On this warm and languid morning, I was sitting across from my sister Komachi as the two of us ate our breakfast together. My sister is the best sister in the world, that is an indisputable fact. She cooks for me, she does the laundry, and she always looks after me with love. How can you beat this? But it's not all sunshine and rainbows because my parents treat Komachi way better than they do me, the elder sibling, which means they clearly value her over me. Even our cat, Kamakura, is higher on the hierarchy than me. How the hell can a cat bring more value to this family than me?

I sighed after finishing that thought, which caught Komachi's attention for a second before she continued to eat, with her humming acting as background noise for my thoughts.

The cabin trip ended on a good note for everyone besides Yukinoshita, who was still trying to cleanse herself of the guilt that emerged within her when she destroyed Miura. Speaking of Miura, surprisingly enough, she exchanged contact information with Hasebe before we left, even though they were hours apart from each other. I think I heard of this before, this is called a long-distance relationship. It's where most rules of a regular relationship don't apply to you because of the physical distance between the parties. But they're not in a relationship, so what would they even talk about anyway, make-up?

But looking back at it, it's unreal seeing that so many things happened throughout the trip because of one small event that occurred in room A144. I wouldn't have met her on the balcony, we wouldn't have talked outside her room, and we wouldn't have gone out together. Just like that, my life turned in a direction I would have never anticipated. I'm still trying to process the fact that the ice queen, of all people, opened up to me that night.

When we got back to school, we had a week until summer vacation, but to my surprise, nothing happened during the isolation ward during that time frame. We didn't receive any new requests, and nothing of significance happened between us, so it was a rather uneventful last week of school. I'm midway through summer break, but the only things I've done worth mentioning is spending my money on ramen and bumping into Zaimokuza at the library. Summer break for me isn't any different than the weekend, just extended tenfold. It's sad now that I think about it.

I sighed again, but this time was a bit exaggerated, which prompted Komachi to call me out on it. "Onii-chan, do you really not wanna go shopping or something? Komachi can go in your place if you want!"

My parents wanted me to go to the shopping center and pick up a cake, some perishables, and new clothes for myself. Even if my parents value Komachi over me, they still give me occasional spending money. Komachi can ask my mom for money, and she'll say, "How much do you want, Komachi-chan? If you need more, I can go take out money for you." But if I ask, they'll say, "You know, when I was your age, I had to work for my money. Here."

"No, it's not that. And even if I wanted to do that, Dad would kill me if he found out I let you buy the things he asked me to get."

The damn old man treats Komachi like she's still a child. Not only does he treat her way better than me, but it's to the point where I have to go to mom for money and other things. For Dad, it's always a no, but in serious matters, he has no choice but to give in. Otherwise, it would be child abuse, and he knows I could use that against him if I wanted to.

"Right? I also hope you meet your girlfriend while you're shopping, Onii-chan. At this rate, you're going to be a NEET."

"Why are you using an acronym you don't know the meaning of? Damn the internet. But I'm not going to meet any girls while I'm over there."

"Even if you wanted to, your eyes would scare everyone away, anyway. But don't worry, Komachi accepts you for who you are, Onii-chan."

Hey, Dad has the same exact eyes as I do! Mom even says I'm the spitting image of my father. Always drinking coffee, always cranky, and hating work with passion.

"Thanks, I guess."

She smiled. "Yup! And seeing how you have no friends, you should be back home quickly, which means I can pester you more."

"If that's the case, I'll just burn some time at the library."

"Then I'll resort to plan B, I'll seek you out myself!"

"Is that so?" I said, taking a drink from my miso soup. "Don't get lost if you do, or Dad will really kill me."

"Yes, yes, even I know he might just kill you if that happens."

"Okay, don't scare me now. I'm still eating."

"Sorry, sorry!" She put her hands together before she continued to eat the rest of her food.

Seeing how it's still summer, I don't doubt that the shopping center will be flooded with teenagers. That gives me another reason to be in and out of that place because not only do I dislike crowds, but I also hate normies who walk incredibly slow with their in-groups. But also the possibility of seeing someone from my middle school there as well, because I can't handle unexpected encounters with people who gave me trauma. I bumped into a few people from middle school since my graduation. The first two people didn't give a damn about me, while the other person approached me with the same superiority they had in middle school.

