Chapter 5: The General and His Goddess

I swear, if this girl makes me wait a minute longer… Just where is she? My legs were crossed with one bouncing up and down, an involuntary attempt at keeping calm that seemed to do little good. I glanced at the standard wall clock that was present in every room for the nth time in the past couple of minutes, but my impatience was for a good reason.

11:30? She's seriously late. Despite her inviting ME of all people to lunch and then not even showing up on time… That Yuigahama Yui seriously has some nerve.

Lunch at Sobu High lasted 30 minutes. It wasn't much time, but it was enough to eat lunch, and even go buy it if necessary. Adding in the 5 minutes allotted before and after, and it brought the lunch break up to a grand total of 40 minutes. In the first place, Sobu High focused on academics so something like socializing during the lunch hour was completely unnecessary, yet even so, Yuigahama had insisted on eating lunch with me. Of course, I had refused, but even I could only handle so much of her badgering before I crumpled.

Especially after all that, this girl dare makes me wait on her?!

*KNOCK* * KNOCK*

"You're late, Yuiga—! …Hikigaya-kun?"

"Yo," he replied, in his usual listless tone.

"Hikigaya-kun, what are you doing here?" It was to my great chagrin during the first week that I simply could not locate him at all during our lunch break. Even now, when he wasn't actively avoiding me, I still hadn't the foggiest clue where exactly he disappeared to.

Honestly, he was like a stray cat, appearing only when it best suited him. Hikigaya-kun, sadly, had almost none of the charms that made cats so preciously adorable. W-well, if I had to give him points for something… I suppose his sharp gaze had a certain charm, regardless of what others seemed to think of his eyes. I wonder why it seemed so familiar though…

Wait a minute! Why am I suddenly complementing Hikigaya-kun?!

T-t-that must be because I compared him to a cat, r-right?! I just felt bad—I was grateful to Hikigaya-kun after all. I was just instinctively looking for what little good points he had because that would have been too unfair to Hikigaya-kun, right?!

Seemingly unaware of my internal strife, though also unlikely to care, Hikigaya-kun went to the back of the class, grabbing one of the many stacked up chairs before placing it down in his new spot. Previously, I was simply using a small student desk by the window. After Hikigaya-kun joined, he simply sat on the opposite side, but with the recent and increasingly frequent visits by one Yuigahama Yui, that setup was no longer viable and I realized that'd we'd need a larger table if we truly wanted to welcome clients. Still, there was no need for him to sit all the way on the far end of the table…

"Thanks to this rain, I can't eat at my usual place. I figured the club room would be empty, but when I swung by the office, Hiratsuka told me you already took the key. Anyways, Yukinoshita, don't tell me you've been eating here alone every day?"

"S-s-so what? Is there a problem with me eating alone?" What exactly is he trying to say?!

"Of course there is! You had such a prime location all to yourself and you didn't even tell me?!"

Right… This is Hikigaya-kun were talking about here… There's no way he'd share the same values as regular people. Just what exactly was I so scared of?

"I-it's not like I haven't tried to invite you to eat together before. It's not my fault you're impossible to locate during lunch. Anyways, if you're trying to eat alone, wouldn't eating in the club room be pointless anyways? I don't have an issue with you being here, but if you ask me to leave, I'm going to have to refuse."

"R-right… Well, I'll just eat here for today then—no need to mind me."

"That's fine…"

…

This isn't fine! Regardless of how late she is, Yuigahama is still going to be here isn't she?! Normally, this wouldn't be anything to worry about, but Yuigahama has caused me no shortage of grief in the short week that I've known her.

Somehow, that girl managed to form the mistaken assumption that Hikigaya-kun and I were a couple. It had taken too much of both my time and effort to finally convince her otherwise, and when I finally do, for some reason, she decides to hit me with the bombshell that she actually likes Hikigaya-kun. Yes, the one and same. I had checked again and again, just to be sure, and Yuigahama apparently truly did have at least some degree of romantic feelings towards Hikigaya-kun. The question then was, why was she approaching me?

After I had helped her out last week with her request, she developed some strange sort of respect for me. Of course, it was only natural that others would look towards me as a beacon and as a role model to follow, but… after being ruthlessly lectured by that person? Regardless, I was now stuck with this strange girl trying to foist her skewed idea of "friendship" off onto me, a battle I had somehow managed to lose despite my struggles and resistance...

Additionally, I was the only person close to Hikigaya-kun—well, if you could call our relationship "close". From what I had seen and heard, it seemed that for the most part, Hikigaya-kun tended to brush off the interactions of others, including our fellow class J students, which really didn't do his already poor reputation any good. Still, I had no real issues talking with Hikigaya-kun and he even seemed willing to talk to others as long as it was for the club, thus Yuigahama's other reason for approaching me. Honestly, that sort of sneaky, backhanded maneuvering normally would have bothered me, but she was so transparent about her goals with me, I didn't feel the usual disgust that such an act would have invoked. A-and I suppose she seemed to genuinely want to become f-friends with me as well…

Argh! Whatever! This isn't my area of expertise anyways. Pushing out of my chair, I made my way over to the door. If Yuigahama isn't capable of making it to the club room by herself, I'll just have to drag her here myself!

"Oh, you're leaving? Works for me I guess, having the room to myself."

"You! Don't start eating before everyone's at the table! You're coming with me."

"Huh?!"

⁂

"You're eating with her?"

"Hikigaya-kun, you can't just call Yuigahama-san her. She has a name you know."

"Yeah, yeah. Since when did you two get so friendly anyways? I thought you hated her."

"I don't hate anyone, unlike you. There's just some people I don't… that I have a hard time getting along with, okay?" Anyways… 1-F… 1-F…here it is.

Despite the fact that it was currently lunch break, the usual chatter of students was nowhere to be heard. Tension seemed to radiate from the classroom and I'm sure any lesser person would have turned away right then. However, the silence only made it that much easier to notice the events currently occurring within.

"Hah? What do you mean you can't?"

