Hikigaya-kun has been acting...strange lately...

It has already been several days since I noticed his change of mood. His eyes look even more lifeless and completely unfocused. He might be looking at someone in the eye during the rare times that he speaks with someone, but it was as if he was looking at something far-away. I thought this would pass in a day or so, but it has already been a week.

Did something bad happen?

"Yukinoshita, here."

"Hmm."

We were currently at the student council office, filtering out the exam papers for our class according to specific subjects that we have. This was originally our teacher's job, but he was on a sick leave. To my surprise, when that information was announced during class, Hikigaya-kun stood up and said that the both of us will volunteer to do the paperwork. I was annoyed at first and stood up to speak out but he gently shook his head when our eyes met.

"I am quite shocked that you volunteered for this, are you that desperate to escape your idle laziness?"

"..."

The silence was deafening when his reply never came. I can only hear the sounds of paper against the table when he would transfer a set of papers to another box. It was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat. His were unfocused and only looking at the work before him. I was patiently waiting for one of his snarky replies filled with sarcasm but it never came. Thus, I proceeded to seek any kind of response from him.

"Ignoring me, are you? I see that your rudeness and inability to follow social etiquette knows no bounds."

"..."

Still no reaction...

This is very unlike him. He is typically stoic and serious, rarely smiling and rubbing his smug grin on my face whenever we would argue. His face always harboring an emotionless poker face with half-lidded eyes, making him look more tired than he looks.

But today was the first time he outright ignored me.

What happened?

I noticed that he was doing his work slowly, very different from the way he usually does things in a hurry. I decided to match his speed so we can finish this together. We were finally done, and five minutes later, the bell rang signaling the start of our lunch break. After taking the box in his hands, he wordlessly stood up and walked to the door presumably to deliver it to our classroom. I just quietly walked beside him.

"Thank you for your hard work." He muttered in a voice so small that I barely heard him. Finally, a reaction.

"You too." I say

After putting down the box, he walked to where his bag was and took out his bento. I was expecting him to take it with him and go eat somewhere else, just like he always does, but he opened it and said, "Itadakimasu.", and then began eating. I looked around and noticed that only a few of our classmates were here, the ones that stayed were talking quietly among themselves. The usual noisy and boisterous ones were thankfully not here.

Should I go and eat with him? A part of me wanted to do that, but I lacked the nerve to do so. It's been a while since we last had lunch together after all, about a month ago, if I'm correct. I stood up, but my legs refused to move no matter how hard I try. Such a simple task, but it took momentous effort to do.

I sighed.

I went to my seat and opened my own bento box. Since I live alone, I always cook my food. I have never bought those lunches in convenience stores and I don't plan to do so anytime soon. Glancing to where Hikigaya-kun was eating, I couldn't help but wonder if he cooks his own food or does his mother do it for him. My Mother never saw the need to do that for me since we have our maids back at home.

Ah, I just remembered that he mostly cooks his food himself, since he mentioned it before. I wonder how his food tastes?

As classes went by, I would occasionally glance at him to see what he was doing. He was just absentmindedly scribbling on his notebook. A teacher got annoyed by his attitude and asked him to answer an unexpected and sudden question, a topic which we didn't even discuss yet. To everyone's surprise, including my own, he answered flawlessly, which made some of our classmates look at him with their mouths agape.

Our teacher, instead of looking embarrassed or any negative reaction, was pleasantly surprised and commended him, he just sat down and returned to scribbling on his notebook as if nothing happened. When our final class ended, and after Hiratsuka-sensei checked everyone's attendance for homeroom, we began packing our things so we can go home. Hikigaya-kun usually disappears from the classroom within 2 minutes after the end of classes, but this time, just like back in the student council room, he did it in a very slow manner. My curiosity got the better of me, and I walked a small distance behind him.

The students along the corridor would give me looks of awe and admiration, things that I have been used to already. In contrast, a few were giving Hikigaya-kun guarded looks and the crowd would part before him in fear when he walked. A very useful skill I say. Hikigaya-kun completely ignored them and continued walking straight.

I wonder if he is thinking about something that is causing him physical and mental stress?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several days later...

There were around 15 first-years in front of me, two-thirds of them were composed of boys. As per instruction of the principal, they were to serve community service by cleaning the first-year classrooms for violating the school rules. Consecutive tardiness, improper attire, littering, damage to school property, etc. And as the disciplinary officer of the Student Council, I have to supervise and oversee these...savages...and keep them in-line. I have to spend 8 hours here just watching them...Good grief, I should be enjoying my Saturday morning at home reading some light novels or playing games...

I feel like a jail warden...

This was the reason why I was feeling pissed these past few days.

Some of the guys would give me sheepish smiles and scratch their head whenever our eyes would meet. As for the girls, they would give me guarded looks and look away. I saw some familiar faces from the other classes whenever I would drop by to inform something to their class representatives, but I didn't know their names. Most of them were talking with each other, I didn't mind it but if they got louder, I would have to tell them to shut it. But I didn't expect to meet Peachy here.

"Hehehe...Hi Hikigaya-kun..." She laughed with discomfort and scratched here head. It's been a while since I last saw her and I almost forgot about her existence.

