Chapter 24: "Our Soul's Quotient"

My eyes fluttered open. The surface above me was unfamiliar and vaulted higher than I remembered. However, it did little to distract my disarrayed thoughts. Was I forgetting something? Wisps of thoughts escaped my mind's fingers, as if I was trying to recall a dream that had evaporated the moment I awoke. Strings pulled at the edges of my consciousness like a nagging mother.

Lights and strange shadows pulsed and reflected off the white ceiling. The stinging sensation in my neck made me aware that I was sitting upright with my head hung over something soft. The couch? I think it was the couch. Giggling to my left caused me to roll my head over, ignoring the uncomfortable strain it put on my neck. I came to look upon two expectant faces, half-peering over the arm of the couch.

What are you doing?

I groaned and shoved half my head into the soft leather upholstery, covering an eye and doing the same to my other by slinging my arm across my face. After counting to 5, I removed my barriers.

They were still there, looking at me.

"Yeah, I'm up! I'm up!" I moaned and twisted back and forth before finally mustering the motivation to lift myself up.

The two little girls giggled and ran down the hallway, their white and blue dresses fluttering as they turned the corner. I managed to catch the latter waving at me as they slowly slid away, her red-flower print dress prominent. It reminded me of poppies.

Poppies?

I could have sworn…

Nah, let's not do more than what we can handle.

Uneasy steps led me into the hallway where large patio windows showcased a grassy lawn on the other side. There wasn't a single light turned on, but my path was instead illuminated by the dull grey sunlight from the cloudy morning. It didn't take long to reach the bathroom, and took even less time to brush my teeth and splash some water onto my face.

While drying off, I made the mistake of looking into the mirror. I was a mess, plain and simple. I had put off shaving again as evidenced by a haggard five-o-clock shadow that looked far less flattering on me than on the Chief. Dark circles bottomed out my eyes and were almost indistinguishable from trenches.

"Didn't Komachi have some gel for eye-bags? Caffeine infused or whatever?" I grumbled into my towel as I tore my gaze away. "Should probably ask her to get me some."

My slippered feet softly made contact with the floor. I ran a hand through my hair as I entered the kitchen. There was already activity; the two girls were sitting next to one another at the dining table and doodling away.

"You two want anything to eat?"

Diminutive heads snapped upwards and a pair of blue and brown eyes looked at me questioningly. The taller girl in the white dress went to nod while the other shook her head. They looked at each other with wide eyes before jerking them back to me and then to one another. This repeated for several moments before my patience was at its limit.

"Alright. If you change your minds, just let me know." I sighed, opening the refrigerator and finding it stocked, a stark contrast to my own kitchen's pitiful state of affairs. There was a period recently where my pantries were stocked with all sorts of fresh groceries and foodstuffs, but that all seemed like a bygone memory.

With foresight, I had bought some onigiri on the way back last night from a convenience store. I picked at the cellophane wrapping as I took a seat at the foot of the dining table. Some mumbling accompanied my lazy attempts at finding the edge. From the corner of my eye, I saw the girls still at work. My meal was not to be denied, and at last I found my way past the wrapping and bit ravenously into the rice ball. It was cold and tough, with no flavor profile other than 'rice' and 'salt.'

Chewing thoughtfully, I finally looked over at my two breakfast companions. They were drawing, but I didn't see any paper nor writing utensils. Juvenile fingers acted as brushes, forming lines of thick red ink on the surface of the table to draw crude stick figures holding hands. It was obvious that there were two families, but between them was another strange creature. A man with small eyes and two horns.

"Who's that?" I asked.

The two girls looked at one another before beaming at me in unison.

I blinked and in my confusion decided to simply stay silent and finish eating. The girls weren't simply satisfied with people and started drawing houses, flora, and fauna. The kid with the blue dress hummed in dissatisfaction when she ran out of paint. She dipped a finger into the red prints that littered her dress, and removed a digit soaked in red.

I blinked once more. Those weren't flowers at all.

"Hachiman?" A voice called, accompanied by a hand on my shoulder.

The sudden call made me jump and strain my head to look at the person who had managed to sneak up on me. Clad in sweats, Shizuka stood behind me with her hair tied into a ponytail, complete with a worried look as she pressed a comforting weight onto my shoulder.

"M-morning…" I managed to croak out.

"What are you doing just sitting in the dark?" She asked, looking at the half eaten onigiri in my hand. "How long were you here for?"

"A few minutes… I think? I just woke up."

"What? But the TV's still on in the living room."

I scratched my scalp. "Oh, right. I couldn't sleep last night, so I was just watching whatever was on. Guess I passed out on the couch."

Shizuka's fingers squeezed, as if to reassure that I wasn't going to go anywhere. "Okay… just… just don't worry me like that. I didn't see you in your room so I…"

"... sorry..."

"It's fine, I'm just being irrational. You have nothing to apologize for." She turned away to turn on the kitchen lights, causing me to wince and squint as my eyes adjusted. "Rumi's still asleep. And Kenji… well, I think he's asleep in the basement. I'll make some breakfast for everyone."

"Sounds good." I scarfed down the last of my impromptu meal and stood up to throw out the wrapper.

"You're not hungry?" Shizuka asked as she tied an apron around her waist.

"Not really."

My instant response was met with a karate chop to my spine.

"You're not getting any brownie points with me for pretending, you know."

I hissed, and rubbed at the spot with the back of my hand. "Alright, alright, alright. Just spare me the pain. I still want to have the ability to walk."

"Sissy."

"... sure."

Who knew trying to protect your spinal cord was emasculating? I grumbled half heartedly as I walked up to Shizuka's side and washed my hands in the sink. She handed me a rag to dry my hands on.

"Give me half an hour. Why don't you relax a bit? Bit of a gloomy day."

I didn't answer as I stared at the piece of linen in my hands. The door to the refrigerator opened again, and I heard Shizuka rummaging through the contents, murmuring to herself.

"I knew I should have gone shopping last night. We're gonna be having eggs then, is that okay with you?"

"..."

"Stupid me, it's obvious. Sorry about that." The distinctive sound of a stone cutting board touching the marble surface of the kitchen counter cut through the morning lull. It was soon followed after by the rhythmic knocking of a knife slicing through vegetables.

"I know you say that you can actually eat tomatoes, but if you don't like it you don't have to force yourself. It's not going to waste if you don't want it. In that case… how about a chive and pepper omelette?"

"..."

"Do you want salt added as well? How fluffy do you want it?"

"..."

"Hachiman?" The sound of chopping stopped.

"..."

"Hachiman, you ass! Don't ignore me!"

"..."

"Hachiman, I swe—" Shizuka whirled around with hands on her hips menacingly, but stopped herself. "What are you doing?"

"Mmm?" I looked down to see my hands moving on autopilot, rubbing the damp rag on the surface of the dining table in hurried circles. "Uhhhh… cleaning?"