"S-sorry Yumiko. I-it's just, I promised to eat lunch with someone else today…"

"Just a moment Yui. Haven't you been kinda cold lately? Like, you always leave right after school to go somewhere now. Weren't you like, the one who wanted to be friends in the first place?"

"No! That's true, but…"

"But what?! If you've got something you wanna say, then spit it out already."

"..."

That's it. I've heard more than enough. I pushed the door open with all my might, shattering the tense atmosphere in an instant.

"Eh? Y-Yukinon!"

"Yuigahama-san, you're late. I believe you were supposed to meet me in the clubroom ten minutes ago."

"Ah! S-sorry. I got caught up with something, but I'll still be there, I promise!"

"Hey, wait a minute! We were in the middle of a conversation—just who do you think you are butting in like that?"

Unnatural blonde, curled hair. Accessories and a modified uniform. A pompous air of superiority. If I recalled correctly, this girl's name was Miura Yumiko. Her condescending tone reminded me all too much of a certain girl back from elementary school. I had long grown used to dealing with her type.

"Oh? Was that what you call a conversation? I was under the impression that a conversation involved two people each expressing their opinions? From my perspective, it was just a chattering ape that didn't know when to shut its mouth."

"Wha—What did you say?!"

"I believe I was quite clear with my statement? Perhaps if you closed your mouth for a second, you'd be able to learn to listen?"

"Y-you!"

"Hey, hey, let's all calm down. There's no need to argue. We're all classmates after all, right?"

A smooth voice cut off me off, right as I was about to finish Miura-san. For most girls, his voice was enough to charm them, but if it didn't, his handsome looks certainly would. If my good looks were the ideal that women wished for, then his would be considered the ideal for men. He was Hayama Hayato…

"Long time no see, Yukino… Yukinoshita-san."

…My so-called childhood friend.

Despite our long history, there was little to no trace left of the once cherished bond that had connected the two of us. It had long been destroyed by his actions, but it wasn't something that the me that existed now wanted to salvage anyways. I had chosen to attend an all-female school for junior high, and I had done my best to avoid attending any family events where I might have run into him, so it had been three years since I had last properly seen him. Even so, he stood there with his usual charming smile acting as if nothing was wrong.

Seeing that smile again… truly reminded me just how much I had grown to detested this man.

"Hayama-san. Even now, you'll choose to stand on the sidelines and just watch? I see you haven't changed in the slightest." I said it in a low voice, so that only those close could hear. The others had confused expressions on their faces, but the expression Hayama made clearly told me he was taken aback and that my message had made it through, easing away some of the irritation I felt.

So? How does it feel? The regret? The bitterness? I see you at least feel somewhat ashamed by your actions. Well you don't deserve to pity yourself after what you did! Not when you haven't done a thing to change yourself for the better! I'll have you know, the pain that I endured was a thousand times—

"Yukinon!"

There was only one person who would call me such a childish name. Turning, I faced Yuigahama who had kept quiet this whole time.

"Um… thank you. But I have this! Just go back to the club and I meet you there, okay?"

I should have had no reason to believe her just judging by the scene that Hikigaya-kun and I had walked into. If I was smart, I would have dragged her out of the classroom with me. If I had been smarter, I would have managed to avoid being coerced into eating lunch with Yuigahama in the first place. Still…

The light in her eyes sent my mind back to last week when I had seen firsthand exactly how much willpower this girl had tucked away within her.

…Fine.

"Humph. Hikigaya-kun, let's go."

"Huh? Er, r-right."

As I left the classroom with Hikigaya-kun trailing behind me, a clamor erupted out from behind us, the frozen students quickly rushing out by the doorful. Still, I ignored the chaos. There was something else that had been bothering me the whole time.

...

I hadn't exactly expected anything out of him, but aside from his short response, Hikigaya-kun hadn't said a word since we made our visit to the classroom. Not only that, but…

…

Yup. As I turned around, Hikigaya-kun quickly whipped his head towards the window, an almost flawless act that would have fooled any lesser being. Almost wasn't even close enough to fool me though. I had noticed that he had been staring at me ever since we had left the classroom, and I normally wouldn't have made such a fuss about it, except he was going about it in such a roundabout manner, it was beginning to irk me.

"Hah… Hikigaya-kun, if you have something on your mind, I'd prefer that you just say it. You're gawking is making me uncomfortable and I'm starting to believe that some of our classmates are justified calling you Creepygaya."

"They call me what?! Ugh… you know what? Never mind."

"No, I insist, if there's something bothering you, I'll listen to your woes just this once. Rejoice, Hikigaya-kun. Not many people would be gifted with the opportunity to have me listen to their troubles after all."

…

It was a joke. Hikigaya-kun, if you don't say anything, I might actually die of embarrassment, you know? I had thought that the silence meant that Hikigaya-kun didn't want to say anything after all, but turning around, it seemed he had just been deep in thought. Sure enough, after a couple more seconds, he spoke.

"It's nothing big. I was just a bit surprised, that's all, though perhaps a bit is a bit of an understatement… Yup, shocked is definitely more like it."

"By Yuigahama-san? I'll admit that I was a bit surprised too when she decided to take the reins, but it's not like it's the first time we've seen that girl display such courage."

"No, not Yuigahama. I was talking about you."

"... Eh?"

"It was quite the eye-opening experience. I never imagined that that shy little girl would one day directly challenge the queen of the class and so brutally destroy her. Even I have to admit how impressive that was."

"...Eh?! W-w-wait! So, this whole time, you did remember?!"

"Nope. I definitely remembered everything just now. You can thank that blonde bitch—"

"Hikigaya-kun!"

"... Our lovely classmate from earlier for helping me remember. Her act was perfect. Without even realizing it, I found myself staring at that scene from years ago."

"Oh… So, I was such a small existence, I was only remembered as a side character. I see…"

"Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how much you scared me?! I thought I would see the same thing happen all over again, you idiot!"

"H-huh?"

