When Mother informed me that I was needed at Sobou High this Friday, I obediently bowed and promised to go there.

But, I can see that my mother was disappointed in me, that I was unable to be at the top of the entrance examinees.

As befits a "Yukinoshita".

She did not outwardly express her displeasure of course, but I can see it clearly on her eyes.

Her eyes that constantly compare me to Nee-san.

Nee-san, who is the epitome of perfection.

The daughter that every husband and wife dreamed to have.

A long sigh escaped my lips, while I closed my eyes and forcefully pushed these thoughts away.

With a clear head, I turn to my side and watch the pedestrians cross the road from the inside of our limousine. There's so many of them, crowds like that are bound to make me dizzy and uncomfortable.

It's already evening, and I can see many weary faces eager to go home and spend time with their families and loved ones.

I spot the occasional couple, some just walking side by side, while others walk hand-in-hand.

At the request of Mother, I was sent to pick up Nee-san at a dinner that she was invited to. The restaurant that she was at was a place that father would frequently go, from what I heard before.

Several minutes later, our driver parks the car in front of a random convenience store and informs me that Nee-san will be joining us shortly.

The right-side passenger door of the limousine opened and Nee-san entered wearing a white jacket over her red evening dress.

"If it isn't Yukino-chan! What a pleasant surprise!" she said in a cheerful manner when she entered the vehicle and took her seat next to me.

I just nodded in reply and returned to staring absentmindedly outside the window.

"Hey hey, what's with the cold attitude missy?" Nee-san said in a mother-like tone as she poked my shoulder to get my attention.

With a sigh, I look back at her and see that she's holding up her phone for me to see.

When I saw what she wanted me to see, my mind froze while my blood started to boil. I could not suppress the blush that was creeping to my cheeks.

It was that picture…

"Yukino-chan, you are very cute. So, don't ruin that cuteness with the look that you're giving me." She said.

"Plus," she added, "why do you look so upset? It's just a photo of me and my-"her words were cut short when she saw the picture that she let me see.

"Oh! Wrong picture! Sorry about that! Hehehe." She gave me a sheepish smile as an addition to her verbal apology, but I ignored her regardless.

I doubt that that was an accident though…

"Here it is!" she said as she handed me her phone back.

Nee-san was at the center of a group picture that included people near her age. All of them wore luxurious dresses and suits, as befits their status is society. They were most likely the sons and daughters of our parent's associates.

If I were in Nee-san's place in the picture, I would have had an uncomfortable expression adorning my face. I was never the most social person after all. I disliked crowds, and I was told that I sometimes act very cold and utter piercingly harsh words. Because of those reasons, I never had any real friends.

"Hmm." My eyes lingered longer than I desired, which caught the attention of Nee-san. I could not understand the reason behind why she showed the picture.

"He's not there you know." She said.

"Huh?" I asked, confused by her statement.

"You know, I asked Father if he was invited, but his father politely declined the invitation addressed to both of them…such a shame…" she said in a sad tone as fake tears formed at the corner of her eyes.

I was still perplexed by her words…

"Nee-san, I don't quite follow what you're talking about…" I say as I returned to her the phone.

"I thought you would get it by now. I was talking about Hikigaya-kun."

"So? What about him?" I reply coldly and too fast for my liking. Thankfully, Nee-san ignored it and continued.

"Waaahh, no need to be so angsty Yukino-chan. What do you have against him? I for one, just wanted to hang out and tease him for a bit. He's quite an interesting fellow."

Her tone was…mysterious.

I was not quite sure what the emotion behind her words was…

"I don't quite understand why you took a liking to him." I reply.

"What's this? Are you jealous? Well, you'll find out why if you hang out with him!"

After that, we descended into silence for the next several minutes. I almost forgot that she was sitting right beside me because of how quiet she was.

We entered the business district along the way home and saw many shops and establishments that dominated the area. I saw a café that caught my eye, its name was The Coffee Hub. Interestingly, a bar with the name, The Midnight Tavern, was above it.

I wonder if both of them share the same owner…?

