Chapter 19: The Judgements of Others
Hikigaya's Route to Senior High Is Not Normal, As I Expected
"Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life. It is only found in men of sound sense and understanding." - Jean De La Bruyere.
…
No One's POV
…
People's view on Hachiman varies quite considerably, considering everything that was going on.
In the meantime, as the class continues to look and fall apart considering everything, Kei focused her problems all on Hachiman.
"It's all your fault! If you had told us before about the fact we were losing our private points because of our behaviour, we wouldn't have lost all of it! We could have salvaged some of it!" Kei exclaimed staring at Hachiman as if the blame was all on him.
As if he sabotaged the entire class for no reason.
Hachiman then turned to Kei once again, "That's the thing. Our behaviour. You are blaming me for your behaviour, do you hear yourself right now?"
Kei clearly looked at Hachiman as if he was stupid, very comical from Kei if he thought. "Oh, no you don't, so let me explaining it to you. You are justifying our current state because we thought we could act freely because we weren't punished."
Satsuki looked on clearly backing up Kei, clearly trying to also pin the blame on Hachiman. With Maya backing up regarding the girls as she glared at Hachiman will hatred for no real reason.
Hachiman glared back with his own stare before grilling the two, "Alright, let us think of it like this way. You three barely passed or flunked your mock test, you likely spent all your private points on meaningless things, thinking that nothing bad will happen. You heard what Chabashira said, if you think you are getting the luxury of such a school where you can buy anything you want without consequences, you are stupid. And yet, even through that, you pin the blame on someone who has no influence in this class. You three are clearly deflecting the blame back and forth, using sheer numbers to cement your perspective. You want to use and leverage your popularity to influence your thought. Don't think I will sit down and let you look down on me for my own views, when I've clearly have come out of this in a better state than you three combined." Hachiman grilled the girls, so much so that Satsuki tried to yell at Hachiman, using a louder voice to mask what he was saying.
Hachiman looked at her with pure surprise, "Is this girl a toddler?"
Hachiman placed a hand on his ear, "I don't want to hear a crying banshee, save it for the mall where you look at stuff you wish you can buy, but you can no longer." Hachiman insulted Satsuki clearly not holding back anymore.
The class looked on in pure alarm as people were already arguing.
"You are such a hypocrite! Disgusting and ugly! What purpose do you serve in life! You should just die for all I care; you brought this class to the ground!" Satsuki yelled as Hachiman groaned clearly annoyed by her yelling.
But Hachiman continued, "You have such an ugly personality, and the sheer loudness of your voice right now is showing it. At least I don't care and will show what needs to be shown. You, however, have no sense of morals. It is simply determined by the morals of your other friend. She wants to pin the blame on a single person rather than the fundamental flaw of the class, you really are twisted." Hachiman smiled, an ugly one which made the three girls shiver in disgust.
Furthermore, Hachiman didn't care. "But you three stay with what you want to perceive, you will see how far it will get you in this school. I want to wish you luck and the best, but if you really think that a single person has this much influence on the merit of a class, you can only rely on yourself."
With that, Hachiman was about to walk out of the class, not really caring for what anyone could perceive of him.
"If we don't get any more points, what will we do?" One of the students mumbled, as the environment quickly turned from one of suspense to hopelessness.
"Forget about those points, what about this class? Why was I placed into Class D?" Yukimura asked, clearly angered that someone like him was seen as a defect.
Regardless, nobody could really hide their confusion. The only other one who seemed to know a decent amount of what was going on, Kouenji, was also gone, having left the classroom, not caring about the circumstances of what was going on in the class.
"How about we all try and calm down. Everyone needs to." Yousuke stepped up, trying to take the lead to keep everyone together.
This came with its own small issues as Yukimura looked enraged, almost getting confrontational with Yousuke.
That was until Kikyou intervened, making sure nothing spilled out.
"Calm down you two, okay? I'm sure she was being harsh so we can be better!" Kikyou explained, separating the two and ensuring nothing went on.
Hachiman, staring from the door looked on, "And yet nobody did anything when Sudou got physical. Hypocrites." Hachiman shook his head as he decided to walk away, to do his own thing. He would get some lunch with the private points his class yearned for.
