Hikigaya Hachiman's Path to Reformation
Younger Girls are His Weakness
The last chapter had NTR vibes at the end huh...
Felt like Yukino got cucked by the 2nd time in this FanFic lmao.
*growl~~.*
Uwaah, I'm so hungry. I already cooked dinner but I'm still waiting for Onii-chan so we can eat together…Ugh, but this burger steak and tempura looks so good…not to mention that salmon that Kei-chan's Mother gave us earlier…but I have to endure! Onii-chan might open the door any minute now! And if he saw me eating without his lovely little sister, it would be a HUGE drop in my points!
Hmm, but even with that said, Onii-chan hasn't been paying much attention to Komachi lately…he comes home later than me, and is always stressed and tired to play and do stuff with me…whenever I sneak into his bed, he always tells me to go away…The only times that I see him not looking drained and lifeless are during the weekends. He should seriously stop tiring himself and working too hard.
He has this permanently tired look in his eyes, and his legs sometimes wobble when he enters the house after school, I think that he's going to crawl on the floor from the exhaustion one of these days. Uwaah, so being a member of the StuCo is tiring huh, and here I thought only the popular students got it for the sake of the title.
He needs a reward for all his hard work~!
The only reward a cute little sister can give him~!
Hehehehehe, that was rather lewd, if said with no context, hehehe~~…
Ever since he started at Sobu, he changed. One of the first things that I've noticed was his posture. Back in middle school, he had a habit of slouching, making him look creepy and gross(sorry Onii-chan!). Now, he walks with confidence and a bit of arrogance...but somehow in a way that he doesn't care for anything anymore, like really disinterested and tired. Because of that and his naturally half-lidded and tired-looking eyes, he has this scary and intimidating air around him. I haven't been to his school yet, but Dad says that Onii-chan's quite known there, standing at the top of academics in his year, being the 2nd person in the history of the school to pass the entrance exams with perfect scores and not to mention being part of the StuCo, which is a REALLY big deal! As his little sister and his #3 fan (Mom is 1st obviously, while Dad is 2nd.) I'm so proud of him~! And I always tell my friends about it too! Even they want to meet him sometime!
He went out today early too, well as early as he can for someone going to the mall. He was dressed nice today, he wore the clothes that we bought for him and he even used some of his perfume, something that he rarely does since he has a sensitive sense of smell, and because of that, sometimes he gets a headache from some perfumes. His hair was nice since Mom and I taught him how to do it properly. For someone who fixed his hair for the first time without relying on his oh-so-adorable little sister and endearing Mother, I'd say that he did a good job!
Onii-chan would look cool if he paired glasses with what he was wearing. I can already picture him with his dark eyes, looking down on someone. He would adjust his glasses at their sides with the tips of his fingers. His facial expression would then change into one as if he stepped on some poop on the street, or looking at a pile of garbage, or a disgusted one in general.
And then he would open his mouth and utter a single word-
"Mongrel."
Uwaaah, the shonen anime commercials must be getting into my head…
But still, he didn't have to do all of that for something as simple as buying a gift for an acquaintance. He could have bought one online as he usually does, but he didn't.
Hmm, if Onii-chan didn't tell me his reasons for going, then I'd say that he was going out on a da-
Wait…
...
...
...
Nah, that's impossible.
My sweet Onii-chan, who is the best Onii-chan in the world? My Onii-chan that despite having some menacing and intimidating eyes, is the kindest and helpful person I know? My Onii-chan who is so great with children, that they immediately adore and look up to him? My Onii-chan who is a very skilled cook that even my friends want to take a bite out of my lunch when I tell them that it was he who was the one who prepared it? My Onii-chan who lets out this aura of serious coolness, and sometimes arrogance, that you only see in Shojou Manga? My Onii-chan who is very intelligent and is the top student in his year? My very hardworking Onii-chan who buys me whatever I want to the point that I get spoiled rotten, and Mom and Dad start trying to discourage him for it? My Onii-chan who gets touchy-feely and cute when he's sick and demands that I cuddle with him, even though he has no recollection of what happened when he feels better? My Onii-chan who is surprisingly good-looking if he makes an effort to do it? My Onii-chan who is athletic and has a very lean and toned body under his clothes that would make most guys his age make a run for their money?
My Onii-chan going on a date with some girl?
Nah, that's impossible.
…
…
…
BUT WHAT IF HE WAS ACTUALLY ON A DATE WITH SOME GIRL?!
I heard the door open and heard his voice. "I'm home…" He said in his usual tired manner and I heard the sound of a bag or something being put down. I breathed in and out for several seconds, trying to calm myself down and stood up from the sofa to welcome him.
He was there, hunched as he took off his shoes. There was a big gift beside him, it was coloured peach and had the usual designs that you'd see, meaning that it looked pretty lame.
"W-Welcome home O-Onii-chan!" I skipped to him and hugged his larger form, but my earlier thoughts were still on my mind, causing me to stutter and look silly.
He looked down on me, and slowly arched his brow upwards. His dark eyes scanned me and I felt that he had already seen through me. Damnit! Why do you have to be so observant?! "Komachi, you're acting weird…"
"S-Sorry! You were so cool that I was speechless for a moment!" I say with a lame excuse as I looked up at him. I got a bit disappointed when he didn't return the hug after all this time. Uwaah, when did he get so tall, he feels so far away now…
He looked unimpressed and rolled his eyes at me. "Very funny."
"I mean it!" I say, slightly frustrated.
He dismissively waved me off, like he was some villain getting annoyed at his underling from a 90's anime. "Yes yes, and I can stop time with a snap of my finger." After changing his shoes, he got up and grabbed the box. "Sorry I was late, took longer than I thought picking."
I had forgotten what time it was since Mom already ate and tucked in for the night, and I had to wait in the living room for him to come home. It was already quite late when I took a peek at the wall clock.
"Were you waiting for me? You didn't have to you know." He said as he ruffled my hair and walked upstairs to his room. I took that as a sign that he hasn't eaten yet, so I went to the kitchen to prepare the plates. He came back down just as I was done still wearing the clothes that we wore to go out.
"Mom already ate, Dad still has work and should come home later tonight…" I say as I sat down across him.
"Ah, I see…" He replied and after we thanked him for the food, we began eating.
I'd sneak glances at him, his hair was still quite tidy even though it was a bit long. He looked too uptight while eating, and it made me feel self-conscious and I subconsciously followed him. I saw him take little bites of everything, and he hummed in approval after taking a bite from tempura.
"Komachi, did you make this?"
"Yep! Is it good?"
He nodded and took a sip from his glass of water. "You've gotten better after the last time that I taught you. Good job." He reached out to me and patted my head. Uwaaah, he might be very cold and serious-looking, but he's always like this to me. I love this side of Onii-chan, the only side that I get to see. Mmm, headpats~…
I hope he's not doing something as lewd as head-patting and hand-holding with other girls out there…!
I'm the only girl allowed to handhold and get head pats from him!
"Hehehe thanks! Don't be shy and eat up Onii-chan! By the way, Onii-chan, what were you doing that made you come home late…?" I asked curiously. On the rare times that he goes out, he's usually quick about it and returns home straight away. This is probably the first time that something like this happened, I mean, even when we went shopping last week or so, he wanted to go home as soon as possible.
I didn't take my eyes off his face, just in case I miss something. "Ah, I took too much time trying to pick the right gift. I played at the arcade longer than I wanted and I went to eat a light snack while I was at it. Of course, it also took a while for me to get on the train because of too many people." He shrugged and resumed eating. I didn't notice anything that can tell me that he's lying, ah but Onii-chan has always been a master of keeping a straight face anyway…
"Did you and Kei-chan have fun?" He asked.