The vehicle continued traversing through the streets until we were forced to stop because of the traffic light which was red.

"Hey, isn't that Hikigaya-kun…?" Nee-san finally spoke after minutes of silence. When I turned to her, she was looking outside at the crowds.

I moved my eyes to the direction that she was looking at, and amidst the sea of people, I saw him.

"Yes…I think so." I say.

He…looked quite strange.

He was dragging his feet across the pavement and his back was hunched, he looked exhausted, to say the least. He also looked suspicious because his hands were in his pockets and the people around him looked at him with guarded eyes and kept their bags and phones away from him.

It was almost as if I was looking at a different person, but his ahoge on his head gave him away.

Back at the hotel, he was somewhat impassive and looked permanently bored to death. He was distant and cold-eyed, and looked at everything with disinterest, yet, Nee-san was able to be acquainted with him.

Even with my previous statements being said, I could not help but notice that he emitted, I daresay, a strange aura of confidence, if I one can call it that, and walked with his head held high with a straight posture. Even his steps were sure and full of self-confidence.

I was not even sure if I can call it confidence.

But that was the only word that I can describe him at that moment.

As far as I can tell, Nee-san was the only person who approached and conversed with him. While he did not look approachable, he did not try and push Nee-san away and looked quite fine with her as company.

The only time he would break character was when Nee-san would get overboard with her teasing and invading his personal space.

In front of him, were two females, one adult and one nearing her early teens. From the looks of them, they must be related to him because of the similarity in their facial features.

The older of them had light brown hair, but she had a striking similarity to what I assumed to be her daughter. Their only difference was that her daughter had black hair, which was the same with her son.

Both of them were chatting away while walking, while Dead-Eyes-kun was walking behind them and would occasionally add some words to their conversation.

They entered a family restaurant, and a moment later, our vehicle moved forward to continue our journey home.

Nee-san muttered something under her breath, but I was unable to hear what she said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Please call if you ever need anything, Yukinoshita-sama." My driver said as I began to make my exit from the vehicle. We just arrived at school, thirty minutes before the designated meeting time.

"Of course. Thank you." I closed the door, and a moment after that, our limousine sped away.

I began my walk towards the main building. I was supposed to meet with some of the teachers for some kind of orientation.

As I was walking, I had to agree that Sobou was indeed a very good and prestigious school, as befits is good reputation.

The surroundings were very clean, the trees that had benches underneath to provide shade for the students were trimmed and healthy-looking, even though I was still a bit far, the running tract looked to be well-maintained.

I entered the building and found a bulletin board that had an aerial view of the entire school. I hope that it included directions to specific rooms and other important places because, though I hate to admit it, I am terrible at directions.

When I was a child, I would always hold Nee-san's hand because I would always wander off on my own and would end up crying.

I noticed a figure beside the bulletin board which I had not seen at my first glance. It looked to be a male, and he wore faded jeans and a jet-black t-shirt. Around his shoulder, was a sling bag. He was also staring intently at the school map, as if forcing to memory every single detail of it.

My footsteps echoed as I began to near the board, the sound caused the male to look behind him to see what was causing it.

How could I have not noticed it before?

It was him and his ahoge.

He looked at me strangely and cocked his head to the side, as if trying to remember something important.

Wait, had he forgotten who I am?

"Good morning, Dead- I mean Hikigaya -kun." I nearly called him Dead-Eyes-kun again.

"Huh? Hmm…Umm…Ugh…Ah, yes. Good morning to you as well Sigh-cha-, I mean, Yukinoshita-san."

He forgot who I was, didn't he?

And who is Sigh-chan? What a strange name…

"What brought you to school today?" I ask him.

"Oh, I was called for an orientation or something." He said as he scratched his head and returned his attention to the board, which was quite rude.

Interesting…

"The one scheduled thirty minutes from now?" I ask again.

"Yes, that's right. Were you called as well?" He replied and turned to me with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Yes."

"Ok."

"I see."

"Yeah."

"Indeed."

"Yup."

