Chapter 16: Everyone love Christmas

(Yukinoshita Haruno POV)

"Who would've thought that of all the reasons that made me entrusted my beloved Yukino-chan to Hikigaya-kun that directly is because I'm too rushed on my decision." I muttered to myself.

Meguri's story sounded so real that I thought Hikigaya-kun's cousins would cross the line and hurt Yukino-chan someday which I definitely wouldn't let happen on my watch.

Although I don't think it's any harm to leave it to Hikigaya-kun, I couldn't help but feel like I'm too gullible lately.

In the end, I couldn't meet my Nobunaga-kun.

Geez. Enough of that, I'm leaving. I still have to do something about Meguri too.

After I finished up my meal at my favorite restaurant, I asked the waiter for the bill.

"No need, ma'am. Your bill is already paid." replied the waiter.

"Come again?" I asked.

"The good-looking customer over there has paid it for you." replied the waiter as he pointed out to the seat behind me.

It's a guy who is actually a young man with a strong resemblance to Oda Nobunaga, and currently playing iPad.

I feel like my emotions are going to burst out all at once after seeing him.

I approached him and choked his throat crazily, causing a huge confusion to the entire restaurant.

After both of us left the restaurant, we're at the nearby park.

"You're unbelievable, returning someone's favor by choking them to death." said the guy.

"Favor? No apology? We're not seeing each other for so long and you're becoming more arrogant lately, Nobu-chan?" I said, emitted a dark aura.

"Again with that nickname." retorted Nobu-chan.

As you can guess, this guy is the one who I love and left me without any words. Tenma Nobunaga, nickname (by me of course) Nobu.

"You've got some nerve. Make me into you and dare to leave unwarned, not to mention that you made your sister trick me and get my hopes up like crazy." I complained.

"Ichi didn't trick you, she really believed I would show up that she invited you so I went with a substitution plan. Sorry about Ichi's unnecessary kindness then." replied Nobu-chan.

"That's all you apologize for?!" I asked.

You damn siscon.

"Unless you properly tell me the reason why you left, you're going to get choked on some more." I said as I caught his collar.

"Alright, alright. Can't you be less violent here?" said Nobu-chan.

"Only if you could be less cunning. In fact, you're pretty much asked for it yourself." I retorted.

That's pretty much the reason why you've paid for my bill.

However, that doesn't mean I would forgive you for making a fool out of me when you've returned.

"It can't be helped. I was destined to study abroad during that time to begin with." replied Nobu-chan.

"That doesn't explain why you're not informing me about that." I said.

"Are you saying that you wouldn't chase after me abroad if I told you that?" asked Nobu-chan.

"Unfortunately, my mother wouldn't allow me to go abroad for such reasons." I said.

"That's all?" asked Nobu-chan.

"That's all." I replied.

"Then I guess it's not wrong for me to not say anything to you." replied Nobu-chan.

"How's that not wrong?" I asked.

"Even though you're not allowed to chase after me abroad, you have never said that you would just let me go like that. Even if you couldn't go studying abroad, you still could somehow use your authority to make me stay in Japan instead." said Nobu-chan.

"What's the harm, really?! Did you want to go abroad that much?" I asked.

"No, I didn't. However, that's the tradition of the Tenma family where their successors have to study abroad until graduation once they've turned 17." said Nobu-chan.

I deadpanned at him.

You're well aware of that and yet you volunteered yourself to become a cultural festival chairman? Are you nuts?

"Knowing you who love to challenge me whenever there's any opportunity appeared, you would have run a cultural festival chairman if I volunteered myself. And when I'm not around, you would become the chairman in my place and lead the cultural festival to the succession for sure. I couldn't thank you enough for that, Yukinoshita-san." said Nobu-chan.

"I'm not giving you points for not addressing me by my first name." I said.

"After I went abroad, I've met so many varieties of foreign people there. Guess what, their political sophistries and tactics are all surprisingly advanced even in just their high school level. Compared to that, mine is just like a transparent object that could be easily seen through." said Nobu-chan, dejected.

"That much? What kind of school have you been transferred to, really?" I asked.

Also, how come the son of the security system company being transferred to studying overseas to learn such things in the first place?

"I also wonder about it myself. However, thanks to that I have learned what would be profitable for my family business." said Nobu-chan.