Shizuka eyed me suspiciously. "It was already clean."

"Oh."

Δ▼Δ

I vividly remember a time in grade school when I was caught eating candy during class. My teacher at the time was very strict, and didn't hesitate to discipline us at the smallest infraction. You could frequently see students in trouble sitting outside in the hall whenever he was teaching a class.

It seems there were some habits you just never grew out of.

I was sitting outside of the briefing room with my back to the wall and knees drawn to my chin. I attracted a fair amount of bewildered looks from passersby as they walked through this hallway. No doubt I made for a bizarre sight: a lone detective not in the briefing room where the rest of his colleagues were situated during a rundown.

"Alright, let's get up to speed." The Chief's voice rang out, killing all the chatter from the assembled law enforcers.

It wasn't like I didn't want to be there, but the executive decision was made. The Chief had the investigative team of Shiba and I suspended from working on the case indefinitely, effective this morning. This meant I wasn't allowed anywhere near the case in any capacity: which included briefings. Of course, I protested, but I was outnumbered. That bastard Shiba already threw his support in with a phone call from home (as he was on medical leave). No doubt Shizuka had a hand in this as well.

"Yesterday, this case officially took a turn for the worse." The Chief's grave voice inspired little confidence. "Aoi did in fact send us the location where another clue could be found, but it was coded and unfortunately my own contingent was unaware. However, Detective Shiba and Hikigaya figured it out and got to the correct address. What they found… well, it wasn't pretty."

I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. They were going to take me off after we came this far? Not happening. If there's anything I learned from my time on this Earth, it was that rules were a formality without a particularly intimidating stick. [1]

"As you can see… "

I heard a few clicks, probably the plastic remote he used when he was displaying things on the projector. My back slumped further down the wall when I heard gasps. He was showing them that scene. Forensics must have had a field day. From the corner of my eye I noticed the two children sitting next to me, mimicking my posture in their white and blue dresses.

"As you can see… we found two dead bodies. A 10 year old girl, and a man in his middle forties."

Eyelids closed and sealed off my vision as memories surfaced. I gritted my teeth and took deep breaths. When my eyes opened, the children were still to my side. They noticed my gaze and turned to look at me, the one closest tilting her head in curiosity.

I opened my mouth to ask a question, but was interrupted by a voice in front of me.

"Well, well, Hikigaya-kun. What trouble have you landed yourself in this time?" Yukinoshita Haruno stood before me with a silver laptop in hand, clad in a crisp black suit and thin slacks. Even with the modest wear, it hugged her twin waist and hips.

I huffed, looking away. "Candy."

Haruno chuckled emptily. "It must have been very tasty if you were willing to risk it."

"Coffee candy is always worth it."

"Hoh?" Haruno narrowed her eyes at me in amusement. "So even you fall to the vices?"

"I'm not a hermit."

"Gluttony doesn't suit you."

Understatement of the century. "I agree."

"...10 year old girl, and a man in his mid forties…"

Haruno sighed and leaned down to sit next to me. I simply stared, unsure what her intentions were. She didn't even look in my direction as she placed her computer in her lap and rested her head against the wall. The scent of faint perfume wafting from her hair made me acutely aware of what tier of creature I was dealing with. The sight of rigid cheek muscles made it even more obvious.

I sat in silence, uncertain as to what I was supposed to do. No augmented reality windows were popping up and prompting me with pre-established decisions. I could really use a 50/50 here. [2]

"Ahhhh, don't stare at me like that Hikigaya-kun. I'll come clean." She groaned. "I am certainly NOT doing well, thank you for asking."

Is she throwing me a bone? She must be throwing me a bone.

"...what now?" I asked slowly.

"Many things. Well, just one. But that one thing happens to be many." Her voice lacked even the campy enthusiasm she commonly indulged in.

"I thought there was nothing you couldn't handle."

Haruno snorted softly, resting her forehead against her knees. She looked at me from the corner of her eyes, intelligent violet pupils observing my face. "Of course. I'm just resting, that's all."

Neither of us broke eye-contact and we fell into a silence only broken by the Chief's words from the briefing room.

"...cause of death for the girl is blood loss. Lacerations to her neck and stomach likely avenues of…"

Haruno looked away, while I simply blinked. She moved closer before sighing quietly, and spoke in whispers. "It's politics, Hikigaya-kun. Politics is what I'm having difficulty handling."

Red alert! Warning word detected! Time to switch topics.

"Why are you here and not in your office?"

"Also because of politics."

Outstanding move, Hachiman.

"...adult suffered blunt force trauma to the skull, and was most assuredly an instant death…"

"Yeah, words are hard." I muttered with some attempt to inject some sort of life into my voice.

"Things aren't looking too good, Hikigaya-kun. Crimes are rising and the courts are being flooded." Haruno's voice was soft, but the underlying strain was clear. "My office is hiring additional staff to deal with the onslaught, but I fear that this is just the start of things to come. The Mayor wants to expedite the process."

"He wants you to hurry up throwing people into jail?" It clicked in my head instantly. "Election season?"

"Yes. I wanted to talk it out with Chief Tsurumi and get his perspective…"

"...two bodies were killed at the same time…"

"...but it seems the Tokyo Metropolitan Police also have their hands full. Sounds grizzly."

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think I can tell you that things will get better." A flutter of motion in front of me caused my head to flick upwards. The two girls were holding hands and twirling one another in a clumsy dance.

"Not surprising at all, Hikigaya-kun. You've been adversely affecting my life since the moment we met."

"...then please stop coming after me."

"Why would I do that? You're so much fun!"

"...yes, of course." I sighed. The two girls tripped over each other's feet and fell to the ground, giggling all the meanwhile.

"You should trust your Onee-san!" Haruno chuckled. "But I shouldn't be hogging all the fun for myself."

"...what?" My back straightened, and my spine brushed the wall. Haruno was looking straight at me with clear eyes.

"You've been avoiding Yukino-chan." My district attorney didn't even phrase her words as a question.

"I've been avoiding a lot of people," I brushed off. "You among them."

"So you admit it?"

"No. Things just happen to get in the way. I'm really—"

"'Really busy.'" Haruno finished my sentence for me. "Too busy to talk to your friends and family?"

"Hey, listen—"

"No. I will not." She showed no interest in hearing my side of the story. "After all, I'm a busy person as well. And I'm only sitting here to let you know that your sister wishes to meet you."

"Komachi?" The two girls froze and looked over at us. "What did she tell you that she couldn't talk to me about?"

"Hmm? She should have called you or left a voice message at the least. Perhaps even a text?"

"..."

Shit.

"Yukino is with her as well."

"What!?" Anger bubbled in my stomach and I whispered harshly. "You're going to use my sister against me!?"

