Chapter 147: The Difference Between Two Paths (Long Chapter)
"What's the difference? Isn't it just like visiting a haunted house, except one is indoors and the other is in a forest?"
Shizuka's answer was exactly what Akishin had expected.
"...Is that so? Fair enough."
Truth be told, Akishin wasn't exactly a conversationalist. He'd only wanted to start a topic, but now that he'd thrown it out there, he had no idea how to keep it going.
Shizuka glanced at Akishin. Even in the darkness, she could still sense the man's faint disappointment.
She smiled softly. If it were daytime, it would have been a dazzling sight.
Before long, the group at the foot of the mountain set off. They moved in teams of five, one group departing at a time.
There was a rustling of leaves nearby, and following the beam of a flashlight, Kondo Soichi stepped out from the shadows.
"Chishima-sensei, Hiratsuka-sensei."
Kondo Soichi clicked off his flashlight and stood beside Akishin. He held a stick in his hand, swinging it toward the ground—he had run into a snake on his way up and had been quite rattled by it.
"By the way, Soichi, I haven't asked you yet. How did things turn out with that job you were doing?" Akishin watched as Soichi set the stick down and crossed his arms over his chest like a miniature adult, remembering the events from earlier that day.
When it came to Kondo Soichi, he felt perfectly at ease.
Still, he needed to understand the process.
The night wind blew, chilling the skin. The trees swayed, making it feel as though something was constantly lingering nearby, as if the forest were crowded with unseen presences that made one's hair stand on end.
That was the essence of a forest courage test. The forest itself was the ultimate source of dread; ironically, the man-made scares actually lowered the tension.
Unfortunately, the three people standing here were all quite the fearless bunch.
Soichi gave a light smile and said, "In their class, three people were playing an exclusion game. I found them, gave each of them a slap, and made sure a few girls from their class witnessed it. After that, I gave them a warning along with a threat so they wouldn't try anything like that again..."
Soichi paused for a moment, his smile widening. "On my way up, I saw them. They were surrounding Tsurumi Rumi to apologize. They won't dare ostracize her anymore. She'll be able to live happily from now on."
Akishin nodded. "Good work. But why did you have to hit them?"
"Because people like that only remember things if they feel actual pain. If they had been boys, I would've hit them until their faces were swollen, even if I didn't send them to the hospital."
"I trust that you're a kid who knows his limits. Things like this are permitted, but you must understand why you're doing it. Don't be tempted by a little bit of power."
Why do delinquents enjoy bullying others? Because they derive pleasure from it. That kind of pleasure is like a drug; it becomes an addiction.
Even though he believed in Soichi, as a teacher, Akishin still felt the need to give the warning.
Soichi looked up at the stars in the sky and said, "I know, Sensei. I've understood these things for a long time. Besides, I still remember those two lines written in the dojo..."
Behavior like this, put kindly, was called justice. Put bluntly, it was vigilantism. But that was how the world worked; only the strong had the right to speak.
Shizuka, hearing that Kondo Soichi had struck three people, had been shocked and ready to offer a lecture. However, listening to the communication between the two, she held her words back.
The surrounding atmosphere returned to silence.
The three of them stood in the night breeze, momentarily unsure where to go and not mentioning heading back. A night like this was actually quite nice. Surprisingly, there were no mosquitoes or bugs. Just standing there, enjoying a moment of tranquility, was a fine experience.
About five minutes later, Soichi's voice drifted through the air, though this time it sounded a bit heavy. "Chishima-sensei, may I ask a question? I feel like you seem to favor Hikigaya-senpai a little more..."
"...It's not favoritism. It's just that you haven't yet met the conditions for me to teach you with my whole heart. Besides, you're too young right now. You aren't quite ready for what I teach; I can really only teach you actual combat."
Facing this question, Akishin went silent for a moment before explaining his reasoning.
Soichi turned to look at Akishin, but in the pitch blackness, he could only vaguely see an outline. He asked again, "What are the conditions?"
"Your resolve hasn't reached Hikigaya's level. There are many things contained within your sword. That is a good thing, but it also shackles your strike..."
Akishin pointed out Soichi's problem with a very profound tone. He had originally thought Soichi would only realize this and ask after a long time, or perhaps never ask at all.
Actually, this was also thanks to Hachiman's help.
