9 - Hikigaya Hachiman: Spotless and Clean
"Please wait, Hikigaya-kun, Yumeko-san."
The two were walking down the corridor outside the classroom. The sun was setting behind them. From Suzui Ryota's point of view, they looked like reapers walking side by side. Their silhouettes were long and unfathomable.
"Hmm?" Hachiman casually slung his bag over his shoulder and turned. "You are... Suzui-kun? What's up?"
"I'm really, really sorry!" Suzui rushed over and bowed deeply before them. "Helping Saotome-san cheat against you two—that was all my fault. Please forgive me."
"Huh?"
Suzui's overly dramatic apology left both Hachiman and Yumeko momentarily speechless. They exchanged confused glances.
'What the heck... did this guy get cast as the "nice guy" sidekick or something?'
"No no, it's not that serious. Besides, we won, didn't we?"
Only then did Suzui breathe a sigh of relief. He looked up to see the way Hachiman and Yumeko stood next to each other—clearly not just any normal boy-girl distance.
He hesitated. It felt rude to ask, but if he didn't, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
Eventually, he blurted out, "Um... sorry if this is rude, but... You guys only met today, right? Why do you seem so close?"
"Eh?" Yumeko's face flushed bright red, as if her secret had been exposed. She covered her mouth in surprise, but quickly offered an explanation: "I met Hachiman-kun on the school bus this morning. Since we don't have any friends here yet, we naturally help each other out! Right, Hachiman-kun?"
"Well... something like that."
"Plus, we're the same kind of people," Yumeko said, her eyes glowing red once more.
Huh...? That's it...? Then maybe I could... Suzui's heart brimmed with a wild thought.
"Actually, I don't have any friends either," he muttered to himself, then shook his head, dismissing the fantasy.
He began muttering dramatically.
"You two really do make a perfect pair. You're both... special. I'll never have talent like that in my whole life."
P-Perfect pair?!
Yumeko froze as if struck by lightning. She quickly took her bag from in front of her and shifted it behind her back. Her hands twisted and fidgeted with each other in embarrassment.
"I'm going to drop out," Suzui sighed. He grabbed the dog tag around his neck and said, as if freed from a burden, "I'm in debt. I owe Saotome Mary five million yen. I tried to win it back through gambling, but I only made things worse. It's like sinking into a swamp. I'm tired. If I could be as strong as you two... I wouldn't have to stay a worthless mutt forever."
Every movement of his fell into Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes.
But for someone like that, Hikigaya felt no emotional fluctuation. His gaze was indifferent and slightly bored as he let out a yawn.
'In this situation, I suppose I should feel some sympathy? But I don't. Looking at Suzui Ryouta—this is what a loser looks like. A man who failed in gambling, and in turn, failed at life.'
'Gambling dogs die miserable deaths.'
'That's why I have to win. Keep winning, and become a winner in life.'
Hikigaya's determination to seek fame and gain was once again solidified. 'Just look. From his reaction to Jabami Yumeko, it seems like he's fallen in love at first sight. Of course, love at first sight is just a romanticized way of saying "lust at first glance." It's just meaningless hormones fueled by youth.'
'I will never become like him.'
Feeling somewhat bored, Hikigaya turned away. He had no time to waste listening to someone vent their negativity. Part of his reason for choosing Hyakkaou Private Academy was so he could justifiably join the "Go-Home" club, giving him more time to write and thereby build fame and capital from scratch.
'The character for "person" is often explained as two people supporting each other, but when you write it out, isn't it clearly leaning to one side? Only by throwing everything into winning, into crushing others, defeating them, and taking from them, can someone become a complete person.'
However, he had barely taken two steps before hearing a soft "thud" behind him.
Jabami Yumeko had pulled several stacks of bills out of her small handbag filled with ten million yen, placing them on the windowsill with a clatter. The thick bundles of Fukuzawa Yukichi notes gleamed in the setting sun.
"Today's gamble was truly fun, Suzui-san. This is just a little token of appreciation—please accept it."
"I don't like games that are guaranteed wins or guaranteed losses. It's thanks to you that I was able to enjoy such a gamble."
Suzui Ryouta stared in stunned silence at Jabami Yumeko, seeing the expression of a young girl in love on her face. Her smile was pure, flawless, and without a trace of darkness.
But he knew very well—that smile was not meant for him. That so-called "token of appreciation" probably wasn't even because he created an unfair game, but because—
His eyes passed over Jabami Yumeko and landed on Hikigaya Hachiman behind her. Suzui Ryouta vaguely felt that the reason Yumeko had given him the money might have simply been because of the compliments he had made earlier about Hikigaya and her.
What the hell was this?
Suzui Ryouta was left with a mix of emotions and deep in thought.
When he came back to his senses, Yumeko had already jogged back to Hikigaya Hachiman's side, the two walking further and further away.
As the sun set, he held the money Yumeko left behind and looked once again at the mirror beside him.
The person in the mirror… really did look like a dog.
.
.
.
"Jabami-san, gentle and righteous people often have a hard time surviving in this world, because this world is neither gentle nor righteous. Helping him like this may not necessarily be a good thing."
"Ma ma~ It's just a little money, no big deal at all."
Jabami Yumeko brushed it off with a cheerful smile. Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head and said no more.
"Hikigaya-kun, do you have any plans after school?"
The two of them walked side by side on the road out of school. Among the small groups of students heading home, a boy-and-girl pair wasn't particularly eye-catching.
"Plans? Not really. I'll just grab something from a convenience store and then go back to my rented apartment to rest."
"A rented apartment, huh? A single-person place near the school must be expensive. Seems like Hikigaya-kun's family is doing pretty well."
"It's alright."
Hikigaya didn't want to delve too much into that topic.
"Hikigaya-kun, do you have someone to eat with?"
Suddenly, Yumeko stopped walking, turned to him, and asked seriously.
Huh?
Hikigaya was stunned. "My family lives in Chiba. I just arrived in Tokyo today, so of course I'm eating alone."
"I still owe Hikigaya-kun 777 yen from this morning. Why don't I treat you to dinner at the convenience store?"
That so...
Hikigaya looked at the radiant young girl in front of him—her smile was warm and full of youthful energy, quite different from Yukinoshita Yukino's cold elegance. He was momentarily dazed.
He vaguely sensed that Yumeko might have some feelings for him… or maybe this was just one of the three great delusions in a man's life.
Even someone as shrewd as Hikigaya couldn't decipher the ultimate complexity that was a woman's heart. Based on his empirical experience, he simply chose to go with the flow. The painful lessons of the past and his commitment to reaching the top of the hierarchy made him calm down again.
'It's just a meal. No matter what others think, I, Hikigaya Hachiman, am clear and upright, true to my goal of becoming the ultimate winner in life!'
He nodded and accepted Yumeko's invitation.
"I looked it up. There's a buy-one-get-one promotion at the convenience store today, so we can save a bit of money."
"Huh? Even someone as rich as Hikigaya-kun is that frugal?"
"Money doesn't grow on trees, and I'm not some rich guy either... Since you're treating me, I want honey-roasted peanuts and ramen."
"Mm-hmm!"