Oregairu Vol 13 Chapter 4

        Chapter 4:  Once again, Hikigaya Hachiman elaborates


The classroom is filled with noises after school.

During class, I was thinking while occasionally snoozing, but for now I'll put that matter
aside, I began to pack my stuff getting ready to go home, put on my coat, wrapped up my
scarf, and stood up carrying my empty bag.

My first targeted location is at the back of the classroom, the corner next to the windows.
It has been a while since the bell rang, most students have already left the classroom,
while a small group of people stayed back, gathering at that corner.

In the center of group sat our queen, who's pulling onto her blonde straight-rolled hair,
while tapping her phone with her nails. Standing next her is Ebina san and Yuigahama
who's  back  could  be  seen  in  my  direction.  While  Hayama  and  the  three  animals  are
getting ready to leave for club activities, standing against the window.

They  seemed  pretty  immersed  in  their  enjoyment  of  freedom  after  school,  chatting
happily among each other. I had no choice but to interrupt them.

To  be  fair,  attempting  to  slot  myself  into  their  conversation  felt  like  a  huge  pain.  Its
already taking me a lot of perseverance to even approach them, and there's just no way I
can get myself to speak to them at all.

But right now, I'm taking the position of requesting help from Yuigahama. So it should be
me to take the initiative. Waiting on my seat until Yuigahama to come over is a really
disgraceful act. For example, during the break time of an anime voice recording session,
the kind of light novel author who would deliberately sit at the middle of the hall of the
recording studio, and wait for the voice actors to approach him, truly a disgraceful act.

Then  again  I'm  already  a  disgrace  myself,  but  even  a  disgraceful  person  should  know
when  to  push  themselves  harder.  So,  right  now  is  the  time  I  take  courage  to  move
forward.

Slowly and slowly... one step two step... approach them as slow as a Kyogenshi (Ref 1:
'Mad singing', one of the two formats for Japan's Noh dramas). Is it because I'm walking
too slow? Miura and the others didn't seem to be too bothered, talking about their plans
on where to hang out next time. My tempo is so slow, that I feel like that I can release a
Motoya  hand  knife  in  mid  air.  (Ref  2:  Izumi  Motoya,  originally  a  Kyogenshi,  who  then
participated in pro wrestling exhibition matches, he once used a trick where he jumped
onto the other side of his opponent, striking him with a strong hand knife before even
landing onto the ground, also known as the 'Motoya midair hand knife', yeah I spent 15
minutes on this reference)

Approaching  millimeter  by  millimeter,  quietly  stepping  until  I'm  directly  behind
Yuigahama, I then made a light cough.

"...I'm about to leave, should we."

"Ah, sure. I will be going too."

Replied Yuigahama with a plain tone as she looked back. Who then picked up her bag
and waved at Miura and the others.

"See you tomorrow."

"Ok."

"Bye bye."

Miura nodded without seeming too bothered, while Ebina smiled and waved.

Two of the three animals looked at each other in shock, and the remaining animal went
"Eh?  What?  YO!?"  while  looking  towards  us  multiple  times.  Truly  a  gang  made  of
annoying species.

Hayama then glanced a little, showing an incredibly warm smile.

What's the hell, this is just super embarrassing and tiring, this is the kind of situation that
makes people want to go commit die...

Looking back, the odd sensation still seems to be lingering within the atmosphere, I then
sped up to leave the classroom. Pulling up my scarf without forgetting to cover up my
face.

I  slowed  down  after  entering  the  corridor,  Yuigahama  who  also  rushed  out  of  the
classroom walked beside me, saying with strong intensity.

"By the way what was that for! Can't you just approach us in a more normal way? Getting
close thissss slowly is very scary alright! You actually scared me for a moment."

"Well, it can't be helped ...... I was super nervous back there..."
The  process  of  approaching  them  used  up  almost  all  of  my  strength,  that  now  I  could
only make a low exhausted voice.

Yuigahama let out a breath of dissatisfaction, but then gave me a troubled smile.

We walked shoulder to shoulder until we reach a corner, the special block is to our left,
and to our right side is the stairs.

"So what do we do next."

"Ah...  right,  we'll  have  to  decide  what  we  should  work  on...  For  now,  lets  get  a  place
where we can talk about it."

"Sure, how about Saizeriya?"

"Alright, let's go."

Even  though  there  is  the  choice  of  using  the  service  club  room,  neither  me  nor
Yuigahama mentioned it. Not because we've forgotten, but its because that place can now
be ignored. I believe that Yuigahama's reasoning behind it is similar to mine.

That place can only be established under her presence.

Which is why we'll probably never, enter that room again.
                                  4-2

We walked for a while after leaving school.

As we reached Saizeriya located in front of the station, we immediately ordered two self-
service drink counters as we sat down, then walked towards the drink counter to get our
drinks,  taking  a  break  as  we  drink  up  through  straws.  I  originally  planned  to  order
something like spicy Milanese rice, chicken wings, or pasta. But today we aren't actually
here to eat, so getting a drink is enough for now.

When I was having such a thought, Yuuigahama has already opened up the menu.

"I'm feeling a little hungry right now. What about hikki? You want some food too?"

Yuigahama  sat  at  the  middle  of  the  quadruple  seat  in  front  of  me,  leaning  forward,
looking  through  the  menu  left  and  right  seeming  busy.  Time  to  time  I  could  sense
something  flashy  swaying  across  the  table,  please  don't  do  this  any  longer.  Ah  right,  I
already eaten lunch just now...