I guess the term living in the past doesn't just apply to those poor unfortunate souls that are suffering, but also in these cases where the individual clings to past experiences and then projects them onto others. I still remember what he said, "Hey, Hikigaya. It's me, Yamauchi, from middle school! Remember me? We used to be good friends back then." I was not good friends with that bastard. He just picked on me in a passive-aggressive way whenever we talked. He's lucky I was a changed man at the time, or else I would've led him to an alleyway and killed him.

The train ride from central station to Chiba Shopping Center was no more than 30 minutes. Even though it was Saturday, the trains weren't as busy as they usually are, which made for a relatively safe trip. The trains weren't busy, but this shopping center sure was. If it wasn't a band of high schoolers, it was an entire family visiting. The group population seems to average around 4-6 people, but I don't doubt that that number can reach double digits as more people show up.

The only reason I'm here is that Komachi ordered the cake at a shop deep within the shopping center, and since I have to pick up the order now, my main objective is to survive in this hell hole. Why would she pick such a busy location to pick up the cake? We have cake shops within walking distance of our house. Sometimes I wonder about her, how can she be so cute but so slow at the same time?

I sighed, then made my way to the entrance of the building. Upon entry, I was greeted with an abundance of voices coming from all directions. The food plaza was on the other side of the mall, so I should be fine navigating myself through this side of the mall where the population is exceedingly less than the plaza.

My side quests consist of gathering non-perishables, retrieving the cake, and finding a use for the clothing money my mother granted me. I didn't need to buy new clothes since my parents don't care what I do with my spending money, so I guess I can go check out some manga or something.

After identifying the first manga outlet, I began to walk to it, as well as some of the people around me. Walking in, I was greeted with a faint smell of freshly printed paper and a lingering smell of deodorant. Everyone here was practically weebs, which is to be expected because very rarely would there ever be a 3-D woman in any of these shops. And if there were, they won't give you the time of day. Unlike in manga, a 3-D girl talking to a socially anxious weeb about a game they both like could act as a good premise, but this isn't manga, unfortunately.

Seeing how I already had a good amount of manga at home, I walked over to the light novel section. This area was less popular than the manga and virtual novels, which made it easier to walk around. I picked up the first book that caught my eye and held it in my hand.

The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria [1] is a good read. But my tastes tend to gravitate toward… the other stuff.

After browsing for 15 minutes, I walked outside the store, but I nearly bumped into two people on my right. It shook us all, but after we calmed down, we immediately recognized each other. It was Miura and Yuigahama. And seeing how they were dressed, it's safe to assume they're hanging out.

"Oh, Hikki. Are you shopping too?" She looked a bit surprised to me, but she kept her cool as we talked.

Hikki, again, huh? How can you be so comfortable giving someone you barely know a nickname, Yuigahama?

"Yep,"

As I said that, I noticed that Miura wasn't completely disgusted by my presence like before. I looked at her, and while I spooked her a bit, she looked at me for a bit, then gave me a hmph before she took out her phone. Well, whatever happened must've been beneficial to me because I didn't sense the same hostility she displayed before.

"That so. You like manga, huh? Yumiko's little brother loves manga too, and she always comes here with him, yknow?"

"I guess that makes sense since she's the older sibling."

"Right!" She laughed, but I didn't even exchange a chuckle with her. "You're shopping, right? Are you meeting someone here?"

"No, I'm shopping alone."

"Really? But it's break, though. Wouldn't it be better to shop with friends?"

Woman, I'm the last person who would have friends to do things with. "I have things to do, so I didn't come here to have fun."

"That so? I thought you would've been out here with Yukinoshita-san or something."

"I haven't seen Yukinoshita all break, so no."

"Really? But it looks like yall are dating or something." I noticed Miura started to listen more into our conversation as Yuigahama continued to talk about Yukinoshita,

"Well, we're not."

"Ah, okay." She probably noticed that I wasn't acting myself throughout the conversation, so she eventually gave up trying to talk to me. But even so, I saw her lips turn into a smile for a second before Miura called out to Yuigahama.

