51 To Put It Bluntly, Hikigaya Hachiman Doesn’t Care

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My answer to Hayama's request was blunt and simple. I didn't want to trouble myself, so I suggested he go to the Service Club. He was smart enough to figure out my answer. He smiled bitterly as he crushed up the can in his hand. I thanked him for his treat and then said goodbye. He didn't respond, but I didn't expect much. The girls were curious about what I had talked about with Hayama but didn't ask.

The next few days passed without any noteworthy events. Hayama acted like we never had the conversation that day and decided to join my group along with Tobe. Tobe kept rambling about how dope our group was, completely unaware that the person he admired so much was sabotaging his confession. I was not a nosy person, so I didn't say a thing. As much as I disagreed with Hayama's decision, I had no plan to intervene.

The trip to Kyoto would be tomorrow and I wasn't too excited to join the others on the train ride. I wondered if I could drive there by myself, so I was going to ask Shizuka-chan about it. When I was about to knock on the door of her office, I heard a familiar voice. When I entered the room—after getting the permission—I found Saki there.

"Did you cause any trouble?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"No! I am not a delinquent," Saki answered in embarrassment.

"I know. So, why are you here?" I sat down beside her.

"I am asking for Sensei's permission to travel separately. Oshino said that he would take me there since he also has a business there."

"What a coincidence," I remarked. "Sensei, I am also here to ask for permission to travel separately. I prefer driving my car to sitting and doing nothing in the Shinkansen. I will take Saki and Shinobu with me, so consider us a pack."

Shizuka-chan massaged her forehead tiredly as she looked at us. She took one cigarette out of her cigarette pack and went for her lighter. She was about to light it up when I snatched the lighter out of her hand. Before she could even process what happened, I proceeded to snatch her cigarette and break it. When she registered what happened, she glared at me murderously.

"You, insolent brat! How dare you take away my only joy!"

"If you want to smoke before me, you also have to share your cigarettes with me."

"Huh! Like I would listen."

"I love proving people wrong."

Shizuka-chan scoffed. "You are still young, so you shouldn't ruin your body."

"So you are," I replied calmly.

"E- Eh…I am?"

Shizuka-chan's cheeks reddened as she looked anywhere but in my direction. I extended my hand and she immediately gave me her cigarette packet. Saki watched the exchange in bewilderment but didn't comment. However, I could tell her respect for Shizuka-chan had dropped quite significantly.

"That is my only way to relieve stress, though," Shizuka-chan mumbled when she regained her composure.

"You can come to me when you are stressed. I know a lot of ways to relieve stress," I informed.

"Huh!?"

"Eh!?"

"What?"

The two females in the room looked at me with bright red faces. I shot them a bemused look and they immediately cleared their throat. None of them said a thing as they avoided my gaze. I thought about what I had just said and only then I realized how suggestive it was. I mean, playing games and exercising are ways to relieve stress, aren't they? I probably should have specified what I meant.

Since clarifying myself would make them think I was aware of what I was doing, I decided to remain oblivious and address the most important matter. "So, are we allowed to travel by ourselves?"

Shizuka-chan took a deep breath before calmly saying, "Listen; there is a reason why this is called a school trip. You are meant to go together."

"I would argue that as long as we visit the same place as part of the institution, regardless of how you get there, it will still be considered a school trip."

"You and your mouth," Shizuka-chan grumbled. "That's a sound logic, but there is one problem to your suggestion. It's hard to coordinate you if you travel separately."

"You can go with us, then."

"Eh, but what about Oshino?" Saki pointed out.

"He would drive you there, right? That means he has a vehicle," I explained. "Besides, you can go with him if you don't want to go with us."

"Eh, no thanks. The only reason I accepted his offer was that I could save some money by not paying for the Shinkansen."

The fee for the school trip was heavily subsidized. It cost us way less than it would if we were to go by ourselves. However, Saki would rather save if she could. Even if she didn't need to be so meticulous in using money, I respected her for her decision.

"You could have told me that was your reason, Kawasaki," Shizuka-chan sighed. "Well, let me discuss it with the principal. I will tell you the decision after school."

We nodded and thanked her. Bidding our farewell, we soon left the room. Saki didn't have any training today but wanted to spend time with Kei-chan, so she bid me farewell and left. I immediately headed to the clubroom. Upon arriving there, I was greeted by an additional person who was not part of the club. We got a client.

