My Teen Rom-Com is a Lie

Chapter 4: Forgot to Give this Chapter a Title

I found myself laying on the couch, watching some reruns of an anime that came out a few years ago. It's undeniable, I love watching without the subtitles.

Anyway, after I got home from school, I did all my homework pretty quickly. Mostly because it was all pretty easy.

But now, I wasn't sure what I should do. I was feeling a lack of motivation, one might say.

Sure, I could scour the Japanese web or watch YouTube, but none of that sounded too interesting.

Maybe it has to do with the service club.

As you probably already know, I'm stuck in this club and can't do anything about it.

I'm not even sure how I should act around Yukinoshita or Yuigahama. If anything, I've been trying to avoid conversation.

Should I continue, or should I try to act more like Hachiman?

But, that could lead to some undesirable future events if I don't act now.

Uhhhhg, what should I do?

I felt a soft pressure being applied to my cheek.

"Onii-chan, what're you doing?"

I looked over to the TV, pretending to watch it.

"I'm watching anime." My voice came out as slightly muffled, due to laying on the couch.

"Really." Komachi's voice is filled with sarcasm.

She pushes my feet off the other side of the couch to sit down, forcing me to do the same.

"What's wrong, Onii-chan? Your eyes look more dead than usual."

I guess my internal dilemma is starting to show on my face. That can't be good, I look awful enough already.

"Uh…" I ponder how I should respond. Whether it be a lie or a portion of the truth, I couldn't put my thoughts into words.

This isn't getting me anywhere, I'll just say the first thing that comes to mind.

Stopping myself from letting out a sigh, I finally responded.

"I'm… tired."

I noticed a hint of concern appear on Komachi's face, before it disappeared.

"Aren't you always tired, Onii-chan?" Komachi rolled her eyes as she kicked her feet back and forth.

I looked at the clock. It wasn't that late, but late enough for me to get out of this.

"Yeah, I guess so. It's probably getting worse since I haven't had much coffee these past couple days. I'm going to bed early."

Komachi looked like she wanted to say more, but whatever it is, I wouldn't get t o hear it.

"Goodnight Komachi."

"Night Onii-chan."

I felt a little bad for that, but there wasn't much I could talk about.

I headed to my bedroom and got ready to go to sleep.

However, it wasn't until much later that slumber arrived.

X X X

Once more, a new day began.

Breakfast was usual. The ride to school was usual. The class periods were uneventful. Thus, fourth period ended and lunch break began.

Unfortunately it was raining, so I wasn't able to go to my usual spot.

That's the most out of the ordinary thing that's happened today. I hope that's all.

I pulled out my phone and started messing around on it.

Turns out that Quizlet came out in like, 2005, so I can totally use it for getting answers for bio or something.

Speaking of old stuff, it turns out Hachiman's phone is the iPhone 5. Which is pretty neat. Although, I personally prefer the iPhone 4S. It was the first phone I got my hands on anyway.

Wait, since Oregairu takes place in what was it again? 2013, 2014? Anyway, that technically means I'm from the future right? That means I could probably go onto some popular forum site and start making predictions like the presidential election, the fact that the iPhone 9 is skipped, SERN takes over the world. Wait, that takes place in 2036, right? [1].

And why was the iPhone 9 skipped anyway? Probably because the name iPhone X sounded a lot cooler or something. Eh, if you ask me, I'd rather buy 136 Lego Jar Jar Binks 2011 redesign. It's like, two dollars less I think.

Towards the back of the classroom, it sounded as though there was a commotion. Turning my head back, I realized what it was.

Yuigahama was standing awkwardly in front of Miura while quietly mumbling 'I'm sorry' while Miura glared at her.

Maybe I should help me. Wait, why should I? I don't have any reason to. It's not like she's my friend or anything. Yeah, I'll just sit here and ignore it…

Suddenly, I stood up to face Miura, who was slightly surprised by my presence.

AH! Why'd I do that?! I thought I said I wouldn't do anything. Uhhg, I guess there's no turning back now.

Straightening my back to my full height, I looked Miura in the eyes.

"Listening to your little feudal society reenactment is getting on my nerves. It's sick watching your little social hierarchy converse with each other. Well, who am I to judge?" Heavy sarcasm on 'converse'.

I headed to the door of the classroom.

Lowering my voice, I turned my head ever so slightly as I faced the exit. "And while you're at it, take into consideration getting a crown. At least it'll show what little power you have."