"Anyways, imagine my surprise when that shy little girl from my memories boldly stood up for another person without a shred of hesitation. You kept going on and on about thanking me for helping you in the past but if you actually just told me who you were, I would have remembered much faster."

"S-shut up! You're the idiot! This is exactly why I couldn't mention it!" You're the last person that I wanted to know of my weakness… "A-anyways, let's just believe in Yuigahama-san for now and return to the club room. We've wasted enough of our lunch break as is."

⁂

Once more, Hikigaya-kun was called to the teachers' office after classes had ended for another one of his crude papers. I really shouldn't have been surprised at this point. It would have been more of a shock had he actually turned in a paper not contaminated with his snarky remarks and rotten worldly views. As usual, I proceeded to the clubroom alone.

The trip there was uneventful. It was a short, five-minute walk between the main building where the classrooms were and the special building dedicated to club and other use. Though Sobu High was renowned for its academics, we had our fair share of sports clubs as well. In fact, if I had to estimate, about thirty percent of the student body was involved with our sports teams, with the football and basketball teams being the biggest two. Another thirty percent of the student body formed the social and cultural clubs, and were the ones who really utilized the special building. Despite its relatively low amount of use compared to the main building, the special building was pretty much identical in size to the main building. If seen from an aerial view, the main entrance connected the two buildings together like the "H" from Latin script.

I passed a couple of classmates along the way, with whom I would exchange greetings, but due to the low population of the building and the general isolated location of the service club, the hallways remained quiet, devoid of life. Perhaps that is why it had caught me so off guard.

Just as I had reached the club room and was about to open the door, I froze.

No one should be here yet.

Movement seen from through the small window on the door had caught my notice. As the sole two members of the club, Hikigaya-kun and I were the only two who would be here this early, and Hikigaya-kun wouldn't be arriving until Hiratsuka-sensei was finally done lecturing him. Yuigahama had been appearing more and more recently, but her classroom was situated further from the clubroom than ours and it took her a bit longer to arrive. In addition, she seemed the type to linger in the classroom as well, with no club duties to attend to, but no desire to return home immediately like a certain someone did.

Was it a burglar? No—any suspicious figures would have been stopped at the gate and it wasn't like the Service Club had anything worth stealing anyways. In that case, the most logical solution was that it was a prospective client. Still, something felt off. I shifted slightly, enough that I could see through the window, but without being noticed myself.

What the…?

"Wa-ha-ha-ha! Rejoice, for it is I, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru! Though the Dark Legion might be upon us, with my powers, we have nothing to fear!... Hmmm… No, that doesn't seem right. Maybe it should be something more like… Behold! The dark power sealed within my right arm surges!"

Though the trench coat he wore made it difficult to tell, it did seem that the person inside was at least a student here. The feelings of suspicion that I had were spot on though. This… student… had been making strange poses along with moving in a dramatic fashion and their weird mutterings didn't make any sense to me despite how many times I ran them through my head.

"Yukinon! Yahallo!"

"Y-Yuigahama-san! …Good afternoon," I replied, turning to face the girl who came running down the hallway. Yuigahama's unexpected greeting had caught me by surprise, though she didn't seem to notice. Still, I was a bit peeved at how she had managed to sneak up on me. "Didn't I already tell you not to call me that?"

"Ehhh? Why not?"

"We're… Never mind. Now's not the time for that anyways." I returned my focus to the clubroom. There were more pressing concerns right now than the pet names Yuigahama liked to hand out.

"So why were you out here Yukinon?"

Figuring it easier to just show her rather than explain, I stepped aside and gestured towards the window. Taking my spot, Yuigahama curiously peeked in before recoiling back after a few seconds.

"Uwah! Who is that? I don't want to be mean, but he's kind of creepy…"

Truthfully, for once, I couldn't agree anymore with Yuigahama. Still, he was a student of this school. Gesturing for Yuigahama to move aside, I grabbed the handle of the door.

"Wait a minute, Yukinon!" Yuigahama cried, pulling on my sleeve. "You're not planning on going in there, are you?"

"Of course. It is my clubroom and I can't exactly get club activities started without it."

"Yeah… b-but what if he's dangerous?!"

"Yuigahama-san… I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you, I'm more than confident in my ability to handle a scoundrel or two. Should things get physical, I promise you that I will be the one sending others to the hospital."

"That's… so cool! …Okay! I'm coming too then!"

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as Yuigahama pumped her fists in a show of determination. I suppose that showing she gave us this afternoon wasn't simply a fluke after all then.

"Then, are you ready?"

"Y-yeah!"

"Very well then. Let us go."

With the handle within my grasp, I opened the door once and for all.

The door slid open with a loud bang as it collided with the door frame, causing the student inside as well as Yuigahama, who had been standing uncomfortably close behind me, to jump. This was all according to my calculations of course. There was no better way to draw his attention from whatever noise he was making then to create a larger noise. Of course, I felt bad for having potentially damaged school property. I'll have Hikigaya-kun check the door later for any scratches or other problems.

"Good afternoon. I'm Yukinoshita Yukino, the president of this club. Seeing as you're here, I'm assuming you know what we do. To start off though, could I get your name?"

As he turned around in surprise, I was able to get a good look at him for the first time. His most striking feature was his white mane of hair, hopefully a result of dye as opposed to stress or age. Despite Sobu's reputation as the number one preparatory school in the city, school regulations were rather lax with the dress code; as long as students wore the uniform, they were free to accessorize as they pleased, something that many of the students took full advantage of. And just what was wrong with black hair anyways?

Aside from that, the standard uniform that decorated his stout frame confirmed my earlier deductions based off what I had glimpsed past that trench coat of his. Speaking of, why exactly was he wearing it in the first place? Sure, we were still in our winter uniforms, but it wasn't exactly chilly anymore. In a few weeks, the school would be swapping over to the summer uniforms. In addition, I could see the sweat beading down his face and a slight, but noticeable putrid scent seemed to be radiating from his general direction that the sea breeze coming in from the open window seemed to do little to.

