Unexpected Marriage

by Shroheim

Hikigaya Hachiman and Miura Yumiko now in their third year of high-school are caught in an arranged marriage orchestrated by their parents. How will they deal with this predicament, each other and those around them?

2. Chapter 2

I always wondered how being married would feel like. How it will feel waking up at the sight of your beloved. Honestly now that I was experiencing these feelings, it felt like I got hit by a truck. My heart nearly stopped before it started jumping around like a crazy person as if possessed by something. My olive green eyes were wide open, not even the slight resemblances of sleep remained, and it had all but vanished into thin air.

I nearly let out a terrifying loud scream only for it to be stopped by quickly covering my mouth with my hands. That was close. That was super close. I almost woke up the whole house. Hachiman's family probably would have barged into the room in seconds and they will see us in this embarrassing position. Nope, definitely not gonna happen. I will immediately die out of embarrassment.

Besides, screaming directly into Hachiman's face was the last thing I wanted to do.

Removing my hands from my mouth, I moved them down to my chest, trying to calm this rampaging sorry excuse of a heart down. It wouldn't listen to me at all and instead it succeeded in doing the exact opposite by speeding up even more. Can you listen to me for once in your life? Is that too much to ask?

Meanwhile my eyes had been locked on at its intended target for a while now, not daring to steal a glance away for even a second. They watched on as the person lying next to me slowly breathed in and out peacefully, lost in his deep slumber unaware of what was transpiring around him. His long bangs were partly covering his eyes but only his defined ahoge, different from its brethren clearly defied gravity and hung alone at the top of his head, curved down a bit.

Cute.

I had to desperately fight the urge hold my hand back, so it wouldn't attack its prey which was Hachiman's ahoge. Even though I wanted to touch it so bad but I also didn't want to accidentally wake up Hachiman either. I was stuck in a dilemma. Who knows how he will react when he wakes up, he might get angry at me for disturbing his sleep or he might start teasing me again which is the worst case scenario.

I tried to slide back a little, increasing the distance between her, but unexpectedly his arm which was placed around my body came to life for a short moment and it managed to bring me even closer to the raven haired teen than ever before.

My breath was completely entrapped in my throat as our bodies were practically glued together.

Close, TOOO CLOSE. I internally screamed.

I should have expected this, and yet I still went ahead and slept on the same bed as Hachiman. What's worse is the fact that I slept in his arms of all things. Though, his body smelled nice and warm, it felt good curdling up to him while we slept.

I instantly mentally slapped myself, breaking free from my disillusions. Focus Yumiko, focus. You can't bait yourself into an even more embarrassing situation. I have to get out as soon as possible.

But it was impossible, my body just didn't want to move anymore. It had completed betrayed me and started to snuggle up to Hachiman. I was deep red from head to toe, my mind was overloading itself, counting down to a complete melt down while my heart was fighting its way out of my chest.

I was half expecting Hachiman to wake up from my actions, calling me Yumi with his sweet and gentle voice causing my heart to beat even faster than before, there is no way he wouldn't, not after both of us were being pressed together like this. But his breathing was slow and steady, his eyelids were closed. He looked peaceful when he slept, like he didn't have a care in the world.

Is Hachi a heavy sleeper? Seriously, there is no reaction from him when his cute wife is lying in his arms. How disappointing.

A loud deep suddenly erupted out of nowhere filling the room completely startling me, it was like I was struck with electricity. The next jump scare came when Hachiman suddenly opened his eyes unwrapping his arms from around me and sat up on the bed in a swift motion. His hand moved to the edge of the bed where his phone was placed, tapping it.

The loud beeping noises came to a halt.

He rubbed his eyes, getting rid of the last bit of sleepiness he possessed. The lights were still off so the only light source came from the curtains, illuminating the room a little bit. He sensed my movements from the corner of his eyes realizing that I was also awake.

Hachiman then made an angry face as he hit his forehead. "Sorry." He apologized as he stood up from the bed. "I completely forgot to turn off the alarm. I am sorry I woke you up because of my mistake." He showed me a troubled face, his fist were clenched exerting forcing into them. He was clearly upset. I am genuinely surprised how angry he was because of this small issue.

I sat up on the bed, sliding my legs off the soft surface and onto the cold floor. I made my way towards the switch turning them on, lighting up the room.

I faced him with a bright smile on my face as I walked nearer to him, halting just an arm's reach away. This made him relax a little as he slowly opened his fist, releasing them from the consist stream of tension.

"Its fine, I was already awake before the alarm went off." I explained to him expecting Hachiman to calm down but it only expanded the problem further. Because his face showed a hint of anger again.

"I am sorry, just because I was tired last night, I didn't think about your feelings. Sleeping together on the same bed for the first time would have been weird for anyone, I made you uncomfortable didn't I? I should have just slept on the sofa."

Why is he blaming himself so much? It really wasn't that big of a deal but I was afraid if I point that out to him, he might get even more upset.

"It didn't make me uncomfortable." I softly told him, my cheeks a slight shade of red. "In fact, I felt so happy when I woke up and found you lying next to me. How could I even think about sleeping after that?" I told him the truth, and sure enough at the expense of my own embarrassment, Hachiman face too turned red from my declaration.

He promptly averted his eyes away from me, scratching his messy bed hair. "I see." Hachiman getting all flustered was too damn cute. Ah, my heart can't take any more of this. I need to change the mood before I pass out.

"So if you forgot to turn off the alarm last night, does that mean you always wake up around this time?" I asked him skilfully distracting both of us from the earlier episode.

Hachiman sighed as he faced me again, nodding. "Yes, I do. It's been like that since spring break. I made a habit of waking up around this time."

"What time is it anyways?" The room housed no clock and my own phone was busy sleeping on the bed. I didn't move to grab my phone instead I waited for Hachiman to reply back to me.

"It's five in the morning." He gave a dull reply.

Meanwhile my eyes wide open as I digested the information. "Five in the morning? What the hell do you even do at five in the morning?" That was way too early to do anything, unless you lived in one of those rural areas where families wake up at dawn, my father took me to one of those places last night to teach me about patience and hard work. But that was undoubtable the most boring time of my life, ever.

Maybe I should go there with Hachiman once again? Who knows, maybe I might just enjoy the experience next time.

"Well, I usually study and exercise during this time. Saves me a lot more time for other stuff like my part time job after school ends or just hang out with my friends."

"You have friends?" I asked completely taken aback.

Hachiman frowned down at me, he used his hands to grab my soft cheeks and started to mercilessly stretch them as if they were made of rubber.

"I'm sorry." I pleaded with teary eyes and eventually he had to release me, a small grin across his face. Well that cheered him up, though, my red cheeks were unhappy getting the short end of the stick.

Though, this explains a lot. I sneaked a peek at Hachi, studying him up and down. If he indeed uses this time for studies and training then all of it clearly shows. His body, although covered by cloths, looked strong and durable. He has been training since spring vacations and the results till today spoke for themselves. As for his academics, he placed top in his year, beating down both Hayama and Yukinoshita who were considered the smartest people in school.

He worked so hard to get here. My heart swelled up with happiness just thinking about how amazing my husband was.

Come to think of it.

"You always used to say that to work is to lose or that you will become the greatest househusband?" That's what Yui shared with me anyways. I thought it was ridicules of course, I couldn't understand whether she was joking or serious.

"Please forget about that." He said as he turned his head away, I expected him to be embarrassed by his younger self as most people are but he looked extremely displeased. Maybe it was a mistake to say that. If I knew beforehand that this would cause a negative reaction from him then I wouldn't have said anything in the first place.

Panicking, I tried to think of a way to overturn my blunder.

"Ah, since you are smart and all, maybe you can help me study you know. My grades are just above the bare minimum so I would appreciate the help." I had thought of this before, asking him to assist me with my studies but I was a little hesitant to ask him, waiting for a good time.

Hachiman turned to face me again, a deep frown dawning his face. He raised his hands, pinching his thumb with his index finger, marching them onwards to their designated target, my cheeks.

Not wanting my cheeks to become jelly, I rushed my own hands and successfully cupped my face, shielding my cheeks from the incoming on slaughter. But it was a trick and I realized it all too late. The attack on my face was only a diversion, the real target was elsewhere entirely.

Hachiman lightly grabbing the side of my head holding it in place as he brought his own head down, until his lips touched my forehead, giving it brief kiss before departing.

The surprise attack had succeeded in rendering me utterly useless, as I stood in one place, my face buried underneath my hands avoiding the happy smile from my husband. I can literally roll over and die right now. Why did he even do that? This was the second kiss to the forehead, speaking of kiss, didn't I kill him on the cheeks last night?

Ahhhhhhh, every fibre of my being screamed out at the remembrance of the embarrassing memory, I wanted to run out and bury myself in a hole somewhere. At that time, my emotions had a mind of its own and I had no control over my actions at all. I kissed him on impulse. I was just so overjoyed that he gave me the ring, I honestly felt like bursting out in tears at the sight of him putting the ring on my finger.

"Come on now, seeing you like this is making me embarrassed too."

WHOSE FAULT DO YOU THINK IT IS?

Sure enough, I removed my hands from my face and shyly faced my husband who had a smile on his face with red cheeks of his own.

"I usually start of my morning routine with studying, we could have done that but all your stuff is still back at your old room and my room is a mess too. I was thinking about going off for my morning runs, so you want to accompany me?" He asked timidly, anxious for my reply.

I wordlessly nodded, not being able to muster enough strength to form words as of yet. It was a surprise that I was brave enough to at least match his gaze.

"Alright then, I need to get changed so I have to head back to my old room." Hachiman explained as he started to move, without saying a word I simply followed behind him. He was a little surprised by this but he didn't say anything. I had a desire to see Hachiman's room, his real room. If I did that, maybe I could find out more about my husband who I largely ignored before my marriage.

Honestly speaking, he didn't stand out too much before aside from the fact that my best friend Yui liked him and still holds feelings for my husband.

I did ask Yukino to help me regarding this issue but even then I am a little scared. Yui is my best friend, the last thing I want to do is hurt her. She has been hurt enough as it is. The news that Hachi and I are married might break what little remains of her heart.

I am afraid of losing her.

"Well this is my old room." Hachiman stops at the wooden door opposite to Komachi's room. He opens the door and turns on the light revealing the contents inside.

"Huh?" I blinked a few times to make sure what I was seeing. I looked at Hachi who sighed in return, I looked back at the room filled with old boxes and junk lying around. This is Hachiman's room?

"This is your room?" I asked stunned. I thought Hachiman's room would be more organized than this, seeing how he reacted because he forgot to turn off a simple alarm. Well, this is unexpected to say the least.

"Well, this was my room." He let out another sigh. "Now it's turned into a store room." Hachiman explained rubbing his head.

"Huh?" I was confused than ever before. "Did you not have a store room before?"

"We did." Hachiman averted my gaze, swallowing hard. "Our room used to be the store room until yesterday." He said that and walked inside manoeuvring around the different objects and boxes scattered around the room. I too walked inside with a frown on my face.

"What do you mean, a store room? Wasn't it supposed to be a guest room before?" I walked over to the single sized bed, lying upon its surface. My frown deepened. I can't believe our room used to be a store room. It wasn't like I was upset with Mrs. Hikigaya not mentioning that part but still. It was supposed to be our room.

Hachiman let out a sigh as he moved some boxes away from the closets doors. "Well it used to be a guest room, but since we never had guest in the first place, my father turned it into a store room. He cleared the room yesterday when we came back home and threw all the stuff here instead. He bought the bed and set it up in our room, the sofa is old though. He said anything else I have do it myself. He gave me money though, and so did your father later when he showed up at dinner. We are free to redecorate the room as we please."

When he was done he opened the closet showcasing a limited amount of clothing. He barely has anything to wear, the closet is practically empty. How does he live like this?

Hachiman takes out a grey tracksuit, turning around to face me. He raised his eyebrows in surprise seeing me pout unhappily. "Does this bed belong in the garbage too?" I asked grimly.

"That's harsh, that bed has been my companion for my years now. You hurting its feelings and mine." Hachiman pretended to wipe away a fake tear away from his eyes. If there was a non-lethal object in arms reach, I would have used that to throw it at my useless husband but sadly, fate was on his side and there were none. So I was just content with just glaring at him.

"It's so hard, how do you even sleep like this. No wonder you have dead eyes, you barely get any sleep with a bed like this." I rolled over on its rough surface lying on my back, staring at the grey ceiling. So this is the view Hachiman seeing when he wakes up.

Hachiman visibly winces at my comment. "Well I did have a softer mattress before, but I later changed it to a harder one. Softer ones are counterproductive and makes you not want to get out of bed." You might as well sleep on the floor at this point. The floor will be more comfortable than this bed. "If that alarm didn't go off, I would have probably stayed asleep for who knows how long. You were so soft and smelled nice, I felt like I was floating in the clouds. Definitely the best sleep I had in a long time."

Hachiman nodded to himself as he dodged an incoming metal pot with swift movement, a smug grin across his face. "Did I say something wrong?" He innocently questioned.

They say actions speak louder than words, and so abiding by this teaching, I picked up another object close to me, an old book ready to be thrown at the enemy.

But before it could be launched at the enemy, my husband acted first, "I am gonna go change so stay here until I come back." And with that he ran out of the room leaving me alone holding a book in hand, face dyed red and conflicted.

Stupid, stupid Hachiman. That big dummy, why does he keeps on teasing me like this? My head almost exploded after he said that. Seriously, I hate him.

I fell down onto the bed again and buried my face on its stony surface letting out a muffled scream. If I yelled out loud then the whole house would have heard my outcry, and if not the parents, then Komachi who was next door would definitely hear the outburst. I feared if Komachi woke up, she will probably join forces with her brother and tease me more.

Speaking of Komachi, she did look cheerful last night at the dinner. She wasn't gloomy like the time we both went to the supermarket to buy the groceries. I was happy when she slowly started to open up to me as more time we spent together. How we bonded together last night watching that drama was truly blissful. Even Hachiman commented right before he fell into his deep sleep that his sister looked happy after such a long time.

He thanked me for it. Honestly I did nothing special on my end, I just tried to get along with his family members the best I could. Why was I trying so hard in the first place? Why was I trying to impress my husband who I was practically forced to marry because both of our parents wanted us to?

The answer was clear, the words I declared to Hachiman when he tried to convince me for this marriage still echoed inside my mind like a broken tape recorder. I told him that I may never love him and that my love was only reserved for Hayama Hayato. I felt so ashamed and stupid, my heart felt like it was going to be crushed under its own weight.

He did not want to tell me he was engaged to Yukinoshita so that he can keep his little group functioning properly. I would have understood if he was being pushed into the engagement by his family, it would have hurt me immensely, but I would have understood. I would have helped him. But in the end he didn't even care to share such a thing with us, his group. He did not care about me at all. He only cared about his own peace of mind. As long as his group served its purpose, he was happy. I wasted two and a half year of my life chasing after my supposed prince charming, what a fool I was.

Meanwhile, my husband Hikigaya Hachiman has been nothing but kind to me. He would hold my hand, he would tease me, he would say sweet things to me, he would kiss my forehead tenderly, and he would wrap me in his embrace, hugging me without a care in the world. He promised me that he will protect me, but he had done more than that, he filled my heart with love that I was undeserving off. He had brought fire back to my frozen heart when it received the dreadful information from Yukinoshita.

I would have broken apart right there and then. But I had the strength to get back up only because my husband was there to shield and support me against the threat he promised to protect me against. After that, I felt shameful that Hachiman was the one who was also a victim of this marriage arrangement tried his best to get along with me unconditionally, so couldn't I do the same?

Momentarily, I forced myself to completely forget about Hayama and focus solely on Hachiman.

From that point onwards, it was like a whole new world had been opened up for me, sheer happiness and blissfulness had washed over me. Who would have thought that the one responsible for causing these emotions within me would be that dead-eyed loner of a delinquent?

"Sorry for keeping you waiting." A similar voice rang out and I popped my head sideways to stare at the figure standing at the door now wearing his sports gear.

I immediately got out of the bed, tip toeing my way around the many objects disorganized on the floor and proceeded to ram my body straight into Hachiman. I wrapped my arms around his large body as my face buried itself in his chest.

To say that my abrupt actions had taken my husband by surprised would have been an understatement. He was clueless to what had happened during the short time he was away. He lightly placed his large hands on my shoulder afraid of putting too much pressure on them.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice was full of concern and worry. But it only caused me to tighten my embrace around him seeking protection. "Did you perhaps miss me?" He cheekily asked but it only earned him a light punch to the chest which only led to him letting out a light chuckle.

I have been hugged by him before, I even slept together with him in his arms, but this was the first time I was hearing that irregular beating. The sound was coming from his chest. His face was calm but his heart was beating so fast, just like mine. Even if you acted perfect from the outside, your heart holds the key to your true feelings. Hachiman, do you genuinely love me or are you doing all of this for appearance sake? It scares me, I am scared of knowing. I don't want to be hurt again.

I squeezed him tighter, clinging onto him desperately like my life depending on it, because it did.

"Hi, it's alright." Hachiman didn't tease me or attempt to make a joke. He only moved his arms around me, engulfing me whole in his warm embrace. Hugging me back while whispering calming words into my ear. "I am here, don't worry."

In spite of all that has happened I am still doubting my own feelings and his. I wish I could bury them all so I can spend peaceful days with my beloved without regret.

After that little episode, I became a little passive around Hachiman. He for the most part tried to talk to me but I could only give him half-hearted replies. I did not have the courage to face him and mostly kept my head low, the floor being my favourite companion.

Hachi who was patient with me, told me that when I was ready to talk he would be right beside me ready to listen to whatever I have to say.

We were out of the house now, walking on the street hand in hand. Dawn had yet to break free from its long slumber so the only source of light came from the rows of light streets located on either side of the street. Silence dominated the air around us, only the sound of our shoes hitting the pavement could be heard.

Not a single word was said between us. This caused more pain to erupt in my chest, making it unbearable and hard to breath. It was because of me that the mood around us was terrible. I felt my hand being squeezed tightly, reminding me of the presence walking besides me. My crestfallen face lifted up to meet Hachiman's frowning one.

"What's wrong?" Hachiman finally broke the ice.

"Nothing really." I replied back turning my head away from his unbearable gaze.

"Hmmm." He hummed under his breath. I expected him to push the matter further but he didn't, finding it both a relief and dreadful at the same time. My urge to talk to him was screaming at me, I wanted to but I was afraid. Afraid of finding out the truth, afraid of getting hurt. And yet, wasn't I hurting myself more by not asking?

