AN: Whatever happened to that lazy writer lose? Sorry for the huge delay everyone. It was due partly to laziness, but mostly to general writer's block and struggles with how to write certain scenes. This chapter is by far the longest, so it should make up for the wait a little bit. Truth be told, a lot of material got cut from this chapter actually, approximately 1500 words worth of monologue that I had previously intended to include. Also, it looks like Watari has forced my hand. Vol. 10 and downwards are canon for this story; it's AU after that point. Anyways, I'd really like it if you guys left reviews. They inspire me to write more and all that. Enjoy.

Chapter 6: As They Drink Their Tea, A Tempest Brews Above.

Even with my jacket's hood pulled all the way over my head, I could still feel the wet drops as they cascaded over my forehead and cheeks.

I pulled at the strings that dangled loosely around my neck in an attempt to readjust my coat, but it made no difference which way I pulled or tugged. I was still getting drenched underneath the heavy downpour of rain that was falling from the murky clouds above, and I was still shivering from the chills that those cold drops had sent coursing throughout my body.

I sighed out as I walked, a puff of vapor from my mouth disintegrating before me like a thin fog. My nose twitched as the mist from my breath and the odor of petrichor mixed and prickled at my nostrils. As I continued to saunter along the crowded sidewalks of Chiba, my mind automatically registered the details of the environment that surrounded me.

Huge swarms of people were huddling under their umbrellas, their feet dragging as they meandered through the congestion. Some were absently fiddling with their phones as they walked, but most simply stared straight ahead with stony expressions.

More than once, the man walking in front of me stopped suddenly to look at his wristwatch and then sent me dirty looks over his shoulder when I accidentally clipped the back of his shoe with my foot. I would spit out a short apology each time but it was his fault anyways, so my words lacked warmth.

It seemed that the stifling atmosphere that this type of weather brought wasn't only suffocating in a physical sense, but in a psychological one as well.

My shoulders instinctively shrugged as these thoughts churned aimlessly in my head. It wasn't surprising that gloomy weather like this put people in terrible moods. Most people already teetered on the edge of normality and mental breakdown. One errant thing—no matter how seemingly trivial—could easily act as a trigger for a random outburst.

I continued my mechanical examination of my surroundings; my feet instinctively planting themselves step after step into the wet cement of the sidewalk. My eyes, which I constantly had to blink to clear raindrops from, naturally angled towards the sky and also the traffic-laden streets that ran parallel to where I was walking.

I winced as a particularly large raindrop fell on the tip of my nose.

Thick, heavy drops were falling from the sky at an incredibly frenzied pace. The tiny tributaries and streams that were beginning to form along the cracks and potholes in the streets were flowing loudly and aggressively. The dark clouds above stretched towards every side of the horizon and loomed overhead like permanent shadows.

I could even hear the faint sound of thunder as it echoed from a distance away.

All things considered, today was pretty much the worst possible day for an airy stroll through Chiba district.

With that being the case, I honestly wasn't even a little bit surprised that fate had chosen a day like this for my bicycle brakes to so suddenly fall apart like they had that morning. Add this unfortunate timing to the fact that Komachi and my parents had taken both umbrellas with them when they had left to Funabashi that morning, and you would begin to understand why I wasn't in the best mood.

I felt my toes get soaked as water from a muddy puddle poured through a hole in the bottom of my sneaker.

Anyways, it went without saying that walking through a storm really sucked.

It took nearly twenty more minutes of walking until I finally arrived at the front gates of Sobu High.

As I had expected, I ended up being pretty late after having been ensnared in the crowd of pedestrians on my way to school.

Aside from a couple of stragglers that were walking briskly towards the entrance of the main building, the exterior of the school was completely deserted. Normally, the physical education classes during first period would be engaging in some random athletic-related activity near the field bordering the special building, but on account of the torrential downpour of rain that had, and was currently soaking the entire campus, there wasn't a soul in sight.

I hurried my pace and lazily wiped my wet hair on my equally wet jacket before entering the building.

Like the campus outside, the hallway was also eerily silent. Even the students that I had seen a few moments earlier were nowhere to be found as I made my way towards the staircase that led up to the third level.

As I hurriedly climbed the stairs, my drenched sneakers let out an irritating squeak with each step. In my wake I left a trail of muddied footprints and grass clippings from when I had cut through the school's front lawn earlier. I couldn't help but feel bad for the janitor who would have to deal with the mess that I had left behind, but because it was his job and all, I guess there wasn't really a point in beating myself up over it any more than was necessary.

I breathed out slightly when I finally reached the entrance to classroom 3-C.

Showing up late to class was, without exception, always an embarrassing thing to do. Even if you had a completely justifiable excuse—which I did in that I was stuck in rain-induced traffic—the probing stares and wayward glances that came your way when you walked in were always enough to make your cheeks heat up. Usually, when you finally made it to your seat, you'd stare at the board dutifully with your hands crossed in front of your chest like some sort of model student just to try to divert some of the attention off of you.

However, what was even worse was that because you were walking in late, you'd inevitably interrupt the teacher right in the middle of his lesson as you practically power-walked towards your desk. Sure your teacher might reassure you that it wasn't a big deal or that the traffic really was bad that day, but if you turned your head ever so slightly in his direction, you could easily notice the faint look of annoyance on his face.

Therefore, because you'd want to be courteous to your teacher and fellow students, it was natural that you would want to wait for a pause in the lesson before you made your way in. However, this wasn't a good idea either. Source: me.

Once in middle school after missing the bus, I waited with my ear propped against the class door for the most opportune moment to sneak into the room without making too much noise. However, my teacher saw me through the tiny circular window in the doorframe, and personally interrupted his lesson in order to tell me to hurry up and to stop wasting his and everyone else's time. I of course responded politely and didn't make a fuss for the rest of the class (or year), but that didn't stop him from referring to me as a 'rude punk' the entire week after that; a nickname that became unexplainably popular amongst my classmates. It was a pretty humiliating experience to say the least.

But that's what you get for being considerate kids. It's better to play the devil may care delinquent that barges in than to be the guy who overthinks everything to the point of idiocy, and gets made fun of for it.

After standing around idly for a few moments, I took a shallow breath and grabbed the handle to slide the door open.

As the rough panels folded apart, eyes from every corner of the classroom fell upon me, most surprised, some annoyed. As I entered, my own eyes naturally gravitated towards the group positioned at the center of the classroom, their attractive faces and quiet charisma catching my attention despite my best attempt at facing completely forwards.

For a brief second, my eyes connected with Yuigahama's, and she sent me a small smile through her closed lips. I nodded ever so slightly in return.

Tobe and Ebina's glances lingered on me for just a moment longer than necessary. Brimming on the surface of their eyes was something that I wasn't used to seeing from them—at the very least not directed at me.

Miura, whose hands had been moving feverishly just a second ago jotting down notes, stilled suddenly. The gaze that she fixed me with was certainly intense, something that I had to say was very representative of her queenly disposition, but it held neither a malicious intent nor even the cold, uninterested expression that I was used to. It was stony, but I could practically read the words that her eyes communicated as if they were a teleprompter on a stage.

The gazes that I saw were ones that I had been anticipating, or at the very least was expecting anyways. However, the one that truly caught me off guard was that of the school's golden-boy himself, Hayama Hayato.

His eyes that were uncaringly staring at the board a moment prior, suddenly sharpened inexplicably as he turned to face me. My heart began to beat faster for a moment.

In his gaze was something that I couldn't completely identify. Although it clearly held some form of idle recognition and nonchalant disinterest, teeming underneath was also a sense of intensity and if I were forced to put my observations into words, aggression even. The longer he stared at me, the more uneasy I felt. I couldn't help but swallow at the strange sight.

"Hikigaya, are you planning on standing around all day or are you going to sit so I can continue my lesson?"

My legs froze. Or rather, they stayed frozen.

I noticed at that moment that I had stopped moving entirely, and was still standing awkwardly at the front of the classroom. My face suddenly felt abnormally hot, and my mouth automatically spit out a string of words with the intention of salvaging the situation and getting me into my seat as fast as possible.

"Aah yes sensei. Sorry."