I nodded and smiled at the memory. "Hm! We watched some shows together in the living room and played outside."
"Outside? Be careful, there are cars you know." He warned with a serious tone.
I rolled my eyes at him and sighed. "I know that geez. We didn't play on the sidewalk. She was a little sad when you told her that you can't come. Why'd you invite Taishi-kun to come though?"
"The little twerp said that he needed my help in building his first gunpla. Might as well do it here." He shrugged.
You know, I thought Taishi-kun would be scared of Onii-chan when they first met, but he surprisingly liked him. He said that Onii-chan was quiet, cool and smart, and was good at video games too. Onii-chan taught him how to play and they played together for a whole afternoon the last time he was here. Onii-chan was also really welcoming to him, I was expecting him to go all super siscon-mode and make Taishi-kun go away. Maybe because he didn't want to get on Saki-nee's bad side…or not.
"Would it be alright though? I'm hanging out with my friends tomorrow so it would be just the two of you, plus Kei-chan, here."
"Of course. I still have some time before going to work and going to Taekwondo practice with Maya-sensei. I don't mind."
My thoughts then went to Taishi-kun's older sister. I haven't seen Saki-nee in a while, probably because she was working during the weekends too, just like Onii-chan. She's nice! And is a good cook too! She sometimes helps out Mom in cooking, and I bet she'll be a good wife in the future! Uwaah, why are the both of them so workaholic…if Saki-nee and Onii-chan get married and have kids, they'll get left alone at home and I'll feel sorry for them as their Aunt…Ah but that's more fun for me to go to their house and take care of them~! I can already picture my cute little nephews and nieces, running around the house and causing a mess wherever they go~! A miniature version of Saki-nee and Onii-chan is going to be so cute~! Hehehe, you won't believe it but Onii-chan was cute as a baby once you know!
Wait!
The both of them?! Getting married?!
But still…they do get along well, the only problem is that I haven't seen any signs of interest in each other from either of them. Onii-chan is well, Onii-chan, so I doubt he'll start thinking about things like that, I can already hear him say "What nonsense are you talking about now? I have no time for trivial things like that.". Saki-nee on the other hand, sometimes acts reserved and holding back. I wonder how they act around each other at school, Taishi-kun once told me that rumours were going around at school about Saki-nee being a delinquent, which is not true! Well, she does have some scary eyes if she did it on purpose, just like Onii-chan. When she's here, she's always with Kei-chan, so I don't know the atmosphere when it's just the two of them. Wait! Maybe they're secretly a couple, and they get lovey-dovey after school doing l-lewd things like h-hand-holding?! Could it be that she's holding back because people are around and she'll jump at him at the first chance that she'll get?!
Saki-nee you sly girl!
Uwaah, but maybe I'm making too many assumptions as usual… both of them have a healthy friendly platonic relationship, most likely…
Hmm, if I give Saki-nee a light push, maybe that's all she needs to take the initiati-
"Komachi, your face is red." He said bluntly with his trademark deadpan expression.
"T-The food is too spicy!"
He sighed in exasperation at my lame excuse and stood up from the table, already finished eating. "It's not even spicy…Just save whatever you're thinking about after you finish dinner." He said tiredly and put his dishes on the sink. Kamakura went over to him and got picked up by Onii-chan.
"Meow."
He was about to go upstairs with Kamakura in his arms when he turned around. "Oh, and can you draw a bath for me? I'll come back down in a few minutes." He disappeared from my view and I heard a door open and close.
THERE!
MY CHANCE!
Hehehehehe, I had to resist laughing evilly on the spot. This is my chance to give him his well-earned reward~! I hope you're ready, Onii-chan~.
I took a peek into my Parent's room, and under the dim lights, I saw my Mother sprawled out on the bed sleeping. My Father wasn't home yet, he usually comes home late at night even on the weekends. She once berated him for working too hard, but she's just the same as him…
After I silently closed the door, I went back inside my room to get my towel. Thankfully, I decided to play my piano while using my headphones, that was a good choice on my part since if I didn't, I would have possibly disturbed my dear Mother's sleep. I usually play and practice around thirty minutes a day, sometimes more than an hour if I lose track of time and enjoy it.
Today was quite…enjoyable.
Haruno dragged me around the mall, literally going into whatever shop or store that caught our interest. I lost count at 8. Since the both of us were genuinely enjoying each others company, I didn't keep track of the time and just stayed with her until the end. We bumped into one of her friends, but after introducing me as her "little brother" she didn't linger too long and led me away. Her friend gave us a puzzled look since we were still holding hands, no doubt thinking about if Haruno's words were true. Several times during our little "date", I felt a pair of eyes boring into the back of my head, but I looked around and so no one familiar. It must have been my paranoia acting up again, I sometimes do that since it was a habit of mine from Middle-School when I looked behind me to see if I was getting pranked. Oops! My depressing and mood-killing flashbacks came to me! I only realized what time it was when my Father called and asked where I was since Komachi most likely told him that I wasn't home yet, JUST at the exact moment when Haruno's Mother called her and did the same.
Hmm…
Strange coincidence huh…
After that, we separated at the train station and she said that she enjoyed our time together, and I likewise said the same to her. My hand had grown accustomed to her touch, and a tiny part within me felt sad when she finally let go and we went on our separate ways.
I-It's not l-like I enjoyed our time together or a-anything! B-Baka!
Kamakura followed me out of my room. I've been training him to jump on my shoulders and balance himself there while I walked. Unfortunately, he jumps off of me when I start to get up, but I'll get him to learn that trick that I saw in one of those funny cat videos online!
After I got my towel, I went back down to see Komachi missing. The dishes were already done and the table was clean, she most likely already went to her room since it was rather a bit late. The door to the bathroom was slightly agape and the lights inside were on. I went inside and after locking the door, I took off my clothes and put them in the laundry. It might be strange, but it's a habit of mine to go inside with a towel around my bottom half.
I let off a sigh as I opened the door to the 2nd room where we took a bath.
And in the middle of it, was my little sister sitting on a small stool with only a towel around herself.
I felt the beating of my heart quicken when I heard Onii-chan entered the bathroom. Even though I could barely hear it, the sounds of clothes being taken off reached my ears and I heard him sigh. When he opened the door and saw me, I was expecting him to yell out in surprise or get flustered, or even quickly close the door out of shock.
Instead, he kept staring with a blank expression, just looking down at me.
"..."
"..." *Stare~~~…*
"..."
He raised a brow at me and put his arms around his chest. "Komachi…what are you playing at?" He said as he closed the door behind him and put a hand on his hip as he waited for me to answer.
"I-It's been a while since we took a bath together, so I just thought we should do it tonight!" I say, trying my best not to stutter and run away from embarrassment. I broke eye contact with him and just focused on something else. Unfortunately, my eyes just wandered all over his body and I subconsciously imprinted the image infinitely into my mind.
He got Dad's naturally pale complexion, that's for sure. Just like him, he gets red quickly when under the Sun, that's why Kei-chan used to call him a vampire!
Ok!
NOW ON TO THE HOOOOOT AND CHEEEEEESY STUFF! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSS~~~!
He's not muscular, but he was lean and toned in all the right places. His arms, chest and abdomen were top-quality eye-candy to any girl lucky enough to lay her eyes on him. Looks like him working out every other day for an entire year did wonders on him huh. He isn't a scrawny-looking fragile boy anymore, he was definitely on his way to becoming a very fine young man, hehehehehe~. Him only wearing a small towel around his legs with a nicely built body, looking down on me with a raised brow and his dark eyes with an unimpressed expression made me feel something inside. The towel was dangerously low though, and I could see the V-line on his lean lower abdomen that would lead to his groin. O-Oh my, I can see it! Onii-chan's bulg-!