"Come on, it's only been a month since we started here, right?" Kikyou asked turning to the class. "I'm sure we can do our best together?"
Eventually, some within the class had managed to calm down, clearly managing to unite over a common cause.
Therefore, even if something positive came out from the beginning of the month, it was that the class was more united than ever.
Because Hachiman nor Kouenji were remaining within the class, Yousuke decided he would inform the two on their own time.
Of course, there were some issues, but alas, that was when somebody brought something up. Afer Sudou left the class abruptly clearly not caring for the circumstances going on.
That made him, Hachiman, and Kouenji who had left the class after everything occurred. Yousuke knew Sudou would be very difficult to speak to and that Kouenji would best be left on his own.
As for Hachiman, some of the girls and boys clearly didn't like him, especially Satsuki, Kei, Maya, Ike, and Haruki.
Regardless, Yousuke knew he would be of interest. He was the one who clearly knew the most, and thus his opinion, regardless of some people's opinion of him, was crucial for understanding.
However, Yousuke also worried that Hachiman could be the target of some bullying especially from those who blame him for their supposed situation. Regardless, Yousuke did believe that Hachiman was right to an extent, and although he was a bit rude when speaking to them, he wasn't at fault as Kei and the others made it out to be.
It wasn't just him however, both Suzune and Kiyotaka seemed capable. The most he had heard, and this was rumours, was that the two were dating, but it was just rumours.
Regardless, Yousuke knew he had his work cut out for them.
All the while this occurred, Hachiman had walked off, clearly spotting Suzune, Kouenji, and Sudou, all in separate occasions.
For Sudou, he seemed to have gone to the gym, clearly to work off some anger. Hachiman had gone assuming nobody would be there but seeing Sudou there especially after when he had tried to sock him in the stomach, Hachiman was unsure if it was even worth remaining.
That was until Sudou called him out, "Hey! Hikigaya!" Hachiman internally cringed, seeing as Sudou seemed to somehow not be angry anymore. Before Hachiman could even ask what was going on, his instincts told him to catch something with his hands.
And when he did, he saw a basketball in his hand.
His mind realized what Sudou was getting at.
"You want me to play basketball with you?" Hachiman asked, clearly surprised and unsure if this was even acceptable. He would get wiped by Sudou.
Sudou chuckled, "Of course! It's the least you can do after the little scuffle!"
Hachiman deadpanned as he eyed Sudou critically, "Weren't you the one who picked a fight with me?"
Sudou then nodded, "Come on Hikigaya! Let's go!"
Hachiman snapped back, before realizing Sudou was waiting for him. He had to participate right now.
"Perhaps this will help Sudou try not to get angry with the class…" Hachiman though to himself as he sighed. It wasn't that much significance for him. He was able to handle it on his own, however, but the class needed to be together.
He wasn't going to be hypocritical without letting the same issues reoccur over and over.
In the meantime, Hachiman did his best to play with Sudou in basketball.
It wasn't horrible, but Hachiman was losing. He was holding his own, but it was against Sudou, and he was losing.
Sudou was simply too experienced when it came to basketball. The most Hachiman had regarding basketball was causal practice and games in the streets. Sometimes it was somewhat rough and physical, but it only prepared Hachiman for anyone like that.
Sudou was surprisingly not that physical, but he used it in the defense through screening. Hachiman was thankfully able to cut through that, therefore he was able to at least pull his own when it comes to his offense.
But it was defense Hachiman seem to have a better chance with. Mainly because he was able to decipher Sudou's own antics.
It there was one thing Hachiman excelled at, so much so he might as well call it one of his own abilities, it was his perception. Simply bodily movements he had learned to predict. Whether it was during basketball, sparring during the martial art dojo he would be in with Aoki, Hachiman felt he had a good idea of what one would do based on their body posture, movement, and muscle tenseness.
"He seems to be about to spring forward to try and get past me." Hachiman thought of noting the tenseness in his legs.
For the meantime, Hachiman had predicted right. However, even if he predicted right, he wasn't sure if he could stop Sudou.
"No matter the circumstances, his body is sturdier and more capable overall. Therefore, in a simple attempt to stop his attempt, I would likely get pushed down." Hachiman thought, knowing the point.