Soon we arrived in an open park. The park wasn't that big, but good enough for a neighbourhood. Trees and benches were spread throughout the area with slides and swings for kids in the middle. A dirt track snaked its way around the parameter of the public park.

"So this is where you do your training?" My voice was low, barely a whisper. This question was more for myself and not for Hachiman.

"Well, this is the place I originally started getting into fitness. I didn't fancy the idea of going to the gym. I primarily focused on running and body-weight."

"Oh." I blinked a few times as I digested the information letting my thoughts wonder about, forgetting my discomfort from earlier.

"I usually go to another place which is a little far from here." He continued. "That place is more suited for calisthenics with different bars and equipment." He explained, a smile on his face. He seems to be having fun talking about it. "But I came here instead since you are here with me, since this is close to the house."

I turned my face away from him, "sorry for getting in the way of your precious time." I clenched my fist tightly, anger coursing through my veins. What was wrong with me, my husband was trying his best to get along with me and here I am ignoring him, speaking harshly towards him. I was totally ruining the mood between us.

If things keep going like this, won't he end up hating me? There is a limit of how much he could take my attitude. I never had the best attitude amongst the people I was surrounded by. I blame my father who spoiled me rotten. So rotten that I hardly cared about the opinions of others and did whatever I pleased.

I did start to change last year over the course of time but I was still lacking in most cases. I didn't possess the refined ladylike attitude of Yukinoshita, or the clumsy cuteness of Yui. Even Ebina Hina, my friend was adored by the males in our school in spite of her crazy obsession over crazy romantic selection.

But what about me? Was I just a tool for everyone to use as they pleased and discard me when they had no longer any use of me. That's what Hayama did. Is that how the entire school saw me as? Someone who kept other girls away from Hayama, being called a nuisance by them. The boys in our school afraid of approaching me, calling me scary.

What's with that? Calling a girl scary?

I endured it all, I endured everything. I worked part-time to earn money to buy myself new cloths and makeup, so that I can make myself presentable in front of Hayama, to look pretty in front of him. Hayama was a high born person, so in order to stand next to him I also had to carry myself like one, largely ignoring those below me and only interacting with my own kind.

I knew how important the group meant for Hayama, I saw how he behave when Tobe wanted to confess to Hina. I even told Hachiman not to interfere with her little group, as she wished for things continue on like they always did. It was selfish of her to say those things, sacrificing Tobe's feelings for the stability of the group. What I did was wrong and it still hurts my heart till this day. Tobe was the most honest, the most airhead and the most bubbling fool I have ever come across. But he did not deserve to be treat like this, he did not deserve to be betrayed by his own friends like this.

I am a horrible person who treated others like trash, treated the people who I called friends like trash. But in the end, I was the trash all long.

I did not realize until it was too late but Hachiman's hand was stationed right in front of my face, his thumb and index finger joined together. He released his index finger like a cannon aimed at my forehead. "Ouch." I backed after from Hachiman, both my hands grabbing the red mark on my forehead, my teary eyes locked onto his frowning dark orbs.

He looked angry, his arms folding showing his displeasure.

That was to be expected, sooner or later Hachiman would have gotten fed up with a person like me. I mean who would have ever married a selfish people who did nothing her whole life except for complain, argue and hurt those around her.

Hachiman's brows sunk deeper as he towered over me.

"I am getting a little tired of this." I watched him as he bombarded those words straight through my heart making holes through it. I expected this to happen. There was a limit to his patience. Though isn't this good in a way, he doesn't have to bother with a person like me. Hachiman was kind hearted, he was probably acting all nice towards me for my sake. I believed in his kindness, temporary forgetting about my past and my wrongdoings.

Hachiman practically let out a low growl in his mouth, with one big step he was standing beside me like a giant wolf ready devour its prey whole. This act startled me immensely and I stumbled backwards losing my footing, free falling on the grassy ground. But before I even hit the soft ground, Hachiman had caught my arm preventing me from falling. He pulled me closer to himself, guiding his arms around my back and legs sweeping me off my feet.

"Hi, what gives?" I finally spoke to him, confusion still rattling my brain cells.

Hachiman was already walking deeper into the park, heading towards the many trees stacked together. That annoyed frown still dominating his face. "If you don't want to fall you better hold on tight." Right after he said that, he loosed his arm from under my legs momentary pretending to drop me. The trick worked and I ended up wrapping my arms around his neck, gripping onto him the best I could. This brute. Even if it's pretending, that wasn't a nice trick.

My flushed face was hiding against his shoulder while my jumpy heart returned to its old habits of causing chaos within its owner's body. My depressive state from earlier had completely evaporated as if it didn't even exist in the first place. When I sneaked a peek towards him, oddly enough the frown was gone, replaced by a sweet smile.

He walked over to the nearest tree, gently lying me down against the large truck, I immediately turned away from him, my arms hugging my knees covered by a long skirt that fell down to my ankles. Meanwhile Hachiman too sat down on the grassy floor, positioning himself directly in front of me.

"Yumi." His sweet voice called out but I did not dare to look at him.

"Didn't you just say you were tired of me?" I bitterly reminded him. "Then why are you acting all nice again?" I leaned my head against the tree trunk as I recalled his hurtful words, it was not like I did not deserve them.

"I was tired of seeing you so sad and depressed. Seeing you like this, it's making me sad and depressed too. I don't know what happened to you. You were happy and embarrassed one second and completely moody the other. What happened? Did something happen in my room? Was it because of the cockroach under my bed?

Cockroach? There was a cockroach under the bed? I was so lost in thought to take notice of anything lurking around me. I hugged myself stopping the shivering vibrating across my body.

"When I get back I am gonna hunt it down for scaring my cute wife." He strongly declared making a fist.

"It's not because of the cockroach." I corrected him. He was still trying to get along with me. "You don't have to force yourself to act all nice towards me anymore. You don't have to push yourself for my sake." I hugged myself tighter when I said that. My face still turned away from my husband, my teeth clenched to suppress the pain growing in my chest.

"Acting nice huh?" Hachiman repeated the words, trying to understand the deeper meaning behind them. "Now where did you get that idea?" He leaned forward gently placing his hand on my cheeks, turning my face in his line of view.

"Even though you said that you decided on marrying me because of both of our parents wanted it, but it is still weird. You said you will drop this delinquent act for my sake my sake and your parents but why now? You could have done that ages ago, so why now?"

"Because I really want to care about you." His voice was desperate, pleading to me for relief.

"Just like how to care about Yukinoshita?" His eyes widen at the mention of the raven haired elite. His lips twitched a little but other than that he remained calm on the outside. But what I was more concerned about was the raging storm brewing inside of him. "You still like Yukinoshita don't you." I stopped and took a deep breath and continued. "At the Yukinoshita and Hayama engagement party you became angry and left causing a scene. Isn't it because you still held feelings for her, it's because you like her that you got angry seeing her together with Hayama."

Hachiman didn't break off his relationship with Yukinoshita on a whim, if her father hadn't interfered in time he would have confessed to her. Both of them liked each other so it was clear that both of them would start going out. Hachiman even planned the whole event just for her. He went that far just for her. So of course, he would be enraged seeing his beloved on top of a stage, hand in hand with the person he detested.

"I don't want to be a replacement for Yukinoshita." I finally unleashed those words that I had been keeping locked up deep inside of me. All my emotions burst out destroying the dam keeping them in check. My eyes closed tightly as water droplets fell from my eyelids rapidly descending down my now wet cheeks.

Hachiman wasted no time as he moved his body closer to mine, bring me into another one of his hugs.

"You are not anyone's replacement." His comforting words did little to disguise his venomous tone. He squeezed his arms around my body reminding me of his ever strong presence. A presence who held onto me every time I broke down.

"I don't want you to be a replacement for Hayama either." The second-half of my emotional burden finally decided to show its ugly head, my past with Hayama having left its mark on my tainted heart.

Yesterday after meeting both Yukinoshita and Hayama, my entire being started to cry out mercilessly, if Hachiman wasn't there for me to hold onto, I would have collapsed right in front of the two elites, balling my eyes out like an abandoned child all the while cursing them.

Hachiman protected me from that humiliation, because of him I was able to hold myself together until now.

Afterwards I wanted to erase my past from its roots, and just devoted myself blindly to Hachiman. The trick did work and I was able to fool myself to a certain exact, but there was no way I could out run my past and it caught up to me in due time.

The long overdue of my volcanic emotions finally erupted and without restraint I let myself unconditionally surrender myself to them while my husband kept up his effort and tried to comfort me the best way he could.

"Feeling better now?" Hachiman asked, his tone was soft and anxious.

I nodded, brushing my red puffy cheek against his chest caused his heart rate to increase immensely. "Thanks." I voiced my gratitude. Once again, I showed him something embarrassing. Why is that whenever I cried he was always there?

"That's a relief." Hachiman let out a heavy breath as he wiped away the sweat away from his forehead and hair. "I am sorry I didn't comfort you after yesterday's scene." He apologized, rubbing my shoulder caringly. "I should have been more careful."

"It's not your fault." It supposed to be me who should be apologizing, not him. Since the beginning he had been supporting me while I was pretty much double minded. If it wasn't for my father, I wouldn't have married Hachiman in the first place. I am glad I did.

We were both lying down on the soft grass bed, enjoying each other's warmth. Hachiman lied flat on the ground while I used his chest as a makeshift pillow, my ear mesmerized by the sound of his racing heartbeat. It almost had therapeutic effect on me and I enjoyed every second of it. So it wasn't only me who suffered from a rebellious heart.

"Sorry about ruining your exercise time." I apologized in a low voice, my eyebrows forming a troubled frown. Dawn had broken long ago while I was busy having a meltdown. I don't know how we ended up in this position but I did not mind one bit. I wish I could stay like this forever.

One of Hachi's arm acted like a pillow for his head while the other was wrapped around me, moving it up towards my face and lightly pinched my cheeks. It didn't hurt and leaned more towards a playful nature.

"You are more important than my stupid training session." He brought his arm back surrounding my body. "I expected this to happen sooner or later. My boss warned me not to make my wife cry. It's easy to make a woman upset and hard to cheer them up and eventually you will run out of money in the process, that's what he said anyways."

This earned him a light jab to his chest.

"Your boss has no experience with woman, just like you." I commented.

"Harsh, for your information he has three daughters, one of them is around our age. So I think he has penalty of experience under his belt."

"He still has no idea what he is talking about." Alarm bells in my brain lit up as my head turned upwards to examine Hachiman's face. "Are you close with your boss?"

Hachiman arched his eyebrow, "well you can say that. It's hard not to get along with him. He is loud and talkative, and one of the nicest people I know. No one in my work place hates him nor does anyone speak ill of him either since he looks after everyone."

I frowned hard, gripping his shirt tightly "and are you close with his daughter too?" This was unexpected, I never realized that Hachiman might actually know other girls as well. He did mention he had friends. I didn't take him seriously back then, I honestly thought he was joking. Maybe some of these friends might be girls too. Hachiman is surprisingly social as compared to last year.

Either way, this is completely unacceptable.

No way am I letting any girl go near Hachiman. I am his wife after all, it's my job to protect my husband from sly foxes who wants to steal him from me.

"You are surprisingly motivated, are you perhaps jealous? Did you finally fall for my irresistible charm?" My husband commented as he started to push himself up in a sitting position. I was also forced myself sit up straight moving my body a little away from Hachiman, barely holding back the urge to punch him across the face.

"Charm? What charm? You are the ugliest person I know, I can't believe I married you." Puffing my cheeks, I crossed my arms and turned away from my husband. Mainly to hide my deep red face.

"Ah, that's rude. Apologize to my ancestors right now, my grandfather might be rolling in his grave right now." He jokingly said, a gentle smile on his face.

"I don't want to." I dismissingly responded, my back still turned towards him. Sorry, Hachiman's grandfather, I am sure you looked handsome at some point in your life.

But I had no idea that in my current position how hopelessly defenceless I truly was. First Hachiman's arms came into view as they wrapped themselves around me, next his body leaning against mine and his head resting on my shoulder, his nose tickling my neck. To say I was panicking would be an understatement.

Hi, Hachiman, what the hell are you even doing? Do you want me to have a heart attack right here and now? How can you do this to your wife? Surprise attacks like that are completely forbidden. I didn't mentally prepare myself. Warn me next time you idiot. Scratch that, there won't be a next time.

"Ahhhh, what?" My voice barely came out.

"It's good that you recovered. It really was killing me to see you so upset like that. Next time if you are bothered by someone, just tell me and I will beat it to the ground." He gave me a cheerful smile while I helplessly look away. "You look cute when you are sad and crying but I like it more when you are showing me that shinning smile. They hit harder than your punches." He cheekily spoke causing my whole body heat up. "Please, never stop smiling alright." The last bit was spoken in a low voice, I barely caught wind of it even though we were literally glued to which other.

Huh? Was that last thing for me or for himself?

I tried to understand what Hachiman tried to convey, he didn't want me to worry anymore and if anything was wrong with me, I was free to share it with him without holding back, to relay on him. My pain was his pain, that's was what he was trying to tell me. Though, I did not intend for him to babysit me any longer. I have to get strong, for myself and him. I want to stand beside him and support him with everything I have.

Most importantly, he told me to continue smiling, I don't understand the deeper meaning behind those words but at this point I didn't need to. My husband liked it when I smiled, that was enough reason for me.

"You can start your run if you want?" I awkwardly told him, my gaze shifting left and right. I just wanted to escape from this embarrassing position as fast as possible.

"Hmmm." He hummed, "Its fine. I can run next time we come here. Talking to you like this is nicer too." A smile broke across his face making my heart race and my cheeks became hot. He reached his hand out and grabbed my hand, the hand which possessed the ring Hachiman gave to me. He carcass my hand, gently stroking it with his thumb.

"If you still have any doubts about Yukino, whether I love her or not. You don't have to worry about it anymore. My love for Yukinoshita and what little I had for Yuigahama died the same night as prom. When I got angry at the engagement party of Yukinoshita and Hayama, it was not because of I saw the two of them together." He was looking down at the ground below us while talking, lost in thought.

Then why did he get angry? I wanted ask him this simple question since he left his explanation unfinished. But I didn't. I did not want to ruin the mood he had established so very carefully. It would have been unfair towards him. Besides, I no longer held any doubt left within me, the awful pain in my chest was gone, replaced by joy and happiness. I was satisfied.

Closing my eyes, I let my body fall backwards leaning myself on Hachiman, my hands were holding on his arms which was still positioned around my body like a protective shield.

"I, I think I will go for that run after all." I popped open my eyes as his arms quickly retreated backwards away from my body. He moved back creating distance between us, his head was turned away so I couldn't have the expression he was making.

"I will be back after a few laps." He said that and immediately ran off, speed akin to lightening.

My face was pure crimson, not because of embarrassment. No, no, no. It was quite the opposite, I was furious. I was so angry that smoke was coming out from the top of my head. I stood up, my fist clenched tightly as my teeth grinded against each other.

So when I get embarrassed he is free to touch and tease me all he wants but when it's his turn he runs away like a coward with a tail between his legs. Some man you turned out to be, you are nothing more than a hypocrite. Aren't you supposed to be delinquent, proper delinquent actually stand their ground and fight to the death. And here you are running away from a little girl. Disgraceful.

"IDIOT."

I yelled loudly at my surrounding, since the park itself wasn't big, I was sure my outcry reached him. But he remained indifferent and he kept running.

I folding my arms across my chest, my cheeks forming a small pout. Just when I was getting comfortable, he had to go and ruin it. Geez, such a useless husband of mine. I really do not deserve someone like him.

After I had settled down a bit, I refocused my attention on my husband who was in a world of his own as he tore through the track surrounding the park. He really was fast, no wonder he ran off so quickly yesterday. Hachiman might be the fastest guy in our school at this point, previously the title was held by Hayama Hayato, but Hachiman right now can beat him without a hunch.

I wonder why isn't Hachi in any sports club considering how athletic he is now. Sobu High, although it was a prestigious school, it had not won even a single inter-school tournament in any sport. It was kind of disappointing that our school mainly focused on academics rather than sports.

"Hachiman sure has grown a lot since the last time I saw him. He is running like a pro now." A voice suddenly stated from right behind me, startling me greatly. My body jerked as I turned my head sideways staring up at a girl. I was so focused on Hachiman and lost in thought that I barely noticed someone was standing right next to me.

"Oh, did I scare you. Sorry." She apologized, not even bothered to look my way, her focus was drawn towards Hachiman who was busy running. "He can run really fast now, and he looks strong and sturdy too. My, he really has grown into a fine adult over the last couple of months." She cupped her rosy cheeks as she hummed away happily.

Hachiman? Did she call him by his first name? Who was this chick? I looked upwards examining the newcomer. She had bright hazel nut coloured eyes and short brown hair reaching till her shoulders. She was wearing a loose black sweat pants and white running shoes. A red jacket with a hoodie covered her upper body. Her hands were in her jacket's pocket as she intelligently followed Hachiman's movements with a smile across her face.

"Ah, excuse me." I tried to get her attention.

She blinked a few times before turning to face me with a smile on her face. "Oh, sorry. Spaced out again. What's up?"

I raised an eyebrow at the tall woman, she was about a head taller than me. It was like she was looking down on me. I didn't like that at all. But that was not all that annoyed me.

"You know Hachiman?" I cut to the chase and asked her directly how she was so similar with Hachiman to the point of using his first name like that without hesitating.

"My, my, the way you are glaring at me is so cute." She raised both of her hands and pinched my cheeks, forcing them to form a make shift smile. This woman was seriously getting on my nervous. "Now, now. Don't be jealous, I won't steal Hachiman away from you if that is what you are thinking." She cheekily replied, her innocent smile still dominating her face.

She released my cheeks, turning around to watch Hachiman again. I too shifted my attention towards my husband who had noticed this strange woman standing next to me and was now jogging towards our direction.

"Kotomi-san." Hachiman breathed out, an uncanny smile on his face.

"Hachiman." She walked towards him with open arms ready to trap him in a big bear hug.

Luckily Hachiman placed his hand on her head stopping her from proceeding any further.

"Kotomi-san, can you please stop that?" He awkwardly ordered.

"Ah why? We met after such a long time. You suddenly stopped coming here, you know how lonely I became because of that. I was worried about you, you know." She puffed her cheeks and folding her arms staring at Hachiman.

"Sorry about that. I actually found a better place to train so I started going there." He calmly explained, that friendly smile still dawning his face.

"I honestly thought you lost your motivation and gave up but I am glad you didn't. I can barely recognize you anymore, you look completely different. I am really proud of you." She gave him a beaming smile.