A silent chuckle sounded out from the back of the classroom. My cheeks still burning, I trudged to my desk, using the majority of my concentration to steady my drenched, shaky legs.

As I turned to take my bag off of my shoulders, a clear voice suddenly called out.

"I'm sure you're well aware Hikigaya, but this is your third tardy this semester. Are you having an issue with transportation?"

I heard more small giggles from the back as she finished speaking. The smile that was adorning her face was slightly crooked and her eyes sparkled with an impish glint.

"Uh n-no… I can make it fine here."

I shook my head as I realized how illiterate and unintelligent my sentence sounded.

"I mean… um, well the brakes on my bike were broken this morning… but usually I'm… biking."

Another round of quiet snickers erupted around me.

I decided at that moment that I hated Hiratsuka-sensei. Damn her, I knew she was enjoying this. If she weren't standing in front of a class right now, I guarantee she would've burst into a fit of annoying laughter right then and there.

Normally I was good in these types of situations too, but walking in on a tardy classroom was a personal weakness of mine for some reason. It probably had to do with all those judgmental glares from my classmates way back in middle school. Although I accepted it, I never did quite understand what people found so amusing about someone walking in late.

Her lips curled as she continued to speak. "Good, because if you keep this up, I'm going to have to come drag you out of the house myself and take you to school in my car every morning. And we both know that wouldn't be a pleasant experience for either of us—well not for me at least."

Somebody fire this woman please. And yes, I mean right this instant.

I coughed into my hand slightly, and heard whispers from those around me.

Did she even know how inappropriate that sounded right there? I mean joking about something like that in private was one thing, but saying something like that in front of the class was something that a good teacher wasn't supposed to do (I both identified and answered my own question right there). Not to mention, being singled out like that was incredibly embarrassing for a student… so yeah! This kind of behavior was certainly not befitting of a teacher; we must address this issue and have her turn in her laser pointer and red pen i-immediately.

However, the only obstacle that stood in the way of my little plan was Hiratsuka-sensei's status as a tenured teacher… Although she was never really a consummate professional or anything, she had never been quite this bold in class either. I suppose it all had to do with her recent promotion.

After having shown great initiative and ability in her rearing of the Service Club, along with the uncharacteristically high test-scores of her students on the standardized Modern Japanese exam, Hiratsuka-sensei had attracted the attention of the district higher-ups. The principal, more specifically, had recognized her achievements and consequentially, had offered her the position as head of the Humanities department. She took it obviously.

As a result, in addition to the classes that she still taught to the second years, she had also had her pick of classes for one other liberal arts course as well. It went without saying that she signed up as the primary instructor for my liberal arts focus class this year. And just when I thought I'd gotten rid of her, she found a way to spring back into my life again.

Of course in reality, I actually was happy for her. Tenure, a heft pay raise, and a rather important title were all pretty big achievements. If anything, maybe this success and recognition would sound impressive on a dating profile and would help her find a husband and get married already…

"If you don't respond, I'm going to be forced to take that as a yes. For your own good Hikigaya, I pray you spit out some meaningless excuse, and soon."

Her singsong voice brought me out of my thoughts. A smart remark found its way into my head, but because I was still feeling flustered, I felt as if any attempts I might have made at talking right then would've come out in a stutter—which would have only served to embarrass me further—so I kept my response short.

"Right. I'm fine though..."

She smiled slightly before turning back to the board and continuing her lesson from where she left off. She discussed syntactical structure in Japanese poetry, while also occasionally writing down pertinent examples from the book on the chalkboard.

Although the quiet giggles and snorts that had resulted from mine and sensei's interaction earlier had persisted for a while, eventually they died down as class progressed.

My hand, and the pencil that was secured steadfastly in my fingertips, moved on its own accord as I listened to sensei muse about syllabics and the constraints of the WAKA system.

Most of the students in the class were similarly rushing to copy down the notes, but as I looked up slightly, I noticed that the hand of one of my classmates wasn't moving, but instead was propped out underneath her chin instead.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw turquoise eyes idly staring in my direction. If I were a more conceited person, I probably would've sworn that she was looking directly at the side of my face.

Hey, stop that… When did my face become more interesting than the view from the window?

I tried to ignore that absent stare, but after a few minutes had passed and I could still feel the unmistakable prickle of eyes on me, I decided to do something about it.

As suddenly and abruptly as I could manage, I turned my head towards Kawasaki and stretched out my gums, quickly flashing her with an unnaturally toothy and unsettling smile.

I heard the sound of bone against desk as she let out a small shriek and jumped from her seat slightly.

Her eyes that were previously looking in my direction turned away sharply as she put a hand to her chest.

"Is there a problem Kawasaki?"

Hiratsuka-sensei was looking over her shoulder, her arm still stretched towards the top of the chalkboard.

"Er, n-no problem," Kawasaki stammered out in a fluster.

Like before, a round of giggles and whispers erupted from the students around me.

Although it was rather hypocritical of me, I couldn't help myself and a rotten chuckle escaped from my own throat as well.

Let it be known, that's what happens when you mess with the alpha-loner.

I wasn't completely sure what her intention was in staring at me like that, but it seemed as if Kawasaki was trying to challenge the status quo right there.

It was pretty obvious that I was the top loner of the classroom and school. If she wanted that spot, she'd have to do a lot better than that to knock me off my throne.

Loners often had to spar to assert their dominances over one another, but it didn't necessarily have to be through violence. Sometimes intimidation tactics worked fine as well. Showing off your fangs was a common tactic in the canine world, so it wasn't surprising that it worked in the jungle known as high school too.

As the minute hand of the clock ticked away, I found my eyes naturally drawing towards that mysterious figure once again.

His eyes were fixed forward, but his hand that was holding his pencil stayed completely still throughout the entire class. His notebook was spotless and devoid of even a single marking.

When the bell signaling the start of lunch finally rang, he immediately packed up his bag and quietly stood to exit the room.

As he passed by my desk, I stared up at his face to see if he would meet me with that intense gaze again, but he simply faced straight ahead and quietly slid the door open before walking out. He was the first in the class to leave.

The rest of the students followed suit shortly after, and began to file out of the classroom to either club or the cafeteria. However, the majority—which normally went off campus or out onto the fields during lunch to eat—elected to stay and eat in the classroom on account of the weather.

As I was packing up my own things, a bright voice suddenly called out to me.

"Hikki, you're going to club during lunch today right?"

Yuigahama had made her way over from her seat in the center of the classroom, and had approached my desk with her bag in hand.

"Yeah I'm planning on it, but I need to do something first. Go on without me and I'll catch up."

I answered her as I finished stuffing my notebook into my bag. She looked at me with a slightly confused expression.

"What do you need to stay behind for?"

"I just need to talk to Hiratsuka-sensei about something."

I responded to her question before standing up and pushing in my chair.

"Ohh, haha. I bet it's about what she said earlier right? When she said it, everyone around me was like 'ooooh', and I felt embarrassed for you, but I couldn't really do much to help and all…"

I smiled slightly as I listened to Yuigahama's crude retelling of the earlier events. Oh Yuigahama, you simpleton… Don't ever change.

"Actually, it's not about that. Also, don't worry about it. I definitely didn't need you to do anything about it."

I shrugged as I spoke. After all, the last thing I wanted was for her to beat herself up over something that wasn't her fault at all. I mean Yuigahama on her own gave us plenty of excuses to poke fun at her, so it wasn't like we needed to invent more reasons for her to feel bad about herself or anything.

"Oh," her voice came out softly.

Although she was still smiling, the corner of her eyes seemed to wither a little bit as she spoke. Her hand that was gripping the strap of her bag tightened so slightly that it was hardly noticeable.

"Uh, right… Like I said, don't worry about it."

The tone in which she had spoken surprised me, and as a result, I ended up restating what I'd just said earlier.

I turned my head towards the front of the classroom as I began to walk.

However, as I did, something in the center of the room caught my eye.

The three students who were normally incredibly talkative during break times, all sat at their desks in a rather uncharacteristic silence.