"Not at all. This was your sister's idea." The two girls were staring at us with vacant eyes as Haruno spoke. "Your case's verdict will be delivered soon. Think about how concerned your sister must have been when your lawyer phones her saying that she couldn't get into contact with you."

"So what? I just ignore the elephant in the room?"

"Don't get things twisted, Hikigaya-kun. We were driven to do this for you, because of you."

"A goddamn note would have been good enough."

"Of course it could have." Haruno scoffed. "But then I would be missing out."

"...on what?"

"On asking what you think you're accomplishing by avoiding us all."

My throat went dry, as if I had just swallowed a fistful of sand. I'm fully aware of how weak I am. I knew I wouldn't have the strength to shake it off should a hand reach out to me in earnest. However, what about the cold pale hands that also held me? As if being pulled in two different directions. No. Enough of that. Honoring the dead? Useless. Making use of the life they gave you? It was the only thing that felt—

My silence was all the confirmation Haruno needed.

"Are you afraid that speaking your mind will hurt those who care about you? Well, I hope you realize that staying silent has the same effect. If this is what you actually think, your priorities are horrifically flawed."

Haruno stood up, brushing her pants and back-side. She turned and walked away, the two girls quickly scampered out of the way to let her through. Haruno stopped and looked over her shoulders before delivering her parting words.

"Go and talk to them, Hikigaya-kun. No matter how much you run away, you can't expect them to stop chasing after. Not after all that you've done. I'm among them, by the way."

"... is that how it is?." I whispered.

"Yes. You can't simply shrug us off."

She was gone.

Δ▼Δ

[Yukino POV]

"If that's all, I really should be leaving."

Hikigaya-kun's chair scraped against the floor as he stood. He placed a hand on Komachi-san's shoulder for a brief moment before walking off without making eye contact with either of us. And like a spirit, it felt as if his presence was never there to begin with. I was the one who watched him leave with my own two eyes and I still wasn't certain.

I turned back to Komachi-san. She slumped over in her chair and rested her chin upon a propped up arm. She slowly traced uneasy circles on the condensation that had formed on the surface of her cup of iced-coffee. Something struck a chord within me when I noted the flat line her lips made and the stillness in her cheeks. I tilted my head slightly.

"Well, that went as expected." The younger girl sighed, exhaling and seemingly deflating. All the cheerfulness and energy she had showcased in front of her brother leaving with her breath.

"I would have liked a little more assurance, but his response was… on a whole, not at all surprising." Even as the words left my mouth, I felt myself cringe.

"What a jerk," Komachi-san grumbled. "He could have pretended to care. At the very least offer to pay for our bill."

I smiled and giggled softly. "What can one expect? He was quite stubborn during our teenage years, and still is by any measure."

My words appeared to catch her off-guard. Her eyes widened and to my worry, she didn't immediately respond.

"Always been stubborn, huh?" Komachi-san whispered. The air around her became tense, like the calm before a storm.

"Is something wrong, Komachi-san?"

"... No. Nothing's wrong. Not really."

I grew concerned. "Komachi-san?"

"Everything feels the same, Yukino-san." She seemingly ignored my query. "Everything has been the same. It feels as if nothing's changed since he came back home four years ago from that place."

Four years ago? Of course, she means Sri Lanka.

"...do you want to talk about it?"

Komachi-san blinked owlishly before turning to look at me in surprise. "... now that I think about it, I never did talk to anyone else about this."

"I am more than willing to listen. Although, I must apologize in advance, as I know I am not the most tactful person and I would hate to make you feel uncomfortable."

She shook her head and smiled ruefully. "No, I actually really, really appreciate it. I wanted to talk to you anyway, I just didn't expect it to be this soon."

"…it sounds as if you were expecting this?"

I received a single nod. "I was. It's happened multiple times… but that's just what I was able to see or allowed to see."

A sliver of doubt wormed its way into my mind. "Then… is this wise? Leaving him to his own course of action? I worry that his stubborn streak may have gone too far and—"

My words are interrupted by Komachi-san letting out a hollow laugh. It would have felt completely out of place were it not for the thin smile that she wore and the lifeless eyes that topped it all off. I was struck with a feeling of déjà vu. "Hearing someone else say it out loud is kind of refreshing."

She continued. "You're not wrong, Yukino-san. He's always been stubborn. Right until the very end. Why else would he act like such an idiot?"

I felt my cheeks warm. "I-I didn't mean to give the impression that I was critical of his actions. I just have some concern that— "

"—that he's doing too much. Drowning himself in work." Komachi-san finished my sentence for me. "Obsessive. Distant. Brooding. Quiet. Manic. At some point, you probably thought he was suicidal. I wouldn't be surprised if you still do."

My brain grinded to a halt at the bluntness of Komachi-san's words. What she was saying, I agreed with. But there was… something off.

I spoke hesitantly. "I do not think he wishes to do such things, but there's this sense that he's pursuing some goal with all his might. Even if it comes at the detriment to everything else, even his health."

Another silence settled between us. This time I was filled with a mixture of nervousness and dread.

"... yeah, I thought so too." Komachi-san said, so softly that I wasn't certain if she had spoken.

"Then… do you have any sort of idea what this goal is?"

"Mmmm... you probably already have a theory, being his lawyer and friend and all. I'm sure you heard the story of that time."

"Would I be correct in assuming that the trauma he suffered in Sri Lanka is the root cause of all of this?"

She hummed thoughtfully. "Kinda, sorta? You got it right the first time. He's like this because he's stubborn."

"I… do not understand?" My confusion was audible.

After all, Hikigaya-kun was so different from what I remember. From a purely physical standpoint, his lankiness in highschool had given way to the almost imposing man today. He spoke even less now, but his presence was almost suffocating when he began to focus. Just being in the room with him felt like he was observing you, even if he had yet to lay an eye on you. The teenager who spoke of his dream of being a house-husband and frequently tried to skip out on work had turned into an excessively hard worker today. There was just so much that wasn't the same. The difference was staggering.

"He bottles his problems. Doesn't say a peep," Komachi-san said directly. "Probably doesn't want to 'burden' us. Even four years after he came back and convinced everyone that he was healthy enough to go back into society, he never talks about that time."

My eyes shot open. "I can't believe it… Not even to you?"

"Nope." This was accompanied by a dismissive gesture. "Kinda childish, don't you think? I mean, keeping secrets from me, his adorable younger sister of all people?"

"I'm assuming you're aware of the court-martial?"

Komachi-san snorted. "Yeah. Not from him though, Kenta-san was the one who did. He was Hachiman's commanding officer and visited our house a few times."

The Tsurumi's? There was so much more being brought forward, I had to carefully choose my words.

"I can sympathize with his insistence to avoid the topic. He doesn't wish to relive those memories. A-and he believes he has done some terrible things. He cherishes you, Komachi-san. Perhaps he doesn't want you to be disappointed in him?"

