I knew that getting involved in her life would mean some gut-wrenching twists and turns but of all the things I've been through, nothing could prepare me for a one hour dinner with her parents. Nothing at all.

Once we were seated on the rectangular table and most of the food was set on the table, I started feeling queasy. It was hard for me to do anything because their eyes were on me and because they were so focused on me, I started to feel conscious.

I felt like I was somehow the new domesticated animal they adopted yesterday. A real Pan-san perhaps?

Even through their deathly stares, however, I was able to keep myself calm. Acting like I'm fine is my forte after all.

Occasionally, I would mumble some questions to Yukinoshita like 'What is that dish?' or 'Are those tomatoes?' and each time I did so, the father would stare daggers at me.

At one point, I thought of talking to him privately after dinner to apologise for even laying my eyes on her precious daughter. He must think I was an insect or vermin for having been able to interact with her. At least that's what I believe.

When all was set, we said our thanks and began to eat.

The food was exquisitely filling. Heck, it beats the food that most fine dining restaurants can offer.

If Komachi was here, she would probably squeal and comment about the food non-stop.

In the middle of my pointless admiration, the father looked up and turned his attention to us.

"How do we go about this?" he asked with a pretentious smile.

Calm as he was, I couldn't help but feel as if he was burning from tension internally - as if he was suppressing wild sentiments of some sort.

"What do you mean?" Yukinoshita asked, tilting her head adorably.

"This is the first time you had me meet a boy, Yukino." he pointed out. "I'm very overwhelmed by all this, believe it or not."

I almost choked on the rice I just fed to myself. Yukinoshita wasn't kidding when she said he was blunt.

I laughed dryly. "I share the same sentiments as you do."

Making a quick glance at Yukinoshita to see how she was doing, I saw that her ears were tinged red.

Seriously?

If she is this flustered by a single sentence from her father, I don't even know how to react anymore.

This had always been a losing game, right?

"Let's just make the most out of this, dear." the mother said calmly.

He nodded begrudgingly.

A few seconds of silence passed and though my actions showed no signs of panic, my heart and mind were doing somersaults at the edge of a cliff.

The silence was filled by a gentle voice which was then followed by the sound of utensils resting on the dishware.

"Hikigaya-kun, if you don't mind me asking, what are your plans for your further education?" the mother asked as she rested her utensils on top of her plate.

I am supremely adept at interpreting simple actions like that and I knew that as long as her utensils were down, I had her full attention.

At the back of my head, the word 'gigolo' appeared but I ignored it and carefully pieced the most suitable answer together.

"I'm set on taking a liberal arts course in university," I replied. "STEM has always been my weak point, you see."

"Ah, that's interesting." she mused. "Same as Yukino then."

I nodded. I glanced in the father's direction for a minuscule of a second and realised he was observing me silently like a watch tower.

His dark burgundy eyes stared into my soul mercilessly and I could only shift around my seat in response.

The bizarre thing of all is that I couldn't even read through any of his actions. Therefore, all I could do was to expect the unexpected.

In the midst of my pointless musings, I realised that I hadn't been able to properly absorb the significance of the individual who sat across from me.

To summarise, he is a high-ranking individual in both politics and business so that must mean he knows many things about the things I would hate to deal with.

Politics is a touchy subject. Anyone who dares to touch on that topic should be careful of the words they use and be able to mobilise a logically-driven mindset to have a civil conversation with the person in question.

From what I have seen thus far, emotions and politics rarely go well together.

I've always had a marginal interest in the political scene of Chiba. I mean, those political figures are ultimately the ones who control what can and cannot happen in Chiba, right?

It's not surprising that I would have some unshaped form of political consciousness since I do altruistically desire the best for my hometown after all.

I know surface facts only though. Does that count?

As for the art of business management, I wasn't that much interested. Sure, I can picture myself holding a corporate job for the rest of my life but that doesn't mean I would be interested in it at some point. I would likely approach the job in a similar fashion as a robot - dedicatedly dead.

The man's a truly admirable individual if I say so myself. I can't even fathom being responsible for so many things. As a politician and a businessman, he might have also had to deal with impertinent scumbags who act as if they're holier-than-thou. Assuming that he has faced those types of people head-on, my respect for him increased by a tenfold.