"By the way, what do you usually have for lunch?"

The moment right after I asked the question, Yuigahama's hands that was moving across
the menu stopped its movement. She then let go of the menu, and leaned her back onto
the chair.

"...Just your regular food...why did you ask that."

As she whispered super softly, Yuigahama swiftly turned her head to the side, twisting
her  body  while  trying  to  make  it  look  not  obvious.  I  can  feel  her  struggling  to  shrink
down her belly to make herself look slimmer... Which ended up emphasizing her good
body instead! I looked away while making light coughs.

"No,  that's  not  what  I'm  trying  to  say?  I  mean  don't  you  always  had  lunch  in  the  club
room? So how do you deal with it recently."

"Ah, so that what you're trying to ask..."

Yuigahama exhaled looking relieved. Then, she took some time thinking about it silently,
and answered slowly.

"Yukinon said for this period, she plans to eat while working in the student council room.
So I have been eating with Yumiko and the others for the past few days... and usually the
same after school."
"I see."

Yuigahama nodded after hearing my short reply, turning the straw placed in her glass.

Yuigahama and Yukinoshita have been spending time with each other for almost every
lunch break and after school sessions. And before Yukinoshita returned to her family's
house, Yuigahama also tends to hang out with Yukinoshita in her unit, so they probably
also  spent  most  of  their  nights  and  holidays  together.  But  even  since  the  prom  thing
happened, Yukinoshita began to focus on her job more, so they probably won't have such
an opportunity for the time being.

How will things continue to develop? After the prom, as we entered the next year, will
they still be spending time with each other?

"... Well, for now lets focus on completing the prom."

In attempt to interrupt myself from thinking further, I brought up a different topic, and
drank up all of the remaining ice coffee. Even though I put in quite an amount of milk and
gum molasses, it still felt bitter.

Yuigahama  looked  downwards  at  the  glass  she  is  holding,  biting  onto  her  straw.  After
taking a sip, she nodded heavily.

"So what plans do you have?"

As  she  looked  back  up,  Yuigahama  has  already  went  back  to  her  cheery  expression.
Which made me remember how our conversation usually felt. I began to talk about the
things that I've been considering last night, while holding onto the back of my neck.

"So, although I've been thinking on it for a long time, but it seems that just organizing an
ordinary prom is a very risky idea. For a proposal that has already been criticized once
usually own't be approved."

Up  until  now,  referring  back  to  my  experience  with  the  proposing  sessions  like  the
cultural festival, the Christmas event and some other events, these experiences tell me
that the prom is in a very severe situation.

The other events that we have been involved with were built under the condition where
they're  already  approved,  and  discuss  on  how  to  improve  things.  But  right  now  the
parents  simply  demanded  the  organizers  to  completely  cancel  the  prom  instead  of
improving it.

It doesn't matter how many times the proposal gets revised, as long as the core concept
of a prom exists, its safe to say that they won't change their view on the event.
Most importantly, the fact that the event has already been disapproved once will become
our biggest obstacle.

A proposal that has been marked as a failure, can't get rid of such an image that easily,
thanks  to  that,  presenting  improvements  to  it  won't  necessarily  make  them  give  a
positive feedback.

The bad impression the public have towards proms, and the fact that this proposal has
already been rejected before, will cause them to view it with a biased attitude. Which is
why fixing the core problems the event has is ironically not the best solution.

I bit onto the straw, sort out my thoughts, and presented my conclusion.

"...Which is why, a new bias is needed."

Yuigahama opened up her mouth and slowly muttered.

"Bias... ah! Vibes?"

"No."

Why are you showing me that "I got it!" "Hey I totally know that!" kind of expression? It’s
totally wrong, 'bias' has nothing to do with 'vibes'. Guess its better to explain the term to
her.

"Bias  is  uhm...think  about  propensity  or  prejudice....  it  means  that  one  is  viewing
something with a false image under the influence of a generalized thought process. Well,
yeah, something like that."

"Hngh......?"

Answered Yuigahama who ended up picking her head. Why does it seem like she doesn't
understand it... Well, I don't particularly remember its actual definition either. I just need
to let Yuigahama understand it.

But what I really need her to understand is what I'll be talking about next.

"So basically, in order to change their bias, we need to come up with a proposal that is
visually different from the prom Yukinoshita and the others are working on."

After hearing that, Yuigahama's mouth seemed to opened up even wider. And, eventually
looking at me with a suspicious look.

"...But why?"

"Right now the idea of a prom itself is considered an absolute evil. But what will happen
when  a  much  more  vicious  presence  appears  in  front  of  them?  This  will  make  the
previous prom proposal look much better in comparison right?"

"I... see?"

Even though she said that, Yuigahama still seemed conflicted on the idea. Even the way
she said her agreement has turned into a question.

How to explain it better... as I started thinking, Saizeriya's menu happened to flash across
my eyes, I then opened up the menu and flipped to its last page. Where there are various
choices of dessert written on it.

"...Sugar makes people fat. So it's a better idea not to have ice cream and desserts right?"

"Well, yeah, why did you ask that all of a sudden..."

Yuigahama grunted while twisting her body, turning her unhappy face away.