As both of them exchanged words with each other, I stood on the side frowning my brows and glaring furiously at Hachiman. The latter was shifting nervously under my gaze.

"Oh right, let me introduce her." He pointed at the airhead of a woman who Hachiman has been calling Kotomi. He has been calling her by her first name too. "This is Makado Kotomi, she is a second year in Chiba University. A member of track and field club and helped me out when I was starting off with my training. Her couching was a great help, I don't know what I would have done without her." He enthusiastically explained.

"Is that so?" I blandly answered back still a little sore how close the two of them were.

"You just looked so adorable when I saw you struggle alone like that. Made me want to hug and protect you." She hugged herself all jumpy while making a goofy face. Did this woman have a few screw loose inside her head?

"Please forget about that. Anyways." He grabbed my hand while giving a gentle smile. "This is my wife, Hikigaya Yumiko."

Ah, boldly announcing to another person that I was his wife caught me off guard. Though, didn't I do the same in front of Komachi yesterday? No, this and that are completely different. My cheeks became a little hot as I tighten my grip on his hand. My rage from before subsiding slowly.

I watched the reaction of the crazy woman in front of us and it would appear that she had been frozen in time. Ah, earth to Kotomi, are you there? You are not dead are you?

Kotomi violently shook her head breaking free from her temporary stasis.

"Wife?" That was the only thing she was capable of uttering.

Was she disappointed? Did she perhaps like Hachiman?

I was proven wrong when a bright smile reappeared on her face and she started to laugh while holding her stomach. This woman definitely had some screw loose inside her. I looked at Hachiman and he too had a troubled face.

"Wife, man that too me by surprise. Aren't you still in highschool Hachiman?" She asked, her laughter coming to a slow halt.

"Third year, same as her." He patiently explained.

"Both of you are still in highschool and married. That's a surprise. For my minute I thought you were joking, but knowing you that was unlikely." She had stopped laughing entirely and stood to her full height staring between me and Hachiman. "Glad to see that you found your peace." Her soft words directed towards my husband.

Hachiman didn't comment and only stretched the back of his head showing a lazy smile. This time it was my turn to look back and forth between the two as I tried to understand the meaning behind those words.

Kotomi giggled throwing my mind off balance. "No wonder you two were acting all lovey dovey under the tree. My, young people these days. The stuff they do in board day light." She giggled again, sneaking a peek at me in particular, watching for any reaction.

And sure enough, she got one. Though, calling it a mere reaction would be an insult. My face had turned completely red as my soul was attempting to escape through my mouth. My body became lifeless, falling backwards onto the grassy bed. My husband however caught me in time, he too was making an awkward face as he muttered something under his breath.

She saw us. She saw us lying together under the tree in each other embrace. This is so embarrassing. We only held hands together out in public, nothing else. And yet she saw us. I never thought anyone would be awake this early in the morning besides us, and even if anyone was awake, coming to the public park of all places.

But I guess Makado-san was a special person so I can cross her name of the list of normalcy.

"Guess I will leave you two love birds alone. Don't want to disturb you on your honeymoon." She let out another giggle as she turned around. Yes, go and spy on someone else.

"Wait." Hachiman voice suddenly called out from besides me. I stared at him in surprise as he watched Makado-san's back.

Makado-san turned around with a raised eyebrow, but then her face turned into one of amusement, "my, my Hachiman. Do you want me to join in too, how bold of you." A sly smirk formed on her pink lips in a teasing manner.

This woman, Hachiman unhand me right this instance. I want to slap this woman into the next dimension.

Hachiman made a dumb face, not sure what he just heard. He completely ignored the foolish statement and got to the point. "You want to race, for old time sake."

"Hmmm?" She hummed, the smirk was gone and again she raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I never did win a single match against you, did I? So how about another rematch. Same penalty, the loser buys coffee for the winner." Hachiman offered, his eyes were narrowed on Makado's form, the grip of his hand had tighten.

Makado also narrowed her eyes on Hachiman, a smirk forming across her face. But this time it felt a little different. It felt like she was sizing up her opponent, the fire in her eyes burning like wildfire.

"Sure." She accepted without hesitation. "But don't expect me to hold back like before when I was training you. I also want to see how much my little cub has grown."

"I am sure I won't disappoint you."

"I am sure you won't. Let me go warm up for a bit.

"Go ahead. I will be here."

She nodded and went off. Her goofiness and weird attitude seemingly disappeared into thin air. It looked like she was a completely different person from before. Guess she was one of those competitive people who go crazy when a challenge was presented to them. Then again, Makado-san was crazy to begin with.

I turned towards Hachiman, redrawing my hand from his. "Aren't you going to warm-up too?"

Hachiman looked at me, both eyebrows raised as he smirked down on me. "I already did that before and also did some running so its fine. Do you think I will win?" He asked, as if testing me.

"Well of course." I frowned at him, my arms folded. "I have seen you run and you are pretty fast. You will win easily." I reassured him.

"Really?" He was genuinely surprised by my statement. "I personally think I will lose."

Was he being humble or overestimating his opponent? Well I didn't know since I have never seen Makado run but I have seen Hachiman so I was confident in his victory.

When Makado was done with her warm-up, both she and Hachiman got into their starting position on the running track. The older girl had instructed me to count down from five and when I was done, I barely blinked and the two of them took off at blinding speed. My wide eyes followed them as they tore their way around the park, neck and neck. No, Makado-san was definitely in front, but barely.

By the time they had covered half of the course, the tide completely turned over. Hachiman caught up to Makado for a brief moment and then surpassed her, the distance between them increasing ever so slightly. Makado tried to match Hachiman's sudden burst of speed but in the end she couldn't. The distance between them was too great to overcome.

When Hachiman approached the finish line, I backed up a little making room for him. His body came to a slow stop, his heavy feet hammering the ground below him with loud thud.

Makado soon followed up, stopping behind me and Hachiman. Her face was red flushed, sweat covering her short hair.

Both the runners panted, staring at each other. Makado's eyes were sharp, her glared locked onto my husband. Meanwhile Hachiman was looking down on his opponent, a smug victorious smile spread across his face.

"You, you held back at the beginning didn't you." She stated, wiping the sweat raining down from her forehead. Her hazel colored eyes bearing deep into Hachiman.

"Hmmm." My husband hummed, his arms now crossed over his chest. "Maybe, who knows?" He acted clueless. "That reminds me, didn't you also used to hold back half way through before destroying me?"

Makado's face turned bright red from angry upon hearing Hachiman's words. She looked absolutely furious. I didn't blame her, I would be angry too if I knew my opponent was just dancing around me while I went all out.

"You little brat." She stormed right towards Hachiman. For a second I thought she was going to hit him. I too took a step forward, ready to stop any act of violence directed towards my husband, but it never came to that. Her expression changed as her body halt in front of Hachiman, a bright carefree smile spread across her face.

"You finally beat me." She had Hachiman's head in a lock, her hands wildly rubbing against the top of the raven's haired boy's head. Hachiman on the other hand offered no resistance but it was clear he was extremely annoyed by his current predicament. He looked at me with pleading eyes.

I raised an eyebrow at his silent request, my arms crossed over my chest staying in place. Come on, I know you can push her away without a problem. So why are you acting so helpless at the hands of another woman, in front of your wife!

"I am so happy that I can kiss you right now." I felt a vein pop on my forehead. That's it, shows over.

I stepped in and pulled the two of them apart with little effort. This woman, does she have a death wish? And you too Hachiman, are you also tried of living?

I glared at both of them, Makado might be crazy but to think Hachiman would cheat on his wife when she is right beside him, on the second day. My fists were clenched and my teeth grinding against each other. Hachiman didn't say anything to defend himself while Makado gave me an awkward smile.

"Ah, I guess I went too far, sorry I was just joking." She let out a weak chuckle trying to defuse the tension but it was too late for that.

Who does this woman think she is, getting all touchy, touchy with a man in the presence of his wife?

I turned my back away from both of them, my arms cross and a small pout dominating my face, showcasing my displeasure.

"I think I made your wife upset." Makado commented, her voice was a little tense.

You think? My frown deepened.

"I think we should go back now." Hachiman's voice finally graced us with its presence.

"That's for the better." Makado agreed. "I had fun racing with you again. Guess this time I owe you a cup of coffee. Rain check?" Her gaze shifted towards me, an awkward smile dawning her face.

"Sure, next time. Bye then." He said his farewells to Makado and then turned towards me. "Yumiko, let's go?"

Without a word I started walking, leaving behind Hachiman. He sighed as he followed behind me.

"Yumiko-san" Makado's loud voice ran out from behind us. My feet stopped in its track as my body twisted to the side. My eyes followed Makado's arms as she waved them around wildly, showing us a big smile.

"See you next time Yumiko-san." She yelled, still waving her arm about, grinning like a fool.

I cringed but nevertheless I also waved back, though mine wasn't as extravagant as hers.

We walked out of the park and were now on the side of the street, making our way home. A few people around the neighbour were jogging outside, most of these people were older and fat. They didn't even bother to look at us and continued on with their morning routine.

On the way, Hachiman tried to grab my hand but I didn't let him. I locked both of my hands together behind my back.

"Kotomi-san isn't a bad person you know. She always acts like that in front of everyone. Back when she was training me, she treated me like a little brother. So don't be angry with her." Hachiman gave his explanation hoping that it would defuse the tension between us.

But I remained indifferent, turning my head slightly away from my husband. It wasn't like I was resentful of Makado. I knew her action contained no ill will and that she wasn't trying to woe Hachiman away from me. She was one of those happy to go luck type of people. I can bet she was probably a popular person in her university, always the centre of attention.

It was just annoying to see how close to Hachiman she was, how she carelessly hugged him without restraint. Worse of all, how she uttered the kiss word to him like it was nothing.

I can't even comprehend the thought of kissing Hachi. My head was starting to burn up at the thought. My heart might actually explode if I attempt the actually deed. Last night all I could manage was a kiss to the cheek, and that was when I had no control over my emotions being given the ring and my body impulsively moved on its own.

I highly doubted I could do the same thing again, not unless similar emotions coursed through me.

A heard a sigh being breathed out from besides me followed by a low mutter, "guess my boss was right after all."

"What did you say?" I snapped.

"Nothing." He quickly denied his own statement. He didn't say or do anything after that, just silently walked together with me, matching my pace while sneaking glances at me. "You know, a jealous Yumiko is cute too." He stated.

"Shut up." I let out a low growl, my face turned away from him, my cheeks a hint of red.

This time it was my turn to sigh. Slyly, I moved my hand closer to Hachiman's. Our fingers were the first to make contact. Hachiman from the corner of his eyes saw what I was trying to do and he took over the situation instantly. His finger came to life and intertwined themselves with mine. His hand was warm and sweaty from his running session, but I did not mind it.

We continued our walk back home in relative silence. Contrary to the last time I was walking on this same road, I was depressed and gloomy. But the return trip was peaceful and relaxing. The burden in my heart had dissipated, allowing it to spread its wing freely.

"Glad to see you are smiling again." Hachiman's voice called out from besides me. I stole a glance at him, he too had a small smile on his face. If I compare him to the Hachiman from the traditional Japanese hotel who was rude and aggressive, it was like I was looking at two completely different people.

He did say that he will stop his little delinquent act. Was his behaviour up till that point just an act or did it have a bit of truth to it?

Whatever the case, I just want my husband to be happy. I want to support him as he is supporting me.

After a while, we finally reached back home. Hachiman unlocked the door and both of us walked through the hallways and into the living room. I will probably need to ask Hachiman to give me a spare key for the front door later, since I will be living here from now on.

A shadow moved from the corner of my eyes making my jump. When I turned around to face the source, there stood Mrs. Hikigaya, dressed up in a business suit clean and proper.

"My, did I scare you. Sorry." She apologized giving me a sleepily grin and then turned towards her son with a look of anxious. "Do you want me to make breakfast for you Hachi, I still have some time before I go to work." She asked, her dark round eyes fixed on her son waiting for his response.

I glared at Hachiman preparing myself to give him hell if he refused his mother's offer. But fortunately for him, he nodded in agreement. "Alright."

The mother's mood instantly brighten up and I swear that ahoge on top of her head was dancing wildly as if it had a mind of its own. "I will prepare your breakfast right away." She ran into the kitchen, raiding all the cupboard and fridge being out manners of indigents.

Hachiman looked at me with a tired expression while I smiled at him for doing the right thing. Why do I feel the urge to pat his head?

"Ah, let me help." I cried out and ran into the kitchen and quickly put on the pink apron that I wore yesterday, I also took off my ring and placed it inside the apron's pocket. Hmmm, didn't Hachiman get all flustered when he saw me wearing the apron? I wonder how he will react this time.

"I am going to take a shower." Hachiman called out and ran off before he got the chance to see me wearing the apron. That's cheating, come back here you coward. Again that useless husband of mine fled from the scene.

"Humph." I pouted as I stood beside Mrs. Hikigaya. Though, I originally thought when we get back home, Hachiman and I will make breakfast together but the presence of Mrs. Hikigaya completely changed that. It wasn't like I was disappointed or anything, this was nice too. Spending time with Hachiman's mother made me wonder about my own.

I never really got to know my mother that well, she died when I was little. For me, my dad was everything in the world, he took care of me all by himself, fulfilling everything I wanted without holding back. Yes, people called me a spoiled brat and that was justified because that's just how I was raised, getting everything I wanted without taking no for an answer.

So it really hit me hard when my father had asked me to marry Hachiman. The unimaginable pain in my chest when both parents announced the news. On one end I really wanted to listen to my father and do whatever he ordered but on the other hand I loved someone else entirely. At that time it felt like someone was beating my head with a hammer, naturally I blacked out.

Well that's all in the past now. I really was glad that my father pushed me to marry Hachiman. I don't know what I would have done without my husband.

"So what are we going to make this time?" I asked, practically jumping with enthusiasm.

"Everything." She answered focused on her work, skilfully moving her hands about.

"Everything?" I questioned, not sure what she meant by that.

"Streamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, rolled omelette." She hummed away fully engrossed in her preparation. "Oh yes, onigiri too. He always loved them as a kid."

"Huh, isn't that a bit too much?" It was more like an all you can eat than a simple breakfast. Hachi might flip when he sees it.

She replied without looking over. "Yes, but it's been a long time since I was able to make breakfast for my son." She answered back, her voice carried a hint of pain and regret.

"Then let's get to work."

"Thank you for helping me again. You really are a great help." Her cheerful voice brought me joy. "What do you want to eat for breakfast?" She asked.

"Just boiled eggs and green tea should be enough." I need to watch my weight after all, now more than ever. "Ah, what about Mr. Hikigaya, what will be eat?" I asked so I can prepare accordingly. Though, I don't see him around.

"Oh, he already left. Just drank his coffee and ran off to work like he usually does." The smile on her face gradually disappeared. "First to leave and last to come back." Her voice barely a whisper. If I wasn't standing right next to her, I don't think I would have heard it.

"It must be tough." That was all I could say. When my mother passed away, my father gave me his full attention. That was until I entered highschool and he too became busy with his own work. There were times he didn't even come back home for weeks.

The spacious house was cold and lonely without him. So I had to find ways to busy myself. I made new friends and started to hang out with them, even developed romantic feelings with one of them, though that was a dead end. Now I feel stupid for doing the things I did.

"I worry about his health sometimes, he does keep himself physically fit in spite of his busy work schedule but it really makes me sad seeing him come back home in the dead of night broken and tired."

"He is probably working hard to provide for his family." I tried to reassure her. My mind going back to the conversation I had with Hachiman yesterday. He too said that he will have to work harder now that he is married to me. The father and son from what I have seen didn't like each other all that much. Their appearance was similar, both taller and well-built than average people around them.

Honestly, I had seen Hachiman's towering figure around in school from time to time, but I always thought he was some foreign transfer student and I didn't bother to pay much attention to him because I wasn't bothered to. My head at that time was filled with Hayama after all. I let out a deep sigh. I just can't get the blonde pure-blood out of my head no matter how much I try to forget him. I wish I could override all my memories regarding him. Just thinking about him makes me uncomfortable.

"My husband isn't the brightest person, he is clumsy and thick-headed but he works harder than anyone else I know." She smiled at the mention of her own dead eyed husband. "I thought maybe if I started working too, then maybe I can lessen some of his burden." She paused, the knife in her hand frozen in mid-air sparing the vegetables from their fate for a brief moment.

"But everything went wrong after that. My husband felt like he wasn't doing enough and so he pushed himself even more. My children too suffered greatly as a result. Both of us didn't get to give time to our children and largely left them to their own devices."

The air around us became heavy. I found it difficult to find words to comfort her. I didn't blame her for what she was telling me. Who knows how long she held those feelings inside her, locked deep in her heart. I didn't even last a day regarding my own troubles. It made me a bit happy that she shared her feelings with me, it felt like she trusted me. But I was afraid that I won't be able to meet her expectations.

"I am sure you had the best intentions of helping your family in your own way, but sometimes things just doesn't go the way we intend them too." I mean, look how things ended up for me. I got married when I am still in my third year of highschool to the person I least expected to be married with.

"At least I was right about one thing. Making you part of the family that is." Her voice was soft but it left a greater impact on me.

"Last night's dinner was truly wonderful. I don't even remember the last time this house became that lively, it was really blissful. Seeing the smile on my daughter's face again really made me happy, even my husband enjoyed himself. Most importantly, my little Hachi is starting to open up little by little. It's only because of you Yumiko-chan, thank you. Thank you for everything."

"I-I didn't do anything, you are giving me too much credit." I awkwardly replied back. It was the truth after all. I really didn't do anything. I also had my own set of baggage. Baggage that I am still getting over. If anyone here that should be thankful for, it's me. If it wasn't for Hachiman, who knows what state I would have been in.

Mrs. Hikigaya softly shook her head, her shinning black hair brushing against her shoulders. A small knowing smile could be found on her face as she diligently prepared the meal for her son. "Don't underestimate yourself my child. You are not alone anymore, you have a husband and he has you. Both of you can support and guide each other through difficult times. What both of you have right now is truly special, make sure to guard and cherish it."

"I will do my best." I answered, accepting her sage advice.

She nodded, "and if anything bothering you and you need help, feel free to come to me anytime. Don't hold back alright?" She reminded me.

"I will." A smile appeared on my face, happy that the mood had gotten better.

"Now, how was the first night?" Her teasing voice was akin to a spell, my entire body was paralyzed, frozen in place. I instinctively crashed the two eggs in my palms, the outer shell was destroyed and the contents inside leaked out gathering around my hand and falling onto the floor.