"Yui, Ebina should be coming soon."

"Okayyy. I guess I'll talk to you in school, Hikki."

You never do, anyway.

"Yep, later," I said, walking away from them, hopefully in the direction of a small market. I'm hoping I can find dried fruits and nuts here. Otherwise, I'll have to seek out another market for them.

15 minutes after bumping into Yuigahama, I successfully purchased the non-perishables that I had on my list and made my way to the middle of the shopping center where the cake shop should be at.

As I was walking, I noticed a familiar-looking person walking with someone from afar. It looks like Yukinoshita, but who the hell is that girl next to her? She's gathering a lot of attention. Her body was slim, but she also had meat in places Yukinoshita lacked. Wait, is she her sister? No way, no way. She's the complete opposite of Yukinoshita in every way possible.

While I was watching them, I noticed her sister was mainly looking in one direction while Yukinoshita was looking all around her for some reason, it was like she was anxious. My eyes met hers, and it stopped her in her tracks, which caused the elder Yukinoshita to notice, resulting in me averting my attention away from them. But before I knew it, they were walking toward me. Damn it, how did you fumble that, Yukinoshita?

"Hi, hi! Sorry to bother you, but do you know my sister, Yukino?" She poked at Yukinoshita. "This is him, right, Yukino?"

Jesus, if this is how Yukinoshita is going to grow up in the upcoming years, she'll become the most unstoppable force known to man. Yukinoshita sighed as if surrendering to the resistance and looked at me with eyes that said, 'You can tell her.'

"I'm her clubmate, Hikigaya Hachiman."

"Hikgaya, huh... I'm Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukino's big sis." As she said that, she observed me from head to toe with a smile. "You two met in club, right? I'm sorry for all the trouble my sister caused you, Hikigaya-Kun."

"N-No, that's alright."

She smiled again. "Yukinoo, are you going to talk to your friend here?"

"I'm not friends with this man. And are you done yet? You've done nothing but bother me this whole time, so can you leave already?"

"So mean! Well, no biggie. I'll leave you two alone now. Please take care of Yukino, Hikigaya-kun." She smiled at me, and then she skipped away from us.

I sighed as soon as she left. She's harder to deal with than Yukinoshita or anyone I've dealt with up until this point. I had my defenses up to the point where I had nothing else on my mind besides trying to leave her grasp. And in social situations like these, it's not easy to walk away from someone who's talking to you, especially when you're dealing with an older beautiful woman.

The two of us were standing in silence after the elder Yukinoshita left us.

"Umm, she wasn't exactly what I thought she would be like."

I predicted her body shape, but her demeanor seemed fishy. She was charming and bright, but only a fool who never suffered at the hands of youth would fall for such a trick. Most people would think, "Oh, she likes me!" No, she doesn't, she's just being nice, but she's mastered this skill to the point where she can deceive the masses on a large scale. With her charm and incredible looks, anyone will turn a blind eye to this beauty unless they have prior experience or strong self-control. But I can see through certain things for someone like me who's been on the battlefield my entire life.

"I'm surprised that you handled her well. Her charm and friendliness can seduce any man to the point where they're drooling over her."

"But that's just a mask, though, right?" She was surprised to hear me say that, so I continued to explain my reasoning. "I can tell just by talking to her."

"Is that so? Perhaps there lies a power deep within your dead fisheyes, most impressive, I must say."

"What a strange way to praise someone…"

"Yes, indeed. You're shopping, correct? Or are you here to commit a crime?"

"Unfortunately, I found myself at the worst possible mall to pick up things for my family. What about you?"

This mall was the most popular mall in the area. Not only can you shop here, but there are cat shows and other forms of entertainment.

"I came to shop, but my sister ambushed me, and I was forced to occupy her."

"Huh, I see." As soon as I said that, I noticed someone was watching me from afar. When I gave that person a look, they immediately looked away. No way, is that Komachi? "Give me a second," I pulled out my phone and called Komachi.

"Komachi."

"Hmm, oh hello, Onii-chan."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just shopping and stuff."

