oregairu-voc3

Chapter o3. Hachiman Hikigaya Muses About What he Knows and What he Doesn’t

I raised my head to look at the empty winter sky. Sound of the monorail train passing by echoed above. I followed the train with my eyes and sighed; the wind instantly caught the cloud of steam and scattered it almost instantly. Thinking on what was going to come next was hard, so I sighed inadvertently. Honestly, I didn’t have to think about it all today. I thought a day like today would come eventually. I understood I’d get my chance. I don’t if I could call it a promise, but if I could, then I’ve got one. The problem now was how what words to use to say all that. I have too few people communication experience, and it was really hard for me at such moments. Wonder how people ask each other to hang out usually?
Okay, enough of that. Let’s think about today. Yesterday, when I have returned home from the shrine visit, I’ve got a message from Yuigahama regarding out shopping trip. Our meeting place was at the Vision entrance at the Chiba station. Easy to find. She could see me the moment she’d exit the station. Or maybe she couldn’t. I was agonizing over it, clouds of steam from my sighs dissolving in the evening air. And finally I was Yuigahama exiting the turnstiles. She spotted me and now was waving her hand.
“Yahallo!”
“Hey.”
“Sorry for being late,” Yuigahama said and ran to me, her heels clicking, beige coat flapping behind her back. Her long knitted dress was reaching her knees with shorts-like skirt showing underneath.
“So where are we heading?”
“I suggest we just roam around and pick something,” Yuigahama said pointing to the station’s general direction and started walking.
“Sure, I’m leaving it to you.”
I don’t know a thing about picking presents to the girls; I’d rather leave it to someone with the expertise on the subject. How do they say… Leave the mochi cooking to the mochi chef, a snake will always use snake’s ways, render unto caesar… wait, the last one’s not fitting. Anyway, let’s just trust Yuigahama’s tastes. So I just settled on following her.
Chiba is a shopping maniac’s paradise. The PARCO retail network caters to the high schoolers’ tastes. Just the right thing for the trendy youngsters. Moreover, many high school student can be easily divided into factions depending on what shops they prefer. They could even wage all-out war on each other for all I know. Please don’t! Let’s be all friends! We’re all Chiba citizens! Except Tsudanuma, that’s Narashino already.
“Oh look, C-ONE! Let’s start from here, okay?” Yuigahama offered after some time. Ah, C-ONE, I know them. It’s where Ichiran ramen shops are located. They have separate curtained seats at the counter which allows you to concentrate on your food. I’d like to use this system on every occasion. If separating customers allows them to enjoy their food, then separating humans from one another allows them to enjoy life too. I really ought to patent it!
C in C-ONE probably means CHiba. Or Chiba’s local hero, Captain C. Not to be confused with Chibatman, be careful.
We entered. All the shops’ signboards sparkled with the New Year decorations. They also used the viaduct, so the rows of the shops were seemingly endless. The place was way livelier than usual, probably due to Christmas sales. It was also very noisy: girls were shopping, shop clerks were telling something, helping with the selection and discussing fashion. I, being a guy, couldn’t enter there, so I stood three steps behind feeling like a fish out of water.
“Hikki, look, so pretty!”
“Not bad,” I agreed. “Take whatever, I don’t care,” I thought to myself.
“Yoiu can wear this in spring too...” Yuigahama grabbed one item, then another, being really giddy all the while. Not my business, of course, but we came here for Yukinoshita’s present, not your shopping trip, right? Yuigahama was twirling before the mirror while checking out the outfits.
I was embarrassed, being a guy and all, so I watched from afar. Yep, Yuigahama was a girl all right. In this regard she was Yukinoshita’s total opposite. I remember me, her and Komachi selecting a present for Yuigahama. I was really surprise back then at her indifference to modern female students’ trends. Though, come to think about it, I wasn’t any better. But comparing myself to Yukinoshita was  really impolite. She still made an effort to pick the present for Yuigahama after all. Did she dislike buying things for someone else? Seriousness and clumsiness in such matters-- typical Yukinoshita. The question was, what was I supposed to buy for her?