"But  if  you  add  on  a  new  choice  of  ice  creams  that  comes  with  half  of  their  original
calorific value, you might end up trying it, right?"

"Well yeah, I'll probably eat two of them..."

"No what the f... Well, that's basically it."

Yuigahama  seemed  very  attracted  to  the  pictures  on  the  menu,  that  I  had  to  make  a
cough before going back to our topic.

"So the plan here is to come up with a plan that will be abandoned. Choose one out of
two,  make  the  parents  feel  that  they  can't  refuse  on  making  a  choice  between  them.
Propose  the  sacrificial  plan,  have  them  abandon  the  sacrificial  plan,  which  in  return
means the approval of the main proposal."

The current situation is, that they only have the choice to approve or reject the proposal
for prom proposal A.

However, if we propose a prom proposal B, the parents will end up having this mentality
that're selecting between Plan A and Plan B. Excluding 'rejecting the prom' from their
selection list as a result.

"Ah... so that's what you meant. So Yukinon and Isshiki-chan's prom will be the ice cream
with half the calories."

Yuigahama  nodded  in  confirmation,  but  the  nodding  soon  stopped  and  she  suddenly
looked up at me.
"But  if  they  already  demanded  to  cancel  the  prom,  wouldn't  they  just  reject  both
proposals anyway?"

"Yeah about that...."

Hearing this, I slapped onto my forehead.

What  Yuigahama  just  pointed  out  is  the  weakness  of  such  a  strategy.  Even  though
Yuigahama is an idiot, but her brain isn't actually bad at all. Still an idiot though.

This  strategy  tends  to  work  well  against  hesitant  opponents.  But  in  our  case  the
opponent  has  already  came  to  a  conclusion,  so  making  them  choose  between  the  two
options won't be as effective as it seems.

So, even though I'm adding this statement quite late, it is necessary to let her understand
that we have another prerequisite.

"...Actually, that shouldn't be a problem."

Listening to that,  Yuigahama picked her head aside again.

“Our school actually has no intention to cancel the prom. Otherwise they wouldn't have
used the saying of self restraint. Our school was well known for its respect towards the
autonomy of its students, in fact it was even used as our school motto.”

"Ah, yes... considering that so many events were held before..."

A slight sense of doubt still lies within Yuigahama's tone, but she still tried her best to
agree with me.

Taking  our  school  motto  into  consideration  does  seem  unreliable.  But  like  what
Yuigahama said, our students did organize a lot of large events like the Christmas party.
Which  none  of  these  were  rejected  by  the  school,  which  means  that  the  school
authorities have always intended to let their students organize activities with no strings
attached.  Hiratsuka  sensei  herself  even  mentioned  that  the  school  originally  did  not
think that there are any problems with organizing a prom.

"The school still needs to care for their reputation after all. If they straight up shut down
the prom, they'll look ugly if the word got spread out. So, if Yukinoshita can come up with
a  safer  proposal,  it  shouldn't  be  hard  to  make  the  school  our  supporter.  We'll  have  to
count on Hiratsuka sensei regarding that."

"Mhm."

After listening to me, Yuigahama nodded seeming assured.
Actually,  now  that  Hiratsuka  successfully  obtained  their  verbal  promise  of  “apply  self
restraint”. So as long as we can come up with the second option, Hiratsuka sensei who's
now backed up by the school's statement should have a certain level of right of speech
and  influence  over  the  parents'  choices.  Which  means  that  we  can  have  a  positive
outlook over the school's possible actions.

The other big problem here is the negotiation with the parents. The more I think about it
the more it feels depressing, to the point that I ended up biting onto my straw.

"And then there's, the parents... Specifically, the more vocal ones ... If we put down our
gesture, show them the options we're providing, and eventually lead them into thinking
that they're choosing out of their own will, it should please them enough to make them
stop complaining..."

In most occasions, people who complains the loudest have no interest with debating over
the content of the subject, but simply seek for victory against their opponents. Therefore,
as long we make the other party come to this impression of "it was I who decided, it was
I who changed their actions, it was I who made them apologize" , endure their criticisms
and complaints, then things should end up with a good note.

No, to be honest this doesn't feel convincing.

This time it was me who picked up my head.

"...That's what I think, what about you?"

While sighing, I started to think about Yukinoshita's mother.

The  fact  that  the  people  who  came  over  to  the  school  weren't  the  parents  who  had
doubts with the prom, but Yukinoshita's mother instead made me see a ray of hope. After
all,  her  role  was  a  mere  messenger.  Her  speech  could  either  be  seen  as  that  from  the
member of the parent council, or the words from the wife of a local authority. At least
that's my impression towards her original rhetoric.

But then again, as expected from the mother of the Yukinoshita sisters, the longer the
conversation went on, the stronger the arguments she presented, to the point that even
we got sold with her sayings.

That  mother,  also  likes  to  talk  over  things.  She  also  followed  up  with  Iroha's  counter
arguments  without  looking  bored.  No,  instead  of  saying  that  she  enjoyed  the
conversation itself, what she really enjoys is defeating her opposition.

In this case, it's hard to say whether Yukinoshita's mother will simply give up arguing or
not.
Which means we'll also need to prepare something to deal with her... Please don't be like
that, I really don't want to be involved with her, Mrs Yukinoshita is just too terrifying, for
real...

So for the time being, these are what I managed to come up with.