*Damn Hikigaya you're harsh as usual...*

Huh? Why? But it's true though.

"Hmm." I nodded at her but she looked like she expected me to say something more. Hey now, if you keep looking at me with expectant eyes, I'll get self-conscious. Since she was still waiting for me to say something, I just internally rolled my eyes and thought about possible things I could say.

A. Nice weather we're having.

B. Your makeup is nice, where did you buy it?

C. If you keep on staring intensely at me, I might get pregnant.

D. What are you in for?

Hmm...

A is too predictable, B sounds wrong, C sounds like something from a romantic comedy anime that has an utterly bland and dense MC and the show itself doesn't have any plot nor character development aside from that damned mandatory beach or hot springs fanservice episode, I guess I'll go with D then. Wait, I already know why she's here, consecutive tardiness mainly. I know most of their background since I was the one who filled a report and sent it to the principal.

"Well, try not to do it again..." I crossed my legs and checked my wristwatch. Almost time...

"Right..." I can hear the disappointment in her voice. Sorry Peachy, but I'm not in the mood to talk.

Fifteen minutes later, it was time for them to begin their sentence. I led them to the first-year classrooms where they would begin cleaning the desks, windows, floor etc. Of course, I already prepared the needed equipment beforehand so they immediately went to work when we arrived. The guys were surprisingly cooperative and did their work diligently, although they did joke around a few times, but as long as they don't bother anyone else or make a new mess, I won't mind them. I thought they were the "thug" and "delinquent" types, but I guess I was wrong.

"Tobe clean this again! This spot is still dirty bro!" I heard one of the guys exclaim.

"Oh shit sorry man! I'll be there once I'm done with this!" The guy named "Tobe" replied while he was cleaning the windows. I was mildly annoyed by their use of slang, but I just observed them from my seat.

Because I was bored and had nothing else to do, I was the one who refilled the water bucket when it was nearly empty. I got one of the empty buckets and went to the bathroom to refill it with water. However, Peachy insisted that she come with me for reasons that elude me.

"Thanks for helping out Hikigaya-kun, even though you were supposed to just watch us." She said.

Why pick the word "watch" though? You make it sound like I'm a stalker. My job was to oversee, not "watch" you guys.

"Might as well do something since I'm the only one idle." I say.

"Idle?" She tilted her head at the word when she turned to me. Ah, so she's unfamiliar with the word...

"It means not doing anything in particular." Is she the "airhead" archtype?

"Oh, I see!" She exclaimed and told me about the circumstances that led her to become convicte- I mean, punishment. I just listened and would occasionally nod or hmm in reply. It turns out that she was up late at night watching a new drama series and it made her wake up late due to her lack of sleep. Good grief, how anti-climactic. I was expecting something else entirely, not this cliché backdoor reason.

"What do you do during the weekends Hikigaya-kun?" Peachy asked me when we filled the buckets with and carefully walked back to the classroom.

"I have a part time job at a bookstore downtown."

"Woooww, that's like so mature and responsible..." she replied with stars in her eyes.

How exactly is that "mature and responsible"? More like a chore, but at least I'm well compensated and skilled enough to operate the cashier with my eyes closed. Tatsumi-san found it hilarious and creepy at the same time when she caught me doing it and Shiromeguri-senpai laughed her tears out when she found out.

"Is that so..."

"Yup! I don't think I'm up for that kind of stuff yet hehehe..."

"That's stupid and ridiculous. How can you say that you're "not up for that kind of stuff yet", if you never even tried it in the first place? Take scientists and inventors for example. If they had the same mentality as you, then they would have never invented and discovered scientific and industrial breakthroughs." I frowned at her from the corner of my eye.

Wait...

Oh.

I said something bad, didn't I?

"..."She said nothing while a shadow was over her face, preventing me from seeing her expression. Her hands were balled into fists and I could see them shaking.

Well now I've done it. Me and my big mouth. Why did I even blurt that out loud? That was supposed to be one of my inner musings, not something to be vocalized. Wait, she's crying, isn't she? Oh no I made a girl cry, which in the law that all males follow, makes me a scum of the earth whose life is lower than an earthworm. Time to change my name, shave my head, move to Hokkaido and spend the rest of my life away from civilization to stay in a far-away temple in the mountains.

I wonder how much money I can take from my bank account before the Order of The White Knights catch and hang me for my crimes against humanity? No, make that huwomanity. I am so funny maybe I should become a comedian.

"That's..." she said in a voice I barely heard. Is she going to slap me? I will endure any punishment for the grave misconduct that I have committed.

"That was so cool!" She exclaimed as she started waving her arms around. Woah, a peachy helicopter.

Wait, what?

"Huh?" That was all I could muster as I focused all of my mental power into figuring out what just happened.

"That was so cool Hikki! That sounded really cool and intellectual-like! I guess your position as the top student in our year-level and a member of the Student Council isn't just for show!"

Haaaah? What is she talking about? What she said just now was ridiculous. Plus, she's giving me more credit than what I believe is necessary. For what reason did she even mention my rank and position? Nonsense. I guess she's the type to be impressed by stuff like that. Wait, maybe she's a masochist that likes being talked down on?