Before Hayama could intervene, I was already out the door.

All the tension that once filled that room was no longer surrounding Miura and Yuigahama, but rather, myself.

Woah, I totally pulled a Hachiman-esque move right there. I didn't mean to put all that on me, but since I'm already on the bottom of the social caste, it's not like it matters.

My back felt pretty good after I straightened it out. Probably because Hachiman is hunched all the time.

As I walked away from the classroom I saw Yukinoshita heading in my direction.

"What are you doing out here Hikigaya?"

"I'm just getting a drink." Not wanting the conversation to go much further, I continued to walk down the hallway. "...See you."

I wasn't close enough to hear if she responded, but I doubt she did.

With that, I spent the rest of my lunch time in some hall. Made sure it wasn't in the same direction as the clubroom. Interacting with Yuigahama after that wouldn't be all too pleasant.

X X X

Classes after lunch were fairly uneventful aside from the occasional stares from my fellow classmates. That, along with a glare from the fire queen herself definitely made it hard to focus in class. Honestly, how do people ship Hachiman with Miura? I don't get it.

The rest of the day went by as slowly as usual. However, Ms. Hiratsuka told me to drop by the faculty office after classes were over. Not sure why, but only one way to find out.

I entered the faculty room and quickly found Ms. Hiratsuka. Walking over to her, I waited for what she had to say.

I'm pretty sure I did all the assignments correctly. Is this leading to a punishment for something I don't know about?

"Ah, Hikigaya. Thank you for coming." Ms. Hiratsuka turned to me.

"Not like I had much choice." I muttered.

"What was that Hikigaya?"

"Nothing!" That was close. From the looks of it, Ms. Hiratsuka is in a good mood, and doesn't want that to be ruined.

"So, Ms. Hiratsuka, is this for what I said during lunch or…?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I didn't call you here for a scolding." Her face wore a grin similar to that of when she forced me into the club. She's clearly happy with the results. "I wanted to congratulate you for your improvements in the classes you've been doing poorly in."

Oh yeah, I have been doing 'better' in most of the classes. I guess taking mostly advanced classes is paying off sooner than I thought.

"Thank you. Is that all Ms. Hiratsuka?"

"You're too quick to leave Hikigaya. I also wanted to talk about your progress in the club."

"Ah. If I were to do a percentage scale of my progress, I'd give it a 0%."

Crossing her arms, Ms. Hiratsuka had doubt in her eyes. "How do you explain the improvement in most of your classes?"

I was about to make an excuse, but she cut me off before I could.

"Also, how was handling your first request? I've heard that it went relatively smoothly." Huh? Define 'smoothly'. And I heard that bit of sarcasm. Since you're the one who probably sent Yuigahama to us, I bet you knew how bad a cook she is.

"Smooth as sandpaper. But, Yukinoshita did most of the work, so I guess it was fine."

Ms. Hiratsuka pulled out her lighter and cigarette pack. "Speaking of Yukinoshita, what do you think of her?"

Without too much thought, I responded. "She's stuck up and irritating."

"Ah." Ms. Hiratsuka turned her swivel chair 90 degrees to her left as she leaned back slightly.

"She's a very bright girl, but even the gifted have their own fair share of difficulties."

Ms. Hiratsuka continued. The rest of her speech goes along the lines of; Yukinoshita is a kind girl. Smart and often right. But, the world often isn't nice nor right.

Apparently the world's cruelty is troubling for Yukinoshita. I guess that makes sense, considering what she said she wants to ultimately achieve.

However, I'm not blind. Not everything is dark, evil, and twisted. Only an idiot deals in absolutes [1]. What I'm trying to say is that the world is very gray. Not simply black or white.

At least I can take comfort in the fact that no matter how much Yukinoshita gets on my nerves, she isn't doing it just to spite me. Actually, she probably does, but that's not the point. She does her best to help me, just not in a way one would consider well, considerately.

Before our conversation ended, Ms. Hiratsuka made some comments about how she wanted to keep us both in her sight due to our 'twisted' personalities.

While it was getting a bit late, there was still (unfortunately) enough time for me to hang out in the clubroom before heading home. Not like I had much to do either way.

After a bit of walking, I finally got to the clubroom. Opening the door I was greeted by Yuigahama. And Yukinoshita. Well, it wasn't much of a greeting. It went along the lines of, "Why are you late?"

"Ms. Hiratsuka told me to meet with her after classes were over." I sat down and pulled out a book.