"I thought that too. But it doesn't make sense to me. I mean, if he did it with outsiders, it's one thing. But even us? Is he afraid of being judged by his own family and friends? By me? Why does he hold us so far away?"

"… as I recall, you two were quite close." I could never forget the way the two siblings were. Sometimes I entertained the idea that neither kept secrets nor lied to one another. An ideal that I envied and desired, and took nearly a decade to achieve.

"We were. Then." She shrugged tiredly. "But I haven't heard beyond snippets from other people. Some extra stuff I know because he screams about it in his sleep when he's having nightmares. He's told even less to Mom and Dad. Kenta-san, Kenji-san, and Shizuka probably know a little more than that. Other than the people that were trapped there with him, I don't think anyone knows the whole story."

My mind was awhirl. Was this really Komachi-san? Hikigaya-kun's younger sister? I was shocked at the blasé manner with which she was talking about such a sensitive topic. As if it didn't matter to her. Impersonal with a cold and clinical touch.

"I won't try to pretend as if I understand what he's going through, but I know how he sees you." I began. "It might seem silly to us, but he could still have the irrational fear of you judging him. He just wants to remain that older brother you love so much."

Komachi-san gave me a blank stare. And suddenly it became clear to me. Why she seemed so familiar to me, so similar to something I had seen before. Her tone, her eyes, her mannerisms: it reminded me of Hikigaya-kun.

"I know my brother, and I love him too! It's just… this can't be it. I think there's more…"

Komachi-san closed her eyes in visible concentration, when she opened them she directly addressed me.

"Tell me, Yukino-san. Do you think he's an evil person? Do you think he would torture people just because?"

That was…

"No...no I don't. But… I think he could. He told me that he had no other alternatives. He was trying to save his own life, and the lives of others. This, I'm sure of."

My statement hung in the air between us for a moment.

"He's a really gentle person, you know?" She spoke with a heartbreakingly tender and soft tone. "He doesn't want to hurt anyone, not even a little bit. He'd rather hurt himself."

I agreed. This was what I thought as well. That day when he was suffering from a fever and he spoke without the guard he had taken to wearing to everyone. I couldn't forget what he said.

"It's really obvious when you think about it. I mean, a guy with PTSD comes back home, and then flies off to a big city? All because he wants to join the police as a detective, even after all he went through? And he's solving cases like there's no tomorrow? The only reason I can think of is that he's trying to atone."

What?

"Atonement… for the torture?"

UN Declaration of Human Rights Article 5. That was what Hikigaya-kun had been charged with. A human rights violation that cited subjecting fellow persons to cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment. If he was trying to atone, it would naturally be for this. And in that case… it meant that more likely than not, he probably did do something to soldiers and civilians.

My blood chilled at the thoughts.

Komachi-san nodded. "He is afraid of judgment, Yukino-san. Just not the kind you think. I know him, and he knows me. You know him, he knows you. We both know he did it because he'd rather be the one to make the hard choices than anyone else. And he knows that we wouldn't judge him.

"Hachiman isn't afraid that we'll judge him to be a horrible, evil person. It's the opposite. He's afraid that if he tells everything to us, his closest, he's going to be forgiven."

I physically recoiled as her words blindsided me. I opened my mouth to answer, but could not formulate a sound. Komachi-san wasn't disturbed by this and continued to talk.

"Hachiman's thought process isn't all that weird. Pretty straightforward, actually. He doesn't want to hurt people, he thinks that's wrong. Torture is hurting people. He tortured people. Conclusion: he did wrong."

"B-but that's absurd!" I sputtered. "How can he think that…! Especially with the circumstances as they were! A-and…!"

Komachi-san smiled gently, the edges of her lips rising slightly. "Yeah it is. It's crazy, isn't it? In fact, I really do think Hachiman's insane."

I felt my eyebrows raise. "T-that's…"

Komachi-san's eyes widened in panic as she realized the way in which I had interpreted her words. She flailed her arms in from her. "No, no, no, no! I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just that… mmmm…"

She stopped speaking momentarily to gather her thoughts.

"Nowadays, I don't think insanity is that rare. We all have some sort of screw loose."

To accentuate, she spun a finger against her head. The universal gesture that someone had a screw loose.

"Everyone has flaws: we're all broken in our own unique ways. Recently, I started thinking that this success and happiness in life everyone talks about has more to do with how we learn to live with our flaws or adapt to them."

Komachi-san took a sip from her iced-coffee. There was nothing left in the cup besides the ice. The sound of her sucking the last vestiges of remaining liquid punctuated a shift in tone.

"I'm not stupid. I'm not naive enough to think that he might ever heal. So far, it seems that I was right. He's stubborn. So stubborn to atone, to find some way to right wrongs."

"...even if they're self-perceived? Even if he's the only one who thinks so?" I whispered despairingly.

"When it comes to him, it's probably the only opinion that matters."

"You make it sound as if he's afraid of change that is good for him."

"Yeah, it does kinda sound like that, doesn't it?" Komachi-san laughed. "But it is. He hasn't changed a day since he…"

Her words trailed and I could feel the turmoil in her voice. I had to do something to comfort her. Something to give her strength and hope… but how? I was out of my element. Comforting others was a skill I was aware I never developed. But I had examples to base my actions off of. How would Yui-san handle this?

Perhaps… I should try to hold her hand? I reached out slowly, but recoiled when I heard her begin to speak once more.

"It was raining the day when the man from the military showed up at our front door. He was the one who let us know that Hachiman went missing."

I stiffened.

"I didn't believe it at first. I thought it was impossible. Hachiman could do anything if he set his mind to it. So there was no way he was missing. They probably missed his messy head during a count or something. He did love slouching.

"But he didn't come back.

"Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. As all this time passed, I kinda sorta naturally accepted that he was missing. Didn't give up hope though! No, sir.

"He was my ever reliable older brother. He pretended to be dumb, but he's actually pretty witty and resourceful when the chips are down. His plans aren't the cleanest, or the best, but they work. So he would be home in no time.

"That hope was easy to keep at first. But the days rolled on. Life still goes on, and I started to think about other things. School. College. Friends. TV Shows. Books. Games. Kind of smothered that fire.

"I remember a friend asking me about my brother, and my first thought was 'Ah, my dead older brother.' I was so surprised. When did I start thinking like this? Did I think he died, so that's why I forgot? Or did I forget about him, and so he was essentially dead?

"Something changed in me then, Yukino-san. The hoping. The forgetting. The remembering. The waiting. It did something to me.

"When Hachiman came back, it was a disaster. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. He was always screaming and crying. He was always sick. But… but I wasn't worried.

"Crazy, right?

"When he began pushing people away as he sat in his room with the lights turned off and covered in blankets, I didn't panic.

"Even now, I can see the bags under his eyes. He's lost weight again. The haircut you gave him is completely gone. He looks dehydrated. Even so, right now I'm not worried in the slightest. No matter how you look at it, I'm a horrible sister."

