Disclaimer: I don't own Oregairu.

Edit: Thank you for the guest review who pointed out those misspellings. I wonder why I overlooked those abominations...

"Yahallo!"

"Mm."

Yui's cheerful greeting was the exact opposite of Hachiman's lifeless grunt as they acknowledged each other's presence in class.

"Glad to see you're feeling better."

"Yup! I'm okie-dokie now, fit as a fiddle!" She smiled while flexing her arms, his eyes finding themselves looking at something else that was definitely "full of life".

"Yeah, I know. I could hear you from a mile away."

"H-hey! That's mean!" Yui puffed her cheeks. "Is that how you treat someone who just returned to school from being sick?"

"Geez, enough with this lovers' spat in the morning! Get a room you two, will you?"

Yumiko had entered the scene, walking past between the two. He expected her to glare at him which was his cue to leave, however she showed no intent to do so.

"L-lovers?!" Yui blurted out. "You're wrong! i-it's not like that, Hach- I-I mean, Hikki's—"

"Oh~ What was that?" The blonde's ears perked up at her near slip of the tongue. She began poking Yui's cheek as she smirked. "What were you about to say just now?"

"I-it was nothing! H-haha!"

Hachiman felt it was about time he left these two girls on their own and took his seat. As he was preparing his earphones to kill the time an angel had descended on the seat before him.

"Yahallo, Hachiman." Totsuka greeted, which made him frown.

"So even you're still using that? Either she's established a tribe or her disease is contagious…"

"Haha, don't be like that. I guess you can say that Yui-chan easily rubs off on people, being friendly and all."

"Is that so? It's more of she doesn't understand the concept of personal space sometimes." He would bet his soul that even Yukino would agree on that.

"Say, you seem happier today. Could it be because she's in class now?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm wearing the usual scowl I have every day."

"Umm, I don't know how to put it into words exactly." Totsuka tilted his head and pressed a finger on his lips, staring at a nervous Hachiman. "I can't explain it, it just somehow 'feels' like it. It's subtle, but it's there. Anyway, I heard you went to her place yesterday. How did it go?"

The prior events replayed in his head, reminding him of that strange feeling that gripped him when he heard his name being spoken by a girl.

"F-fine I guess, for the most part."

"That's good to hear then." He smiled before looking elsewhere. "Yui seems to be more chipper than before too, so the same must have been for her."

Hachiman gazed at the girl in question whom was chatting with her circle of friends. He did somewhat take note of how she seemed to glow brighter than usual, albeit there was only little difference he could oddly tell.

Amidst their conversation she glanced at him, which resulted in direct eye-contact between the two. Yui was visibly surprised from accidentally getting caught, looking away immediately with a slight blush.

"She does, doesn't she?"

There was still time remaining before lunch break ended and Hachiman had already consumed the bentou Komachi had lovingly made for him. He was currently sitting on his favorite spot watching the clouds drifting in the sky. A moment of serenity spent in his sanctuary after a good meal was the perfect routine in his book.

But nothing lasted forever, and Hachiman was reminded of this as his peace was once more interrupted, this time a different culprit from before.

"Hey, umm… Hachiman."

His heart skipped a beat as soon as he heard her mention his given name again. It would surely take him a while to get used to it, although not having to hear her call him "Hikki" was in and of itself a pleasant change. The girl stood by his side, looking down on his slouched form as she casted her shadow over him.

"Y-you needed something?" He averted his gaze from the pair of seductive thighs that were laid out vulnerably, unbeknownst to her.

"Well, firstly…" She sat down beside him, Hachiman having to move aside to give her some space. "…aren't you gonna say it?"

"Say what?"

"My name."

"Was that what you needed from me?"

"N-not really…"

"Hmm? What are you hiding behind you?"

"Oh, t-this?" She showed him a bentou wrapped neatly with a pink furoshiki. "It's my lunch! I-I'll have you know I made it myself and I'm getting better at it!"

"Okay… Masochistic matters aside, what do you need exactly? This better not be another penalty from some stupid game you played with Yukinoshita."

