Realization

Quote Of The Chapter:

"Expectations are born from a despairingly large difference in skill."

-Jirō Tanabe (Hyouka)

A/N: Hi everybody! This is my first fanfiction story so please give me criticism, as to how well I did. That would be much appreciated! Just a reminder, this story is written by harmonia13; not by drewdrew10. If you like Percy Jackson, you should check out his fanfic on it. Please R&R! Now without further to do! Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hyouka/氷菓, although I think I do have some left in this freezer... All rights go to Honobu Yonezawa.

Hōtarō Oreki POV:

"By the way...About that business side that you gave up on...How about I take care of that for you?" I said without hesitation.

She gasped and at that moment as if life were an anime, the wind blew and cherry blossoms fluttered everywhere.

I looked back and was stunned by the beauty in front of my eyes.

Unfortunately it wasn't how I wanted it to be. I snapped out of my illusion only to hear her next words.

"By the way...what?" Chitanda inquired with a puzzled look on her face.

"N-Nothing." I stammered. I was at a loss for words. I remembered how Satoshi acted on Valentine's Day.

"Is this how Satoshi felt back then?" I thought to myself, while blushing.

"It's getting pretty cold." I said, trying to cover up for the awkwardness.

Chitanda smiled "No, it's spring now."

I looked back only for it to happen again. The wind blew for real this time. The cherry blossoms and her hair fluttering. A truly majestic sight.

She looked around and then looked at me and...smiled. It was the kind of smile even I couldn't resist. It rivaled even a goddess' beauty.

I quickly looked down, my face blushing. I just smiled, happy that this happened.

"I wonder...will I experience this more?"

I looked at the sunset in front of me, cherry blossoms flying everywhere.

"U-Um Chitanda would you like me to give you a ride home?" I stuttered.

She smiled and said "Sure, I appreciate it."

"There's room on the seat. Here." I gestured for her to sit on the bicycle seat.

"Thank you." She said whiling sitting down.

I positioned myself so that I would give her more room on the seat and started cycling.

After sometime we finally arrived at her mansion. Huge as always..

"Thank you again for participating in the festival and giving me a ride back home." She said while bowing.

"No thanks necessary" I said nonchalantly.

"Well then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked.

"Sure, let's meet up with Satoshi and Ibara." I answered.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you tomorrow then." Chitanda said.

"I'll see you then." I replied.

"Sure!" She finished.

Eru Chitanda POV:

I waved at Oreki-san before I closed the gate. "Haaa..." I sighed.

Being with him was sort of nerve wracking...

"I was so embarrassed when he offered to give me a ride home." I reminisced.

I shook my head "No, I should focus on what to wear tomorrow."

I walked to my bedroom where my cute eggplant plush was awaiting for me.

I opened up my closet and started choosing the clothes ones that I liked the most.

"Hmm, this one looks pretty good but, this ones pretty cute too.."

I fussed over my clothes for a long time that I didn't notice that it was already time for dinner.

"Chitanda dear, it's time for dinner!" My mother yelled down the hall.

"I'll be right there!." I replied.

I quickly ran down the hall to the dinner table. Food was already laid on the table. Rice, grilled fish, shiitake mushrooms, some miso soup and tonkatsu. A/N: (MY FAVORITE :3)

My mother and father were at the dinner table too, waiting for me to start the meal.

"Sorry for the wait." I apologized.

"It's alright dear, now let's eat." My mother replied.

"Idatakimasu." All of us said in unison. A/N: (Thanks for the meal in Japanese for those who don't know.)

We ate in silence for a while until my mother broke the ice.

"So Eru, how was today's Hina Doll Festival? I heard that you got a friend to fill in one of the umbrella holders position, and by the looks of it he's quite a looker." My mother giggled.

"Mother!" I replied flustered, my cheeks were hot..

Much to my chagrin she kept questioning me about Oreki-san until my father stepped in.

"Miyuki, I think that's enough. Eru's face is already red as a beet root, no need to question her anymore." My father said.

"Sorry dear but, our Eru has grown up so much and is looking beautiful. I'm sure there's at least someone who has fallen for her." My mother winked at me.