I sighed heavily on the line. "If you wanted to tag along with me, you should've just said so."

"Really!?"

"I'll rather you do that than stalk me, so come over here and introduce yourself before you keep staining the Hikigaya name."

As I said, she began to run over to us, but she didn't hang up the phone. Just how much of a klutz are you?

"Umm. I'm Hikigaya Komachi. Thank you for taking care of my brother." She bowed respectively.

"Hikigaya-kuns sister… It's nice to meet you. I'm Yukinoshita Yukino. I'm Hikigaya-kuns… I regret to say it, but I am his acquaintance."

"You regret to know me, huh."

"Indeed, you spoil every atmosphere you're in, including this one."

My sister lifted her head as she heard the two of us talking to each other. "You two are an interesting pair."

"You think so? I wonder..." She looked over at me with a cheeky look on her face that forced me to advert my attention away from her. She smiled and then continued. "I hope we can get along, Komachi-chan."

"Yes! Me too… Y-Yukino-san."

Why are you acting shy all of a sudden? If you're that uncomfortable using her first name, just use her last name.

"Well, I should get going now."

"Umm," Komachi stopped Yukinoshita just before she was about to leave. "Onii-chan and I were supposed to get a cake here, so I thought maybe you could come with us, Yukino-san."

"Cake, huh?"

Did we really need her to come with us to retrieve the cake? It's not like she's going to pay for it. Komachi better not ask her to pay for it, or she'll stain the Hikigaya name.

"They have single slices of cake there, too! The velvet one is soo good!"

"I guess I don't mind joining." Komachi burst into joy and then proceeded to walk beside Yukinoshita as we walked to the cake shop.

"Thank you so much for coming with me, Yukino-san! Onii-chan is such a downer sometimes, so I really wanted to talk with you instead of him."

"I can see that. He's like that in school, too."

"It's gross, right?"

"If you're not used to his antics, then it's definitely not pleasant to be around him sometimes. I can tolerate him, though."

"I see, I see. Thank you for looking after my brother, then." It didn't seem like they would stop anytime soon, so I was forced to listen to them talk about me until we got to the cake shop. I get that you like Yukinoshita Komachi, but don't throw your brother under the bus just to impress her. It's not as bad as your friends talking bad about you in front of their crush just to impress them, but it still hurts!

Within less than five minutes, we arrived at the cake shop. While I was in line to purchase the cake, Yukinoshita and Komachi were browsing the single servings of cake they offered.

As soon as it was my turn in line, I gave the clerk my name. "Order for Hikigaya."

"O-Okay, one moment, please." As she said that, the clerk walked toward the part of the shop where the preordered cakes and pastries were at. She didn't look much older than me, maybe 18 at most. I've always considered getting a job, but I hated working with a passion. But money doesn't grow on trees. Unfortunately, I'll have to employ myself at one point in my life. Maybe it'll be a good idea to get a job at the library or something. It's quiet, you don't socialize with people, and you read all day until you have to check out people. It's the perfect job for a loner like me.

As soon as the clerk returned with my order, she scanned the barcode and stated the price.

"3,000 yen is your total."

Thankfully I'm not paying for this out of my own pocket, so I casually gave the clerk the money and received my receipt. After I paid for the cake, I spotted a drink machine near the counter, along with cups behind the two clerks.

"Are you guys a coffee shop, too?"

"A-Ah, kind of. We have tea, iced coffee, hot chocolate, matcha latte, iced coffee, and cafe lattes. Would you like to buy a cup?"

It's interesting how a cake shop sells coffee and other drinks here. They probably won't be café quality drinks, but they're probably decent at best, seeing how most of the drinks are under 200 yen.

"Yeah. Uh, I'll get a café latte, regular."

I want to try something other than 150 yen iced coffee. There's nothing worse in the world than drinking cheap black coffee, so I'll try my luck with something sweet.

"Here you go. 150 yen is your total."

After I paid for my cup, I walked over to where Yukinoshita and Komachi were at. They're still deciding on what cake they should get.

"So, what flavors did you decide on?" Yukinoshita and Komachi jumped a bit because they weren't expecting me to startle them.

