"You don't really know what you have until it's gone."

To be honest, I've never really thought much of that statement. Usually if someone owns something they tend to take great care to protect it. After all, collectors take pride in their collections and always make sure they're in perfect form, and people who own houses and cars often maintenance them and even buy insurance plans to replace them if they're destroyed. If you don't even notice something until it's gone then you probably never cared about it in the first place; it's just common sense that people protect the things they care about. In the end even a rotten loner like me would go to hell and back if it meant ensuring my adorable imouto's happiness.

That's why I can't understand why I'm feeling like this.

"Hey Hikigaya, why don't you read the next page since you're clearly paying attention?" Hiratsuka-sensei asked me with a knowing look.

"C-Could you repeat that please?"

"Which part, you reading the next page or you not paying attention?"

Damn you Vita-chan! I knew I shouldn't have stayed up till 3 in the morning last night, Hiratsuka's always been immune to my Stealth Hikki.

"Sorry Hiratsuka-sensei, it won't happen again."

"It better not. Now raise your head and follow along, we're at page 134."

I could hear some of my other classmates giggling in the background, no doubt enjoying the sight of my scolding. I turned my head slightly to see Yuigahama looking at me with sympathy, while Hayama's riajuu clique was somewhere between pretending to ignore what had just happened and laughing about it like the rest of the class.

At least Yukinoshita isn't here to rub it in. She'd probably conjure up 50 derivatives of my name revolving around my dead fish eyes and perverted nature faster than I could blink. Not that I care what Yukinoshita thinks, of course, it's just the principle of the matter.

While I'm not a model student, I wouldn't say I'm horrible either. I don't usually fall asleep in class, it's just that one of my favorite eroge-I mean RPG games game out over the weekend and I may have stayed up too late going through all the routes.

I'm just glad I got off without having to take one of Hiratsuka's punches this time, especially since I know just how effective they are. I swear, all that shounen manga she reads has gone to her brain.

Honestly, can someone please take her already? When your Christmas Cake sensei is abusing her students with techniques she picked up from otaku culture, that's when you know things have gone too far.

Anyway, all things considered, I guess things are pretty stable now. While I'm still committed to becoming a full-time house husband to escape the woes of wage cuckery, I suppose I have learned a bit more about that factor I can't calculate when I'm solving problems using my methods.

Human emotion really is a pain, but I know my usual strategy isn't going to give me that genuine thing that I want. The service club may be temporarily at peace, but now that I realize just how fragile it is, it's probably only a matter of time until another misunderstanding rocks the boat.

The elder Yukinoshita sister certainly seems to get her jollies out of seeing how many ways she can rattle us.

After another 5 minutes of contemplating the struggles of my life, it was time for lunch. Since I stayed up late I forgot to prepare anything, so I decided to go with a can of Max coffee from the vending machine. Some people may criticize my nutritional values, but until they've tasted the bliss that is Max they don't have a leg to stand on.

As I was walking down the hallway to get my Max, it hit me just how much I really enjoy lunch. It's one of the few parts of school where I can be a loner without any complications. I don't have to worry about class, I don't have to worry about paying attention, I get to watch Totsuka and nobody notices because they're all absorbed in their riajuu screeching-

"Hey Hikki!"

Or so I would like to say, but lately Yuigahama has been eating into my loner time.

"Yo." I responded with my usual greeting, trying to make it sound as cold and detached as possible in the vain hope that she would leave me in peace.

"Hikki, is it just me, or are your eyes even deader than usual?"

"Oi, my eyes may not be perfect like Totsuka's, but that doesn't mean you have to insult them."

"...Hikki, I think you just said something really strange."

Wait, did I actually say that out loud?!

"You're probably just hearing things Yuigahama, after all nobody can ever figure out what's going on in that head of yours."

"Mou! You don't have to be so mean about it! I'm just trying to look out for you Hikki, your eyes really are weird today." As if to prove her point, she pulled a little mirror out of her skirt pocket and shoved it into my face.

Huh, now that I look at it, I don't think those black rings under my eyes were always that pronounced. Also Yuigahama you need to move a few inches back! I appreciate your concern over my dead fish eyes but if you move any closer your Yuis will be touching me, I may be a HikkiNEET loner but I'm still a guy you know!

"I-I see. But did you really need to move so close to point that out?"

Her cheeks colored red as she took a few steps back, making sure to remind me how much of a sexual predator I am by using some of the aforementioned derivatives of my name that she pulled from the Yukipedia.

"By the way, where's your lunch Hikki?"

"I'm on my way to get it right now."

"But the cafeteria is in the other direction..."

"Who said I'm going to the cafeteria? I'm headed to the drink machine."

"Hikki! You really need to take better care of yourself you know! Not only are your eyes looking even worse than usual, but now you're not even eating properly!"

"Hoh, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were worried."