I couldn't help but feel annoyed with myself. More than anyone, I should have understood the feelings of being judged by others for something superficial. Even so, I was unable the thoughts from forming within my head.

This guy… is kind of gross…

…

Still, if a student came here, it was certain that they had a request they wanted fulfilled and as the president of the Service Club, it was my duty to see their requests through. Zaimokuza… Yoshiteru… is what I believe to be his name, but it was so jumbled in with the rest of the nonsense he was muttering earlier, I couldn't be certain. Despite my earlier introduction, he had yet to reciprocate the gesture, instead, standing there slack-jawed and dazed.

"Ahem. You ARE here for the Service Club, right? Could I please get your name?"

That seemed to snap him out of his daze. Looking panicked, he quickly glanced around the room as if searching for something or someone. Hello, right in front of you. The only other people in this barren room. Yes, I was talking to you. I was just about to kick him out by word or by force when he finally decided to speak.

"Ugh… I-I'm… I AM THE GREAT BLADEMASTER GENERAL YOSHITERU! FIGHTING AGAINST THE DAR—"

"I'm going to have to ask you to stop that incessant shouting of yours. We are still at school and your thoughtlessness is putting a strain on my ears. If you insist on continuing, I will have to ask you to leave."

"R-right! W-well then… Fighting against the dark forces, I have been reborn into this age. Though I walk this path alone to protect the faceless masses, it seems that this task cannot be completed by one. Thus, in order to complete this task, I seek those with the same goal as I. I was informed by the great sage that I could find such individuals here."

"Could you stop with that poor imitation of archaic dialogue that you're trying to recreate. No one speaks like that in the modern day and quite honestly, it's just grating to listen to. If you're trying to make a request, do it properly."

"Urk—… Um… s-sorry. I-if I may just inquire, is Hachiman here? The grea—Hiratsuka-sensei informed me that he was a part of this club."

"Hah? I'll have you know, I am the president of this club. If you have a request, there should be no problem with me listening, right?"

"Eeek!"

"Hey, Yukinon? So, do you get what's up with this guy?" Yuigahama whispered in my ear.

"Unfortunately not. Even I don't know everything," I said with a sigh while rubbing my head with my hand in an attempt to dispel the massive oncoming headache.

A knock came from the door and another person entered the room.

"Why's the door open? We got a client or something?"

"Hikiga—" "Hikki—"

"HACHIMAN!"

"Woah— Oh, gross! Zaimokuza?! What the hell?! Get off me!"

"Hachiman! You understand, right? As a fellow traveler on the path of solitude, we share an unspoken bond!"

"Oi, you're creeping me out here! I said get the hell off me! Yukinoshita, don't just stand there!"

"Hmm… I guess I should have known that any friends of yours couldn't be normal, right, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Don't screw with me, I hardly know this guy! We were just forced to partner up in our gym class! Besides, what does that make you then?"

"Oh? I suppose you bring up a valid point. I must be blessed by the gods themselves, having managed to dodge that bullet."

"You mean the bullet that I managed to dodge?! Ugh… Never mind. So? What's he doing here anyways?"

"I believe he has a request for us to fulfill, but I can't manage to get past that undecipherable nonsense he keeps spewing out.

"Ah… Yeah, he's got a pretty severe case of chuunibyou."

Chuu-ni-byou…?

"I'm… sorry, I'm afraid I don't follow?"

"You know, chuunibyou? As in second year, middle school disease, or 8th grader syndrome?"

"Yes, I'm quite aware of what the words mean, Hikigaya-kun. I'm asking for what it is. I've never heard of such a disease before."

"Right… I guess the two of you wouldn't know about that sort of thing. How do I explain this…? Well to start, it's not contagious, or rather, it's not even a real disease, so you don't have to stand so far away."

"Oh, sorry. Your displays of affection from earlier were seriously off putting so I might have unconsciously moved myself away then."

"Did it look like I had any say in that?! Anyways… Chuunibyou is when someone pretends that they different from others. Usually, it'll just be something where someone acts like they know more than everyone or that they're simply above others, but there are extreme cases where such individuals believe they're so special, they craft backstories for themselves and act it out. This guy would be one of those cases. Well luckily, his is pretty easy to figure out. In his case, he based his character off of the shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, because they share the same name and most of his ramblings and backstory seem to be based off of history as well. Apparently, the reason he decided to latch onto me was thanks to this as well since I share my name with the god of war… Anyways, it happens pretty often around that age, thus chuunibyou. It's obviously not permanent, but how long they tend to act like this differs from person to person. Basically though, they're just people who think they're special."

"Hmm… I see... To think you were suffering from this disease this whole time Hikigaya-kun. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so harsh with you."

"Oi, wait a moment. I think you've got the wrong idea here. Zaimokuza has chuunibyou. Not me."

"Oh my! But didn't you say that people with this disease think they're better than others?"

"There's a difference between being a loner and having chuunibyou! Besides, if we're judging by that standard, then what do you have to say for yourself, Miss 'I'll be the guiding light for these lost, little lambs'!"

"Hikigaya-kun, I don't believe myself to be better than my peers. It's simply my fate. With this prestigious blood flowing through my veins, it's my duty to be better than others and being so blessed with opportunities, I've taken it upon myself to help the less fortunate."

"I—… I don't know whether to be impressed or disappointed that you grew up into this..."

"Uhm… I don't get it…" a small voice said, cutting in.

"Yuigahama, huh… I guess it really is hard to explain without any real background information—rather I'm surprised Yukinoshita got it so quick. Then again, this is her that we're talking about here. Ah, geez… I thought just being in Zaimokuza's vicinity would have served as a pretty decent example, but I guess he managed to hold himself back pretty well if you still don't understand it. An example, huh… an example… Oh!"

"What is it, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Oh, uh… I just remembered one particularly strong case."

"Ooh! Tell us about it! Maybe it'll help me understand!"

"Urk— I… I don't know. I'm getting chills for some reason… Just… just forget I ever mentioned it."