“I’ll go look around, ” I said to Yuigahama and went to check the surroundings. Maybe I’d think of something while looking at the goods. A present for Yukinoshita… what would it be? For our clumsy Yukinoshita-san, or Clumsynoshita for short… Agh, you’re so complicated, our dear Clumsynon.  Her hobbies aside, she liked things practical and pragmatic. So books and everything related were no go: she picked them herself. She also lived alone, so kitchen utensils and such were no go either.
What to choose?.. Hm… I entered the Destiniland goods shop. Pan-san… She knew about it all way more than me, so no. Next was the pet accessories store. Cat… she didn’t own one, for one reason or another.  Though her condo probably held “no pets allowed” rule. Cats photo albums were also out of the question: she probably had piles of them. So maybe something from this various accessories shop? Hm, hm. I roamed that shop and returned back. Yuigahama was standing there with several clothes items in her hand and looking around, searching for something.
“Ah, Hikki! Don’t disappear on me without saying a word!” She motioned me to come to her with a stern stare.
“Actually I did say. Besides I feel uncomfortable in the shops like this one.”
“Why?” Yuigahama asked curiously.
“Well… kinda embarrassing.”
“What’s so embarrassing?”
What’s with those why’s and what’s, like in that BLACK BISQUIT song? I just don’t know. Can’t explain properly either. Well, maybe she’d get it on the emotiona level...
“Think yourself… When the two people do such thing together...”
“What’s wrong with tha-” and then Yuigahama stopped mid-sentence. She tilted her head, her cheeks getting redder by the second.
“Somehow I’m overly concious about it too now.”
“Told you.”
Good girl Gahama-san. Your emotions recognizing skills are high as always. You got it even from my jumbled phrasing. The problem was, now that she understood it, we really were too embarrassed to be here together. Yuigahama clutched her head.
“We should have invited Komachi-chan,” she mumbled.
“That’d be harder than you think.”
She would do her favourite trick and leave us together in the middle of shopping. Like making a hint for me. That’s how it was when we went out shopping with Yukinoshita. Anyway, the conclusion is she can’t be relied upon in such situations.
“Yeah, she’s preparing for exams and all,” Yuigahama said. No, that’s not it, that’s why I said “harder than you think”. But Yuigahama raised her face, clenched her fist and was readying herself to say something.
“I’ll do my best!”
“Do your best to what?” I asked, but Yuigahama seemingly ignored me and nodded to herself. Some time later she seemed to gather her thoughts, fixed the clothes she held in her hands and threw me a questioning look.
“I think… Hikki, can you help?”
“Don’t expect me to be useful though.”
“Yeah… Wait what do you mean not being useful? You should be!”
“I’ll try,” I said and Yuigahama headed to the large mirror inside the shop; I followed her.
“I had this thought that a sweater or a cardigan can be worn over the blouse, so you can go to school in it,” Yuigahama said while putting her coat and knitted garment  off. It dawned to me that I shouldn’t look, so I turned away. And anyway, there’s a dressing room for that. Or do you think that having a shirt underneath was enough a justification for undressing like that? Maybe it was normal for you but definitely not for me. So stop it. Despite some music playing inside the shop I still heard the rustle of the clothes and Yuigahama’s breath accompanying it.
“There… how does it look?” Yuigahama called me and I turned back. She wore a warm-looking knit cardigan.
“Don’t know. Seems okay.”
Not good and not bad, but certainly looking good on you. The only problem was it was supposed to be a present for Yukinoshita. It was going to be too baggy for her… in certain places. Not saying which ones.
“What about the Yukinoshita’s measurements?”
The most important thing in picking clothes is size, good fit and stuff. Komachi’s words. By the way, my today’s clothes passed a thorough Komachi-test.  No matter what I chose by myself, Komachi rejected it saying “I’ll stomp on you!”. Just like Osugi. Or was it Piko?
“Measurements?..” Yuigahama parroted me and and traced her belly with her fingers.
“Probably too big...” she said in despair. Then she moved her hand from belly to her arms and her face became even more desperate. No, don’t worry, it’s not that big? Well, not small either, but not that big!
