Even showing off requires skill.
There are quite a few things to consider. For instance, the content needs to be within the range of what people can accept, while still making them feel it's actually impressive. And then there's timing—you need to give people a mont to ntally prepare.
Otherwise, if soone suddenly cos out of nowhere and starts showing off, people's first reaction won't be "Wow, this guy is amazing."
It would probably be: "Should we call the police…"
So in that regard, Hikigaya did a pretty decent job showing off.
First, he told everyone that he had practiced martial arts, and the move he used was within the acceptable range—it was just grabbing a card. He didn't suddenly leap into the air and unleash a full set of so crazy martial arts that tore down the house, leaving everyone without a place to sleep tonight.
A proper show-off will always get a proportional return.
"Oh my god, that was aweso, Hikigaya-kun!"
Tobe was the first to react, practically jumping up, eyes wide as he stared at the card in Hikigaya's hand.
"How did you do that?!"
Hayama, Miura, and the others were equally dumbfounded. Once they snapped out of it, they couldn't stay seated. One by one, they crowded around Hikigaya's hand, marveling at it.
Miura's expression changed dramatically—her eyes had a strange look in them.
The little dumpling girl (Komachi) had stars in her eyes, shouting things like "That was amazing!" or "Is martial arts really this powerful!?"
Even Komachi, who already knew her brother practiced martial arts, was shouting for him to do it again.
In contrast, the martial artists present had a different reaction.
Shirahama Kenichi and Furinji Miu looked at each other; Miu in particular felt a deep shock.
Because they weren't layn, they clearly understood what had just happened.
Whether it was the disciples of Yomi or Miu herself, they were top-level among disciple class martial artists. Above them was the most unstable and longest stage: the expert level. Only a very small number from that group ever reach the realm of "master."
The mark of entering that realm is being able to freely control and use Ki! Only those in that realm can do things like what Hikigaya just did! And even then, not all of them can.
"So strong…" Shirahama Kenichi recalled that brief mont—an unstoppable force had flicked his hand away. He hadn't even been able to resist, and his fingers still felt slightly numb. It was from instinctively trying to grab the card in that mont.
"Who exactly is he…" Furinji Miu murmured. She realized that her assessnt of Hikigaya Hachiman had been completely wrong. This guy wasn't so YOMI mber! If all dark disciples had power like that, there wouldn't be any debates about killing fists versus life-saving fists.
But compared to the Ryozanpaku duo, the dark disciples present, although equally shocked, were more excited.
They weren't lacking in material resources. What they lacked was a guide—soone to lift them higher. For martial artists, that kind of support is even more important.
One misstep, and a martial artist's path could be ruined.
So they were excited, eyes burning, their attitudes becoming more respectful.
Not out of fear of his identity as a "God Slayer," but out of the reverence and awe that a martial artist naturally feels toward a superior master—like a disciple toward a ntor.
In that mont, inside the small wooden cabin, Hikigaya beca the center of attention.
Whether it was curiosity, fear, or awe, he was the focus of everyone's emotions.
Only two people didn't join in. One was Yukinoshita. Already emotionally reserved, she simply stared blankly, seemingly lost in thought, unsure of what to say.
The other was Hiratsuka Shizuka. If Hikigaya had looked carefully, he would've noticed her expression was a bit strange.
Rather than surprise, it was more like… sadness. And a bit of anger.
But soone else did notice.
"Teacher?" Furinji Miu nudged Hiratsuka. "What's wrong?"
"Oh… it's nothing." Hiratsuka glanced at her, and a trace of sympathy flashed through her eyes—but it vanished quickly. Her expression returned to normal, looking no different than usual. "Martial arts really are sothing. Co to think of it, Furinji-san, isn't your family involved with a dojo?"
"Eh?" Miu froze. She clearly rembered that after entering middle school, all her registration info was fake.
"Because I once saw you coming out of a dojo," Hiratsuka said with a smile. "Your grandfather looked quite healthy too."
That sentence instantly dispelled Miu's doubts.
"Ah, haha, yeah… he's a bit of a handful," she laughed sheepishly. Shirahama Kenichi chuckled along as well.
"But I guess the ga's over now." Hiratsuka glanced again at Hikigaya, who had beco the center of the crowd. She gave a self-deprecating smile. "I originally wanted to help him, but it looks like he's got everything handled himself. How boring. Now it's just Yukinoshita again."
"I can't agree with that, Teacher. That 'just ' part especially." Yukinoshita's ears were sharp. "To begin with, it was your mistake to arbitrarily assu I was that kind of person."
"No, teachers are adults—we don't misjudge." Hiratsuka looked at her, her gaze softening. "You're still a child."
Before Yukinoshita could retort, Hiratsuka scratched her head and said, "Geez, seeing everyone getting so chummy is both reassuring and frustrating." With that, she took her cigarette case and walked out the door.
She completely ignored Yukinoshita's loud protests of "Don't treat like an idiot!" and left the room without anyone else noticing.
Quite a while passed, and only after Hiratsuka failed to return did Miu and Yukinoshita remind everyone that soone was missing.
But as for the tough-as-nails Hiratsuka Shizuka, not a single person was worried sothing had happened to her. Everyone simply assud she had a nicotine fit and went out for a smoke. It was unclear whether that level of trust was sothing to be happy or annoyed about.
They didn't even consider her a woman anymore…
Hikigaya honestly couldn't help but feel sympathy for her.
As a teacher, she was first-class. But as a woman… why such failure? There were probably enough reasons to write a whole 100,000 Whys book.
"I'll go look for her," he said, standing up.
"I want to go too!" Komachi imdiately tried to follow—she just couldn't sit still.
"What's a kid doing in the middle of this? It's late—go to bed," Hikigaya threatened her with his "Demonic Hair-Brushing Claw."
As expected, Komachi turned pale with fright and shrank back.
"Seriously, you're making use my trump card," Hikigaya blew proudly on his fingers, and under Komachi's half-hearted grumbling of "That's why girls don't like you, onii-chan," he swaggered off, leaving behind an annoyed Komachi and a laughing Hayama and the others.
Furinji Miu and Shirahama Kenichi were also smiling wryly. Even they could tell Hikigaya really adored his sister. He was totally unlike those "Yomi martial artists" who treated emotions as burdens.
This realization made the two a lot less fearful of him.
To them, soone who truly cared about their family probably couldn't be all that bad.
"Maybe… he's not the kind of person we thought he was…" Miu thought silently, watching Hikigaya's departing back. "Maybe he's actually a good guy."
She exchanged a glance with Kenichi, stood up, and called to the group, "We'll go check too!" Then the two of them ran outside.
Hello everyone! I'm VarieTL.
Read ahead (40 chapters) by supporting on spatreon/c/VarieTL and sko-fi/varietl
There you can also read 5 other Novels and other 3 Fanfiction of Oregairu
User Comments
0 comments from readers