A/N: I apologize for the earlier inconvenience. This story some how got posted in HTML format (Which I made sure NOT to happen) so I am working to fix the issue. Again sorry for the inconvenience and I hope you enjoy!

The end of the lecture signaled the final class to be over. The shuffling of various items and the new chatter of students told me that school had finally ended. I bent down to grab my bag to pack up, I made sure the extra set of nice clothing was packed and still present. Satisfied with it's probably mediocre folding job, I continued to set my school work away and head out for the club when a shadow came over me from above. I looked up into the smiling face of Yuigahama, who was impatiently rocking on her heels. Why? Can I not travel to the clubroom in peace?

I gave a curt nod and continued to pack my stuff. Evidently that was not the right answer as Yuigahama's smile turned into a pout. "Hikki! Not even a hello back?"

I sighed. "C'mon, we have Miss Hiratsuka's request to fulfill in the clubroom. As much as I'd like to do it from home, let's go now so we can get this over with."

At the mention of Hiratsuka's request, Yuigahama lit up once more and clapped her hands together. Does this girl have the attention span of a goldfish? Or perhaps she is truly that invested in Hiratsuka's request that at the mere mention she is solely focused upon that thing. Either way, it got her off my case so I'll take it.

We made our way through the familiar halls that led to the clubroom; Yuigahama incessantly talking of her proposed plans. I had not been listening to one bit and kinda spacing out when we approached the front of the Service Club door. I swear I heard a noise calling my name. Totsuka? Is that you?

"Hikki! Have you been listening to me?" An exasperated Yuigahama said.

Uh oh, that was NOT Totsuka. Quick, Hachiman, get yourself out of this.

"Uh, oh, hey look, we made it to the clubroom. L-let's get going!"

Yuigahama puffed her cheeks. "Fine. Well then, let's get to this!" And she marched in.

Hell yeah.

We walked in and took our usual seats at the table, Yuigahama sending a greeting to our fearless President. Yukinoshita was already there as expected, a book in hand and a note pad and pencil already set on the table for the planning we were to do. A cup of tea in an oddly creepy Pan-san mug was set nearby with a pot freshly brewed over on the cabinet by the window. She glanced up at us as we made our way in and to our seats.

"Good evening to you, Yuigahama, and evening to you," Yukinoshita said, turning to face me.

"Hey, why did I only get 'evening' while Yuigahama got a 'good evening'? Am I not good enough for that?" I asked, annoyed.

Yukinoshita smiled at me and got up, making her way over to the pot. "I never explicitly said any of that, Hikigaya. Perhaps you only think what you want to think about." She began to pour out tea into two cups.

I waved her off. "I'm good as I am, thank you very much."

Yukinoshita just hummed to herself, her smile still present as she handed us both mugs. "Yes, I'm sure that is the case."

I clicked my tongue and pulled out my book to read. Only I couldn't actually read as I couldn't take my mind off of the suspiciously kind gesture Yukinoshita pulled of setting a cup next to me. Seriously, what's with her? I hadn't nearly gotten anywhere when the classroom door slid open to reveal a visibly brighter Miss Hiratsuka. Still neglecting to knock, she sauntered (I know, I've rarely seen her in such spirits) over to the empty seat in front of our table. Her expression then turned serious which, I'll be frank here, scared me a bit. She set her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together, as if to ask one of us to get in a damn robot.

Yukinoshita closed her book and I followed suit. She cleared her throat as she sat up to properly write. "Since everyone is here, let's get started."

I rested my arm upon the table and my head on top of it. This was to be quite an interesting case, as it was not something we have done before. To be quite honest, it's not something I want to do again. I can try my best to tolerate Miss Hiratsuka's situation since she has been kind, albeit insistently so. However, a kind person now does not simply erase the years of psychological damage from my past experiences in said romantical department. Kids can be so cruel.

To address the elephant in the room, the fact that a group of high schoolers are helping a (young mind you) teacher with her romantic life is uncommon. No, that's an understatement. It's highly unusual. Any normal individual would turn to their friends and family for such trivial work as this; but alas, our dear teacher has turned to us, three high schoolers, two who were loners and one Yuigahama. She has certainly tried all she can without success and so turned to our club. Based on similar experience I tend to recall, I believe normies refer to these kinds of people, like the dear teacher, as a "loser". There, there, Miss Hiratsuka…

I couldn't find the words to telepathically comfort her.

Yukinoshita set her pen to the notepad. "Now then, Miss Hiratsuka, let's start by summarizing your being," she stated so matter-of-factly. I heard Yuigahama huff in annoyance.

I found myself wondering if Yukinoshita leading this charge was the right choice. We don't want a second Battle of Tenaru.

"Hey Yukinoshita, where did you get the proper experience to conduct this?" I was pretty damn sure she had no record in romance; although I had to admit, I was immensely curious and a little ticked if maybe she-

Woah hang on there. Nope, not doing this. Push that thought out right now. Yukinoshita, get me out of this and answer-

Goddammit.

Yukinoshita gave me a sideways glare, evident she was a little pissed off by my comment. "Cold experience, while indeed vital, is not the only method to go about this, Hikigaya. One can still learn from a collection of media."

A flashbulb memory of my time sitting at home playing simulation games danced across my vision. I had to blink hard to dispel it. Dark times.

I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off from a huffing sound between Yukinoshita and I. Yuigahama was looking a little upset with our exchange. She gave us both an unintimidating angry pout before turning back to Hiratsuka. "Don't listen to them, Miss Hiratsuka, they only have half of it right. There's more to do!" She flashed a triumphant smile to all of us, as if to let us know 'this is my area of expertise, watch and learn!'