"N-nothing! I just came to visit you since you're always alone. I'm only concerned about you, y'know? You should be grateful a cute girl like me even cares about you."

"Oh please, spare me your pity. Also you'll worry your friends if you're missing."

"It's okay, I told them I was looking for you."

"Look: if I said your name, are we good then?"

"Hmm… maaaybe?" She replied playfully.

Hachiman sighed. It seemed she wouldn't leave him alone no matter what he did, and he didn't feel like outright telling her to "go away" either. Hurting her feelings would mean betraying his promise with Totsuka.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled before opening them again and facing her as he spoke.

"Okay, listen here Yui, I—"

He was thrown off by the expectant look in her wide eyes as she stared at him in waiting, her face was a little too close for comfort.

"You what?"

"Err, I-I… need to go. Yeah, that." He hastily grabbed his bentou box and stood up, Yui hurried and followed behind him.

"Is it number one or number two?"

"Don't go asking embarrassing questions like that. Also I'm not going to the restroom."

"Then where?"

"Anywhere away from you."

"H-hey! Wait for me!"

Despite Hachiman's efforts as he aimlessly walked with a fast pace while Yui still managed to catch up to him. She grabbed his arm and anchored herself with her feet, stopping his movement altogether.

"I said wait for me!"

"What the hell do you want from me?"

"A little bit of your time, I just wanna talk!"

Making a ruckus at the corridor turned heads of students everywhere, directing their curious eyes at them. It was a peculiar sight to see a beautiful girl like Yui interacting with a creepy boy like Hachiman, hushed voices whispered around them as they were put in the spotlight.

"Okay, I give. I'll talk with you, but somewhere private. And more importantly, let me go." As Yui set his arm free, he led the way towards the best place he knew where there were no other people.

"Here we are." Hachiman swung the door open, greeted with the strong wind that often blew at the school rooftop. They sat down with their backs leaning against the wall while they remained underneath the shade. "Alright, we're all alone now."

"Right, how do I start this, u-umm… W-well, you see I was wondering if… y-you could maybe—"

"Out with it, woman."

"Yes! S-sorry!" Yui, instead of speaking, took an envelope from her pocket and handed it over to him. Hachiman looked at her, to which she nodded her approval for him to check its content. He took the piece of paper folded in three parts inside and read what was written.

A vein popped on his forehead after every few sentences while his eyebrows furrowed as he read on, narrowing his eyes as if his vision was going bad. A moment of silence passed and he was done, Hachiman then looked back to Yui.

"This is a love letter." He said flatly. "From a kouhai, no less."

"Y-yes." Yui meekly replied, her face red as a tomato. "I-I was too nervous to tell you about it because you looked really annoyed earlier. It's unnamed though, so I don't know who he is…"

"Dammit, what the hell? Why did you even make me read this?" He asked, hitting the paper with his hand as he sounded even more irritated. "Are you rubbing this in my face?"

"Wha- no! That's not what I'm trying to do, y-you see… W-what do you think I should do? S-should I go there or not?"

"Well, shouldn't you go? It'd be rude if you stood him up."

"I-I guess so…"

"Oh wait, are you even sure this is legitimate? I mean, haven't you ever received a confession like this? Then after getting your hopes up, excitedly rushing to the meeting place since it was the first time you got one, only to wait out until late at night for nothing then finding out the next day it was just a prank played on you by the mean girls in class so they could ridicule you for being the gullible idiot you are?" Hachiman's hand involuntarily crumpled the letter as he clenched his fists.

"Whoa! That was really mean of them, I'm very sorry for your loss!"

"Hey, I never said it was me! B-but nevermind that," he cleared his throat as he straightened out the creases, folded it back in place and slipped it inside the envelope before handing it back to her. "So what does this even have to do with me, if you're not just flaunting your disgusting youthful experience to me?"

"I don't know what kind of person he's like… The letter was all about how he saw me for the first time, or how he f-felt about me…"

"Well yeah, that's why you're going to meet him, right? So you can get to know him."

"I-I know, but I'm not comfortable with going all alone. I mean, w-what if he's like, creepy too?"

"Wait, why did you say 'too' while looking at me? Besides, what do you even want me to do? I'm pretty sure you don't want me pulling off any stupid stunts like I did back at Kyoto."

"Mmm, I just need you to look out for me. I'd feel much safer that way… won't you please?"

At that point, as she looked at him with those round, upturned eyes it was iterated to Hachiman that Yui was, without a doubt, a really cute girl. It was difficult to decline her like that, like how a small animal would use its charm to get you to do their bidding.

"Alright, I get it. But let me just say that this is a very personal meeting for you two, my presence will more than likely throw him off if he does see me and eavesdropping on something like this really isn't my thing."

"But you're not doing it to intrude or anything, so it's not like you're doing it for the wrong reasons, right? And you'll be hiding so he won't know I'm with someone else."

"Beats me. I doubt he'll even believe me if I said anything. Again, just to be clear: I'll just be staying guard and not step in unless something happens. Got it? You're pretty much on your own for the most."

"Yes, that's fine. Yay, thank you Hachiman!" She happily said.

"You're getting used to my name huh?"

"I guess, hehe~ I did practice a lot last nigh— whoa, whoa, whoa! H-hey, you're kinda good at asking leading questions!"

"I wasn't doing any of that sort. Although if I did have to ask one, I'm guessing your circle of friends don't know about this?"

"Yeah, I didn't tell them. I know they'll just cheer me on with words like "good luck" or "go for it" but… honestly, I preferred to have a more genuine answer."

Hachiman's mouth opened as he was just about to ask her what she meant when the bell echoed throughout the school, signaling the end of lunch break.

"Guess that's that." He concluded, helping Yui to get back up on her feet.

"Wanna go back to class together?"

"Sure, whatever. Don't blame me if people look at us weirdly again though."

"Yup, and thanks again. Hehe~" She graced him with another smile.

"Y-yeah." Hachiman fiddled with his bangs. "You're welcome, Yui."

Since the bell had rung there were little to no students left loitering the halls as they had returned to their classrooms as well. Yui entered first, running off to her group where her waiting friends warmly welcomed her. Their eyes then shifted towards Hachiman as he came in after her which made him flinch.

Hayato, Tobe and Hina waved their hands at him while Yumiko simply met his gaze with a rather nonchalant expression before turning her head away. It was a surprise for him, she didn't harbor any killing intent unlike how she glared at him before as if he was mere space dust.

When the teacher entered and classes resumed as usual Hachiman wasn't listening, his thoughts drifting away to other matters that laid ahead of his day. He glanced at the pink-haired girl from afar wondering what ran in her mind regarding the confession, as well as what else the author of the letter had seen in her.

As the thought entered his mind he immediately dismissed it as answers he deemed to be too embarrassing began popping into his brain. He shook his head clear of them in vain, finding himself unable to think of anything else but them.

'Dammit Hachiman, focus.' He massaged his temples. 'Don't let the wiles of that woman affect you. Remember: you are the strongest.'

Then again, it was impossible to be completely immune to Yui's attacks. She had high girl power, and he was at the time of his life wherein he was most susceptible to such effects. He was at a complete disadvantage.

Moving onto another topic, he pondered on why she wanted him to accompany her during the meet-up. True, she had previously stated her reason to be none other than "to serve as protection in case the guy pulled anything funny" but was that all there really was to it? Did she truly have no other ulterior motives? More importantly…

'Is she going to accept him or turn him down?' That was a question he wished he had asked earlier when he still had the chance. 'N-not that I'm interested or anything. But if she did say "yes" to him…'

How would things be in the future? Surely she'd spend more time with him, as it was natural for couples to do so to the point that Hachiman was led to believe it was a symbiotic relationship between two parasites than a mutual one.

Would she also no longer be attending the Service Club then? Well, given it was her, the more probable answer would be that she'd still be there, sitting in her seat either tapping madly at her phone or chatting with us. We'd have that usual mood going on while we alienate her—

'Boyfriend.'

Hachiman frowned. Something about the word felt oddly out of place, aside from his normal detestation for it. Just thinking of Yui happily engaged in a conversation with one, smiling and laughing together as they did, simply felt… wrong.

Perhaps he had been overthinking things and it was starting to get to him. It was best if he left the matter for now, pointlessly worrying about it would only serve to further complicate things and he may end up performing something stupid if it were to continue.

Thus, Hachiman bided through the rest of the lessons until the bell rang once more to mark the end of the school day. He waited for Yui outside the classroom as she talked with her friends to excuse herself.

"Sorry for the wait!" The girl finally appeared, ready to leave.

"Huh, so you do feel anxious." He stated, shocking her how he saw past through her.

"E-eh? I-is it really that obvious?"

"Maybe to me only, since I have sharp eyes."

"Don't forget they're rotten too."

"Hey, cut that out. Anyway, the back of the special building, right?"

"Yup."

"Well then, let's go."

With Yui in the lead, the two set off to the battlefield which was the gap between the back of the building and the school's wall. There were multiple air-conditioning units lining the path which blew hot air as it constantly hummed lowly to cool off the interior of the rooms.

'You'd think he'd choose someplace else better than this, like underneath a tree or something.' He remarked, recalling a painful memory. 'At least his memory wouldn't be that bad even after being rejected.'

"G-good, he's still not here. Quick, go hide somewhere!" Yui shooed him off.

"Don't treat me like I'm some stray cat."

"Okay, I'm sorry, just hide!"

As there were no nearby bushes nor trees to conceal himself, Hachiman hid himself along the corner of the building opposite of the side they came from, which was a dead end. He stood by, watching the girl as she restlessly catered to her hair and uniform, asking him repeatedly if something was amiss.

Moments later approaching footsteps could be heard. Yui shushed him and stood by as the boy slowly came into view. She could feel her heart racing as the distance between them gradually decreased until they were only a few feet away from each other.

"T-thank you for coming, Senpai!" The young boy's voice cracked. "M-my name is Mi-Miyamoto A-A-Akito, and I-I-!"

"O-okay, just take a few deep breaths and calm down first…" Yui instructed, he did as he was told. "There we go."

"S-sorry, I'll repeat myself then. I-I'm Miyamoto Akito, and I wrote that l-l-love letter. Ever since I saw you I had fallen in love, every day passed with me unable to stop thinking about you. I couldn't stand to just look at you from afar any longer so I reached out to you. Senpai, I stand before you to ask you this," the boy then bowed before her. "P-please go out with me!"

He had to give the kid props for being able to speak those five heavy words out aloud like that. So much so that he even felt the urge to cheer him own despite contradicting his own feelings.

"Umm… After reading your letter I was flattered to hear how you feel. Anyway, y-you see this is the first time someone's c-c-confessing to me, and I, umm…"

Hachiman pressed himself against the wall, listening in closely as Yui was about to answer him. He hated having to deal with issues regarding relationships and the like, yet here he was pinned in place by his own curiosity.

He unconsciously gritted his teeth as her response was still up in the air. The suspense of the moment was nothing compared to Tobe's confession. He could feel his heartbeat ringing his ear drums as the unnerving silence pressed on.

Yui gripped the hem of her skirt for support and prepared herself to give a proper response, breathing in deep.

"…I-I already have someone I like." The girl bowed in return. "I can't return your feelings, I'm sorry."

And there it was. Hachiman let out a breath of air he had unknowingly held in for so long, and along with it a sense of relief washed over him. His knees almost gave away as he leaned against the building for support.

"…I see, thank you very much for your response." He rose his head, smiling bravely.

"Thank you as well, and I'm really sorry Miyamoto-san."

"It's fine, you can't force this kind of thing after all. To be honest, I'm really envious… but I'll be cheering you on for your own happiness, Senpai. Whoever that guy is, he's a very lucky person to have someone like you feel that way for him."

With those parting words and having done his business, the kouhai then went on his way while Yui remained in her position. Hachiman came out of hiding once he was sure the coast was clear and stood beside the frozen girl.

"Do you plan to stay hunched over like that all day?"

"No, b-but…" As she stood back up straight he was shocked to see tears flowing out of her eyes.

"Oi, w-why are you crying?" Hachiman panicked. "You were the one who rejected him! Also, knock it off, people might hear you and get the wrong idea!"

"I-I know! *hic* But…" Yui spoke in-between sobs. "I'm sorry… Why does rejecting someone have to be *hic* so hard and painful?"

"Tell that to other girls who don't even bat an eye." He griped. "And while I do sympathize with him since he's probably bawling his eyes out as well, I'm pretty impressed you shot him down. I thought you'd jump the gun and say 'yes' like you'd usually do in the past, so…" Hachiman didn't know if it'd work to console her like it did with Komachi, but he figured he'd give it a try.

Yui felt a hand pat her on the head, gently stroking her hair.

"Y-you did well, Yui."

"*sniff* Mmm." The girl wiped her tears away from her blushing cheeks. "Thank you Hachiman."

"Great, so now that you're feeling better, go clean all that snot off your face, would you?"

"M-meanie! And you even thought I'd just go and date anyone who confessed to me! I'm not desperate y'know, I have my own standards!" She pouted. "A-and I kinda don't have a handkerchief with me..."

"Urk… H-here then." Hachiman reluctantly reached into his pocket and handed her his own.

"T-thanks. *sniff*" The girl then blew her nose.

"Don't bother, go ahead and keep it."

Finally calmed down, they returned to the Service Club where Yukino had been waiting. As there weren't many students left, Hachiman had avoided being blamed for making the girl beside him cry. The last thing he needed right now was more trouble.

As soon as the club president saw Yui's face however, her expression turned to disgust as she immediately pulled out her phone.

"Hello, police? Yes, I would like to report a rape incident."

"O-oi hold it, I'm innocent!"

"Yukinon, i-it's not what you think!" Yui dashed towards the girl and took her phone away to drop the call. "Ha-I-I mean, Hikki escorted me on a confession because I asked him to! W-we didn't do anything like that!"

"I see, but it doesn't explain why you're crying other than this scum committing a heinous crime."

"W-well, that's… I just felt kind of sorry for him."

"I strongly advise against pitying Hikigaya-kun, he may slyly use it to manipulate your kindness."

"N-no, not Hikki! I was referring to the one who confessed to me!"

Thus, Hachiman was once again the butt of the joke. He knew there was no use to interject between these two, his opinion was as valid as a used rag to them. Instead he took his seat, set his bag down and pulled out a novel for him to read along with the cup of tea that had been prepared beforehand, left to cool down by his side of the table.

As club activities went uneventful for the rest of the day, Hachiman excused himself as he had to pass by the convenience store on the way to buy some ingredients Komachi needed. Meanwhile Yukino urged Yui to go on home ahead of her since she would be passing by the teacher's lounge to hand over the key.

"It may not be a good idea to let Hiratsuka-sensei see you like that." She gestured at her puffy eyes. "If you do truly care for Hikigaya-kun's well-being, then I suggest you not show yourself at the moment. His reputation is tarnished beyond repair, but more damage can still be done to it."

"O-okay, if you say so." She nodded, taking her advice. "Then take care Yukinon, and thank you."

"Yes, see you tomorrow Yuigahama-san."

"I'm home." Yui greeted as she arrived at her apartment. She headed to the kitchen where her mom was busy preparing for dinner.

"Welcome back! So, how'd it go dear? Did he like it? Tell me all about it!"

"U-umm, about that Mama…"

Yui needed not say more for her mother to understand. She dropped what she was currently doing and gave her a loving hug. The girl then unfolded the furoshiki and took the lid off the bentou box to reveal its contents left untouched:semi-burnt tamagoyaki and pork katsu, a slice of bread cut and decorated with thin strips of carrots and slices of olives to resemble a dog's face, sausage octopus that had tentacles of varying lengths and a messy single serving of yakisoba. The only thing that looked right was the rice that, along with the others, had gone cold.

"Sorry Mama, I didn't get to give it to him when I had the chance."

"Well I'm sure that if he did have the chance, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to eat them knowing you made them just for him. That, and that you didn't put any tomatoes in them. Tomorrow is another day, so don't worry!"

Yui smiled pensively as she stared at her work, notable progress evident from her first few attempts. It was indeed a waste, but she had no one else to blame but herself for not mustering the courage. Instead of sulking at her failure, she decided to think of how to overcome her cowardice and succeed.

"Okay, I'll try harder next time. I promise, I'll give it to him."

She had a feeling that he'd berate her for the taste, but he would still eat all of it despite his voiced complaints. Hachiman was like that after all, a genuinely kind-hearted person.

"That's good to hear. Make sure to put lots of love in it so you can reel him in, and maybe have some alone time again as well?" She chuckled as Yui's face grew redder by the second.

"M-Mama!"

Hachiman browsed the shelves as he mindlessly wandered the aisles, her words echoing within the recesses of his mind.

"…I-I already have someone I like."

Yui was someone who overflowed with youthfulness and energy, however she did not share the promiscuity present in most girls. Her flashy appearance and aptitude on socializing with anyone were betrayed by just how much of a pure maiden she actually was on the inside, and hearing her answer for the confession further strengthened his belief.

Ruthlessly rejecting a boy with a disgusted face, Hachiman always thought all girls were like that. Yukino, who he had asked on a previous occasion to be his friend, declined him before he could even finish his question. Isshiki would always blurt out a longwinded speech about how she can't go out with him even when he hasn't even asking her out in the first place. Girls from the past did the same too.

So far, Yui was the only girl to break that trend for him.

'So then the question remains… Who does she like?'

He wondered: if he had asked her… would she perhaps actually consider going out with him?

'Wait, what the hell am I thinking? Besides, she already said she has someone in mind…' He shook his head, recalling her own words. 'And sure as hell it ain't me.'

Once upon a summer festival, after the fireworks display he escorted her home. After a while of walking together the girl seemed to have something important to say, but before he could tell him her phone rang. She ignored it and resumed to what she was about to say before she was abruptly cut off, however he himself was the one to interrupt her on the second time.

He had a hunch from the mood and her facial expressions at the time, and if it was ever that then he just couldn't let her continue with it. It wasn't because he didn't find her attractive or anything, that wasn't the case since Yui was definitely a great girl for his standards.

Rather, he felt he didn't deserve her.

And whether he was right or not, only Yui knew. Hachiman simply didn't have the courage to face the truth. Finding out might cost him more than he bargained for, and he was not willing to lose some things he deemed important.

"Alright, that's enough musing for one day. I better get home soon." He went in line at the cashier and paid for everything, promptly leaving the store soon after. "Let's see, eggs, milk, onions, what else…"

Hachiman cross-checked the plastic bags with his list to see if he missed anything, not wanting to disappoint his little sister. He found that out of all the girls that had badmouthed him, Komachi's words had the strongest effect.

In fact, if she told him to "go die", he might just go and do it. Not because he was that obedient or that big of a siscon, but the pain it dealt was far worse than anything death itself could offer. He would commit seppuku right then and there.

"I guess this is everything, nothing left to do but to get home and—"

"Oh! Hikigaya-kun, fancy meeting you here!"

Hachiman froze solid in his spot. A familiar voice had mentioned his name, sending a chill down his spine. He turned to his right and saw a female standing there, a smile on the face of the last person he wanted to see.

A/N: Kouhai's name (Miyamoto Akito, "宮本 陽都") is from the original story I'm writing for a friend who wanted to illustrate something. Doesn't really have any other significance whatsoever so pay no heed to him hehe.

Anyway I didn't want to take forever to update again, and since I'm giving myself time off r/DDLC I'll be focusing on this one and the original I'm working on. Also, I will be moved to the night shift again by next week so I don't know if I can as much as before since most managers are there at that time and I write these on my computer at work. Not to mention the empty seats behind are occupied on that shift so there'll be more people snooping around…

So who was the person he saw at the end? Was it Yukinoshita Haruno? Or Orimoto Kaori? Honestly, I haven't decided yet. I'm still debating with myself on who would have more impact or have a better role on the story, everything's still open for changes so either girl is fine.

That's all from me, see you next time~