"Oh my." The mother gasped as she opened the sink so I can wash my hand. I muttered an apology for destroying the eggs. Throwing the destroyed egg shells on the counter, I moved my hands under the rain of running water to purify them. Mrs. Hikigaya meanwhile had a table cloth in hand and she swiftly removed the stain from the kitchen floor.

Taking a deep breath, I refocused myself.

Mrs. Hikigaya, did she plan this question from the start? She waiting for the perfect time to ask me that question when my guard was completely down. This woman was pure evil, tricking me into a false sense of security. I thought we were having a moment and in the end she throws in a curve ball of a question. How can she even ask me that so calmly? I nearly had a panic attack.

"Oh, that reaction. Did something special happen?" Although she was busy preparing breakfast, a devilish smile graced her face, fully enjoying herself.

"Nothing. Nothing happened." I quickly denied. I don't want to give this woman the satisfaction of teasing me. If I don't block off her attacks right here and now, then she will become more aggressive in the future and I can't have that.

"Oh, that's a disappointment. Did you really not do anything?" She asked, pouting away. "Not even a kiss?"

"Nope, nothing." I continued to deny her advances. I am fully prepared for everything she can throw at me. Technically we haven't kissed yet, two kisses to the forehead and one to the cheeks don't count. My cheeks became red as I thought of those memories. It did feel nice how he lovingly kissed me on my forehead, it made me blush mad but I liked it. Though, I am definitely not ready for a real one. Nope, definitely not gonna do that anytime soon.

"Now that makes me sad. I have already decided on the names of my grandchild." She frown unhappily, even wiping away a fake tear.

"Grandchild?" I unexpectedly spoke out that one word which caused my soul to leave my body. Again my hand gripped the object I was holding tighter causing it to explode. What remained of a very fat tomato was dripping out of my fist and onto the counter.

Again Mrs. Hikigaya had to open the sink allowing me to wash my hands while she cleaned the counter with one swift motion. This time however, I didn't apologize, well at least not to the teasing mother who deliberately tried to mess with me. No, I apologized to all those people who had worked tirelessly for raising this healthy tomato so it can serve it desired purpose. However it had passed away before even doing anything worthy, all because of a certain scheming mother.

Seriously, this is getting worse and worse by the second. I don't know if I can hold her off if she throws another bizarre question. I thought I was prepared for her, clearly I underestimated her.

"I noticed you two were wearing rings when you came in." I expected another oddball from her but surprisingly, it wasn't the case this time.

"We did." I smiled at the memory when he presented the ring in front of me, my heart felt like it had stopped beating entirely, and I really felt like crying right then and there. "He said they were cheap but I really don't care about that." Those were my honest thought, just receiving something like that from him made me want to jump with joy. The fact that I kissed him on the cheeks was evidence to that fact.

"Cheap?" She raised an eyebrow turning towards me. "Can you show me?" She asked, wiping her hands with another cloth that didn't have the murder remains of the eggs and tomato.

"Ah, sure." I cleaned my hands against the surface of the pink apron and reached my hand inside its small pocket taking out the ring.

Mrs. Hikigaya didn't take the ring and just observed it, standing right in front of me. She nods, her eyes shifting away from the rings towards me, a lazy smile on her face. "You can put it back now." She then turns back to the counter and starts working again, a big sigh escaping her month.

"What's wrong?" I was curious of her reaction upon seeing this ring.

"Nothing, it's just funny how father and son are so alike than they like to believe. Not just appearance, but their actions and habits are alike too." She let out a low snicker. "Hachi's father also said the same line when he gave me my ring too. He said he found two cheap rings in a half run down shop. Turns out, those rings were actually pricy, and mostly so is yours."

"They are?" I asked surprised. I looked down on the ring lying peacefully in my palm. The silver colored ring did look pretty and had a certain charm to it.

"Yes, but don't mention that to Hachi, he will probably try to deny it just like his father." She giggled, probably remembering the memory.

The thundering sound coming from the staircase shifting our attention towards the source. I hid the ring back to the safety of the apron's pocket as Hachiman approached us. His messy hair was still wet from the shower he took, partially covering his eyes which somehow looked livelier than before. He had changed out of his track suit and now wore a brown cargo with a black t-shirt.

"Breakfast is almost ready, just a few minutes all right?" Mrs. Hikigaya sped up her efforts upon the son's arrival. I too started working faster to match pace with the mother.

"No problem, take your time." Hachiman words had no effect on the two of us and we continued to prepare the meal.

Seeing this Hachiman quietly left us, retreating into the living room and sat down on the many sofas scattered around the place.

When we had prepared the meal, I walked over to where Hachiman was sitting, the raven haired teen was lost in his own world that he didn't even notice me standing behind him. From what I could see he was moving his thumb up and down the contact list on his phone.

"Breakfast is ready." I called out to him and he jumped a little as a result. He blinked a few times training his gaze at me. "What were you doing?" I asked, my eye brows raised.

"Oh, nothing." He got up and pocketed his phone before standing beside me. "Let's go eat."

I gave him a questioning look before joining him as both of us walked into the kitchen where the mother had set the food and plates on top of a small wooden table. It was clear that something was on his mind but I didn't press him for answers. May later or when he decides to tell me himself.

When the both of us sat on our represented seats, Mrs. Hikigaya shoved everything on the table to Hachiman's side surprising him.

Hachiman gave me and his mother a questioning look. I could only return an awkward smile while the mother was grinning from ear to ear.

"Eat up Hachi." The mother's excited voice sang out.

Hachiman didn't utter a single word and he continued to stare between his mother, me and the food.

"Don't you want to eat it?" The smile across the mother's face was gone, and uncertainty reigned supreme. She looked like she was even about to cry. I quickly gazed over to Hachiman, about to signal him to do something about the incoming outbreak. But it seems Hachiman was already a step ahead of me. He was like a hungry beast trying to devour anything in its path.

But it worked and Mrs. Hikigaya mood brighten up instantly. She had her head in his hands as she watched her son feast upon the different varieties of food without holding back. Well, at least he made his mother happy, in the end that's what important.

"Guess I will leave now." She got up almost in a hurry, her attention focused onto me. "Yumiko-chan make sure Hachiman finishes his meal." She ordered, giggling away. "I will try to come home earlier today. Bye then."

She didn't even wait for me to respond and she rushed off out of the door while carrying different stuff in hand. This was then followed by the sound of a car engine coming to life but that too soon died off.

She didn't even drink her tea. I stared at the cup, hot steam was coming out of the surface. I sighed and looked over to Hachiman almost flinching. He had a very deep frown on his face as he unhappily chewed on the onigiri making his cheeks inflated. I couldn't hold back the urge to laugh anymore and burst out into a loud chuckle further making my husband's mood worse.

"Do you honestly enjoy seeing me suffer woman?" Hachiman commented after swallowing down the onigiri.

"Hmmm, maybe." I gave him a teasing smile.

"Who needs enemies when you have a wife?" Hachiman muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?" I yelled loudly making Hachiman flinch backwards trying to hide away from my glare.

"Nothing. You heard nothing." He resorted back denying his own statement.

"Humph." I puffed my cheeks and looked away too, taking an angry bite out of my boiled eggs. "At least your mother was happy."

I heard a heavy sigh making me turn my focus back to my husband. "Been a while since I tasted my mother's cooking." He paused, drinking the soup which was mildly warm now. "It's better than what I remembered." I watched my husband as he drained the bowl of soup until nothing remained of it. A small smile graced his face as he placed the bowl down, his sharp eyes locking onto his next target.

"So what do you want to do today?" Hachiman asked for my opinion.

"Hmmm." I played around with my now empty tea cup as I thought over what he said. What to do today indeed. Well there were a lot of things that needed to be done. But I guess the first order of business should be shifting things in our barren room. It was a little inconvenient that my cloths and other stuff were still trapped inside my old room.

Hachiman nodded in agreement. "We can start with my room since its closer, that place is like a death trap right now. I even stepped on something alive. I don't even know what it was." He exaggerated trying to spook me but I wasn't impressed.

"Maybe it was the cockroach." Hachiman only shrugged. "Anyways, since we will sharing. I think it will be better if we buy new furniture. A larger wardrobe should be the first things we might need to buy."

Unexpectedly Hachiman raised an eyebrow, "Economically speaking, we can use your wardrobe. I mean it's double the size of mine and I don't have much cloths so there won't be any problems."

I glared at him, "no way. My closet is already at full capacity."

Hachiman didn't seem to be bothered by my refusal and calmly ate his breakfast. "Well, you can maybe throw the cloths you don't wear out." He suggested.

"Absolutely not." I almost yelled. I was surprised he even suggested something like that. Even if those cloths were my pre-marriage cloths, I can't throw them out. Each one of those cloths held a special memory so I couldn't even imagine throwing them out. Speaking of pre-marriage cloths, I will need to buy more cloths now. Ah, so many things to buy. It's a good thing summer vacation was still on-going and school won't start for fifteen more than. Plenty of time to wrap up troublesome issues.

"Alright." Hachiman sighed at my stubbornness. He had finished everything except for his coffee, his final target. I was happy that I won the argument but I was also worried that he might be upset by my persistence.

I almost retracted what I said but Hachiman spoke first. "We can also the print the room if you want." He suggested changing the subject entirely.

"Yeah, we can do that." It actually one of the things I wanted to do. The white walls was too bland and the fact remained our room used to serve as a store room ticked me off. So yea, I wanted to repaint the room.

"I will leave the colour up to you. Even if it's pink." He went silent after that last remark. A smirk across his face as he sipped on his coffee. I raised a questioning eyebrow. Pink? What? Was he making fun of me?

A bit angry, I continued where I left off. "We will also need to a bigger study desk so we can seat together and a bookshelf." I noticed a lot of books scattered around his old room, well that was too be expected since he was so studious. I also had my own school books but they were nothing compared to Hachiman's.

"Ah, I can already feel my wallet crying out in pain." He jokingly complained.

"Humph. I haven't even gotten started yet." I glared at him while he returned a lazy smile back to me.

"Since we are going all out we might need to replace the old sofa too." He added another item to the list.

Narrowing my eyes on him, I asked. "And why is that." It wasn't like I wasn't thinking the same thing but considering the fact that Hachiman still had that disgusting smirk on his face made me think he had an ulterior motive.

"Hmmm, well just in case you blow up which you most definitely will and naturally kick me out of bed. At least I will have a place to sleep after that. That old sofa isn't big enough for me to sleep on."

After Hachiman was done with his explanation, he instantly raised his hands up, cold sweat running down his forehead. "Ok calm down now. Put the knife down." The knife which magically appeared in my hand was placed on the table, but my glaring green eyes were still locked onto my useless husband.

"You also need to buy a big mirror, a dresser, drawers, bed sheets, new towels, blankets."

"Wow, stop woman." Hachiman cried out in protest. "I think my wallet just died."

"Get used to it." I countered back without mercy.

Hachiman winced in pain, his body fell backwards on his chair, playing dead. When he decided to stop his little act, he straightened his back and sat upright on his chair, a simple smile dawning his face. "Whatever you command my queen." He gave a low bow.

I could only pout at him, my cheeks were a little warm. Geez, this husband of mine is a handful. Though, I didn't dislike our little back and forth bricking. He didn't get angry like I thought he would, on the contrary, he even joked around while adding more things to the shopping list.

Hachiman had already drank his coffee got up from his chair. "I guess I should start sorting my things out of my old room."

I also got up and started to gather the plates and dishes around the table. "Let me clean these so I can help you clear your room."

Hachiman however grabbed the plates away from me, a small frown on his face.

"What?" I inquired.

"You don't need to push yourself so much, relax alright. You already made breakfast and woke up early because of me. I will handle the dishes and sort out my room. You can go take a bath and freshen up if you want."

I also frown, ready to protest but Hachiman quickly put a stop to that. Again, he flicked his index finger on my forehead.

Mouuu, why does he keep doing that? I rubbed the sore spot on my forehead. I swear if he does that again, I am going to bite his finger off.

"I am not taking no for an answer." He threatened.

I nodded, eyes teary, still rubbing my forehead. "Bully." I retorted.

"Maybe you prefer a kiss to the forehead instead." He teased, a devilish smile across his face as he moved passed me and simply deposited the dishes into the sink. When he came back, my flushed face was slightly down avoiding contact with his piercing sharp gaze.

"Let's go upstairs." I nodded and wordlessly began to follow him upstairs.

"Kissing my forehead is cheating you know." I whispered to myself.

"Did you say something?" Hachi asked turning his face back to look at me.

"Nothing."

Hachiman hummed as we continued to climb upstairs. When we got to the first floor, the door to Komachi's room was open with Komachi herself dressed in yellow pyjamas was standing outside, eyes half closed from sleepiness.

When she noticed our presence, her dark round eyes blinked a few times and her body stiffened up.

"Good morning Komachi." I cheerfully greeted her. Thanks to Komachi appearance, I was able to forget about Hachiman's little statement from before.

"Ah, good morning Yumiko nee-san." She gave me a small smile but it disappeared as soon as she turned towards her brother. Her expressions became gloomy and she dropped her head, opting on staring at the floor. "Good morning big brother." She let out an unsteady weak greeting, her right hand hugging her left arm.

"Good morning Komachi." Hachiman replied back while observing his little sister's timid behaviour.

I was about to say something to break the ice between the two siblings but Hachiman beat me to it. "Komachi, can you do me a favour?"

This act surprised Komachi and I. The former even raised her face to meet her brother's gaze. "W-what is it?" She asked greedily, fumbling over her words.

"Yumiko is going for a bath, can you lend her some spare towels and show her where the shampoo and conditioner are kept."

Although it was a simple request, Komachi widen her eyes and nodded furiously. "I think I have spare towels in my closet." Just as fast as she said those words, she rushed off inside her room disappearing from sight.

I looked over to Hachiman giving him a low scowl while he looked at me with a lazy smile. "Baby steps."

A sigh escaped my mouth. It wasn't like I expected anything fancy from Hachiman, as promised he was still trying to mend his relationship with his sister while the latter wanted to be accepted by her older brother. It wasn't like they could go back to their past relationship before everything went wrong.

Building relationships takes decades, well destroying them only takes a breath. That's how fragile relationships really are. No matter how close to a person you are, there is bound to be one or two things you might get annoyed by your partner. I just hope the two siblings can come to terms with each other as fast as possible.

We could hear loud noises coming from inside Komachi's room. She was probably ransacking through her room looking for the towels. Once the noise died out Komachi stepped out of her room, face flushed and breathing heavily. She was holding a pair of folded towels, hugging them tightly against her chest.

"I will leave you two then" Hachiman excused himself. He opened the door and lights to his room. I continued to frown on his retreating back until he had disappeared inside the room. He is literally leaving me to clean up his mess.

Inhaling deep, I turned towards the little sister. Her face was down casted, her body still hugging the towels. "Let's go Komachi." I prompted her to walk besides me. Since Mrs. Hikigaya already told me where the bath was, I led the way while Komachi followed behind me.

Opening the door opposite to my new room, I led myself and Komachi inside. The bath was slightly bigger than the one I had back in my house, it was located behind the glossy sliding door separating it from the washroom. Komachi hanged the two towels on the side and then proceeded to opening a cupboard revealing the contents inside.

"Here are all the shampoos and conditioners you will need. Pick whatever you like. Let me open the hot water for you." The raven haired teen walked pasted and turned on the water in the tub.

"Thanks Komachi." I gave her a small smile appreciating her help.

"No problem. I will go then." She returned a smile and turned around to leave but she was unable to move from that onwards.

Walking behind her, I placed my hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" I asked cornered.

"Big brother is right outside. I am a little scared of facing him, afraid of talking to him." Her voice trembled as she hugged herself. "I usually ignored him. But you made me conscious of him again." She bit her lips. "I don't want to get yelled at again." Her eyes were closed, her body was shaking, probably remember the event that trigger the two siblings separating from each other.

I hugged Komachi from behind, engulfing her in my embrace. "There, there. You don't have to be scared anymore. Your brother won't yell at you again." I tried to reassure her. "You know, he told me he wants to make everything better again with his sister." I lied, but if it made her feel better than it was worth it. "He was angry with the way things are and said he wants things to go back to the way it used to be. Back when you used to smile together with him."

My hand was stroking her shoulder length hair stopped when she turned her face towards me. Eyes full of uncertainty. "Really? Did he really say that?" She asked, tears gathering around her eyes.

"Of course, he loves his sister with all his heart. He is a sis-con after all." That word unexpectedly brought a smile back to her adorable face. She brushed her pyjama sleeve against her eyes, wiping the tears away. Her body was now facing me, with both of my hands on her shoulders I spoke. "So don't be afraid alright. Trust your brother and everything will work out. Baby steps." I smiled down at her, using the same two words Hachiman told me.

Fortunately, this worked and Komachi's mood brightened up instantly. "Thank you." The next thing I knew I was being tackled by the little sister. Her arms were around my back and her face was buried in my chest. "Thank you Yumiko nee-san" Emotions overwhelmed me and I couldn't help myself hugging the little sister back.

The sound like water dripping down from the overfilled tub caused the two of us to separate. The little sister showing me a sweet smile. I was glad she had calmed down. She thanked me again and then excused herself leaving me alone. Walking over to the tub I closed off the water tap.

Feeling the water was a bit too hot, I drained some of it and opened the cold water tap. Then I walked over to the door that Komachi closed as she left and locked it. Walking back I closed the sliding door and undressed. It felt strange and uneasy, I wasn't used to bathing outside my own house, and it wasn't like I was on a short trip or anything. This was my house too now and I had to get used to it.

Applying the shampoo, I showered my hair with the hand shower and after that I got inside the tub. The cold water had made the existing hot water more manageable and I got inside with ease. The tension in my screaming body was released the moment it submerged in the warmth of the tub. I breathed out a heavy sigh as my body sank itself in the tub even more. Even though it was only early in the morning, I was unusually tired. I did wake up earlier than I am used to but considering all the things that has happened up till now, no wonder I was exhausted. The quiet peace I had right now was only temporary, it was to prepare myself for the rest of the day that was waiting for me. But for now I need to relax. I closed my eyes and let the warm water seep into my skin.

After a while I got out of the tub and began to dry myself off and after that got redressed. My hair was still a little wet and I will probably have to borrow a hairdryer from Komachi until I get my own.

I cleaned up the bath and drained the water in the tub before opening the sliding door and walked over to the main door unlocking it. Once outside, my wide eyes stared at Komachi walking out of Hachiman's old room with a stack of books in her hands, a goofy smile across her face. Hachiman also emerged out of the new storage room with his own stack of books but he stopped when he looked at me.