“It’s alright. Will be okay, I think,” I meekly said even though this wouldn’t lift her moods. Yuigahama looked at me in suspicion. Aaagh, damn! What am I supposed to say during these moments anyway?!
“I think it suits you, so it’s fine,” I finally uttered.
“Hehe, thanks,” Yuigahama said and started taking the cardigan off. I was to embarrassed to look so I turned back again. Then suddenly it hit me.
“But Yukinoshita follows the school regulations so she won’t wear this to school.” I said. Even though purely formal, but rules were rules. Of course the regulations described the uniform code too, including sweater, cardigans and the like.  Even  most model students don’t care about those, but some, including Yukinoshita, follow them be the letter.
“Yeah. Then...” Yuigahama pondered, folded the cardigan and headed to the isle with mittens and other small stuff.
“So cute! Would be real nice playing with them,” Yuigahama said and picked cat- and dog-styled mittens. The cat-styled ones resembled the cat paws, while the dog one were slightly different. They sported the dog’s face and ears on the back of the hand and fangs at the thumb. Yuigahama put them on and tried clenching her hand.
“Kinda hard to grab anythingh with these.”
“That’s how mittens are.”
Yuigahama umm-ed in agreement, pondered over something, then suddenly looked at me and unclenched her hand.
“Take that! Woof!” she said, and the dog-mitten suddenly bit my hand.
“J-just kidding,” she added trying to fix the situation, her cheeks burning. Don’t do it if you’re embarrassed then. I set my hand free and started fanning my face. The heating in this shop was apparently too good.
“Well who cares, she can wear it at home.”
“Maybe,” Yuigahama nodded. Yukinoshita normally didn’t wear cute things, at least not in the open. Even when presented with one she probably wouldn’t wear it anyway. Though maybe if it was a present from Yuigahama, she would accept it with a deadpan face while jumping from excitement inside.
“We gotta look for something else then...” Yuigahama turned to the aisles again while swaying the cat mittens in her hand.
“Hm, how about this one?” and she fetched the cat socks from the nearby aisle.
“This ones are probably hard to wear.”
“It’s the indoor ones! Of course you wouldn’t wear those outside,” Yuigahama said. Well, following your logic, those mittens weren’t supposed to be worn outdoors too. I noticed the pink rubber paw-like attachments on the bottom.
“Well, she could wear them indoors without bothering about others’ opinion, right? What do you think?”
“I think she’ll be glad.”
Though Yukinoshita would be glad with whatever Yuigahama gave her. It was not the present that mattered but the person who gave it to you. The one who uttered the words is sometimes more important than the words themselves.
“These ones it is then,” Yuigahama said, gathered everything she picked and carried it all to checkout. What, cat mittens too?.. Hm, cat legs, cat hands… Wonder if they sell tails somewhere around here too...
x x x
Okay, I needed to pick a present too. Besides there were no cat tails in that shop.  So we moved to Sogo Chiba Sencity. As you can see from its name it made emphasis on the trendiness. No, on second thought, it would’ve been “sensitive” that way. I usually attended the male clothes stores, but today I was supposed to buy a present for Yukinoshita and thus followed Yuigahama to female ones. Though  I still didn’t know zilch about women’s accessories, so I again left it to Yuigahama. She chose a shop with women clothes and various accessories.
“Maybe we check everything? Gloves, accessories, scarfs and all,” Yuigahama offered. I entered the store too and started checking out the shelves. Yuigahama offered me everything she saw. I kept close to her, so the clerks didn’t call the police on me for being too suspicious. Had I entered the store myself the clerks would’ve constantly ask me “looking for something?”, and I would’ve felt someone’s heavy stare from the cashier corner all the time. That’s how it was last time I entered such a store. I know, lonely guy is a rare customer, but still, I’d like you not to guard me all the time like that.
Still worried about how the store clerks would react to me, I followed Yuigahama from isle to isle. She stopped at one marked as “OPTICS”. What’s with this? Couldn’t just write “glasses” instead? You have nothing else anyway. What is it, an attempt to look smart? Why use loanwords anyway? It’s like some people call meat sause BOLOGNESE, or call spaghetti PASTA. Wait, those are also loaned… Don’t they have a Japanese name? While was thinking about this Yuigahama patted me on the shoulder. I turned to see her wearing glasses, her face proud and satisfied.
