Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ To Be The Villain ❯ NINE: Petulance ( Chapter 9 )

I think part of me is feeling guilty over not resolving Yukino’s problem. She doesn’t know how to date men. She’s probably afraid of becoming like her sister pretends to be. Worse, she says she wants to partake of the family business, which is especially horrifying considering how sensitive she is. She’d be easily manipulated by her emotions and prejudices. Haruno was right to warn her dear little sister of the doom she’s courting. It isn’t nice in politics. The deal making and dirty tricks are nasty. There is no honor in it, only shame to conceal, with the best case means becoming a psychopath who doesn’t care about the fact that all secrets are merely future blackmail or murder plots. Especially now, as the internet and surveillance cameras become more prevalent. This is not a nice thing. While Haruno tried, I must find some way to convince her that the cost is more than she can afford to pay.

For all that I continue to get modelling work. My rates are rising proportional to my popularity, and my bank account grows. I know this won’t last. Its just a quick series of jobs and some money for college or travel in the future. I will sign up for driving lessons once soccer season ends. I can still manage my weight training around that and get my homework done. The national driving school is just past the city limits north of Chiba City, a huge region with its own driving roads and obstacle courses and classrooms and fleet of student cars. It isn’t cheap, but it isn’t expensive either. I won’t be capable of four wheel drifting at the end of the program, but I will be qualified to get my license, which is the first step in buying a car. Considering my age and preference for incognito living, a Kei car is probably best. Maybe a little van. We even have a parking space available in our garage. And its been inspected last year so the space is still legal for use. Japan is very fussy about parking spaces in the dense cities. It isn’t enforced much in the countryside, though some bored officers will go out just to do their duty.

I attended classes during my summer break, trying to crank out the qualifications and the exam in short time. I’m still young enough this was possible, between photo shoots and a couple fashion shows. They have me walking the runways for menswear. This being high summer they had me wearing the winter collection. I managed to notice that Komiket happened around this time, so there were plenty of otaku around the Tokyo Big Site, and cosplayers on the trains, some of them in partial outfits or wearing ponchos over the top for both public decency and to keep their clothes from being messed up. For all that, Haruno appeared at my last show making funny faces at me from the crowd, and found me afterwards, fending off reporters. The downside of being of-age in Japan is my usual privacy protections don’t apply off school grounds. I’m fair game here. I managed to link hands with Haruno and she dragged me away to a little izakaya, where we managed some yakitori and tea to get my strength up and then out again for a tour of the grounds around Big Site to check out the cosplayers I’d glimpsed. There was a rather tall girl with a huge rack and some clever makeup cosplaying as a video game character I’d seen ads for in adult manga stores in Shinjuku. Reasonably famous character, expertly done cosplay. A tall young man, my age, was lurking nearby watching her nervously, bags of clothes a makeup at his feet while fat sweaty otaku took the woman’s picture. There was also a short girl in one of those magical girl outfits that was especially accurate, posing for over fifty cameras. There were fat guys cosplaying as elf girls from certain famous RPG video games, there were guys with beards dressed as Harry Potter wizards, and a few that were more mixed. I don’t know all of them. I’m a sports guy, really. I barely have time for movies, nevermind games or TV anime.

“Our culture is certainly vibrant here,” commented Haruno, surprising me.

“Oh? Yes, I suppose it is. What do you think Yukino would say at this?” I asked her. Haruno laughed, extracting her phone to pan a video of the crowd and get some pictures of the various cosplayers without making a nuisance of herself. There was nothing to gain antagonizing them, after all. There was everything to gain antagonizing Hachiman and Yukino. I got some pictures and mailed them to Komachi, Hachiman’s sister because it would amuse her and annoy him. See, I can be evil.

“And… sent. I think she’ll call this disgraceful,” she suggested.

“Shameful display, I think,” I said and laughed. Haruno leaned against me, trying to keep her balance as she laughed. Her phone beep its message reply.

“Why on earth would you think I would care one whit for such disgraceful behavior, she says,” Haruno read. “I win!”