He blinked a few times but shook his head regaining focus. After giving me a lazy smile he continued to make his way to our room. At least they were getting along a little now. Komachi seems happier now. Glad that Hachiman was making the effort for the sake of his sister. I watched the two siblings walk back and forth between the two rooms carrying all different items, Komachi carrying the lighter things like cloths while Hachiman carried the heavier ones. Wait, is that a pull-up bar, there is no way that is going in our room. Hachiman was also transferring his sports and exercise gear to the new room. He had a lot more stuff then I originally thought.

I wanted to protest but I stopped myself. Well it would be pretty selfish of me to stop Hachiman from things he likes to do. I thought about this morning at the park when he was enjoying himself while running. These things might look like junk to me but they were a part of my husband so I will have to bear with them even if they mess up our room.

But if he complains about my stuff, I swear I will kick him out along with his things.

It was then something brushed against my feet, it was like soft carpet crawling against my feet followed by a wet ticklish sensation. I instinctively jumped and rammed myself against Hachiman who was carrying his cloths. He dropped the cloths in time and caught me.

When I looked back to see the source, my eyes fell upon a walking ball of fur.

"You alright?" Hachiman asked bewildered. His body was frozen stiff in place as my own body was glued against his. "You don't have a problem with cats do you?"

The cat was equally scared and ran back to the safety of its owner, mainly Komachi who held the little fur ball in her arms trying to calm the creature down.

"No, it just surprised me." I didn't know they had a cat. The feline was pretty much absent yesterday and my brain didn't register him at all.

I noticed Komachi was staring attentively at me and her older brother as I was pretty much leaning against him. In response I pushed myself back, increasing distance between me and my husband. But that didn't stop her from staring at us, in fact she now had a smug smile on her face, fully enjoying the situation.

Even Hachiman was rattled by this. He had yet to fully recover from me running into him and now he had to deal with his sister. Naturally he did what he was good at. "I am gonna go back to transferring my stuff then." He quickly ran away.

"Ah, I will go clean the dishes then." Adopting my husband's strategy, I too ran away as fast as possible leaving the little sister alone holding the stupid cat that caused this awkward in the first place. This is why I hate cats, scheming little fur balls.

I made my way downstairs and entered the kitchen. Since I was preoccupied with fleeing the scene, I forgot to ask Komachi what she would like for breakfast since she just woke up. Guess I will go back and ask her.

Before I could even move, my eyes fell upon Komachi as she descended down the staircase with a grumpy cat in her arms.

"Komachi, I thought you were still helping your brother shift his things around." There was that smug smile on her face that made me suspect that she was up to no good. What game was she playing at, was she planning on teasing me again?

She shook her head, placing the cat onto the kitchen's floor. "Big brother said he will handle the rest." She answered, making her way towards the many cupboards. She took out a bright yellow box with a cat printed on it. After placing the contents of the box inside a red bowl, she placed the box back while the cat enjoyed its own breakfast.

"What will you like to eat Komachi? I will make it for you." I offered. So far I have been cooking with Mrs. Hikigaya and she had been instructing me for the most part. I wasn't confident in my cooking skills but I can manage a simple breakfast.

"Thanks, but I think I will eat cereal." She took out another box and a bowl from the cupboard while I opened the fridge, handing her the cotton of milk over to her. She thanked me again, now mixing the cereal and milk together in the bowl. The cotton of milk was empty so I threw it in the trash bin while I put the cereal box back in its place. Komachi started to eat her meal with a satisfied smile on her face. I watched her eat for a few seconds, she was quite an adorable girl after all. I am genuinely surprised she doesn't have any friends except for the boy she mentioned.

Oh right, the dishes. I forgot to wash the dishes. Honestly I would have been done by now if Hachiman didn't stop me before. He told me to relax and not to push myself but honestly I am not. I just want to help. Though it was pretty ironic that I am doing all these things. Back in my second year I would scoff at the idea of doing any sort of cooking and cleaning. And even if I was forced to, it was pretty much a half-baked job. Pun intended.

"Say Yumiko nee-san. How was sleeping in the same room as my brother like?"

I almost dropped a plate because of her question. Though it was less of a question and leaned more towards her screwing with me and I didn't plan on entertaining her. "It was fine."

I gave her a boring reply to which she hummed. After taking another spoon full of cereal she spoke. "Did you two stay up all night? What did you talk about?" For someone who was passive around her brother, she sure was interested in what he was up to. I am sure Hachiman would have felt the same way. Though, if he was currently here I doubted his sister would be this talkative. "Did you do anything romantic, like kiss and stuff?"

Judging from her voice, she was clearly enjoying trying to get the answers out of me. Although I was a little rattled by her questions, I didn't cave in. Her mother had already done that before breakfast so I was a bit prepared for the daughter's teasing.

"We didn't." I simply replied and went back to cleaning the dishes. A bit more and I will be done with these stupid plates. Let Hachiman come downstairs, I will chew him out for not letting me do in the first place. I would have been done long ago if it wasn't for him.

"You didn't huh." She was watching me with her big obsidian eyes, trying to study me. "I always thought you were the aggressive type so I was expecting you two to at least kiss."

I managed a forceful smile trying my best to control my annoyance. This kid was getting on my nerves. If she wasn't Hachiman's sister. I would have spanked her by now. She really has been cheeky. Though, I didn't dislike her behaviour. Compared to how gloomy and unresponsive she was yesterday, I prefer this instead. I am really happy she can enjoy the company of her brother again. I never had any siblings so it's hard for me to relate. But since I am married to Hachiman, so maybe, for me she can be like a little sister too.

To me, she was a little sister who was just trying to annoy her big sister. I didn't mind it at all.

"I guess Yumiko nee-san is more of a maiden than I expected." I felt a vein pop in my forehead. I turned around staring down at the little sister who had finished her bowl of cereal and was smiling innocently at me. Seeing my mood, she got up from the chair and bolted out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Come back here you brat." I chased after her. She was much faster than I expected. Seeking refuge before a big sofa trying to out maneuverer me when I got close all the while laughing.

The sound of the door bell ringing interrupted my little hunt. After glaring at the cheeky little sister who had her tongue out in a taunting manner, I retreated. This isn't over yet brat.

Walking to the front door, I opened it. Standing in the threshold was a large man, height almost equal to my husband. His long white hair was tied in a ponytail. Glasses adored chubby face while he wore a thick overcoat and fingerless gloves. That giant carefree smile he had on his face was gone when he looked down at me. His face morphing in a puzzled confused look.

Before he could say anything, I slammed the door shut, quickly locking it. I looked over to Komachi with a panicked face. "Komachi, quick call the police. There is a weirdo in front of the house." But the little sister didn't move and stared back at me with a blank stare.

She sighed as she moved away from her hiding place and walked closer to where I stood. She unlocked the door and opened it, revealing that fat creepy guy again. The guy in question now looked down on Komachi then me and back to Komachi with a questioning look. But then he nodded to myself and his disgusting smile was back.

"Hello Komachi." The man greeted the little sister with a smile. Aw, is this weirdo a stalker. He had the nerves to invade the house this early in the morning. My eyes fell to the backpack hanging on his right shoulder. Who knows what this creep has inside that thing. "Is your brother home, he isn't picking up his phone." The chubby inquired.

I got in front of Komachi in an instant, shielding her from the gaze of the intruder. The man in question stepped back while giving me an annoyed questioning glare and I was kind enough to return the favour by glaring back. This creep, he is asking whether Hachiman is home or not so he can have free reign over Komachi. Well that's not happening.

Before I could do anything Komachi sweet voice spoke out from behind me. "He is upstairs." She answered, poking her head from the side giving the white haired guy a boring look. Komachi why did you tell him that? Oh wait, that's actually a good idea. Since her brother is home this guy wouldn't dare do anything stupid.

But the man's expression brighten up instantly instead of getting intimidated. I cringed back and quickly slammed the door shut, locking it.

"What the hell Miura." A loud complain could be heard from the other side of the door.

Miura? This guy knows me. Gross. To think he isn't just after Komachi but also me. I am seriously creeped out right now. He probably won't go away that easily. Then there is only one thing left to do. "Hachiman, there is s creep at the door." I yelled as loud as my voice allowed it. Although he was upstairs, I was sure he heard my plea for help.

And sure enough, he did. He ran downstairs missing a step or two. When the last few stairs were left he jumped. His dark eyes were trained and focused, his body moving its way towards us while holding a bamboo blade in his right hand. Isn't that a little excessive? I didn't want him to kill the guy or anything, probably just scare him off. Though, I think the stalker might just run away after seeing Hachiman.

"He is right outside." I pointed at the door.

"Move." He ordered with a spine chilling voice and I obeyed without a word.

Before he could open the door however, Komachi got in his way, stopping her big brother with her small body. The brother immediately halted his advance and looked down at his little sister who was giving him an annoyed look.

"What's wrong Komachi? Don't worry, I will chase him away."

The sister on the other hand only let out a sigh. She moved away from her brother and walked towards the door, unlocking and then opened it revealing the same fat white haired man a second time. His nose was red and one of the lens of his glasses cracked. Probably because I slammed the door to his face. The smile from before was gone replaced by a wincey pained expression.

"Yoshiteru?" My husband surprised voice let out. The white haired guy nodded with teary eyes. Hachiman let out a heavy breath and relaxed his body. "You should have told me you were coming." He scolded. "What if I actually hit you, you would have been wincing away for weeks."

"You didn't pick up your phone." He then pointed at me. "Besides, it's her fault this happened."

Hachiman looked over to me with a raised eyebrow. "Well how am I supposed to know this penguin was your friend?" I stated back.

"Calling your classmate a penguin to his face." Komachi commented, suppressing a giggle.

"Classmate?" I asked confused. I looked for to the new comer staring at him intensely. "Well, he does look similar somewhat."

"Similar?" Hachiman spoke in amazement. At this point the little sister could no longer hold back her urge to laugh and so she started laughing while my husband shook his head disapprovingly.

Meanwhile I was being stared down by this chubby penguin, a vein popped out of his forehead as he screamed with his loud voice. "I sit right next to you dammit."

After that whole fiasco, Komachi helped the penguin sit down on the sofa and brought him some green tea. And an ice pack.

"I am really sorry." I bowed my head trying to apologize for my mistake.

Hachiman was standing right next to me with his bamboo blade acting like a strict gym teacher disciplining one of his students. The chubby teen didn't look pleased with my apology and kept on scowling at me.

"Apology not accepted." He declared arms folded. "To think you don't even know who is sitting next to you in class after all these months. I even lent you my english notes once." He paused. "I am still waiting for you to return it."

English notes? What english notes? I had a vague memory of someone giving me a notebook after I forgot mine at home. I didn't know who it belonged to so I kept it. To think the notebook was his. Note to self I will probably need to disinfect my entire school bag and along with my book collection.

"Sorry, I will return it." I would have thrown the damn thing on his face if I had it in hand. Unfortunately it will have to wait since the notebook was back in my old room.

"Humph." He was still being moody, and freakily it was getting on my nerve. "I will accept your apology under one condition."

"What condition." Hachiman's threatening voice crept out which honestly even scared me. The penguin too shivered, getting up from the sofa and ran behind Komachi.

"Calm down Hachiman. I just want her to apologize using my name." He spoke in his defence still hiding behind the raven haired girl who was enjoying the situation.

"Fine, just get this over with." Hachiman grip on his bamboo blade was still tight, ready to strike any minute.

Not wanting to be on the receiving side of his wrath, I braced myself to apologize again. It was already hard the first time but now I have to use this guy's name. I feel like I am gonna throw up. Wait what was his name again. "I am sorry Yoshi….Pengin?" Hachiman karate chopped my head meanwhile Komachi was laughing again and the moron who caused this stupid mess in the first place was scowling at me again.

He said he sat next to me in class right? Just wait till school starts again. I will roost him alive.

A sigh escaped Hachiman's mouth. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought we you were going on a trip with your family."

"Cancelled." Pengin explained while moving away from Komachi. "I thought I could hang out with you and maybe do summer homework together." Pengin grabbed his bang and swung it over his shoulder. "So you want to go to the library or your room partner." He gave a gleeful smile, his brown eyes focused on Hachiman waiting for his response.

Hachiman sighed again, rubbing his temple area. "Now is not a good time Yoshiteru. I am busy, maybe next week."

"Ah come on. You said that last week too. Didn't even let me celebrate your birthday last Saturday, Mari-san was super angry you know."

"I am painfully aware." Hachiman muttered.

Mari-san? Whoes Mari? Someone from school? There was one Mari I could think of, and that was Yoshitaro Mari from class B, but she is one of those quiet bookworm who rather be left alone. I only knew her because she helped me out a couple of time in the library to pick out books and finish some of the assignments that I was having a hard time dealing with.

But I doubted the Mari they were talking about was the same Mari I knew. Yoshitaro Mari was a quiet reserved girl who barely interacted with anyone. She was pretty much invisible to the people around her. I mean I pretty much screamed the first time she approached, I thought she was the rumoured library ghost over something. I was a bit surprised when she offered to help me because in my experience people hardly came near me without an ulterior motive. Boys wanting to get close to Yui and Hina while girls wanting to get close to Hayama, with the occasional death threats that is.

That's what I thought when she came to assist me. I would have refused like any other person who came near me but I rather be done with that stupid assignment that was haunting me. Having left without a choice, I relentlessly accepted her aid. She was surprisingly smart and it felt like she was doing the assignment in my stand. Not that I was complaining or anything. But after we were done, she seemingly got up and left back to her original position the next table over and resumed her book reading. The next day I asked her why she helped me and she answered back saying that I was making a lot of noise and it was interrupting her book reading. The sooner I got done with my assignment and left, better for her.

Her statement ticked me off a little but there was no denying that she helped me in the end which I was grateful for. That wasn't the last time she helped me out as I kept invading the library many times after that much to her horror.

Does she know Hachiman? I hope not, just the thought of any girl being close to Hachi makes me equally angry and scared. I felt extremely uncomfortable when Kotomi was hugging Hachiman in the morning even if it was meant to be a joke on her part.

"Mari-san told me to drag you out to celebrate your birthday otherwise she will do it herself." Pengin continued.

Hachiman made a cringy face as if remembering something unpleasant. "And when did she talk to you exactly?"

"Yesterday morning, why?" Pengin looked confused.

"I talked to her last night and already told her my situation. Guess she forgot to tell you." Hachiman informed him.

I walked over to Komachi and whispered into her ear. "Whose this Mari?" Maybe Komachi might know who they were talking about.

Komachi turned to me. She shook her head and whispered back. "I don't know, probably a friend."

Guess she doesn't know anything after all. That wasn't surprising considering she was divorced from her brother's affairs until recently.

"Then when was Hachi's birthday?" I whispered again.

Komachi looked at me for a second before answering in a low voice. "Eighth August."

Eighth August huh. Today is seventeen August, so roughly a week passed. His birthday has been mention a couple of times but at that time I was too preoccupied with other things and glossed over it completely. Now that I was free from troublesome thoughts, his birthday dominated my mind. I doubt he celebrated it at all considering he was a lone wolf before. His family situation was rough and according to Pengin, Hachi didn't do it with his friends either.

"Your situation?" Pengin got a bit angry. "What situation and why didn't you tell me?" Pengin walked up and grabbed Hachiman collar surprising both Komachi and I. My husband on the other hand looked indifferent, his gaze pitiful as he stood helplessly in place.

Was the situation he was talking about regarding me?

"You know I am here for you man." The white haired teen's loud voice had died down, becoming softer, his big hands moving away from my husband's collar.

Hachiman let out a heavy breath as he straightened his body. "I know, sorry man. A lot of stuff happened and I didn't get the time to tell you." He looked over to me and walked over to where I stood with big steps.

Taking my hand in his, he boldly proclaimed. "You already know her but let me reintroduce. This is Hikigaya Yumiko. My wife." Hachiman then waved towards Pengin. "Yumiko, this is Yoshiteru Zaimokuza, my friend."

Although I wasn't a fan of this guy, but I guess I had to show a little respect to him since he was a close friend to my husband. I released my hand from my Hachi and gave a low bow towards the chubby teen. "Thank you for taking care of my husband till now."

When I raised my head, I was expecting a similar statement as my own but I only received silence. Pengin was frozen stuff in place, not even moving a finger.

Then he unexpectedly started laughing. "Nice joke Hachiman. Completely unbelievable. You and Miura. Married." He laughed more.

I felt a vain pop in my forehead while just barely holding back the urge to take the bamboo blade away from Hachiman and start smacking the laughing clown until he was gone from sight.

Meanwhile my husband's face was stoic, completely unreadable. He didn't attempt to do anything and waited for the laughter to die down.

When it did, Pengin looked at us while removing tears from his eyes, the smile on his face showed his disbelieve in the current situation. "To think Hachiman of all people is capable of jokes. Guess you aren't completely dead inside." He stated light heartedly.

"Yoshiteru. I am not joking." His voice was dead serious.

Pengin didn't laugh this time and stared between me and Hachiman. When he looked over to me I returned a scowl, my arms crossed on my chest in a protective manner. Don't look at me with those eyes creep.

"You serious?" He asked bewildered, continuing to shift his gaze between me and my husband. "You and Miura? Married?" Though my surname wasn't Miura anymore, I didn't want to correct him either. I rather throw up than hear him use my first name. "When? How?"

"Just yesterday so I didn't have chance to tell anyone." Hachiman explained.

"I-I understand." Pengin nodded.

"You wanna step outside and talk." Hachiman asked to which Pengin nodded and both of them walked outside closing the door behind him. Hachi had handed me his bamboo blade right before he left. I swung the thing around testing its weight. It was kind of interesting how Hachiman was invested in different fields outside the norm.

I can use this next time Hachi tries to be cheeky. Hehehe.

"What are you planning Yumiko nee-san?" She was frowning at me because I had a scheming smile spread across my face.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." I innocently replied. "Anyway how many friends does Hachiman have in school?" Maybe Mari might be amongst them. Plus it's not bad to learn about my husband group of friends, I might have to interact with them in the future. Especially if there are females in the group. I tightened my grip on the bamboo blade, Hachi is mine and they need to know that.

"Except for Zaimokuza, no one. He is the only one I have seen fellow big brother around school and sometimes comes by the house too. He is loud and talks funny and frankly pretty annoying but he is the only one who stuck by my brother when he was alone. I wish I had the courage to do the same." Her voice held admiration for the fat teen.

"Komachi." I called out to her, dropping the bamboo blade on the sofa. "It's never too late to get close to your brother. Both of you are trying your best."

"I guess, I feel less tense when talking to my brother now. It made me happy when he asked me to help him clear his things out." She gave me a toothy smile.

