YO! What's going on, guys! It's been some time. Hope you all have been doing well!
As I mentioned in my last update, my updating schedule will only tend to get slower and tougher from now on. Since I got accepted into a college (LFG!), there won't be much free time left in my hands because now I really want to focus on my education.
These past two months have been really hectic. There were AP Exams, Finals, Graduation, Choosing a college, and moving to another state. So I didn't really have much time to look at my works and post a new chapter. So to those of you that were waiting this whole time, I'd like to apologize.
Thank you for your amazing support and comments! It makes me really happy and confident in my writing!
For some extra info, please check the Author's Note at the end.
Without further ado, let's dive straight into the 11th chapter!
I do not own My Youth Romantic Comedy Was Wrong, As I Expected. It is the property of Wataru Watari. I also do not own any characters that appear here from other franchises. The only thing I own is my plot and my OC.
The hair in the back of my neck stilled as a pair of devilish, yet playful, eyes bore into my own. An aura of uneasiness enveloped my entire body as the woman directed her purple orbs toward my face. It was as if a sixth sense was calling out to me. Calling out to me for the danger this woman possessed. The headache she might be responsible for in the foreseeable future. Tearing my gaze away from the demon in human form, my sight fell on the senior in front of me, whose firm hold still didn't separate from my body.
Contrary to my inner conflict, Shiromeguri-senpai radiated her usual bubbly vibes with a bright smile as it seemed like she recognized the older sister of the Ice-Queen. However, her demeanor changed into one of bashful and flustered when her current actions dawned upon her. With a cough, she released me and returned to her seat across from mine as quickly as possible.
"H-Haruno-san! What a surprise to see you here! Hehe…" Senpai nervously spoke for the first time since the arrival of the Yukinoshita woman in front of us.
"Good to see you, Meguri-chan! And Hikigaya-kun! Yukino-chan mentioned about you while we were watching the basketball game against Kaihin Sogo the other day!" Her eyes never left the sparkle of mischief as they never even moved a millionth of a centimeter away from my face.
Attempting to shake off my nervousness and dread from her unusually long and creepy stare, the sound of a cough made itself known a second before I removed the clenched fist from my lips. Even though it'd be much preferable to rather spend time in that forsaken Service Club Room with the insufferable 'Ojou-Sama' and that mouthy airhead, Yukinoshita's older sister needed to be dealt with as quickly as I can.
"N-Nice to meet you, Yukinoshita-san…?" The forced greeting left me as the face of the older woman lit up for some reason.
"Wow! You even know who I am! Did my cute little sister talk about me in the club?" she questioned gleefully. Woman… the only reason for your name coming out of my mouth right now without ever knowing you beforehand is because of the Senpai in front of me.
"Hiratsuka-Sensei mentioned something about you wanting to meet me for some reason," the mumble left my mouth.
"Ah, yes. I think I did say something like that during the game. Shizuka-chan doesn't know how to keep surprises," a pout formed on her face after the comment she made on my Literature teacher. Since they are on a first-name basis, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to guess that Sensei and the 'gifted' Yukinoshita are at least friends or close acquaintances.
"Hikigaya-kun! Don't forget about me!" It was Shiromeguri-senpai this time with a pout. Did I just hear a tone of jealousy? However, that expression on her face is way too cute. Would she consider me as-NO! Oi! Stop thinking like that, stupid Hachiman!
"Ara ara, are you into older women, Hikigaya-kun? Yukino-chan might feel hurt if she learns of this," the woman made herself sit right next to me and made sure that our bodies touched in the process. A shiver went down my spine as her shoulder made physical contact with mine.
"Ughh… please stop reaching false conclusions," it was already getting tiring to deal with this woman's false facade. A regular normie might not be aware of it, but Hikigaya Hachiman is not a normie. One of my 108 skills, Observation, allows me to have a better understanding of human behavior.
"You are very, very interesting, Hikigaya-Kun. From what I've heard about you till interacting with you as of this moment, you're probably one of the most interesting people I've ever encountered in some time," she chuckled. She looked at me as if she could read my thoughts and there was nothing I could do about it. Nothing to get me out of her grasp. This was probably why my instincts were wary from the very beginning of her surprising entrance into the scene. At this moment, my inner self wanted nothing more than her walking out of the picture by any means.
"H-Haruno-san, I think you are intimidating him a bit," Senpai tried to point out to the older woman out of concern.