Miura was staring at her phone, her finger occasionally tapping at buttons as she looked on blankly at the device's screen. Tobe and Ebina were also sitting around quietly looking at their phones, their faces seeming to lack the kinship and excitement that they usually held.

So then. Things were looking worse than ever.

Ever since they had laid out their request to the club, Miura and the others had seemed incredibly withdrawn and even dejected. At least before they had come to us with the request, it looked like they had been able to put on an effective act and at least hide away some of their worry. The way they were now just reminded me of some dejected circus animal: unable to put on an act even though they knew they would get punished if they didn't. It was surprising how big of a change the group had undergone after simply baring their guts to us and asking for help.

It did make sense in a way though. It would be foolish to underestimate the effects that physically talking out your concerns could have on your mental condition. You could hide in your mind all you wanted and blissfully live your life as if nothing were wrong and as if nothing traumatic had happened, but the second that words belying your true feelings are spoken is when you can't simply stop denying the truth anymore. Once it's out there and you admit to those problems—no matter how slightly—they become reality. I guess Miura and the others were realizing just now how bad their situation had gotten.

"Hey…what about them? Do they want to follow up on the request?"

I nodded my head in the direction of Miura's group as I addressed Yuigahama. She paused slightly, and after angling her eyes in their direction, spoke gently.

"Oh, um… I don't think they really want to…"

Both her tone and answer sounded oddly mysterious.

"Besides… I think they said all they wanted to back at the meeting a few days ago…"

Her words trailed off as she finished. I nodded in response.

"Oh. Good." I answered her uneasily. My legs began to move again and Yuigahama trailed slightly behind me as I walked.

She really was getting harder and harder to read. If it wasn't her speaking using vague terms and language, then it was the slightly disconnected tone that I had heard in her voice so often lately. In the instances where she trailed off like that, it was a shot in the dark on my part to figure out what she was thinking.

I couldn't accurately say how long this type of behavior of hers had been going on for, but if I were asked to narrow it down generally, I would probably say that it'd started becoming more noticeable after the incident with Miura's request last year, and the marathon.

I didn't want to be too presumptuous or anything though. After all, these little changes in Yuigahama's behavior were seemingly minor, and any justifications that I could make for why she was acting strangely were tenuous at best. In fact, I wasn't completely convinced that there was even any change in her behavior in the first place…

But still, something in the back of my mind wouldn't let this go, and kept telling me that something was ever so slightly off. I'd learned to trust that instinct in the past and I wasn't planning on changing that part of myself time soon. As a consequence, I couldn't deny that this behavior seemed highly suspect for whatever reason.

"Okay Hikki, I'll see you in the clubroom. Bye!"

"Ah. Yeah, later." I answered her.

As Yuigahama walked out the door and into the hallway, I turned towards Hiratsuka-sensei who was talking to another student near the window. I walked over and rested my arm on the podium as I waited my turn.

"It really wasn't my fault… that guy over there was doing something really weird."

The girl nodded to the desks behind her as she spoke, her dangling silver hair flicking slightly as she turned. Hiratsuka-sensei looked at the student with a confused expression before probing further.

"Who was doing something weird?"

"You know… That guy over there…" The tone that the girl spoke with became slightly more resigned as she said that, as if she didn't want to specify the subject of her sentence for whatever reason. "…Hikigaya."

My body tensed as I heard my name being spoken.

Hiratsuka-sensei's eyes suddenly gleamed with interest at the comment.

"Ah, you should've just said so. Hikigaya doing something weird is about as much explanation as you need to give. After all, that boy does act in truly inexplicable ways sometimes…"

Hey, when did gossiping about me suddenly become an exciting pastime..? Also, could you not make it sound like I was some sort of deviant or something?

"Speaking of which… What was with that comment you made earlier? The one about you driving him in the morning or something…"

Kawasaki turned her head to face Hiratsuka-sensei directly. For some reason, her tone sounded slightly cold as she spoke. K-Kawasaki you sure were scary…

"Oh that? Just a little motivation for him to get his butt back into shape and stop showing up to school late all the time. You know what they say, attacking a person's pride is the quickest way to get them to change. I think the embarrassment on his face was proof that my plan worked."

Ah, so that had been her plan… Sneaky sensei, sneaky! Hiratsneaka-sensei!

And with that in mind, I decided I had heard enough. Hearing people talk about you when you were standing just a few feet away was incredibly embarrassing. I coughed loudly to announce my presence.

Kawasaki who turned around to locate the sound of the noise, jumped slightly upon seeing me, her eyes suddenly growing wide and her posture stiffening up.

Boy, she really was jumpy wasn't she? I think I'd like to take her to a scary movie if not only to see her jump every time a bed sheet moved or something. But judging from my experience at the haunted house that one time, I had a feeling that cornering her into a situation like that would just mean having to buy a new set of cuffs for my uniform.

"Uh, I gotta go sensei." Kawasaki spit out a couple of words before rushing past me. However, as she did, our eyes connected for a moment and her cheeks that had turned pink earlier deepened a shade.

You know, getting that embarrassed over being caught badmouthing someone is probably a sign that you shouldn't be badmouthing anyone in the first place…

I watched her exit the door before I turned my gaze back to the other person who had been gossiping about me just a second earlier.

Hiratsuka-sensei greeted me as I walked over towards her, her shoulders still trembling slightly from her chuckles.

"So Hikigaya, you heard all that did you?"

A normal person probably would have been embarrassed that they'd been caught crudely gossiping behind someone's back, but nope. Not Hiratsuka-sensei.

"Well it was kind of hard to miss with how loud you were being." I answered her in as sarcastic a tone as I could muster.

She chuckled again.

"I guess we were being a little bit noisy, but it's lunchtime anyways so I doubt anyone minds." She glanced towards the desk-bound students that were noisily chatting away before turning back to me. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be heading to the clubroom right about now?"

As she spoke, she leaned against the windowsill and stuck her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"I'm going there after, but there was something I wanted to talk to you about before I left."

Upon seeing the slightly serious look on my face, her previously jeering expression faded and was replaced by a much more sober one.

"Oh. In that case, I'm all ears."

Seeing her shift gears so quickly into the serious mentor role that she played so well almost made me forget how annoying and flamboyant she'd been acting just a moment prior.

"Would you mind if we stepped into the hallway to talk about it?"

Even though what I wanted to talk about wasn't anything particularly serious or scandalous, having to discuss something important in front of the prying ears of high school students wasn't exactly something that I liked to do. After all, bored students possessed the uncanny ability to turn anything they overheard into something it wasn't, and with the way sensei was acting this morning, letting them eavesdrop would be like an invitation to start some unscrupulous rumor.

"Sure. I certainly don't mind, but I'm not sure what the other students might think. You know, especially considering what happened this morning."

Exactly, sensei, exactly.

Wait a minute, that was your fault completely. Wrong, sensei, completely wrong. By the way, I wholeheartedly take back what I said about her being a good mentor.

"Anybody ever told you you're a terrible role model?"

I turned to ask her a question, but she had already started walking towards the class's entrance, and consequently didn't hear me. I followed her.

I could hear the squeaking of my damp shoes echo as we exited into the hallway. There were a couple of students loitering around the entrances to their respective classrooms, but aside from that the hall was empty.

Eventually our steps stilled, and sensei took the opportunity to speak first.

"So, what's the problem?" She crossed her arms as she spoke, her eyes adorning an attentive expression.

"It's not really a problem." I said. "It's just… Would you mind showing a broadcast on the TV tomorrow during lunch? There's going to be an interview that the school council is setting up."

Even though there weren't a lot of students around, my voice still came out quiet. Again, it wasn't like what I was talking about was anything too sensitive, but I guess just asking for so many favors in such a short period of time was enough to make me feel slightly uneasy. I suppose it was the fact that I didn't like having to rely on so many people, and so often all at once. It felt wrong, but if these conditions were necessary to carry out my plan, then nothing could be done about it I suppose.

A look of realization spreading across her face, Hiratsuka-sensei eventually answered. "Oh, principal Katsuoro sent out an email a few hours ago saying that he wanted all the teachers to set up the monitors for something like that tomorrow. Is he referring to the same thing?"