"Oi, my eyes are up here. Ugh, I have no time for this…" He said with a sigh and turned around. I quickly got up and grabbed his hand before he could get out. Of course, I held on to the towel that I had with my other hand just in case it fell off or something…
"Wait! C-Come on Onii-chan, no need to be shy. We used to do this every day when we were kids, r-remember? How's now different from before? Unless you're embarrassed…?" I say.
He narrowed his eyes at me, and I felt that he was going to walk out any moment now. Fortunately, his next words made me sigh in relief. "Hmph, well if you put it that way…" He said casually and sat down on the extra seat that I had provided for him beforehand. I had to resist skipping with glee since I might slip on the floor and lose my hold of the towel that I had around myself.
I got the showerhead and turned it on, I already knew his preferred water temperature, he's weird. Why would anyone want to take a bath with freezing water? Is it a fetish or something? Onii-chan's bare back was in front of me, and I had to smile to myself when I remembered all the funny memories we had together in this place when we were kids.
He didn't get startled when the cold water touched his skin, and I reached up and started with his hair. "Ah, yes…that hits the spot…" He let out a low groan of pleasure and flexed his arms and shoulders, and I heard an audible pop. I continued massaging his scalp, his smooth and silky hair was pleasant as my small fingers went through them.
"Oh yes…hmmm…"
"..."
"Yes…that's it…"
"..."
"Ah…just like that…"
"..."
"Hmm, there…"
"..."
WHY IS HE MAKING LEWD SOUNDS!? He continued making those sounds as I became more and more flustered. Uwaaah, I'm glad that he's facing away from me, my face is probably red as a tomato right now. It took longer than I wanted, probably because I got too distracted and my thoughts started wandering off by themselves to who knows where…this is nothing to get flustered over!
Right?
R-Right?
R-Right?!
R-RIIIIIIGHT?!
"Komachi, you can put the body wash now…" He turned and looked at me from the corner of his eyes.
"Ah, y-yes!" I say hastily and applied the said liquid on my hands, and started slathering it on his back. He didn't feel tense when I washed him, and I could feel him start to relax and his worries and stress fading away with each second. His breathing was even, and I bet that if he was in the bathtub, he would have already fallen asleep by now. Uwaah, I remember one time when he fell asleep in the bathtub, we had to use the control panel inside the bathroom to call and wake him up.
"Onii-chan…"
"Hmm?"
"How are you doing?" I asked.
He turned and tilted his head in mild confusion. "Um, ok I guess…?" I pulled on his earlobe and pouted.
"No, I mean how are you doing?" I say again, this time with emphasis. I saw a look of understanding on his face, and he sighed after looking away from me. It's times like these that the unspoken message that can only be relayed between very close people shine the best.
"I feel…different." He replied after several seconds of thinking.
"How so?"
He looked down, trying to collect his thoughts and form the right words. Hmm, if someone like him has trouble with thinking about this kind of stuff then…
"Have I changed, Komachi?" He asked me.
"You bet!" I reply immediately.
This time, he turned his head to me, eager to hear about my reply. He scanned my face, and I returned a small smile to him. "Like what?"
"Hmm, well you changed for the better! Before, Onii-chan would never be able to hold a conversation with a girl as pretty as Saki-nee, but now you're chummy with her! If it was you back in Middle-School, then you'd have no chance with her!" I reply cheekily with a grin. He rolled his eyes at me and lightly pinched my cheeks.
"Aside from that, obviously…"
"Other things…Oh! You talk to us more than before, and you're closer with Mom and Dad now!" He had a thoughtful look on his face from my words. He nodded to himself and bade me continue.
"Go on."
"You've got interests and hobbies! Playing the Piano, Tennis, Taekwondo, reading western literature, in English no less! You even joined the Student Council in your school, and Dad says that you made quite a name for yourself there!"
"Hmm, well I guess I did all that huh…" He said as he rubbed his chin looking a bit conflicted.
"Now you care about your looks! Well, you're not bad-looking in the first place, it's just that back then you didn't care about that kind of stuff, so you sometimes looked creepy and gross! You slouch and walk suspiciously like you're a petty criminal or something. But don't worry, if you haven't changed, Komachi will always love you~~~!"
He grimaced at my words, seeing the truth in them. I guess even he dislikes that part of him from before. "A-Ah, is that so…?"
"Oh, and you've got a nice body now! I mean, you're still a bit scrawny, but it's a HUGE improvement! Just looking at you shirtless while only wearing boxers when you walk downstairs in the morning is embarrassing that I have to look away! Whenever you do push-ups every night in your room, I can hear your grunts and groans and you go out looking all sweaty and it makes me feel weird and funny inside, because…ah…hehehehe…" I had to stop myself before I say anything that will kill me from the embarrassment. Especially the last part…uwaah, I can't believe I said that…
It's just that h-hearing those sorts of sounds…makes your mind go and think about l-lewd things, you know? It's not my fault! Curse you puberty!
Onii-chan looked a bit surprised but then nodded to himself in understanding. "Ah, well girls feel that way during puberty too huh? No need to be embarrassed about it Komachi, it's a perfectly natural reaction. It's just biology and hormones doing their thing, everyone went through that at some point. Just…don't overdo do it, ok? I know it feels good, but try to have a little self-control." He said while cringing as he forced a smile and patted my head in an attempt to make me feel better. He had this expression as if I was caught doing something very embarrassing to the point that even he had to cringe.
"WHA-?!" I yelled out and quickly stood up from my seat. DID HE JUST ASSUME THAT I DO THAT, TO MYSELF?!
"Ah, but I am quite disappointed, to think that my perverted sister undresses me with her eyes, and thinks of inappropriate thoughts…I cannot even begin to imagine what our Mother would do if she were to hear of this…" He said in an overly dramatic and old-fashioned way, as he shook his head in disbelief.
I stood up quickly and yelled at him. "H-Hey! S-Shut up!" I say and kicked him.
But that was a bad move on my part.
The towel that I had on me was quite thin and short so I had to be careful and hold it in place with every move in case it falls.
Unfortunately for me, it fell just as my foot made contact with his sides. And he also happened to be looking at me while everything happened. When the towel fell from me, I yelped and his gaze lingered on my naked form for a second or two before looking away. I crouched and covered everything that needed to be covered. For the next few moments, neither of us said a word.
"..." I slowly put the towel around myself again, this time making it tighter in place.
"..."
"Onii-chan…" I say with a voice barely above a whisper. This situation is eerily similar to those ecchi anime I've seen my boy classmates watch in the corner of the classroom…
He turned to me with a smirk while giving me a thumbs-up. "You've grown compared to the last time I saw you, that's for sure!" He said and started laughing.
"P-Pervert!" I say and hit him on the head a few times, not to mention standing up again and kicking him, while holding onto my towel of course. Uwaah, why did this have to happen, but then again, it's not something to get worked up about anyway.
I continued washing him as he slightly raised his arms so I can get to his sides. O-Oh, I like how the way they feel, hehehehe~…hmm, his shoulders too~…"Well, I'll take your words as a compliment then…" He said.
"To sum it all up! You're WAAAAYYY better than before in more ways than I can count!" I say in all honesty. If I was told to pick the Onii-chan now and the Onii-chan before, I'd pick him now without a moment's hesitation! But I still love the Onii-chan from before too!
"Is…that so…" He said quietly.
I tilted my head in confusion at how he was acting. He should be happy! Not being silent and gloomy all of a sudden. I don't understand what's bothering him…but if it's him, then I'm sure it's nothing that he can't handle!
He's the best and coolest Onii-chan in the world after all!
