waiting for a response, Akishin swung the door open and stepped out.
Swoosh! Bam!
The door slammed shut with a heavy sound.
Walking down the corridor, Akishin pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and walked out of Sobu High into the post-rain sunset.
There would surely be plenty to discuss back in the Service Club. Hachiman would have to explain things to Yukino and the others. There was a small chance they might drift apart, but the greater likelihood was that their bonds would deepen.
But that was their business, their lives. Akishin had no interest in eavesdropping.
Regardless, he hoped Hachiman would stay in the Service Club. It helped him, but it also helped Yukino and the rest.
Humans are the most emotionally complex creatures. Resolve alone wasn't enough for Hachiman. Years of isolation had given him a mindset that leaned toward adulthood, but sadly, he was still just a kid.
(Note: In the original work, the point where Hikigaya Hachiman truly undergoes a change is during the 'Declaration of Something Genuine' in the second season.
The author here might seem to have written his change already, but in reality, he hasn't. Hikigaya has merely made a firm resolution—he has begun to possess his own will, rather than just mechanically completing tasks.
The difference between the first and second seasons lies in how Hikigaya views his given tasks. In the first season, he only focused on efficiency; because he always viewed himself as alone, he felt it was fine even if he had to get 'hurt.'
However, after the incident with Ebina Hina's confession in the second season, Hikigaya began to wonder if his 'suicide bomb' method—hurting himself for a quick solution—would also hurt the people who cared about him.
At that time, Hiratsuka Shizuka advised him: 'When you are thinking, make sure you don't misunderstand what it is you actually need to think about.')
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