“Hehe. So, do I look smart?”
“I you think it’s glasses that make you smarter you’ve got something wrong with your head.”
“You… Dummy!” Yuigahama pouted and turned to check other glasses. I did the same and took one pair too. So many of them. They differed not just by the design, but by functionality too. They all were marked, like “non-staining”, “blue-light cut” and others. Apparently the glasses were not just for sight correction nowadays, and the pricing was alright.
Yuigahama meanwhile offered me another pair.
“You to try wearing some. Here, these ones.”
“Eh?..”
She clearly wanted to make fun of me. I hesitated, and Yuigahama shoved them into my hands.
“Wear them already.”
I gathered my courage and put them on. Per...sona! By the way, I liked the third more than the fourth, so I’d like a gun instead.
“Okay, done,” I said fixing the glasses with my index finger. Yuigahama burst out laughing.
“Totally don’t suit!”
“Buzz off,” I replied. That’s why I didn’t want to wear them. Yuigahama instantly shoved me another pair, with a different design.
“Check these ones now.”
“Don’t wanna.”
“Why not? Come on!” Yuigahama ushered me. Annoying. I fixed the glasses and turned to Yuigahama to hear her complaints. She instead stared at me with her mouth open and said nothing.
“What’s with the silence?”
You gave me them in the first place and now you’re ignoring me? I looked at her questioningly, awaiting for her to say something. I frantically waved her hands.
“No, no, nothing. Just surprised they suit you so much.”
“Well thanks,”  I didn’t understand how to react to praise. So she was surprised. huh… There were many things which I only thought I knew about. For example, Yuigahama, who usually didn’t wear glasses, looked surprisingly good in them. I remembered Yukinoshita bitterly stating she didn’t know a thing about Yuigahama.  Same for me.
Before I didn’t even try to really get to know either of the girls. I was still far away from the complete understanding of them, but we’ve spent enough time together. Though a little more than half a year still was not that much. But still, I knew them better than after entering the club.
What did I know about Yukino Yukinoshita? That she was easily coerced by Yuigahama, that she liked cats, that she spent her weekends watching cat videos whily hugging a Pan-san plushie. That was quite substantial. If Yuigahama wanted to present her indoor cat socks, I’d present her something in the same vein. Just to keep her warm and soothed when she spent those weekends alone.
x x x
After finishing our shopping we walked around for some time and decided to get something to eat. We could come to Starbucks but it was too cold for that. Besides I didn’t know how to order there. We decided on a cafe we’ve visited several times prior.
“Coming here?” Yuigahama asked.
“Yep,” I replied and we entered. The cafe was isolated from the outside noise, so inside was quiet and peaceful.
“For two persons please,” I said to the waitstaff, and we were escorted to the table close to the window. I could see the whole Chiba station from here. I let Yuigahama go ahead, sat down and was now watching the panorama behind her back. I spotted the monorail train and thought that Chiba was really a technologically advanced city of the future. My eyes followed the train and then suddenly met with ones of the person sitting on the sofa diagonally from me.
“Oh, it’s Hikigaya-kun!” the person said and sat with her back to the window.  White T-shirt with some inscription, a silk crepe ribbon with a golden decoration hanging on her bosom… This decoration was shining brighter than the sun. And smiling eyes darker than the night sky. After fixing her red palantine, Haruno Yukinoshita called me.
Yuigahama abruptly turned to the voice and called her name in surprise.
“Haruno-san! And...” Yuigahama looked at the young man sitting a bit closer. He wore black, or white… ash-grey shirt and black jacket. The dark chestnut hair framed a familiar face of Hayato Hayama.
“Hayato-kun!”
“Hey,” he said briefly and raised his hand in greeting, his watch sparkling. Seeing these two I yet again remembered the old adage of spending the year the same way you’ve started it. My head started hurting from the bad omen: the year was promising even more troubles and tribulations.