It looked like Isshiki had successfully completed the favor I'd asked of her then. That being the case, there were only a few more things that needed to be attended to. In response to Hiratsuka-sensei's question, I gave a short affirmation before elaborating further.

"Yeah, that's the same thing. Isshiki and the others are planning on doing interviews with the seniors about university and stuff, and the principal must have chosen tomorrow for the broadcast date."

She nodded as she answered. "Ah, I see. Anyways, that does sound like a good idea with everyone graduating soon and all."

I nodded slightly as well. I was glad that Hiratsuka-sensei approved of the reasoning behind the broadcast and understood where I (well, the student council) was coming from in asking that it be shown. At the very least, her willingness to comply in this situation made what was going to happen a little bit easier for me.

"Though, the only thing I don't understand is why you've come to me to specifically ask about it. Don't tell that you're going to be one they're interviewing."

Her words held a faint amusement to them that implied a sense of surprise, as if just the idea of me openly talking about myself was some highly unlikely event.

Come to think of it, I guess she wasn't totally off base. She was right in so far as saying that interviews were never exactly my thing, and that I'd rather die first than be caught blabbing on and on about myself in front of a bunch of people. I mean, the second I start saying, "Don't forget to check out our sponsors Honda, iBuyPower, MAX coffee, and all the rest! Thanks to my wonderful supporters!" is the second someone should put me out of my misery. (By the way, in exchange for a monthly shipment of MAX coffee, I would be more than willing to sign over my soul for a partnership. Please consider both this offer and me as well, Coca-cola-san).

"Ha, that's obviously not it." I dismissed her with a slight wave of my hand.

"I expected as much, which is what prompted me to ask." She nodded slightly. "I'm still curious why you would confront me one on one like this though. It doesn't seem like something you would normally be concerned with."

It's true. I normally wouldn't have come to Hiratsuka-sensei for something like this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. That was a concept that I had understood fully when I had told Miura and the others that I'd help them. But even so, it wasn't like I could just flat out tell her what it was that I was planning or anything.

"That's not true." I swallowed down my saliva as my brain began to generate and process various excuses. "Uh, well you see…"

"…It has to do with the request that you were given the other day isn't it? Yukinoshita told me about it, albeit only the bare bones of what's going on."

My eyes, which were awkwardly angled towards my shoes a second ago, flicked up to sensei's. The surprise on my face must have been evident, because she continued on without waiting for me to answer.

"It certainly sounds like a complicated situation. After all, helping out a guy like that must be a little bit tough for you." She gave me an odd-looking smile as she said that.

I was caught slightly off guard by Hiratsuka-sensei's words. A guy like that…

"Uh, not really... It's just a job…" I trailed off.

"If you say so."

Her shoulders shrugged ever so slightly as she finished. Although her body language and words both clearly expressed agreement, it was obvious that she still had more to say. Naturally, I was curious as to what it was that she was implying in what she had said earlier, and also why she had even bothered to say something so bizarre in the first place.

I voiced the question that was rolling around in my mind after a brief period of silence.

"What makes this request any different from the other ones?" I asked.

She looked at me with a knowing expression, her thin lips curving up slightly.

"I think normally I would be tempted to sit back and let you figure it out for yourself, but because we're getting so close to the end of the year and I'm not sure there'll be a next time, I suppose I can spare you the suspense this time."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her lengthy preface. "I think that would save everyone involved a lot of trouble." I answered her sardonically.

"Fufu, brat. Just be quiet so I can continue." She cleared her throat as she motioned to speak.

I kept quiet and listened.

"I meant that taking on a request like this just to help someone you don't really like shows a tremendous amount of growth. To me, it's an undeniable sign that you aren't that same selfish kid you were when all of this started."

Selfish kid huh…

"Really… I don't know if you could say I've changed all that much..." I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. "I'm not fulfilling the request because I'm selfless or anything... I just didn't really have a choice in the matter."

"You could have said no." She answered quickly, as if somehow she'd known the exact words that I was planning on saying.

"Well, I couldn't say no when Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were—"

"Yukinoshita didn't tell me much, but one of the things she did mention was that you were the one who initially accepted the request." She gave me a rather triumphant-looking smirk, having caught me in my phony excuse. "That doesn't sound like something a selfish kid might do. Suspiciously enough, it even sounds like something someone who has grown might do."

I stayed silent.

I wasn't even entirely sure why I was trying to argue with Hiratsuka-sensei to begin with. She was clearly giving me a compliment in saying that I had grown, and judging by my failed attempts to prove otherwise, it seemed that she was right.

Even so, a feeling of uneasiness prickled at me.

"Yeah, maybe." I answered her dismissively. "Besides, that all sounds kind of wrong in the first place. Choosing to be alone and being selfish aren't the same things you know."

Even if I had changed, that didn't necessarily mean that I used to be selfish just on the account that I was a loner… I mean inwardly, yes it was true that I had absolutely no intention of helping (or talking to) anyone, but there's no possible way she could've known that or anything right..?

"True, but you were being incredibly selfish by withholding your service abilities and that amazing personality of yours from your classmates." She finished her thought with a cute smile and a wink.

Unexpected barrage! She's hitting us from a complimentary angle!

Despite how stupid the reason she gave me was, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Hiratsuka-sensei's half-sarcastic, half overly affectionate remark.

"That's seriously one of the lamest things I've ever heard," I responded as I shook my head.

She laughed a rich, hearty laugh as she reached into the pockets of her coat, pulling out a cigarette from one and her steel zippo from the other.

Her teeth gripping at the end of a cigarette, she addressed me, her voice coming out slightly fragmented given the awkward positioning of her lips.

"Think anyone'll mind if I light a quick one here?"

One of her hands was covering the lighter in her hand, the other flicking eagerly at the lighter's switch to activate the flame.

"Probably just the school, since it's against the rules to smoke inside the buildings and all."

"I won't tell if you won't."

She gave me a wry smile as her cigarette finally caught flame. She inhaled deeply, her eyes closing as she did so, before puffing out the tobacco slowly.

I wasn't going to lie and say that smoking wasn't a filthy habit, but trying to imagine a Hiratsuka-sensei that didn't smoke was like trying to imagine a Yukinoshita that preferred dogs to cats. A scene like this, despite how inappropriate it was, actually put me completely at ease.

We stood in silence for a while, sensei inhaling her cigarette while I used my body to slightly cover her from the sight lines of the other students in the hall.

The only sounds that could be heard in the quiet hallway were the slow puffing noises of sensei's breaths, and the faint patter of the rain as thick drops assaulted the hallway's windows.

As the remnants of her cigarette finally burned away, sensei took out a small, metal case and tossed the charred butt of the cigarette in there. She must've found the way I was staring at it to be odd, because she spoke to assuage my concerns before I even asked.

"Little keepsake that one of my old boyfriends gave me." She snapped the case shut before shoving it into one of her pants pockets.

"Turns out it's been pretty useful, even though he was anything but…" she fumed slightly as she spoke, but continued calmly after a cough. "I'll empty it out later."

Somebody marry her please. It might not look like it, but she's a good woman, I swear.

I didn't like to admit it, but the fact that sensei couldn't seem to get married despite her best attempts made me sad as well. Sure I would make fun of her for it, but if an incredible woman like Hiratsuka-sensei couldn't find a suitable partner, then I definitely had a reason to be worried for my own future. Selfish reasons aside though, it hurt a little bit to see Hiratsuka-sensei struggle as much as she did.

That being the case, I decided to change the subject to something that was less likely to send her into an outbreak of bitter tears. I coughed awkwardly before talking.

"So, if the principal's emailing all the teachers about it, then I guess Isshiki's interview is going to be a school-wide event huh?" I asked after a beat.

"Well, the email said that while recommended, showing it was optional and left completely up to the teacher's discretion." She paused slightly, her lips sucked in on top of one another in what I'm guessing was supposed to look like a contemplative gesture. "However, since you asked me so nicely, I suppose it would only be fair of me to fulfill your request."

Despite her cheap attempt at drumming up suspense, I couldn't help myself and one end of my lips tugged up slightly in response.