"Oh? I apologize if that's the case, Hikigaya-Kun. You're really adorable, you know? I wish I had a younger brother like you," Her fake words that held no meaning reached my ears and prompted me to sit up straighter and fix my lazy posture. It's gotten pretty annoying at this point. It caught the older sister figure across from me surprised but the devil just kept her amused and interested gaze on me.
"Please tell me why you are doing this. Drop that annoying cover of yours and tell me. If not, then please excuse us for now. Shiromeguri-senpai and I are trying to enjoy our time," The older Yukinoshita's amused look transformed into a playful grin at my statements.
"Haruno-san, Hikigaya-Kun isn't really the best at socially interacting with people. So please don't take it personally if the tone of his words seemed too harsh right now," The Student Council's President of Sobu tried to explain my unexpected outburst to the unwelcome guest among us. The woman just giggled in response to the explanation that Shiromeguri-senpai provided.
"Ufufu! No need to worry, Meguri-chan. Onee-san understands," she spoke before turning her head towards me.
"We'll see each other soon! Before I leave, I want to tell you something, Hikigaya-kun. Onee-san will be very angry if something happens to her delicate younger sister. Till then, farewell! Sorry Meguri-chan but I'm actually on a schedule today! So Big Sis apologizes if she made you feel ignored. I'll make up for it in the upcoming few days. See ya then!" With her piece vocalized, the woman slowly left our presence but not before eyeing me with that creepy look once more. That little comment she made about her sister held a slight tone of warning. Her hidden message was a direct threat. that if Yukinoshita was somehow hurt because of me, then I would have to face grave consequences. She might just be a Sis-con like me. Wait! That's not true! I'm just a loving, caring, and protective big brother, after all!
A sigh of relief escaped through my parted lips as that dangerous woman finally took her leave from my vision. Turning around to the Third-Year female student of my school, my eyes met her concerned gaze.
"Are you alright, Hikigaya-kun? Haruno-san's teasing can be too much sometimes. Don't worry though! You'll be fine! She won't do anything to harm you! And even if you are in danger for any reason, your Onee-san will try to protect you to the best of her capabilities if she's made aware of it!" Senpai hit her chest in pride as she held a confident posture. A blush made its way to my face at some of her words.
"T-Thanks," she just nodded with a bubbly bright and genuine smile at my appreciation.
Oh, my heart! Never change, senpai. Never change.
After that whole shenanigan with Yukinoshita's older sister, we started chatting as usual. Shiromeguri-senpai talked about how she was basically the right hand of the Devil that interrupted our outing when she was a Senior two years ago and Senpai had just begun going to high school. Our topic then changed to my academics. She questioned how my grades were looking and if there was anything else she could offer her tutoring in. Of course, her offer needed to be turned down. She has already gone out of her way to help me a lot in the past and as of now, dealing with schoolwork has become a bit easier for me.
"Say, Hikigaya-kun, do you want to join the Student Council? You told me that Hiratsuka-sensei forced you into the Service Club as a punishment, right? Do you want me to talk to her to get you out of it in exchange for joining the Student Council? I promise you won't really have to do much work," Her perspective was understandable. She's thinking that I'm having an awful time there, which is a 50/50 given certain situations. However, the only reason I'm still in that club is because of Sensei.
I respect her a lot and am grateful for all she has done for me. It's obvious that she can't find any members to join the club. There are two plausible causes for this circumstance. It's either due to the fact that almost everyone has joined a club before the Service Club was established or no one really wants to be a part of the club that is being led by Yukinoshita. The Ice Queen's demeanor and personality might've driven anyone that was slightly interested in the club away. Sensei probably got desperate and when she noticed the chance to get a new member, she went all in for it. Plus she genuinely believed that the club would be able to help me. That's two birds with one stone.
Yuigahama's addition was the icing on the cake. Each club was required to have at least three members of the club would be disbanded. When Yuigahama joined, the club was out of probation and set itself to become an actual club. If that didn't happen and the club was disbanded, it would hurt Sensei's pride and self-confidence as a teacher. The club that she advised being shut off will make her sad and upset. For someone who has done so much for me ever since I entered Sobu, it'd make me feel horrible. She didn't owe me anything yet she did whatever she could to help me.
"I appreciate your concern, Senpai. But I don't think I want to leave the club yet. Let's wait a bit and see," she nodded in understanding but the fact that she was hoping for me to say yes was clear.