In the end, Sudou chuckled. He had been able to make the score, but he acknowledged that Hachiman was able to predict it well.
"Hey you did good! You were able to always predict my movements!" Sudou chuckled as he smiled proudly at him.
Hachiman shrugged, "It didn't matter if I was able to predict, I wasn't able to stop you."
Sudou chuckled even more at that as Hachiman could tell his anger was thankfully gone and not there anymore. For Hachiman, that was good. Perhaps it would give him a more rational mindset to join.
Although a little persuasion wouldn't hurt anymore.
"Even then, being able to predict and move accordingly can give anyone some trouble. If someone didn't have the physical, might you would be a literal wall." Sudou smiled, "You were more formidable than I thought. Perhaps not as good as those on the team, but you have the form and basic game knowledge."
Hachiman nodded, "Thank you. Hey Sudou…"
"Hmm?" Sudou turned to face Hachiman.
"If you enjoy basketball, a game about teamplay and coordination, why do you seem so against working with the class?" Hachiman asked.
Sudou mumbled, "I just hate the mummering and the back talks I always here about me…"
Hachiman raised an eyebrow, "So? They probably do the same to you in basketball. So, what makes the class different?"
"I enjoy basketball. I don't enjoy the class, or the people involved." Sudou explained.
"But surely there's people in basketball who annoy you, and yet you tolerate it?" Hachiman asked.
Sudou grumbled, realizing Hachiman had a point. "You make a point, there's those people in Class C who annoy me, but because of basketball, I have to tolerate them…"
Hachiman nodded, "There you go. I'm not saying to pretend to like, just tolerate. And, for the work, it can be difficult, but again it's all about tolerating."
Sudou grumbled, "I guess I'll try…"
"You'll have to, you know. Because if you don't do well in your studies and in school, the scandals will catch up with you and ruin your prospects and chances. Trust me." Hachiman emphasized the last part, making Sudou look at him.
Sudou's eyes, originally glaring as if seeing Hachiman be another one to critique him about how he must respect the work he must do.
However, seeing Hachiman glare at Sudou with pure seriousness seemed to put something in Sudou's mind.
"Is he speaking from experience?" Sudou asked himself clearly confused rather than annoyed. However, seeing Hachiman with pure seriousness reminded him more of Sudou's mother, in a weird way.
The serious nature that always seems to calm Sudou down whenever.
And yet, he spoke with experience which made Sudou realize there were more consequences for the actions. "Why do you sound like you are speaking from experience?"
Hachiman sighed, "It's not my place to speak on it." He mumbled before he left.
All the while, Hachiman walked away, heading slowly to the office, where someone came out. It was the black-haired girl with a stern expression on her face.
Suzune Horikita, the younger sister of Manabu Horikita.
"What are you doing here?" She asked critically, clearly not entertaining the fact Hachiman was around him. What also surprised Hachiman slightly was that Kiyotaka Ayanokouji also seemed to be coming out of the office.
Therefore, the three were staring at each other clearly wondering what was going on in their minds.
This was a stalemate as broken by Sae, as she came out.
"Oh, seems we have another interesting student coming in. After all you are the one who kept pestering me about the stuff of the private points." Sae smirked, forcing both Kiyotaka and Suzune to face him to see what he was getting at.
Hachiman shrugged, "It's the lowest of the standards. Is it really something special for me to ask something I have a question on?" Hachiman asked, clearly making it not a big deal.
But Sae chuckled, "Is it not special? You literally did your own investigation. You accompanied and gathered assistance from the president and us, and even then, you made the connections yourself. And look at you. You made the correct assumptions."
Hachiman looked down, as Suzune and Kiyotaka both looked at Hachiman with a slight bit of interest.
Hachiman for the meantime sighed, "Again, when I had a question that went unanswered, I just wanted to figure it out."
Suzune and Kiyotaka looked at him, clearly recognizing that perhaps Hachiman was smart, at least on a caliber compared to that of the higher classes of Class A and B.
Sae chuckled, "And that motivation is what will get you far. Alas, you still need to accept your own defect and past."