With Soichi's own talent, he would have eventually realized it—maybe even after going home this time. It was just that Hachiman's words had made him realize it much faster.
It was like when we work on a math problem; we're so close to the answer, but we just can't crack it. At that moment, if someone gives a single hint, everything clicks in a flash of inspiration.
"What is resolve? Is my resolve still not strong enough?"
Soichi didn't get angry at Akishin's vague answer. He tried to search his memory, looking for his own shortcomings.
"Not enough. Soichi, even though you've been through a lot, overall, things have gone smoothly and happily for you. Compared to Hikigaya's mental state, you're still a bit behind."
Akishin looked at the campfire at the foot of the mountain and said, "Hachiman has been ostracized and bullied since he was a child. He managed to pull himself out of it with his own strength. He's a remarkable person who has seen the true essence of life yet still loves living it."
"If Hikigaya keeps trying, his future achievements might not make him wealthy, but at the very least, he won't do poorly."
"I see. No wonder Senior could become so amazing in just a few months. Calling him a genius is an understatement; he can only be described as a monster." Remembering every detail of his Kendo training, Soichi felt he had found where his weakness lay.
"Don't think too much about it. You're both my students. At least to me, you're both the same, there's no difference. And who said being my student only means learning Kendo?"
Kendo was just the most obvious item. I teach other things as well, and Kendo is primarily manifested in the word 'Way.'
—I'm starting to get a fantasy vibe here! (Laughs)
"But Sensei, I haven't officially done the student ceremony yet. That should mean you haven't officially recognized me as your disciple." Soichi smiled happily, then bumped his small fist toward Akishin. In a swearing tone, he said, "Just you wait, Chishima-sensei. I'll make you truly recognize me soon. When that happens, I'll perform the official ceremony. This is what Kondo Soichi says, and it will definitely happen..."
Akishin: ...
He sighed, smiling as he shook his head slightly. "Soichi, even if you gained my full recognition right now, I wouldn't teach you like Hachiman. I would only teach you actual combat. You're still too small, and you're still growing. Wait until you're in high school at least. Until then, just sparring with your Senior or practicing on your own is enough. Even for middle school competitions, that should be plenty."
"I understand that, but I still want to get Sensei's recognition first. After all, you've said more than once that practicing the sword is practicing the heart..."
"...Huh? I've said something like that? And more than once!?"
"Of course, I remember it very clearly."
...
The campfire crackled in the darkness of the night, sparks flying into the sky and disappearing in the wind.
Only the last team remained.
Tsurumi Rumi stood there expressionless. Her two friends had faint red marks on their faces. When the teachers asked what had happened, they claimed they were playing a cheek-slapping game where the loser had to be slapped by the opponent...
Their expressions held a slight air of trying to curry favor as they hovered around Tsurumi Rumi, trying to build a bridge. But no matter how much they talked, Rumi just looked at the red marks on their faces and gave blank replies.
"Right... yeah... I see... I think so too..."
She looked like she had absolutely no desire to engage with them.
The attitude of the other classmates toward Rumi had changed drastically. Some of the delinquents who usually acted high and mighty were practically acting like Rumi's subordinates. The class rep brought four people over, showing genuine kindness to Rumi.
Only then did Rumi show a sweet smile in return.
And when others saw the class rep and several influential figures approaching Rumi, they joined in as well.
This also served as a new topic of conversation.
During this process, Rumi began to think about the relationships between each party with a sense of direction. She would observe her opponent's expressions, judging whether this person was being fake-kind or truly kind...
And after thinking these things through, she suddenly felt as if she didn't really need friends—solitude isn't actually scary, and being alone isn't a bad thing; what's scary is malicious exclusion.
Rumi understood this well herself. She didn't hold a grudge against the classmates who had conspired against her and caused her isolation. She had no ill will, but naturally, no goodwill either. If she had to put it into words, they were just strangers she had a bad impression of.
Seeing the worry on their faces, a complicated feeling surged in Rumi's chest. She didn't feel happy, but she did feel much lighter.
Then, she took the initiative to find other girls in the group to talk to, showing kindness...
'How will things be in the future? Will it change back to how it was before? That depends on me. Should I go learn some martial arts?'
...
Komachi pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time.
"...Alright! Next up is the last team. Good luck!"
It was finally their turn. Led by Rumi, they entered the forest under the instructions of Komachi and Totsuka Saika.