"I see. Still, let me know if you change your mind!" she smiled again. Taking out my phone to see the time, I realized that it was time to get to my final task for the day.
"Senpai, I'm afraid we have to end our meeting here today. My partners in a group project planned to meet up today to get a big amount of the work done," The Third-Year female student frowned but shook her head and nodded.
"I see. I had a great time today, Hikigaya-kun! Let's do this again sometime!" she flashed her bubbly smile at me.
"Why not. Gather your things, senpai. I'll drop you off," she looked surprised at my words.
"Eh? No, it's fine! I'll walk home!" she insisted.
"You'll reach home quicker. Come on," she pondered for a moment before shaking her head in affirmation. It didn't take us too long after that to pay the bill, which we split even though Senpai wanted to pay it all by herself, and left the cafe.
Shiromeguri-san comfortably sat behind me as we went through the roads to her house. It was only a 7-8 minute ride without any traffic. She made sure to keep her arms wrapped around my torso. Good thing she won't be able to see the reddened cheeks on my face or she would most likely tease me for it. We didn't really converse during the ride. We took in and enjoyed the silence and breeze as we reached the older girl's home.
I parked my vehicle and opened the storage for my companion. While she was getting the helmet off of her head and grabbing the purse she brought with her from the opened storage box, a masculine voice called out to us.
"Meguri-chan! Welcome back! And is that the boy you went on a date with?" The statement with a touch of a teasing tone caught both of us off guard as we grew flustered and embarrassed. Turning around, the sight of a middle-aged man standing in front of a house greeted me. He probably was around the same age as my father with a couple of strands of short gray hair among the many brown strands. His dark brown orbs were directed towards our direction along with a bright grin that seemed very familiar. His casual fit consisted of a pair of gray trousers and a white shirt.
"P-Papa!" Senpai yelled at the man while her skin was turning redder than a tomato.
"Hahahaha! You're back earlier than I expected! Oh, where are my manners? I'm Toshiro Shiromeguri, the father of my cute little sunshine!" The man came down the wooden porch steps and approached us. After revealing his name, he offered his hand out to me, which I shook.
"You're embarrassing me!" cried out Shiromeguri-senpai.
"H-Hachiman Hikigaya, sir," my words croaked out in a quiet mumble. Now it became clear where Senpai got her bubbly personality from.
"No need to be nervous, young man! Meguri-chan told me and her mother a lot about you. Come in. Have a cup of tea as we talk more inside!" He put his arm around my shoulders and tried to get me to enter his home.
"Papa! Hikigaya-kun is busy today! He's supposed to work on a project with his groupmates," Senpai tried to reason with her father.
"Huh? C'mon. You brought your boyfriend here for the first time while both your mom and I are home. How would it look if he doesn't even stay in for at least half an hour?" This man is way too carefree!
"We're not dating!" steam was coming out of her ears as she corrected her dad. I don't think I have ever seen her getting worked up like this in a matter of moments except for the times when some idiots would try to make fun of me and she'd yell at them for it.
"I-It's as your daughter says, Shiromeguri-san. We're not in a romantic relationship," I added in my piece to make sure there is no misunderstanding here.
"Is that so? Well… make sure you come in the next time you are here! Matter of fact, Meguri, bring him home straight from school tomorrow! You're invited to have dinner with us!" What the? I just told him we aren't dating! Why is this guy so insistent on having me over? Wait… don't tell me this is just his cover to hide his true purposes! Am I in danger? Lord, help this poor man here!
"Ughh. Fine! Hikigaya-Kun, you're here with me tomorrow after Club hours," Senpai, I wanna have some time to rest and do homework tomorrow! Hold on! Don't tell me you're in on this secret mission with your father as well?!
"See you tomorrow, Hikigaya-kun!" With that said, the energetic man walked up the porch and back inside his house. All jokes aside, I wonder why he is so adamant in talking with me. It would make sense if in my shoes stood someone that was in a relationship with Shiromeguri-senpai. However, he knows that's not the case between us. From the way he teased us in the beginning, it's also most likely that he was just joking. So what could be the reason behind such friendliness that he showed me? There has to be a catch. No one in my life ever treated me with such familiarity when they met me for the first time.
"Sorry. Papa tends to go a bit overboard with his antics," apologized the Student Council's President.