"Then how about we celebrate his birthday. That is if your family haven't done it already."

"Birthday?" Komachi looked surprised, but then she shook her head. "No, we didn't go it this year." Her words were soft and sad.

"Yeah, I know it already passed but let's do it anyways. I am sure Hachiman will be happy too." And his family too hopefully. The memories of last night's dinner was still fresh in my mind and I wanted to recreate that atmosphere again. This could have a good chance. Besides birthdays are special events for the person in question and their entire family. My father would send the entire day with me, showering me with different gift and letting me do whatever I wanted.

"I think that's a bad idea. Big brother isn't fond of birthdays. 'What's so good about being one year closer to death', he says. Besides," she paused. "It might be a little too much right now. With how things are."

"I still want to go it." I stubbornly replied. I will literally won't take no for an answer. If I have to then I will just do it alone.

Komachi let out a sigh, "Big brother really won't be happy, but if you really want to."

"I really want to." What Komachi said might hold true and things might turn for the worse but I still want to try. Unlike my time with the blonde prince of the school. There was no hesitation within and so I wanted to try my best for Hachiman. I wanted to celebrate my husband's birthday with him. If his family also participated then that's even better.

"Then I will see what I can do. You will have to distract big brother."

"But I don't want to leave all the work to you. It's my plan so I will organize it. You will need to distract him." I fought back. Hmmm, maybe I can bribe/threaten that Pengin to spend the day with Hachiman so we can get some stuff done.

But my answer came when the door opened and in came Hachiman, alone. Where was Pengin, did he bail? That useless fat piece of over coat. I will grill him the next time I see him.

"Where is Pengin?" I asked trying to control my voice.

Hachiman raised an eyebrow at that before answering. "He left." I knew it, I am so gonna grill him. He had a chance to be useful but he ran away. Guess I will have to use Komachi as a scapegoat. "Yumiko, let's go pick up your stuff from your house." Hachiman's curve ball threw me off-balance. I looked back at Komachi who was smiling away.

I sighed, "You win." I told Komachi and walked towards the door where Hachiman stood. Getting my stuff from my old room was also important. So the birthday thing will have to wait for now. Maybe I can get a present for Hachi on the way. I wonder what he would like.

"Komachi, lock the door when we leave." Hachiman instructed his little sister. "And call if something comes up." There are worry in his tone.

"I will." She waved back. "Have fun with your date." She cheekily waved us goodbye.

This brat, I will definitely have to discipline her when I come back home. It's not like we are going on a date or anything, or are we? My cheeks became red at the thought, stupid Komachi this is all your fault. I sneaked a peek at Hachiman and surprisingly he too was effected by what his sister said. The way his face was slightly red was cute. Now I want to tense him too. "Komachi is very cheeky isn't she?" I stated, a smile on my face.

Hachiman too showed a small smile, "It's nice to talk to her again, without getting ignored. And yes, she is very cheekily indeed." He expanded his hand, offering it to me. Without reservations I took his large hand with mine, our fingers interlocked. I really loved when we did this, it filled my heart with ease and happiness. Hachiman's grip was softer than last time, less clumsily. His pace perfectly matched mine but unlike before he wasn't forcing myself to walk slower on my account.

Just after a day he was more in sync with me than I was with him. It was really comforting to have him by my side, he has been so nice and caring. Uncomfortable thought still invade my mind as to why he was doing all this, whether he will eventually blow up at my selfishness, whether he would yell at me like he did with Komachi destroying their long built relationship in an instant. They were brother and sister who have spent years together, who was I compared to that. I just came in yesterday, barely two days since we started this marriage thing. All of these were scary thought and I rather wanted them gone but they still come back.

After what Hayama did what he did. Hachiman is the only thing holding me together. But what if he betrays me too. What if he gets tired of me? After all, I don't know anything about him. Who he really is, who are his friends, what he does when he alone, what he thinks about me? He said he loved me right before going to sleep, but did he really? It was an impulse on my end, the things that happened last night was strange. I really wasn't in my right state of mind when he presented me the ring which I was now wearing. I had kissed him on his cheek, snuggled up to him. It felt nice but I was out of control. My emotions directed my actions.

My hand tightened causing Hachiman to look over, "what's wrong." He asked with his concerned voice. There was it again, good job Yumiko, you made him worried about you again.

"It's nothing, really." I tried to reassure him.

"Are you thinking about Hayama again?" He asked, his voice low.

The issue with Hayama was that even if I forced myself to forget him, some part of him will live on in the form of a scar that he created by his action, or rather because of my own blind sightedness towards the blonde. He wasn't to blame for this mess as much as me. I was the one who was foolishly trying to chase him, ignoring all the warning signs.

"Nothing like that. Just that, I realized that I don't know much about you. Now more than ever." It was true, the Hikigaya Hachiman from one year ago who I knew a bit about was completely different from the present day. The only actuate thing I could say about him was that he studied in the same school as me. I don't even know what class he is in. I frowned at the thought. I should really pay more attention to the people around me.

"Hmmm. You mind if we stop by someplace first, it's nearby." Hachiman suggested.

"I don't mind." I don't know where he was gonna take me but he smiled back leading the way.

Hachiman stopped in front of an ice cream shop, the store bell rang out when he opened the door to let himself and me in. The waitress greeted us but her voice died mid-way upon seeing my husband. She was looking at him as if she had seen a ghost or something. Then her brown eyes shifted towards me.

"Table for two." Hachiman ignored the waitress reaction as if he was already used to people giving him the same treatment. I know he looked like a crude delinquent but honestly, people tend to overreact too much.

The girl who looked about our age escorted us to the vacant table at the end of the shop. Hachiman let me sit down first while he sat opposite. "What would you like to order?" The waitress soft voice barely reached me.

"One rocky road sundae and two spoons." Hachiman's voice startled the poor girl and she shrieked back. Her behaviour was annoying, the people at the ward office were like that too, whispering weird things about Hachiman. I guess Hachiman was used to hearing stuff like that. I wonder if people in school also talked behind his back.

"Will that be all?" The girl asked. Hachiman nodded, well he did order two spoons so I guess we will be sharing. I honestly didn't mind eating rocky road after a long time. With my husband of all people.

"Ah." I turned my attention towards the girl who was still standing there for no reason. What's wrong with her and why was she staring at Hachiman? "Mr. Yakuza, thank you for last time." The girl did a rapid bow and ran off surprisingly fast.

"Mr. Yakuza?" My brows formed a glare as I stared off in the direction where the girl ran off you. Now that was just plain rude, calling my husband a yakuza. Though, his father definitely looked like one.

I looked over to Hachiman who was smiling. "Don't blame the poor girl, glaring at her won't solve anything."

Now I targeted my glare onto him. "You can't let people keep insulting you like that." Geez, how can he be so lax in this matter.

Hachiman hummed, "People are free to talk however they want, they always do. Whether if the person in question is loved or hated. What matters in the end is how the said person reacts to those statements thrown his way. Even if I go up to them my fist raised, it's not gonna solve the problem. Besides," He paused as his grin grew wider. "It's not like she is wrong."

I raised a questioning eyebrow as to what he means. Hachiman relaxed back in his chair arms folded. "I came here about three weeks ago because I was waiting for someone. Two highschoolers were trying to pick up the girl."

"And what did you do?" It was pretty clear what he did.

"I smashed their heads in, caused quite a scene too. Did my best yakuza impression and it worked. They ran away without looking back."

A sigh escaped my mouth and I continued to frown at my husband's foolish behaviour. "You know, I told you not to fight anymore." I reminded him of the promise I asked him to make yesterday.

"I know, don't worry I won't do it anymore. Unless the situation demands it that is." My glare deepened. "Ok, I get it. No fighting." He jokingly said.

I sighed again at his cluelessness. "You really make me worry sometimes." His mother probably feels the same. How desperate she looked at the hotel when she was trying to convince her son to marry me. "You know how vindictive some people can be. What if they come back and cause more trouble, what if next time you actually get hurt next time."

Hachiman immediately grabbed both my hands, squeezing them. "Idiot." I removed my hands to wipe away the tear that was halfway forming. "You know this doesn't only effect you. You are not alone." I scolded him. Why do I have to start crying every time because of this big idiot? I have cried so much in these three days. Hachiman even called me a cry baby. Does he not realize that it's all his fault?

"I know. I am sorry." He leaned over the table, arm expanding towards my face, his hand brushing against my cheek. "I promise I won't do it again."

"Of course you won't." I choked. "I will kill you if you do."

He chuckled as he moved back, his warm hand leaving my cold cheek. "I bet you will."

"Ah excuse me." A small voice sang out from besides us. We turned to face the waitress holding a tray with the rock road in a large cup. She sat the cup down and excused herself, quickly retreating to the front of the shop.

I looked down at the rocky road and it looked delicious and it was enough for both of us. Sadly I can't let myself eat too much of it, I need to watch my calories otherwise I will get fat. I need to stay in shape. I will let Hachiman eat most of the desert. I know he exercises and all so he will burn his extra calories away anyways. Maybe I can join him when he is running. It's not bad if I get some exercise myself.

Hachiman picks up the spoon closer to him and points it at me. "Now let's play a game." He started talking but I had already taken a spoonful bite out of the rock road filling my mouth with the rich sugary flavour. Hachiman looked on with a frown as I stared confused at him. What? Didn't he want to eat? Does he honestly expect me to finish all of this by myself? Was his master plan to get me fat?

"As I was saying." He grabbed my spoon and replaced it with his. My confusion was through the roof at this point. Does he want to use my spoon to eat the desert? My cheeks became slightly warm, the spoon I just USED?

"Let's play a game." He continued while I silently listened as to why he wanted to use the spoon that was just in my mouth. That's like an indirect kiss, I am not ready for that yet. "You said you don't know much about me, correct?"

I nodded.

"Well then how about this, you ask me a question, any question and I will answer without holding back. Same case with me. Only catch is that the person who will answer will also feed the person who asked the question. Well, what do you think?" He asked for my opinion.

Hmmm, that was honestly not bad at all. But one problem, is he gonna spoon feed me every time I ask him something. That is way too embarrassing, no way can I do that. It looks more like a punishment game to me, my husband is surprisingly sadistic.

"Only the truth right." He nods, "You won't lie right?" I nervously asked.

"I won't." He reassured me with a bright smile.

Steadying my heart, I took a deep breath. "Then I won't hold back." I said taking another breathe. This is too sudden, I barely know where to start, I know I am the one who asked for it but I am not prepared at all. Hachiman gave me free reign to ask him anything I want from him. "Do you still have feelings for Yukino and Yui?"

Hachiman raised an eyebrow, he took a spoonful of the icecream and hovered it near my mouth. Hesitantly, I opened my mouth taking a bite out of the desert, my cheeks completely red. It was a good thing we were the only customers in the shop at the moment so I didn't have to worry about other people staring at this embarrassing situation. Wait that waitress is spying on us from behind the counter with her big eyes, don't you have anything better to do?

"No, nothing. I don't hold any feelings for either of them." Hachiman answered retreating his arm back not looking annoyed that I had asked this question for about the third time. I wanted to apologize for that but I still had doubts within me considering how close the three of them were in the past. So he really doesn't have feelings for them. That makes me happy.

I unexpectedly giggled surprising my husband who stared at me with wide eyes.

"Then next question." I thought about what else I want to ask him. "Have you gone on a date before?" I doubt he ever went on a day with a girl, but just to make sure…..

"A couple." He moved his hand forward to feed me the icecream.

"WHAT?" And now he moved his arm back because of my outburst. Even the girl who was spying on us hid herself. "With whom and when?" My voice threating.

Hachiman looked like he made a mistake. "All of them are in the past. Let's leave them at that." He dodged the question but that didn't relieve him from my glare. He again moved his arm forward, expanding the spoon towards me. Despite my foul mood, I took the bite, chewing on the chocolate angrily.

"Then who was your first girlfriend?" I asked, arms folded. And so begins the interrogation.

"No one. I skipped that part and got married." He cheekily responded.

"Then your first kiss?"

"None, at least not yet." He showed me a knowing grin while I could only lightly blush as I took another bite of the icecream he was offering.

"Did you confess to anyone before or liked them?"

He sighed, possibly thinking of a bad memory. "Once in middle school and it went horrible."

Oh, it was a good think too. Thank you for brutally rejecting my husband whoever you are. "Who was she?"

"Next question Yumiko." He felt unpleasant since the topic came up. Guess it made him uncomfortable, just what happened during his middle school? Rejection followed by bullying, maybe that's the case.

"What about your friends?" There was no doubt he actually had some people he called friends, most noticeable was Pengin who I met a while ago and the name Mari was also mentioned. I was curious what kind of people he hung around. Were they delinquents or someone else entirely? If they were delinquents then I will have to convince Hachiman not to associate with them since they might be a bad influence.

"I will introduce you to them soon enough." He left it at that.

I was kind of disappointed but I guess I just have to be patient. Now the last thing I wanted to ask him. "Do you like me?" My voice was nervous and tense, my eyes slightly lowered not meeting his gaze.

Hachiman blinked a few times before his face became soft and a smile graced his expressions. "By the second."

I let out a giggle, I wanted to reach out and hug my husband with all my might, but this table was in the way and my body glued to the chair. It really made me happy that he said he likes me. This time there was no rush or impulse, I heard him loud and clear.

"I like you too." I responded back, now making Hachiman blush. He coughed moving his face away from me. "Now are you seriously gonna make me eat all the icecream, are you planning on making me fat." I glared at him.

He coughed again, "maybe."

"Do you have something you want to ask me?" My voice was low and nervous.

"Then," He leaned forward over the table, "when is your birthday?" He asked. This time it was my turn to feed him. He opened his mouth and swallowed the ice-cream in seconds, his face twisting in a cringy way. Probably too sweet for him but he didn't complain.

"Twelth December." Well that was straight forward. I thought he wasn't a fan of birthdays, well according to Komachi he wasn't. Maybe he asked because it's my birthday.

He hummed as he absorbed the information. "Then, any other boy you liked besides that guy."

By that guy does he mean Hayama? "No, no one before him. Even in middle school all the boys looked too childish to hang around with. I mostly kept to my own circle of girls. Besides, I was busy practicing tennis." To be honest, I only remember one or two people from middle school. I am really horrible, can't even remember the people I spent three years with. I should probably apologize to Pengin, he is a royal friend of my husband after all.

"Why did you start calling me Hikio? Did you even know what my real name was or you started because you felt like it?" He asked curious.

That's rude, of course I knew his real name. Yui my friend liked him after all, besides our second year homeroom teacher always bullied him. "I just thought it was cuter." I smiled back making him red again. "Besides, I also like your new name, don't you agree Hachi." I sang his name making him completely turn side way, not even taking the bite of the icecream. My, he really looked cute when he embarrassed.

"Come on now, the icecream will melt or you don't eat it." I continued to tease him, he grumbled something and finally turned towards me. "Now say ahhh." He grumbled again but moved forward eating the icecream.

My, he seems to be in a bad mood, seeing how the tables have turned on him. I couldn't help myself but laugh while my husband watched me with a smile.

Hachiman didn't ask me anymore question after that, so as a penalty, I continued to feed him, with each bite he would make a weird face making me laugh more. I was a bit sad when the icecream had all but disappeared from the big cup.

When got up and went over to the counter. The spy girl was standing with an elderly man, probably the store owner. The owner said something about young love while the spy girl kept looking at me with her big brown eyes and red cheeks. Did you enjoy your own personal teen drama? I wanted to scold her not to peek at our people but I didn't want to ruin the good mood that surrounded me.

After paying, we left the shop and headed towards the train station. "How did you come up with kind of game anyways?" I asked while walking.

"Something I would do this when Komachi was little, she would become moody and angry when my parents were too busy with their jobs. It always worked on her so I thought to give it a try with you." He explained. "So, feeling better now?"

I removed my hand from his and instead grabbed hold of his arm with both of my own leaning into it all the while smile away without a care. His muscles were surprisingly soft, my head felt like it was resting on a pillow. I can get used to this.

"That answer your question?" I cheekily asked. He didn't say anything, instead he slightly turned his head away seemingly embarrassed by my sudden action. He had to adjust his pace since I was walking while leaning into him. I was also embarrassed by what I was doing but since I was in a state of utter bliss so I didn't care.

But sadly I had to separate from Hachiman when we reached the train station. The train was jammed packed with barely enough space to move around. Hachiman stood in the middle of the crowd holding onto one of the many handle with one hand while his other arm was around my back, both supporting and shielding me. Although people were pushing and shoving, my husband stood rooted in place like a mountain. Meanwhile I was practically glued to my husband's body. The shirt he was wearing was loose hiding away his lean muscular physique.

When we got off the train, we walked in the direction of my house. I held onto Hachiman's hand and led the way. Our little walk was uneventful and we made it to my old house without a problem. A heavy breath escaped my mouth, a lot of things have happened since the last time I was here. To think I didn't want to go through with the marriage thing. Well that was a logical thought at the time anyways but I am really glad I accepted it in the end.

I unlocked the door with the spare key I had and we entered inside. The house was quiet with no signs of life. Guess father is already at work.

"Let's get the stuff you will be needing for now, books, cloths etc. Anything that can fit inside a bag."

I nodded in agreement. "The lounge bags are in my room, let's go."

I led the way upstairs towards my room. If anyone had asked me yesterday to take Hachiman to my room, then I would have probably slapped that person. There was no way I would let a boy, especially Hachiman of all people inside, but here we are. We did share the same bed last night, even slept in each other's embrace. My face instantly heated up, it was a good thing I had my back turned away from my husband.

When I opened the door I was greeted with the sight of utter chaos. It was like a tornado had stuck my room leaving it in a state of disarray. My husband looked down at me with a frown while I let out a weak chuckle. I completed forgot to clean up my room, I originally left it for later but that later never came.

"My old room looks better than this." Hachiman stated.

"It's all your fault, you know that." I frown back to him but I only received a karate chop to the head. I winced in pain staring back at my husband with teary eyes. "You really are a bully." I retorted.

He leaned down to my level, giving me a cheekily grin. "And what are you gonna do about it?" He teasingly whispered causing my heart beat to drum faster.

He moved away and walked inside the room, picking up various items scattered around the floor and threw them onto the bed. Meanwhile I had placed my hand over my heart trying to calm it down. Surprisingly, Hachiman can be pretty aggressive sometimes. The memories of yesterday flooded in, how Hachiman was playing around with me, locked me on the bed and pretended to kiss me. His actions were bold. But he also gets embarrassed from time to time, which is pretty cute to witness to be honest.