Hachiman made sure they had departed, then slipped away to hide. Even though Soichi's part was done, he wanted to see the concrete results for himself.
It wasn't out of some fearless kindness, but purely because I didn't want to see her get hurt again.
The destination this time was the fork in the mountain path, the same spot where one of the paths was blocked off with traffic cones.
Using a method similar to his earlier patrol, Hachiman moved through the trees, avoiding the main path so he wouldn't run into any elementary schoolers along the way.
The leaves, damp with night dew, felt freezing. As the night grew deeper, the outdoor temperature gradually dropped, making goosebumps erupt on his skin.
When humans focus on one thing, their reaction to everything else becomes much weaker.
Finally, Hachiman crouched in the middle of the path, camouflaging himself within the bushes.
One minute, two minutes, five minutes... Hachiman waited for Rumi's group to appear. Judging by the time, they should be nearly there.
As the night grew later, the forest grew darker. Hachiman closed his eyes in the gloom, straining his ears to listen intently. An owl hooted, tree branches scraped together...
And within those sounds, low voices gradually mixed in, growing louder by the second.
Soon, the final group appeared.
The group reached the route split. Tsurumi Rumi, leading the way, glanced curiously at the road blocked by traffic cones, then walked toward the turning path.
The friends behind her followed suit.
Hachiman looked toward Tsurumi Rumi, seeing her at the very front. She seemed to be saying something to the two girls beside her, her expression carrying an indescribable firmness.
Perhaps it was some kind of encouragement.
Meanwhile, those two were clearly a bit scared and were sticking close to Tsurumi Rumi, obviously treating her as their main support.
As for the two girls with red marks on their faces, they could only follow silently from behind.
Hachiman kept a safe distance, following them carefully from the rear.
Just then, someone suddenly called out to him in a low voice.
"Hikigaya-kun, what's the situation?"
Hachiman turned around and saw Yukino and Yui arriving together—since Rumi's team was the last group, their job of pretending to be ghosts to scare people was over.
"The situation is very good. Rumi is no longer being ostracized. She's trying to make real friends. I plan to keep following to see it through. What about you two?"
"That's good then, but..." Yukino's voice was a bit cold as she spoke, "Why is it that when it comes out of your mouth, this behavior sounds like a stalker? Didn't you say the malicious exclusion is over?"
Hachiman: ...
He didn't want to say much and went straight to the point. "Are you guys coming or not?"
"Of course I'm going."
"Me too."
Yukino and Yui nodded.
Hachiman: ...
And so, the three of them moved stealthily, continuing to follow.
The courage test team relied on mutual encouragement and conversation to overcome their fear. Further back, they ran into the 'scary' team of Hayama, Yumiko, and the others. They were quite shocked for a moment but managed to push through.
Finally, after receiving the passing token from Akishin's hand, the two girls beside Rumi jumped for joy.
The five of them returned the same way they came, only this time the group was joined by two teachers and several other Sobu High students.
The three of them—Hachiman and the others—took the chance to blend into the group as well.
Seeing Tsurumi Rumi surrounded by the two girls in the center, Hachiman remembered his own plan—since you can't change the relationship, then destroy the relationship.
Both methods had their merits. Soichi's way was to give Rumi a chance at a new choice, while his own was to completely shatter the rules, letting everyone stand on relatively equal ground.
The former relied primarily on Tsurumi Rumi herself.
The latter, because everyone was the same, meant there would be no malicious exclusion. And it happened to prove that one person wasn't guilty, providing a reason that could be used to escape.
—Everyone has an unkind side; it just depends on whether it turns into reality, and whether it gets exposed under the sunlight.
Rumi, who was in front, suddenly slowed her pace and moved to the side, walking parallel to Hachiman. She spoke in a quiet voice. "Hachiman, thank you."
"You already thanked me this afternoon." Hachiman waved his hand.
"...But I want to thank you anyway. I'm truly grateful."
"What are you going to do next? Try to make more friends? That's fine. Making real friends will be beneficial now or after graduation. Just, you know, don't easily compare true friends to material interests."
"No, I won't take the initiative to look for friends. My personality isn't suited for it. But as long as everyone isn't intentionally targeting me, people will take the initiative to find me. I used to have a lot of friends."
"..."
Hachiman felt like he had just taken a heavy blow.
Wait, wait, wait... this isn't how it was supposed to go!!!
...
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