“So  basically,  we'll  show  them  that  we  have  the  right  to  forcefully  execute  the  event,
while trying to convince them into our controllable options.”

I spat out the straw in my mouth that has been wrinkled into a ball, and presented my
conclusion. Yuigahama then gleefully smiled at me in admiration.

"Wow...Hikki  you  should  be  doing  this  kind  of  job  in  the  future!  Some  complaint
correspondent kind of profession! It really suits you!"

"Absolutely no... that's not how it works, and I don't plan to get a job either."

I can't find myself to feel happy about this statement even in front of her sparkling eyes,
and  unconsciously  revealed  a  disgusted  expression.  Yuigahama  however  continued  to
smile happily.

No,  I'm  really  not  suitable  for  this?  Also  to  deal  with  complaints  through  such  an
approach as an employee, will definitely get me fired. My plan would only work due to
the unique environment of the school and my position as an unemployed person.

Not to mention that, there is already a standard reply to deal with most complaints.

Its simple, just blame our boss! Or just transfer their calls to the customer service and
have the professionals deal with them.

"Well, we haven't actually started any actual work too. So up next we'll have to deal with
the real troublesome stuff."

"What do you mean..."

Listening to that I sighed deeply, crossed my fingers, leaned my body slightly forward,
and lowered my head to make a Gendo pose (Ref 3: The signature pose of commander
Ikari from EVA), and said in a deep tone.

"We still have to make preparations for the sacrificial plan. It needs to a look like that
actual  effort  has  been  put  in  and  has  a  realistic  sense  to  it  in  the  view  of  outsiders.
Otherwise, it won't even qualify as an option."

"Ah, so that's how it is..."

Yuigamaha seemed to have moved slightly backwards. So I moved up a little forward as if
I'm chasing after her.

"Which means that we're short of people and time. Also, we have no budget at all."

"So what resources do we actually have..."

As Yuigahama asked back with a troubled smile. I made a shallow smirk.

"Introducing, the  beings  who  have  too  much  free time,  requires  no  salary  in  return of
them working for us......Our school's students! They're completely free and always ready
to be used."

"This is too shady!"

Yuigahama shouted out while grabbing onto her head.

But right now, it is true that if we don’t recruit the most professional talents in our school
and squeeze out every ounce of their efforts, there will be no other way for us to make a
comeback. This is Sobu High's newly revised labor system, a system that turns the most
professional experts into slave... (Ref 4: Japan introduced a new standard to their labor
system  some  time  ago,  employees  of  the  higher  hierarchy  will  no  longer  have  an
allowable limit to their overtime hours, and working overtime will no longer get them
paid... Man they actually approved this.)

Yuigahama who sunk into her seat seeming discouraged, looked up at me through the
gaps of her bangs.

"But, for such a plan that was never meant to be approved, can we even find anyone that
are willing to help?"

"You're right..."

As I replied, I too looked up at the ceiling.

Like  she  said,  it  wouldn't  be  this  difficult  to  recruit  people  if  we're  actually  trying  to
organize an ideal prom, after all no one would like to become a sacrificial Yamcha. Only
the most foolish of all fools, the nicest of all nice people, or high end eccentrics would be
interested with working for such a thing.

Unfortunately  we'll  have  to  give  up  on  direct  recruitment.  Which  also  means  that  the
methods we could use are limited.

"I'll  try  not  to  disclose  about  our  true  purpose,  and  try  convincing  them  as  much  as
possible... As long as we avoid ending up with a financial deficit, and properly apologizing
to them after that, yeah, things should be fi..."
If pleading for mercy could solve the problem the it won't be an issue, I crossed my arms,
and did some thinking, suddenly I could hear a short sigh that sounded as if it was being
contained.

As I looked up, Yuigahama could be seen biting onto her lips while slowly shaking her
lowered head. She didn't say anything, but that is enough to convey her thoughts.

I  shouldn't  have  said  that  without  proper  consideration.  This  is  a  mistake  that  I  have
repeated so many times.

I took a deep breath. And started to convince myself.

"...No, lets try and talk to them properly. They might not understand us, but for now lets
seek out people that we're familiar with."

"Ok."

Yuigahama nodded and answered with a smile.

The situation we're in right now is a product of my mistakes.

Which is why, I should at least avoid make the same mistakes over and over.

A method different from what I've used in the past, a fundamentally different one, I have
to find it.
                                  4-3

After contacting the people who we could think of, time flowed through leisurely. The
scenery seen from Saize's window will soon dyed with twilight, although its still far from
the peak hour for leaving work, pedestrians could already be seen flooding into the train
station.

After receiving replies from the people I asked to meet up with, we waited for them to
come. During this period we decided to have an early dinner.

Yuigahama could be seen brawling with the pizza in front of her, whenever she says a
'gambateh', an eerie noise could be heard right after. Is she bad at using this round pizza
cutter.  Lots  of  screeching  sounds  could  be  heard  as  the  toothed  blade  clashes  fiercely
against the pan.

Is  she  finally  done?  Yuigahama  sighed  and  handed  over  a  piece  of  pizza  that  has  this
weird shape that I can't describe of.

"For you, Hikki."

"Uhm, thank you."

But then again I won't make unnecessary remarks towards the shape of the pizza. I'm not
in a position to complain after having someone else cut for me, and Saize's pizza is good
no matter what shape or size.