"Why did Ms. Hiratsuka wish to speak with you? Was it about your little outburst during lunch?"

I could tell she was trying to get on my nerves. Like that would work.

"No, Ms. Hiratsuka just wanted to congratulate me for improving my grades in most of my classes."

Yukinoshita had a slight smirk on her face. "Oh? I suppose from where you are, anything would be considered an improvement."

I couldn't exactly retort to that, since I didn't know my current grades. I looked down at the book I currently had open.

I'm not sure how I feel about reading this. It's pretty average. Bland plot. Bland characters. Bland everything. I bet Zaimokuza recommended this book.

At the thought of Zaimokuza, I remembered his request was going to come up soon. I was genuinely curious about his manuscript.

You know how curiosity drives humans to be bold, adventurous, and above all else, stupid? Yeah, that's what I felt when I realized I'd get to read Zaimokuza's book.

I was getting bored with reading what was in front of me, so I opted to just listen to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama's conversation instead. It wasn't much better.

Their conversation went on and on. It was pretty boring for the most part. Somehow, it eventually transitioned to what happened during lunch. Both girls looked towards me, as if expecting some sort of reaction.

Sorry to disappoint, but simply mentioning my name in a conversation won't cause my avoidance of the conversation to falter.

But, it did leave me to think about what happened. Why did I do that? I basically redirected the attention of Miura and put it on me. Rather than trying to dispel the problem, I made it so they didn't have to deal with it.

If anything, I bet something similar to the show occurred when Yukinoshita arrived. She probably wasn't as harsh though, considering that she didn't walk into that mess.

"Uh… Hikki? I wanted to, thank you." Yuigahama started, getting my attention. "You kind of broke the tension, so I appreciate that." Huh? That's what you think I did? Well, you're not wrong, but I didn't want your thanks.

"No no no, I wasn't trying to be nice or anything. I was just irritated with the situation and I basically insulted your entire group of friends. It was all for my own self interests." Once again, I lied. I'm not sure if they believed it though.

"But, I want to thank you anyway. Even if it wasn't what you meant!" Yuigahama turned her face away, clearly blushing due to raising her voice louder than intended.

With that conversation now over, Yuigahama eventually went back to chatting with Yukinoshita. Attention was rarely put on me after that, but on the occasion Yuigahama mentioned me, I grunted in response. And I completely ignored any of Yukinoshita's verbal assaults.

Yukinoshita's insults are like a game of catch. She throws it to me, then I respond. But, catch can get pretty boring when the receiver doesn't play along. Although, sometimes her words are a bit too harsh and end up garnering a reaction from me. From there, it only gets worse.

I guess some things can't be avoided.

Once the clock hit, was it 4:30? I forget when club ends. Anyway, when club ended, I went straight home. Once I was home, I put my stuff away and laid down on the couch.

I allowed my thoughts to drift off.

Now that I'm finally home, what should I do now? I could work on homework, play video games, or watch TV. But, none of those feel that appealing at the moment. If anything, I feel just as unmotivated as last night.

I thought about the past couple days, recounting what had happened.

Uhg, what good does it do to focus on the past. What's done is done. If anything, I should look towards the future. The future…

I shot up, startling Komachi, who I didn't notice sitting on the couch with me.

I pretty much have all the knowledge needed to alter future events to my liking. But most importantly, I can avoid the train wreck that is season 2.

That means I should put at least some thought into what I'm going to do. Let's think about Zaimokuza. Actually, I might just follow the events of the anime for that one, it doesn't play too big a role in the story.

Next is… Totsuka. Yeah, for him, we're going to practice tennis. I've actually been practicing tennis quite a bit since that's what we've been doing in PE. I've been getting the hang of it, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Oh yeah, Yukinoshita's training regimen. Maybe I should start working on pushups and sit-ups every day till we get Totsuka's request.

As I continued to plan out what I'd be doing, Komachi looked at me with confusion. However, she must've realized that I was finally out of my self-induced slum, so she smiled.

If anything, I felt like I could do anything. No longer feeling unmotivated, I got up and headed to my room to continue thinking about what my next step would be.

A/N: Last chapter of this fic. Unless you count that Yukino POV I probably wont ever touch.

Didn't realize this until chapter four, but I don't use any prefixes for names until Komachi refers to Hikigaya as "Onii-chan". Talk about inconsistent.

References:

[1] Steins;gate

[1] Star Wars Rots