The reaction was immediate, she instantly clammed up and while I couldn't tell since she'd lowered her head, I could guess she was looking quite flustered. She really does make it too easy.

On another note, maybe that's why the Yukinoshita sisters belittle me constantly...

Anyway, shortly after we arrived at the vending machine. I got my Max as usual and Yuigahama ordered some kind of sugary strawberry drink that could best be described as diabetes in a can.

Unfortunately I didn't have much time to savor the Max since my antics with Yuigahama had slowed me down considerably. Looking at a clock on the wall I was surprised to see we only had 5 minutes left to get back to class.

As I was borderline chugging my Max, Yuigahama's face suddenly lit up, as if she had just remembered something important. While such behavior isn't uncommon with her, it piqued my curiosity enough to bother asking.

"What's on your mind?" I questioned in my usual monotone voice.

"O-Oh, it's nothing Hikki. I just remembered that Hiratsuka-sensei said she had an important announcement to make at the end of class today."

"Really? This is the first I'm hearing about it."

"Hikki, she first told us that she had an announcement to make yesterday."

"When?"

"Once at the beginning of class, and then again at dismissal."

Ah, that's right. I wasn't really paying attention yesterday because my mind was preoccupied with the 'special' RPG I would be playing for the rest of the night.

"W-Well it's not like it matters. It's probably some trivial thing that we'll forget about by next week."

"I don't think so Hikki, Hiratsuka-sensei seemed pretty serious when she first told us."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. We'd better head back, it's getting pretty late."

"H-Hikki, did you just say you wanted to go back to class?"

"Don't think much of it, I'm just tired of standing and want to sit down."

Plus I need to get back before the bell rings if I want my body to remain in once piece.

The walk back was relatively drab, with Yuigahama going on about some riajuu drama until we arrived at the classroom door.

Once we took our seats it was back to the grind, with nothing to do for the next 4 hours but Totsuka watching and pretending to pay attention to the lecture material.

However, despite my misgivings about class the day eventually came to an end. As I was getting ready to head off to the Service Club however, Hiratsuka suddenly cleared her throat.

Oh right, she has the announcement to make. I guess I filtered it out of my mind since it didn't strike me as being particularly noteworthy.

Sitting back down, I turned my head in her direction, expecting her to give us some weekend assignment or spout off some 'inspirational' quote she took from a shounen manga.

What I didn't expect was to see was Hiratsuka nervously twirling her hair, fidgeting back and forth like a shy but excited grade schooler.

I've never seen her look like this, what the hell is going on?

"A-Ahem. As you all know, I said I had something important to share with you yesterday. W-Well, yesterday has come and gone and now here we are."

At this point it was safe to say everybody was a little put off by this bizarre show of timidness. Hiratsuka was many things, but the one thing she wasn't was demure.

If she didn't have our attention before, she definitely had it now.

"I'm sure it's common knowledge by now, but as you probably know, well, I'm closer to 30 then I am to 20. I'm not getting any younger, that's for sure."

Why would she bring up her age? What is this about?

The rest of the class seemed to share in my apprehension, not exactly sure where this was going.

"You also probably know that your sensei has, unfortunately, not been seen as conventionally attractive by the male population of Japan."

Now eyes were widened. Gasps were heard. Everybody had dropped whatever they were doing, listening intently to Hiratsuka's every word.

"Well, for a long time I thought that was just the way things were going to be. I would be single, and that would be that."

Wait. That nervous but hopeful gleam in her eyes. Her mentioning her age, and now talking about her love life.

This isn't-This can't actually be what I think it is, right?

Right?

"I mean, you guys were probably thinking the same thing. I know this must come as a shock to you all as well."

This isn't real.

"But, it's finally happening!"

No.

"T-Today, I'm pleased to announce that I, your sensei, have made arrangements."

No.

"To a wedding!"

How? How could I not have seen-

"My wedding! I'm getting engaged everybody!"

The class exploded.

The screaming was louder than anything I've heard before. Cheers were breaking out left and right, all the riajuu were dancing and twirling and I swear you could see stars in their eyes.

The complete blindside Hiratsuka had smacked us with had taken us all off guard. Nobody could have ever predicted that she was even seeing somebody, much less already engaged.

As for Hiratsuka herself, she was surrounded by all of the students, attempting to answer their rapid-fire questions with a thousand watt smile beaming on her face.

I didn't notice any of that though.

I didn't notice that I had already stood up out of my chair.

I didn't notice that I was walking out of the classroom.

I didn't notice Yuigahama and Hiratsuka watching me with confused expressions on their faces as I left.

I didn't notice that I was walking in the opposite direction to the service club.

I didn't notice that I was walking down the stairs.

I didn't notice that I was walking out of the school.

I didn't notice that I was going home.

I didn't notice the dull ache that was forming in my chest.

I didn't notice the tears prickling in my eyes.

I just had to get out of there.