"Don't worry about it. I wonder why your dad wants to have me over so badly," at my words, Senpai just shook her head, indicating she was clueless in the matter as well.
"Anyway, I'll be staying in the Service Club with you until you are dismissed. Then we'll get here together," she voiced her plan.
"Why do you want to wait for me? Just go home when it's time. I'll come here. Don't worry about me backing out," I assured her but she wouldn't budge.
"No! I'm joining and leaving with you tomorrow. And don't you have someplace to be at the moment? Don't be late, Hikigaya-kun! Take care!" with a wave and smile, she rushed back into her home. I could only sigh at the recent developments. Is the desire for some free and lonely time really too much, Rom-Com Gods?
Stepping through the entrance door at another cafe that wasn't far from the one where Shiromeguri-senpai invited me, my eyes immediately began scanning for the two girls from my class. It didn't take too long to find the two at the corner of the cafe. Kawasaki had on a black long-sleeved blouse and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans along with black sneakers. A casual fit as expected from the delinquent woman. Blonde glutton, on the hand, had a pair of black shorts with some fancy leather shoes and she had tied a knot around her stomach with an oversized pink shirt. The last addition to her outfit was a pair of shades guarding her emerald eyes.
Both women wore scowls on their faces as they sat away from each other. They were both on their phones. Kawasaki looked extremely tired with her droopy eyes and the dark circles that began to form under them. Remembering what the bug told me a couple of days ago, I wonder if his issue has been resolved. Before even taking another step in their direction, my phone suddenly buzzed, indicating someone had called me at this moment. Bringing the device out of my pocket with a groan, the screen shows the name of the Fire Queen. Immediately looking ahead, a couple of glares were sent my way.
Hurrying up towards the table before things get any worse, I took a seat between the two girls as it was the only one left.
"What's the big idea, Hikio? We've been waiting here for over 40 minutes!" Miura starts barking as soon as I sit down.
"I told you everything beforehand so we could prevent something like this from happening. What took you so long?" Kawasaki demanded.
"Ughhh. Give me a break. There was traffic on the way. Plus Shiromeguri-senpai's dad held me back from leaving earlier. And there was some other shit too," the last one was regarding Yukinoshita's sister but let's not bring her up right now.
"Let's not waste any more time and get over this headache," the silver-haired girl commanded. Shortly after, we began working on the project.
While we worked on the assignment, Miura, as expected, ordered a massive amount of snacks yet again. How does she even consume that much? Even the grumpy female to my left was shocked at this case. Does she have a pit on her stomach or something? I've never seen her eat this much during lunch at Sobu. Maybe she does it so Hayama won't think of her as a glutton? Tch. Of course normies and their fake bonds. The fiery woman caught my gaze and as if she knew what I was thinking, she pointed at me in a threatening manner.
"Don't you dare!" Kawasaki looked confused at her sudden outburst.
"What's going on, Hikigaya?" she asked.
"She just doesn't want to hear the truth. The fact that she'll probably run the place out of their merchandise if she keeps up her current pace," a smirk formed on my face. Taking jabs at her like this has become almost a regular thing since we do meet up on a weekly basis as we agreed to. I'd help her with her school stuff while she'll pay up for whatever I order at wherever we are. This doesn't mean she always pays for me though. At moments, my 'Onee-chan' instincts kick in and I don't let her pay for me.
"Shut the hell up!" the blonde-haired normie huffed as she smacked the back of my head.
"Oi, stop wasting our time. We need to finish this ASAP," Kawasaki said to the Fire Queen, who focused on the delinquent girl in a flash.
"Huh? Say it to him! Stupid Hikio should keep his mouth shut! Stop being biased and don't blame everything on me just because we don't see eye to eye!" Miura's voice was getting loud at this point. Even though Kawasaki said it to both of us, she was solely looking at the Fire Queen when she made her comment. It was clear that the words irked the delinquent girl as her posture became firmer. Her glower intensified as she kept looking at the other girl.
"I was pointing it out to the both of you. If you didn't have such a thick skull or weren't this shallow, maybe it would've gone through your head," the rebuttal caused Miura to stand up and glare back at Kawasaki. It was already starting to look bad. It's about time this growing tension is intervened.
"Oi, look. Sorry, Miura. It's just that I have fun whenever I poke fun at you. And sorry to you too, Kawasaki. I know you want to finish this thing as quickly as possible and I shouldn't fool around," Kawasaki looked away grumbling while Miura's eyes twitched as she grit her teeth and her face became red with anger.