"Well, good for you then." I said.

However, Nobu-chan's dejected expression still remains unchanged.

"It would be really a good thing if that was the only thing I've learned from overseas." said Nobu-chan.

"What did you learn that bothered you then?" I asked.

"If you don't mind hearing it despite how megalomaniacal it sounds I will tell you and that's the reason I came back." said Nobu-chan.

"Let's hear it out." I said.

"Once I've reached the university level, students there were brimming with political talents but that wasn't always a good thing. Some of them overestimate their talents so they planned to take over the prime minister's throne once they've graduated. However, the biggest problem is that someone who thought they already possessed enough talent to rule not just their own countries but others as well started making their moves a few months ago. Until this point I think you could guess why I came back here from that, right?" said Nobu-chan.

"Their next target is Japan, huh?" I replied.

"It's no longer a 'next', it's already their 'current' target. In other words, I'm a step behind them." said Nobu-chan.

"What?! They've already here?" I said.

"Pretty much. Have you watched the news lately?" asked Nobu-chan.

"Yeah. Lately, some companies in Japan are suddenly facing internal strife one after another and it's enough to badly affect the government. Don't tell me…" I said.

"That's right. The seed they implanted in Japan started to bud and it's unfortunately that I still don't have any proper evidence besides the sudden chaos that occurred here." said Nobu-chan.

"Then do you know who's the mastermind behind that?" I asked.

"I thought I knew who they were until I recently found out that they were also the group of puppets of the true mastermind all along." replied Nobu-chan.

"As expected from people who earned your praise for having advanced political sophistries and tactics." I said.

"With lack of evidence, I couldn't do much, at least I could be able to warn people here about their schemes." said Nobu-chan

"That's why you come back. Also, considering that they're already here, you would have trouble finding the right timing to show yourself, right?" I deduced.

"Perceptive as always, Yu—"

"Hmm…"

"Haruno-san."

I smiled darkly which caused him to say my first name.

But I couldn't help but frown upon hearing his reasons despite how important they were since it's mean he came to personally meet me today to have a chat with 'the eldest daughter of Yukinoshita' not 'Yukinoshita Haruno'.

"I don't think your father and those people with influence in Japan would believe it especially when we're lacking evidence and they're still considered the important allies to Japan up until now. But we definitely can't wait for the evidence, can we? So please save Japan, Haruno-san." said Nobu-chan.

"Well, don't expect too much since I already have my hands full of troublesome things lately. However, I have a condition." I said.

"Yeah?" said Nobu-chan as I kabedoned him.

"The upcoming Christmas, go on a date with me." I said.

Nobu-chan closed his eyes and inhaled.

"Alright. Alright. Got it. You're still as persistent as always, Haruno, dang it!" said Nobu-chan in annoyance.

"Hehe. While you're at it, show me that vile side of yours more during our date too, okay? If you're not keeping your promises then Japan could be damned for all I care, okay?" I said as I winked at him causing him to shiver in terror.

Then I suddenly remembered the very important thing.

"Say, Nobu-chan. Have you heard about Meguri getting engaged lately?" I asked, hoping to ask him for help too.

"Oh, that big fan of yours during our high school time? To be honest, I was requested to break the engagement between her and her fiancé by her fiancé." replied Nobu-chan.

"Oh, that's great. Have you done it yet?" I asked with a cheerful tone and unconsciously pushed him down to the wall even further.

"Um… well… to be frankly…" stuttered Nobu-chan.

Then he told me how he investigated the whole situation about that engagement and I couldn't help but dumbfounded at the result.

"What? It's that simple?" I said.

"Simple but not easy, especially for Shiromeguri. But to him, that is also too simple to be true." said Nobu-chan as we bid farewell to each other.

That's true. Even though things are much simpler than I thought it is, it's indicated that Meguri is in the tighter spot than I thought she was before too.

Who would've thought that to some people, the road to hell is paved with High School RomCom plots?

(Yukinoshita Haruno POV Ended)

(Narrator POV, Class 2-F)

"E-Ebina-san. Did I just misheard something?" said Tobe Kakeru, panicked.

Ebina Hina kabedoned Tobe Kakeru and asked him to be her boyfriend.

Everyone in the classroom was surprised by Ebina's action, especially Tobe, except Ebina herself and Hikigaya Hachiman.