"Are you gonna stand there and let me do all the work?" Hachiman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe." I chuckled, walking to my large wardrobe and opening it. I pointed to the upper shelve, "the two cases are up there, can you take them out." They were out of my reach so I asked my husband to do it for me. Without a complaint, he moved next to me and easily took out the two suitcases.

"I guess these should be enough for my cloths." I started taking out the cloths I wanted to take with me.

Hachiman looked at me cloth line-up with a questionable look. "I think you will need a few more cases." Of course, but we have very limited space right now so I just want to take what I need until we get a proper wardrobe. Hmmm, I wonder what kind of clothing Hachiman prefers. I was wearing a long skirt right now, so maybe more cloths like that.

"Can you put the books inside my bag?" I turned my head towards Hachiman who was standing idly. He nodded and walked over to my desk, compiling the books and start to stuff inside my bag until it was at full capacity.

"Some books are left, you will have to put them inside one of the cases." I nodded, already have stuffing my cloths and pyjamas inside the first case, there was some room left in it so I guess I can place some underwear in it. I sigh, this is tiring. Before I could even start, I stopped my hand abruptly and turned towards my husband with a glare.

He raised an eyebrow, confused. "Turn around." I ordered. He gave me a weird look but he obeyed nevertheless. I quickly threw whatever I wanted inside the case and closed it completely. When I turned around to look at the back of my husband, he was playing with a stuffed bear toy.

"I am surprised you still have this kind of thing." He commented, placing the bear down on the bed.

"It was a gift from granny."

"Oh." He paused. "Is she?"

"She passed away shortly after my mother." I stood up from my crouched position, my hand hugging my other arm. "My mother," I took a deep breath and continued. "She had a very weak body and mostly bedridden, even in her condition she really cared for me. Even to this day, I still think about her and wished she was alive." I kept staring at my husband's back. "So please, look after your parents, because they might not be around one day."

"I will." He responded back, his fist clenched tightly but then relaxed them. "So, can I turn around now?" He jokingly asked.

I chuckled, "yes, you can." As soon as he turned around, I ran up to him, hugging him. He was essentially surprising but when he recovered, he hugged back.

"So are we gonna pack your things or are we gonna stay like this?" He asked with a smile, "not that I am complaining."

I separated myself from him, smiling back.

We went back to packing again, the first case was already stuffed with my cloths, so I used the other one for my remaining books, hair dryer, shampoo and conditioner, tooth brush, phone charger, laptop and of course my stuffed bear. Though, I had a life sized very huggable bear all to myself. I chuckled cupping my face. Meanwhile the bear in question was looking at me with arched eyebrows, confused by my weird behaviour.

When I was done and packed whatever things I needed. I turned towards Hachiman who had swung my school bag on his shoulders while he held both cases in his hands with a stony face. I started laughing almost instantly. "You look like you are going to some military camp."

Hachiman only sighed. I told him to hand me one of the cases but he refused and wouldn't let me, and people call me stubborn, wait till they see my husband.

When we were walking down the stairs, a beeping noise suddenly sounded. Panicking I looked for the source, the sound was coming from behind me, where Hachiman stood.

"My phone." He said and ran down stairs placing one of the suitcase down before fishing his phone out of his pocket. He stared at the screen of his phone for a second, his face morphing into one of annoyance and then anger. He placed the other suitcase down and turned towards me. "Give me a second, need to attend this call." Hachiman explained to me and walked off right out of the door.

I wondered who called him to make him look that angry. Last time he was that angry was yesterday when we encountered Hayama and Yukino. Was it one of them? I unconsciously hugged myself, Yukino did indirectly say she still liked Hachiman, was it her that called him, to reach out to him?

It would be a lie that I wasn't scared of that possibility. Even after confirming again and again that Hachiman had no feelings for his two ex-club mates, it still scared me. What if deep inside his heart he still liked them. This thought of mine was like a parasite eating away at my soul. I just wish I could uproot the damn thing and just trust in my husband's words.

I took a deep breath and glared hard. For here on out, I won't doubt my husband again and trust him with everything I got. I declared to myself, forcefully removing such distasteful thought from my inside me.

The door opened and Hachiman stepped inside with an exhausted face.

"What happened?" I asked him not sure whether he will tell me anything.

He took a deep breath, "my aunt called, to congratulate me on my marriage." There was a bitterness in his voice.

"Isn't that a good thing?" I had no idea why he was in a bad mood because of this. I for one, did not receive such calls. My father was an only child and as for my mother's side, occasionally talk to my cousins through text and maybe sometime call each other. I don't know if dad broke the news to them or not, but I guess he probably did since marrying your daughter off unexpectedly is no small thing.

"Well, it's complicated." He left it at that not explaining any further.

"It's fine." I nodded not pushing him further for answers. He will tell me when he is ready, or when I meet his extended family myself if they visit.

Hachiman again lifted the suitcases and we were ready to leave. I locked the front door and walked over to Hachiman, he told me that it would be better to take a cab than a bus or train. I agreed since we had our bags. After walking for a while, we came across a cab, Hachiman told the driver the address and we were on our way back home.

The ride back home was uneventful and we reached the Hikigaya household safe and sound. Hachiman paid the taxi driver and took out the bags, dropping them in front of the door. Loud voices could be heard from inside. Guest? Hachiman did receive a call from his aunt so maybe his other relatives came to visit.

Hachiman rang the doorbell and it almost immediately opened. I had expected Komachi to greet us but it turned out to be an elderly woman, back hunched slightly, white hair with the distinctive gravity defying ahoge.

"Grandmother." Hachiman called out.

"Hachi?" She stared bewildered at the savage looking young man towering before her. Her face instantly brighten up and expanded her arms towards the raven haired teen in an attempt to hug him. Since she was a little shorter than me, Hachiman had to bend down and hug the old woman back. "You really surprised me." She patted him on the back. "For a second I thought you were your Yamada, you really look like him." She separated from her grandson.

"I didn't expect to see you here grandmother." Hachiman calmly spoke, a stoic expression on his face. The anger from before when he talked to his aunt was nowhere to be seen.

"I came rushing as soon as your mother told me the news. I scolded my daughter for not telling me beforehand." She then turned towards me, her big round eyes same as Komachi and Mrs. Hikigaya. "Is this?"

"She is Yumiko grandmother. My wife." Hachiman introduced me to his grandmother.

I felt a little nervous standing before his grandmother's gaze, it was like meetings one's parent for the first time. I bowed respectfully before her. "Nice to meet you, I am Yumiko, I will be in your care from now on." I greeted her and while I was barely setting my back straight, Hachi's grandmother brought me in for a big hug, crushing me in her embrace.

"I can't believe my grandson is married to a beautiful girl like you. The girl inside is cute too but I think I like you more." The girl inside? I sneaked a peek at Hachiman who still held a unreadable face.

"Grandmother, you can release her now." Hachiman prompted the older woman to let go off me which I was grateful for, she really was a strong hugger. The woman who I presumed was the mother of Mrs. Hikigaya finally let go of me and I was able to finally breathe because of that.

"Sorry I tend to get carried away sometimes." She laughed. "I was just so excited to see my grandson's wife. I accidentally mistook the young girl inside for your wife." Just who was she referring to? "Sorry for making you wait at the door." Granny apologized and stepped sideways for us to walk through.

We removed our shoes and walked inside. Once inside my eyes fell to an elderly man sitting on the couch watching Komachi holding a controller while sitting on the carpet floor, next to her sat a boy with black hair and blue eyes. But then my eyes shifting towards the most striking person in the room. A girl my age sat on the other end of the living room. Her ruby like eyes also watching Komachi and the boy playing the console until they shifted towards me and my husband, her reserved body turned uncomfortable in the sofa, her long silver hair tied in the usual pony tail brushed against the surface of the seat.

Her deep purple eyes were locked onto my emerald ones. Usually whenever we met, we would glare at each other as our attitudes never mixed well together. But today was completely different, she was looking at me with surprise, then she turned towards Hachiman who was holding the luggage, a hint of sadness showed on her face. She then turned away, opting to stare at the while wall next to her.

So the girl who was misunderstood as Hachiman's wife was Kawasaki Saki, then the boy must be her brother, Taishi was it?

"Aniki, you are back." A cheerful voice ran out. The boy who was sitting next to Komachi got up and ran over. "We were waiting for you. Komachi told us you were married now." He grinned, turning his gaze over to me almost losing breath. "Is that Yumiko senpai? Is she your wife? As expected of my great Aniki." He proclaimed out loud, his eyes glittering like a child who just got offered some sweets.

Meanwhile my husband continued to sneer at the youth in front of him, as if looking down on an insect. The youth on the other hand continued to admire his role model despite of the latter's cold treatment.

The elderly man had gotten up from his seat and walked over to my husband. "Hachiman you have grown up since the last time I saw you." He smile up at my husband. Hachiman unchanged face stared down at the elderly man.

"And you are shorter grandfather." He joked to which his grandfather laughed lightly.

"Cheeky too." The old man retort. He then turned towards me with a smile. "To think my savage looking grandson got to marry a beautiful girl like you. Reminds me of my daughter's wedding again."

"I am Yumiko. Please take care of me" I bowed my head showing respect. At least they like me, I think.

"Now, now don't rush them. The poor boy has been standing there holding all those bags. Give him some space." The grandmother scolded the youth and her own husband. The youth became dejected while her husband laughed again.

"Let me help with the bags." The elderly man offered even though he looked fragile and weak.

"Then let me help you too Aniki." The black haired youth yelled out, much to Hachiman's annoyance.

"It's fine. I will handle it myself." He refused the offer presented by his grandfather and not even bothering to face the boy. I was a little taken aback by the boy's resolve. He doesn't losing heart even when treated like he doesn't exist. That's some dedication, or he is just insane. I honestly can't tell.

"In the meanwhile I will spend some time with my new granddaughter. Grandma giggled and tugged on my arm pulling me to the other side of the living room, where Saki was seated. The silver hair delinquent's body stiffened up when she saw us approach, her hands on her knees and clenched, her head slightly down.

"Saki dear, sorry for the misunderstanding earlier." Grandma apologized as she sat down, giving her a tender look.

"I-its fine. Don't worry about it." I raised my eyebrows at that, her panicked voice said otherwise. Though the older woman remained the same, a beaming smile on her face.

"It's wonderful that Hachi knows two beautiful girls, and married to one of them." She giggled. Saki on the other hand Saki narrowing her eyes trying to surpass her emotions. "All of you are in the same class right? It must be fun hanging out together."

It seems the grandparents were unaware of the Hikigaya's family situation. That's what I understood anyways. "We used to be in the same class last year but now we are in different ones." I replied on behalf of Saki.

Granny made a sad face, "but you three are still hanging out together it seems. How is Hachi like in school, does he have friends? He was a real cry baby in elementary school because he didn't have any friends. Komachi said he was friendly with two girls, it was hard to believe but here we are." She laughed.

Sadly, we are not the two girls mentioned but I didn't want to debunk her. Alot has happened since then and it was clear she wasn't informed about those events.

"Granny, you are not teasing Yumiko nee-san are you?" Komachi cutely called out.

The old woman turned to her adorable granddaughter with a smile. "No, of course not. It's the first day I met her so I am holding back." I frowned at that, so she was the main culprit behind my torture at the hands of the mother and daughter. By the looks of her ahoge dancing around happily on top of her head, made me sure of my theory.

Komachi then tugged on her granny's arm attempting to pull her. "Granny, I am hungry so make something for me."

The grandmother got up from her seat lightly laughing. "Ok, ok, calm down Komachi I will make you something." She then turned towards Saki and I, "you girls have fun. My granddaughter is just asking to be spoiled." This earned a big grin from the spoiled raven haired girl.

Saki and I were left alone, my eyes glancing to the others in the living room. Hachiman had returned and was sitting at the couch with his grandfather, both listening to Saki's brother talk, his arms waving about. Hachiman held a boring face while his grandfather was laughing at the young boys ethics.

I turned back to Saki who was giving me a half glare. "Let's talk somewhere private." I told her.

I led Saki upstairs, she was quiet and reversed, her eyes trailing the floor underneath. "Are we going to Komachi's room?" She asked, her voice quiet.

I unconsciously shook my head, we are going to my room." Mine and Hachiman's room anyways.

"Your room?" There was surprise in her voice. "Look like you have gotten quite comfortable here." I wouldn't deny that her venomous tone didn't make me uncomfortable. Just what was the extent of her relationship with Hachiman? One sided? Hachiman didn't say a single word to her and vice versa.

I opened to the door to my room and was greeted by the sight of random stuff scattered around. I sighed, this was the third time this had happened, and honestly this is becoming a habit.

"Come on in." I waved her inside, she gave me a questionable look and also stared at the mess inside.

"So, this is your room?" Saki stared at disbelieve, her eyes scanning the room, from the double sized bed to the various items scattered around the floor by my husband. Sports gear, men's cloths, books and my luggage cases.

"Hachiman and my room." I clarified this time, a hint of embarrassment in my voice.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" She scoffed. Her angry spite did not deter me and so once I closed the door. I turned towards her, Saki's face was twisted in an awkward mixer of bitterness and grief, and she was hugging her arm, the deep purple iris glued to the floor.

"Saki," I called out her name, pausing, not sure what I was about to do was the right course of action. "You like Hachiman too."

The silver haired delinquent panicked eyes shifted towards me for a split second meeting my determined green ones. She looked like she was gonna cry, and I didn't blame her.

But she held it in, I don't know whether she was strong enough to hold back her tears or she just didn't want to cry in front of me. Her eyes darted back to the ground as her back leaned against the wall, her slender arms embraced her ample chest in a protective manner. "No, no of course I don't." Her voice was small and weak. It looked like she was talking to herself rather than me, convincing herself of her own statement. "Why would I even like that creep in the first place, his dead eyes are as rotten as a corpse. He is rude brute who doesn't have any manners on how to treat a girl. He never listens to me and does whatever he wants. And..and," she started to choke on her words. "I don't deserve to like him after what I did." She started to cry, her hands hiding her red face.

It pained me to see her in this state, we weren't close, she was someone I just studied with in one room for a year but it still hurt to see her like this. I couldn't stop myself and stepping in, bring my arms around her back bring her body closer to mine. To my surprise she didn't protest nor push me back. "Let's sit down." I suggested when she had calmed down somewhat, she wordlessly nods.

Saki and I sat down on the couch, the green couch was old as Hachi said as our bodies pretty much sunk into it. Though it was strangely comfy. Since it wasn't that big both of us sat together with no space.

Saki had stopped her crying, her red cheeks held a slight pout, her gaze not meeting mine.

"Sorry." I apologized. "I shouldn't have asked you something like that, it was insensitive of me. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings Saki." Especially when it was clear as day about how she truly felt about Hachiman. Unlike Yukino who teased me about still liking Hachiman, Saki was completely heartbroken.

She slowly shook her head, "its fine." She rubbed her puffy eyes with her arm.

"I didn't know you two were close." She wouldn't have reacted so strongly if that wasn't the case. I have seen the two being around each other last year but from my perspective, they didn't have much of a relationship except for being classmates.

"We..." She paused swallowing hard. "We are not close." She looked down rubbing her wrist. Her face morphing uncomfortably. "What about you, you are the last person I ever expected to be married to Hikigaya."

A small smile graced my face, my eyes also fixed onto the floor. "Well you know. I thought the same thing when the whole mess started. But," I played with the ring on my finger. "I am really happy now, the happiest I have ever been."

Saki was watching me with the corner of her eyes. "Did Hikigaya give you that ring?"

"Yes." I whole heartedly answered her, it wasn't like I was trying to make her jealous or anything. I was just genuinely happy when thinking about my husband.

"It must be nice, being right next to Hikigaya. He was never responsive towards me, always had that sore face of his. Just when I was getting through to him." Her eyes formed a painful glare, she clenched her fist tightly making them tremble.

"Saki," I grabbed her hand to stop her from shaking. "What happened, was it the prom event?" I asked, I faintly remember Saki was running towards the exit as I was returning from the encounter with Hachiman, my hand hurting from the slap while my heart was aching from Hachiman's words.

The prom event was where everything changed. Everyone connected to Hachiman, all of them were effected by his bizarre actions. Yukino told me the truth regarding the incident, but that doesn't mean I had to go spread the news around like it was a piece of gossip. It was my husband's affair and he will be the one to disclose the matter.

"It wasn't that stupid prom night." Saki raised her voice startling me. My body jerked back because of her outburst. Saki looked at me, panic replacing anger. She got up from the sofa creating distance. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to." Her body was trembling.

I got up from the sofa grabbing Saki's hands softly, fearing she might run away. "Don't apologize, that night was hard for everyone. Please sit down." I prompted her.

Although reluctant for a few seconds, she agreed and once again we found ourselves sinking down in the quicksand of a couch. We definitely need to buy a new one.

"Sorry," she apologized again. If this was a normal situation, I would have gloated for making Saki apologize so much but this wasn't a normal situation was it. "It's just when Hikigaya's grandmother mistook me for his wife, I-I didn't know what to do. I thought that she was old and imagined it but then Komachi said I was Hikigaya's classmate and that he was gone on out with his wife. I felt like crying right there and then I saw you with Hikigaya. Ah, why am I even telling you all this, it's your fault I am feeling like this." She wiped a tear from her eye. "My heart hurts so much its unbearable."

She squeezing her eyes shut and silently started to cry. I brought my hands around her, bringing her into my embrace. Instead of pushing me back or angrily snapping at me, the person who caused her to be in her current state, she leaned more in my arms, softly shedding tears against my chest. My face twisted uncomfortably in angst.

I was worried about how Yui might react to the news but I never thought that Saki also liked my savage looking husband. Honestly I could sympathise with her, I had already experienced the pain she was feeling right now. I had also completely broken down early in the morning and only recovered because Hachiman was there with me. Saki was alone, she didn't have a shoulder to lean now, so I was trying my best to fill that role.

But I doubt how successful I would be in this endeavour, after all I was the one who had taken away the guy she loved, I wouldn't be surprised if she was resentful towards me like Yukino was yesterday. The raven haired heiress was spiteful at the beginning to which she admitted then became surprisingly calm and collected afterwards, she even asked me whether we could be friends.

We stayed like this for a while, Saki gradually pulled away rubbing her swollen eyes. "Thanks." She softly muttered.

"I am sorry about all this, believe me I really am."

"Miur...Yumiko. It's fine, thank you." She let out a heavy breath and relaxed in the couch. "I still can't believe both of you are married." She whispered.

"I know." I also took a deep breath. "It's like I am dreaming right now. It all feels surreal right now."