“And she wants to work in politics,” I laughed. A fat man I recognized strolled up wearing a katana and wakizashi, fiberglass armor (it didn’t clink like the hardwood did), and helmet with crest.

“Hayato san. What brings you to this cultural event?” Yoshiteru asked. I’d last seen him at the summer camp. “Ah, is this the glorious H you mentioned?” Haruno’s brow rose.

“Yes. You recall Yukino from the service club? This is her elder sister Haruno,” I introduced them.

“Milady, thou arte as beautiful as a flower. Zaimokuza Yoshiteru at your service,” he said, bowing formally to her. She returned the bow somewhat less, for status reasons.

“And whom are you dressed as today?” she asked politely.

“Ashikaga Yoshiteru, thirteenth shogun of the Ashikaga dynasty. Hachiman suggests that historical chuunibyo is better than pure fantasy. I have created this armor based on period armor and records of the crest used at that time,” he explained.

“He would. Hikigaya is an amusing young man, and causes my sister much distress,” Haruno agreed. “Please excuse us because we are on a date,” she said, dragging me away into the crowd. I waved politely to my fellow student from Soubu and carefully did not look for Ebina Hina, doubtlessly here somewhere, probably a booth selling her BL manga. I suspect that Miura would be keeping an eye on her, though she may have begged off with Saika instead. It is summer. Those two probably deserve a fling.

“What was that?” Haruno finally said once we’d gotten some distance with crowd between us.

“Hikigaya’s only male friend. Well, other friend I guess. There’s Saika too. They’ve known each other since middle school, apparently,” I explained. “He’s calmer than he used to be. Before he couldn’t talk to girls. I helped Hikigaya get Yoshiteru some help with his book without spending much time at the service club or forcing Yukino to read his really bad first draft of his novel.”

“Why did you do that? Forcing Yukino to read things that aren’t cat books or samurai poetry is excellent training for the real world. She’s too sheltered. She needs unpleasant tasks to temper her and build up her mental fortitude,” Haruno insisted, stopping to look at me in concern. “Are you coddling my sister? I want her to have some bad experiences with people so she doesn’t fall into the same trap I did.”

I sighed. This is complicated. Even as a villain, I see Haruno’s point, and her motivation. I looked around, spotting a vendor selling barley tea in disposable cups. I lead her there, bought two of them and observed the sexual way she sucked hers through the straw, exactly like she wanted me to. She was retaliating with sex for trying to distract her from an honest objection to how I’m doing things where her family is concerned. I towed her by her arm to a wide concrete railing that was good enough to be a bench, then thought better of it. Our clothes are too nice to ruin sitting on a moss and bird crap covered wall. I found an actual bench getting vacated by otaku, exhausted and overburdened by the day’s mad scramble to buy the latest doujins, figurines, and plastic jewelry made by other otaku to fund their hobbies. It’s a very Japanese thing they’re doing, and it really is part of the culture, as much as our parents may deny it. We sat, on a clean bench, and I finally composed my answer.

“Yukino is mad at me. She’s been mad at me ever since I confessed to you, years ago. And I realize now I picked a bad time to do it, and that I hurt Yukino’s feelings twice over, including the shoes problem. She felt betrayed by me, and still hates me today. Yukino is like your mother and knows how to hold a grudge. She treasures her outrage and hurt feelings. She doesn’t get over things. She simmers in hatred and rejection. Along comes a boy who is despised even more than she is, a boy hit by your car saving some girl’s dog from being run over, injured, recovered, full of darkness and anger. And he’s dragged into her precious ivory tower, her sanctuary, to be reformed by order of sensei Hiratsuka, her superior for the duration of her education at Soubu. She must comply. She is honor-bound to do her duty. And this evil looking boy bears a striking resemblance to the plushies she collects since she was little, and probably has an entire walk in closet dedicated to.”

“It’s in cabinets, actually. Glass fronted lit cabinets,” Haruno corrected.