I had heard enough. My hand crossed the distance in a flash and my fingers wrapped around hers. Was it the iced drink that had made her hands so cold? Or was it the things she was saying?

"Please stop this, Komachi-san," I pleaded. "You're being ridiculous and exceedingly harsh on yourself. You love your brother; I and many others can see that. And he cares deeply for you as well."

A weak smile came back.

"Thank-you for saying that, Yukino-san… but I know what I am. Maybe that's what I look like on the surface to you. But inside? Nothing. Ironic, isn't it? I'm more upset over how I wasn't upset when I was supposed to be.

"It took me awhile to figure out why.

"Yukino-san, I'd rather have a dysfunctional and hurt older-brother than a dead one. Onii-chan left for Sri-Lanka and Hachiman came back. But they're both my brother and I… now that I think about it, I'm probably insane too."

"I—"

"I've tried everything, and I'm out of ideas. The drive is gone. I hate myself for feeling this way, but whenever I see Hachiman alive it stings a little less. I know what he's doing isn't living, but I can't do anything anymore. Which is why I need help.

"I was listening. That night on his birthday, when you two were talking.

"Let me tell you: I was blown away. You knew even less than we did of the whole situation, but he still answered you anyway. He had no problem sharing memories of that year with you. He trusts you.

"I wasn't sure at first. He hasn't seen you since highschool, and neither have I. People change; distances make those changes even larger. I didn't know if you were still the same person. But that night? I knew you were special."

I blushed and opened my mouth to refute Komachi-san's assertions, but I never got the chance as she steamrolled onwards.

"I need your help, Yukino-san. I can't do this anymore. I don't have the resolve anymore. Somewhere along the way, I forgot how to cry. I'm not even sure if I really want to help him anymore…

I mean… what if we hurt him more trying to fix him? Thoughts like these… they really scare me.

"But you, Yukino-san, you're special. And he cares about you in a special way.

"I know I'm pushing this on you. And I want you to do it very badly...but there's something you need to know."

My heart rate increased and I gave Komachi-san's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Komachi-san took a shaky breath. "Hachiman is broken, but he can't adapt to the cracks alone. He needs someone. But this person has to be amazing. They have to be willing to take his very heavy burdens on their own back. They need to become his support. This can't be half-assed! If this person failed…"

Her head dropped, and blank bangs covered her eyes, blocking them from view.

"... he might..."

At some point, Komachi-san's hand had escaped my grip. Now she had wrapped her fingers around my wrist tightly, almost painfully.

"... he might just roll over and die."

Δ▼Δ

[Hachiman POV]

Pushing the heavy oak doors inward, a gust of air rushed past me. The humid air gave way to the pleasant air conditioned courtroom. The creaking of the doors was drowned by the chatter as various officials and professional observers spoke amongst themselves. I walked down the aisle and my eyes met with the inquisitive stare of the judge. I gave a polite nod in response, to which she returned slowly.

I slid into my seat and rolled my shoulders. A small cough came from my side.

"You're 10 minutes late." Yukinoshita muttered without a shred of emotion. Her eyes were cast downward at a notepad on her lap; pen in hand, yet writing nothing.

I looked away and shoved my hands into pockets as I slumped. "I'm 5 minutes early."

For the trial, that is.

"Komachi-san and I both told you what time to meet me here."

"...extenuating circumstances got in the way."

"..."

"..." I could feel her looking straight at me.

"... you don't have to lie to me. I thought we were past that?"

"I'm not lying to you."

'You just don't know if it's true or not.' Was left unsaid.

"I care about you, Hikigaya-kun," Yukinoshita said bluntly. "But it seems as if you're actively working against my attempts to help."

I felt my eyebrows raise, but I stopped my gut reaction to look at her.

"You've helped a lot with the court case. I appreciate that."

"... you know I'm helping you… but did you want my help?"

My head was abuzz with confusion. What?

I turned my head towards her, but before I could answer, the Judge struck her gavel calling for order in the court. As the talk died down, the Judge went through the proceedings like Yukinoshita had told me earlier in the week. The Judge held out a gloved hand and an aide elegantly offered her a sealed white envelope. With a silver letter opener and an agonizing slowness, the Judge emptied the contents. She peered through the bottom rim of her reading glasses as her eyes scanned the paper line by line. Finally, she cleared her throat.

"I will now read the verdict."

I swallowed audibly, the gravity of the situation finally materializing in my mind. A sudden tug on my right arm nearly pulled me off my chair. I looked down to see Yukinoshita squeezing my sleeve with two fingers, biting her bottom lip as her resolute ocean blue eyes locked on the judge's stand.

"'In the case of the Ouma family versus Hikigaya Hachiman and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, we— the jury— find the defendant, Hikigaya Hachiman not guilty of the charges of excessive force, homicide, and manslaughter brought against him'." The narration of the judge continued as she folded the paper. "This was a unanimous decision found by all 13 members of the jury council."

The judge leaned forward and spoke clearly. "Detective Hikigaya, you have been acquitted of these charges and have been placed back into good standing within the eyes of the state. Please continue with your duties as a public servant of this city. The court is now adjourned."

The gavel was slammed against its base.

...over.

It was over.

Despite the weight my mind felt, a feeling of relief welled within. Words failed me, not even being able to materialize concrete thoughts. When I turned to look at Yukinoshita, I saw her smiling warmly. It was contagious and was impossible for me to keep the edges of my lips from curling. Oh, right. I should thank her properly.

"Thank you," I said genuinely, feeling better than I did the entire week. Yukinoshita's smile grew a bit wider, and she opened her mouth to speak.

"MURDERER!" A voice screamed out. I stood in shock, whirling around to cover Yukinoshita and came face to face with Ouma's mother staring at me in outrage. "YOU MURDERER!"

Guards from the rear of the courtroom came down in a flurry and created a human wall between me and Ouma's mother. From between their heads, I could see a few speaking urgently to the woman, most likely trying to escort her out of the room. But they couldn't stop her voice.

"MURDERER! IS THIS WHAT JAPAN IS!? A COUNTRY THAT LETS KILLERS GET AWAY!?" Ouma's mother tried to shrug off one of the guards. When her husband wrapped his arms around her in a hug, the woman's screams transformed into heart wrenching sobs. "I just want my son back! I just want to raise him right! I want to tell him that he's not alone, that Mama's here for you! But...but now I can't do that! I can't say how I'm sorry for making him take care of us all alone! It's all gone… ALL GONE BECAUSE YOU MURDERED HIM!"

Murderer?

Murderer?

Oh yeah, murderers. Those guys who murder people. I know all about them. I saw one right before my eyes once.