Our conversation was becoming redundant and meaningless, and I was getting a bit irked.

"Do you mind if I come with you to the office?" I ask.

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Ok, let's go." And began walking away without even waiting for me. Honestly, how rude.

Truthfully, I only went with him because I did not want to get lost and getting late for the orientation.

We walked in silence, our footsteps echoed through the hallways. We would meet the occasional teacher and janitor, but other than that we were by ourselves.

Mind you, we were not walking side by side. I was walking five feet behind him, trying to catch up to his walking speed. He did not even try and strike a conversation with me, much less, look behind him.

I also highly doubt that he was part of the top entrance examinees, he does not look the part. Though I try to keep in mind that looks can be deceiving.

We turned and walked a flight of stairs, he maintained his walking speed, while I was out of breath after a minute or so. From the second floor of the building, I can see much of the surroundings below. We passed by empty classrooms, and I caught him give me a glance and quickly look away.

We stopped in front of a room that had the sign "Faculty Room" on the top of it.

Without even turning back to me, he knocked on the door and we heard a "Come in!" from inside. He frowned, with furrowed brows, then opened the door and went in, and I followed him inside.

We were met with the familiar room layout in a faculty room that are common in the schools of our country. Long cubicles for the teachers filled with stacks of papers and office materials and equipment.

In front of us was a girl with dark-brown hair, whose hairstyle was what one would call "pigtails". She wore a white t-shirt with the words "Let's Go! o" printed on the front and black jeans. She was taller than me and Hikigaya-kun, but the difference in her height and his was only a small margin.

"Shi-Shiromeguri-senpai?" Hikigaya-kun said with disbelief. I turned to him and he had a shocked expression on his face.

"Yup yup! It's me, Shiromeguri Meguri!" The girl then made a peace sign with her left hand moved it beside her cheek.

The image annoyed me, but I remained silent.

"You're the President of the Student Council?" Hikigaya-kun asked.

"That's right!"

"How come you never told me that we were in the same school?" Hikigaya-kun asked again.

"Because you never asked your senpai silly!" the girl replied in a cutesy manner that made my eye twitch.

"That's…hmm…I guess so, but did I really not ask you which school you go to?" He said.

"Nope!"

"Ah…" he trailed off while scratching his cheek.

As if noticing me for the first time, the girl's eyes went wide and adopted a more formal posture.

"Ah! You must be Haruno-san's little sister! You look so much alike! My name is Shiromeguri Meguri, by the way." She exclaimed with wide eyes.

As usual, I am referred to as Haruno's little sister.

"Yukinoshita Yukino, pleased to meet you." I said and bowed.

"Shiromeguri-senpai, you already know me, so let's get this over with." Hikigaya-kun said in a dismissive manner.

"That's no good, Hikigaya-kun! Learn to be more patient!" she chided as she lightly slapped his shoulder.

"Yes yes…" he muttered.

"Ok! So," she turned to the two of us and put her hand on her hips, "we received a notice last week that the third one is unable to join us today."

Wait, the third one?

Could it be…?

"For now, it would be just the two of you. Please wait here so I can inform the teacher who would be handling you today. Don't touch anything!" With that she walked past us and disappeared behind the doors that led to the hallway.

There was a moment of silence, and when I turned to see what the other occupant of the room was doing, he already sat down on one of the nearby chairs and was already taking out a book from his sling bag.

The book was small, around 400 pages give or take. At the front cover was and illustration of a person in white shiny armor, unfortunately, only a small amount of the armor showed because the person was covered in blood. The person also carried a metallic spear that was taller than itself, and at the top of the spear, pierced and covered in blood, was a human head. Its face contorted into a look of pain and anguish.

Chronicles of Incursio

Hmph, I have never heard of that book.

"Do you need something?" Hikigaya-kun's voice broke through my inner thoughts.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, you were just staring at me and saying nothing."

"As if I would want to look into your direction with your soulless eyes." I replied coldly.

"Hoooohhhh…"

Instead of being offended, he smirked at my words while his eyes had a mischievous glint to them.

