Chapter 84: The Debate Over Mizukawa Masaru
"What do you think of them?"
"You mean Mizukawa-senpai and the others, Sensei?"
"Of course."
"...Mizukawa-senpai is impressive. Katsuta-senpai and Murayama-senpai are great, too... Why are you asking me this?"
"No reason, I just wanted to know your opinion. To see if your personality is still as twisted as ever."
Akishin stared at the clump of hair—the ahoge—on Hachiman's head that was swaying back and forth. He had been eyeing it for a while and constantly felt the urge to snip it off, though he feared that once cut, it might never grow back.
He had asked Hachiman about it recently, and Hachiman replied that it was impossible to get rid of. Even if it was cut or washed with shampoo, as soon as the hair grew or dried, it would pop right back up. It was the symbol of the Hikigaya family.
—Wait, his father didn't have an ahoge, so his father was the exception. That annoying, daughter-doting father!
"So, have you seen it now, Sensei?"
Hachiman looked at Akishin with a strange expression. My personality is twisted? Give me a break. This is clearly a higher-level perspective; I'm looking down on them.
"Of course I see it, I'm your teacher after all." Akishin landed a firm pat on Hachiman's head, then ruffled his hair while laughing loudly. "That rotten personality of yours hasn't changed one bit."
Hachiman: "..."
"I still want to ask... why did you take me as your disciple? Before, I felt like I had something special, but after interacting with Mizukawa for a few days, I feel like I can't compare to him at all. It feels like he's much more suited to be your student."
Hachiman truly felt that way. Mizukawa Masaru had charisma, grit, a clear target, self-respect, the ability to be humble when it mattered, talent... and he lacked any sort of hypocritical "kindness."
Even compared to Hayama Hayato, Hachiman still had some modicum of confidence, but seeing Mizukawa Masaru made that confidence vanish. If Mizukawa weren't slightly less handsome than Hayama and if his personality weren't so humble, there's a high chance this school would have two idols.
Without interacting directly with the real Mizukawa Masaru, one couldn't understand his charisma. Hachiman genuinely felt that Mizukawa was the better fit for Chishima Akishin.
As he spoke, Hachiman's tone didn't fluctuate much. He wasn't feeling lethargic because Mizukawa was better, nor was he worried Mizukawa would steal his teacher; he was just stating facts.
If Akishin really let him go and chose to train Mizukawa instead, Hachiman would be sad, but he wouldn't fall into despair. On the contrary, he would offer his congratulations, because it would be a logical choice.
This was the maturity Hachiman had gained atop Tokyo Tower—the result of Akishin's tutelage and an understanding of his life experiences from childhood until now: Be yourself, no matter how others look at you.
It was also his understanding of the inscription in the Dojo that day.
—In truth, Hachiman had always been someone who stuck to his guns, it's just that in the past, those guns were loaded with too much bitterness. Even now, there was still a fair share of it, but change was beginning to take root.
—Actually, even without Akishin, with Hachiman's mental acuity, his future wouldn't have been half bad. (I mean, how could a truly "bad" person be liked by so many girls? Hehe.)
If Akishin truly left, Hachiman would still try; try to learn Kendo, try to study, and try to be himself to the best of his ability...
"Mizukawa Masaru is indeed remarkable. I admire him quite a bit myself." Akishin's fingers brushed against that ahoge, and then he sighed with a smile. "But you're wrong, Hikigaya. What Mizukawa Masaru has, you have as well. But what you have... Mizukawa Masaru lacks. That is exactly where you surpass him."
Hachiman stared at Akishin in disbelief. "What do I have that Mizukawa-senpai doesn't?"
"We'll get to that. Tell me, do you know how to play chess? Chinese chess (Xiangqi)?"
"I don't. I only know Shogi."
Chess to a Japanese person meant Shogi, the national game. Its influence was even higher than Go and it was quite exclusive toward other types of chess.
Shogi reflected the Japanese political system. Japanese people believed that as long as one worked hard, even a lowly pawn could become a glittering Gold General; even an ordinary person had the possibility of becoming a noble or a general.
"A pity, I don't know Shogi. I'll tell you about Xiangqi then." Akishin pulled back his hand, took out his phone, and explained the rules of Xiangqi to Hikigaya. "The Horse jumps in an L-shape (Ri), the Elephant jumps in an X (Tian), the Chariot moves in straight lines to dominate the world..."
After the period ended, Akishin found a flower garden to sit in and continued his explanation to Hachiman.
After listening once and seeing Akishin's demonstration, Hachiman understood. He even managed to play one round on the phone; although he lost, he now knew how to use all the pieces.
Akishin put his phone away and asked, "Hikigaya, if Mizukawa Masaru were a piece in Xiangqi, which piece do you think he would be?"
Hachiman pondered, then shook his head a few seconds later. "I don't know." He really couldn't bridge the gap between Mizukawa and a board game.
Akishin said, "He is the Chariot (Ju). Remember the rule for the Chariot?"
"As long as it's in a straight line with an enemy piece, it can take it." Hachiman seemed lost in thought. He tried to visualize how Mizukawa Masaru connected to the Chariot.
"Exactly. Mizukawa Masaru is powerful, just like the Chariot on the board. He is a very strong piece. As long as he's given a clear target, he will charge straight ahead like a Chariot. You must understand this."
Hachiman nodded. Thinking about it, it was true; Mizukawa Masaru was incredibly firm once he had a target.
Akishin flashed a thin smile and continued, "But pay attention to what I said—I said 'a clear target.'"
"Do you know what they were doing when I first arrived at the Kendo Club?"