"Thanks. Also, could you try to keep in as many people as possible? You know, tell them that they'll get extra credit if they stay or something. " I found myself pushing my luck and asking for another small favor while I was already at it.

"Hoh, sure are asking for a lot there aren't you?" she responded with a slight chuckle as she crossed her arms.

"Well, I didn't plan on cashing in my favor so soon, but… Don't forget that I was the one who helped you make those lesson plans when you were drunk last weekend."

She scoffed before smiling.

"You really are a brat. Fine, I'll help you this time, but don't think that I'm always available to jump through hoops for you. I wouldn't want the other students to think that I'm playing favorites or anything."

"I'm pretty sure that boat sailed a long time ago."

I couldn't help but aim a rotten smile in Hiratsuka-sensei's direction. Well, it was intended to be a normal smile, but I'm sure it ended up looking rotten anyways.

After a moment, I realized that with sensei's confirmation accounted for, my work was done for now, and that I should probably head over to the special building before the others started to worry.

"Anyways, thanks. I should probably get going to club now."

"Mhm. Say hello to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama for me."

I nodded as I turned towards the direction of the stairwell. However, before I could even make it a few steps, I felt a hand grip my shoulder lightly. I turned around to face Hiratsuka-sensei who was wearing a rather complicated expression.

"Hikigaya." She stared at me, an odd look marring her features. Maybe it was the fact that I had turned around so quickly, but inexplicably, my cheeks began to feel warm. I stared at her for a second, waiting for her to continue her thought.

"Just… don't do anything too crazy alright?"

Her eyes shimmered as she spoke, the image of raindrops pattering off the hallway window reflecting in her grey irises.

"Yeah… I'll try not to."

I didn't like lying, but my voice came out on its own that time.

Walking through the hallway during a rainy day was quite an unusual experience. On a normal day during lunch period, the hallways adjoining the classrooms were guaranteed to be obscenely crowded, with students loitering around lockers and water fountains just to talk loudly and generally get in other peoples' ways as they tried to pass.

However, today was the complete opposite. Like the hallway on the third floor, those on the second and even those on the ground level were empty save for the occasional few students that chose to eat or read silently by themselves next to the classroom door.

It actually seemed a little paradoxical that hallways would be less crowded on a rainy day, given that the rain kept students from wandering about outside during lunch, which meant that aside from hanging out in class, filling up the hallways during a rainy day was inevitable since they had nowhere else to go. But that was high school for you I suppose. The more you thought about it, the less you ended up understanding.

My stroll through the school eventually led me outside. Since there was no adjoining hallway that led directly from the main building to the special building, you had to exit out of the M.B.'s side door and make your way through the courtyard just to get to the entrance of the S.B. However, given that absurd amounts of rain were currently pouring out of the sky, I decided to take an alternate route that cut through the courtyard but still provided shelter from the rain overhead.

I hope Yukinoshita and Yuigahama knew about this path too, otherwise they would've gotten completely soaked.

I grimaced as I stepped into a deep puddle that had accumulated at the base of the stairs. Urgg, any way you cut it, rain sucked.

Sure, I'd heard of the expression "April showers bring May Flowers" from some American cartoon I'd watched when I was younger, but I doubt that those seasonal weather patterns applied to a region that was halfway across the world.

For the most part, Japan didn't get too much rain during the spring season. It wasn't completely unheard of either, but being hit with a storm this severe so early on in April was some sort of cosmological anomaly to be sure.

Could it be that the gods were mad at the Chiban people over something? That seemed highly doubtful given that our peanut output and overall GDP had increased over five percent from last year. If history classes had taught me anything, it was that the Japanese gods were obsessed with wealth and fortune. How could the gods be mad at such a prosperous (and by extension, amazing) district?

If it wasn't that though, then my skills in literary analysis told me that this rain was actually some sort of grand metaphor for rebirth; that the drops represented cleansing, and that the waters held the powers to change me into a completely new person (luckily, I was walking under an awning though, so I was safe from an unexpected appearance from Hikigaya Rebuild 1.0: You Are (completely) Alone Edition).

Either that, or the rain served as some kind of ominous omen for some foreboding thing that was about to happen. That was the other option.

As I walked into the hallway of the special building, I noticed that it was completely quiet. As per usual, the majority of the classrooms here appeared to be locked and few if any were currently being used by other clubs for activities.

After trudging down the hallway for a while, I eventually reached the door to the clubroom, and gave a quick, polite knock before sliding it open.

In doing so, I was met with two sets of eyes and after a second, a round of greetings.

"Yahallo Hikki."

"Hello Hikigaya-kun."

"Yo."

I responded with my customary greeting before making my way over to my usual spot and tossing my bag off my shoulder and onto the floor.

"You're awfully late Hikigaya-kun. Did something hold you up?"

Yukinoshita addressed me with a question as she sipped from her teacup. As I glanced slightly in her direction, I noticed that my cup had already been filled as well and had been placed on the table, near my seat. I reached over and gripped the mug in my palm before answering her.

"Kind of. I just wanted to make sure that Hiratsuka-sensei would agree to play the interview. If anything, I want to at least make sure that those in our class watch it tomorrow." I said as I sipped at my own cup, sighing out quietly in satisfaction.

Normally people would object to leaving tea out to cool, but since I had a cat's tongue and preferred my beverages just barely warmer than room temperature anyways, the slightly warm tea tasted perfect to me.

That rascal Yukinoshita… she sure was empathetic.

"Mhm, I see." She hummed as she spoke, her index finger tapping against her chin lightly as she thought about something.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, Yukinoshita eventually angling her face to once again point towards her book.

I decided to follow suit, sticking my hands into my bag as my fingers idly tried to locate and grasp at the paperback book that I had stowed into my bag that morning. However, the sudden sound of a whisper stilled my rummaging hand.

"So I guess we're going through with this plan after all huh…"

Yuigahama was the owner of that soft voice. She was staring at the cup in her hands distractedly, as my and Yukinoshita's eyes turned towards her.

"Yeah. I thought we'd all decided that on Friday though." I spoke out to confirm what I thought had already been established.

Yuigahama's body shot up a little bit upon hearing me, giving off the impression that she either hadn't noticed that she'd been speaking aloud or that she hadn't intended to receive a response. After meeting our gazes with surprised pink eyes, she continued.

"O-Oh yeah! I guess we did, but…" She shook her head lightly, her fingers idly tracing the design of her cup. "Doing all of this just seems... Maybe if we think about it some more, we could come up with something else."

Like before, her tone sounded incredibly unsure and her expression clearly gave off the impression that she was feeling uneasy. It was actually a little surprising that she was still so shaky considering the plan was going to be carried out tomorrow, and also that we had talked all of this out before, but, to use a metaphor, Yuigahama's pre-show butterflies weren't unwarranted or anything. Even if one were to put it in the most charitable terms possible, what I was planning on doing would still be referred to by most as unpleasant.

That being said though, what was decided was decided. It would be plain unreasonable to just turn back now and call it quits.

"It might have been possible a few days ago, but at this point it's pretty much too late to call it off." I spoke slowly and rationally as if I were trying to reassure a nervous child.

"Ah, I guess you're right. I was just holding out for any hope that there might be one last thing we hadn't thought of yet." She offered a small smile in no particular direction. "…You know, you and Yukinon work so well together, I thought it could have been possible…"

Yuigahama's voice became slightly quieter as she finished. An absent expression that I wouldn't be wrong to call wistful, was settled upon her features.

Rearing its head again was that confusing tendency of hers to trail off so suddenly. Like earlier, she had started out talking normally, but for whatever reason, she wouldn't finish completely—almost as if she were reluctant to say everything that was on her mind. I was beginning to grow curious about that. This habit, which clearly represented some kind of internal unease, had only been growing more frequent as time passed. Was it just the unpleasant nature of the request that was weighing her down in this instance, or was it something more that was plaguing her thoughts?

My hand that was gripping my cup tightened a little bit. I shifted my gaze slightly in Yukinoshita's direction, and our eyes met. After a second, she sighed out slightly before speaking.

"Yuigahama-san, I realize that what we're doing might not be the most pleasant thing, but… Like Hikigaya-kun has been saying, this might be the only way to do it."