"So that's what he meant back then, huh?" muttered Hachiman.

"E-Ebina-san, why so suddenly?" asked Tobe.

"Why? You have someone else you like already?" asked Ebina as she was about to get some tears out of her eyes.

"No, no. That's not what I meant." said Tobe.

Tobe was at a loss of what to do when Ebina approached him like that.

A girl who rejected him quite frequently before now asked him to be her boyfriend.

But her actions were more like forcing him to be her boyfriend than just confessing, no wonder why Tobe was confused.

As if that wasn't enough, his fellow rejected squad members (Ooka and Yamato) didn't help him at all as they're busy imagining their crush approached them in the same way as Ebina.

In the end, Tobe gave in since Ebina kept desperately spawning the misleading words like 'So your passion these past days were just you toying with me?' or 'Now that you finally seize my heart, you don't need me anymore?' and more of them that would make people see Tobe like a heartbreaker bastard.

Miura Yumiko couldn't help but worry about Ebina so she invited her to the rooftop to have a private talk with her.

After both of them reached the rooftops, tears bursted from Ebina's eyes as she couldn't contain her emotions anymore.

With motherly instinct, Miura comforted Ebina and asked her what troubled her.

Ebina, being governed by her emotions, spilled the beans about what happened obediently.

(Flashback, the day before)

Ebina Hina's parents took her to have an outdoor dinner as they're arrived to Sanshokuin Household.

"Mom. Dad. Why are we here? And what is this place? I thought we would have dinner outside." asked Ebina

"Yes. We're having dinner outside." replied her dad.

"But this place isn't anything like a restaurant." said Ebina.

"Hina. Have we ever said we would have dinner at any restaurant?" asked her mom.

"No." said Ebina.

However, that is still weird. True, it doesn't have to be restaurants but the place her parents took her to isn't a place that looks like the one people would stop by to eat at all, not to mention that she completely had no idea what this place is.

After her parents knocked on the door, the group of people she had never seen greeted her and her parents and invited them to have dinner together.

The four adults were getting along much to the two teenagers' confusion.

After the dinner ended, broke the silence.

"Alright then, it's time for the main event." said .

"W-what's the main event?" asked Ebina.

"Hina. We're announced that you're now engaged with Sanshokuin Hassen-kun over there." said .

Ebina spilled the tea upon hearing that and quickly protested.

However, her protests reached no one ears, the same goes with the boy's protests.

"Now, you two. At least get to know each other more, okay?" said .

"Don't worry, we will let you two have some alone time together so have a nice chat, okay?" said as all the adults left the dining room, leaving the two teenagers alone.

Ebina tried to get out of the dining room but failed since the door was locked so she couldn't do anything other than cursing her parents for deceiving her.

After a while, Ebina just realized that the boy she was engaged with hid his laughter whilst watching her useless struggles and cursing the whole time.

"What's funny?" asked Ebina.

"Was there anything that's not funny in your action, my fiancée?" retorted Hassen.

"If anything, your phrase itself is funnier. At first you've protested it, now you accept me as your fiancée. Just so you know that I have never acknowledged you as my fiancé and never will." said Ebina.

"Don't be so presumptive. Just because I called you that doesn't mean I really accept it for real. And of course if possible I would never acknowledge such a rotten fujoshi like you as my fiancée as well." retorted Hassen.

"You…!?" said Ebina.

"Surprise that I knew such things?" said Hassen.

"How did you know? Are you stalking me, you creep?" said Ebina.

"What about a rotten fujoshi like you that's worth being stalked anyway? It's natural for me to know that since we've met each other before." said Hassen.

"Huh? What crap are you even saying? I've never seen you before!" said Ebina.

Hassen laughed devilishly upon hearing Ebina's saying and then adjusted his vocal cords and took off his glasses as well as messing his own hair.

Ebina's eyes started to widen instinctively as her nightmare resurrected.

"Utterly ridiculous, isn't it? Trying to protect the friendship from falling apart because you believe in it the least." said Hassen, repeating the quote he had said to her during the time he disguised himself as Hachiman.

"HIKITANI!" shouted Ebina as she attempted to put every ounce of her strength in her slap.

*BANG*

"It's been a long while and yet you still couldn't get my cousin's name right, huh? Well, not that I expected much." said Hassen as he caught Ebina's hand and threw her to the other side of the room, causing her back to hit the wall so hard.