"Oi Komachi…" I was pulled from my thoughts when he turned to me.
"Hm?"
"What's with that face? Getting cheeky, are we? Little brat…" He said with a small smile and pulled both of my cheeks as I giggled. I was done washing his back, so he fully faced me this time. The towel that he had around his legs was small, uwaah, if something like before happens, then I'll see his thing! Oh, there~! Just a little more-!
He suddenly let go and leaned into me, putting himself near my ear. I blushed at how close we were and my heart quickened its beat.
"You know, Komachi…if you always act all cutesy and tempting like that, then I'd eat you up someday~…" He suddenly whispered to me, the hidden meaning in his words causing the beating of my heart to go uncontrollably fast. I shivered at the tone of his voice and felt a warm unfamiliar feeling on my lower half. Not to mention that I felt my face go instantly red at what he was implying.
"W-WHA-?!" I yell out and put some distance between the both of us. He made this teasing grin that I've seen him make numerous times before, but this time, it was on a whole other level. What's this?! I've never seen this form before?! So he still has other forms secretly hidden?!
He laughed at my reaction and stood up, completely or maybe ignoring how much his words affected me. "Thanks, Komachi, that's enough. I'll be getting in the bathtub now."
His words before were still lingering in my mind and he sighed when I didn't reply. He pulled me up by my armpits and led me to the door. "Jeez, that was just a joke…unless you were thinking about…doing that and washing my front too…?" He teased again and whispered into my ear. I was at my limit, my head was spinning and lightheaded, and I'm feeling weird and funny inside at where my thoughts were at the moment. If he wasn't holding me right now, I would have slumped on the floor because of my limp and wobbly legs. I CAN'T BE FEELING H*RNY NOW OF ALL TIMES! STUPID BRAIN! STUPID HORMONES! STUPID PUBERTY! STUPID ONII-CHAAAAAAAAAN!
"KYAAAAAAAHHHHH!" I squeal and grab the door, locking it behind me. I heard him chuckle from inside and get into the bathtub.
I put a hand over my chest, trying to call myself down…
J-Jeez, when did Onii-chan become such a t-tease…I didn't expect him to change THAT much…
Stupid Onii-chan…playing with Komachi's heart like that…
I looked at myself in the mirror, and I was still beet red from his words. I pouted at my reflection and stood closer to the mirror to inspect myself. "Hmm, but at least he called Komachi cute…hehehehehe," I mutter to myself and giggle while I held my cheeks.
After calming myself down and admittedly smiling to myself at how we had fun together. I gave myself a fist-pump and started putting on my house clothes again. While I was at it, I decided to be a good little sister and do Onii-chan's laundry for him. This is going to give Komachi lots of points~!
After putting his socks and pants inside the washing machine, I held his shirt, taking another look at it. "Ah, we bought this together. This looks nice on him, maybe I'll get him another one of a different colour…"
Against all common decency, I put his shirt against my nose and gave it a small whiff. "Hehehehehe, this is Onii-chan's smell~…" His perfume smells nice too. Uwaah, but if Onii-chan, or if anyone walked in on me smelling Onii-chan's laundry, they'd think that Komachi is a pervert…
*Sniff*
*Sniff*
"Hehehehehehehehehe~." I couldn't help but giggle. Please forgive your bad Imotou, Onii-chan! I p-promise that I won't do it agai-!
Huh…?
Wait…
*Sniff*
I frowned deeply.
*Sniff*
*Sniff*
*Sniiiiiiiiiiiiiifffffffffffff*
There's a…foreign smell on his shirt. It was clean, so it couldn't be something like food or drink. It's on the right side of his shoulders and lower sleeve. It's…sweet…and fragrant…? It's faint, but it's there. What's this...? It smells like perfume…
…
…
…
…
WAIT!
IT IS PERFUME!
THIS SMELL-!?
IS OF A WOMAN'S PERFUME!
ONII-CHAN!
Where is it?! Where is it?! Where is it?! I'm going to be late! I don't care if I'm running in the hallways! I knew I should have come here early! Stupid Class Rep-san! Randomly picking me out of everyone! He shouldn't have listened to the other girls!
They were bitche-!
Oops~! Tehee~! Sorry, I can't say bad words now~!
There! The StuCo Room sign! After coming to a halt in front of it, I fixed my hair and tried to look more presentable. This is the StuCo room after all, and I have to look at least nice and proper. I knocked and slowly opened the door.
"Pardon the intrusion…" I say. The StuCo President was there sitting on the couch and writing something on the coffee table. She's really pretty and friendly, and I always greet her when I see her around the school, even though she doesn't know me. I have to make a good impression on my Senpais after all!
"Ah, you must be the First Year assigned to Hikigaya-kun, right~?" She said sweetly and came over to me. Uwaah, she has this fluffy bubbly aura that calmed me down.
"Y-Yes!" I say a bit too loudly, and I had to mentally hit myself in the head for being too nervous. Senpai laughed a bit and patted my head. "There there~, no need to be so nervous~…"
"Yes…" I say again with a small awkward smile. While she was patting my head, my eyes wandered around the area, looking for the Senpai that I was supposed to accompany for the day. I saw him during the opening ceremony of the year with the rest of the members of the StuCo, seated at the front beside the teachers. He was the sternest-looking of them too, I heard some bad rumours about him when he was still a First Year, but now it's gone. I can sometimes see him around the school, but I immediately forget what he looks like since, well, he looks bland and uninteresting…
Like a…background character in those anime shows…
Sorry, Dead-Eyed-senpai!
She continued giving me head-pats. "Hmm, I think Hikigaya-kun is at the indoor gym with the Taekwondo Club right now…if you run, you might still be able to reach him before he goes to another club!" She said and put something around my neck, it was an I.D of sorts with my name and class written on it.
"You're wearing this today, make sure not to take it off! Please be a good girl for him, ok~?" She said and let me go. Huh, what does she mean? Is Hikigaya-senpai the sort of guy who is difficult to work with when it comes to these types of things?
"Um, yes! I'll go and find Senpai right away!" She waved me off as I went out of the room and proceeded to go to the gym. It was a bit far, so I had to jog a little as I made my way there.
Once I got there and opened the doors, there was some activity inside. The volleyball club was playing, but only four of them, the badminton club was doing stretches and I saw the Taekwondo Club at the corner, most of the members were sitting on the ground watching two other members do some demonstrations. They were all wearing their Taekwondo uniforms, and seated in an organized manner. I was a bit out of breath, so I slowly made my way to them.
I finally got within earshot of them. The older of them was a tall Third Year holding those oblong-shaped things that Taekwondo players kick and hit during practice while the other one was doing the procedure. I stayed a small distance away so I won't disturb them.
"The thing that you should always take into consideration is your current physical limitation. If you pull on your tendons too hard, you might hurt yourself. The second one is more of a personal thing: Practice until you perfect your movements, take this for example…"
He suddenly went into a stance and took a step back. The other guy raised the dummy high above his head and leaned away just in case.
He suddenly stiffened and did a very fast high kick that was higher than his head while keeping his other foot firmly on the ground. The loud sound echoed across the gym, and some members of other clubs turned their heads in our direction. He kept his foot high in the air for a few moments, before putting them back on the ground. Wow, that was impressive, the rest of his body was stable the whole time and didn't move an inch. His legs must be flexible…
"When I was still a beginner, I got cocky and tried this in front of my class and Sensei. Unfortunately, my pants got ripped in the process." His words caused some small laughter, and he waited a bit before he continued. "But I was wearing boxers, so it was ok I guess." He added and the laughter continued, even I had to join in a bit. "What I'm saying is that know your limits, trust me, it'll save you a lot of embarrassment and trouble in the future." He said and the seated members all stood up and gave him a bow, to which he returned one of his own.