"What's so fun about making fun of me!? At least I don't have those ugly fishy eyes of yours, gross Hikio!" Yeah, yeah. Come up with something new, woman.
"Whatever brings you peace of mind," I lazily replied to her.
"Hmph!" she looked away and continued working on her part of the project while munching on her snacks.
We continued our work at the same pace for around an hour. One of us would pause at moments to ask questions and discussions started. Miura finished all of her snacks and the scowl on her face transformed into a focused expression. Kawasaki, on the other hand, looked so tired that it was clear she'd rather be anywhere than working on the project. I just kept doing my thing and wondered what I'd have for dinner since it won't be long before the sky begins to darken. There were ingredients at home but it'd be way too tiring to put in the effort to make dinner. Maybe get some takeout on my way back? My wallet would be empty but it'd be much preferable than actually doing something once I return.
"Boo!" Someone grabbed my shoulders out of nowhere and made me jump up in fear. My heart was racing as the view of a girl with red-framed glasses fell on my eyes.
"E-Ebina?" the stutter pathetically left my lips.
"Hiya, Hikigaya-kun! Yumiko and SakiSaki, yahallo" smiled the Fujoshi.
"Hina! What are you doing here?" Miura asked as she was also surprised along with Kawasaki.
"Nothing. I was out with the guys and we happened to enter the cafe by chance. Didn't expect to see you here," answered Ebina as she took a seat on the chair of the larger round table behind us.
"Oh, speaking of the-" she couldn't finish as an obnoxious high-volume voice interrupted her.
"HIKITANI BRO!" my body was suddenly wrapped around by the arms of Tobe. The giggling face of Ebina led me to get rid of his hold as fast as I could.
"Let go of me, you loud cretin!" his arms were finally pried off of my body.
"Damn dude! That's kinda harsh!" pouted the center of my basketball team. Get that look off of your face, idiot! Or God knows what kind of idea Ebina would come up with!
"Hikky! Yumiko-chan! Kawasaki-chan! Yahallo!" and of course joins the airhead, Yuigahama.
"Hello, Yumiko and Kawasaki-san. And good to see you as well, Hikigaya-kun," Ughh! Anyone but this pretty boy bastard.
"Tch," Hayama just chuckled at my reply to his greeting.
"Hayato-Kun!" Yumiko suddenly sprung out of her seat to hug the blonde male. However, she miscalculated her timing and her foot slipped backward. This led to her stumbling backward as she tried her utmost best to keep her balance. Ultimately, her efforts were futile.
Before her back could hit me and in the process, both of us crumbled onto the floor, my arms managed to catch her but not before her back hit my chest. Some of her blonde hair covered the right side of my face. My nose couldn't stop the scent of peach making itself known to it. Now that her fall was stopped, everyone around us was looking at the scene.
Our current position caused both of our faces to heat up in embarrassment. This position is something only lovers would do publicly. Coughing to break the girl out of her stupor, she suddenly stood back up and dusted herself off, especially her back. It was as if she physically contracted some disease or something. And then it hit, causing my eyes to twitch in annoyance. So she wanted to play like this in exchange for me saving her from getting hurt? Well, two can play the same game.
"Ahh. Here I was thinking my back would break from holding back such a huge weight," Miura whipped her head around and faced me with a terrifying expression. If looks could kill, she would've committed mass murder with the one she wore right now.
"That's mean, Hikky!" and Yuigahama starts to playfully punch me in my shoulder, which doesn't hurt me a bit.
"What are you guys doing here anyway," Miura questioned the newcomers while looking at Yuigahama as she sat back down on the chair that was to my right. It did surprise me a bit. I expected her to join her clique at the other table and leave Kawasaki and me, the loners, to continue doing the work.
"We went to watch a movie and figured some snacks would do us good. So we ended up here through that," Hayama chuckled.
"And Yui-chan recommended this place," Ebina added next.
"And we ran into you guys, Yumiko, Hikitani Bro, and…uh…Kanzaki-san?" Tobe announces in his usual manner.
"It's Kawasaki you empty-headed, good for nothing moron!" For the first time since the arrival of Hayama's clique, Kawasaki spoke. And it was the correction of her name that she delivered in an insulting tone to Tone. Can't really blame her. Kawasaki in a bad mood for the whole time we've been here. Speaking of Tobe, he can get really annoying at moments. That combination was bound to lead to an explosion from the silver-haired delinquent girl. Though if I remember correctly, her name also escaped my mind on the first day of school and thus I called something else, like a car company's name or something, before Kawasaki had a similar reaction as she just did right now.