Yukinoshita nudged my elbow. I turned to her with a confused look.

"That portion you took has tomatoes," she pointed out quietly.

Looking down at my plate, I realised she was right. I must have mindlessly scooped it in because I was thinking so much about my predicament.

I shrugged. "No choice then."

I grudgingly fed myself the tomatoes to get its disgusting taste done and over with.

The father watched our little interaction with eerie silence.

Damn it, I beg you to lay off me.

"Dear, instead of looking at them like that, why don't you talk?" the mother said. I was momentarily convinced that she read my mind.

As if in a daze, he shook his head and nodded at what his wife said.

"Okay," he started, turning to look at me. "I guess I should start by asking you what your exact relationship is with my daughter."

Once again, I almost choked on the tomatoes I was chewing. I gulped whatever that was in my mouth and reached for a glass of water, using that window of time to think of a thorough answer.

I can't say that I'm her friend, can I?

Words were exchanged between Yukinoshita and I that goes beyond what mere friendship entails. I know what I am to her and I can simply sum it up into one word and give it to him but I can't do that. I can't do that because I don't want to. If I define what we have, this thing will become less malleable and more difficult to move forward with. To define after all, is to limit.

So, I decided…

to play with words.

"She's more than a friend to me," I replied with a nervous smile.

I stole a quick glance at her and saw her pressed lips and tightly clenched fists. Whether she was tensing up at what I said or the absurdly intense atmosphere of the room, I do not know.

He tilted his head slightly. "So, a boyfriend?" he quipped.

I desperately wanted to pass the baton to her but given her current state of self, I decided not to. Perhaps this will be the one time I man up.

"What if I am her so-called boyfriend, sir?" I asked cautiously, trying my best not to sound as if I was challenging him but he probably took it that way.

He raised his eyebrow. "If you are her so-called boyfriend, well, congratulations then."

Huh?

"It's a very simple thing, Hikigaya-kun," he explained carefully. "It's either you are or you are not.

He reached for his glass of water, took a sip and then set it down.

"Yukino wouldn't just bring any other man home, you know?" he added with a smirk.

I steeled myself by grasping the seat of my chair tightly. I was being taunted so subtly, my body and mind didn't even know how to respond.

Yukinoshita perked her head up. "Father, I don't think-"

"He hasn't answered my question yet, Yukino." he cut her off. His livid yet gentle tone sent an electrifying chill down my spine.

How someone could sound so nice and threatening did not make sense.

Yukinoshita lowered her head down timidly.

"So?" he prompted. "What exactly is she to you, Hikigaya-kun?"

My desire to be one with the earth had never been so intense. I wanted to die. I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Yukinoshita turned to me and nudged my elbow.

"Hikigaya-kun," she said softly. "Whatever you say here will stay here."

I only needed to hear that.

I clenched my fists and looked up. In doing so, I accidentally stared into his eyes and frightened myself so I looked away for a few seconds before facing him again.

"She's my…" my voice trailed off.

Measuring the consequences and the gains of that one word, I realised that whatever I was doing was pointless.

Whatever I say here WILL stay here.

"... lover." I finally sputtered out.

I clenched my fists tighter after saying that. Death had never seemed so attractive before.

He may be less intimidating than his wife but his cunning nature is unmatched. I wondered if this ruthlessly scheming personality was nurtured by all his hard years of work. If so, I have to say it is quite impressive.

"Was it so hard to say that?" he asked, laughing away as if he did not just shred my coat of dignity.

I turned to Yukinoshita. Her head was turned away from me but judging from her side profile, she was blushing like a strawberry - cutely.

I'm sure I was blushing like an idiot too.

The mother ate her food silently with a suppressed smile plastered across her face the whole time.

She must be enjoying this too, huh?

They are sadists, I tell you.

"Now that we have established your dynamic," he continued gleefully, "I think we should address some concerns."

I lifted my head up and composed myself.

If his concerns were about my feelings for her, I don't think I can give him a proper answer.

"Is that really necessary?" a soft voice asked.

That tender look across her face was far too much for me to handle so I had to look away. My stomach felt queasy again so I wondered if what I ate would make a reappearance in the (very) near future.

I looked at her father and saw that his face fell in a matter of seconds upon seeing his daughter in such a delicate state.