"Do you want some chili sauce?"

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

I picked up the bottle of chili sauce placed on the center of the table, squeezed it for two
to three times, and then munched on the pizza that now tastes even better.

After a while, the side dishes, Doria rice, pasta and salad were served. Then'll be another
meat dish coming up soon. This set meal felt more sumptuous than I imagined, I should
inform Komachi that I won't be having dinner when I come home later.

While  I  pressed  onto  my  phone,  Yuigahama  used  her  fork  and  knife  like  a  pair  of
chopsticks, asking me while picking up food.

"Do you want any salad?"

"Just a bit, no tomatoes. And uhhh, you can take all the prawns. I'll be full with the meat
only."
"Really!? That's great! By the way eat some tomatoes too, its not good to be picky with
food."

"Ah, its not that, I just tend to feel uncomfortable every time I eat tomatoes, I can't stand
its slimy texture."

"Eh... but that's what make them taste good."

Seeming to be more skillful at separating salad as compared to cutting pizza, Yuigahama
swiftly  took  out  my  share  and  arranged  them  on  my  plate.  I  nodded  to  express  my
gratitude, took it over and thanked her before eating.

Though... the lettuce is covered with the sticky juice of the tomatoes...I shoved it into my
mouth with my eyes closed, and swallowed it almost instantly without even chewing.

Aha, now there shouldn't be any other vegetables with tomato essence stuck on them...
As I opened up my eyes, Yuigahama could be seen placing her hands over her cheeks,
happily looking at me.

"You look just like a child."

She gleefully made that comment as if she's teasing me, she then switched over into a
more mature smile. This girl who was supposed to be at the same age as mine, for some
reason looked at me in a way that resembles an older sister, my eyes felt uneasy, looking
left and right.

But as I shifted my line of view towards every direction, her gorgeous tea colored hair
that shines like an angel's halo, her big watery eyes, the concave spot on her collarbone,
her fingertips that tapped onto the ends of her hair, the lifted corners of her mouth and
those glittering lips, her long eyelashes that look like a soft artistic curve, and even her
slightly blushed soft cheeks, everything that enters my view is just so captivating.

"S...some adults dislike tomatoes too..."

Apparently Hiratsuka-sensei hates tomatoes too ... after saying this, I lowered my head. Is
this me feeling shy or embarrassed? Either way, I can't look directly onto Yuigahama's
face.

I looked up and turned my head towards the air conditioner with a "Speaking of which ~
did this shop set their air conditioner a little too strong?" kind of look, and let a out a long
breath.

Soon after, a familiar large figure appeared in the distance.

Wearing a trench coat, leather gloves and glasses. It wouldn't look weird for the current
season,  but  the  way  he  looks  around  while  standing  at  the  entrance,  makes  him  look
super suspicious. The way he's acting so suspiciously however is what made him easier
to recognize, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, the self proclaimed kengo.

As Zaimokuza noticed me raising my hand, the uneasiness expression on his face turned
into cheerful one, marching while waving towards us. Like a wild grizzly bear who got
tamed all of a sudden...

For some reason Yuigahama stood up holding onto her bag, and moved over to my seat.

"Ahem."

"Huh?"

I took over her bag, as she heard my confused reaction, Yuigahama said with a displeased
face.

"Move over a little."

"Ah, sure..."

After I moved inside, leaving out some space, she then sat down directly.

Why...?  Is  it  that  hard  to  sit  beside  Zaimokuza?  But  then  again,  I  don't  really  like
Zaimokuza sitting sit next to me either, ...but aren't you sitting a little too close to me? I'm
feeling super nervous all of a sudden!

"Hachiman, for what cause did you summon me here."

After making a deep breath, Zaimokuza made two unnecessarily loud coughs, and sat in
front of me.

The way Zaimokuza's acting like his usual self made me felt a sense of relief.

Alright, calm down. Keep my breath going.

"For now lets wait for everyone else to come. For the time being, spot the differences."

I handed over the children's men to Zaimokuza. The front cover and end cover of this
children's  menu  seemed  like  they  have  the  same  painting,  but  in  fact  there  are  some
differences between them. Its a strategy to make children stay quiet by letting them  find
out  these  differences  while  waiting  for  their  food,  which  makes  this  menu  a  popular
feature.

"Oh!...This looks kinda difficult."
Zaimokuza immediately started to work on it as he took over the menu. Such a casual
treatment feels pretty nice, and really comfortable... Before I realize it my face has now
soften and a random idea came to my mind.

"Bruh, if we are still single by the age of 70, lets live together at a nursing home shall we."

"What this, some new proposal tactic? I'm pretty confident that we could buy a single
men  only  kind  of  apartment  unit.  We  can  uhhh,  watch  anime  and  play  table  games
together every day."

Zaimokuza  didn't  even  bat  an  eye,  staying  focused  on  the  menu,  while  answering  me
casually.

Yuigahama whispered "The fu...", sounding pretty disgusted by our conversation.

I felt my phone vibrating. Probably the other person that I contacted, Saika Totsuka. As I
was about to pick up the call, he has already arrived.

"Hachiman."

Is it because we're in a public area? He called out my name in a lower tone than usual.

