Picking up my beloved beverage, I cracked it open, relishing in the crisp noise it made when doing so.

Holding up the can to my nose, I took in a deep breath of the mesmerizing scent that it had.

I let the spent scent escape through my mouth before immediately taking in another lungful. Then another. And… another.

Even before I found MAX coffee, I always did enjoy the smell of normal coffee that wafted through the kitchen, leftover from my corporate-slave parents.

Remembering that I was holding a drink, not a candle, I brought the can up to my lips and took a swig. Then another. Then, a third. I needed to stay awake, after all.

Why? Well, because I'm waiting.

For whom? Kawasaki.

Where? At the main entrance to Soubu High.

Students walked by me. Cars whizzed past me. A slight breeze kept the fallen leaves in motion.

Kawasaki, despite yesterday's conversation, was gone from the classroom the second the bell rang. I didn't know exactly where she was, but I knew she hadn't left school yet since I kept an eye on the entrance. Seeing as I had no idea when Kawasaki would be leaving, I had no choice but to sit and wait for her.

I also tried to approach her throughout the day, but she ran away anytime I got within ten feet of her. And man, she was fast.

The audacity. Consider me thoroughly ticked off.

Now I'm in this ridiculous state of needing to complete the task since I started it, but unable to do so easily. It's a lose-lose.

Puffing out a small sigh, I took a quick glance around. Members of the ever popular going-home-club were passing me, none of them even trying to conceal their curious glance as they did so.

They're acting like they've never seen someone drag a classroom chair to the entrance and sit on it while waiting for someone. Come on, it's not that weird.

I chose to ignore them, instead opening my light novel and starting to read.

I'll make you pay for wasting my precious time, Kawasaki.

I felt something nag at me. It started as a slight nudge, but steadily built into a tug-of-war match with my desire to stay asleep.

I knew what it was. My sixth sense. My effortometer, as I like to call it.

Something was coming. Something big.

My instincts told me to run, but I knew better. I had been waiting for this exact moment.

Snapping my eyes open and shooting out of my chair, I stood shakily on my own two feet. My eyes darted around, quickly surveying the surroundings.

Entrance wall, check. Soubu itself, check. Target, check. Dark, check.

Wait, dark?

Blinking the remaining sleep out of my eyes, I took a second look around.

The first thing I noticed was that it was… much later than I expected. The sun seemed oddly close to setting, and the temperature had dropped noticeably.

So had my target's height, it seemed. Kawasaki was nearly as tall as me, but my makeshift alarm clock was a lot shorter. If I had to say, she was about as tall as…

… Komachi.

"Nii-chan?"

"Y-yes?" I responded, my throat oddly dry.

"What are you doing out here?"

I slowly turned in a circle, taking in more of my surroundings. I took notice of just how empty this normally bustling entrance was.

"Hmm. I was… waiting?" I responded, covering my mouth as a yawn came out.

"For Saki-chan?"

"Yes. And her name's Kawasaki, not Saki."

"Her first name is Saki."

"I knew that."

I didn't.

Did Komachi and Kawasaki know each other? Why was Komachi calling Kawasaki by her first name?

"If you're wondering why I call her that, it's because it's cuter. And shorter. Knowing you, I thought you'd also be doing so by this point to save energy."

Oh, she's got a point.

"I, uh, never thought of it. Also, it's weird for a guy to do so."

To think. All this time, I've wasted precious syllables.

A bird chirped from across the street. Komachi stared up at me. I looked back down at her. A cold breeze passed by us.

Eh? Now that I think about it, why is Komachi here at Soubu? Where is Kawasaki? Did I finally learn how to hibernate and wake up a year later, with Komachi now as a first year here?

That'd be super cool, honestly. But I doubt that's what actually happened. So… the only other reason she would be here…

… is to retrieve me.

"I am sorry" I told her somberly, bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

"Hmph" came her response.

I was still looking straight down, but I knew she was pouting. I stood unmoving,

"You weren't answering your phone at all."

I dropped down to my knees; my eyes still glued to the sidewalk.

"Please forgive this useless Onii-chan of yours"

Another moment of silence passed as I awaited the brutal judgement of my precious imouto.

"… Stupid Onii-chan. I was worried."

Letting out a relieved sigh, I finally straightened back up and looked at Komachi.

Sure enough, she was pouting, cheeks puffed and everything.

"Shall we go home, then?"

In response, Komachi simply stuck out her hand, staring me down the whole time.

Letting a small smile pass over my face, I reached my own hand out and gently grabbed onto hers.

With my unoccupied hand, I shoved my novel into my bag and then scooped my bag up and onto my shoulder.

Then, we were off.

If at first you don't succeed… give up and go home. If possible. If not, then carry on.

So, here's my second plan.

Kawasaki's often late to school. This, predictably, leads to after-school detentions like the one I used to talk to her. In theory, it worked once, so it should work again.

Now, to have any sort of serious conversation, I would need more than the measly five minutes I had last time. I'll need as much time as I can get.

Luckily, I'll be able to get it all. In fact, in my excellent foresight, I have planned ahead and gotten detention without having to raise a hand.