"Besides, don't worry about it too much. Since it was my plan, I'll be the one who takes responsibility for it. There only needs to be one person who physically carries it out anyways, so as long as you guys can support me from afar, we'll be good."

I backed Yukinoshita up, explaining the situation further. My voice that followed immediately after hers sounded confident and assured, if I did say so myself.

Yuigahama laughed quietly. "Eheh, I figured. You two know best. You are Yukinon and Hikki after all." She let out an odd sounding giggle before saying something rather cryptic.

"Yes… I suppose that much is true." Yukinoshita responded with a reserved nod, a perplexed expression on her face.

I too, was slightly confused by Yuigahama's statement, but chose to ignore it in favor of moving the conversation forward.

"Yeah." I answered her with a short response and a slight nod.

After we had finished speaking, Yuigahama resumed playing with her phone and Yukinoshita turned to her book. Following their examples, I pulled out my own paperback book, eager to finish the chapter I had started the night earlier. However, before I had a chance to, I noticed the absence of someone and remembered something that I had told myself I would do.

"Hey, have you guys seen Isshiki around?"

I turned my body towards the other two as I asked my question. After setting her book down lightly, Yukinoshita was the one to answer.

"Yes, she stopped by earlier to tell us that she was busy with student council activities, and wouldn't be able to eat with us today. However, she did mention that she was looking for you."

Ah, too busy to eat lunch with us today… That could only mean that Isshiki was still diligently setting up the preparations that I had asked her to take care of. More specifically, she was probably negotiating with the AV club right now to secure the proper equipment.

"Oh, I see. Well in that case, tell her thanks for me if you see her this afternoon."

"Huh? Are you going somewhere Hikki?" Yuigahama looked at me with a curious expression, her idly clicking fingers pausing for a second.

"Well, Komachi wants me to taste-test one of her cakes later so I'm going to head home a little early."

"Taste-test? I was under the impression that Komachi-san had finished all of her baking on Saturday," Yukinoshita asked.

As always, Yukinoshita was quite the observant person. The question she asked me was deserved considering the whole ordeal with the bakery and the custard that past Saturday, but the answer to it was a simple one.

"Well that was what was supposed to happen, but then she got impatient and started baking before I had brought her the filling. Long story short, the cake didn't turn out well and she wasted all of her ingredients making it, so she's trying again today."

Yukinoshita laughed quietly. "Like I told you, Komachi isn't the patient type. You should have foreseen something like that happening from the beginning."

"Yeah yeah, I've known since she was born that Komachi was a bad sport. It's still her own fault that she couldn't wait a few extra minutes though. Her cake turning out badly is her getting her just desserts."

I inwardly snickered at my own bad joke as Yukinoshita answered.

"True, but now you're the one who's being forced to come home early and help her with her baking."

"Well Komachi's a pretty good cook, so being a guinea pig in this situation isn't the worst thing that could happen," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

It wasn't like I minded being fed free dessert or anything. Sure Komachi had jumped the gun by not waiting for me to get home with the custard filling, but I felt that her letting me act as the sampler for delicious sweets was a fair enough compensation.

"Yukinon, how did you know that Komachi-chan was baking a cake?"

Yuigahama suddenly asked a question, her face once again looking slightly confused as she looked up from her phone. Yukinoshita and I paused, our conversation suddenly being met with an interruption.

Oops, I guess Yukinoshita and I were being a little bit rude there. By discussing something that Yuigahama couldn't possibly have any prior knowledge of considering her absence at our unplanned meeting that past weekend, we had accidentally excluded her from the conversation.

I had been in my fair share of these types of situations before; conversations where I would try my hardest to listen in and offer my own two cents despite not knowing a thing about the events that were being discussed or even the people that were being mentioned. Looking back on it, my attempts to force my way into conversations was definitely one of the main reasons the others boys didn't like me in middle school.

When people got together to talk about their in-jokes and the latest drama tidbits that were circulating amongst their clique, they typically disbarred outsiders and cut out those who they didn't consider to be integral to the group's dynamic. That's why those who tried to force themselves in anyways and would ask, "What are we talking about guys? Come on, I won't tell anyone. I'm one of you guys right?" were the first to be declared as mass-ignore targets and have vicious rumors started about them.

Those who engaged in those types of vindictive displays couldn't exactly be called good people, but neither could those that tried so desperately to include themselves in every scenario—even the ones that they weren't a part of.

I had been that way once, and because I dislike the way I was back then, I could say that I disliked that type of person now.

I didn't mean to say that what Yuigahama was that type of rude, interrupting person however. It was our fault that we were talking about something that not everybody in the room could relate to, or even—was a part of. The fault lay with us for the most part.

I opened my mouth to explain the situation, but Yukinoshita was the one to take the lead and spoke instead.

"Oh. Um, Hikigaya-kun and I met up a few days ago for a little bit." Yukinoshita said, offering the past weekend's events as an explanation. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, but unsure of exactly what she wanted from me, I wasn't able to offer her any significant response.

"Oh," Yuigahama nodded slightly before pausing. As she responded with that single word, I could see the slight movement of her wrists under the table. Although I couldn't see her hands directly, the slight twitching of her sleeves told me that her hands were moving under the table.

"Was it about the request?" Yuigahama asked.

I could see Yukinoshita's slender shoulders tense a bit as Yuigahama asked the question. I didn't know why exactly, but my neck also began to feel a little bit stiff as I looked over at the two girls who were facing each other.

Yukinoshita opened her mouth quickly to respond, but closed it after a moment. As I watched her, I noticed that her posture seemed abnormally rigid, and the expression that was on her face was unusual. However, after a second, she let out an almost imperceptibly quiet sigh before responding.

"Well… Yes, but it was just a short meeting since he was stopping near my apartment for some supplies…" Yukinoshita's voice sounded smooth like it always did, but the barely noticeable pauses that adorned her speech made her voice sound strangely meek. "We didn't want to have to bother you over something so trivial Yuigahama-san."

A slightly awkward silence filled the air for a moment before Yuigahama spoke again.

"B-but I don't live that far away from your apartment either Yukinon. If you had called me, I wouldn't have really minded coming to help…" Yuigahama's voice trailed off as she answered. The edges of her cheeks curled up slightly as she spoke, but her gaze that was pointed idly in Yukinoshita's direction still looked uneasy. "Besides, something having to do with the request can't be all that trivial, can it…"

"Oh. I guess not." Yukinoshita's eyes flashed briefly with surprise before she continued. "I-I suppose I misspoke. I didn't mean to imply that our meeting was trivial per se... It's just that…" Her body stirred as she began to speak, her hand and curled index finger moving slightly forward before stopping altogether. Yuigahama and I waited for her to continue, but after a few moments had passed and still no definitive answer was given, we averted our eyes and Yukinoshita turned away.

An uncomfortable feeling swept over me as I peered at the two girls sitting to my left. Yuigahama sat there with a small smile on her face, while Yukinoshita sat angled towards the table, that same strange expression from earlier still splayed out across her features. Her eyes seemed to be teeming with something as she stared at the wooden paneling of the desk.

The best way I could describe the look on her face was…guilty? Yeah, it was more than likely that. Yukinoshita was probably feeling guilty that she hadn't invited Yuigahama to that meeting the other day in the park at Narashino.

But it wasn't like it was her fault or anything right? I mean, she was looking out for Yuigahama's best interests by not forcing her to attend some meeting that wasn't all that focused on the request anyways. It wasn't essential, or official, or detailed, or anything along those lines, so it stood to reason that not all of the members had to be present, right?

I'm not sure that necessarily excused it all away though.

Come to think of it, I suppose I was feeling a little bit guilty too. I mean if I had known that Yuigahama had wanted to join us so badly, I definitely would have invited her. Yuigahama was just as much a member of the club as we were, but the reason we two alone had met up was something that owed itself simply to convenience. It wasn't like we were trying to exclude Yuigahama or anything; it just worked out better for everyone if we could keep the meeting short and simple… It was done out of expediency's sake was all.

"It wasn't anything official. We barely talked about the case anyways, so you didn't miss too much."