As I looked up, Totsuka walked over while carrying a tennis bag is coming. Wearing a
coat over his usual sportswear, and his neck is covered with what seems to be a hand-
woven muffler. Did he rushed here right after his club activity ended? His clothes look
scattered,  and  his  breathing  sounded  rapid,  and  his  cheeks  look  pretty  red.  This  felt
refreshing, and I laughed unconsciously as I raise up my arm.

My smile froze instant.

Standing  behind  Totsuka,  a  familiar  black  blueish  ponytail  could  be  seen  swaying.
Wearing a black  coat and checkered scarf, those daringly uncovered long legs, and also
the big shopping bags that look incompatible with these clothing. Seeming unhappy yet
trying her best to cover it up by showing a casual expression, Kawasomething nodded at
us. Which I too nodded in response.

I then immediately whispered into Yuigahama's ear.

"Didn't I tell you to invite someone who easy to communicate with?"

"And you invite chuuni here!"

Complained  Yuigahama  with  a  pouting  face  while  keeping  her  voice  down.  But  its  not
like I can do anything about this situation.

"Well, yeah, this erm, um, well, it’s true that they're hard to communicate with but..."
... But really, for my case, there's actually not a lot of people who I can talk to isn't it?

Zaimokuza, Totsuka and even Kawasaki however are people we're actually familiar with,
which makes them easier to talk to. If its someone like Miura for example, I definitely
can't get myself to say anything in front of them.

Totsuka  walked  over  in  small  steps  and  sat  down  lightly  beside  Zaimokuza,  while
Kawasaki pulled over a chair down to sit, crossing her legs, facing us sideways.

"Saki chan and Saika chan, thank you for coming. Do you want something to eat?"

Yuigahama handed them the menu, Totsuka then replied with a shy smile.

"Yeah, I would like to... feeling a bit hungry after club activities."

"I'll pass... a cup of drink is enough."

Kawasaki  replied  briefly.  She  probably  has  to  go  home  and  prepare  dinner,  and  only
decided to join in since she was on the way to pick up her sister Keika. Its better not to
waste too much of her time.

I'll begin once Totsuka comes back ... Come to think of it, we haven't ask Zaimokuza if he
wants  to  eat  anything?  As  I  looked  towards  him,  Zaimokuza  is  still  staring  at  the
children's menu.

"Nghhhh, there are still seven differences that can't be found..."

Seriously dude, there's only 10 differences in the menu.
                                  4-4

As I stared at Totsuka roll up the pasta and sending it into his mouth, after he seems to
be done chewing, I began to talk.

"First of all, I would like to apologize for calling you out so suddenly, and thank you all
for coming, thank you very much."

I bowed down my head and thanked them sincerely. Argh its feels embarrassing to act so
earnest,  that  I'm  afraid  to  look  up  into  the  expressions  of  these  three  people,  so  I
continued to lower my head for a while.

Then, a satisfying "ohoho" sound, the gentle sensation of someone nodding, and a soft
troubled sigh could be felt in the air, alongside the happy, relieved sensation travelling
into my ears. Knowing which reactions were whose, it no longer make sense for me to
continue bowing.

After making two coughs to drive of my shyness, I continued saying.

"I have an unfortunate news to tell you all."

"Ok."

Zaimokuza  adjusted  his  posture,  showing  me  an  unnecessary  "I'm  listening"  kind  of
expression, Totsuka sat nervously while setting his back straight, and Kawasaki is still
leaning her head aside with a tired face.

"Do you guys know about the school prom?"

"Huh, no I don't, but I will now."

As  he  answered  Zaimokuza  took  out  his  mobile  phone.  Searching  on  something  after
being asked about it, for an otaku this guy is actually pretty impressive. I was expecting
him to ask me back on what's the prom about, and I was prepared to answer him "Just
Google it, see this rectangular device thingy in front of you? Use it. I mean, DoN't YoU
GuYS HaVe pHonES? " instead he just saved me the trouble.

I'm guessing that Zaimokuza is done researching about proms, as he is now showing a
disgusted and wretched face while staring at his phone.

"Erggg...  what  is  this,  the  kind  of  activity  that  only  exists  to  satisfy  the  vile  desires  of
normies, giving them nothing but a short term of happiness!? And those goddang chads
will use this experience as something to brag on to their normie community once they
enter university and be like 'Yooooo we organized a prom during high school, see how lit
we are fam?' to brag themselves showing people how

cool  their  high  school  life  was,  alter  a  few  details  here  and  there,  those  sociable
bastards..."

Zaimokuza  slammed  his  phone  onto  the  table,  Totsuka  took  a  peek  on  its  contents,
looking intrigued. Kawawhatshername didn’t say anything like “can I have a look”, but
the way she glanced over seems to be telling me that.

"This prom will be organized in our school... but we decided to oppose it."

Just as I finished my sentence, Zaimokuza made a loud slap onto his knee and said.

"Which means that we're the anti-prom group right!?"

"... Well, something like that."

"Yes! We're the anti-prom bois!"

Did you made that term up when you were searching on it just now... Please don't use
some random term you came up with so confidently... Seeing how agitated Zaimokuza's
acting, the volume of my voice suddenly went down a few levels.

"Well...that's...erm, yeah, that's kinda what we're doing."

"What!? No!?"

Yuigahama shouted at me with a shocked face. It’s loud, she shouted really loud. Both of
your voices are seriously loud. And can you please not turn around, I could almost feel
something grazing over my elbow. Also please stop shaking my limb.