Hassen put back his glasses and helped Ebina stand up, by pulling her hair up in an unmannerly way.

"In order to save your pathetic group of friends, you dare take advantage of my precious cousin Hachiman's kindness so that he would do a social suicide for it. Are you sure you have the right to get angry?" said Hassen coldly.

*Bam*

"That's too intense even for kabedon, Hassen." said as he opened the door.

"And this engagement doesn't look like one either. How about you guys go straight to the explanation already?" retorted Hassen.

"Alright, alright, listen well." said as Ebina's parents went to pull up their daughter.

"If I named it a 'punishment engagement', Hassen, I think you'll understand it right away." said .

Hassen thought for a moment and voiced out his analyzing result.

"Knowing how nosy and weird you guys are, even though I have never told you guys about me disguised as Hachiman and shredded her group of friends to pieces, you guys somehow knew it anyway. And you guys managed to come up with such hellish ideas like this 'punishment engagement' which is undoubtedly effective especially considering who my fiancée is." said Hassen.

"Wow, you're just like what your parents describe you to be, it's as if you've eavesdropped on our encounter with your parents." said .

"Are you out of your mind, Mom, Dad? Forced me to engage with this creep just to punish him? Unbelievable!" protested Ebina.

"You've been cursing the one who shattered your friendship ever since the day you came back from Kyoto so we just give you the chance to be a part of his punishment as well as punish you while we're at it." said .

"Punish me? For what?" asked Ebina.

"Just like what Hassen-kun said, you took advantage of your classmate's kindness to solve your problem despite knowing that he would go for social suicide. How can you be that cruel?" said .

"I…" said Ebina.

"No matter how much you value your friendship with them, you have no right to make others sacrifice themselves just to save it." said .

"I-It can't be helped, isn't it? I didn't have a feeling for Tobecchi! But if I were to reject him straightly, my group of friends would be crushed. And thanks to this psychopath that it already is!" said Ebina as she pointed her finger at Hassen.

"You've never regretted your decision about abusing Hachiman's kindness for your own pathetic benefit, I see. Very well, I guess it's not a bad thing to have you as my fiancée since not only I could keep you from harming others but also be able to beat the crap out of you as much as I want on Hachiman's behalf." said Hassen.

"Hassen, fiancée isn't some sort of new brand punching bag and I don't think Hachiman-chan would want you to do that either." sighed .

"Whatever. Since you two don't even have any lovers at this moment so there's practically no reason for you to reject this engagement." said .

"Then what if I got myself a lover, can I cancel the engagement?" said Ebina.

Hassen and Ebina's parents looked at each other and nodded.

"If any of you ever got yourselves a real lover, then we don't mind." said , emphasizing the 'real' part.

"I will, I definitely will." said Ebina desperately.

"However, the deadline is the upcoming Christmas, if any of you succeed, show us the proof by going on a date with that lover of yours that day, if both of you failed, you both will have to accept your fate and go on a date with each other that day instead. Got it?" said .

"Oh, that's a good idea. We should apply that idea to that headstrong bookworm eldest son of us too." said .

"Just as you've just heard, Hassen, please tell him for us too, we will tell Meguri-chan's parents ourselves." said .

"Yeah, yeah. You bullies of parents. But don't expect us to put our efforts into fulfilling that condition, okay?" said Hassen.

"Put some once in a while, will you?! Just how long will stubborn yet gifted brains and gifted brawns brothers stop worrying us and getting out of the path where you guys would end up die alone?" said .

"That's a tall order. However, that sounds strangely interesting in itself so I'm not against it and probably so is Hachiju. Can't wait to see how messed up this double date turned out to be." said Hassen devilishly.

"Say whatever you want, you natural enemy of gods of romantic comedy." said .

(Flashback Ended, Narrator POV Ended)

(Hikigaya Hachiman POV, Lunch Break)

Komachi didn't text me anything, nor did she approach me since I came back.

To put it simply, she's somehow avoiding me.

The only thing she said is that she called off the cupid operation plan altogether without any explanation.

I've been living with her for 15 years so I know that digging for her reasons from her she has the same expression when she caught on dad's liar plastered on her face would worsen the situation.

Ah… What a pain…

"Hikigaya, there you are." said Hiratsuka-sensei.

