Author's note: I'm on Twitter as smilingsamurai1. It's very likely I'll be posting some artwork based on this fic, so if you feel like you're missing good, clean H of these waifus, you should probably visit.

In other news, the plot moves ahead!

Chapter 2:

Hikigaya put down his controller.

This is… interesting.

As a rule, his style of playing games was, in a word, uninteresting. Regardless of the genre, whether it was a first person game, a third person action game, a 1v1 fighting game, a role-playing game, a strategy game, or even a racing game, he would take an approach based on playing safe, and exploiting the game's mechanics. Well, that statement needs some clarification. If the reader was imagining cool techniques such as jump canceling to chain attacks, or weapon switching to avoid reloading, well, the reader's going to be sadly disappointed. No, Hikigaya's version of "using the mechanics" might be, for example, hitting alt and F4 in order to close the game and reload from the last autosave, in order to avoid losing stats or in-game money. Or grinding way more than needed on the first level, so as to have enough EXP to play the rest of the game with OP stats. Or abusing an easily-seeable low sweep, because the online connection makes it harder for the opponent to react to it. None of this was exactly cheating.

But very few would argue that it was playing dirty.

Now, before we lose faith in our protagonist, it's worth mentioning that Hikigaya always got the most important thing one needs from gaming: fun. Therefore, in a strange way, his way of playing is… as valid as any of ours. Yes, even that one reader who has reached a Red Rank on Tekken the hard way.

But I digress. Some of you may be wondering what Hikigaya's gaming methods had to do anything.

To learn this, we return to where we left him.

Hikigaya put down his controller, and leaned back in his chair.

This is… interesting.

He looked at the screen. On it was a message, asking whether he would like to rematch, or search for other opponents. He had lost the most recent battle. This wasn't unusual: Tekken was a very hard game, and his opponent had been strong. Hikigaya's win to loss ratio was about even. What made this particular loss different was the way in which it had happened. Hikigaya's main character was Kazumi Mishima, one of the strongest in the game. Despite her below-average damage output, her excellent frames and basic but effective gameplan made her a very viable character. Hikigaya's way of playing her left quite a it to be desired. Instead of properly pressuring the opponent into making mistakes, he preferred to use one of her rather basic strings, which included lows. Once this connected a few times, he would take advantage of the distance to use her unique approach slide. From this, a few different options were available: a low, and launchers. This put the opponent into a guessing-game, where Hikigaya capitalized, using his understanding of psychology.

Of course, it was a predictable gameplan, based on a single flowchart, and it fell apart any time he came against a skilled player.

In stark contrast to this, Hikigaya had actually, really tried to use Kazumi's arsenal.

Tried to poke for openings or set up traps, even learnt to see his opponent's moves, block them and punish them.

In other words, he had tried to play with a higher level of skill.

He'd still lost. The opponent was a Kazuya player at Purple Rank, had all the game knowledge and ridiculous execution needed to pull off the Devil Karateka's infamous Electric Wind God Fist. Hikigaya had been counterhit, juggled and summarily smashed in a combo-video worthy fashion.

But in the midst of all that, something had happened.

He had actually succeeded in landing a few hits. And not purely by luck. His strategies had worked.

It was the first time he had tried "playing fair" as they call it.

It was fun.

In spite of himself, he felt a smile come on to his face.

Playing fair at life had many disadvantages.

Because, regardless of whether you played fair or not, life never did. And so, Hikigaya's underhanded way of playing games was actually an excellent way to succeed in real life. It was why he had cultivated that approach. And over time, he had gotten good at it. Playing fair never worked out. To try, to do one's best. That was supposed to be honourable and courageous. But neither honour nor courage consoled the loser. In real life, all that awaited the loser was a lonely walk home.

He smiled, but there was less bitterness than usual in that smile.

As I thought, this riajuu stuff isn't for me. I'd probably never live this way.

He looked at the screen, and hit the option to search for the next opponent. The waiting screen, which allowed the player to practice, loaded up. Kazumi was once more visible, in her stance. Of course, animated 3D models don't change their default expressions based on how their players feel. The programmed animations don't change. But somehow, looking at her, he felt there might be the tiniest hint of approval on her face. It was all his imagination, and he knew it.