"Come on Hikki! You can't just let me bite the dust like that."

"Yuigahama-san… I believe the phrase you're looking for is 'leave me in the dust'… Regardless, she has a point Hikigaya-kun. You said an example would make it easier to understand, right?"

"You're really putting me in a tough spot here… Alright, fine. I guess there's no way she'd know anyways… Let me just see if I remember how this went…"

After several seconds of thought and an unnecessarily loud cough, Hikigaya-kun began his story.

"A long time ago, in a very distant past, 15 gods existed. Together, they worked to craft the universe from small creatures like plants and animals, to the large planets those creatures inhabited, to even the massive stars that occupied the skies. Perhaps the greatest creation of all though was crafted by a single goddess, Luminia of the Light. With her kindness and grace, she bestowed the gift of intelligence amongst the servants of the gods, mankind, granting them cognizance and spirit. Tired, but satisfied with their creations, the gods entrusted this new world onto humanity and fell into a deep slumber.

Millennia later, with their strength restored, the gods awoke to a changed world. Using the gift of Luminia, mankind had advanced creating tools and working together to shape the world around them, much like the gods had themselves. The gods were less than pleased with what they saw.

Crime and injustice overflowed in abundance within the societies created by man. Corrupted by sin, mankind proved far too willing to sacrifice one another for gain. Countless wars between countries ravaged the land and even within the cities, humans manipulated and extorted one another in their struggle for supremacy. The gods understood that something had to be done, but in deciding how to deal with mankind, the gods too, became split.

'Order and discipline! We must guide them towards a society where all men are equal! We'll establish a hierarchy with laws so that none will be discriminated against and so that all can enjoy the bounties of the world.'

'Nonsense! Do you not see the hypocrisy behind your words? It's the very humans that have established a hierarchy that take advantage of those below them. They pass down their worthless titles and control through their bloodlines, ensuring that those in power remain in power forcing those without to cower in fear. What needs to guide the humans is freedom and strength; regardless of birthrights or upbringing, what should matter is personal merit. Those who have experienced hardships and those who have overcome it—they understand the plights of the weak the most. With their exceptional strengths, those truly outstanding individuals will serve as beacons for the rest of mankind to follow!'

'Are you a fool?! It's those very humans that become so corrupted with power that they abuse others in the first place. What is needed is order to ensure that all people are equally protected!'

Arguing between order and discipline, and freedom and strength, the gods began taking up sides, and before long, two sides had formed championing their respective beliefs. Only one god had not taken a side in this fight—Luminia of the Light.

As the one who had granted humanity its intelligence in the first place, Luminia now understood that the gift she had once bestowed upon humanity had been nothing more than a curse. Racked with the guilt of what she had done, she vowed to herself that she would save humanity. Still, it was the influence of the gods that had created this mess; she would not allow the gods to once more plague mortal life with their thoughtless actions, including her own.

With her newfound determination, Luminia travelled back to Akasha, the center of the universe and the origin of the gods themselves. Though the gods were immortal, they too, had once been granted the gift of life and what could be given could be taken back, or in this case, forced back. With her desire to save humanity from what she had done, Luminia extinguished her life, dissolving back into the abyss.

Years later, a human girl was born. Born to a relatively average household, the girl had no real remarkable traits, Kind and graceful, she was a normal little girl in every single way—and she was content. With her loving family and friends, she lived in a perfect world. At least, it was for a time.

Disaster had struck. Caught between the two sides of the conflict started by the gods, the girl's parents passed, leaving her orphaned. Suddenly alone in the world, the once happy young girl found herself passed from distant relative to distant relative, folks she hardly knew, and she was taken from the place she held most precious. With each household she passed through, the hopeful light that had once brilliantly illuminated her eyes grew dimmer and dimmer…

Just as she was about to lose all faith in the world, a strange man approached her. Though she was unfamiliar with the man, she'd felt a long missing sense of nostalgia. With a warm smile that reminded her all too much of home, he asked her a question.

'I was a friend of your father's. Would you perhaps like to come live with me and my family?'

With nothing to lose, she accepted and for the first time in forever, she began to feel hope again.

The man was just as caring as his initial impression had given him out to be while his wife was thrilled to treat the girl as one of her own and the other children of the household were happy to have a new older sibling. In time, even the cold, hard exterior the girl had formed moving from household to household began to crumble as she remembered who she had once been.

And she remembered everything.

Flooded with the memories and emotions of her past life, Lumina of the Light, the girl once more reaffirmed the promise she had made to herself back then. With her reawakened determination, this time, she would save humanity—and this time, she would save her family as well. This girl was named—"

"-Bzzzt- Hikigaya Hachiman… Hikigaya Hachiman of class 1-J. Would you please come down to the teacher's office after clubs are over? I—… Hiratsuka-sensei would like to have a word with you. -Bzzzt-"

A voice from the intercom interrupted Hikigaya-kun's story. Judging by the voice, I was certain that it was Hiratsuka-sensei. No doubt Hikigaya-kun had done something again, earning him another earful from our Japanese teacher. Nothing strange there. What was strange was the ghastly shade of white that had suddenly appeared on Hikigaya-kun's face.

"Hey, Hikki, keep going! You were just getting to the good part. What happens next?" Yuigahama, pestered.

"I agree. What a riveting tale! So heartbreaking, yet so moving! If you don't mind, could you keep going? I'd like to take some more notes—for reference, of course." Zaimokuza-san added, while furiously jotting away at a notebook.

Well, it's not like I didn't understand how they felt. From Zaimokuza-san, I got nothing but the incoherent ramblings of a barely functional story, but Hikigaya-kun's tale had managed to pique even my interest. How riveting.

"Uh… s-sorry. I'm really going to have to wrap it up there. At the very least, you more or less get what it's about right?"

"Aww… Well, kinda, I guess… So it's basically like those make-believe stories you would act out with your friends when you were kids right? Only they still do it when they're older?"