Yuigahama reached into her bag and pulled out a brightly colored magazine. It looked like one of those cheap tabloid magazines that tend to only have gossip and the likes inside. She flipped the pages until she landed on the one she was searching for. I leaned slightly to get a better look at what she opened to and to confirm my suspicions.

Ah yes, the classic tabloid quiz page. Quite certainly a hive of wretched scum and villainy. I never thought a magazine can be so critical and condescending. The creators seem to have a vendetta with confident kids and teenagers, as the comments with some of these things are a bit mean. I did happen to examine a tabloid in detail once when I found a magazine lying on the ground in middle school. I looked through its contents as well as the quizzes it had. And no, I didn't take the quizzes…. ok, not all the quizzes. It was truly as ridiculous as I imagine. Such invading questions about your personal life like 'would you describe yourself as having _+ friends?' or 'Would you discuss _ with your friends or with your crush?' or 'What would you do in _?' and then tally up some score based on some made up system with what you answered. Then some "all-knowing" box dictates your fate with generic but scathing superficial statements like 'If you scored less than 3 points, you're a loner who will die a virgin.' I cri evrytiem.

And that is exactly the type of thing Yuigahama brought upon this cursed clubroom.

"You are aware that those kinds of things mean nothing right, Yuigahama?" I had to bring us back to a more rational and less hostile to Hikigaya state.

Hiratsuka nodded. "For once, he's right, Miss Yuigahama. Those don't work anyway.

Ouch. I was going to feel offended by that remark only to have it double back and make Hiratsuka shoot herself in her own foot. I felt sorry for her.

Yuigahama adamantly shook her head. "No! There's some good content here! Let me find one." She intensely scanned the page for something to ask. Oi, you're gonna strain your eyes if you keep staring so hard and so close.

Yuigahama gave a yelp of pride as she seemed to find one to her satisfaction. She cleared her throat as if to give a speech. "Now hear this! What kind of qualities do you seek in a partner? This one is practically a gimme!"

Hiratsuka brought a hand up to her chin as she sat back in her chair, a contemplative look on her face. It was actually quite cute. "Attractive qualities, eh? Well let's see here, I would say someone who is genuine. Someone true to themselves and what they believe in. Of course, a supportive individual is a must too. And I would also say some kind and willing to help out others." She nodded to herself, a small smile indicating her satisfaction. "Yeah that sounds about right."

Generic but alright, I guess. Although that quality set seemed familiar. Before I could think further, I heard a gasp from the other side of the table. I glanced over at the other two in order to gauge a reaction. Yuigahama's face lit up at the answer as she wrote down the answer in her magazine. She made hums of approval as she wrote the answer, a small blush growing on her face. She already seemed to be skimming to another one; evidently high in pride based on the solid answer from the first question.

My gaze moved further down. Yukinoshita gazed down upon the note pad in front of her, blue eyes set upon a singular spot, sparkling I may even say. She seemed lost in thought, which only enhanced her captivating features further. The most peculiar of things was she seemed to be nodding along slightly to Miss Hiratsuka's answer. A couple seconds after she finished, I watched as Yukinoshita's gaze rose to meet mine. Her eyes seemed slightly glossed over, an unusual trait for her normally. She held the stare only for a few seconds before she blinked hard, her face turning lightly red, and averting her eyes back to Hiratsuka. I felt my own heat up and I also faced the teacher.

Ok Hachiman deep breathes. Relax and don't get any ideas. Nothing more than a misunderstanding. Yes, she was indeed very beautiful, especially with such an intense look in my direction. However, we are not going to deal with that. Push that back. Bottle this up like you normally do now.

A content 'Ok!' bought me out of my stupor and back into reality. Get ahold of yourself dammit! You're better than this.

Yuigahama seemed quite happy with the teacher's answer. "That was a good one Miss Hiratsuka! I think we will be making great progress in no time! I think you will be pretty excited! She winked and happily jumped to a new part of the page and latched onto a new question. "If you were to take your partner out somewhere special to you, where would you go?"

Hiratsuka scoffed at the question and smiled to herself, giving off an air of immense confidence. "Oh that's easy. I would say one of the corner restaurants out closer to the city center. Or perhaps one of the great ramen shops in town."

Good answer, I can't believe no one has taken you yet.

I looked to Yuigahama and Yukinoshita for their opinions. Yukinoshita had her head tilted to the side and a confused look upon her face. Of course, she clearly does not see the fine quality that is Chiba's ramen. I will have to expose her to the finest delicacy known to man.

Wait. Did I just sugg-

A groan cut off my train of thought. Yuigahama dropped her head to the table in clear annoyance. It seems she doesn't appreciate fine dining either.

"Miss Hiratsuka, a ramen shop is not the place for a good date. And that being special to you is kinda sad."

Hiratsuka and I both visibly grimaced at her words. Shot straight through the heart.

Yuigahama sighed and leaned back into her chair. She looked down into the table, a look dictating she was lost in thought. After a few moments thinking, a bright smile jumped onto her face with an 'aha!' to follow. "I got it! Why don't we hit up a nice café or hang out down town? There's plenty of things to do! Like, we can go somewhere popular down town! Do a little mix and mingle, then see what's next!"

Yukinoshita nodded at this remark, as did Hiratsuka. Yuigahama's smile grew brighter. "Alright! Then it's settled!"

I sighed at the exchange. "Then let's get this over with."