"Thank you very much, Hikigaya-senpai!"
"Yeah yeah, anytime…" He replied casually. The Captain gave him his thanks, and he excused himself from everyone else. I suddenly remembered what I came here to do and I quickly walked up to him. He stopped walking and turned around when he heard my footsteps. He arched a brow at me and I froze on the spot.
Uwaah, his eyes are scary…!
"Ah…umm…" I couldn't form the right words since his eyes were trained on me! What is this?! Is he a reincarnation of Medusa? Or maybe her son?!
"Girlie, can I help you…?" He said and faced me.
"Ah, umm…I'm the First Year assigned to you…" I muttered with a small voice.
He tilted his head and stepped closer to me. "I beg your pardon…?"
"Senpai, I'm the First Year assigned to accompany you for the day…" I say a bit louder.
When he heard my words, he nodded and had a look of understanding. "Ah, I see. Have you already visited Shiromeguri-senpai?"
I nodded.
He crossed his arms across his chest. "Wonderful." He simply said and turned around without another word. I quickly followed behind him out the door. I didn't know we were going, but I just stayed quiet and close. How rude! Not even waiting for the girl to catch up!
"I'll just change my clothes in the locker rooms." He said and turned to me. I gave him a quick nod and he faced forward again. We arrived in front of the locker rooms and I waited for him outside to finish changing. He got out, looking fresh and wearing his school uniform and nodded at me when I went up to him.
"Sorry for making you wait." He gave me a slight bow.
"I-It's nothing Senpai! You didn't take too long!" I say and flailed my arms around trying to tell him to raise his head. He's formal and uptight…I don't know any person that would do what he just did…
"I see. Then let's get to work." He said and I nodded at him. He was taller and bigger than me, so he walked fast. Or maybe I just walk slow…I did my best to catch up to him and match his pace.
Sometimes, he would get greeted by random students in the hallways, saying "Thank you for your hard work!" or "Keep up the good work!" or even "Don't overwork yourself this time, Vice-Prez!". Wow, I didn't think that he was on the good side of lots of people, most of them Second Years. He looks a bit scary, so I didn't think that that was possible. Or maybe I'm just being too judgemental…
I heard him mutter to himself at the last greeting. "Good grief, I'm not a Vice-Prez, we have more than five Vice-Presidents at the Council…"
We were silent the whole time while on our way back to the building, and he only started talking when we stepped into it.
I followed him to the faculty room, where he went inside and got some papers that needed to be filled and gave them to me. I neatly compiled them into the clipboard that was included.
"Do you know what we're doing today?" He asked and turned to me while we walked in the hallways, and he returned a wave from someone who greeted him.
"Umm, we're going to some clubs to evaluate them for this month of the school year…" I reply and looked up at him. He gave me a tiny, yet satisfied smile and I returned one of my own.
"Precisely, my dear Kouhai. But do you know why?"
"Aaaaahhh…ummm…to see if they're doing their activities as intended…?" I tilted my head to the side and waited for his reaction. This question wasn't in the objectives listed in today's rounds. And what's with the sudden questions though…?
"Fantastic. We check the clubs every once in a while unannounced to do just that. It's no use allocating what little funds we have to them when they're not even doing it as part of their club activities in the first place." He said.
I nodded at his words, and I reflected on what he just said. He's right! Why should the StuCo continue to fund clubs when they're not being honest about what they're doing? They should be punished!
"And when we catch them doing just that, it's within my authority to…hmm, punish, is a little too strong. What word could you suggest, my dear little Kouhai?" He turned to me again and waited for me to reply.
I scrunched up my face in thought, I saw Senpai give me an amused look as I continued to think about his question. Hmm, what word, what word… "Um…sanction or give them a warning…?" I say unsurely and tilted my head again at him.
He snapped his finger. "Correct. As stated by The Code and By-Laws that I wrote in regards to my new seat in the Council, as approved by the Principal and Shiromeguri-senpai, it says just that. But if I'm feeling good on certain days, I let them off the hook, just once. But if they do it again…well, they won't be getting any financial support from us for a month or so."
I nodded at the new information that he gave me, and I asked him a question this time. "So Senpai can control all the clubs in school?" He was the Head of the Disciplinary and Events Committee, but from what I saw from their organizational structure, he wasn't part of any branches. He was a separate member from what I understood. I didn't know that he also had a bit of authority over the clubs…since we aren't having any events, today's activity must be connected to his former role and not the latter one. But still, this is all confusing…
He frowned a bit and faced forward with a thinking expression, and I thought that I offended him in some way. I was about to apologize when he put his hand on his chin and spoke. "Hmm, if you look at it from a certain twisted perspective, I guess so…though only when certain conditions are met…? I've never really thought about that…" He muttered to himself.
"Senpai has a lot responsibilities?" I ask again. I'm really curious about what he does since his position in the StuCo has the longest name, and also on him as a person in general.
He scratched his head and sighed. "Yes, I do. Especially during school events."
"Senpai, what do you usually do at the Council?"
"I update our bulletin boards all around school with news and announcements, receive students that have committed offences, organize our physical and digital files and I help in the planning and executing of the school events, and the usual paperwork and requests from the teachers. Oh and I lead the different student Committees on behalf of Shiromeguri-senpai in the school. But the first few ones are just our duties in general and several trivial ones too, anyone can do those, but I choose to act on it to give Senpai and the others some breathing room." He replied.
"That sounds like…like a lot of work Senpai..." I say with a difficult face and turned to him. I kept my gaze on him until he turned to me questioningly. Uwaaah, that sounds like a lot of work…no wonder he looks tired-looking…
"Yes, that's right." He sighed in exasperation as if remembering some tiresome errand or responsibility that tired him out just by the mere memory of it.
"Senpai, how did you join the Stu-" I say but got interrupted when I felt a hand suddenly grab onto my right shoulder, and I was pulled into his side and then I found myself face-to-face with his chest.
"Huh?" Things happened too fast and I could only look up and give him a questioning look. My hands were on his chest, and the clipboard that I had on me was pressed between the two of us.
"Kouhai, watch where you're going. You nearly fell down the stairs…" He sighed. When I looked to where I was just a few seconds ago, I saw that he was right.
I had completely filtered out my surroundings, and I didn't realize that we were about to go down some stairs. I must have been paying too much attention to him when he spoke. But still, it's a good thing that he was fast in acting, if he was a moment too late, then…
He let go of me and gently put me beside him, his hand still on my shoulder. "Are you alright? Please do be careful now…" He gave me a concerned expression, and I was suddenly aware of how close we were. It caused me to get self-conscious, and I averted my eyes from him.
"Y-Yes! Umm, thank you, Senpai..." I say and gave him a bow as thanks. Hmm, his perfume was nice…
He nodded and took a step down, I was still a bit shaken honestly. He turned to me again with a small grin. "Come on, what are you waiting for? Or are you expecting me to hold your hand while we walk down…? We can do that if you want…"
I felt my cheeks get warm, and I quickly shook my head, getting my hair slightly untidy in the process. "I-It's f-fine Senpai! I can do it myself!" He lightly chuckled and started walking down, I followed him closely by his side. I puffed out my cheeks at his tease when he wasn't looking. From the corner of my eyes, I saw him huff out in amusement at my slightly flustered face. Uwaah, don't tell me that Senpai is secretly one of those types?! I'm really bad with those types! Him being those types is completely unexpected! If he is one of those types, then I'm feeling super in danger right now…!
We stood at the front of the first club that was on our list. The Arts and Crafts Club. Senpai told me that my role today was to list down the important stuff that came from their President. He will do the talking, and I'll do the writing.
He opened the door without knocking, and it was only there that he made his presence known.
Weird.
"I'm coming in." He said and I meekly followed behind him.
We interrupted them while they were inspecting their work of "Art". There were three boys and two girls all around what appeared to be…I…can't tell what I'm looking at.
There was a cross, the same cross that Christians in other countries had in their religion. But on that cross was a grotesque figure. Instead of legs at its lower half, its hips appeared to be a cluster of smaller pure white bodies mashed up and connected there. I saw what appeared to be tiny legs and arms on where its legs were supposed to be connected to the hips. The deathly white humanoid "Thing" that was nailed on the cross didn't have any hair on the top of its head and had a purple mask on, seven eyes, three on the right and four on the left are arranged in two vertical rows. At its chest, right where its heart was located was a long and red…spear?
What the heck is that, it seriously looks creepy…
"Ah! Hikigaya-san!" One of the boys exclaimed and went over to us. He got acknowledged by Senpai with a nod and looked at me.
"And this is-?"
I was about to introduce myself, but Senpai beat me to it. "She's a First-Year tagging along with me today." He shrugged as if I wasn't even important enough to at least know my name. That makes me sound like an annoying and clingy Kouhai that looks up to and follows her Senpai around like a love-struck maiden…
"Seriously, I thought you were kidding the last time I was here..." Senpai said and walked over to their creation in the middle of the room on a table. I followed behind him, and I heard the boy catch up to proudly show it to us.
The thing was about the same length as the entirety of my arm and was held in place by thin metal wires on the base and back of the cross. Even though I have no idea what was in front of me, I had to admit that it was "Artsy".
"Behold! Lilith, the Mother of Humanity, the primordial seed from which all of us came from, with The Spear of Longinus is still on her breast! She who is everything, and is implanted in the psyche and soul of all Human beings!" The boy said proudly and the other members in the room clapped.
Senpai slowly clapped thrice, and I imitated him.
*clap clap clap*
"Impressive. As expected of the Arts and Crafts Club. I guess this place isn't just for show." He said as he leaned forward, inspecting every detail of "Lilith". It looked like it was made from old newspapers, soaked in glue-water over their mould and then painted it white when it dried.
"It's good to see that you're at least honing your skills and creativity…" Senpai said as he took a closer look at the spear that was impaled on "Lilith's" chest.
"Of course! We're going to compete with other schools after all!" The boy said enthusiastically, and I had to admit that his liveliness was a bit contagious. After a few minutes of Senpai examining that thing in silence, with their Club President occasionally throwing a word or two, he straightened up and nodded at us.
"Well, it looks like you don't need to prove anything else with this in front of me. All I need are your receipts for accounting purposes." Senpai declared, the others in the room looked overjoyed at his praise, and their only girl member gave him a small folder that she got from their cabinet.
"Is everything here?" He asked and opened it, absentmindedly flipping through several pages inside.
"Yes Hikigaya-senpai, it's all in there."
He gave me the folder and turned to the other occupants in the room. "Well, this was a very productive visit. Magnificent creation, by the way. Keep up the good work everyone. We will be taking our leave now." At his words, they gave us a small bow, while he looked at them with a very satisfied expression.
"Thank you very much!"
When we closed the door behind us, we heard them yell out and celebrate. I was a bit worried that they might accidentally bump into their creation, causing it to fall on the ground. He walked without waiting for me, and I had to catch up to him again.
"What do you think of your first club visit?" He asked.
"Ummm…it was interesting!" I reply and he had a small smile at my response.
"Good, at least you're not bored. I can't have you being bored now, can I? What's the next one on the list?" He asked. I quickly took out the clipboard and started the reading.
"The…Doki Doki Literature Club…?"
Doki Doki…Literature Club…? That's a weird name for a club. What are they even doing in that club…? Do they exchange literature or something? Or discuss it?
He sighed for some reason when I said the name. "Ah, Monika…well they don't do much there so it'll be quick." He said and quickened his pace, and I matched his speed so I can walk beside him. "By the way Senpai…" I lightly pulled on his sleeve and he turned to me.
"Hmm? What is it? Did you forget something inside?"
I shook my head. "No Senpai. I just wanted to ask what was that…thing that they made?"
He blinked several times and chuckled. Uwaah, is he teasing me again? Or was my question silly?
"It's…a bit complicated see." He said while scratching his cheek.
"But Senpai, I want to know," I say pouted while giving him puppy-dog eyes. If he's teasing me, then it's only right for me to tease him back! That was surprisingly effective on him since I saw a faint blush on his pale cheeks.
"A-Ah, ok. But this is going to take a while you know? And it might get confusing." He said. I just pulled on his sleeve again to get the message across.
*Stare~~~….*
"Hmm, ok. Well, that thing that you saw was-"
"..."
"..."
"What's with that look?" He asked before eating a spoonful of beef and potato curry.
"Umm, Senpai…you didn't have to buy me lunch you know…" I say as I faced him from across the table.
He waved me off coolly, refusing to hear my words of protest and wiped his mouth with a tissue before replying. "Nonsense, it's the least I can do for helping me out today."
"But I didn't do much…"
I tried to tell him that he didn't have to do it. I pulled on his sleeve and got dragged across the floor and threatened to throw a fit but he just had this blank expression on his face and pretended not to hear and acknowledge my existence. It got a bit embarrassing since a lot of students around gave me strange looks…so I had to stop there and just pout and giving him a dirty look.
I looked down at the lunch that he bought for me. It was the most expensive one on the menu together with the sought-after slice of cake that students would shove each other to get a piece. He even bought me some snacks and sweets for me to take home or munch on as we continued with the day's activities, not to mention two or three boxes of juice drinks…
"Uhh…" This is too much, seriously. Since Senpai was already eating, it would be rude not to join in. Uwaah, but the boxed lunch that Mom cooked for me this morning…I'll have to eat it later before it gets bad…
"Come on, eat up." He said as he took a sip from his juice and turned his attention back to his food.
"...Thank you for the food…"
I started eating. I still felt a bit guilty since I didn't deserve this, I was just hearing him talk to the Club Presidents and only wrote a few lines since everything went smoother than we expected. We went to the Doki Doki Literature Club, Dance Club, Drama and Theatre Club, Tea Brewing Club and finally to the Japanese History Club.
Though Senpai was strangely tense when we went to the first club, saying "This place gives me bad vibes for some reason…". Monika-senpai, I think that was her name, gave him piano notes or something. Without another word, we immediately excused ourselves after she handed us the photocopy of their monthly expenditure. But I swear I didn't see her give those notes to him, I just discovered it when we went out of their clubroom, almost as if it just…appeared…inside my folder. Her three other clubmates didn't even bother looking in our direction, they were at the corner, still as statues. When we had our backs to her as we started making our way to the door, I felt…I can't describe it. As if something horrible and malicious was right behind me, ready to erase my existence in a single second. I didn't dare look back, not once, and I had to resist running to the door and getting away from there as soon as possible. The air inside their clubroom felt…wrong, for some reason, and I felt relief when we stepped outside. Senpai looked the same until I saw him gulp several steps away from their door and I accidentally brushed against his hand, to feel the deathly cold…
Weird…
I never want to go near that place again. And since Senpai didn't look like he wanted to talk about it, I kept my mouth shut too.
I shook my head and lightly patted my cheeks to make the uncomfortable feeling go away. Senpai was just staring at me the whole time, looking like he's having fun just watching me.
"Oh! Hikki!" I heard a voice coming from my side and turned to see the source. Senpai put a hand on his forehead as if a sudden headache suddenly came to him.
"Senpai, are you alright…?" I say with concern.
"Nothing that I can't handle…" He replied and composed himself back to normal. Fixing a bit of his hair while he was at it. A figure suddenly emerged from the left side of our table and I looked up to see who it was. The first thing that I noticed was-
Wow, those are big.
"Hikki! Where were you the whole day?! We thought you were absent?" The newcomer said. She gave him a bright smile that would make most boys blush. She had peach-coloured shoulder-length hair that was tied at the back. Her black blazer was open at the front, and I'm quite surprised that she was daring enough to look like that in front of Senpai. He is the Head of the Disciplinary Committee after all…oh wait, mine is open too…
Tehee~!
"Doing Council stuff, I already requested Hina to write down some notes for me." Senpai shrugged and continued eating. He closed his eyes for a moment as he savoured the food. She was slightly taken aback by Senpai's reply, but she was able to hide it well. "A-Ah, is that so…?" She turned to me as if noticing my presence for the first time.
"Oh! Yahallo!" She smiled at me and Senpai opened his eyes and observed us.
"H-Hello!" I say back. She maintained her smile, and darted her eyes between me and Senpai, looking very expectant. I tried to signal Senpai to introduce me to her, but he just stared blankly at me. Fine! I'll do it myself! "My name is Isshi-" I couldn't finish since got interrupted by Senpai.
AGAIN!
WHAT'S HIS PROBLEM?!
"She's the First Year helping me out for the day." He said. I gave him an annoyed face and hit his leg from under the table. He yelped in surprise, then sent me the same look that I have.
"Oi, what was that for…?" He said and rubbed his leg
"Hmph!" I crossed my arms on my chest and faced away from him. The new girl watched our exchange with curious eyes, I could already see the imaginary question mark hovering over her head as she wondered exactly what we were doing. Senpai scratched his head, confused at how I was acting and turned to Big-boob girl.
"Anyway, isn't class going to start?" He said and glanced at his watch.
The big-boob girl got all jumpy and checked the time herself. "Oh! It's almost time! See you later then, Hikki!" She said and gave me a small smile, not giving us time to say goodbye since she immediately took off. I looked around and there were only a few people left. Since I was excused because I was busy helping out Senpai, I didn't need to worry about any absences today.
"We better hurry up too. There are still a few more clubs to visit before we're done." Senpai said and started finishing up his meal
"Yes, Senpai!"
"Thank you for your hard work," Senpai said from beside me and handed me a canned coffee drink.
Again…? Why is he giving me so much stuff…? But it would be rude to refuse…
"Thank you for your hard work too, Senpai!" I take the can and inspect it. It's a familiar brand, but I've never tried this yet. He opened his can and started taking small sips from it and watched the sports-oriented clubs in the distance.
We were seated outside under the shade. Classes are gonna end a few minutes from now, and I followed him here since he wanted to take a break. He just came back from buying something from the vending machine. I asked him how much I owed him but he refused to answer, as expected…
"Hnnnngggggg…" I tried to open the can, but it won't budge. This went on for a minute or two until I just gave up.
"Umm, Senpai, can you…?" Senpai was kind enough to take it and open it for me. Uwaaah, he made it look so easy, why do boys have to be stronger…
Before I tried it, I smelled it a bit. The cover didn't say if it was pure black coffee or sweetened, and I thought it was rude to ask him which was which. I felt Senpai's eyes on me as he waited for me to try it. I shrugged to myself and tried it in one go.
SWEEET!
TOO SWEET!
I separate the can from my lips. This coffee is sickeningly sweet! I think I'd need to add water to this before I could drink it!
"Senpai, what is this?" I say and take another look at the can's nutritional information. Hmm, let's see…wow that's a lot of sugar…
"MAXX COFFEE." He replied and took a sip from his can.
"Senpai, this is too sweet. How can you even drink this…?" I carefully put the can beside me, as if it was poisonous and the air around it was dangerous to breathe. Senpai crossed his legs and took another sip from his can. "It's an…acquired taste to be sure."
"Ah…"
A comfortable silence came to us, as we just watched whatever caught our interest in front. My attention rested on the few students that played in the distance, playing football, and then it came to some of the birds that flew overhead. Three of them came near us, the small things pecking the ground and hopping nearby. I didn't make any sudden moves that might scare them away. It was fun watching them, chirping and making those kinds of sounds.
"Senpai, look…" I poked his arm to get his attention. One of them was standing on his shoe, its eyes looking directly at him as if waiting for something. Senpai hummed and nodded, then got something out of his pocket. It was the bread that he bought when we had lunch earlier. Without another word, he broke it in half and started throwing them small crumbs.
Wait, isn't feeding animals like this discouraged…? And this is the first time I've seen the birds near the school act this friendly.
"Here, throw them some bits too." He handed me the other half. I was a bit conflicted at first, but then I just followed him. The birds chirped as they got tiny crumbs of bread on their beaks and ate it. Three became five, and a newcomer even landed on Senpai's legs before hopping down and joining the others.
"I hang around here a lot after classes and during the winter months. Here Kouhai, watch this~…" He grinned and held out his hand with some bread on them. A short while later, two immediately landed on his hand and started chirping and eating. To say that I was amazed was an understatement.
"Senpai, that's amazing…!" I whispered to him, trying to contain my excitement as another one came to us carrying a small twig.
"Kouhai, do you know Ivan Pavlov?" He asked in a low voice and turned to me. I started thinking. The name was familiar, but I can't quite remember where and when I heard it. But that name, he must be a European scientist or something similar?
I shook my head.
"Well, he is a very famous Russian Psychiatrist known for his work in Classical Conditioning. Pavlovian Theory, which was named after him, is a procedure that pairs an external stimulus with an intended conditioned response. His famous experiment was when he conditioned his dogs to salivate when he rang a bell, since for a certain time before he had concluded the experiment, he would ring a bell before feeding his dogs." Senpai said.
I widened my eyes when I understood what he did.
He made a small grin from my reply and retracted his outstretched hand, now empty of bread crumbs. "I conditioned these birds to approach me when I'm here over the past few months since my presence usually indicates food for them."
I tried to copy him and stretched out my hand with bread crumbs too, but I got ignored by the small birds, they opted to go to Senpai instead. One of them briefly landed on his head, took a closer look at me and then flew down.
I pouted and tried to entice them by imitating their chirps. "Chirp chirp…tweet tweet…come here cute little birdies, don't be shy~…" When I attempted to lean down to them, they all flew a short distance away. Uwaah, my sudden movement must have startled them…
I felt a hand rub and pat me on the head, and I turned to Senpai giving me a semi-pitiful expression. "Don't feel bad. You're still a stranger to them after all." As if to add salt to my wounds, he threw some crumbs in front of him and the birds that flew away from me immediately came over to him. And wait, there's a lot of them now…
"Mou…Senpai you bully…" I say and lightly hit him on the shoulder, to which he just chuckled a bit.
It felt nice, being given head pats and rubs, I just let him do it while we continued feeding the birds in silence. Uwaaah, this feels nice…I don't have an older sibling, so I've never been given head pats like this. Our bread ran out, and while the birds stayed at his feet for a little while, they started flying away from one by one back to the trees.
"Look Senpai, one's still hopping near you…!" I softly said and pointed at the small bird. Another bird suddenly landed near it, carrying a small twig, and gave it to its partner before the both of them flew to the nearest tree.
"Ah, so I was right. They were mates…" Senpai muttered to himself as we watched them stay for a bit on the branches before flying deeper under the tree's leaves
"Mates? Like boyfriend and girlfriend?" I ask.
"No. More like husband and wife since the female is most likely expecting a clutch of eggs given that they are building a nest. Mates like them work together in building the nest and keeping the eggs and chicks warm while the other partner goes out and hunts for food." He replied as he looked amused by my question.
"Senpai, you're so smart!"
He suddenly sported this haughty expression. "Of course. Who do you think I am?" He said cheekily and I giggled a bit.
The school's speakers sounded their bell tune, announcing the end of classes. Senpai took his hand from my head, stretched a bit and looked at his watch. "Well, that's it for today's activities. Kouhai, as of this moment, you are free of your duties as my temporary assistant. You are excused."
I smiled but felt a bit sad that the day ended so soon. Even though I was just randomly selected for this task, I'm really glad that I got picked in the end.
And Senpai was surprisingly fun to hang out with. I got to visit lots of clubs, and see Senpai interact with people, even that was kinda fun to watch. I thought he was scary, but he's kind, sometimes laid-back and thoughtful and considerate.
I had fun today.
"Senpai…?" I say and turned to him.
"Hmm?"
I fiddled a bit with my blazer since if I say it incorrectly, he may be getting the wrong idea. "Um, is it alright if I drop by the StuCo more often…?" I say a bit shyly. He let the words process in his head for a few seconds before replying.
"For what reason?" He asked and leaned in closer, curious about what I was going to say. The movement caused some of his hair to fall and cover his eyes, and he used his hand to get them out of the way. His eyes, though a bit scary and cold from a distance, had a softer look to them when he's this close.
"Uhhh…to help you out with work and stuff…? Like if you have some other stuff that you need to do, but you don't have the time, then maybe we can do it…B-But! If you don't need me anymore, then that's fine too…" I say and looked down since his gaze was intense. I heard him tap his fingers on the bench, and from the corner of my eye, the first students were already getting out of the building.
"Hmm, I see…" He crossed his other leg over the other and put on a thinking pose while closing his eyes. He nodded a few times and muttered to himself under his breath before turning to me.
"So you want to turn this into a permanent arrangement then?" He turned and gave me an amused grin.
"Y-Yes! If it's n-not too much trouble…"
He looked down and covered his face, it was light at first but then his shoulders shook the more he suppressed it. "FUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! How adorable! How adorable!" He laughed loudly and put his hand on my head, quickly rubbing on it and getting my hair a bit messy in the process. I didn't mind since hearing his weird and goofy laugh was fun and it caused a giggle from me too.
His words made me blush a bit but hiding it was useless anyway. "Hehehehehehe~! Senpai, stop~! You're gonna ruin my hair~!" My words made him laugh louder even more.
"Very well! From this day onward until the day I step down from the Council, you, my dear Kouhai, will be my assistant!" He exclaimed with a grin, his eyes were a bit stern but he was having fun. His eyes remind me of those guys in anime that look villainous and menacing but are the kindest and most honourable of the bunch.
I stood up from my seat, his hand leaving my head and I bowed low to him.
"I-I'll do my very best! Hikigaya-senpai!"
I saw him stand and put his hands on my shoulders, gently making me stand straight. "H-Hey c-come on now, just because I was using big words and messing with you doesn't mean that you have to bow you know…" He said softly and made me sit down back on the bench. Now that I think about it, what I just did was super embarrassing, and from an onlooker's perspective, it must have looked like I was confessing to him. I looked around and saw some people whispering amongst themselves while their heads were facing our direction, they quickly faced forward when our eyes landed on them. Uwaaahh, I bet there's gonna be a rumour coming out of this…But wait! This is Senpai we're talking about! No one would dare to make up rumours with him in them!
"Now! As for your first official task…" Senpai suddenly said with a serious face and I gulped in anticipation on what he was going to say next.
"..."
"Is to…"
"..."
"Walk with me."
I blinked twice, then thrice. "Huh?" He rolled his eyes, stood up and stretched a bit. He watched something far away before turning to me.
"Come on, let's go." I was afraid that he'll walk away on his own again, but this time, he patiently waited for me to stand up with him. I fixed my skirt and brushed off some bread crumbs that were stuck to me.
I noticed some on Senpai's sleeve and had it in myself to brush them away too. "Senpai, hold still, there's a bit on your sleeve." He raised his sleeve a bit as I made it my mission to get every crumb off of him. After a little while, I was done, and I held the folders and clipboard to my chest.
"Do you need help with that?" He said as he eyed them.
"No Senpai, I can do this by myself! Where are we going?" I ask.
"To the StuCo room, we're gonna tell Shiromeguri-senpai about us." He said and we started walking together.
When he faced forward, I looked down to hide the blush on my face. His words had another meaning to them, one that made me self-conscious about how close we walked together. Is he teasing me, or is he just stupidly oblivious to the words that he sometimes says?!
Senpai suddenly stopped in his tracks, and without another word, jogged over to the bench that we just sat on. He came back carrying the canned coffee that he bought for me. "Phew, that was close. Here." He said and handed it to me. Since it was heavier, this was mine.
"Sorry Senpai, I forgot about it," I say and give him a small apologetic smile.
"No worries, everyone forgets something." He replied.
We continued walking and we were about halfway before we reached the entrance. I pouted and pulled on his sleeve and looked up to him, remembering what's been bothering me ever since I accompanied him this morning.
"Senpai…"
"What is it?"
"Senpai, you still haven't called me by my name. All you've done today is call me "Kouhai"." I say and pinched his arm. He widened his eyes as if realizing what he's done.
"Oh, my apologies. It must have gone past my head at some point…" He said. What a jerk! I thought he was just messing with me, but he has no idea?! Did he buy me those over-the-top snacks, sweets and lunch because thinks I'm still a little girl?! Is he treating me like a little kid!? He is, isn't he! Grrrrrrrr…!
I mentally stomped down my frustration and playfully bumped into him as we walked. "Come on Senpai~, call me by my name~…" I say and batted my eyelashes at him. I knew it! Even someone as stoic and serious as him can blush like that! Hehehehehe~, maybe I can use this to my advantage in the future~…
"Well, if that's what you want, Isshiki Iroha." He replied, and I gave him a cheeky smile, which caused a tiny grin to form on his face.
This may be just a gut feeling but…
I think that sticking with Senpai is gonna make my life here in Sobu much more fun~~~…
IROHA GANG RISE UUUUUUUUUUUUPPP!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
FOXY KOUHAI HAS FINALLY MADE HER APPEARANCE!
AIGHT!
How are you lot doing? Fantastic, I hope!
I accidentally made this chapter extra-long, by that's what you want right?
Also, the bathroom scene with Komachi...I almost got carried away and turned it into smut...AGAIN.
Looks like Hachiman's soft and sweet to Isshiki, I guess all girls younger than him automatically fall under the "Little Sister" archetype, and that causes his Onii-chan instincts to reveal itself! He's MUCH more of a tease right now too, I guess too much time hanging around Haruno affected him. Btw, I just added the DDLC reference for the lolz.
AIGHT REPLY TIME!
2theMoon: Thanks!
Darkkon27: Imagine getting cucked by your sister...
Issei ODR: Thank you for your kind words! I understand a bit of Portuguese and Spanish!
BorderLand: She likes him, that much is clear at least.
PhantomHarvester: At this point, Haruno is their biggest rival.
Turtle Emperor: Mate, the reviews and comments tend to get a bit delayed, don't worry I can see them lmao.
JustARandomAnon: Uwaaah, you caught me...
By the way, thank you for your very kind words on my other smut Oneshot. I might even add a chapter if I feel like it! That was my first time writing smut, so I didn't expect much, but I got really surprised when it was well-received by the community! You know, I'm writing another smut right now lol. You can call it...expanding my genre for a more mature audience, or something along those lines!
As always- BLAH BLAH, FOLLOW, FAVOURITE, REVIEW, IDK BLAH BLAH
Anyway, thank you for reading and have a wonderful day!