"Oh, it's just Onii-chan. Yukino-san and I decided on a velvet cake. Which one do you want?"

"I'm not really hungry, so I'll pass."

"C'mon, don't be like that, Onii-chan. I'll even pay for yours!"

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm still not hungry enough to eat sweets. I got a coffee instead."

"Whoa, they have drinks here too?" When she said that, I directed her to a self-serve coffee machine that I had spotted earlier. "Wow, they do." I was the first one to walk to the coffee machine while the other two-tailed me.

"Oh, they have tea here as well?" As they looked through the options, Yukinoshita was the first to talk between us.

"If you guys are going to get something to drink, you'll need to buy a cup from the clerks."

"I see. Komachi-san, are you going to get anything to drink?"

"Hmm. Onii-chan, can you get me a matcha latte, pleasee~"

"What the hell, do you not have your own money, Komachi?"

"Ah, c'mon, it's cheap! Don't be a cheapie, Onii-chan. I'll pay you back, don't worry."

Mom gives her all this money, but she can't afford a damn 150-yen drink. I hope she pays me back because this is my maxx coffee money I'm using here.

"Fine, wait here."

"Hehe, thank you!" Yukinoshita and I made our way to the clerks when she said that. We were behind one person who had a bunch of questions for the girl behind the counter. She looked new because the male clerk next to her came to her aid after she was bombarded with questions from the man in front of us.

Little sisters can be the most annoying little creatures on Earth, but they can also be the most loving and caring people you'll meet. But mines happen to not have enough money to buy herself a drink, or maybe she just wants me to buy it for her, so she doesn't have to waste her money. Either way, I'm not going to let it bother me anymore.

"Your sister is nothing like you, Hikigaya-kun." While waiting in line, Yukinoshita broke the silence between us with an icebreaker. It's funny she says that because her sister is nothing like her either, the only thing they seem to share with each other is their surname and skin tone.

"It's not like you and your sister are alike either."

"Yes, you're right. I was expecting Hikigaya-junior to have the same dead fisheyes as you, but Komachi-san is actually well-mannered and sweet. You can learn something from her."

"We can all learn something from everyone. Which means you can learn a whole lot from me."

"Like what, how to read middle school light novels? Or better yet, how to score a 6/100 in mathematics?"

"Wait, how do you know my math score? Did Hiratsuka-sensei tell you?" As I said that, it was our turn in line, so we both walked to the clerk and still emerged in conversation.

"We can search exam scores in the school's database, you know? But how do you manage to score a 6/100 in math? That's worse than a grade schooler, Hikigaya-kun."

"I'll have you know—"

"I would like a tea, please, regular size," Yukinoshita said to the clerk. For some reason, I felt kind of shocked seeing how quickly she brushed aside the conversation to order.

"Sure. What would you like, sir? Oh, you already ordered, didn't you?"

"Y-Yeah, I did."

"Right," He said. "Here you go. Your total is 150 yen." After Yukinoshita paid for her cup, we walked back to the coffee machine.

"I guess we just press the button, huh?" I placed my cup underneath the dispenser and pressed the button for my drink. As the drink came out, a faint smell of coffee and creamer stimulated my sense of smell. When I filled my cup, Yukinoshita went to fill hers while I lidded mine and took a sip. Sweet was the first thing that came to mind. It's a good balance between sweet and bitter.

"For 150 yen, it's acceptable." As I was thinking about my drink, Yukinoshita gave us her thoughts on the tea she had purchased.

"You guys got your drinks now, so let's go eat!"

Oh, right, they have cake. And seeing how Komachi is with us, I can't leave her alone with Yukinoshita, so I was forced to join them until they decided when they wanted to go. After they paid for the cake, we grabbed a table then Komachi dug into her velvet cake and exploded with enjoyment.

"So good! Here, try some, Onii-chan." She handed me her fork with a piece of cake on it. I was a bit hesitant to take it, but I took it anyway and swallowed the cake. It was moist, and the velvet flavor mixed well with the icing.

"It's good," Komachi was content with my answer then she directed her attention to Yukinoshita. "I'm curious, how did you two meet?" Yukinoshita stopped eating her cake in response to Komachi's question.