It's not that I got in trouble for leaving the chair outside yesterday, or anything. It's on purpose. Totally on purpose.

Anyways, I'll be there. She'll be there. Trapped by the immovable wall that is Hiratsuka-sensei, she'll have no choice but to hear me out.

I have made a slight miscalculation.

As I sit here in this familiar prison, I realize that I might not have thought everything through.

You see, I am here, as expected. Unfortunately…

… Kawasaki isn't.

As it turns out, getting in trouble isn't as straight-forward as you might think. Something about minor and major infractions. Three minor leads to one major. Hiratsuka-sensei in her infinite wisdom has decided that my misuse of the classroom's chair is a major infraction. Being late, as it turns out, is minor.

But that begs the question: who is it that sets these rules?

What dictates major vs. minor infractions? Feelings? A standardized numerical metric? Where does it originate from?

I placed my elbows on the desk, intertwining my fingers together to create a solid bridge to rest my chin on.

Is this a deserved punishment? Or does it have ulterior motives?

A school's purpose is to educate. This includes accepted ethics. Whatever the adults find socially acceptable is blurred and passed down generation by generation through forceful, unfair means.

You see, school is required. Well, it's not like you can't make a living in Japan without one, but the sense of security given by having the ability to do so predictably is a moral instilled into children at a very young age by their parents. Even before that, it's a basic human instinct to survive and protect those close to you. Nature tells us to protect our family, and the modern rendition of that is getting an education.

That being said, I return to my point of school being required. Most children have to get an education. To get one that holds value in society means we have to attend an institution so that we can be handed a piece of paper verifying that we have something to contribute to society.

All of these institutions are structured to force a certain set of morals and "verified" ideas down our throats in the name of "progress."

It is, then, a form of prison. A place to keep us down and confined.

And so, I have no reason to feel guilty.

Yes, I must not let my conscience waver, nor shall I let my morals be changed by popular opinion. If I must, I will take it to the grave. That is…

… it should be socially acceptable to relocate chairs in the name of comfort! Who is to say I cannot sit and sleep wherever I please? Why can't there be a bench every five feet of space? I will not be held down by this tyranny!

"Hikigaya, sit down" Hiratsuka-sensei said, breaking me from by inner monologue.

Suddenly, I realized the fact that I was standing up, fists clenched and raised in the air.

"Yes, ma'am."

Feeling my face flush in embarrassment, my motivation soon escaped my body like air from a popped balloon. Clearing my throat, I let myself drop back down into my seat.

It seems I should keep these radical ideas under wraps. I am simply too far ahead of my time to get anywhere by vocalizing them.

Right, time to end this.

Plan three, although quite… energetic… is almost sure to work. If I had known the first two wouldn't work, I would have just used this one first.

Actually, wait. How can I be sure the first wouldn't work? Maybe if I tried again. I mean, is it so much easier than this one. So much more relaxing being nice and hidden, all the while enjoying the breeze.

Yeah… it was actually pretty nice now that I think about it.

Ah, no! Stop! I'll just fall asleep again. It's not an option. It's not an option. It's not an option. Alright, let's do this, plan #3!

…

My seat was closer to the door than Kawasaki's. Before the bell rang, I had my bag packed up. As soon as it rang, I was up and making my way out. As soon as I got through the door, I immediately banked right and crouched down to hide from view.

Minimizing my presence, I laid in wait. People funneled by me, none of them being whom I was looking for.

I was going to capture Kawasaki. Break her down, then catch her. Like Pokémon.

Then, finally, Kawasaki came out. Last.

She seemed a bit wary but stepped out all the same.

Lunging forward, I threw my hands out and into position for an attack. They soon found their way to either side of Kawasaki and soon started their attack.

I tickled. And tickled. And tickled. Kawasaki, in turn, burst out in uncontrollable laughter, all the while trying to maintain on her feet.

She gave a couple feeble attempts to ward me off, but I stood strong as she weakened over time.

Soon enough, probably due to my many years of practice with Komachi, I managed to have her fall to her knees. In one last act of desperation, she scrambled up against the door to try and use it as a support.

However, she has activated my trap card! She's up against the ropes! This is checkmate!

Never stopping the motion of my hands, I rounded on her so that we were opposite of each other. This way, I could use my body weight and push her up against the door to keep her trapped.

Another solid ten seconds of ruthless tickling and I finally stopped. I knew I had won. Over the years, you come to learn that there's a certain point when the battle is over.

As Kawasaki's embarrassed laughter died down, I suddenly became aware of the position I had put us in.

We were extremely close, to say the least. Our bodies were such that from an outside perspective, you would think we were doing something very different than tickling.

Oh, and the fact that we were both flushed bright red and panting like dogs wasn't helping. Neither was the fact that our faces had ended up barely six inches from each other.

Kawasaki, still trying to catch her breath, looked down. So did I.

We were, well, rubbing.

We both back up, meeting each other's gazes with expressions of shock.

I saw her face somehow get even redder. I saw her fist come up. Then, I saw black.

Thanks for 400 favorites. Here's the third chapter of the week, lol.