Come to think of it, she started to approach me only when Hachiju and Hassen were not around lately.

Is she traumatized by Hassen that much?

"What is it, Hiratsuka-sensei?" I asked.

"It seems like the Service Club will be temporarily shut down because Yukinoshita will be cooperating with the student council president on something so I don't mind if you're not going to the club for a while." said Hiratsuka-sensei.

That doesn't mean I can't join in, isn't it? You better tell me straightly that I don't need to come for some reason that you don't want my assistance instead of telling me such lame excuses.

Hmm… seeking help from Yukinoshita is definitely the good idea. However, isn't she already busy with Haruno's request?

"Did she push herself too far again, I wonder?" I said to no one while I forgot about Hiratsuka-sensei.

"Don't ignore me, brat. Also, as far as I know, it's more like give and take. The student council president promised to give Yukinoshita a hand whenever she has a problem with the future requests if she helps. Your cousins better watch out for it." said Hiratsuka-sensei as she left.

Good lord. People in my house already distanced themselves from me and now even my clubmates did the same thing.

…

A loner felt lonely, huh? For me to feel this way yet again, so much of a loner I am.

Whatever, I have to find a way to get in touch with Komachi again.

Now I've arrived at my favorite spot and am having lunch with Hachiju and Hassen.

I've told them what happened to Komachi and others after I came back from their house.

"Those parents of yours finally messed up, huh?" said Hassen.

"Sooner or later, they would eventually ruin the efforts they've built up for years with their loose lips. Like parents, like daughter." said Hachiju.

"I couldn't really say anything to defend them at all." I said.

If even these two saw no other possibility then my premonition is right on the money.

Komachi has finally discovered who we really are from her parents.

Since Komachi has never, even once, forgotten about addressing me as 'Onii-chan', on top of that, her expression back then is much more like three of us when we accidentally discovered our roots years ago, so I discussed with Hachiju and Hassen whether this could possibly be her mere acting.

Now things are getting really awkward.

"What should I do now?" I asked.

"You're not aware that you're better than us at handling that?" asked Hassen.

"Of course I'm aware of it." I said.

"But you still asked us for help anyway?" asked Hachiju.

"Then you guys should be able to tell that I'm run out of choice, isn't it?" I said.

Also, you guys are parts to blame so take responsibility a bit, will you?

"Come to think of it, this is something that has never happened. How about you stay with us again, or be with us from now on when you're already at it?" suggested Hassen.

"That's a tall order, Hassen. Especially when there's an eyesore that can make him go against us for her." said Hachiju teasingly which I unconsciously chuckled.

No matter where, no matter when, I really do enjoy our teasing conversation the most, up until I got to meet her of course.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep that joke to yourself and don't try to take advantage of my situation to separate me from Komachi just yet." I said.

Yeah, you heard right. I did say 'yet'.

At this rate I might have to leave Komachi for real.

Anything but that, please. I begged you god.

"Then just tell her what you want to do with her straightforwardly." said Hachiju.

"Even now when we're totally on the outs?" I asked.

"If it's that bad, then no matter what you do, it can't get any worse. Source: Sumireko." said Hachiju.

"I see. Alright, please thank her for me then." I said, which put an annoyed expression on Hachiju's face.

Well, it's not like that was your own idea to begin with.

"Also, one more thing." I said.

"What is it? If it's your request then we'll definitely go for it." asked Hassen.

"The upcoming Christmas Day, let's go visit grandfather Gocho together." I said.

Hachiju and Hassen's eyes widened at that.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just that we also thought of the same thing but you're the first to suggest that." said Hachiju.

"O-oh." I said.

We're really triplets, aren't we? Even our thoughts were linking to each other.

"However, let's spice the upcoming Christmas up even more while we're at it." said Hassen.

"Oh, that's nice. It's really a win-win situation." said Hachiju.

I took my earlier internal complementary back.

"Spice up? Win-win?" I asked.

Hachiju and Hassen fixed their gazes as if they wanted to eat me or something.

"Hachiman. During the upcoming Christmas, bring your girlfriend over as well!" said Hachiju and Hassen in unison.

"ARE YOU GUYS JOKING MEEEEEEE?!" I screamed.

(Hikigaya Hachiman POV Ended)

A/N: Chapter 16 for you readers, please enjoy.