"Ouch," Hayama stated simply.
"Why is everyone so mean to me, Hikitani bro?" the idiot whined while having fake tears escaping his eyes. Why did I have to be the one he was hugging? Did he forget about Ebina's eccentricities? And even if he was into that, blech, that blonde bastard is right there! What an annoyance, tch.
The popular clique of Sobu's Second Year class save for Miura left around an hour later. They were going to hang out for a bit more before calling it a day. The blonde girl was offered to join them but surprisingly, she reluctantly declined. Maybe her bad grades have led her to make that decision. However, that was good for Kawasaki and me. It meant less work for both of us.
After their leave, we continued as before. The evening passed by and the gloomy gray sky turned dark. We almost finished the damn assignment and all that was left to do was to give it some finishing touches. That could be done individually in the next couple of days. Hiratsuka-sensei set the due date of the project for the upcoming Friday and some of us would have to give a presentation in front of the class. That would suck when our turn would arrive whether it be on Friday or later on. Kawasaki and I would be terrible with this since we were loners and hated dealing with anything that involved social interactions. At least that's the case for me with the exceptions being Komachi, Ebina, and Shiromeguri-senpai since they are people close and important to- OH NO! What am I saying? I'm becoming a normie as each day passes by! Get a grip of yourself, Hachiman!
Sensei did say he'll drop Matoi off at the complex later on, so no need to worry about that. I had to grab dinner on the way too. Then once reaching the apartment, nothing will stop me from spending time with my Vita-chan!
"I think we could do whatever we have left by ourselves. Let's finish it before this upcoming Tuesday and meet up during lunch to discuss and look over our finished product," Kawasaki suggested, to which both Miura and I nodded. She had already paid her bill and was already out of her seat.
"I'll be leaving now, I guess. See ya, Hikigaya," the grumpy girl only addressed me as she gathered her materials and began walking out. The noise of Miura clicking her tongue in annoyance was only heard by me since it didn't look like Kawasaki had any outward reaction to it. Or it could be the fact that she is extremely exhausted to care. It was already nighttime in Chiba and we had school tomorrow.
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Ignoring the fact that my body desired immense rest currently, the words blurted out of my mouth. Why the hell do I enjoy putting myself through extra work? Don't tell me I am a masochist or something like that?
Kawasaki turned around and faced me. She looked stunned for a moment before her face reddened a bit. Honestly, she looks so cute like this. Maybe I should ask- OI! Stop thinking like this before she beats the living shit out of you, Hachiman!
"M-My home isn't too far away from here. Plus it isn't really that dark out there and people are still wandering around. And my body is prepared to fight in case someone annoys me. But thanks though," she quietly answered while looking away. As mentioned before, too cute!
"Ah, I see. Well, if you need anything, just give me a call. Take care," I raised my arm and Kawasaki copied my actions before walking out of the cafe.
"It seems like my time has arrived to leave," Without thinking much, the words left me as I gathered my belongings and put them in my bag.
"Hikio!" At the blonde girl's call, my head turned in her direction.
"Hmm?" She looked embarrassed for some reason and was really hesitating to say what she wanted to. Nevertheless, she chose to fire away.
"Gosh, I wish it was really Hayato-Kun instead of you that I was asking, but do you mind, u-uhm, w-walking me home?" Ah, so that's what it is.
"No, I'm good. Go by yourself. You are a big girl now, aren't you?" She just grits her teeth but held in her exasperation.
"How come you offered that, Aghhhh! Why were you so willing to join Kawasaki but don't want to do the same when it's me in the equation?" she demanded.
"It's because you will be fine. With that monstrous appetite of yours, you'll probably eat them if someone bothers you," she began fuming as she heard my snort afterward. She realized that she was being poked fun of yet again by yours truly.
"Gross! Ugly! Fish eyes! Virgin! Hikitani!" Oi! The last one was uncalled for!
"It's common for people of our age to be a virgin. And Hikitani? Really?" She just looked away at my reply. Sighing, I continued.
"So got all of your stuff?" Miura whipped her head in my direction with a look of surprise.