Ebina smirked as she looked at me. When I sat down, Ebina decided to resume her rambling. She talked about how she was glad that Tobe and Hayama were getting closer each day but also regretful that Yamato and Ooka were excluded from the group. She wanted us to strengthen the bond between the four boys, so her fantasy would be more fulfilling. Her request made Yukino and Yui look at her weirdly.

During her talk, she had hinted a couple of times that she was fine with how things were. She kept glancing at me whenever she talked about that, but I pretended not to notice it. It was no wonder that Hayama took my rejection well; he expected Ebina to successfully convince me. Unfortunately, my answer wouldn't change. Even if she didn't want to hear Tobe's confession, it was not my job to sabotage it. It was her responsibility to answer it.

A sugarcoated lie tastes no better than a bitter truth.

Seeing that I remained unresponsive, Ebina turned her attention to me. She talked about how it would be even better if I could bond with the four boys during the trip. She knew I was never fond of her fantasy, so she bombarded me with outrageous Yaoi scenarios. It didn't bother me, but I figured that it would be better to not play any more games.

"…and so, Hikigaya-kun would spend a steamy night with Hayama-kun, causing the others to—"

"Tobe is going to confess to you, you know," I interjected, causing my clubmates to widen their eyes in shock.

"Hikki!"

"Hachiman-kun, what did you just say?"

Ignoring Yukino and Yui, I stared at Ebina for the first time. She stared at me back silently. Her mouth had turned into a thin line. The previous excitement and enthusiasm that we witnessed earlier were gone as if they had never been there. The girls looked at Ebina hesitantly. The silence was agonizing. At some point, she looked down and slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"Yes, I am aware of that," she sighed, baffling Yukino and Yui. "That is why I want you to stop Tobecchi from confessing. He is a good guy. I am a heartless woman with zero understanding of love. I can move on easily, but he won't be the same. He will be bothered by my rejection. That will only hurt our group's dynamic."

"Tobe only wants to try. He assures us that he will accept whatever your answer is like a gentleman," I countered.

"Everyone can say that, Hikigaya-kun. Will they do it is the question." Ebina smiled bitterly. "A crack will form and you can't argue otherwise. You understand people well, so you should know what I am talking about. To maintain everything, Tobecchi's confession needs to be stopped. I don't want to ruin our relationship just because of premature love."

Ebina Hina didn't lie. She was a coldhearted woman. However, despite her claim, she was still a kind person. A coldhearted person wouldn't mind hurting another person's feelings. Still, I didn't respect her. She was just like Hayama—too caught up in the status quo. She was a skeptic who doubted the maturity of the people around her. She would've been me if she wasn't wearing a mask.

"You cherish your relationship so much that you don't believe in it," I quipped. "Every word that comes out of your mouth tells me that you are aware of how fragile it is. If lies and deceit are needed to maintain a relationship, I would rather destroy it. You don't find pleasure in sugarcoated lies."

Ebina raised her head and looked at me bitterly. "You don't understand it, Hikigaya-kun. Some people just want to enjoy life. Even if it's a lie, I still want to relish it. At least, until I am ready to swallow the bitter truth." She turned to Yui and Yukino. "Say, Hikigaya-kun. What would you do if either Yui or Yukinoshita-san confessed to you?"

Yukino and Yui immediately stiffened whereas Shinobu looked intrigued. Ebina turned her head to me, looking at me as if she had just said something smart.

"I would propose them to share." My answer caused all of the girls in the room to choke on air. "I am already in a relationship and I love them too much to reject them. They will either call me a creep or kick me in the nuts, but either way is fine. Our relationship is not so fragile that a mere confession will ruin it. I trust in them."

"What if they betray your trust?" Ebina asked tensely.

"I will move on. Life is a long journey."

Ebina Hina remained silent for a few minutes and then walked out, leaving the silence behind. Shinobu looked at me like she wanted to slap me. Yukino would avoid my gaze whenever I looked at her. Yui met my gaze, but her eyes were vacant. Pink dusted her cheeks and I didn't want to know what she was thinking about.

Maybe I should be more careful of what I say.

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Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal Bowzr

Venerable Immortal JayJonnaJamison