I looked down in embarrassment, and after calming my nerves I resumed eating.

We all ate in silence just like before, except my mother was smirking at me throughout the meal.

I quickly finished, not wanting to be interrogated anymore. "Gochisōsama!" I was quick on my feet and made a dash to the door except my mother stopped me.

"Not just yet Eru. Before you leave, at least give me his name." She said teasingly.

"Oreki-san." I mumbled.

"What was that? I can't hear you." She said.

"Oreki-san." I said clearer this time.

"Full name please?" My mother inquired.

I sighed "Oreki Hōtarō." My mother sure loves teasing me...

"Thank you!" She chimed, whiling winking at me.

I sighed again and walked back to my room.

Meanwhile back at the dinner table...

"Our little girl is so cute!" Miyuki Chitanda proclaimed.

"Yes dear we all know that." Tetsugo Chitanda said. "Oreki Hōtarō-san hmm? I wondered what kind of person he is?" Tetsugo pondered.

"Oreki Hōtarō-kun? Kyah! I want to see my future son-in-law!" Miyuki squealed.

Tetsugo was usually calm and composed but when Miyuki said that, he was shocked. "F-Future son-in-law!? You mean you've already given him permission!?" Tetsugo yelled.

Back in Eru's Bedroom...

"What's with all the commotion?" I said. Well whatever.

"Back to the issue at hand...What should I wear?" I pondered.

There were a few dresses laid out in front of me. Some blouses and a few skirts.

"Maybe I should try mix and match?" I suggested.

"Arrrgh...it's too hard to choose." I grumbled frustrated.

I smiled and laid on my bed. I don't think I would be who I am now if it weren't for Oreki-san. Meeting Fukube-san and Mayaka-san was truly a blessing but, I feel at ease when I'm with Oreki-san. All those adventures and mysteries we had together were amazing and it fascinated me whenever Oreki-san would solve one after another as if it weren't a big deal. Speaking of Oreki-san...I wonder when I can start calling him Hōtarō-san...

"No no, what am I thinking!? To call him by that name would mean..."

I snapped out of it, and decided to finish picking my clothes for tomorrow.

"Maybe..Maybe I should wear the same clothes as when I asked Oreki-san to help out with my uncle's case." I said out aloud."

I rummaged through my closet until I found it. A dainty white dress and a pink blazer.

"Oh there they are. I must have missed them since my closet's so big."

I changed into them to see if they still fit. "Oh, they still fit." I said.

I walked over to the mirror to see how they looked on me.

"I wonder if Oreki-san will compliment me tomorrow.."

I started to feel my cheeks heat up. I put my hands on them to feel the heat. So embarrassing..

"Is this what they call love?" I thought.

I never really understood love, what it meant, why everyone experiences it. I only ever knew of family love. Of course I love my family but, when my parents would say they love each other I would just sit there in silence and try to understand what it meant.

"I should probably read a book or do something." I walked over to my bookshelf and started looking at each of the book titles. I scrolled through a few of them and then noticed a particular book. It was Agatha Christie's The A.B.C Murders. I continued to look for more of Christie's works considering how much I loved mysteries. I found Murder On The Orient Express, The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd, Peril At End House, and And Then There Were None.

I decided to start with The A.B.C Murders since that's what the strange event that happened during the cultural festival was based off of. Oreki-san told me about Kudryavka's Order but, that's all he told me.

I was deeply immersed in the book after some time. "Huh? I'm feeling kind of drowsy. Oh well I should probably go to sleep anyway..."

Hōtarō Oreki POV:

"I know I've already read this but, it's still amazing as always." I said as I put down A Corpse By Evening.

"Now then, what to do?" I glanced at the clock which was hung on the wall. It read 11:50 PM.

"Hmm, should I go to sleep or stay up a little bit more?...I wonder if Chitanda is still up?" I thought.

I found myself pacing around my room impatiently waiting for tomorrow to come.

"What am I so excited for anyway? It's just a regular day with Satoshi, Ibara, and...Chitanda." I tripped over nothing and fell face first on the wooden floor.