The sun, humidity, and heat of the rainforest that battered us the previous day gave way to fog, strong winds, and a chilliness this morning. Peering through the scope of my rifle, the mist reduced my visibility to a paltry 50 meters at best. Everything past that was a misty-wall behind the foliage. Not even the height advantage I got from sitting in a tree helped. The swaying branches and the river that had swelled from the recent monsoons were the only sources of movement within my field of vision.

My heart leapt to my throat when a sudden sound of flapping wings accompanied an inexplicable weight pushing down at the front of my rifle. I slowly removed my eye from the scope and saw a wild chicken perched on the barrel of my gun. As if spilling color into a black and white world, the bird's feathers were a bright red, blue, and orange left me speechless. The bird cocked its head as it stared at me with equal wonderment.

"Shoo." I waved a hand to scare it off. It did little as the chicken readjusted its feet to better balance itself. Getting comfortable, eh?

I opened my mouth to try and more forcibly push away this loiterer, but something from the corner of my eye caught my attention. I swung the sniper in that direction. The violent action spooked the jungle fowl enough to have it fly away into the ravine. I pressed my eye to the scope and saw a small tan child running upstream alongside the river. Towards me.

The AK-47 that was strapped to his back flailed wildly with every running stride. The size disparity between the boy and the gun was almost comical. It was far too large for him. Could he even shoot it properly? I let out a relieved breath when there was no magazine in the gun. It seemed that my enemies were somewhat receptive to negotiations. Thankfully as a result, I didn't have to waste a bullet.

I balanced my gun upon my knees and held my hands to my mouth. I let out a shrill whistle that echoed in the ravine. Within moments I received thousands of responses from songbirds throughout the forest. However, I picked up a specific whistle from near my location. All was set. I slung the HK417 across my shoulder and lowered myself down the tree with a rope I had tied in advance. Benson and Danny met me at the bottom, which meant Takuya was with the prisoner.

I exchanged terse nods with them before making my way a few meters downhill where our guest was waiting. The boy held both hands in the air, allowing Danny to gently remove the AK from his back. Upclose, the child was even smaller than I thought, and the gun even bigger. Something within me stirred as I watched him wheeze. I reached to my side and unhooked a canteen, offering it to him after twisting the cap off.

"..." He stared at the plastic bottle suspiciously before looking at me warily.

I rolled my eyes and gestured again. He reached out with hesitant fingers before plucking the canteen from my fingers and greedily taking gulps of water.

"Well?" I asked in Sinhalese when he finished and gave back a now half-full canteen.

"... the Captain s-said… he will hear your demands."

"Is that so? I'll be quick about it then. I want as much food, water, and whatever fire producing materials he can fork over. Matches, charcoal, lighter fluid, I don't care. We'll have the exchange at the foot of the waterfall tomorrow at noon."

I was only met with silence as the boy stared at me with wide-eyes.

"...did you get all that?" I asked hesitantly.

All I got was a nod.

"Also..." I reached down to a pocket on my trousers and pulled out a small cloth package that I handed to him. "Tell the Captain 'I don't know how many more fingers your brother can afford to lose.'"

Another stiff nod. I sighed and grabbed the AK from Danny's outstretched hands. I shoved it into the boy's arms and turned him around. A light shove to the back sprung him to life like a windup toy and he ran off. He looked over his shoulder once or twice as he grew more distant. A child-soldier. Obviously. War left no stone unturned, no family unbroken, no child unruined, no man unmade.

"Shame." Benson commented, no doubt knowing what crossed my mind. He always had an uncanny ability to read my thoughts. "Too young."

"Yeah." I responded despondently. Benson gave me a brotherly clap on the shoulder and walked past, striking up banter with Danny. I watched as the two strolled away, likely to meet up with Takuya and the prisoner. My fingers curled into a painful fist and I resisted the urge to punch the trunk of the tree that stood to my side.

I could still remember when Komachi was that age.

The child-soldier returned within the hour, informing that the Captain had agreed to our demands and would meet us at the indicated location. It was a whole 15 hours away and I didn't remember going to sleep. The whiplash in climate struck again and the unforgiving sun made another appearance. It rose high in the sky as noon approached.

While I was inspecting the bullets inside my magazine, my team walked towards me with the prisoner in tow. His hands were bound behind his back, and he made no effort to resist. He was informed of the upcoming trade, and even his mewling in pain had subsided overnight. Danny reported that the man actually slept rather well last night.

"You all understand the plan?" I slammed the magazine back into the rifle and pulled the bolt.

"Yes, Sergeant." Takuya nodded. I traded looks with Benson and Danny who also nodded. Danny handed me the end of a rope that leashed our hostage.

"We have about 30 minutes. Abid should have had the rest of the men and villagers into position. We have one shot, I want it to go cleanly. I'm counting on you Benson."

Benton gave a salute and walked away into the brush, followed by Tatsuya and Danny. I shuddered and my world vibrated for a second before a sharp stinging pain in my temple rendered me immobile for a moment. The prisoner looked at me with raised eyebrows. I shook my head and pointed forward before tugging at the rope. He understood, and we began walking downstream.

The river grew deeper and deeper until there were two cliffs facing either side of the moving body of water. We were a few hundred meters away from the waterfall now, the sound of crashing waves could be heard. I pulled hard at the rope once, bringing us to a halt. I peered over the edge, and saw white rapids and nasty looking boulders jutting out from the riverbed. It was a solid 15 meter drop.

"This should do."

I wrapped the rope around my hand to shorten the length. I gave a violent jerk, the sudden force throwing the man onto his back. He yelped in surprise as I dragged him towards the edge. His eyes widened as he realized my intention.

"No… no… no! No, no, no, no, no, no! NO!" He screamed writhing and flailing on the ground. It was futile. His strength was miniscule from days of hunger, borderline hydration, and little sleep. I had him under my foot with relative ease.

My ears grated at the sounds of his cries and sobs. He turned bloodshot eyes towards me and shrieked. "WE HAD A DEAL! YOU SON OF A BITCH, WE HAD A DEAL!"

Momentarily, the muscles in my arms froze. But the cool rational side of my brain spoke to me: loose-ends were loose-ends, and he knew our faces.

"... sorry."

I shoved him off the edge unceremoniously.

His scream echoed off the walls of the rock faces, only to be abruptly cut short by a sickening crack and squelch. I turned around, feeling my stomach immediately revolt. My throat seared with a chemical burn as acid bubbled up my trachea despite my damndest effort to quell it.

"Improvement…" I whispered to myself, closing my eyes as sweat from my brow dripped down into my eyes. Ah, I was in the sun… they should be done by now.

And they were. When I arrived at the foot of the basin, the fine spray from the waterfall had done a wonderful job cooling me… as well as masking the smell of blood. It was a massacre, for better or for worse. At least 15 rebel soldiers laid dead on the river bank. My soldiers and villagers who volunteered to fight, were milling around making sure no one had the bright idea to feign death.