And who is this "Hikki"?

*But Hikigaya, your rank and position IS impressive! From a third-party's point-of-view, at least. *

I guess you're just the same as her then.

"Ah, I see...watch where you're going." I replied in my usual nonchalant manner as I successfully managed to divert and change the flow of our conversation. I don't trust this girl because she's a nice girl, and nice girls are untrustworthy to me. They twirl you around their finger as if you're their plaything and give signals that are misunderstood by innocent and pure-hearted maidens like my middle-school self.

After my experience in middle-school with she-who-should-not-be-named, I have learned much about the mysterious creatures also known as nice girls. Though they were still a complete mystery to me. I despise them a little and I do not trust them.

Peachy gave off a relaxed vibe while I was tense, but I managed to hide it well. We arrived back at the classroom and gave the bucket to the guys. I helped here and there, but when I offered my assistance, they would politely decline so I was left to my own devices as they cleaned the first-year rooms. When it was time for the one-hour lunchbreak, I informed everyone and they gave a sigh of relief. They took out their lunchboxes and began eating at the desks, some were in their own little groups, while others were sticking with one companion. Peachy was eating with the rest of the girls and they were talking and I could hear an occasional giggle.

One of the guys invited me to eat with them, but I declined and excused myself to the Student Council room where my lunch was waiting. My lunch was simple and consisted of fried pieces of chicken and pork from last night's dinner, as well was some steamed vegetables and a hardboiled egg. I didn't have time to make my lunch into a beautifully crafted bento. Mother knows how to make it as well as Komachi, I have yet to master the art itself.

After quickly eating my lunch, I went back to the classroom so we can resume the work. Everyone was ready and I can even see enthusiasm from some of the guys. Like before, I only helped a little bit since they listened to my advice earlier regarding a more efficient way of cleaning, thus, they finished things a lot faster.

But rushing things can only do so much.

I opened the door to the other room where the girls were moping the floor. Unfortunately, the floor was still wet, causing me to slip and hit my back against the door, the loud sound reverberating through the empty hallways.

I heard some gasps from the girls, and a voice from the other room loudly asking the others what had happened. Peachy was the first one to rush to me, her eyes filled with worry. It did not hurt as much as it sounded and I managed to lean my head forward just in time to avoid collision against the wall. Still, my butt hurt though...

"Hikki! Are you ok?!" She exclaimed as she tried to see if I was hurt in any way. The only thing that hurt was my pride as a man. Before I can stand up, one of the loud guys from the other room entered and had wide eyes when he saw me.

"Woah! What happened Bro?!" Don't be loud please, it hurts my ears...and don't call me "Bro".

"I slipped and fell." I said in a deadpan manner.

I made a move to get up, but Peachy extended her hand to offer her assistance. I ignored it and got up by myself. I saw her make an uncomfortable and awkward face when I didn't take her hand and I felt a little guilty.

"Is your back ok?" The guy asked again.

"I think so..." I moved my shoulders a bit and I felt a sharp pain. I must have visibly winced because their expression changed when they saw me.

"Ah you're hurt. Let's get you to the infirmary!" With that said, Peachy began to push me in a hurried manner to the door. My voice of protest died in my throat as the others encouraged me to go have my back checked. I gave up and just wordlessly followed Peachy behind.

But I can't help the feeling that I'm forgetting something...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Come on Hikki, let's go inside." I turned to him and he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere except here. His eyes were half-lidded while he just nodded his head at me. I followed him inside and instead of seeing the school nurse, the place was empty.

"Ah." His back was to me so I couldn't see his expression, but I can see him giving himself a facepalm.

"Today is a weekend, the school nurse isn't here." He said as he turned to me.

"Oh yeah, I forgot hahaha." I just laughed and scratched my cheek as his eyes bored holes on me.

"It can't be helped then..." He sighed and then started taking off his shirt.

WAIT WHAT?!

"WHUH?! WHAT? WHY ARE YOU-" I couldn't hold my voice down as I tried to cover my eyes.

"Just take a look and see if there are any bruises or whatnot..." He said in a dismissive way that had no room for arguments as he finally took off his shirt.

Even though I tried to cover my eyes, my eyes couldn't help wander and take a look at his upper body.

He was lean and was unexpectedly fit which meant that he must exercise from time to time. The muscles that he had on his arms and chest looked good on his overall physique. His was also paler than I expected. He wasn't really that muscular, nor too skinny. He looked...just right.

Although the visible and prominent lines he had on his lower abdomen made me blush...

"Ahem..." He cleared his throat after I just gawked at him for several seconds. I blurted out nonsensical words while he put a hand on his hip and gave me an unimpressed look. After I calmed myself down, he sat down and faced away from me. I took a step forward to comply with his request.

After several seconds, I saw a dark part a few inches below his left shoulder blade. My hand moved on its own and lightly touched the area beside it.

"!" The hairs on his back stood straight when my fingers made contact and he suddenly sat straight which startled me.

"S-Sorry!" I exclaimed as I pulled my hand back.