But it's not a bad way to play at all.

Recently, he had been feeling… better.

It was hard to put into words.

Hikigaya's mind was something of a constant battlefield. Being a chronic overthinker, the tiniest details of everything he saw and experienced leapt out at him. So he analysed, analysed, and analysed some more. It was taxing, and he could never truly relax, except when he slept. Now… it was as if that constant flood of thoughts had abated somewhat. Well, perhaps it would be more correct to say that for some reason, he wasn't paying as much attention to them.

It's not bad. I feel lighter than before.

He turned the game off. Assignments wouldn't do themselves, and he had a few to get through that weekend.

*knock knock*

"Onii chan?"

"Hmm, come in."

The door opened, and Komachi peered around it, wary but curious.

"What's the matter? You never knock."

"That's true when I'm dealing with my brother, but I'm not entirely sure you're my brother."

Hikigaya's dead eyes became even more deadpan than usual.

"This new gen humour is going over my head, Komachi. Mind explaining to me?"

Komachi took a step forward, pointing at him.

"You've been acting really strange!"

"Eh, really?"

"Hmm. Hmm. You've been active lately. Studying, doing chores. I even see you smiling while playing games some times. And it's not even your usual creepy smile. And that's really creepy."

"Wait, so is it creepy or is it not? And more importantly, why are we okay with calling me creepy?"

"That's not important! The point is, you're… different! Something's happened, hasn't it?"

Hikigaya thought back to the past week. As he himself had noticed, he was a bit less bogged down by his own mind. But aside from that, nothing had really changed. No weird incidents had happened. Well, there was that one time he used Shounen Jump to defeat Hiratsuka Sensei, but that didn't count; over-the-top situations were the norm with that woman.

"No, nothing's happened. At least not that I can think of."

Komachi narrowed her eyes.

"Really?"

Hikigaya nodded. "Really."

"You're not hiding anything from me, are you."

"Of course not.

Komachi didn't entirely buy it. Something had definitely happened. But she also didn't think her brother was lying. Which meant, something had happened that he wasn't aware of. But how was she to find out something he himself didn't know?

The answer hit her right away.

There was a certain busybody fox at Soubu High who paid far more attention to her brother's business than she should. If anybody would know, it was her. She'd need to be careful though. That girl was a bit troublesome. Asking the right way was important.

Monday rolled around soon enough. Hikigaya managed to get through all of his homework comfortably, and woke up in the morning feeling good. It wasn't a feeling he had quite gotten used to yet, but he certainly didn't mind it. Quickly taking care of the morning rituals, he put on his uniform and headed out.

At the door on his way out, he was accosted.

"Wait!"

He turned to see his sister, ready and waiting, backpack on her shoulders.

"I'm coming with."

"You're not going with your friends today?"

"Ah, they have plans."

Hikigaya raised an eyebrow.

"They have plans on a school morning?"

"T-they're bunking class."
"That's not good. I'll tell Kawasaki her brother's cutting class. She'll take care of it-"

"WAIT!"

Hikigaya paused, phone already in hand.

Komachi racked her brain quickly. She wasn't getting enough time to think. Normally, her brother would make a bunch of non-statements. She had learned to tune those out while talking to him. Consequently, she was always free to think ahead or observe him while he was busy semi-monologuing.

Now, however, his really quick answers weren't giving her any time to do that.

Unable to come up with a lie on the spot, she decided to use her special move.

"I-it doesn't matter! I need a ride to school, and you're giving me one!"

"... Okay?"

Komachi's being really weird. It's like she's desperate to ride with me or something. But there's absolutely zero reason for that. No, think about it logically. Hmm… initiate Ishigami Senku pose.

Of course, the answer's obvious! She's had a fight with her friends, and wants to avoid them.

He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right," he said solemnly. "Things will be better."

This time, Komachi was the one to blink.

"Why do I feel like you're giving me some unwanted sympathy? Well, it doesn't matter. Let's go!"