"So?" Saki trained her eyes towards the bed, her face deep red. "Since you two are sharing rooms, did you two, I mean." She didn't continue and stopped in her tracks, her face resembling a bright red light in pitch darkness.

I pressed my lips together, holding back the embarrassment that was slowly starting to rear its ugly head, my attempts were a failure however and my face also dyed a shed of crimson. I hid my neon red face with my hands. "We just slept on the same bed." In his arms no less, but I can't tell her that, I will explode if I did.

"Oh." She turned her head away to hide her flustered face. "Did you two you know, kiss maybe?"

"Of course not." This time I raised my voice making Saki jerked away. "W-we are just holding hands" I told her with a small voice glossing over his kisses to the forehead and cheeks, but they don't count right. Though I won't deny his kiss to my forehead makes me light and fluffy. I covered my face to hide away my smile.

Saki was keenly observing my odd behaviour, she was about to say something but a knock on the door interrupted her.

"Come in." I voiced out. The door opened and in came Hachiman holding a tray and a mini table. His eyes fell on both of us giving a questionable look, our bodies half drowned in the sofa.

Because Hachiman was in the room, Saki's body stiffened uncomfortably besides me, her eyes fell to the floor and fist clenched. I sneaked a peek at my husband, his abysmal eyes stared down at the blue haired teen but he suddenly shifted towards me making me stiffen up as well.

"Yumiko, Kawasaki, grandmother made some daifuku and mango shake." He sat the table down and placed the tray on it.

"Thanks." I smiled at him. Though I was also a little upset too, he is making me eat so much sweets I am bound to get fat. I will really have to accompany Hachiman on his run.

Hachiman nodded, "if you need anything else I will be downstairs." Hachiman turned around to leave but not before giving one last glance at Saki. His face was emotionless so it was hard to make out what he might be thinking.

Once Hachiman was gone, Saki released a heavy breath and placed a hand over her chest calming her heart beat. I handed her the shake hoping it might get her mind of things. She accepted the glass taking a small sip from it. Her purple eyes borrow into me, "how can you be so calm in this situation?"

"What do you mean?" I asked surprised, I took my own glass drinking the milkshake. Too sweet, I can almost imagine how Hachiman will react when drinking this. The best part he can't even escape from it since his grandmother made it. I just wish I was there to see it.

"I mean, why are you so calm right now? We would be glaring and shouting at each other normally. Yet you are sitting with me like it's nothing, even though you know I like Hikigaya but you still didn't get angry." She sat the glass down, shifting her body to better face me. "Didn't you like Hayama?"

The shake I just drank felt like it was climbing back at the mention of the blonde prince of our highschool. Setting the empty glass down, I also turned towards her. "He is engaged with Yukinoshita."

Saki's eyes widen, she was about to say something but stopped midway. "Sorry." Was the only thing she managed to mutter, her gaze glancing sideways. It was no surprise she felt sorry for me since everyone in the school knew how I felt about the blonde prince.

"You don't have to apologize." I told her, my body leaned back on the sofa, my emerald iris falling on the daifuku, my appetite all but lost. "Our relationship was superficial anyways, so there is nothing to be sorry for." Honestly I felt sick just by thinking about him, how I felt when he said he didn't want to ruin the mood of the group with a straight face.

"So, is that why you two got together?" She brought her legs up and was hugging her knees on the couch, deep in thought.

I let a sigh, "well in an around about way, yes. Our parents who used to be friends organized the whole thing, they were really pushy about it too, both of them doing it because of us. Hachiman was the first one to agree to their demands and it took me some time to wrap my head around it. In the end, I only agreed to it because I didn't want to disappoint my father." I paused, my eyes looking at the door thinking about what Hachiman was doing downstairs. "I didn't know about Yukinoshita's engagement. I found about it later."

"Yo….you really must have felt heartbroken and betrayed."

I nodded in agreement. "But Hachi has been there for me, just like he promised me."

"Hikigaya?" She asked surprised.

"Yes, he promised that he will protect and take care of me. He was even down on his knees when he said that." I giggled, now that I think about it, didn't look like he was proposing. I wish I wasn't lost in my own fantasy world and actually captured that moment, but it was gone now. At least the memories of last night when Hachiman gave me the ring were with me. It was a miracle how both of us carelessly slept together, I am surprised I didn't explode halfway through.

"He totally proposed to you." Saki practically shouted.

"Shhh, keep your voice down. You want everyone in the house to know about it."

She immediately brought both of her hands on her mouth, covering it. "My bad. But Hikigaya doing something like that, it's completely unexpected. He was always angry and brooding when he was with me." She hugged her knees again, leaning her head on them. "Now he looks calm and happy."

"Are you angry at me? Because I took Hachiman away from you." I asked, she herself was surprisingly calm too given what kind of situation both of us were stuck in.

"No, why would I be angry at you. I told you, I don't have much of a relationship with Hikigaya, it ended." Her eyes narrowed down making a bitter expression. She then concealed her face in her thighs, "I am just heartbroken, and that's all." Her voice was muffled.

I hesitated for a second before asking, "Saki, what exactly happened between you two?" From what Saki was telling me, it seems both of them were still hanging out after the prom incident and since both of them were classmates, it was easier for them.

Saki revealed her face and rested it on top of her knees again. Taking a deep breath she started talking. "After school started, Hikigaya and I were put in the same class. He completely changed, he grew taller and was well built, and it really surprised me. But because of that everyone around him was scared of him too, plus rumours were going around he was going around picking fights. Couple that with happened at that stupid prom, no one wanted to get close to him. Not that Hikigaya wanted anyone to get close to him. He became extremely cold, Taishi told me that even his relationship with his sister was bad, and he used to love his little sister so much. I couldn't imagine Hikigaya being like that. I thought that there must be a reason why Hikigaya changed so much, so I thought I could help him. I spent every day trying to get close to him. He would always give me a cold shoulder and threaten me to leave him alone, but I somehow kept at it. Then I noticed Hikigaya was beginning to change, although it was extremely little, it was progress at least. It made me really happy you know."

A small smile graced her features but it didn't long replaced by one of sadness and hurt. "But everything went wrong one day. Komachi was getting bullied by her classmates."

"What?" I almost leaped out of the sofa, my blood warm and my fist clenched.

"Komachi told Taishi not to tell anyone. That brat didn't and stood up to the bullies himself. He got beat, badly. Both of us learned about the whole bullying after this, I was angry too, after all I loved my little brother and I wanted to give those brats a piece of my mind but Hikigaya." She stopped, her body was trembling. I had to put my hands on her to stop her from shaking. "He looked like he was going to murder those kids, his eyes, they weren't normal. I desperately tried to stop him, I knew if I didn't he would do something he might later regard. But…But he, he slammed me against the wall. It really hurt. He had me pin against it, he was angry and out of control. I still remember the pain I felt that day, he was looking down on me like a demon. It was really scary, he was scary." Tears again started to flow down. "The worst part, I said it out loud. Hikiga..." she choked while crying. "He wasn't angry anymore. He looked so hurt, guilty and terrified of himself, of what he did to me, he ran away. I knew I made a mistake which I couldn't undo. We never talked after that. I didn't have the courage to face him anymore. Not after I called him a monster."

I remembered a rumour going around school on how Hachiman was suspended for two weeks because he thrashed a first year classroom. I didn't pay much attention to it at that time because rumours can be stupid and fake. Plus I couldn't imagine Hachiman doing stuff like that. To think it was true, honestly it made my blood boil. To think an innocent girl like Komachi was getting bullied by some brats. Saki also suffered because of that, she was trying so hard for Hachiman's sake, but everything went down the drain.

"I can't even imagine how hurt you must have felt since then. Seeing him every day but not being able to talk to him like you used to." It's like driving a stake to the heart, I thought, I thought that I could sympathise with her but that wasn't the case anymore. Saki's pain was greater than mine. She tried so hard for the man she loved but everything got ruined in the end, meanwhile I got married to her crush free of charge. It was unfair.

"Some time it's unbearable." She admitted.

I took a deep breath, "if it makes you feel better, I can start smacking Hachiman on the head, I even have his bamboo blade." I think I left in downstairs in the living room. Even if Hachiman hide it, I am sure I can find it with Komachi's help.

"What, no. That might make him mad." Saki panicked, her feet were off the couch and were now stationed on the cold floor.

"Then let him get angry, I will just become angrier and smack him harder." I gave her a toothy smile.

"You have a death wish or something. Or are you just mentally challenged?"

"Hi, that's rude, and here I was trying to cheer you up." I pouted, folding my arms and turned away.

"Hi, can you blame me for thinking that, after all the stupid fights we have gotten into." Her mood seems to have improved somewhat, that was good. It felt unpleasant seeing her gloomy and depressed. She grabbed one of the daifuku and moved it closing to my mouth. "Come on, have a bite."

"I am not a little kid you know." Who are you trying to feed anyways, we are the same age.

"I am just trying to apologize, now open up." She was talking to me like I was a kid. "Besides, you look cute when you pout like that." She giggled.

The nerve on my forehead throbbed out of anger. I also grabbed one daifuku and placed it near Saki's mouth. If I am going down, I am taking you with me. Both of us glared at each other like we used to, but there was no resentment or conflict there anymore. Just two teenage girls having fun annoying each other.

"Big sister and Yumiko senpai are surprisingly close." A male voice sounded.

Both of our eyes darted towards the door. The door was slightly open, the faces of Komachi and Taishi popping out from the side, a gleeful smile pasted on their lips.

"Sorry to irrupt your lovely dovey moment." Komachi teased.

This brat really needs a spanking. I put the daifuku down, setting the small table aside and began to chase after the dubious little sister who started to run away while laughing, strangely Saki's little brother also started to run away.

I successfully got hold of Komachi in the kitchen, as punishment for her rude behaviour I was stretching her cheeks like it was rubber, she was saying she was sorry with teary eyes and that she won't do it again. And when I let her go, she ran to her grandmother complaining that I was being mean to her. The older woman just laughed while patting her granddaughter on the head.

Meanwhile Saki was also lecturing her brother for eavesdrop on people conversations. The boy's head was down with guilt. He promised he won't do it again with teary eyes. At that point Saki couldn't take it anymore and hugged her brother telling him it's alright.

It's definitely not alright, you are clearly spoiling him.

Hachiman who sat alongside his grandfather stared at us with a blank face, while the latter was laughing happily. Sometimes I can't tell what my husband is thinking.

Saki told her brother that it was about time they left, but Komachi complained that they didn't get to see the movie they were planning on seeing so Saki was forced to stay longer. She became a little uncomfortable since Hachiman was also in the living room, so I suggested we go back to my room, to which she agreed.

Once we were back in the room, we ate the daifuku and it really good. I may have to ask the grandmother how to make them, just to make my husband suffer by making him eat it. Just kidding, I am not that evil. While eating, both of us talking with each other as if we were friends. You know once you get pass the shouting and glaring, she wasn't so bad person to talk to, I felt like we have grown closer in the limited time we spent.

We talked about random things, from studies to future careers. Both of us were in our third year now so it was an important phase in our lives, since we had to take university entrance exams. I was very ill-prepared for the whole thing, but Saki sounded dead serious. She was aiming for a scholarship so it meant she was spending every waking hour on her studies or part-time jobs. Her determination said it all. Meanwhile I was fooling around wasting my time. She assured me that it was never too late to start improving myself.

I promised her I will start taking things seriously, plus Hachiman also told me that he will lend me a hand. He was super smart after all. But I was now afraid that I might hold him back since I was so far behind. But if I told him that, he might get upset again, so I will just have to trust him.

I asked her how is Hachiman in class. She told me that he is mostly quiet and starts sleeping when he is doing with the assignment, the teacher put up with him since he is the top of the year and the fact he is a delinquent. He only eats beard at lunch which she commented is super unhealthy. So she once offered to make him homemade lunch but he rejected the offer. But Saki did it anyways and gave it to Hachiman who ate it without a word and returned the lunch box.

She told me that she knew that Hachiman liked spicy food so she made the bento with that in mind. She giggled and said that even though Hachiman is cold outwardly, when he was eating his ahoge was dancing left and right, it was cute she commented and it made her happy knowing that he liked the food.

Listening to her talk like that, made me a bit jealous and upset. Jealous because she had spent good memories with my now husband and upset because I took her beloved away from her. She was a sweet and kind girl who didn't deserve this kind of pain.

"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned. It was as if she knew what I was thinking.

"I just, feel bad about how your relationship with Hachiman ended up, after you tried so hard for him." I wasn't even looking at her face, I didn't have the courage to.

"Don't be." Her voice was clear, holding the confidence that I knew. "I liked him and still do, it honestly breaks my heart to know that he got married, but. But in the end of the day, I know he has found a good partner that he can trust and care for, and that's what matters in the end." She took a deep breath, "it may take me some time to get over it but I can rest assured that Hachiman from before is really happy now." She smiled, "so don't worry about it and focus on yourself and your husband."

I kept staring at her with wide eyes. "That's really mature of you Saki."

"Of course." She smiled again, even brighter than the first one. "I have two younger siblings who I have to take care of, Taishi can be a handful sometimes. My younger sister Keika is better behaved though. I think I am spoiling Taishi too much." You think? "Next time Taishi wants to come over, I will introduce you to Keika, she is the cutest thing in the world." She brought out her phone and started to show me pictures of her little sister. She was practically foaming from the mouth. Great, she was a bro-con and a sis-con too.

I sighed and looked at the pictures she was showcasing. She looked like a mother happily bragging about her child just because he got better marks than the other kids. But it wasn't unbearable or annoying. It was pretty fun actually, a side of Saki I haven't seen before. Talking about her siblings really made her jumpy and excited. It was funny to see.

Time passed by without us knowing about it, only the sound of the door knocking brought her back to reality. The door opened and in came Hachiman. That blank stare continued to dominate his face. I took Saki's advice and my eyes turned towards the single gravity defying piece of hair that stand onto of his head. But it too was motionless like its owner.

"Are they done with their movie?" I asked him guessing his intentions, though that might be the case otherwise the two troublemakers would have come upstairs themselves.

"They are almost done." His dark eyes drifting between me and Saki. "Can I have a word with Saki?"

I sneaked a peek at Saki and she looked troubled by this request. My guess was he wanted to talk with Saki regarding what he did to her. This request wasn't simple since it involved me and Saki both. Hachiman was asking whether it was ok for him to talk to Saki alone while the person in question was may not be comfortable enough to speak to Hachiman alone.

"If Saki doesn't mind, I don't either." I said, informing him. Hachiman said he doesn't like anyone, whether it be Yukino or Yui or anyone else. He told me he liked me so I will trust him to hold true to his statement. If he wanted to talk to Saki alone, then he must have his own reasons. Though I am curious as to what his reasons are, but I can't be selfish in this matter.

I turned to Saki, both of us waiting for her answer. "I-its fine, I will talk." She raised her eyes meeting Hachiman's.

"I will leave you two to it then." I swiftly got up from the sofa and walked out the door, shutting it behind me. When I was outside, I leaned against the wall, eye shut. I placed a hand on my chest muttering a silent prayer. I can trust Hachiman, I know I can. Taking a deep breath, I walked downstairs reuniting with the rest.

The movie they were watching was sci-fic, I wasn't really interested in it so I didn't pay much attention. Hachiman's grandfather was watching it along with Taishi and Komachi. The grandfather would keep asking questions while Taishi was more than happy to explain it to him.

Meanwhile Hachiman's grandmother sat next to me talking away like there was no tomorrow. Surprisingly, she knew my father. My father and Hachiman's mother went to high school and collage together. She always thought that the two of them would get together someday, but that did not happen. She said that she was worried when her daughter married the brutish man from Hokkaido, in the end it turned out alright. So Hachiman's father is from Hokkaido while his mother from Tokyo.

Though, calling Mr. Hikigaya a brutish man straight to my face, isn't that a little excessive? Do they not like him?

I had keep my mouth shut so I don't say anything excessive either that may offend the old woman.

My attention was robbed when I saw Hachiman and Saki walking down the stairs. The distance between them was still there but Saki was a lot calmer now compared to before. I think they solved the problem between them, that's good if that's the case.

"Taishi if your movie is over, it's time to go. You know I have to study right." Saki scolded her brother, the latter frowned unhappily but still obeyed his older sister.

Saki turned towards me, a small smile on her face, "it was nice talking to you Yumiko. Let's hang out again sometime."

"Sure." I responded back in kind, a smile on my face. We had already exchange our contact and besides I will be able to see her at school anyways. I didn't want to annoy her when I knew she was busy with her studies and part-time.

She then turned towards Hikigaya who was stoic as ever. He has been like this ever since we came back home. "See you at school Hikigaya." She said her goodbyes to Hachiman with an unsteady voice. The latter merely nodded back.

Geez, be a little more responsive than that. I will have to scold him later.

"Bye Aniki, Yumiko senpai. It was fun." Taishi innocently smiled and turned towards Komachi. "Then I will see you tomorrow Komachi." The smile he gave her was different than what he showed me and Hachiman, it was more tender and loving. I was seeing the two interact with wide eyes, so that's how it is.

The Kawasaki siblings respectfully bowed to the grandparents and walked to the door with Komachi escorting them. In seconds, they were gone taking the lively atmosphere with them, the house becoming much quieter.

It was only because of Komachi's effort that the house was filled with noise again, she skilfully entertained both her grandparents who dotted on her. But because of that, their attention was away from us and Hachiman grabbed my hand and led me towards the other side of the living room, away from praying eyes.

Once we were seated down I asked him in a low voice. "Did you apologize to Saki?"

Hachiman looked at me, blinking a few times before nodding. "As best as I could."

"That's good." I smiled at him, causing his expressions to become softer and gentler. His stony mask fell as he played with my hand. "It seems you missed me even though I was gone for an hour or so." I teased him, giving him a sneaky smile.

Hachiman raised an eyebrow but he didn't stop what he was doing. "I did." He straightforwardly admitted making my heart jump and my face to heat up.

I snatched my hand away for Hachiman's and turned away from him, arms folded and a pouting forming on my face. "Idiot."

Hachiman let out a small chuckle and he leaned in, placing a kiss on my cheek. The face was literally on fire after that. What's worse was that Komachi saw her brother plant a kiss on my face and her face was as bright red as mine, she instantly turned away after witnessing the act.

I turned towards Hachiman but he was already gone, his retreating body could be seen walking upstairs. My red cheeks puffed to their absolute limit before my hands engulfed them, my tomato face hidden from the outside world. Stupid Hachi, Idiot, I hate him.

My mouth was cursing while my heart was filled with joy and happiness. Seriously, what a troublesome husband he is. I have to be careful around him next time.