"Did you notice anything?" He asked as he craned his head to the left to meet my eyes.

"Yeah, there's a small bruise below your left shoulder blade..."

"Touch it again, slowly this time."

I followed him and my fingers lightly touched the dark area, he didn't give any visible reaction.

"Take my hand and lead it to the bruise." He held out his left hand while he faced away from me. I gulped before I took his hand in mine. They were bigger and weren't as warm, maybe it's just my imagination...

Mama said that boys and men who have calloused and rough hands are hardworking individuals, but Hikki's was soft, almost like a girl.

When I led his hand to where the bruise was, he lightly touched it and gave a satisfied grunt. He stood up, and turned to me.

Woah! Don't just do that so suddenly!

"Thank you very much for your assistance."

Don't thank me while you're shirtless!

"Y-Yeah, no problem..." I tried to hide my obvious blush and embarrassment, but my eyes were naturally drawn to him.

"Your shirt..." I muttered in a low voice.

"Ah, forgive me if I made you uncomfortable." This time he lightly bowed to me while shirtless again.

He's so weird! This day is so weird!

"L-Like I said! No problem..." I watched him put on his shirt once more and I gave a sigh of relief. He checked his wristwatch and narrowed his eyes, maybe he's thinking about something.

"Let's wrap things up for today." He motioned at me to follow him and I obediently complied. When we arrived at the classroom, he announced to everyone that they were free to go. When asked if he was fine after he slipped, he replied with a simple, "Yes I am, thank you for your concern."

His words were really formal but had an icy tone in them.

"Bro! We're gonna go to a karaoke later, wanna come with us?" One of the guys asked him in his loud voice.

"Ah, thank you but I'm exhausted." He waved him off and after saying "Well, I'll be going on ahead.", he walked out of the door. I caught him move his left shoulder a bit and saw him wince again. I excused myself so I can catch up with him because I know he walks really fast.

"Hikki!" I called out when I finally caught up to him.

"Did you need something, Yuigahama-san?" He faced me and cocked one of his eyebrows.

"I'm really sorry for earlier..." I say as I played with my hair and avoided his eyes because he might get mad on what I'm about to say next.

He blinked twice and gave me a confused look as he tilted his head to the side.

"Hm?"

"I should have properly wiped the floor that you stepped on. It's my fault that you were hurt." I bowed in apology to him.

"Is that so..." he muttered and just continued staring at me. Oh no, he must be pretty mad.

"Uhuh..."

"Well, try not to do it again next time..." he gave me a small wave and began walking away. The tone of his voice was neutral as ever and he didn't give off any negative vibes.

"Wait! What about your back?" I stepped forward to catch up with him.

"I'll just get put some ice and ointment on it when I arrive home...anyway, your friends are looking for you." He pointed behind me to where the other girls were looking for something.

"Oh ok, see you around then..." He nodded at me and walked away. When I went to where the other girls were, they were talking about how creepy Hikki was.

"He was really cold to all of us girls, except for the guys and Yuigahama for some reason, well, at least he talked to her without looking really annoyed." She turned to me with a questioning-look.

"Are you two close Yuigahama?" She asked.

"Not really, we only met a few times." I reply.

"Well, anyway, he was really cold to us. Does he hate girls or something?"

"Maybe he's gay? Hahahaha!" Tamako-san said with a laugh and the other girls laughed too.

To change the subject, I asked everyone I they wanted to go to the mall or something. They all agreed and we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and getting to know more about each other.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A costume party...

A COSTUME PARTY

Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!

My vote was overturned during the meeting with the rest of the Student Council members and teachers! Even the teachers are normies reeeeeeeee! I thought Hiratsuka-sensei would have my back this, but she just grinned at me and gave me a thumbs-up. After I presented them with my expertly crafted case filled with cold logic, possible management issues, time constraints, lack of manpower and participants and a special focus on the budget that would be allocated for such a useless and senseless event, they still decided to go with it! My perfect internal sabotage plan failed!

After everything was said and done, the committees were formed, along with the leaders from each year level and all the class representatives. And thus, began the preparations for the event. This was my first-time taking part in organizing an even this large, so I would always consult teachers and the other members of the Student Council before I would make any independent decisions. We sent the purchasing committees to search for the cheapest materials in different stores in the city, materials that were cheap and quality weren't questionable. Of course, we only sent the most trustworthy people, they were holding onto money owned by the school after all.

As for the food stands and such, the school already has a list of registered and trusted partners so things were more or less easy in that part. We also decided to include the all the sports club members in doing the heavy labor like the moving and transferring of equipment and such. I even saw Blondie together with the football club moving the heavy speakers and lights the other day. For some reason, it was satisfying to watch that it brought a twisted smirk to my face.

Of course, we had mandated everyone, especially the girls, that the costumes must not show too much skin. We are still in school after all, as to remind those thots, hoes, sluts, harlots-

*Hikigaya! Language!*

You get the point.

So, after about two weeks of preparations, it was finally the day before the big day. We inspected everything to the tiniest detail. We tested all the equipment and distributed the walkie-talkies among the committee members. It was really cool when I tried it, I felt like Robocop.