"Ambush went off without a hitch, Sarge." Danny said, waving at me.

I swallowed dryly, but the bump in my throat didn't subside. "... I didn't hear a thing."

Danny looked at me strangely. "Wasn't that the idea? Cover up the sounds with the waterfall."

Yes. Yes, that's right. My idea.

We were running low on supplies, and there was a single enemy fortification in the area. If we made it past this zone, we'd be out of the territory of the rebel forces for several blissful kilometers. When did the idea come up? I can't recall. We captured a rebel and a child-soldier. A bloodied knife and painful screaming later, we found out the rebel was the younger brother of the Captain at the fortification. All that was left was concocting the scheme to lure them to an area where we had set up a firing squad.

It was all my plan.

"Sarge, we got the supplies. Bastards actually brought 'em." Jameson called out, our resident Irishman said while lighting a cigarette.

I nodded once. Then twice. Then thrice.

"S-search the bodies. Get what you can. 10 minutes at most, we need to grab the rest of the village and get out of here quickly."

A chorus of affirmations greeted me.

"Ghastly stuff." Jameson sighed, the bulky soldier looking like he aged a few years. "How many of them dead means less of a soul for me?"

"Shut it, James." Benson reprimanded wearily. "Just… quit it with the dumb maths and get to work."

I nudged the prone carcass near my boot and waited several seconds before kicking the body over.

As I kneeled I felt a hand on my back. "The kid made it out."

Tatsuya, ever reliable.

Without any words or hesitation I plunged my hands into his pockets and coats. A pistol. Bullets. Cigarettes. A flask with bourbon. A pen. I squinted my eyes in confusion when my hands brushed something strange. I pulled a leather wallet out from the man's inner coat sleeve. It was a bifold design, plain and flat on both sides, without a hint of branding.

My fingers slipped in between and flicked the wallet opened. On the inner wall, a plastic pouch housed a small color photo. An elderly woman with long gray locks was flanked by two men. Her arms wrapped around them tightly, and she had such a gentle smile on her face. These were probably her sons. My hands trembled as I recognized the face of the man on the right. How could I not? I had just sent him careening to his…

Wait. If this was him… then the man by my feet must be his...and the woman their…

I stood.

How many mothers have been crushed? How many bloodlines have been ended? How many futures have been cut short? How many families have been destroyed? How many were made brotherless? How many were made childless? Heirless? How many were made widows? How many…

How many did I…?

Without warning, I turned around and whipped my arm as I did, flinging the wallet away. It was immediately caught in the cascade of water and disappeared into the white.

"I…"

Yeah, I saw murderers. I knew them very well. I've encountered one up close. Real close. In my own body, wearing my own skin.

"Hikigaya-kun?"

"..."

"Hikigaya-kun!?"

"O-oh, Yukinoshita?" I blinked and my thoughts returned to the present. The courtroom was nearly empty. The Ouma family was nowhere in sight. The Judge had left their stand, with only the aide remaining as they organized various documents. Besides the ruffling of paper, all was quiet. Yukinoshita looked at me with worried eyes. "What's up?"

"Are you alright? You have seemed out of sorts since—"

"I'm fine." I waved off her concern. "I'm going to the police station."

"I'm not sure that you should. Shouldn't you take it easy and relax? Celebrate with your family?"

I laughed.

Δ▼Δ

"Congratulations, Hachiman." The Chief said with a smile as I sat down in the chair before him.

"Thanks, Chief." I eased into my seat, marveling at how much more plush and comfortable this leather chair was compared to the wooden one in the courtroom. "Glad that's over."

"I can imagine. How are you feeling?"

"...better. Good enough that I think that I can-"

"You're not coming back to the case." The Chief shot down my unspoken request instantly. "Oh, don't give me that look. I'm giving you another week off, come back when you're good and ready. Take things one step at a time. I'll talk to Shizuka about it when the time comes. I value your work, Hachiman. But the case isn't worth more to me than you or your health."

"What is with everyone?" I muttered.

"Welcome to life, people tend to be concerned about people they care about."

"...you okay, Chief?"

"I'm fine, Hachiman. You shouldn't have come back to work, but that's past the point now. I'll pay you for the hours you clock in, but I want you out at the normal time, okay?"

"Sir, yes sir."

"Good." The Chief nodded to himself. "Go to your department, people have been waiting on the news."

His words confused me, but I did as he instructed and walked down the halls until I reached my department's office. As soon as I took a seat at my desk, I heard Shiba screaming as he ran in.

"Sennnnnppppaaiii!"

"Shiba?" Oh yeah, his health leave was over.

The man stops before my desk and tries to catch his breath. "H-how did it go?"

"Acquitted of all charges." I answered briefly. My partner sighs a breath of relief and sinks to his knees.

Our conversation was overheard by the rest of the office. Soon, what felt like the entire police department was coming over to me and congratulating me on my victory in court.

It was surreal to be sure, I was certain I never even saw half of these people before. Yet word of my situation had spread throughout the building like wildfire.

Even though the stampede eventually died down, the positive vibe in the atmosphere could still be felt.

I'm certain a few police officers were pleased about the precedent my court case set. They too could one day enter a situation where they were forced to take down a criminal, and if the penalties for killing a person who was a danger to others would harm themselves, it would cause them to hesitate. They could do their jobs with peace of mind now.

"Oi, Hikigaya!" an unfamiliar voice called out. I turned around in my seat to see a few men walking towards me. I can vaguely remember them from the money laundering debriefing we had.

"... can I help you?" I asked unsurely, with a bit of caution.

"Wanna go out drinking to celebrate after hours?"

"I-uh what?" This was absolutely a new event in my life. My coworkers approaching me to go out drinking? Is this the start of my riajuu adulthood lifestyle?

"Shiba said he's coming along too, whaddya say?"

An idea popped into my head. A dark idea I couldn't help but find appealing.

"...sure, I guess."

Arc 1: "Detective Hikigaya Hachiman"

Reference List:

[1] Reference to Big Stick ideology. In short, rules and laws can be construed as the "will" of societies and governments. To enforce these rules, certain amount of force is required to give the implication of consequence. Force doesn't need to be used, simply showing one's hand is enough to influence.

[2] A recent trend in manga/manwha/light novels/web novels is the idea of the abstraction of real life into a video game. Stats determine a person's constitution. Dialogue windows only the "player" can see that basically directs conversions and tells the player if relationships have advanced with other people. Hachiman is mocking this, seeing as how it doesn't reflect the complexity of real life.

Omake: "The Ballad of Detective Hikigaya Hachiman"
by thatguy8801:

Deep within the glassy forest of Metropolitan Tokyo, there sat a certain scientific police precinct. But not just any police precinct, this peculiar location housed a great detective. A detective with a rather peculiar set of features, most notably his abhorrent personality and dead fish like eyes. Our dear detective reclined in his chair, dead eyes skimming over the 12th installment of a Light Novel he had increasingly come to enjoy.