"Noted, thank you for the compliment." With that, he crossed his legs and resumed reading his book.

Is he looking down on me?

He is, isn't he?

"A typical reply fitting for low person such as yourself."

"Hmm…" he nodded without even looking at me.

"As expected, you can't even form a proper reply."

"Uhuh…"

"Your eyes are filled with lecherousness, I fear for my dignity as a woman."

"Oi…I'm trying to read here…"

"Your very presence is a danger to all women within your vicinity."

"Well, not to my Mother and sister…"

"I feel like I'm being undressed by your eyes."

"Hey, you're making me sound like a pervert..."

"All boys are perverts, it's in your very nature."

"Well, I can't speak for all males, but I don't really care for that kind of stuff."

"It's a miracle how you even managed to get into this school without being stopped by the security guard."

"Now that you mention it, he was eyeing me a bit too closely. He probably thought that I was a delinquent or something." The way he said it in a very blunt and self-mocking manner made me pause.

"Are you trying to be funny? That was tasteless."

"Nope. That happened this morning actually." He said as a matter-of-factly.

"…" I thought that it was a joke, I never thought that it actually occurred.

"..."

"Then the security guard was right to be suspicious of you."

"Of course, I would have done the same if I were in his place. The guard was right to stop and be suspicious to a person with my looks."

I was appalled by how self-depreciating his words can be.

"What are you here for? I believe you are here to be expelled due to that attitude of yours."

"You mean my twisted sense of humor? Hmm, maybe, maybe not. Who knows?" He smirked as he moved to the next page of his book.

Amazingly, he was not affected by the barrage of insults that I sent him.

I was impressed to say the least.

I took a seat several feet away from him. He ignored me and was very much engrossed in his book.

There was utter silence in the room, except for the sound of my breathing and the wall clock. I remembered Nee-san's request several days ago…

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Nee-san said hi."

"Who?"

I turned to him, appalled at his audacity. But instead of a mocking face, I was met with a face full of honest confusion. His head and ahoge was tilted to the side with his mouth slightly open. It was slightly amusing to look at.

"Who?" he asked again.

"Nee-san, you met her at the party, remember? The one who was with you most of the evening?" I say in an exasperated manner as I massaged by brows.

"Hmm…Oh right. Yukinoshita Haruno-san, yeah?"

"That's right."

"Ok, tell her I said hi too." And then he returned to his book.

I was expecting a more…different reaction.

Truthfully, I was expecting him to become a blushing mess and utter incoherent words coupled with stuttering on his part. But I was met with the same look indifference he gave me back at the party.

Once again, silence engulfed the room, suddenly, the sliding door the room slammed open, the noise echoing through the tranquil atmosphere of the room.

"AH!" a shriek filled the air, but it was not mine. Also, I think I saw a book fly above in Mach speed.

I turned to the its source and I saw Hikigaya-kun clutching his chest, his eyes wide staring at the door to the room. I restrained a giggle from my lips through a fake cough.

The barbarian who opened the door in a very barbaric manner was in fact a woman.

Her long legs were covered in black slacks and she wore a lab gown over her black jacket. She had a fierce, yet youthful face and her long black hair freely flowed behind her. What struck me was how beautiful she looked, and how bountiful her chest area was.

A pang of envy in the form of an icicle pierced my heart.

Hikigaya-kun cursed and walked to where he accidentally threw his book. I vaguely heard him say, "This is bad for my heart…"

"Yosh! You two, follow me!" The amazon princess, though I think queen would be more precise due to her age, exclaimed and walked away to the hallway without even waiting for us.

I followed closely, while Hikigaya-kun walked several feet behind me.

"My name is Hiratsuka Shizuka. I'm the teacher of Japanese History and Literature." She turned to us while walking.

"My name is Yukinoshita Yukino, pleased to meet you."

"Hoh, so you're Haruno's little sister? She's told me many things about you."

"Good things, I hope." In all honesty, I am quite concerned as to what things Nee-san tells other people about me.