"Wait, you would actually walk me home?" she asked. My 'Onee-chan' instincts can really be a pain sometimes. That is what really led me to say yes to her request. Kawasaki was a different story since she admitted that she knew some form of self-defense. It was probably a different case for Miura.
"Yes, yes, and yes. Oh my god, I was just joking," she only huffed in response before doing what she was instructed to do. It didn't take us much longer to pay our bills and walk out of the establishment to my bike.
Of course, the Rom-Com Gods wanted to make my life as miserable as possible. Things went wrong while we were on the road. Despite the weather report showing only a cloudy sky and no rain beforehand, it began to pour down while the vehicle was still moving. Right when the GPS on my cell phone alerted me that only two minutes were left till the destination was reached. Fearing for the safety of not only myself but also the passenger behind me, the scooter had to be slowed down. So that cost us an extra three minutes to get to Miura's house.
After parking in front of the moderate-sized house that didn't look too different from where my family lives, Miura let go of the tight hold on my torso and hurriedly grabbed her bag. She began to take out the helmet but stopped once she noticed my hand gestured to her to do so.
"Keep it on until you get in. It's still raining hard. Just give it to me tomorrow or something," my voice was thankfully heard even through the noise of the heavy rain. She looked at me with an expression of confusion for some reason.
"What do you mean tomorrow?" she yelled out to make sure she was heard by me. Did she really not understand why she needed to keep it on?
"It will keep your head from being blasted by this stupid rain till you reach the door," her face didn't change at my clarification.
"No, you idiot! You're coming in with me! Ain't no way am I gonna let you ride back to your home in this weather condition!" My eyes went wide with shock at her statement. Did she really expect me to enter a house of a girl that I'm not really even friends with? Does she not realize that it's Hachiman Hikigaya she is asking to come inside her home, not Hayato Hayama?
"Are you crazy? No way! We're not even that close of friends!" After that response, my hand reached out for my phone and began typing in the address for the apartment complex. There were notifications of missed calls and text messages from Yeager and Lamperouge-sensei. They had to be checked later. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting home safely.
Out of nowhere, a force began pulling on my arm. Turning around, my eyes met the livid emerald pair of Miura's.
"How long are you gonna keep the both of us in this rain!? It's too dangerous! The roads are too slippery and it's too dark out right now! What if something happens to you on your way back? Then I am gonna be the one who will feel guilty! You want to make me go through that?" she shouted. She did raise a good point. It would be too dangerous to go back. Keeping my life safe over feeling uncomfortable was the obvious choice. With a sigh, I shut off the bike and locked it before taking the key out and grabbing my bag, which now had droplets falling onto the ground. Thank goodness there isn't anything really valuable in there.
"Thank god you have some common sense," Miura said in an exasperated tone as I got out of the seat and began walking next to her.
"Damn it. What will your parents say if they see me walk in with you?" she snorted at my question.
"Ha! Nowadays, it's rare for them to be home on back-to-back days. As usual, they are out tonight as well. Got no clue when they'll be back," she informed me as we reached her door. She then began to frantically look for the key in her purse. Her hands were shivering due to us getting showered by the rain. The same could be said about me.
"I see," that was the only reply my mind could think of
What she said about her parents had hit close home. Despite the fact that our lives were the complete opposite, at least from my view, her family situation looked a lot similar to mine. She is considered one of the most beautiful girls while I am on the opposite end of that spectrum among the guys. She is one of the most popular people in Sobu while people can't even pronounce my name correctly in general. She was loud, outgoing, and had a lot of friends. On the other hand, the number of my friends could be counted on one hand, my introverted nature kept me from socializing easily, and my voice was as good as nonexistent among the public. So it seemed funny how similar we were regarding our families.
My inner thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door unlocking. Miura pushed the door open and looked back at me expectantly.
"Come in," she ordered. Without wasting another second, I stepped inside the home of a girl for the first time in my life.
It took us around 20-30 minutes to dry ourselves with a towel and change our clothes. Right after drying off her hair, Miura asked me to take a shower first. However, I insisted that she go first and that whole back and forth took some time before Miura finally caved in. Before she left, she handed me a red t-shirt that was a little oversized and gray loose trousers. It could belong to either her father or any male siblings she has. It was most likely the former since she was talking about her parents as we entered her house, and not a word of her having a sibling was mentioned.