My voice came out suddenly, cutting through the silent air that had filled the room.

"O-Oh, really?" Yuigahama spoke quickly, seemingly surprised at my sudden interjection.

Yukinoshita, who had been staring idly at her feet a second earlier, looked up in surprise. She turned to look at me for a brief second, and almost as if my own words had renewed her confidence, she turned to Yuigahama, opening her mouth to speak.

"I…I apologize for not calling you Yuigahama-san. It was a mistake on my part for being presumptuous and making the decision for you." Yukinoshita adjusted her body so that it was completely facing towards Yuigahama, and stared at her directly. "I won't let it happen again."

Yuigahama blinked at Yukinoshita's words, a shocked expression on her face. After a moment, she took a quick breath and shook her head, the ends of her pink hair swaying as she did so.

"No, no, it's fine! It's really not that big a deal!" she threw her hands up, her fingers frazzling about as she waved them back and forth.

At that, Yukinoshita nodded slightly. Her shoulders that seemed completely upright and stiff a second ago deflated slightly, and she offered a small smile in Yuigahama's direction.

"Yes, I—"

"Yup haha... I mean, if it's possible I would like it if you guys would let me know before you met up…" Almost as if she had wanted to speak her mind before losing her courage, Yuigahama interrupted Yukinoshita and spoke quickly.

"For things relating to the club and all, I mean." She added softly.

…Didn't both Yukinoshita and I already say something along those lines though?

Although she had trailed off mid-sentence once again, that time around her words seemed to hold an oddly deliberate sense of purpose. As if she had been articulating her thought slowly, but fully.

I snuck a quick glance in Yukinoshita's direction, and the thoughtful, but slightly surprised expression on her face meant that she hadn't completely understood the intention of Yuigahama's words either.

"Yep, I'm sorry too." I said as an afterthought, looking over at Yuigahama.

Still, I threw out my own apology, and hoped that it would serve as an appropriate conclusion to this rather offbeat conversation.

"Don't worry Hikki. It's not a big deal," she offered a smile in my direction, and for all I could tell, it looked completely genuine. I nodded lightly in response.

And just like that, that strange mood that had pervaded the clubroom just a second ago had seemingly vanished.

We all sat there for a brief moment, unsure of how to proceed after that slightly awkward conversation. After a bit, I decided to return my gaze back to my book, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Yukinoshita did the same. Judging from the clicking of fingernails that I heard a few feet to my left, it sounded like Yuigahama had begun sending mails or otherwise idly playing around on her phone.

I flipped a page in my book, and I heard Yukinoshita follow suit with her own paperback novel.

We sat in what I want to say was a comfortable silence for a while. However, the short noiselessness was eventually shattered by Yuigahama who decided to once again initiate conversation, although this time in a rather cheery tone.

"Oh, speaking of cakes though, Iroha-chan's birthday is this week! We should do something to celebrate!"

Yukinoshita set down her book upon hearing Yuigahama's loud exclamation. "Oh, I suppose you're right. What kind of event do you propose we organize?"

"Hmm. Well, I was thinking we should go all out since this is our last year with her. Maybe throw a big party at that karaoke club with those big disco balls?"

"Oi, not that again…" I couldn't help but throw my own two cents into the mix as I answered.

We all talked for a little while longer about other odd, light-hearted topics, the pitters and patters of rain on the windows' surfaces serving as a background track for our conversations.

Eventually, the school's bell sounded, signaling the end of the period, and with it, our breaks.

Hiratsuka-sensei had continued her lecture on WAKA formatting after class had resumed, and the students of class 3-A continued jotting down notes in the same manner as they had been doing before break. Eventually the lecture ended and Hiratsuka-sensei packed up her things and left.

The rest of my classes after that passed by without spectacle.

I glanced at the clock that was hanging above the whiteboard. Four more minutes until I could get out of here.

It was honestly a pretty pointless practice, looking at the clock and counting each and every minute until dismissal, but it was one that I found myself engaging in every day. Torturing yourself like that, and waiting on bated breath for the lethargic clacks of the second hand probably made time move slower than normal actually. Doing the opposite and ignoring the clock altogether usually worked better for speeding things up, but then again, that was easier said than done.

I did have a reason for paying such close attention to the time though. Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and I had agreed to meet at the clubroom after class to discuss the absolute and final details of the plan one last time, and for whatever reason, I was feeling slightly antsy in getting out of here and making it over there.

If nothing else, I wanted to wrap up our conversation quickly so that I could start walking home while the brief hiatus in rainfall still held.

I peered out the window to my left, the teacher's closing remarks barely registering in my mind as I looked out at the scenery beyond. Grey clouds were still looming overhead, but the harsh and heavy drops had stopped for a while at this point. The majority of the blacktop still looked wet as far as I could see, which probably meant that there were still puddles everywhere, which meant that the traffic would still be bad and that walking home would be a pain. Walking through traffic still beat walking through traffic in the rain, however.

"Alright class, that'll be all for today."

My head suddenly flicked to the front of the room after my ears had picked out a particular phrase.

"Have a good afternoon. I'll see you all tomorrow."

The teacher gave a final farewell, and began stacking his handouts and folders before leaving the room himself.

With that dismissal, the students in the room began to stand and stretch as they packed their own belongings into their bags and began filing out. I did the same, and stacked my books neatly in my bag before zipping it and lugging it over my shoulder.

However, before I stood, I aimed my eyes towards the group in the center of the room.

Tobe, Ebina, Miura, and Yuigahama were still in their seats packing away their belongings, while Hayama who seemed to have already finished, stood and began walking. However, before he could run off like he had earlier, he was addressed by a small voice.

"Hayato…"

Miura called out to him, and in response, he turned his shoulder slightly to face her. For a second I thought I saw something strange in his expression, but when his face came fully into Miura's sightline, a small smile was plastered across it.

"Yes Yumiko?"

"Oh. Um… Hina told me earlier that she might want to take up surfing this summer. We were thinking about heading downtown to look for some gear, but we don't even know what brands there are or anything…"

I caught a slight flash of surprise on Ebina's face before it melded into one of understanding. Miura angled her eyes slightly upwards towards Hayama's face, one finger tugging idly at a curl.

"Maybe… Um." She bit her lip slightly. "If you're free… You could help us pick out some stuff later? Or something."

Hayama stood there for a moment, an impassive look on his face. After a brief silence, he finally opened his mouth to answer.

"Hm. Isn't that kind of an odd thing to worry about in weather like this?" His voice drifted as he spoke.

He sounded different than normal somehow. His voice sounded strange to my ears and there was an odd intonation in his delivery besides. Weirdly enough, he didn't even sound like the fake, refreshing Hayama right there; he just sounded… off.

"Ooh, um I guess." She looked away from his inscrutable eyes for a second. It looked like she wanted to say more, but nothing else came out of her mouth.

Tobe and Ebina similarly seemed like they wanted to say something, but they simply sat in their seats, trying their hardest to not look like they had been eavesdropping on the conversation. Yuigahama did the same, but the look on her face seemed more so to be one of worry.

Hayama smiled a small smile before speaking. "I've got to get to practice. I'll see you guys around. Tobe, I'm heading out first."

Upon hearing his name being called, Tobe turned around sharply, nearly tripping over his desk chair as he turned in Hayama's direction.

"Wait Hayato-kun, practice is probably canceled today cus' of the rain, no?"

Hayama's retreating form stilled suddenly.

His hand that was obscured from the visions of the others by a desk, clinched up slightly.

"Aah, come to think of it actually, there might be something else then. I think I'm expected at a family function later tonight."

I could feel my own eyes narrow at that poorly concealed lie.

Technically his response wasn't an outright refusal, but the tone in which he said it communicated enough.

Without even having turned around, Hayama continued walking across the classroom floor. The majority of the eyes in the room were fixed on his retreating figure, my own included. As he neared the door, a voice suddenly called out. However, it was so quiet that it was barely audible.

"Hayato, wait…"

Seemingly… Hayama hadn't heard it because he continued on, not even the twitch of a muscle betraying hesitation.