"You, you're Hikigaya Hachiman, right?" Hiratsuka-sensei said.

"Huh? Um, yeah." Hikigaya-kun replied.

"Shiromeguri talks about you a lot."

"Ah, that's something Shiromeguri-senpai would do." Hikigaya-kun said in a soft tone.

What is the relationship between those two anyway? Are they cousins? Childhood friends? Or mere acquaintances?

Our conversations stopped there, and several minutes later, we entered an empty classroom. Hiratsuka-sensei sat behind the teacher's desk while Hikigaya-kun and I sat the chairs directly in front of her.

Of course, we were a seat apart.

"Ok, so" Hiratsuka-sensei paused, as if for effect, "do you know why you've been called here?"

I looked at Hikigaya-kun and he gave me an expectant look, as if he knew that I would try and answer.

"Well, I think it's about the top entrance examinees." I say.

"Bingo." Hikigaya-kun said lazily while resting his chin on his arm.

"You're both right.", Hiratsuka-sensei said. "Hikigaya-kun, I would like to congratulate you on being able to perfectly pass all the questions of the entrance exam. Only a handful had ever achieved that feat, Haruno included." Hiratsuke-sensei finished while giving me a knowing look.

When I heard those words, it was as if I was hit with a sledgehammer.

Hikigaya-kun was the one who beat me?

I know that there is always a bigger fish, but I expected the fish who beat me to at least look the part.

Not this monotonous and dull person beside me.

"Oi, why are you looking at me like that? You're going to turn me to stone. If you were medusa, I would have had to cut your head here and now." Hikigaya-kun's flat voice was directed at me.

"Yukinoshita, no need to look so upset, the difference between your scores aren't that big." Hiratsuka-sensei added nonchalantly.

"I'm not upset." I reply too quickly in a sharp manner.

"I highly doubt that." Hikigaya-kun said. I felt a nerve tick near my forehead.

"Hoh? And how can you say that?" I challenged him.

He gave a sigh and looked at me from the corner of his eye, not even bothering to face me.

"First of all, anyone can attest that you're upset from the tone of your voice. Your shoulders tensed when sensei announced the results, which meant that you were truly shocked and not expecting it. The way that your hands started clenching all of a sudden is a dead giveaway too…Oh and that aura that you're giving off is cold enough to make even a Russian feel cold."

I was stuck by how right he was. I unconsciously doing all of those things.

How observant can he get?

Seeing that I had yet to formulate a proper response, he shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to sensei who was observing us with amusement.

"Back to the topic at hand." Hiratsuka-sensei cut me off before I could reply. "The top three students of the entrance exams are usually given orientations. The school has high hopes on you, and they expect you to become a role model for your fellow students. Someone that they can look up to, if you will.

So, with this in mind, throughout your school years here in Sobou, the school will always be keeping a close watch on your progress. The three of you will be required at the stage during the opening ceremony for the school year, but Hikigaya-kun here will be the one to deliver the freshman speech.

It's not uncommon for students such as you to join the Student Council. And with you being already acquainted with Shiromeguri, it would be easier for you to enter if she pledges for you. But, it's your choice in the end. So, before we delve into the school handbook, do you have any questions?"

From the corner of my eye, I can see Hikigaya-kun sweating bullets. He must be nervous about the speech part.

"Hikigaya, are you all right? You look deathly pale right now." Hiratsuka-sensei asked as she sat on the desk and faced us while crossing her legs.

Very unteacher like…

As if awakened from a trance, Hikigaya-kun face returned to it's all too familiar poker face.

"Sensei, I'm not confident about my public speaking skills." He said bluntly while raising his hand. Well, at least he was honest. If he began the freshman speech in a poor manner, then it would surely cause problems in the future. His reputation will also be tarnished before the proper classes even started.

So, it was a good move from him to announce it this early on.

"Nonsense!", Hiratsuka-sensei exclaimed, "You will be fine!" she said while giving the reluctant teen a thumbs-up.