"Huh? How the hell would I know about that sort of thing? Is that what kids do these days?"

"Hikki, we're the same age…"

"Yuigahama-san, it would be pointless to try and talk to Hikigaya-kun about anything regarding another person. He doesn't have friends, remember?"

"Oi. That… might be true, but I still have my adorable, loving, kind, and caring little sister, don't I?"

"Hikki, that's really gross…"

"Just ignore him. He's like a dog. Pay any attention to him over the slightest thing and he'll keep doing it."

"Wha—!"

"Anyways, Zaimokuza-san, you had a request? From what I can understand, you want us to cure you of your chuunibyou, right?"

Visibly startled by my address, Zaimokuza-san shot-up from where he had been jotting down his notes. Well?

"Ah, er, n-no, I am actually quite fine with it."

"Are you sure? I'll inform you right now, that method of speaking is quite grating on the ears. I'm almost certain that if just fix that, any other issues you may have would certainly disappear as well."

"W-well it's like… a q-quirk—my character, you know? If I did not speak in this manner, I would have no identifying qualities of which to… w-well, to speak."

"Hmm… fine. What did you come here for then? State your request."

With this, he seemed to regain some of his previous vigor as he took on a grin all too similar to the irritating smirk Hikigaya-kun often wore these days. I certainly would have to be more careful with who I let him socialize with from now on.

"Heh-heh-heh… It is as I stated earlier! I seek comrades-in-arms to join me in the creation of a circle—to break the boundaries between mortals and gods—to ascend from a simple buyer to a creator!"

"Right… First things first, we'll have you take remedial Japanese courses. With Hiratsuka-sensei as our club advisor, and Hikigaya-kun and myself tutoring you, we should easily have that speech pattern of yours sorted out by the end of the month."

"Wait a minute," Hikigaya-kun interjected. "You're jumping to conclusions, Yukinoshita. Zaimokuza wasn't spouting delusions just then—well, most of it wasn't his usual garbage anyways."

"I don't get it," said Yuigahama. "How was that any different from before?"

"Circles, buyers, creators—they're… otaku terms," Hikigaya-kun sighed after a long pause. "Circles are gatherings of individuals who share an interest. Typically, they create fan-made works for series and sell them at events. Buyers are, as the name implies, fans who only buy. Creators, on the other hand, are the one who produce those works."

"Ha-ha-ha. As expected of my partner. No one else understands me as well as you do!" Zaimokuza-san laughed while shooting Hikigaya-kun a thumbs-up, the latter whom promptly returned the gesture with a scowl.

"So? What the hell are you trying to create a circle for?"

"Oh? Have I managed to pique your interest? Well I, the Great Blade Master General Yoshiteru, have decided to make a game—more specifically a galge!"

"I see. Well you should start by giving up."

"Instant rejection?!"

"Geez… more otaku stuff? Hey, Hikki, what's a… gal-gay?"

"Galge. It's an abbreviation for the term 'girl game'. They're dating simulation games where the player will try and score points with a female character to date them. Often, there will be multiple female characters to choose from and successfully dating one requires you to carefully manage your character's time and parameters."

I more or less got the gist of it, but Hikigaya-kun's explanation only served to confuse Yuigahama even further. Still, unfortunately for Yuigahama, I couldn't just let Hikigaya-kun take the entire day explaining things to her, especially seeing as we had other matters to attend to.

"Hikigaya-kun, we are the service club. As long as someone needs our help, we take on their request."

"Yukinoshita, you shouldn't take anything this guy says seriously. You see his type all the time. They spout shit about how they're about to create the next biggest hit and how they know all the greatest authors, but they never accomplish anything themselves. Just last week, he was going on and on about how he was going to be a hit novelist and the week before that was nonsense about becoming a manga artist."

"T-that… that might be true, but I'm serious this time!"

Seeing as he had no chance with Hikigaya-kun, Zaimokuza-san quickly turned and lowered his head to me. "Please!"

Hikigaya-kun's words had planted a doubt within in. If what he had said was true, Zaimokuza-san would likely give up on this endeavor within the next couple of weeks as well. Still, he was here, earnestly asking for help, wasn't he?

"Hikigaya-kun, I believe I was clear when I said this, but the service club makes it a point to accept ALL requests."

!

"T-T-THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

"Yukinoshita, are you serious?!… Whatever… You're the club president—do what you want, but I'd rather not be involved with this."

"…I may be the club president, but it was you who inspired me to do this. This club… no—I need you, Hikigaya-kun!"

""Wha—!""

After all, the only two members of the club were currently Hikigaya-kun and myself, and while his dispassionate, unfriendly attitude was still the norm, glimpses of his once helpful and even admirable personality would occasionally shine through and I wasn't about to let it slip away. Besides—

"Unfortunately, I have very little knowledge of games or how they're made. As much as I'd like to assist Zaimokuza-san, I'm afraid it's outside my range of expertise. That's why I ask—would you possibly lend me your knowledge and strength?"

"You… Again with your misleading…"

Hmm? Misleading? I believe I was quite clear with my words though?

"Fine… Fine! I'll help since you're begging me Yukinoshita! So Zaimokuza—since I'm going through all this effort to help, you'd better make the best god damned galge Japan has ever seen!"

"H-Hachiman!" Zaimokuza-san cried, leaping at Hikigaya-kun.

A tug on my sleeve diverted my attention from the disgus…—heartwarming scene taking place before my eyes. Oh, it's just you Yuigahama-san. I suppose you have my thanks. So? What do you want?

"Yukinon… that was too sneaky. Even though you said you weren't interested—that's… that's not fair!" Grabbing her bag, she rushed to the door and threw it open.

"Eh? Yuigahama-san?" Wait a minute—there's a misunderstanding here. I'm not sure what it is, but there's absolutely some sort of misunderstanding here!

"I'll show you that I can be helpful too! And I definitely won't lose!" With that, Yuigahama slammed the door closed and took off.

"What was that about?" Hikigaya-kun asked, again having managed to pry the larger boy away from himself.