"I, unfortunately, met your brother when he joined my club."

"Wow, Onii-chan joined a club, really? I thought he was just trying to fix his math grade all this time." She looked at me, expecting an answer, but Yukinoshita continued to talk.

"He should really improve his mathematics grades, though. But my club advisor, which is our teacher, forced him to join the club as punishment."

"Yup, sounds like Onii-chan all alright."

"But after a while he…"

"Oh, there's more?! What happened?"

"He was forced to stay as a permanent member because his behavior was causing a minor disturbance in his classroom. And I was assigned the task of fixing him."

I wonder why she lied for the sake of the conversation. Maybe she didn't want to continue to talk about this, so she lied to steer the conversation off.

"Still sounds like Onii-chan. Wait, fix? What does your club even do?"

"We're the service club, and we simply lend a hand to those in need. While we're not handymen, we guide our clients and allow them the chance to fix their problems on their own rather than doing everything for them."

"Wow, so that sounds so high-tech. Are you the reliable type, Yukino-san?"

High tech? There's nothing high-tech about our isolation ward.

"I guess that entirely depends on the environment I'm in. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but Hikigaya-kun here has more weaknesses than strengths."

"That may be true, but Onii-chan's chicken cutlets are soo good!"

"Is that so? So, you have the cooking skills of a grade schooler, Hikigaya-kun." She directed her attention to me.

"Sorry to disappoint you, chef." She smiled when I said that, then Komachi grabbed her attention and began talking away with her while I sat and watched them.

After they finished their cakes, we waved down Yukinoshita and parted ways with each other.

"There's no way you're in the same club with such a beautiful girl, Onii-chan. This must be fate!"

"No, I don't think so."

"Ah, c'mon, don't be like that. It's not every day you get to talk to someone like Yukino-san on a daily basis. You guys are kind of similar, too, you know? But knowing you, you probably won't do anything."

Asking someone out is easy, but how do you engineer a situation where you can ask someone out in a socially acceptable way? Now that's the hard part.

"You're probably right."

"If only Komachi was in your school, then maybe I could help you out. If you can hold down Yukino-san for a year, I'll apply to your school and come to your aid!"

"I don't need your help, Komachi. Why are you insistent on this, anyway?"

"Ah, you're no fun."

"Hmm. Let's go home."

"Aye, aye, sir." She said as we began to walk to the nearest exit.

Somehow, I managed to meet Yukinoshita's sister, and Yukinoshita managed to meet my sister. But seeing how it's summer break and we're at the most popular mall in the area, then it's not that surprising that we managed to bump into each other. I also saw Yuigahama and Miura, so this is probably where most of the popular kids come to hang out on their break. Well, I guess this is just one more experience that I'll remember for a while. It's also another way for Komachi to bother me, so there is a minor downside to this after all.

Extra:

A month into summer vacation, I found myself walking to the local library on this warm morning. For loners, summer vacation is nothing more than reading, eating, and sleeping. We're not in clubs, so we don't go to school over break, and we avoid highly populated areas, so we tend to do the same things every day. Summer break is no exception, but there are moments when you want to go out and do something, like today.

Going to the library on hot days usually means guaranteed air conditioning. Most people inside their homes on a hot day typically think about quick ways to cool themselves off, like ice cream, the water park, or the beach. But the local library is actually well conditioned, it may be because of the books.

As soon as I stepped foot into the library, I was greeted with a crisp air that left my whole body refreshed for a second before I shut the door and made my way to the young adult section. The entire library was dead silent, and the only thing I heard was the sound of my footsteps. As I walked into the young adult section of the library, I made my way to a specific aisle where they kept a good sci-fi series that I was reading. When I turned the aisle, I was surprised to see someone else was also there. It wasn't just any person, it was…

"We meet again, Hikigaya Hachiman."

Zaimokuza Yoshiteru. We met in gym class when we were the only two people without a partner. As soon as we partnered up, he recognized me as his partner, and he began to reenact an ancient battle on the tennis court which naturally made us the center of attention that day. This guy is not my partner or my friend, but he latched himself onto me because he sees me as the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, while he sees himself as the 13th shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshiteru.