As I watched the outline of his body disappear behind the frame of the door, my eyes flicked over to the owner of that soft voice from moments ago. Her eyes looked red already, and I could hear a slight sniffling coming from her.

"Yumiko… he's just busy. Maybe if we ask again tomorrow…" Ebina's eyes looked stilted behind her glasses, as if she didn't really believe what she was saying either.

"Don't pretend like I'm stupid or somethin'!" Miura suddenly shrieked.

The few students that were still loitering around in the classroom suddenly turned sharply towards her, no doubt startled by the jarring noise. However, the piercing glare that Miura shot out served to send the rodents scurrying, and those students either turned quickly back to their own conversations or left the room altogether.

Tobe, who had jumped slightly from Miura's shriek, was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I just… I don't get how he can be like that. I put myself out there time after time…and he just ignores me like that!" Her arm shot up angrily as she spoke, her expression looking like the irritated, queenly one that I had seen her adorn so many times before. However, in a second's notice, her features suddenly softened again before she continued. "I just… I don't know how much more of this I can take."

She looked down at her lap. Yuigahama, who was sitting next to her, brushed Miura's blonde hair softly with her fingers.

"Shh, Shh…" Yuigahama whispered soothingly. "Oh I know! You, Hina and I can all take a look at that surf shop and maybe try out that bistro you were talking about afterwards. Look, it's even stopped raining!" She pointed out the window at the still grey, but like she had said, rainless sky.

Yuigahama eventually turned back to Miura and cooed softly despite the lack of response. Miura continued to sniffle softly and Ebina rested her hand comfortingly on the blonde girl's thigh.

Suddenly, Yuigahama turned to me. She must have noticed me staring because her eyes locked with mine with a slightly intense gaze after a moment. She continued patting Miura's back, but flicked her head slightly, forming an open palm with her other hand and shooing me away with a waving movement.

I'm going to take that as you telling me to go to club without you, and not you telling me to buzz off like I was some kind of bothersome fly.

I nodded once, and after grabbing my bag, headed out the door. The hallways were still crowded with school having just ended, but I made it out the doors of the main building without too much trouble.

As I began heading in the direction of the special building, something slightly off in the distance caught my eye.

A figure was walking slowly—incredibly slowly—through the overflow parking lot, his feet barely dragging along as he stepped. His peculiar walking habits weren't what caught my eye though. What stood out was his head of perfectly manicured, blonde hair.

I could feel my legs moving nearly of their own volition as I lightly jogged through the courtyard. Before I knew it, I was trailing only a few paces behind the person in front of me.

"Hey." I called out to the back of his head.

His feet stilled. He turned his gaze ever so slightly over his shoulder, looking over at me and pausing for a second to take in my appearance.

"Oh, it's you."

Hayama said so in a clipped tone. From where I was standing, I could only barely see his left eye and a sliver of his profile. But under the dark clouds, his obscured face looked almost frightening somehow, almost like a malevolent caricature of the refreshing Hayama of days' past.

Just as quickly as he had stopped, he faced forward and began walking again, this time a little bit more quickly.

"Hold on. I want to talk to you about something." I called out to him, my voice carrying slightly across the nearly empty lot.

He stopped again. I'd been half-expecting him to just ignore me completely and continue walking along like he had with Miura earlier, so it was a surprise that he actually paused upon hearing my voice.

"What?"

There was that tone of his again.

"Just wanted to ask how you were doing." I tried to say as evenly as possible.

It wasn't a total lie or anything. Usually when someone asked something like that, there was an implication of concern or empathy, but that wasn't exactly it in this case. I really did want to know how he was doing, although it wasn't entirely for altruistic purposes.

My ears registered a harsh sound, something that sounded like a strangled laugh. Hayama turned his body around fully, allowing me to register the twisted look on his face with clarity.

"Oh? That's a good one," he said. "Let me guess, is there someone out there who requested that you check up on me?"

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes. "No. Like always, I'm here out of self-interest."

It was clear that his antagonistic attitude was meant to be jeering and provocative, and that my getting annoyed so quickly would only play into what he wanted, but I couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of disgust anyways.

A dry, derisive laugh escaped his throat before he continued. "Is that so… Well, I wouldn't mind it if you went away now. I'm not in the mood to deal with you."

His tone was dismissive, his gaze regarding me like I was an insect who he had grown tired of tolerating let live.

With that, he turned his body slightly, his eyes peeling off of me and angling to face forward.

"Apparently you're not in the mood to deal with your friends either."

My response was near automatic, leaving my lips almost as fast as I had formed it in my thoughts.

His body that had turned to continue walking, paused before jerking towards me again.

"Huh?" He spat.

Despite his acidic tone and narrowed eyes, I regarded him coolly. "What happened in class. Treating your friends like accessories and then ignoring them when you get tired of all that? That doesn't seem like something that a person like Hayama Hayato should do."

He glared at me, his eyes peering directly into my own with hostility. I could hear the slight shifting of fabric as his hands balled into fists, the skin over his knuckles whitening from exertion.

"Hikigaya… You…" He shook his head in disbelief. "Even when you have it all, you just can't seem to leave things alone can you?"

My body shifted a little bit on its own upon hearing those words, and my face froze in a quizzical expression. What exactly was he trying to say?

I heard the sudden booming of thunder in the distance.

"Have it all... What do you m—" I spoke in an attempt to have him elaborate, but I was interrupted before I could finish my sentence.

"Just shut up already." His voice had grown quieter, yet somehow it sounded even more intense. Unlike before, it was unmistakable now that it held anger.

I stood still in response, my eyes simply staring at his face. After a few moments, he breathed out a puff of white air and spoke.

"I'm leaving."

His tightly wound fingers suddenly loosened all at once, and he turned around calmly as if he hadn't looked ready to hit something just a second earlier. His small steps made slight sloshing noises as he continued walking. My eyes lingered on him for a second as he retreated further across the lot.

I couldn't let him get away just yet though; I hadn't said what I wanted to yet.

"You know, ignoring others in an attempt to push them away is the definition of self-satisfaction." I spoke loudly to bridge the growing distance between us. "You might think you're doing them a favor, but doing what's good for you under the guise of helping others isn't something to be proud of."

My voice carried lightly with the wind.

Hayama's retreating figure stopped. Although I couldn't see his face, I could tell that he had heard what I'd said and was currently in thought. A silence passed between us as we both stood a distance from one another. I felt a sudden moistness on one of my fingers.

"And what about what's good for me? Doesn't what I want matter at all?" Without turning around, he spoke, his voice erupting suddenly.

It was loud, louder than it had been before, but it lacked the quality that it held just a few moments earlier. Instead, this time, he sounded more like the Hayama that I had talked with on a few rare occasions; the one that spoke harshly at the marathon and the one who spewed out useless things at the café that one time.

"Something tells me that what you've been doing isn't what you want." I answered him after a beat.

What Hayama had been doing, ignoring others and acting pointlessly distant and resigned—something told me that wasn't what he wanted. But that resigned behavior in the first place clearly showed that he didn't want the old superficiality of his group either. I wasn't an expert on Hayama's psychology by any means; I couldn't tell you what he wanted. Whatever the case though, he had made it clear that he wasn't happy.

"You sure know it all don't you?" He didn't turn around but I could see his shoulders shrug slightly. To my surprise, his feet began to stir and he began walking again. I shook my head lightly and called out to him for another time.

"Oi, what's the rush? Let's talk."

What I said was rather uncharacteristic, but at the very least, I hoped that Hayama might call me out for it and throw another snide remark at me or something. I began to walk slowly to catch up with him, anticipating his response as I trailed nearly a dozen yards behind him.

"I'm expected to be somewhere." His voice was sarcastic and biting, but his footsteps didn't stop. "Or didn't you hear?"

My half-hearted steps stilled as I brought my body to a stop.

Suddenly I felt the weight of two large drops on my face, the water contained in their spherical forms splashing across my cheeks and into my eyes. More drops fell, and more after them. Suddenly, rainfall began to descend upon Japan, drenching everything under the swirling dark clouds above.

I pulled up my hood as I stared out at the figure that had passed through the school's front gate. After a second, he disappeared completely out of view.

Tomorrow, then.