"I'm… honestly not sure I could explain it myself." I sighed. "Anyways, Zaimokuza-san."

"Y-yes?!"

"Again, the service club will accept your request. I went through all that effort to convince Hikigaya-kun to assist you, so do your best not to disappoint us, alright?"

"Yes, Yukinoshita-san… No—Master!"

M-master?! If we're going by the Japanese definition, then that would be someone accomplished, or a person of great skill. Certainly, I won't deny my own talents—humility can often be as detrimental as arrogance, but being called a master… Well, it certainly doesn't feel bad. But still, it wouldn't be right for students to be calling other students "master" at school in the presence of actual educational figures might—

"So Zaimokuza, where's your scenario? As smart as we are, unless Yukinoshita knows how to draw and code for a galge, you're probably going to have to find some other people eventually to help with those aspects of the game, but at the very least, we can go over your script for now and give you pointers."

"Sorry, I don't have one."

""…Huh?""

"Well, I mean, I just got this idea yesterday after all. You see, I was delivering some papers for the teacher yesterday when those damn normie bastards from class 1-J bumped into me and caused the papers to spill everywhere. Can you believe it? They just walked away like nothing happened! Not even a word of apology! They should be grateful that the power within my right hand is still sealed or I would have ended their fates right then and there, but I suppose that's a tale for another time. Anyways, as I allowed those fools to walk away, a goddess descended! Hair glowing from the afternoon light and a smile filled with kindness—she was the very visage of an angel! It was then I decided that I would carve her image into eternity with this!"

…

So, this is what Hikigaya-kun meant.

"Hikigaya-kun, I take it back. Feel free to punish this fool and remove him from our premise immediately."

"Already on it." Rushing Zaimokuza-san, Hikigaya-kun pulled him into a very familiar and very painful-looking headlock. "Give be back all of my effort and concern, you damned doujin-pimp!"

"W-wait!" Zaimokuza-san choked out while struggling. "Master, I swear, I'm serious this time! It's true—I might once have meandered from path to path, never accomplishing anything, but this time is different. That smile that she showed to me regardless of how unworthy as I was—I wish to share it with the rest of Japan—nay, the world! This is the only way I could ever pay her back! Please!"

This was ridiculous. Zaimokuza-san simply didn't know how to normally deal with these types of feelings. There were plenty of other methods we could have tried, all of which would greatly benefit his character as well. Yet…

I had seen those eyes before.

They were the eyes of someone asking for help.

"Hah… Hikigaya-kun, let him go. Zaimokuza-san, I'll give you one week to prove yourself. While I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to be helped, without the will of the student, any effort on our part would ultimately be pointless. If you have at least an outline prepared for us to review by then, then I promise you that the service club will continue to assist you in the making of your game."

"Yes, master!"

⁂

And so, the following afternoon—

"It's no good. How could you possibly call this your own original work when it's swamped with clichés?"

"W-well, clichés are clichés because people continue to enjoy them, right?"

"Don't give me that sophistry! A violent, tsundere foreign exchange student who moves in with the protagonist, the baby-faced, but big breasted, innocent little sister-type, the tomboyish childhood friend with an unexpected cute side, the shy, glasses wearing classmate whose unexpectedly cute under her mask, and the teasing, assertive older sister-type who becomes shy in any real situation—Hmm… Now I wonder just what series these characters came from?"

"Urk—Stop! Though it's certainly true that at least five different series just came to mind then…"

"I have a question. Why do all of these girls fall for the main character? It would be one thing if he were handsome or rich, but from what I can tell, he's a below average student with no redeeming qualities whatsoever."

"T-that's… that's just how these kinds of games are, right Hachiman?!"

"Yukinoshita has a point. I'd be cursing this protagonist if he had it too good, but this guy is so lacking, don't you find him kind of pathetic?"

"S-self-insert type characters are what's popular these days!"

Strangely enough, contrary to how frequently she had been showing up lately, Yuigahama was no were to be seen. Instead, Zaimokuza-san had taken her place in the clubroom. Despite how ill-prepared he had been the day before, Zaimokuza-san had managed to prepare an outline of his work for us to go over today.

Well…

The quality of his writing certainly left much to be desired. As expected of a piece written in less than a day.

"Even with my limited knowledge of the genre, I doubt this would be very successful. Unfortunately, Zaimokuza-san, I'll have to ask you to take this back to the drawing board and come up with something else."

"But I stayed up all night writing that… I had to scour through all my light novels and games to pull enough material together…"

"So you admit to plagiarizing your entire script… Well, whatever. The faster you give up on this, the faster we can give up on this."

"No way! If… if I could only see the goddess one more time, I'm sure I'd be able to write something…"

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Yahallo!"

"Ah Yuigahama-san, so you came after all." Per usual, Yuigahama had already barged in before even awaiting a response, an act I had grown annoyingly accustomed to.

Isn't it common sense to wait for a response before entering? That's why we knock in the first place! If you were going to enter without waiting, why knock in the first place? In fact, why don't we just remove the door altogether in that case? Well, sensei?! Ah, but it looks like I'll have to save this for another time; it seems that Yuigahama has brought someone along with her.

It was a girl with short silver hair that seemed to glow in the afternoon light and soft, gentle features that seemed to radiate a sort of grace.

"My… goddess…"

Eh?

No way. What were the chances? Still, her features seemed to match up accurately with what Zaimokuza-san had described to us yesterday. Though she lacked in certain departments compared to Yuigahama, a pain I knew all too well, she would inarguably be classified as cute. In fact, her soft, feminine facial features might alone have pushed her above Yuigahama, but I suppose for men, those certain other aspects would weigh much more.

"Ahem—Yuigahama-san, may I inquire who it is that you've brought along today?"

"Fu-fu-fu… Tada!" Yuigahama beamed with a confident smile. "This is Sai-chan from my class! They had something they wanted help with so I brought them here."