Without waiting for Hachiman's answer, Akishin replied, "They were just swinging swords purely, but they weren't practicing Itto-ryu. I asked how often they sparred, and they said once every five days. Mizukawa Masaru, as the Club Captain, wanted to revive the Kendo Club, but he didn't know how. 'Reviving the Kendo Club' is an abstract goal. it covers many things: personnel, budget, coaching... I once asked him, and he said he wouldn't mix school business with home business, including the families of other club members. This means Mizukawa won't force members to study elsewhere, won't provide free access to his family's dojo, he himself doesn't have enough money to hire a great Kendo coach, and the school won't do it either. This is Mizukawa Masaru's strength and his fatal flaw. He faced this massive Kendo Club without knowing what to do, so he could only trudge along with what he had. Then I appeared. He got a clear target, so he came looking for me and humbled himself to beg. My arrival gave them a training goal, and he started working hard again, just as you see now."
Hachiman reflexively asked, "What's the difference?"
"The difference is huge!" Akishin raised a finger and tapped Hachiman's forehead. "One is a target I gave him, or more accurately, an order. The other is a target he sets for himself. There is an essential difference there. If I hadn't come, or if I didn't care about the Kendo Club, that club would have stayed exactly like that until he graduated. Then it would be replaced by a new captain; the club might rise again, or it might fall even deeper into the abyss... You might not understand yet. Actually, many people are this type; they don't look prominent in ordinary times, but as long as they are given one clear target, they will fight with all their might—provided that target is simple, clear, and within their reach. You couldn't give him the target of becoming the Prime Minister of Japan. That target is clear, yes, but it isn't simple. The role of Prime Minister covers every aspect and is far beyond his current reach. If you told Mizukawa Masaru to become Prime Minister, his first thought would be 'impossible,' he would reject it immediately and not care about it anymore."
Hachiman felt odd. "Isn't that how normal people are?"
"It's different." Akishin shook his head, looking at Hachiman seriously. "Let's do an experiment. Hikigaya, I want you to become the Prime Minister of Japan. This is mandatory."
Hachiman went silent. Two seconds later, he answered, "Sensei is joking. I can't do that."
"There's the difference. Just now, weren't you thinking about how to become the Prime Minister? What achievements would you need? What positions would you have to hold? What were the specific steps? Only after you realized you weren't capable did you answer that you couldn't."
Akishin's expression right now was like a fox that had just made off with a chicken.
Hachiman nodded hesitantly. "...Is something wrong with that?"
Akishin waved his hand. "Nothing is wrong. But if it were Mizukawa Masaru, he would have rejected the possibility fundamentally from the start. If you told him to raise his Hensachi to seventy, he would immediately refuse and say he couldn't. He wouldn't think, 'What if I tried harder, could it be reached?' Hikigaya, let's do another experiment. Tomorrow, ask Mizukawa for his target university, then find out his grades—ideally from a year ago—and compare them to his grades now. You'll find his grades haven't changed much, and they are just enough to get into his target university, which is just a 'decent' school."
Hachiman hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll check." (Akishin: You can just randomly check student grades? Author: Shut it, I'm writing this book. If I say he can, he can.)
"Let's continue the previous topic."
Akishin clapped his hands to regain Hachiman's attention. "Through this, it's clear that Mizukawa Masaru will only do things he believes he is capable of doing. He came to beg me because he felt there was a possibility I would agree. He practices hard because he is capable of completing that training load... Hikigaya, this is your difference from Mizukawa Masaru, and also where you are superior. What he can do, you can do too. But he isn't suited to practice Kendo; his future is essentially predictable, while your future is full of limitless possibilities. That is what matters most."
For some reason, Hachiman felt a lump in his throat as he listened. "So... this is the thing I have that Mizukawa-senpai doesn't?"
"Exactly." Akishin nodded, then added, "Actually, there's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Do you think Mizukawa Masaru has self-respect?"
Hikigaya hesitated. "Maybe... he does?"
"No, he doesn't. That isn't self-respect." Akishin countered, then patted Hachiman's head again. "That is merely principle. Principles of conduct. Whether it was beating up thugs who bullied students or opposing Hayama Hayato, those were all Mizukawa Masaru's principles. You are different, Hikigaya. You have self-respect, or more accurately, 'bones of arrogance' (Aogu). It is a mentality of never surrendering. Even Yukinoshita-kun doesn't have it—at least, I haven't seen it yet. Accepting reality gracefully, yet refusing to bow to that reality; that requires immense courage. This is the reason I took the initiative to choose you as my disciple."
Hachiman murmured softly, "Bones of arrogance?"
Akishin smiled with eyes full of hope. "That's right. Hikigaya, I'm really looking forward to your future. By accepting my two suggestions just now, regardless of whether you can finish them or not, you've already tried your best to act. And that means you've already succeeded halfway."
That night, Hachiman used his student ID number to log into the school website. He successfully found all of Mizukawa Masaru's grades from the last two and a half years.
After comparing them, it turned out exactly as Chishima-sensei had said; his grades hadn't changed much, with the average point difference being no more than fifty points.
He then calculated Mizukawa's Hensachi, compared it with the universities that matched those scores, and noted them down in silence.
Early the next morning, Hachiman met Mizukawa and asked about his target university. Mizukawa was puzzled but told him anyway.
Hachiman froze for several seconds after hearing the answer.
It was true. It was one of the universities on the list he had written down.
Chishima Akishin was right again.
He wouldn't suspect Akishin of having checked beforehand; Akishin wasn't the type to do something so ridiculous.
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