Closing the door behind them, they got on the bike.

With Komachi riding with him, he decided to take it safe and not pedal as fast as he had done the past week. Instead, the bike rolled along at a comfortable pace. They had left the house with time to spare, so it would be fine. Sure enough, they arrived at school ten minutes before time.

As Hikigaya parked and chained his bike, Komachi paused for a moment behind him.

"... Onii chan. You're always welcome to have lunch with us, you know?"

He finished locking the chain in place and pocketed the key, before turning around and looking at her. Komachi's face had a forlorn look to it. It was an unfamiliar expression for him. He was used to seeing her look happy.

And that's how it should stay, right?

"You're ten years too early to be worrying about me," he said, with an exaggerated voice, ruffling her hair.

Reluctantly, she giggled, pushing his arm away. This was a Hikigaya classic: defusing tension with a joke that was too obvious to be funny. She recognized it well, but she also worried. Because it meant he was trying to distract from something else.

She remembered quite well how he had been a few months ago, when he had stopped going to the Service Club. Back then, he'd said he no longer needed to be there. Hiratsuka Sensei had accepted his decision to leave, so he no longer had to attend the meetings. He had withdrawn into a shell, talking even less than he normally did. He would hardly eat, and aside from school, not leave his room at all.

Which is why it took her by surprise when he spoke, in a softer voice.

"I'm all right now. I'd be lying if I said what happened wasn't sad. But life doesn't wait. So I'm not going to stand around either."

Hikigaya was slightly surprised about how open he was being. As a rule, he never spoke about his own feelings. Even with Komachi, it was most often left to inference and interpretation. For him to say even this much was… way more than he would have in the past.

But having come this far, he felt adding another line would be all right, even if it was cheesy as hell.

"Besides. I'm not alone. I've got pretty much the world's greatest little sister on my side."

Critical hit: 200% damage

Komachi took a few steps, face red, steam rising from her head.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I- I have to go, bye!"

With that, she sprinted away, with speed that the Soubu track team would be interested in.

Hikigaya watched her go, scratching his head.

He checked his phone, realizing his little chat had once more made him late for homeroom.

He sighed and reached into his backpack, pulling out the week's issue of Jump.

I must be the only person in the world who can use manga to defend himself. Well, not that I'm complaining.

He arrived in class five minutes later. Technically, he was right on time, but Hiratsuka's rule was that students should arrive before her. Strangely, this rule only applied to him, since he had never seen her accost Kawasaki over it.

Is it because that girl would point out her single status?

As soon as the thought of Hiratsuka being single went through his head, his mind wandered in other directions. Instead of thinking up snappy one-liners like he once would, he was thinking of other things.

Like how, despite all the jokes about her getting old, Sensei's skin looked soft and smooth, and her voice sounded almost musical. Or how that one time she had grabbed him in a headlock, which ended up having his face right against a large, and very soft mass.

Thank God she's single. Nobody's taking her, so I sure will.

It was a one-off thought in his head. Not a conscious one. Not one he would ever pay any attention to.

But to his complete and utter surprise, he didn't brush it away immediately.

So, when he opened the door, he saw a curious sight.

The reader will remember the strange phenomena seen earlier several times, where Hiratsuka sensei appeared to have some idea of what Hikigaya thought in his mind about her.

The long-winded, scientific explanation behind those occurrences has to do with unused abilities of the brain, certain individuals being able to access them to an extent, and telepathy. Such subjects are also of interest to fifth dimensional beings, who are aware of stats human beings possess for these abilities, though most often, their values are too low to be of practical use.

But all of that is of interest to folks from other dimensions, secret societies of ESPers, and other such folk. We're here for other reasons, and whether or not Hiratsuka would, in another life, have been a crime fighting S-Rank hero, is not of any interest to us.

Probably.

Instead, I'll give the short version: Hiratsuka Shizuka has a unique ability to tell (to a limited degree), what Hikigaya is thinking about her.

Thus, when he opened the door, he saw, to his surprise, a Sensei who was blushing madly, looking right at him.