Hmm… We had already accepted the request from Zaimokuza-san. Should we really be accepting two requests at once with just the two of us? Still, the work required for Zaimokuza-san's request was relatively light for both Hikigaya-kun and I, and I had given Zaimokuza-san till the end of the week to give us something solid anyways. Sai-chan though, was it? No doubt, it was another one of Yuigahama's pet names.

"I can't guarantee that we'll be able to accept your request at the moment, but at the very least, we can hear you out. To start with, I'm Yukinoshita Yukino, the president of this club. Could I ask you to introduce yourself, miss?"

At my words, her face seemed to tense up and flush with red.

"I'm… I'm a guy!"

Hmm… a soft voice that complimented her features all too well. In my opinion, she was definitely cuter than Yuigahama. In fact, she might even give me a run for my money. Well, I say that, but I'm still confident in my own looks.

…

Wait.

"""HUH?"""

OMAKE I:

"Hey, Hikigaya-kun."

"What?"

Normally, when clubs were over Hikigaya-kun would head straight home, while I took a short detour to the teacher's office to return the keys. Today though, Hikigaya-kun had once more been called by Hiratsuka-sensei after clubs. I had something I had wanted his help with so I decided to wait for him. Luckily, it seemed his talk with Hiratsuka-sensei had tired him out leaving him with little resistance, leading to the two of us currently walking through the empty hallways together.

"As I stated earlier, I'm unfamiliar with these 'gal-ges'. It's unfortunate, but I'll have to leave most of the work to you this time."

"So you're aware…"

"Still, as the club president, I can't just sit back and watch. That's why, would it be possible for you to help me pick up some materials so I could study?"

"…Eh? W-wait-wait-wait… You want to buy… a galge?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"No-no-no-no—it's impossible. In the first place, galges aren't something you can play through over the course of a night, especially since we have school. Also, I don't play galges myself so there's no way I'd be able to recommend you anything."

"Hmm… Even so, I wish to be able to help."

"…Fine. I don't know how much this will help, but since you're so insistent on this, I suppose there's a couple of materials I could recommend…"

⁂

Being the closest one to the school, we stopped by the shopping district near my home. After a couple of minutes of walking around, we arrived at the location that Hikigaya-kun had requested—a bookstore.

"Ka… Ki… Ku… Ke… Ah, here. Take this." After reaching the "ko" section of the shelf, he slipped a book out and tossed it over to me.

"Metronome… In Love?"

"It's a light novel. As the name implies, they're probably much lighter than what you're used to reading, but that should work to our advantage in this case. Manga, anime, and light novels especially share pretty common concepts and themes with galges. If you want to get familiar with the subject, this is the fastest way to do it. There's five volumes, but just start with the first one for now."

"No, bring me all five."

"Eh? …Are you sure? Buying five books at once without knowing a thing about them? Do you even have time to read all these?"

"Have you already forgotten what you, yourself said? These books are much lighter than what I usually read. I'd easily be able to finish them in a night. They're relatively inexpensive as well. At six hundred yen per volume, three thousand yen would hardly put a dent in my budget. Besides, you recommended it, didn't you Hikigaya-kun? Unless you're telling me that you have no confidence in your taste."

"…Heh. I suppose I shouldn't have expected any less of you, Yukinoshita. Let me grab the rest of the series. Oh, and just promise me, but on the off chance you ever meet this author, please don't ever tell her that her story was so light, you finished it in one night."

As Hikigaya-kun searched the shelves for the rest of the series, I flipped the book over.

The book that started it all—Kasumi Utako's award winning, debut novel—a heart-pounding adolescence love-story.

"I'm surprised, Hikigaya-kun. Doesn't this book go against everything that you believe in?"

"…Is there something wrong with desiring something, even if it's a fake?"

…

Eh?

"Here's the rest of the series. If were done here, I'll be heading home. Oh, and if you plan on buying any more materials, tell me first. Most of this stuff is trash. I wouldn't want you getting a bad impression of the entire industry because you picked up something at random." And without another word, Hikigaya-kun briskly left the store.

Wait-wait-wait! What was that about?! You didn't even give me a chance to respond! In the first place, I was just poking fun at you as usual—a joke, a joke! Geez… if you go saying things like that, then I'll definitely force it out of you one day.

OMAKE II:

"So, so? How's that? I know I wasn't very helpful with Zai… Zai… Chunni-kun's problem, so I looked super hard for someone who needed help!"

"Yuigahama-san, I appreciate your effort, but there really is no need for you to go to such lengths for us."

"What are you talking about Yukinon? I'm a part of this club too! That means I gotta pull my own weight, right?"

"…Yuigahama-san, you do know that you're not actually a member of this club, right?"

"…Eh?"

"Have… you never been in a club before? You need to fill out the appropriate forms and hand them in to the club advisor before you're considered a member of a club."

"EH?! Yukinon, you meanie! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

"I thought that this much was common sense… Besides, your attendance was irregular and you made no indication that you had wanted to join."

"I thought there was like a trial period or something! Augh, where's those papers?! And is Hiratsuka-sensei still here?!"

Just as loud as she had come in, Yuigahama made a mad beeline towards the teacher's office.

Author's Note:

This chapter took much longer than most of us would have liked.

I remember working on this chapter on my phone while waiting in line to purchase the Switch back in March. In other words, it took me three months to get this chapter out from when I had first begun working on it.

Well admittedly, a lot of things happened. Zelda came out. Then Persona came out. Then I had finals. And I procrastinated on updating this story all the while.

But no more! Summer is here and it is time to take up my pen (I pray)! I'm hoping to get the next chapter out within a couple of weeks which should wrap up this arc and from there on, I'll really be able to play around with how Yukinoshita's and Hikigaya's early meeting affected who they are.

On a side note, there sure were a lot of doors that got forced open or slammed in this chapter. Despite how mature she acts, Yukinoshita just loves to make an entrance, doesn't she?

Anyways, thanks for listening to my all my ramblings. I'm very grateful for the continuous support I receive on this series despite my absence and I hope you all have a wonderful day.