Hachiman rolled his eyes, "I've learned to live with it, and I've accepted it long ago." Hachiman rolled his eyes.
And again, for Sae, the fact that he seems to be accepting his flaws and refusing to grow on it, that was a major defect.
Hachiman Hikigaya was a very promising student, but also the one with the most fatal flaw. The inability to accept his flaw, and the inability to move to become better.
He maintains his rotten ways to the core, and through it all, hurts everyone in the process, even if it benefits them.
Hachiman sighed, "Whatever. If this is about the class, it's better for them to go through this than to be spared." Hachiman explained.
This surprised Suzune, "Wait, you wanted this class to have zero class points?!"
Hachiman nodded, "Exactly. It's best for the class to suffer. That way it will motivate them to not want to be down there."
Suzune looked flabbergasted. "But even then, you want the class to fall apart under its own pressure?"
Hachiman glared back, "If they suffer the weight of pressure, then it will better the class for the future of more assessments and the likes."
Suzune couldn't really fathom this attitude nor understand what Hachiman was happening.
And Hachiman continued further, "Even then. It doesn't matter. The lower you are, the higher you will be flung forward." Hachiman explained. "So even if the path looks dark right now, one path is open, and it only goes up."
Suzune seemed to not understand what Hachiman was getting at, but Kiyotaka had a better idea.
"In a strange sense, I get what Hikigaya is getting at." Kiyotaka thought to himself. "Humans will be more motivated when they are at a point of no return, rather than if they've never experienced it before. In a sense, Hikigaya wants everyone to experience the lowest point, the point of no return so they come out stronger." Kiyotaka understood what Hachiman was wanting to do.
Sure, it required everyone to suffer horribly, the fate of no private points, but perhaps through that the class would get out and be stronger.
"So that's why he didn't speak on the consequences of the classes actions despite knowing it very well." Kiyotaka thought to himself. "He knew that the class would remain troublesome and fragmented. At least then he didn't care of his reputation, he did it all just for his goal."
Hachiman looked on before he spoke, "When you are the bottom of the pit, everyone will be willing to participate, through any means necessary." Hachiman emphasized, "So what if a few people hate me? I'll live just fine on my own, and if the class is united and not fragmented, then it's a success."
With that, Hachiman walked away, not caring for the strange looks he was receiving.
While Sae looked at Hachiman in disappointment, and Suzune in confusion, Kiyotaka was a bit more interested, and intrigued by Hachiman.
"Perhaps he'll be interesting and of use in the future…" Kiyotaka thought, "Although he can definitely be a problem as well."
Suzune, however, groaned, especially when Sae chuckled, "If you really want to reach Class A, Hikigaya is another individual who is critical. While his academics aren't as suspicious as Ayanokouji's, his deduction and judgement are amazing, and he will act on them. His ability to make the correct decisions in the moment is phenomenal." Sae explained. "But he'll also be the most difficult person to get involved with class affairs, so I would tread carefully."
Therefore, with a warning from Sae about the possible difficulties they would have, she walked away after informing them that Hachiman would be crucial if they wanted to reach Class A.
But with everything clear, with Sae, Yousuke, and Hachiman all having their own opinions, Suzune had an idea on how a properly formed united Class D could work. It would take some time to convince Hachiman to assist, but Suzune was confident she could do it. Especially if she understood him.
For Hachiman was not only being noticed by Sae, Yousuke, and Kiyotaka, but also Suzune.
"Alas, even if it's early, he was the most aware."
…
How was this chapter? Did it feel a bit rushed? A bit slow? Too much going on? Let me know. We had a continuation of Hachiman villainizing himself to make some people hate him, which both in the moment and with Hachiman's actions, is not making himself likable. He also had a brief talk with Sudou which will help him in the future somewhat, and finally, some people are noticing Hachiman, but you will see that they think it's too early. They know he exists, but not because of his capabilities, but because they're upset with his actions.
Question of the chapter, what suspicions of Hachiman's past do you have regarding the hints throughout the story? Also as a FYI Chapter 20 will mostly be a recap of character's opinions on Hachiman, including everyone from Class 1-D who recognized him, and those he's talked to. I'll also do a reverse and show how Hachiman perceives the others in the class and those he's talked to.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone