Chapter 8: Hyouka.

Eru Chitanda was brought up to be very ladylike and polite. Those who came to know her described her as being sensible, emotive, friendly and innocent. She also came across as cheerful and childlike. She always kept up a positive demeanor and rarely harboured negative emotions.

However contrary to her well behaved mannerisms, she can become compulsively nosy when intrigued or curious about something. At the moment, unbeknownst to her, she was displaying hyperactive tendencies and ignoring the personal space of a certain rotten loner.

"Senpai, I'm curious."

"Why can't you be quiet, instead?"

Eru Chitanda pouted and gave his shoulder a small shake. At first he sat there on his chair, adamantly. But later out of her willpower she guessed, he swayed back and forth, much like her grandfather in a rocking chair.

She still pestered him. "Hikigaya-senpai, tell me more about the service club."

"Why are you asking me? Ask Yuigahama. She is the one who founded this club. She's also the president. Go bother her."

"But Hiratsuka-sensei told me to talk to you."

"She does that sometime. I don't know what is up with that woman. I haven't had a single moment to myself since this new semester began. I'm always dealing with one problem after another. And most of them have been girls. What's up with that?"

He said all this while rocking back and forth. It looked like he was enjoying this. It also seemed like he was ignoring her very presence. Eru felt a little bit annoyed and pouted, trying to think up a way to get him to listen to her.

Having nothing in mind, she went up in front of him and hunched, bringing their faces really close to each other. She hadn't been meaning to do that, but it just kinda happened. She also made the mistake of opening her mouth to swallow air and this was really a huge –

Bonk!

"Ouch! Hikigaya-senpai!"

"Don't 'Hikigaya-senpai' me. What the hell were you trying to do, Chitanda?"

Eru Chitanda felt tears sting her eyes. Hikigaya-senpai had bonked her head with a book. She moved a bit away from him and kept rubbing the spot he had hit, with her eyes closed.

"I only wanted you to pay attention to me, senpai." She said with a small whimper.

"I did pay attention to you, Chitanda. I mean, it's kinda impossible to ignore you and read a book around here, what with you ducking and bobbing and weaving and -"

"You are mean, senpai."

While Eru Chitanda still had eyes closed, she didn't notice him place the book on the table and get up from his seat. It was not out of fear of him, but because of a small child like tantrum that she kept her eyes shut. Slowly, he moved closer to her and then…

"Senpai?"

"Shhh. I'm checking your head for bumps."

Eru Chitanda felt herself blushing a little bit. Hachiman Hikigaya-senpai was standing in front of her and gently rubbing her head, caressing her scalp with his lithe fingers. She gave an involuntary shiver and almost lost her balance, stumbling closer to him.

Taking her action into account, he put up another hand to keep her standing upright. She still couldn't open her eyes as he still ran his fingers through her hair. He had grown unbearably quiet. She wondered whether he was doing this to get back at her.

Granted, now that she looked back on her actions, she might have been a bit nosy. From the time she stepped into the service club, gave her introduction, she had been bothering him, when all he did was ask her to wait, till Yuigahama-senpai arrived.

"Senpai, I'm sorry. I won't do this again." She gave a small sniffle.

"Eh? You are making this sound like sexual harassment."

Eru Chitanda blushed. "Don't say stuff like that so casually."

"Okay, I won't."

Eru Chitanda opened her eyes, still blushing and she saw him move a bit back. He was rubbing the back of his neck, feeling rather embarrassed.

"Sorry, I hit you in the head. But I thought you were gonna kiss me."

She took a step back and felt colour rise to her cheeks. Once more she closed her eyes, lowered her head and waved her hands around in front of her, frantically.

"I wasn't about to kiss you, senpai."

"Then what were you about to do. I'm curious."

She pouted when he threw her own words back to her face. Now that she thought about it, she really had no clue why she had done that, moved into his personal space, bending her body, coming face to face, so close to him, their lips barely apart.

"Well?" He was looking for an explanation.

She didn't have any. "I…just got really excited."

"Excited about joining the service club. You would be the first."

Eru Chitanda didn't like how he kept dismissing her. Then she thought about getting back at him and making him speechless like her. And if that was not possible, the least she could do was see him blush. So she asked him the obvious thing.

"Why did you keep rubbing my head, senpai?"

He looked away from her, unable to meet her eyes.

"Well, you did cry out, when I hit you with my book. So I got concerned. Rubbing your head like that is supposed to be soothing."

"It was soothing." As soon as she let the words slipped out, she clamped both her hands to her mouth. "What am I saying!? Please forgive me senpai."

She gave a deep bow.

He gave a dry chuckle.

"No need to apologize." Then he added under his breath. "Looks like I found another Yuigahama."

Eru Chitanda grew curious about her Yuigahama-senpai.

"So, you will let me join the service club."

He sighed. She didn't know why but she got the distinct feeling that he wasn't looking forward to what he had in mind. "Well first, let me tell you about the service club."

"Okay." She smiled.

"Okay," he repeated. "The best way I can describe what we do is, instead of giving a hungry man a fish, we try to teach them how to fish, so that he can take care of himself and wouldn't need our help in the future. Are you getting what I am trying to say, Chitanda?"

"But what if he doesn't have a fishing pole?" She asked.

Hikigaya-senpai looked like he was in physical pain. "We will cross that bridge when we get there, Chitanda."

Eru Chitanda grabbed a seat close to him and smiled. "Okay, tell me more."

"There's nothing more to tell."

"Please, I'm curious."

"Tch, okay fine."

Hachiman Hikigaya didn't know what was up with those large purple eyes of hers, but up close when she was leaning into him, they gathered some kind of an ethereal shine and he found himself caving in to her demands.

Truly this girl was dangerous. She couldn't be allowed to join the service club, he thought. But would he be able to dissuade her, he didn't know.

Only time would tell.

A/N: Don't worry. The next chapter will focus on the Nisekoi characters.

Here are the options:

Option 1: Chitoge Kirisaki

Option 2: Kosaki Onodera.

Option 3: Tsugumi Seishiro

Please pick any of the above or suggest a character you like in the review section.

Hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter.

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Won't betray your dreams.