Taking a look around the living room, it would be safe to say that Miura is an only child in the family. My mind had come to that conclusion due to the frames of photos that were seen on one of the walls. There were many pictures to look at. Most of them were from when the blonde classmate of mine was a chile. She had shorter hair back then and obviously, no drills or makeup. Her father looked completely Japanese while her mother had blonde hair and a lighter skin tone along with some Japanese features on her face. There was a particular picture that showed the Miura family in front of a farm along with two older citizens. The old man looked like a typical European while the woman looked like a grandma of a typical Japanese teenager. Her mom must be half-half while her grandfather from her mother's side is European. No wonder why Miura's English sounded good.
Seeing that Miura might be out for 5-10 minutes longer, I decided to check my texts from my foreigner teacher. He informed me that Matoi would be staying in his mansion for the night and if I had reached the apartment complex before it started raining. Yeager texted the same thing as Sensei except for the deal with Matoi. He probably became aware of it due to Sensei giving him a call or a text about me not picking up my calls. It would be better to give them a call now and relieve them from their worries. Tapping on the contact that appeared on my 'Missed Calls' list, a call to Lamperouge-sensei was ringing at the moment.
"Hikigaya-kun! I was getting a bit worried here," the voice of my English teacher spoke from the other end.
"Hello, sensei. Sorry about not picking up your calls earlier. I was on the road," he hummed at my apology.
"It's alright. I understand. All that matters is that you are safe. By the way, when did you get back to the apartment?" he asked nonchalantly.
There were two answers within my possession to give him. The first one would be to suck up my pride and tell him the truth. I was at an acquaintance's house but he'd interpret Miura as my friend no matter how much I tell him that someone like me has no need for friends. The other option is to have pride in myself as a loner and lie that I was already home. If it was me a couple of weeks ago, I would've chosen the latter. However, I have grown over the recent stretch of time.
"Actually, I'm at someone else's house right now. I intended to drop them off but before I could leave, I was forced to stay in. The reason being that it would be too dangerous to use the scooter right now," the information was smoothly passed to Sensei.
"Ah! I see. Well…do be careful, Hikigaya-kun. Teenagers nowadays tend to make rash decisions although I'm aware of your higher maturity than an average High-Schooler," Wait, what is he even talking about?
"Sensei?" he must've realized that he left me confused.
"Ufufu. I'm talking about your girlfriend of course," chuckled the foreigner. Oh God! Why does every adult think that any female that's with me is my significant other?!
"S-Sensei! You've got the wrong idea!" my flustered yell only caused him to chuckle more.
"All jokes aside, be cautious on your way back to the apartment if you choose to leave her house. Or sleep in with your partner. Whatever you wish. Give me a call if you need anything. Good night," he ended the call with his teasing message before the situation could be explained to him.
"Goddamnit!" The sound of the floor creaking was the response to my words of self-annoyance.
"Hikio, you okay?" Miura called out from behind me. Turning around, Miura was looking at me with a bit of concern. She had donned a yellow shirt with white sweatpants. Her hair was straight and frizzy, unlike her usual drills.
"Y-Yeah, it's nothing," she didn't look convinced at my confirmation and walked up to me.
"Your face looks red…oh no! Don't tell me you caught a fever because of the rain!" she hurriedly put her palm on my forehead to check my temperature. The only reason my face is red was because of what Sensei just implied during the call.
"I told you I'm fine. Now can you please tell me where the bathroom is?" She took her hand off of my forehead and looked behind her before pointing.
"Walk straight down that hall and it's the second door to your left. Leave your clothes in the basket that has my wet clothes. I left a new towel for you too," she instructed.
"Thanks," I murmured before starting to walk towards the hall. My mind tried to ignore the reality of being at a girl's house, Miura's to be exact, and taking a shower here too. And the fact that both of us were alone as well.
Rom-Com Gods, why do you have to always victimize my life whenever you want to play jokes?
Author's Note:
Hope it was to your liking.
Hachiman might seem a bit OOC and loose compared to canon. But that is what I want. I want to show his slow character development as the fic progresses. Due to being friends with Ebina and Meguri, he wasn't completely lonely. And he is also interacting with more people in this story. Plus he himself is realizing that he is slowly getting along with people but refuses to admit it to himself due to his pride as a loner.
Hope that was clear regarding the teasing and whatnot that came from Hachiman.
If you notice any grammatical errors or would like to point out any plot holes, please do leave a review or send me a PM.
That's all for now! Until next time!