"Ow ow ow." I glanced in front of me and saw the Classic's Club's most prized possession. The 46th issue of Hyouka.

I grimly remembered the title's meaning and Sekitani Jun. A/N: (I know right. Ice cream was never the same for me. ;_;)

I picked myself and decided to read Hyouka before going to bed. As I flipped through each page, I remembered our adventure trying to uncover the mystery that took place 45 years ago.

I finished the book in no time and fell on my bed.

"Chitanda sure has changed my life. I'm no longing the energy-saver I once was. I still think that's a bad thing but, if Chitanda likes me as I am...Then maybe it's not so bad after all." Those were my last thoughts before I drifted away to sleep.

The next day...

Hōtarō Oreki POV:

The first thing I heard in the morning was my alarm clock blaring. "Uhhh." I struggled to reached it, and turn it off. "Click." I sighed.

I looked at the alarm clock, it read 8:00 AM. Normally I would sleep in on holidays but, since Chitanda invited me out I decided to wake up early.

There was nothing to do so I headed to the washroom to fix my bed hair and brush my teeth.

After that was done I headed downstairs to go eat breakfast. I found my father already putting his dishes away.

"Good morning." I mumbled. "Good morning." My father replied.

"I already made some breakfast for you, it's on the counter." He said.

"Thank you. Are you going to work?" I asked.

"Yes, I am. Take care of the house for me while I'm gone." He answered.

My father put on his shoes and took his briefcase and went out the door.

I closed the door after him and walked back to the kitchen counter. Let's see there's coffee and toast with Nutella.

I quickly finished eating and went to my room to change. I finished changing and sat on my bed. I was waiting for a phone call from Chitanda. I don't know where we're going but, as long as I'm with her I don't mind. That reminds me...If I'm going to help out Chitanda's family with the business side I should start studying now to get a head start..

A sudden phone call interrupted my thought. I walked to the phone and picked it up.

"This is Oreki." I said.

"Hello Oreki-san. It's Chitanda, I've already contacted Mayaka-san and Fukube-san. They want to go to the mall. Would you like to come?" Chitanda asked.

"Sure, where are we meeting?" I replied.

"Let's meet in front of the school gate in 10 minutes." Chitanda said.

"Alright, then I'll see you there." I hung up.

Kamiyama High School wasn't that far away from my house, it was only about a 10 minute walk. I grabbed my keys, phone, and wallet and locked the front door. I began walking down the sidewalk until I could hear faint yelling.

"Who's yelling during this time of day." I thought annoyed. I looked around and only found a small figure in the distance.

"Who's that." I mumbled. "H-ōta-rō! H-ta-o!" I could faintly hear my name being yelled out.

I bet it's Satoshi. I started walking faster. I could hear loud footsteps behind me. Great.

"Hōtarō! HELLO HONEY, MISS ME!?" Satoshi yelled.

I turned back "Do you have no shame!? It's 9:00 in the morning, stop screwing around!" His antics are troublesome as always.

"Hahaha. Good morning Hōtarō." Satoshi apologized.

"Good morning." I replied irritated. We continued to walk to school as if nothing happened until Satoshi broke the silence.

"So, how was the Hina Doll Festival? I heard you were chosen by Chitanda-san herself to hold the umbrella for her." Satoshi smirked.

"It was okay, anyway what's with that smile? Nothing else happened." I said.

"Really?" Satoshi questioned. "Yes. Nothing else happened." I said.

"If you say so then." Satoshi put his hands behind his head.

Satoshi Fukube POV:

"Hmm, so nothing happened huh? That's probably the worst lie you ever came up with Hōtarō." I thought.

Nothing happened. I know Hōtarō's just trying to avoid the subject. Obviously something happened between Hōtarō and Chitanda-san but, he's not going to tell me anytime soon. Oh well, I can't help it. After all, a database can't draw conclusions.. That reminds me of the Juumonji incident back at the Kanya Fest. I felt so bitter knowing that Hōtarō solved all of it by himself. Mayaka tried to cheer me up I'm grateful for that but, I wanted to solve it all. I thought that if I tried hard enough, I could crack the mystery behind Juumonji. But, instead Hōtarō did it. Without even moving from his desk. I had exceptions of him all along, I just never realized it.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice Hōtarō was calling my name.