I was so preoccupied that I forgot to get my own costume and tomorrow was the deadliest deadline. I honestly have no idea what I should wear. I wonder if it is ok to cosplay as a student from Sobou High? If I just wear my uniform, that is.

Should I ask Komachi for help? Ugh, never mind, she will probably get all worked up on this.

Suddenly, I had a spark of ingenious.

I went to my closet to look for that particular article of clothing. When I opened it, it was there, good as new. Almost as if I only wore it once. Oh yeah, I did. Now that that was out of the way, I looked for the second one to pair it with.

The box that held all of my cringey middle-school antics, magic notebooks, talismans, enchanted rings and capes, and even my toy gun was underneath my bed. I went through my stuff, as if I was touching something disgusting and I finally found it. It's silvery plating with sharp protrusions to the side and blood red markings still looked cool, even I had to admit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It's a good thing that is already the end of autumn, and it isn't as hot as it used to be. The cold weather is slowly approaching and I noticed that it was getting to get cold in the morning when I jog every now and then. I honestly find it ridiculous that we have to walk around in school wearing our costumes for the whole day. I pity those poor souls who wore any complicated costumes, I have yet to find someone who went complete overkill on their outfit. It's a good thing that mine is simple and practical. Sometimes, simplicity is the best.

When Dad dropped me off at the school gates, there were a lot of people. There were many stalls that offered things from food to one of those 100 Yen games. As expected, many non-students were attracted to the place, most of them were children accompanied by their parents or older siblings. I told Komachi to drop by if she had the time and Mom would try to come too. I met up with Kawasaki the other day and Kei-chan would be coming with her.

As I walked through the halls filled with students in their outfits, it was satisfying to see that none of the girls wore any revealing clothing. Because if they did, I will personally drag them by the hair to the principal's office, or I can call our hired muscle with my walkie-talkie and kick them out of the school grounds.

*Woah there, Hikigaya, you're sounding like a Yakuza boss. *

Anyway, some of the people that I encountered would give me strange looks. Most of them were curious looks, as if they recognized me, but my name and true identity still eluded them. I caught some looking at me with wonder, though they immediately broke eye-contact when I laid my eyes one them.

It's not like my outfit was eye-catching or anything. I just wore my suit, black slacks and leather shoes, paired with my makeshift mask from middle-school as a masquerade. Mother styled my hair this morning and took a few embarrassing photos of me posing like a character from a very famous anime. If I was a superhero, my name would be Masque-Master. All I needed was another figure posing behind me and BAM I have the power to rule [THE WORLD]. Also, the mask covered the entirety of my face except the bottom half, so I'm guessing it would be pretty difficult to recognize me in this get up.

I made a mental checklist of things to do for today. Since the opening event already started earlier this morning, all I had to do was check everything that needed to be checked and be around if ever I was needed for something. Out of curiosity, I decided to pass by our classroom and take a peek at what everyone else was wearing.

*Hikigaya, that sounded really creepy*

Shut up.

After several minutes, I arrived and except for a few bags that most presumably belonged to my classmates, the room was devoid of any signs of life. It looks like everyone was outside enjoying themselves. It's not like we have a lonely soul in our class that doesn't have any friends and spends most of his time alone in solitude. Wait, there's me. But upon a closer inspection, I saw a lone figure with long black hair sitting on one of the chairs near my own.

Woah! Scary! Is that a ghost?!

The figure wore an attire fitting for a Miko, or a Shrine Priestess. It had long red divided trousers and a white kimono jacket with some red and white hair ribbons that paired well with its long flowing black hair, it was just starting off into space, as if the wall in front of it was the most interesting thing in the world.

I should think logically here, not jump to conclusions. After a second or two, I concluded who that person was.

"Yukinoshita." My voice, although not very loud, echoed across the empty classroom. When I called her by her name, she visibly jolted from surprise. She turned to the source of the sound and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me. I didn't see it at first, but when she turned to me, she also had a golden dragon head ornament which nestled on her forehead.

She immediately frowned at me and opened her mouth to speak.

"Who are you?" She asked with a guarded tone. Ah, I understand her apprehension. If I was just sitting in this classroom all alone and suddenly some guy in a suit wearing a masquerade mask called my name, I would be startled too.

"Ah."

I raised my left hand to the bottom left corner of the mask and slowly slid it to the side to reveal the rest of my face.

"Boo."

Three seconds have passed and her eyes widened, her lips were also slightly parted while her left hand was raised near her mouth in surprise. Geez talk about being a drama queen.

"Oh, it's just you Hikigaya-kun" She said after a moment of silence and gave me a dead-eyed look. Oi, that's my trademark look don't copy me. How rude, just me? What the heck is she implying huh? Do you want to fight huh?

She gave a searching look and said, "And you are a…?"

"A masquerade man."

"A…masquerade man…?" She covered her mouth and lightly giggled while facing away from me. Oi, if you keep doing out of character stuff like that, I might have to call the police and inform them that you are an impostor.

"Haha very funny. And what about you?" I gave her a snarky reply after she composed herself.

"Are you blind? I am a Shrine Priestess." She flicked her hair to the side and cocked one of her eyebrows at me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask and walk inside the room. Now that I closed the door, the noise from outside had significantly lessened, making the already quiet room more suffocating.

"It was getting crowded outside, so I went back here." She said. "There's too many people and I don't like it so I came back here like a scared little girl." is what I understood if I read between the lines. But I won't judge her, we do share the same sentiment regarding that matter after all.

"Ah, I see." I walked past her to go to the window to see a bird's-eye-view of the festivities below. There were a lot of people now and it was getting a bit crowded. I can see some of the members of the crowd control team ushering people here and there as well as helping them out by pointing them to the right direction to where they want to go. It's good to see things in order and not in chaos. After about 10 minutes of observing, I decided that it was time to go and do what I came here to do.

"I'll be going ahead." I say to her, but not a moment too soon, she stood up and wordlessly followed me outside. I just shrugged at her behavior and opened the door for her, earning a "Thank you.", in response.

"Well, where are you going?" I ask her as she walked beside me. I adjusted my mask again so I can properly see her through the eye holes.

"Nowhere in particular." The tone she used in replying suggested that she didn't want me to pry further, so I just kept my mouth shut. With her in tow, I went to the Student Council room to get our logbook so I can check the attendance of the committees assigned to me. I was very vocal that the committees should be given more independence, so that they wouldn't have to rely on us too much, but the other teachers were very adamant on that matter so my voice fell on deaf ears. Using my walkie-talkie, I informed the committee leaders to rendezvous at a certain location so we can properly discuss the current situation. While I did so, Yukinoshita would give curious looks at the walkie-talkie from time to time, as if a child wanting to play with a toy, but unsure if she is allowed to do so.

I still had some time before our short meeting, so I decided to check out the stalls. Yukinoshita is well-known in our school, I even heard some say that she is the most beautiful in all of the first years. With that kind of reputation, many would give her looks of admiration and awe from boys and girls alike. She walked with grace and elegance and even looked more eye-catching due to what she was wearing. Unfortunately, because I was with this humanoid attention magnet, I also gained their attention. But they didn't recognize who I am so this was fine, I guess.

The smell coming from the food stalls outside was very tempting and my legs moved on their own and walked towards them. There were many people, and just by looking at the crowd I felt dizzy. I turned to Yukinoshita and gave her a look that said, "Oi, I'm gonna go there, are you ok with that?", she gave me a small nod in reply and I went to the first stall which was the Yakisoba stand. It had a sizable line and I had to do a double take if I should continue waiting in line or go to another food stand. Sweat was beginning to form on my forehead, and I discreetly took off my mask for a moment to wipe it with my handkerchief.

"Yo! Bro!" I had a feeling that I was the one being called and looked around for the punk who decided to call me by that Riajuu-like name. It turns out it was one of the guys behind the stall, waving at me to come to him. I recognized him from the food committee, but I forgot his name.

He gave me a wide smile when I came to him while Yukinoshita followed behind me. "Ah, working so hard I see…" I commented as I saw the rest of his team cook the yakisoba and put it on a small Styrofoam container, the type you see in fast-food take outs.

"Yup! Here, have one on the house and for your friend too!" he exclaimed as he pushed two of the small boxes in my hands.

Haaah? Did he just assume that me and Yukinoshita are friends? I'll have you know that-, ugh, never mind…

"I couldn't possibly take this, at least let me pay." I made a move to get my wallet, but he was quite persistent.

"Nonsense! Think of this as a token of our appreciation for your hard work these past two weeks!" He gave me another smile, this time it was pure and grateful. I sighed, relented and received the two of them. My Father once told me that it is very rude to refuse a gift freely given to you. Plus, food always tastes better when it's free.

"Well, thank you." I thank him and gave the other box to Yukinoshita. She frowned at it at first but I nudged it closer to her face which visibly annoyed her and she was forced to take it by hand. She leered at me while I just gave her my usual deadpan stare. After I thanked them again for their hard work and for the food that they gave me, we looked for a place that we can sit on so as to finally eat our food. We found a small table outside that was prepared for this event, it even had a large umbrella above us to boot. But before we could sit down, I saw that Yukinoshita's seat was dirty, so I shoo'ed her away so I can wipe it clean. As an elite cleaner in our household, seeing dirty things give me the urge to clean it right away.

"Thank you." She muttered as she finally took a seat. She looked around and observed the surroundings for a bit. What caught her eye was a student around our age in a witch costume walking hand-in-hand with her little sister, the both of them laughing and talking as they walked past our table. I could be wrong, but I thought I sensed envy in the way she looked at them.

I excused myself to buy ourselves some drinks. Yukinoshita offered to give me her share of the pay but I politely refused. She frowned at me but didn't say anything further. I got up and looked for a vending machine to buy our much-needed beverage. After buying two bottles of green tea, I began walking back but I saw something on the corner of my eye.

He was wearing an outfit that befits a prince, a royal tunic, a red cape and even a crown on his head. Princecharming was all smiles as he was surrounded by his fans. Ah, as expected of Hayato Hayama, he attracts all sorts of people with that friendly aura of his. He handled the crowd well, even I had to admit. I would certainly feel uncomfortable and nauseated if a large number of strangers were within close proximity to me. Our eyes met for a split second before I was absorbed by the crowd in front of me.

I went back to our table where Yukihime-sama was patiently waiting for me. We ate our food in silence amid the noise in the background. I saw Ebina-san, or Hinata-san, I don't know, walk by as she chatted with her friends. She cosplayed as a policewoman and it actually looked nice on her, she even had a toy gun at her hip and wore aviator sunglasses. She didn't recognize me since I was still wearing the mask.

Pretty cool, to be honest. Though I didn't call out to her because I was eating at that time and I might choke and die on the spot. I don't know if Yukihime-sama in front of me would offer her assistance, or just laugh and kick me as I was writhing on the cold ground in agony as I fought for my life.

"I have to go." I say after taking a peek at my wristwatch. It's almost time for our short meeting at the rendezvous point and I have to be there.

"I see, I will just…observe the other festivities for a while…" She said.

"Will you be alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," I say and give her a quick look from top to bottom. She was wearing a Miko costume, and I heard that those things are annoying to move in. "never mind." I give her a dismissive wave to end the subject. Being too considerate might be seen as a flirt or creepy. And since it is her that I am talking about, she would no doubt choose the latter to accuse me of being a perverted deviant out to have my way with innocent girls. Seriously, her insults can be really sharp at times and can even make me wince.

"Well, have fun and try not to scare away people with that cold aura of yours." I gave her a small smirk which caused her eye to twitch and a nerve to tick on her forehead.

"Ara, that's rich coming from a dead-eyed lowlife degenerate like yourself." She titled her head and gave me a sickeningly sweet smile. After that, I walked to the rendezvous area to meet the other committee leaders and assess the situation.

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Several hours later, it was already sunset. The dance competitions would start in an hour, I wasn't assigned to those programs, and I can definitely go home and rest. But I realized that there isn't much I could do at home since I got bored of my games, so I decided to stick around for a little while longer. Most of the students where already waiting in line at the gym hall where the programs will be held, but there was still a significant amount loitering on the school grounds, a significant number of them were still walking to the food stalls. I know this because I was at the roof of our building.

With no other choice in my head, to the auditorium to see if the others needed my help. I wasn't in a hurry so I walked at my own pace.

Everything was going smoothly as planned, almost too smoothly that I had a feeling that something bad is about to happen. Still, it was amusing to watch the students in their different kinds of costumes lining up to enter the auditorium. Though I didn't go inside yet because the music was too loud and it getting a bit crowded for my taste, so I opted to just lean on a steel post and observe. There was a guy cosplaying as Godzilla in an inflatable suit and a girl who cosplayed as a pretty boy that even I had to do a double take. The power of makeup is amazing. I even saw one guy that wore clothes fit for a chef, but in his hands was a ridiculously huge plastic sword that was similar to what soul reapers wielded in combat.

It must be pretty useful, having a zanpaktou for combat and cooking, that is…

"Haa-chan!" A voice of a young girl broke my inner thoughts. Wait, that's impossible! No one should be able to recogni-

Before I could even finish, two small arms wrapped around my leg and a mop of blue silvery hair snuggled against my thigh. She wore a small lab gown of some sort and protective glasses on her head, she must be cosplaying as a scientist. How did Kei-chan recognize me? Is this her special power?

"Kei-chan, you're here." I kneeled down and took off my mask, her mouth formed into an "o" when she saw my face. Ah, she must have been petrified by my looks.

"Haa-chan you look so cool!" Kei-chan reached out her hand and I handed her my weaboo mask. It feels weird now that I took it off. The mask was too big for her and it completely covered her face.

HNN! So cute!

"How did you recognize me?" I asked her.

"Re…cognize…?" She tiled her head when she heard the unfamiliar word.

That's so cute…

"Hmm, how did you know who I was even though I was wearing the mask?" I ask again.

"I don't know, when I saw you, I knew you were Haa-chan right away!" She exclaimed. Wow this little girl definitely has powers. I ruffled her hair and she just gave me a big smile. Her big sister must be nearby, and when I looked around, I saw her walking towards us. Kawasaki wore a slim black vest over a white inner blouse, coupled with a slim-fitting black skirt and black stockings. On top of her head was a strange hat that I couldn't quite name. I don't know how she did it but her long ponytail was replaced by a neat bun.

"Hi there, Hikigaya."

"Hmm."

"We're going inside to watch the performances, wanna come?" She asked.

"Thank you but I'll pass. It's too crowded in there."

She gave me a "hmm" in response and picked up Keika in her arms, she had a confused look when she saw the oversized mask that Keika wore.

"Ah, so you're a…" Her voice trailed off as she couldn't quite finish what she was about to say after she gave me back my mask.

"A masquerade man." A shit, now that I think about it, it sounds really cringy.

"Oh, that's..cool, I guess…?" she gave me an awkward smile. Oh no please don't say considerate things to me or else I'll feel more pathetic.

"Well, you look really nice too." I say. I just realized that she is cosplaying as a flight stewardess now that I recognized that hat. It fitted her nicely, as if she was born to wear it.

In Riajuu-talk, she is "killing it".

She blushed when I said it and tried to move a non-existent strand of hair behind her ear. The thing was, her hair was in a bun so she ended up moving nothing and looking silly.

"Thanks."

The school speakers suddenly had an announcement, the dance performances and evening activities will start in fifteen minutes.

"Well, try and look for us if you change your mind, see you around Hikigaya." With a wave from the both of them, they walked to the direction of the auditorium.

Looking up, I saw that it was dark already. The night came earlier these days, making the darkness longer. Only a few weeks left until the snows fall...

I decided to go to a nearby bench and just read on whatever interesting articles that I come across on my phone. Along with that, I searched for the latest light novel titles and read their summaries and reviews. Most of them had bad reviews, damn reviewers can get pretty harsh on their comments. Maybe I should become a light novel writer and my first book would be an isekai genre with a ridiculously long name. I received a message from Mom saying that she and Dad are having dinner with some acquaintances. I'll just drop by the grocery later and make some hotpot or something.

For the next hour or so, I just sat on the bench and played some games on my phone. It was around that time that whatever events that were ongoing inside the auditorium finally ended, signaling the end of today's events. I waited several minutes for the crowd to thin out before I looked for Shiromeguri-senpai. She wore a witch costume with a rather large and exaggerated witch hat. I wonder if she knows the "EXPLOSION" spell? The black robe that she had was a rather nice touch.

"All right guys! The event was a success! Thank you for your hard work!" Shiromeguri-senpai used her passive skill which immediately made all people within her area of effect listen to her.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Everyone else congratulated each other. Uwahh, now comes the annoying part...

After that, around 100 student volunteers showed up to assist in cleaning and organizing the place back to normal, including the areas outside occupied by the food stalls. Even with the extra manpower, it still took us another hour to finish up. I left my mask in the locker room and took off my jacket since I was starting to sweat. Good grief, manual labour is still not my thing, I am not a slave!

I was already at the school gates when I saw Yukinoshita about to enter her family car. She noticed my presence and turned to acknowledge me.

"Hikigaya-kun."

"Yukinoshita."

"Hi there Hikigaya-kun!"

Huh?

One of the open windows revealed a young lady whom I hadn't seen in a while. She gave me a cheeky mischievous smile. That all too-familiar smile. That smile, that damned smile...

"Good evening, Haruno-san." Upon saying hearing her name, she pouted. Oh please, that level of manipulation won't work on me.

"I told you to address me as Onee-sama." She gave me a wink in the process while Yukinoshita looked even more annoyed than usual. To change the subject, I turned to Yukinoshita and asked if they were going home already, to which she replied yes.

"My, how bold of you, Hikigaya-kun. To be that eager to meet our parents already..." Haruno-san's side comment made me want to give her a glare, to which I decided not to do in the last moment. The girl in front of me, on the other hand, had no visible reaction to her older sister's teasings.

"What about you?"

"Headed to the grocery to buy some ingredients." I say.

"You come with us then, we can just drop you off." Haruno-san offered. That wasn't a bad idea actually. I was going to the bigger ones downtown since our neighborhood grocery might be closed already, considering the time. I planned to ride a taxi, but since an opportunity is right in front of me…

"Is that ok?" I asked her.

"Of course!" Haruno-san jeered and motioned at me to enter the vehicle.

"Well, I'll be in your care then." Their driver opened the door for us, with Yukinoshita going first and then me. It was quite spacious inside. Yukinoshita sat as far away from me as she possibly can. Oi I'm not carrying any contagious diseases you know. The vehicle lurched forward after I told them where I need to be dropped off. Without warning, a bright light engulfed us, and I saw my life flash through my eyes. Ah, I'm getting dramatic again.

"There! A nice memory for this moment!" Haruno-san proudly exclaimed as she started reviewing the photo that she took. From the dim light inside the vehicle, I could see that Yukinoshita looked quite annoyed. Truthfully, I already expected this to happen, so I opted to just cross my arms across my chest and stare blankly outside the window.

"Aww, you guys are no fun." She said and showed us the picture. Since it was a selfie with us in the background, her face occupied most the photo, she still looked beautiful though. I already expected how I looked in the photo, looking all serious as I stared out the window with my arms crossed across my chest, but to my surprise, Yukinoshita looked the same. The only difference was that she crossed her legs.

"You look like a couple who just had an argument hehehe." Haruno-san giggled as she saved the photo in her phone. I couldn't help but do a facepalm, not out of embarrassment, but out of the ridiculousness of the situation.

In the end, what I got was a ride with a pissed off Ojou-sama, while my self-proclaimed Onee-sama giggled in the background.

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Hi everyone!

Sorry for my prolonged absence, it took me quite a while to finish this. This was originally going to be 15k words, but I decided that it was too long so I cut it into 9k words instead. If you're wondering what Yukinoshita looks like, try looking up Mitsuha from Your Name while she was doing her role as a shrine priestess. Good movie tho, I highly recommend it. I don't really have anything else to say lol.

Thank you for reading and please look forward to the next chapter!