His eyes reluctantly left the novel for the first time today at the sound of the office door slamming open. A familiar set of faces passed through the threshold, one slinking away to the secretary desk with the other made a beeline for the desk our dear detective blissfully sat.

"Senpaiiii, you missed our great social gathering that I'm sure you would have aced despite clear character traits that would beg to differ," a flushed Shiba exclaimed.

Our dear detective, Hikigaya Hachiman, waved off his partner. "Nonsense, I was too busy reading this fantastic light novel series I started last night. I highly recommend you read it, Infinite Stratos is perhaps the best piece of literature I have ever read and had the pleasure to immerse myself in." Hachiman adjusted his pristine new Infinite Stratos Shinonono Houki Figurine he picked up on his way to work this morning. "I'm going to head to the bathroom to finish my novel, please tell me which stall you and the secretary used so I may avoid it."

Shiba sighed in a riajuu fashion and let his superior take off, further annoying the flawless detective. Hachiman confidently strode out the office with confidence, but not before smirking a knowing smirk to the secretary in a move to further his intellectual pride and cement his superiority over the riajuu menace.

He made his way down the hall, his pace increased so he could reach his destination quicker and finish the greatest piece of literature known to humanity. His venture was cut short, however, when he spotted fellow detective Hiura making his way to him.

"Detective Hikigaya, thank goodness I found you." Hiura breathed a sigh of relief.

"What seems to be the matter," Hachiman coolly stated with a cold expression, ensuring that he no doubt emulated a certain character from another great piece of literature.

"There is some racket going on in the office district of Chiba right in front of a number of glass buildings that you must attend to immediately. Despite the fact you work in Homicides and have nothing really to do with general emergency affairs nor is there any reason for you to deal with non-detective work whatsoever, you are our best detective and we need you out there as soon as possible!" Hiura exclaimed, prostrating upon the linoleum tile.

Hachiman pondered his request for a moment before conceding. "Fine, but I'm taking my own car." He then proceeded to march through the offices of a certain scientific police precinct and out to the parking lot.

There he unlocked the doors of his wine red Aston Martin V8 Vantage with 5935 cc V12, All-Alloy, Quad Overhead Camshaft 48-Valve, 563 BHP 6650 RPM along with Rear Mid-Mounted, Seven-Speed 'Sportshift Iii' Automated Manual Transmission. In addition, this baby had Ventilated carbon ceramic matrix discs, 398 mm diameter with six-piston monobloc calipers front brakes and Ventilated carbon ceramic matrix discs, 360 mm diameter with four-piston monobloc calipers rear brakes. But that's not all, this incredible machine boasted a top speed of 205 mph and could go from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. It was a perfect machine that he explicitly inherited (was given, received) by his former high school teacher and now friend and confidant, Hiratsuka Shizuka, with whom he has consistently and persistently interacted with on numerous occasions while riding in said vehicle. ThAt HoW hE gOt AsToN.

Peeling out of the lot, Hachiman raced to the Chiba office district. Upon his arrival, he stepped out to stare at the scene.

Before him stood an angel. No, this was more than an angel. Right in front of him stood his idol: Shinonono Houki. Not only his new idol, but the rest of the Infinite Stratos cast was present right in front of him.

After carefully calculating the situation, Hachiman only had one thought on his mind. Now what would Ayanokouji do?

Unfortunately for him, such a question would never be answered. A strange black mass manifested from one of the beautifully sculpted glass buildings.

One by one, the cast of Infinite Stratos was claimed by the mass. Seeing this horrific manhunt of his all time favorite series, Hachiman wrapped his pinky around Houki's pinky and made a dash through the glassy maze of office buildings.

Thinking he lost a certain magical black mass, Hachiman turned to Houki. "Houki, I love you with all my heart. Will you be my genuine?"

Houki, full of love and happiness, teared up and grabbed Hachiman's other pinky. But before she could respond, a certain magical black mass popped from around a building and consumed her.

Wracked with grief, Hachiman dropped to his knees, cursing the rom-com gods of his misfortune. He wiped the tears from his eyes, returning to that fine beast of a machine that was his wine red Aston Martin V8 Vantage with 5935 cc V12, All-Alloy, Quad Overhead Camshaft 48-Valve, 563 BHP 6650 RPM along with Rear Mid-Mounted, Seven-Speed 'Sportshift Iii' Automated Manual Transmission. In addition, the baby had Ventilated carbon ceramic matrix discs, 398 mm diameter with six-piston monobloc calipers front brakes and Ventilated carbon ceramic matrix discs, 360 mm diameter with four-piston monobloc calipers rear brakes. But that's not all, this incredible machine boasted a top speed of 205 mph and could go from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Opening that luscious door, he grabbed the Rear Mid-Mounted, Seven-Speed 'Sportshift Iii' Automated Manual Transmission, and took off to the underground racing track; where the first clue of his new adventure awaited.

END OF PART 1

Author's Note:

This was quite possibly, the hardest chapter to write. I had finished the original chapter 24 nearly a year prior (even before I published Chapter 1 on FFnet). But as time went on, and my skills as a writer grew and my ambitions for the story expanded, I found myself changing things along the way. Chapter 24 was the first instance that I completely scrapped the old chapter and wrote it from scratch.

The difficulty was from the complex and nuanced emotions I was trying to have the character's convey. This really discourages me from trying anything close to it in future stories. I had the bright idea of having a conversation between two characters while both the audience and the characters are aware of another conversation going on in the middle of it all. This drove me insane.

This chapter isn't completely satisfactory, but I just wanted it out there. I feel especially guilty for my piss poor use of Komachi. She barely makes an appearance in Unmade, and now I have her as a major plot device. I'll fix this in my future works.

Thanks to all my editors, especially Xynovitch, thatguy8801, Bchets, and yahallo. I frequently bothered you all at obscene hours and more often than not screeched my frustration at writer's block into chat. Thanks to Xynovitch and thatguy8801 for being soundboards and keeping me motivated to see this through. Bchets, thank you so much for being a voice of reason and critique that guided my writing. Special thanks to yahallo for giving a grammar pass-over within 12 hours of me finishing this monstrosity. They're all writers on FFnet, check out their works!

-SouBU

(Editors: Editors: Lord of Admirals; Xynovitch; thatguy8801; Bchets; yahallo)

Omake Author's Note:

Hello all! I am thatguy8801, a new editor for Sou. You may be wondering to yourself, why is this awful piece here? Well, Sou gave himself a hard deadline that he failed to meet; and so this monstrosity of a joke was born.

As further motivation, I've decided to make this one off omake a multi-episodic thing. I hope, for both his sake and mine, that future deadlines are met.

Until next time!

Revision Log:
07/03/2020 - Minor grammatical errors and missing words fixed