"Satoshi. Satoshi. Satoshi!" He yelled. "Oh, uh yeah?" I fumbled.

"Geez, what's wrong with you? I've been calling your name 5 times now." He said.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." I apologized.

"Well, whatever. We're here." He said.

I looked in front of me, Kamiyama High School. I looked around and saw Chitanda-san and Mayaka waving at us. I started running towards them.

"Hello, Chitanda-san, Mayaka!" I said. Hōtarō tagged along behind me. "Morning." He said.

"Good morning!" They both said. They were smiling, while Hōtarō wasn't. He's not exactly a morning person...

Hōtarō Oreki POV:

I was stunned, on the inside. Chitanda was wearing the exact clothes from when she first approached me to ask me for my help in the Sekitani Jun case. I'll admit, she looks quite good in those clothes..

"Good morning Oreki-san." Chitanda said cheerfully.

"G-Good morning." I stuttered. I sighed. Why am I so nervous being around her now? It's just a trip to the mall that's it. As if on cue Satoshi looks at me and smirks. I shoot him an annoyed glare.

"How about we go now?" Ibara says in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

"Sure!" Chitanda says cheerily. "Alright." Satoshi and I respond.

Chitanda planned for us to go to Amejisuto Mall. A/N: (Amethyst in Japanese) It was outside town so we were going to take the bus there. She wanted us to go early since the mall was very popular during the afternoon. So we walked to the nearest bus station and waited for a while. Finally, the bus arrived. It was nearly full, so we checked the schedule to see when the next bus would arrive. 10:00 AM, I checked my watch it read 9:30 AM. A half-hour difference. I looked at the bus.

"I think the 4 of us can fit inside." I said. "Alright let's get on then." Everyone else responded.

Satoshi and Ibara went in and paid their fares. I stepped in and paid mine, and then Chitanda got on.

"Excuse me, miss." The bus driver said. "Yes?" Chitanda replied. "I don't think there's enough space to fit you on the bus, I'm sorry but you'll have to wait for the next bus." The bus driver said apologetically.

I was just about to say Chitanda could take my place but, Satoshi intervened "Not a problem Chitanda-san could sit on Hōtarō's lap."

"Sa-" I was about to protest but the bus driver interrupted "Alright that's fine then."

Chitanda and I were beet red but, Satoshi ushered for Chitanda to sit on my lap. She did so reluctantly. I don't know about her but, I was going to give Satoshi a piece of my mind later. This is so embarrassing...

"We will now be stopping at the Amejisuto Mall Station." The bus driver's voice blared through the speakers.

I woke up. "Finally here?" I looked around, the number of people decreased dramatically. There was a familiar face resting on my shoulder. It was Chitanda. I had a sudden urge to pull away but, decided to let her rest. After all, it wasn't everyday that the girl I was interested in was sleeping next to me. On my shoulder too.. I snapped out of it and saw Satoshi and Mayaka giggling. Satoshi gave me a thumbs up. Oh, whatever. I looked at Chitanda. She looks just as beautiful in her sleep. No, way cuter.

I was still in thought when Chitanda began to stir. She woke up and rubbed her eyes apparently she didn't notice that she fell asleep on my shoulder. It's better that way..

"Hey you two, it's time to get off." Satoshi called out.

I grabbed Chitanda's hand. "Let's go." I said softly.

We stepped out of the bus to see the huge buildings in front of us. Amejisuto Mall was famous for being one of the biggest and best shopping malls in Japan. For it to be in a slightly remote location was odd.

Chitanda finally snapped out of her half-asleep state. "Wow! The mall's huge!" She exclaimed.

Ibara joined in. "I know right! Let's go shopping!" Ibara grabbed Satoshi and Chitanda grabbed me respectively and started running. "C'mon let's go!" They both said excitedly. I sighed, this was going to be a long day.