What's going on here! ? As I was being shaken, I looked around the shop. Fortunately,
there  isn't  a  lot  of  people  in  here.  Now  that  the  tables  nearby  ours  are  still  empty.  I
should probably discuss about it with Yuigahama in private...

"Sorry, can you give us a minute?"

"Take your time."

After  receiving  Zaimokuza's  permission,  I  turned  over  to  Yuigahama.  Then  lift  up  my
hands  up  to  the  chest,  making  a  push-out  hand  gesture.  Seeing  my  signal,  Yuigahama
unwillingly stood up.

I too stood up, after making a brief apologize to Totsuka and Kawasaki, I led Yuigahama
to a different table.
Yuigahama looked at me full of suspicion, and grabbed onto my shoulder as soon as we
sat down, she said quietly.

"What was that about? We are going to organize a prom right?"

"Yes  yes.  That  is  this  plan....  But,  its  kinda  hard  to  say  it  out  now,  you  saw  Zaimo's
reaction  just  now  didn't  you...  Its  hard  to  explain  it  to  him  without  making  his  mood
down."

As  I  glanced  over,  Zaimokuza  could  be  seen  blabbering  over  negative  rumours  about
proms.  Totsuka  who  was  just  nodding  obediently  and  Kawasaki  who's  completely
ignoring them. Its like I'm looking at these three strangers just happened to be drinking
together at the bar.

Eyebrows raised, Yuigahama said her voice down.

"Eh.... But it’s definitely not appropriate to not tell them truth."

"Yeah I'll tell them... But if anything goes wrong, do help me out a little. Please."

I closed my palms together and lowered my head. Yuigahama then let out a troubled sigh.

"... It can't be helped then."

Yuigahama  smiled  as  she  was  standing  up.  I  too  stood  up  and  walked  towards  our
original seats.



Did Zaimokuza finally calm down after all that fussing? He's now looking at us with very
eager eyes. I made another cough and said.

"Everyone, I have another unfortunate thing to announce."

"Ok."

Zaimokuza sat upright again.

"Look... we are indeed opposing the prom, but not as some kind of anti-prom group. The
prom will still be held."

"what!?"

Although  Zaimokuza  tilted  his  head,  but  is  still  showing  a  serious  expression.  Totsuka
and Kawasaki reacted in a similar way. Well, it can't be helped for them to react in such a
way, since this does sound pretty confusing. When I was thinking on how to elaborate
further, Yuigahama immediately followed up with my statement.

“Yukinon  and  Iroha  chan  are  organizing  the  prom,  but  the  parents  a  and  the  school
demanded them to apply self-restraint. So we are considering to present them a different
prom proposal, something like that.”

"....Huh."

Kawasaki’s reply sounded as if she was uninterested, her eyes however widened with a
glint of surprise, it is because of hearing the term self-restraint for the first time?

"Yukinoshita and Iroha's plan has been rejected by the parents association. Even if they
make  amendments  to  that  proposal,  it  will  most  probably  get  kicked  back  again.
Therefore, we plan to present them with a second proposal. With the existence of two
proposals, we should be able to force a situation where they'll have to select either one of
them."

"Is Yukinoshita aware of this?"

Although her tone sounded cold, I could see the worries in Kawasaki's eyes. I shook my
head.

"No, she doesn't know... to be exact, I did not tell her. Sorry, please don't mention about
this to others. The plan won't work if it's exposed."

Kawasaki’s looked at me in disbelief. While although not obvious, Totsuka too seemed to
be confused. Only Zaimokuza is tapping on the table with his hand while nodding.

"Uhm  uhm,  a  double  bind...  under  a  premise  huh,  so  you're  suggesting  them  multiple
options  to  choose,  and  pull  off  this  psychological  trick  where  they'll  act  under  the
impression that they must choose..."

"Yes, something like that."

Only this however won't be enough to induce an answer from the parents, so its not the
full picture, but that is indeed our intention.

Sounding as if he's sorting out all these information being sorted out, Totsuka who had
been nodding silently as he was listening said with a low voice.

"Which means that, you'll still be opposing the prom one way or another."

"... Indeed. So I hope that you can help us out with the planning of the prom..."

I find it difficult to convey my next sentence, so my mouth froze half open.
As I stayed silent for a few moments, he sat up straight staring at me. Showing me an
impression  that  felt  different  from  his  usual  serenity  and  gentleness,  a  slightly
prestigious look.

"Hachiman, allow me to verify something first. Otherwise this conversation will just end
up with loose ties like it did before. I don't like it."

Even though he sounded shy, a strong will could be sensed from his words. This feeling
that I never expected Totsuka to have  made me at a loss of words. But now that he said
it, it is true that I never actually talked about this to anyone, no, I didn't even attempt to
have a discussion from the beginning, simply allowing things to end abruptly. In their
point of view I probably acted very dishonest and irresponsible.

"What exactly do you want?"

Not really understanding what is the intent behind this question, I asked him through my
eyes. Totsuka then scratched his cheeks and said.

"The way Hachiman said it just now, doesn't sound like you really want to organize a
prom.  Which  made  me  fell  concerned  about  it...the  fact  that  you're  hiding  this  from
Yukinoshita san doesn't sound right to me either. Is there another goal that Hachiman
wants to achieve here?"

"No, I..."