"Oh, hey. I didn't know you come to this library, too." I wouldn't say I disliked Zaimokuza, but I wouldn't say I entirely liked him, either. He's one of those people I'd rather avoid just because it's difficult to talk to him whenever he's acting out a character.

"The school library can be overwhelming when it's filled with enemies. So, this is my new haunt of choice."

I think he means people.

"Well, it's a library, so you can't expect people not to show up."

"Silence! Now, do you wish to read the ancient Japanese Archives, Hachiman?" If he was talking about the book in his hand, it was just a sci-fi book.

"Nah, I'm good."

"Fine, answer me this, then. Where do you go after hours? I've been meaning to make contact with you, but you suddenly disappeared from me. Just where are you hiding, Hachiman?!"

"Keep your damn voice down, and I go to my club after school. I'm not hiding anywhere."

"Club? No way. Who in their right mind would accept your club application? You're lying!"

"Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, it's called the service club. You can show up whenever you like."

"I can infiltrate your base whenever I so choose?"

"Yep,"

Little did he know I was only doing this to give Yukinoshita a hard time.

"Fufu, I'll take your word for it."

"Hmm," I said, grabbing the book I came here to read.

"Leaving already, Hachiman?"

"Yeah. I only came here to check out this book."

"I see. I shall join you, then." He said, with a couple of books in his hand. Our walk to the front desk was mostly in silence. Mainly because Zaimokuza has the habit of making strange noises most of the time, but to him, they're probably battle cries. When we approached one of the workers behind the counter, she greeted us and then proceeded to check out our books.

"The knowledge we'll acquire from these archives will do us good on the battlefield. Especially if I plan on visiting the so-called service club. But if I may, what does such a club do? By its name, you would assume that the club participants would be of service to others, correct?"

He's not technically wrong. But if you're going by its name alone, then it'll be easy to assume that we're a club that works for free. And I'm sure it'll probably come down to that at some point, but for now, we just lend a hand to those who are in desperate need of help.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I see. That would mean you would be obligated to help me, your master?" As he said that, the worker handed us our books, and we slowly walked toward the exit.

Picking up where our conversation left off, I continued. "Our club president decides whether to accept your request or not. I don't have much of a say in the requests."

"Oh, so you're not the one in charge, then? Why in the world would you join a club that's entire purpose is to assist others? You should join the UG club with me. We'll be more than happy to accept your club application."

United Gamers club, huh? I play games but not to the extent of joining a club meant for gaming.

"The last time I checked you weren't in a club. Did that finally change?"

"No. Those two bastards won't take me as their third member, no matter what I say. Can the service club lend me their services on this matter?"

"We don't have any special privileges, you know? We can't guarantee anything." As I said that, we walked outside, and the same summer breeze was present outside as we walked down the steps.

"Hmm, I see."

"I'm going this way, I'll see you in school, Zaimokuza." As soon as I got to ground level, I immediately made an opening for myself so that I could leave as soon as possible.

"Yes, until we cross paths again, Hachiman."

Even though I would have enjoyed my time here alone, talking to someone you know can be refreshing sometimes. It's not to mistake it with classmates because bumping into a classmate in public and then awkwardly engaging in conversation is not refreshing. I always wondered why classmates feel obligated to come to say something to you in public even though you don't talk to them in the classroom. But for Zaimokuza, it was nice to talk to someone that I somewhat know because we would have actual things to talk about rather than just exchanging pleasantries.

A month into summer vacation, and the most exciting thing that's happened so far was bumping into Zaimokuza; that's the life of a loner for you.

AN:

Writing is like 70% editing and doing revisions, so hopefully there are no noticeable errors in this chapter. I might go back to previous chapters and do some editing, but I'm not entirely sure yet. Maybe Ill leave that up to you guys.

The next update will come soon. I won't say anything else, but be ready for it. Your support is deeply appreciated as well.

[1] Light Novel Series.

- I mentioned a Gamers! referenced in here if you guys noticed. It's decent anime that I wish was a little better, but still a nice show.