“He looks like Pan San. His eyes are remarkably similar, and even tends to look sideways at things and people. He’s unbearably attractive to her, setting off her cute senses. But Yukino isn’t ready for a person with needs of his own, with a will to disagree with her, who does things ways she cannot stand. I’ve delayed some of that, but realizing he isn’t for her, and her endless despair when she realizes she can’t change him, can’t appeal to his better nature because what joy in him was killed when his heart was broken in middle school,” I explained.

“How do you know?” Haruno asked me.

“A little bird told me,” I answered.

“Your spy network is remarkably well informed,” she grumped.

“His inner darkness is not completely repulsive to one girl, and it isn’t Yukino. It’s Yuigahama. This girl from my clique is a pure hearted maiden, it was her dog he saved, and Yukino just can’t measure up to her uncomplicated devotion.”

“And?” Haruno asked, seeking an end to this story.

“Yukino is going to get her heart broken. It is inevitable. Yui is a better match for him, and every task the service club commits to fully only hurts her more. You want to temper your little sister and her fragile emotions into someone stronger. You can’t afford to break her in the process. Every easy mission for the service club is one she puts less heart into, and will be hurt less by the disappointment which will result from the answer she didn’t predict. Hachiman sees through a great deal. He is perceptive, for a commoner. He might even be useful as a specialist, suitably trained in politeness rather than his preferred sidle and insults. While Yukino gets roped into family business and you’re out with me, there’s a Chiba Obon festival coming up. You’re going to represent the family there, right? Let me escort you, and I’ll introduce you to the couple in question.”

“I’ve met Hachiman,” Haruno reminded me.

“At the mall, right? If you’d waited a couple minutes you would have met Yuigahama.”

“A little bird told you?” Haruno asked suspiciously.

“Let’s say that’s the case,” I agreed.

“And you expect the couple in question to come to the Obon festival?” she asked.

“Yes. I did mention that Yui is part of my clique at school. And Hachiman is in my class. And I’ve got his sister’s LINES contact information, and she can make her brother do anything,” I pointed out. Haruno humphed, admitting this was reasonable. I was lying, but it was plausible. I’m the villain, remember?

“Fine. I’ve seen enough of Komiket. Take me to your house. Cook me dinner,” she demanded.

“As milady wants,” I offered. We took the express train from Tokyo back to Chiba. There were some cosplayers on and otaku on the train with us. Some noticed us, recognized us. I kept Haruno close enough to steady her as the train swung through junctions. She’s a lot healthier than Yukino, obviously, and has more stamina, but everyone has limits and she’s obviously worked before coming out to my fashion show, and going into Tokyo is exhausting for anyone. The weight of all those people bears down on you, like gravity, but smelling of sweat and deodorant and the hum of a million electric lights. Tokyo is immense, and feels so very different from the open sky in north Texas, or the cornfields of Iowa. A thunderstorm in South Dakota, or a twister warning in eastern Kansas. Those had an impending energy too, but it was different from the weight of Tokyo. Leaving that weight behind into the comparatively well ordered Chiba City, still a million people, but with its edges populated by three dozen golf courses and the Destinyland park, and the long miles of docks and the steel mill there, all crucial industry for Japan to operate, that mess of competing things at least had obvious function rather than mere weight of expectations and paper shuffling from obsolete fax machine to copier to fax machine again. What should anyone make of that?

I cooked us dinner. Haruno fell asleep on my side as we rested on the living room couch, watching the old Rah Xephon anime together. My parents recognized her, of course, and raised eyebrows at me but said nothing, leaving me to deal with her sleeping requirements. I got her a pillow and blanket. Haruno is a lot less fussy than Yukino or her mother.

It was a mere four days until the festival at Obon. I wore clothes provided by my agency, and met with Haruno in the VIP seating. A business coalition had catered the event, looking down on the stands and Yakuza-run games and food stalls, with just past safe foods and slightly spoiled flour being standards for all such events. Getting sick after visiting a festival is a national shared experience. Our food was excellent for outdoor picnic fair in high summer. As expected, as the first warning thumps of the early fireworks went off, telling people to find places to view the display, I pointed out Hachiman and Yuigahama climbing the hill. Haruno elbowed me, waving them up to join us. We let them past the VIP rope and settled them down.