As  I  was  about  to  explain  using  the  words  I  just  came  up  with.  Totsuka's  strong  eyes
stopped me from doing so.

"Sorry Hachiman, I know that it might be hard to say it out loud with everyone being
here. But we really want to understand you properly."

I couldn't speak for a while.

Everyone  in  front  of  me  is  staring  here.  Either  with  their  backs  straight,  or  leaning
sideways, or seeming troubled from such an atmosphere.

As I was figuring out on what to say, my wavering sight landed on Yuigahama's worried
face.

"Hikki..."

I  could  feel  my  cuff  being  pulled  by  her  hand  under  the  table.  Feeling  her  warmth,  I
closed my eyes.

Yeah, I know. This time I should really say it properly.
This is not the first time I asked them for help. Although the lineup of people this time
are somewhat different, the situation is the same. Back then, I kept everything hidden
from them, using other as an excuse, for the sake of relying on their gentleness.

But its different now. Even if it feels embarrassing, but at least right now I can tell them
all about it, with a language that contains no lies.

Even if they might find it unreasonable and illogical, and they might not find it to be true.
But its my very language, the kind of language that is not a borrowed or a temporary one.



"Truth be told, I don't really care about what happens to the prom.... Yukinoshita, wants
to achieve it with her own strength. So she doesn't want me to help."

I opened my eyes slowly.

"Even so, I still want to make their prom a reality... that's what I thought."

After struggling hard to finish my sentence, my eyes lined up with Totsuka's bright smile,
as he nodded in approval. At this moment I feel liberated from all these things entangling
my chest, and let out a breath.

"Generally speaking, I'm planning to come out with a proposal that acts as a sacrificial
dummy. A counterfeit designed for the sole purpose of letting the original proposal to be
approved. Now knowing that everything you do will only be in vain, if you are still willing
to help, please lend me a hand."

I bowed my head and waited for their answer, and I could feel the tension on my cuffs
growing stronger.

Silence  itself  lasted  for  only  a  few  seconds.  However,  no  other  words  could  be  heard
other than the slightest sighs.

I then heard a deep sigh. As I looked up, Kawasaki showed me a sorry look.

"I'm sorry. As I'm currently helping out Yukinoshita, I can't just leave my current duties
aside. Things should always have a proper beginning and end."

Kawasaki's hand that was supporting her chin a while ago, is now placed on her thighs,
her body sat straight up, showing an admirable posture.

"...Ah, I understand. In fact, its good to know that you're helping out Yukinoshita. Their
prom is the main event after all. Please."

Kawasaki then turned her head aside and said quickly.
"I will do it even if you didn't asked me to. But...I'll be cheering for you guys from the
other side."

After adding that remark with a very low voice, Totsuka looked at Kawasaki with a smile,
and followed up.

"I have club activities so I won't be available all the time... But if you need any manpower,
just let me know. The tennis team will help out. I am the club president after all."

Said  Totsuka  as  he  patted  on  his  chest.  My  expression  calmed  down  after  hearing  his
answer.

"Thank you, I'll count on you when the time comes."

Even  though  the  number  of  active  committee  members  have  not  increase,  it  still  feels
reassuring  to  know  that  we  have  backup  in  case  of  an  emergency.  Most  importantly,
frank people like those in the tennis club could be very helpful.

I let out a silent breath of relief, and I could feel a pat on my cuff. Even though she didn't
say anything, the words "This is great." has been conveyed through this action. I didn't
look at her face as I was feeling shy, so I only nodded slightly as a response.

There are no major progress. But at least we're moving forward bit by bit... As I had this
thought,  I  looked  up,  only  to  see  Zaimokuza  remaining  silent,  occasionally  making
sounds that I can't tell whether its a murmur or a shriek.

"Hnggghh..."

As  I  thought  that  he's  thinking  things  through,  Zaimokuza  suddenly  stood  up.  Which
Kawasaki and Totsuka who noticed him both stood up and gave way. Zaimokuza then
gave them a nod and walked out with a hand knife pose. As he reached the aisle, he stood
straight with his back facing me.

"...Right now it should be the one at west Chiba's Lucky? No, the ACE."

Zaimokuza is seen playing with his phone while saying those words. Feeling weird from
his actions, me and Yuigahama looked at each other. Conversing silently with our eyes
"What does that mean?" "I don't know". All I could recongnize is the name of the game
centers he just said. Knowing that I shouldn't leave him that way, I asked.

"Hey uhh...Zaimokuza san? You there?"

As  I  called  out  to  him,  Zaimokuza  turned  back  sideways,  with  his  hands  now  in  both
pockets, showing a cold smile.

"... Well, guess I have no choice."
Even though I know that he was just acting cool, for some reason I find his acting much
convincing than ever before.

No seriously, its actually pretty cool.

"You need talents right. Tomorrow, free up your schedule a little, I will contact you."

Once he finished that sentence, Zaimokuza walked towards the exit in large steps. The
odd  yet  fascinating  sensation  made  me  froze  for  a  moment,  when  I  came  back  to  my
senses, I stood up and told him.

"Sorry, and thank you."

So, Zaimokuza stopped his movements.

"Wait! And hope!"

Zaimokuza could be seen waving his trench coat, both arms stretched out, and shouted
these words. What, bruh. Can you please not do this in a restaurant ... Although, well, it
does look pretty cool to be honest.