Of course, Hikigaya had, as we've said before, received a 5 percent boost to his confidence.
This did not mean that he had stopped trying to be rational.

And so, he immediately tried to reason out why Hiratsuka Shizuka's face appeared to be flushed (while also trying hard not to think about how the sight of that made him feel all kinds of things).

She's probably angry that I'm late again. It might be a good idea to not test her patience today.

"Ah, Sensei, sorry I'm late."

At this point, Hikigaya had a stroke of genius.

He held out the issue of Jump.

"H-here. Consider it an apology."

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how one looks at it), this appeared to have the exact opposite of the effect Hikigaya was hoping for.

Sensei's face grew even more read, and she stammered out a reply.

"Y-y-you… H-Hikigaya… with this underhanded method… you think you can…"

She took a deep breath.

Inside Hiratsuka's mind:

What kind of thoughts are you having about me, Hikigaya! And then, trying to win me over with this obvious bribe… grrr… do you think it'll be that easy?

Outside:

"H-Hikigaya. Bribing a teacher is unethical. Y-y-you're a really bad boy, in need of discipline. C-c-come see me after class."

Hikigaya blinked a few times.

Whenever I've heard that in the past, I've been in trouble. This time, I feel nervous for a different reason. Did she really just…? No, I'm imagining it.

Not quite sure how to reply, he nodded and decided to make his way over to his seat. While this was happening, Hiratsuka Sensei took the chance to send a death glare to the rest of the class. Its message was abundantly clear:

Breathe a word of this to anyone, and you're all dead.

3F, being, for the most part, composed of practical-minded boys and girls and who had no intention of dying this early, decided that doing as she said would be the wise choice.

Classes went by as they tend to. Leaving Hikigaya the elder to his own devices for the moment, we switch focus momentarily to Hikigaya the younger. As the bell rang for lunch break, Komachi grabbed her bento, and decided to find her target. Asking her in front of Yukino and Yui was out of the question. No matter how much she interfered in her brother's life, that was the one thing she wasn't willing to do. Without wasting any time, she quickly exited the class and headed to the second years' floor at a run. Arriving at the hallway, she happened to spot a head of auburn hair right away. Approaching quickly, she tapped the figure on her shoulder.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you."

"It's Komachi, not "you"!"

The two fell into step as they walked in the direction of the Service Club's room.

This was it. Komachi would need to ask now, before they arrived.

"Have you talked to my brother lately?" she asked.

"Eh? We spoke last week, I guess."

Isshiki's eyes narrowed deviously.

"Why the sudden interest?"

This was a predictable response from her. She was too curious about these things for comfort. There were a few tricks to dealing with that though.

"Ah, it's just that he's seemed in a good mood lately, so I was wondering if maybe he's finally found a girlfriend. Aaah, that would be nice, if someone finally took him off my hands…"

Out of the corner of her eye, Komachi watched for Isshiki's reaction.

"That's impossible," the fox girl, with some force. She was looking right at Komachi. Her fists were clenched, and her eyes were glittering.

Wow, okay, that's intense!

"It's impossible," Isshiki repeated. Having had a second, she had managed to school her own expression somewhat, doing her best to put on her usual air of confidence.

"That no-good Senpai wouldn't be able to get a girlfriend if his life depended on it."

Her response told Komachi a few things. Firstly, that she didn't know the reason behind his sudden change, and secondly, that she did not like the idea of her brother dating someone. Though Isshiki was currently trash-talking her brother, it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than anything. Like she didn't want to acknowledge the possibility that he could be with someone, and quite happy.

"Eh, he's not so bad," Komachi. "Sure, he's a little weird, but he's got plenty of qualities girls like. If someone gave him a chance, she might not find a reason to leave."

Isshki's whipped around as she stared at Komachi.

No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she knew the girl was right.

It bothered her to imagine it: that the days they were having now wouldn't last forever. Things changed, and they changed easily, smoothly. No matter how hard you tried to hold on and keep them the way they were. The Service Club was proof of that. Isshiki had gotten used to walking into that room, and finding its three members engaged in some kind of pointless discussion. She had gotten used to making unreasonable requests to them… and she had gotten used to Hikigaya somehow finding a way to complete them. And through all of that, she had gotten used to spending time with him. Somehow, while it was still there, she had thought it would last forever: her time as StuCo president, and her time with the Service Club.