“So, is this the legal one?” Haruno needled Hachiman. “Yukino is going to be so disappointed.”

“Haruno, meet Yuigahama Yui, who is also a member of your sister’s service club. I believe you know Hikigaya Hachiman,” I introduced them.

“Why are you here Hayama?” he asked suspiciously.

“As you can see, I am escorting Haruno,” I answered smoothly. “We’re dating.”

“Huh,” he said, and that was all. I could see him trying to put things together and find some crack to wedge a rude comment into, but a glance at Yui stopped him cold.

“It’s nice to see you. Are you enjoying your summer, Yui-san?” I asked her. We’re friends, so she’s easy to talk to when she isn’t hilariously nervous.

“Uh… yeah. I went away with family for a week after the summer camp, and Hikki took care of Sable for me so I wanted to thank him by taking him out here. Why are you here?” she asked me.

“Dating Haruno. Its been in the gossip column,” he reminded her. She blushed.

“Is being a model really that big of a deal?” she asked.

“I’m still me. I just have a part time job and people take pictures of me in fancy clothes,” I answered. She screwed up her face considering this. I could see the gears trying to turn. I waited, smiling gently without malice. Hachiman was glaring but kept quiet.

“I guess… I guess so,” she finally said. The fireworks went off, bursting in the sky a few seconds later. I turned to observe it with the others. Its pretty, I admit. I appreciate the effort involved.

“Tamaya!” shouted some kids in the crowd below.

“Miss Yukinoshita-san, umm, I remember you from that day,” said Yui quietly. More pops of mortars and more flashes of light bursting overhead. Different colors, but mostly white, blue, green, red. Different metal powders burned different colors as oxides. Green was copper. Red was iron. Blue was cobalt, and white was magnesium. I think that’s how it worked.

“Are you friends with Yukino-chan?” Haruno asked brightly.

“Oh, yes. She’s a wonderful friend. Yukino is so smart. I think she knows everything,” Yui confessed. Haruno smiled in that brittle way.

“Well, she’d like to, I’m sure,” Haruno chuckled. There was another series of mortar pops and more booms in the sky bursting into rising lights and shattering stars of light streaming out from the center of each at their apex.

“I like being her friend. Sometimes she seems so confused by things,” Yui admitted. “Other times she knows stuff and is very certain of herself. I admire her when she’s like that. I… I wish I could be like that sometimes.”

Haruno wisely kept quiet.

“I am glad you can be friends with Yukino,” I said, adding my support. Yui is a nice girl.

Hachiman said nothing.

When the fireworks ended, the couple excused themselves, leaving together. I wondered idly if they’ve slept together, become lovers yet. Probably not. Maybe soon.

“They’re a very uncomplicated couple, aren’t they?” Haruno said.

“I suppose so. He was her hero. He saved her dog. She decided she liked him, pursued him, and now she has him.”

“You think they’ll marry and have kids together?” Haruno asked me.

“Of course. Think anything that simple could happen for Yukino with her problems?” I asked her. Haruno’s face scrunched up at the thought.

“Of course not. Yukino’s main problem is her competitive streak is stronger than her interest in people. The service club is an obligation, not genuine empathy,” Haruno decided out loud.

I sighed in agreement.

“Did you get any trouble for sleeping on my couch four nights ago?” I asked her.

“No. Mother can smell dirty behavior. I wasn’t so there was no shouting or accusations. Besides, you’re on TV. Continue making the right moves and we’ll be permitted more freedom.”

“Like a road trip up to Aomori? Or down to Miyazaki?” I suggested. Haruno cocked her head at the idea, thinking.

“Yes, probably something like that.”

“You should help me pick out a car. Something small, slow, and invisible to stalkers with telephoto lenses,” I suggested. Haruno agreed those are important points in a good road trip car.