Hikigaya-kun released a defeated sigh and did not voice his concerns after that. Though he looked as if he had aged 20 years in several seconds when he made that sigh.

About an hour or two of lecturing later, the orientation finally ended, and we were allowed to go home. But a question was still lingering in my thoughts and I decided to ask sensei about it.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, you said that there were three of us, correct? Who is the third one?" I asked her just as she was about to exit the room.

"Ah, I think his name has Hayama Hayato…" sensei replied while putting her hand under her chin.

So, my suspicions proved true…

"Anyway, you can go home now, that's it for today. Hikigaya, I need you to stop by the office tomorrow for you to pick up the freshman speech, classes start in a week so you better get ready by then." With that, she walked away, her footsteps echoing in the empty halls outside.

I heard a pathetic "Waahhh…" sound behind me, the sound was pitiful, to say the least. Almost like a last whimper from a dying animal.

When I turned around, the pitiful form of Hikigaya-kun slowly got up and walked towards the door, ignoring my presence and turning his back on me.

Before he could step outside the room, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to me.

"Ah, I'll be going ahead, Yukinoshita-san."

"Hmm." I gave him a nod and he went on his way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As I dragged my feet across the floor, my thoughts wandered to the surprises that assaulted me today.

Shiromeguri-senpai was my senpai at school and that she was also the Student Council President.

I had to give a lousy speech at the ceremony thing.

And lastly, that Sigh-chan, I mean, Yukino Yukinoshita, the girl that I met a few weeks ago at the party, was actually a fellow member of the top three entrance examinees.

Waah, now that I think about it, I almost forgot who she was. That was really awkward back there, so much that I want to crawl into a cryochamber and sleep in suspended animation forever.

Thankfully, I was able to remember her when she made her signature exasperated sigh and putting her fingers on her brows while closing her eyes.

Plus, for some reason she was quite upset when she heard the results. Is she a sore loser or something? Is she trying to prove something to someone? I do recall a conversation sounding like that when I overheard her and her sister's conversation back at the hotel…

*Oi Hikigaya, that was a little too detailed, are you into Sigh-chan?*

No, not really. Why would I like a girl who suddenly insulted me not five minutes after we met?

If I was a masochist who would like a girl that insults me and treats me like a lower lifeform, then I would have knelt down and licked her feet on the spot.

But I'm not.

*Didn't you say "Ah, please step on me, Onee-sama!", back at the hotel? That's what a typical masochist would say.*

That was a joke.

Anyway, I also forgot about Onee-sama.

*Don't you mean Haruno-san?*

Ah yes, Yukinoshita Haruno. It's also no surprise that Haruno-san and Shiromeguri-senpai knew each other. Speaking of Haruno-san, Hiratsuka-sensei sounded like she knew her personally. I wonder if they were close?

I didn't quite like the number of surprises that I discovered today, if this keeps up, I will die of a heart attack before I reach twenty years old.

And I can't die yet!

I haven't even written my future bestselling book, Hikigaya Hachiman, on how to become a good Onii-chan!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Greetings to everyone who reads this!

Hey hey heyyy, it's me Ivanov117!

This chapter was fun to write. I don't really have anything else to say except that NEXT CHAPTER WOULD BE 8MAN'S BIG DAY! How would he be able to handle the freshman speech assigned to him? Would he mess it up? Or would he do it flawlessly?

How would the characters that he met so far react to him at the ceremony?

Let's set that aside for a moment.

Some of you complained about 8man's choice in martial arts, which was taekwondo.

Remember that it was only given to him by Tatsumi-san? Of course 8man wouldn't have it in him to refuse. Because it's free! (Well, a part of his salary was deducted, so his martial arts sessions serve as a form of compensation.)

I'm not going to make him into a badass crime fighting vigilante, if that's what your're thinking...

I'll be going to Japan this May 15 and coming back by the first week of June for our school's cultural exchange program. So I'm not sure if i can write new chapters there...(This would be my 2nd visit.)

Also, please pray for me. I'm terrified of riding airplanes. Hahaha...*cries*

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

See you next time!