But it was already gone.

Hikigaya had left, and he hadn't looked back a single time since leaving.

Who was to say he wouldn't be happy somewhere else? With someone else?

Isshiki shook her head, driving the thoughts away.

No, she refused to believe it. She'd find out what was really happening.

She wouldn't be able to do it now, during lunch. She was supposed to be with the Service Club, and Komachi would realize what was happening if she left right now. Which meant, it would be better to track Hikigaya down after classes.

And so, once more, things were set in motion far beyond what anyone had intended.

Classes ended soon enough. Hikigaya the elder packed up his books, before taking a deep breath. Well, there was no point putting it off. He had been asked to come, and it was best to do as she had said. Pissing off Saiyans was historically proven to be a bad idea, and Hikigaya was sure this was doubly true for the women.

I bet Saiyan women are wild in bed though.

Once more, a completely random thought shot through his head. And being someone with an active imagination, what followed was a very vivid image.

Hiratsuka Shizuka, wearing the Saiyan armour. She was reclining backwards, looking at him hungrily. The armour left the arms and legs uncovered, giving Hikigaya an excellent view of the curve of her thighs. His eyes drifted upwards, and he realized she wasn't wearing any tights under the armour itself. Meaning, the front leather flap was the only thing separating him from a certain special place. Further up, her ample cleavage on view, enticing him…

He shook his head, heart beating wildly.

Dangerous! Super dangerous! I almost gave in to the darkness right there!

He took a moment to calm himself down.

It's just a one-off fantasy, nothing more. I'm a young, healthy male, and Sensei is… well, she's pretty hot. Thinking of her that way is only natural. The smart thing is to realize that it's all in my imagination.

Right, right. Because there's no way anything like that would happen in real life.

Exactly. I'm going to go into the staffroom, apologize, take whatever extra homework she gives me, and that'll be the end of that.

With these thoughts in mind, he found himself right outside the door to the staffroom.

He knocked.

"Hiratsuka Sensei?"

No answer.

Maybe she didn't hear me.

He knocked again, and called out once more, but still heard no reply.

Slightly uncertain, he slid the door open and walked in. The staffroom seemed empty. Most teachers went home after classes, unless there was extra work. Those in charge of various clubs stayed behind, but many of these teachers were to be found with the clubs themselves, and thus not in the staffroom. Hiratsuka was the one exception to this, since the Service Club's daily operations took place on their own, while she took care of her own work.

Entering, Hikigaya cautiously began to walk down the aisles to her cubicle.

"Sens-!"

He reached her desk and turned the corner to see Hiratsuka waiting for him.

Once more, like in the morning, she was blushing, and seemed flustered, even more so when she saw him right in front of her.

"H-Hikigaya! Don't you know you should knock?"

"But I did knock!"

"Y-you're supposed to keep knocking until you get a reply!"

"That's-! But you never knock when entering the Service Club!"

"Hnngg!"

The two of them stared at each other, at an impasse.

As much as Hikigaya had tried to push away his fantasies of her, with Sensei right in front of him, it was an entirely different story. The sweet, cool scent of her once more filled his nose, and he realized he was standing quite close to her. As vivid as his imagination was, it was nothing to the actual woman in front of him. Hiratsuka didn't use any makeup, but there was a slight moist gloss to her lips. Even with her suit and lab coat on, the expanse of her bosom wasn't going anywhere. And the effect of all of this was increased manifold by the fact that neither of them had a snappy one-liner available to distract each other.

"Hikigaya… stop staring," said Sensei, in a girlish voice completely the opposite of her usual stern tone.

She herself was surprised by how she was acting. There was no real rational explanation behind it that she could come up with. Yes, Hikigaya was far and away her favourite student, but that was supposed to be the extent of it. Other things should not have entered the equation. Like how he was actually just about an inch taller than her. Or how his face had matured. Or how, for all the jokes about his eyes, there was no denying that he was actually quite good looking. Or how he was smart, and could make her laugh.