Eru Chitanda POV:

I ran around excitedly with Oreki-san in hand. I never had many chances to go to the mall before, much less friends to go with. That's why I was so excited! I want to go get ice cream and try to get some new clothes. Hopefully Oreki-san will compliment me... I felt my cheeks getting warmer by the second. I let go of Oreki-san's hand due to my embarrassment.

"What's wrong?" Oreki-san asked me. "O-Oh n-nothing." I said flustered. He probably thinks I'm weird now...

"Chii-chan! How about we check out the clothes store over there?" Mayaka said. "Sure!" I replied. Fukube-san and Oreki-san tagged along, talking the whole way quietly for some reason. I managed to catch a few words from their conversation: Asleep, lucky, Chitanda, and picture? I wonder what they were talking about? Whatever it was, Oreki-san's face was sort of red and he was trying to grab Fukube-san's phone for some reason. Fukube-san was laughing the whole time and running away from Oreki-san.

"Hey Chii-chan. What do you what to check out first?" Mayaka asked. "I want to check out the dresses first, how about you?" I replied. "I guess I'll go with you then." Mayaka said.

"Oreki-san, Fukube-san. Mayaka and I will be in the dress section okay?" I said. They responded with "Sure!" They walked off still talking about something.

I asked Mayaka what their conversation earlier was about. She looked away smiling saying

"Sorry Chii-chan I can't tell you. I promised Fuku-chan." She clasped her hands in apology. "Oh well, it can't be helped then." I said. Seems suspicious... We found the dress section after 4 minutes of looking around. We started looking around for dresses that appealed to us. I found a black dress that looked like it would fit me.

"Chii-chan, you should try that on! That looks great!" Mayaka exclaimed.

"Really? I guess I will." I said. I went to one of the dressing rooms and put it on. I went out and Mayaka squealed in delight.

"That looks so good on you!" She smiled and walked closer so that only the of us could hear her words.

"Even Oreki won't be able to resist." She winked and I blushed madly. "O-Oreki-san doesn't think like that..." She laughed. "C'mon Chii-chan it was a joke." I sighed and I helped Mayaka pick out a white dress that looked great on her. I decided to get revenge on her, so I teased her about Fukube-san.

"Stop it Chii-chan, I'm sorry okay?" She huffed in embarrassment. I laughed and said "Alright but, you better not tease me about Oreki-san." She agreed and we started to look for the boys.

Hōtarō Oreki POV:

Satoshi and I weren't looking for anything in particular. So we just walked around, Satoshi was going on about how cute Chitanda and I looked on the bus.

"You looked like an actual couple." He said. That I wish.

"I can't wait to check out the arcade and the sports stores!" I knew he loved arcade games and mountain biking so he would definitely dragged me there. I didn't have anything in particular that I wanted to buy. Pretty much the only reason I came was because Chitanda insisted that I come and because I wanted to be around Chitanda.

"Hey Hōtarō it seems Mayaka and Chitanda-san are outside the entrance waiting for us." He said showing his phone text. "Alright, then let's go." I replied. We walked over to the entrance and saw Ibara and Chitanda waving at us.

"You're already done?" I asked. "Yup!" Chitanda answered. "Then let's go somewhere else." I said. We started walking down a hall side by side. I wonder what other people would think of us. Do we look like lovers or just friends? Satoshi and Ibara looked like a couple for sure. I was deep in thought so I didn't notice Chitanda take my hand and we turned a corner. We almost bumped into someone.

"Sorry about that!" Chitanda and the stranger apologized in unison.

"Chitanda-san!?" The stranger yelled. Chitanda looked puzzled until she seemly recognized who he was.

"Hayashi-san?" She said. "Yes, that's me." The stranger said frantically. He looked at our hands which were intertwined and then glared at me. I returned the same look.

"Who is he?" Both of us questioned each other identities. One could literally feel the tension between us. Although most of it came from the stranger who was irritated by the sight of me and Chitanda's hands together. His next action was very sudden, yet demanding.

"Who are you?" He questioned with animosity.

A/N: So tired from writing all this...I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I will be updating every week on Sunday. If you have any suggestions to the story's plot, please don't hesitate to PM me or just leave it in the reviews. All reviews will be taken to heart so once again, please R&R!