In which two sets of cousins like to make fun of one another.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own either からかい上手の高木さん (Karakai Jōzu no Takagi-san) and やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている (Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru).
Tease
Hikigaya Hachiman had never been one for much; he had always preferred his days tame, boring, and uninspiring. He liked the quiet, he admired silence, he possessed focus, and he believed in solidarity. Just with oneself. But if there was one thing that gave him pause, that broke the flow of such a life, it was the fact that Hikigaya Hachiman hated to cause trouble. Thus, he always took it upon himself to help those in need. No matter what the cost.
And it was these traits that a young cousin of his admired so much. Said cousin enjoyed using phrases like "You're so cool!" and "I wish I could be like you; do you think I could?" Sometimes, he even said that he was proud to be Hikigaya Hachiman's younger cousin. It warmed Hachiman's heart. Or rather, what little was left of it.
Unfortunately for the younger of the two males, he saw his cousin suffer an immense level of heartbreak when his girlfriend of two years decided that it was best for them to go their separate ways. That summer was the lowest he had ever seen Hikigaya Hachiman and the only thing that he had been able to tell his hero was that after the winter, it was going to be a new year and he had other things to look forward to since his girlfriend didn't even attend the same school anyway.
Nishikata had no idea how right he was.
He had no idea how he got into this mess. Actually, that was a lie; he knew perfectly well how he ended up here. But he was conflicted and it showed on his face. The girl in front of him wasn't buying any of it.
"Senpai," she spoke slowly as she stressed the first syllable, "what do you mean you can't make it? I thought you promised me we were going to go see that cafe today after your club activities? Was that all just a lie? A ploy to hurt me after I trusted you with so much? Hm?"
The tapping of her fingers against her elbow was never a good sign. He sighed and tried to keep his eyes level with hers. He wished he had just gone home earlier but he had gotten carried away with clubwork and forgotten to check the time until it was too late and his rather fiery kouhai had made her way into the room with a cheery wave. It was at that point that his foot had decided to enter his mouth and he blurted out a rash apology that confused everyone in the room not named Hikigaya Hachiman. The words "I can't make it" followed shortly after. In the split second that followed, his two clubmates recognized what was about to happen and laughed quietly at his discomfort as they made their way out of the room and presumably out of school.
"Well, it's not something I really planned on, but I actually have other plans for today - don't give me that look, please! - thanks to my mother." Isshiki cooled, slightly, after the start of his explanation. "My little cousin is coming for a visit and I haven't seen him in a few months. My mother wants me to hang out with him."
A calculating look passed through Isshiki's eyes. Which was either really good, or really bad. Most of the time, he wasn't sure which he preferred. A brief silence passed and then she hummed into a soft, stilted smile. "What a coincidence. My cousin just moved a little while ago too thanks to her dad's work but Uncle said she missed me so she's come over for a bit. I was going to take her around our favorite spot today but you see, I remembered that we had a prior commitment."
Hikigaya winced. "Understood. I'll call him and ask if he's game."