And the fact that he was actually attracted to her.

Having men physically interested in her was nothing new to Hiratsuka. She met and knew any number of people who would very gladly enter a no-strings attached relationship with her, or just have a one-night stand.

Part of the reason she was still single was because she had never been able to accept that mentality. There were plenty of guys who would even enter a kind of semi-serious relationship with her. But at the end of the day, she knew such arrangements were lies. Simply two people comforting each other for a while, nothing more.

It might be naive, but she wanted something real.

Unfortunately, as she had waited for such a person, she had entered her twenties, and fewer and fewer such people were still available. People began to make snide comments, and eventually, the impression of her as a "late Christmas cake" stuck.

There were many reasons she liked Hikigaya.
One of them was that he genuinely did not give a flying fuck about such ideas.

She knew this because he had never hid that he hated society and its conventions with a fire.

For the longest time, despite the close teacher-student relationship between them, she had thought he, at best, pitied her for still being single.

But she now knew that wasn't the case.

"Hikigaya…"

He gulped slightly.

She was out of her chair now.

Interesting trivia: being a martial artist, self-defence nut and hardcore otaku, Hiratsuka did some things which most people didn't. Like memorize the locations of the CCTV cameras in the staffroom.

Interesting trivia 2: There were no cameras positioned that could see what was happening inside her cubicle.

Hikigaya's heart was beating wildly in his chest.

Sensei was leaning towards him, her face inches from his.

His mind had all but frozen up, leaving him unable to react in any way.

Is… is she going to…?

He wasn't entirely sure what was happening, or how it could be happening.

If the thing coming next was what he thought it was, he…

I would…

He found himself leaning forward, towards Sensei. Their lips drew closer together, moments away from touching…

The door to the room slid open.

"Hiratsuka Sensei!"

Immediately, in a panic, Hikigaya took a step forward, his face crashing into Hiratsuka's.

As for Hiratsuka herself, the double instinct of a martial artist and a woman with active mating mode kicked in.

Wrapping one arm around Hikigaya, he pulled him into the cubicle roughly and shoved him under the desk. To further block him from view, she sat down on her chair and leaned over her desk, pretending to be hard at work. Given the angle, anyone who came around the corner would only see Hiratsuka at her desk, while Hikigaya would be hidden from view by her leg.

"Sensei?"

She recognized that voice.

Of course, it had to be that troublesome fox.

As we've said, Hiratsuka's mating instincts were active. And she had absolutely no intention of losing to some half-baked crush Isshiki Iroha might have had on her man.

"Hmm, what is it?" she called out, without getting up.

"Oh, I was just looking for Senpai. I haven't seen him today. Would you happen to know where he is?"

"He's not in the Service Club anymore, Isshiki. He's probably gone home."

"Oh."

Her voice sounded a little disappointed.

"I see. Thanks anyway."

The door slid closed again, and Hiratsuka breathed a sigh of relief, which was immediately followed by a gasp and a moan.

Hikigaya's fingers were firmly clamped on the inside of her thighs as he attempted to push himself up and out from under the desk.

Hiratsuka's choice of where to hide him had basically put him so that he was right in between her legs, with a perfect view of her special place. While Sensei wore trousers, this did absolutely nothing to change the fact that Hikigaya's face was a few inches from her pussy. His groin felt hard enough to cut diamonds. Hiratsuka's thighs were firm but soft, toned from exercise, and overriding his own common sense, he squeezed, allowing his hands to linger on them longer than they needed to.

"Hikigaya!"

He flinched slightly, wondering if he'd finally gotten overconfident and pushed his luck too far.

He prepared to be pummeled to within an inch of his life.

To his utter surprise, a hand gently rubbed his head, running through his hair before grasping it.

Raising his head, he found Hiratsuka looking down at him. There was a hint of a blush on her cheeks, but this was mostly overpowered by a pleased smile on her face as she bit her lips.

And just like that, he found out his groin could get harder.