He immediately raised his hands and waved it aggressively.

"NO NO, of course not!" he exclaimed in a panic.

His wife shook her head. "Dear…"

Seeing the look of disappointment on his wife's face, he regained his composure and kept silent.

That is until he coughed to fill the silence.

"Well, I do have one very important concern that I must address," he continued.

His tone made it clear that he wanted to talk about serious business.

"I can't help but notice that Hikigaya-kun looks similar to a boy I met some time ago," he said.

Ah, so we're really going there, are we?

"Are you perhaps the same boy from that accident?"

Time slowed down. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. I could sense everything around me.

Yukinoshita placed her hand on top of my hand that was resting on my lap. The warmth which it brought pulled me back to the present reality.

"Yes sir." I replied, giving him a rather sarcastic smile. She removed her grip from my hand when I answered him.

Sometimes I wonder if I've truly moved on from that accident. Given what happened just now, I'm just left confused with an even bigger pile of questions to dwell on later.

Thinking back, Yukinoshita's parents were the ones who made amends with my family and I after the accident. They never personally came to see me but they settled everything from post surgery to recovery.

I would be lying if I say that I don't frequently think about what happened. Sometimes, I lie awake at night thinking of the person I could have been if I just had not leapt in to save that dog.

The endless possibilities of what could have been agonised my mind day by day until I taught myself that wallowing over the 'what ifs' of life is just a pointless endeavour.

For better or for worse, I bloomed as a hardcore realist after that.

He raised his eyebrow. "Ah. I see, I see…" I heard him mumble.

"Well, it looks like you grew up healthily despite all that, haven't you?" he added. "Once again, I would like to apologise for what happened."

I shook my head. "No need. It was my fault after all."

He smiled for some reason I could not put my finger on.

That very same smile reminded me of a certain someone with a flair for manipulation, though, I don't mean that he's manipulating me in any way.

Or is he?

"You've met Haruno already, haven't you?" he asked.

Speaking of the devil.

"We've met… a few times." I answered.

Internally, I was rejoicing at the fact that she was not present at the table.

"What do you think of her?" he queried.

"Huh?"

"Haruno," he repeated, "what do you think of her?"

I glanced at Yukinoshita and she signalled me to just answer the damn question.

There were so many eyes piercing my frail soul and she was one of the participants in doing so.

Really, has she no mercy for the weak?

"She's uh…" I stuttered. "She does things her own way, I guess?"

I just gave him whatever thought that first came to mind.

And I didn't see any major flaws with my answer either.

Considering her active involvement in screwing things up between the three of us over the last few months, it is safe to say that I have seen her carry out ambiguous plans in the most oblique manner possible.

In life, if she chooses so, she can be the chess player and and she can make the people around her her chess pieces.

She really does things her own way - not conformed by the conventional ways of doing even the simplest of things. If she believes that her own roundabout way would help her achieve her ambitions, she wouldn't hesitate to carry it out.

It was a scarring experience and I'm surprised I have not entered my villain arc after having been on the receiving end of her evil deeds.

Needless to say, I have always been the villain in life.

Whether or not she achieved her ambitions though, I don't think I will ever know. It all boils down to what she thinks and what she thinks about the outcome will always be a given mystery. Such is the person named Yukinoshita Haruno - a twisted mystery.

The three of them nodded at what I said simultaneously.

Did I give an A-plus answer? Woohoo!

"You're very much right, Hikigaya-kun," he said albeit wearily. "Her ways, be it effective, are quite troublesome."

Yukinoshita shook her head. "She's been like that since we were children…" she mumbled pensively.

"Speaking of her," he turned to his wife. "Why couldn't she come today? Wasn't it hard to get him to come for dinner?"

She sighed. "She called me earlier and said that she had matters to attend to at her university," she explained. "But I believe that she will be returning right about now."

In the miniscule moment of silence after she said that, the electronic lock of the front door made a loud click sound.

/

Hello, EJ here again. I didn't expect myself to finish this chapter so quickly. I truly believed it would take me a month or two but here we are.

Next chapter will definitely not come anytime soon. I've got major exams coming up so HachiYuki can wait, huhu. Please leave a review if you can and finally, thanks for reading :)