Hikigaya Hachiman was conflicted.

He sat on his bed on Friday afternoon staring at his phone. He had spent much of the past couple days thinking about his last meeting with Asano Hikari. It was almost surreal, in hindsight. His middle school years had been filled with so many bad experiences that even just a week ago he would've thought his current situation to be completely impossible.

A girl had asked him to call her.

It was legitimately unthinkable. Incomprehensible. Impossible, even.

Yet here he was.

He now had a decision to make. He would, of course, call her. There was no questioning that. What it came down to was when? How did he know when it was too soon? Too long? He had already waited two days, assuming that he should hold off until after her final was over. Now, though, it was already Friday afternoon. They had agreed to meet this weekend, or at least that was what he had suggested. Technically the weekend was tomorrow, so shouldn't he call today? But would he come off as too eager if he called the same day that she finished her final?

Damn it all, this was just like middle school again!

Wait, wait, wait. Stop. He was letting emotions steer his thoughts. He had to use his greatest weapon, logic. Logically, his current situation was nothing like his middle school experiences. In middle school he had been deluded; he would admit that easily. He was still unfamiliar with the ways of the loner lifestyle, and as such made foolish mistakes like equating nice-girl behavior with affection. He knew far better now, and he could most definitely spot nice-girl behavior wherever it may appear. Those girls in middle school who had given him their real phone number did so not because they particularly liked him, but just because they acted nice towards everyone and he, perhaps unknowingly, exploited that. Because he didn't realize it, though, he had fallen for the trap of believing there was mutual interest.

Now, though, it was different. Asano Hikari was a nice girl, in the literal sense, but she wasn't a "nice-girl". The difference was that Asano was just genuinely pleasant, as far as Hachiman could determine. It seemed that she didn't feel the need to act nice, she just was. She wasn't just humoring him, either. No, they genuinely got along well. It was for that reason that he shouldn't apply his preexisting understandings to their interactions. The circumstances were different. So, despite his hesitation to accept it as a possibility, maybe he should assume that she really wanted him to call her.

That would then mean, logically, that she wouldn't be annoyed or creeped out by him calling. Right now, even.

Ah, cold, bitter logic. Sometimes he loved it, sometimes he hated it. At the end of the day, though, it held no bias. It simply was.

Hachiman hit the call button.

Dialing Hikari…

Brrrt…

Brrrt…

Brr- click.

"This is Asano Hikari, I'm sorry I wasn't able get to the ph-pfft, hehe, the phone, p-please leave a-"

Hachiman could hear muffled giggles in the background.

"Yeah, yeah, hilarious," Hachiman said, rolling his eyes.

"Hehe, well thank you. Anyways, hi Hachiman-san! How are you?"

"I'm good," Hachiman replied honestly. He was surprised that he actually meant it. "How about you, though? How'd you do?"

"Ah, well, you know…" she trailed off morosely. "Hehe, great! We haven't gotten our results back yet, but I breezed through it, so there's no way I did bad. All thanks to you, mind you! Seriously, thanks for that, I don't know what I'd have done without you."

Urk. His face was burning, he knew it. At least she couldn't see him, there was solace in that. He felt strangely tingly.

"Ah, it was no trouble, really," he muttered.

"Oh sure, even tutoring such a terrible student as me must be a breeze for you. Maybe you ought to become a professor if that house husband career doesn't pan out, eh?"

"Bah, the children would probably scream the moment they saw my face."

"…well maybe they just have bad taste then."

Hachiman was struck still for a beat. God, his face was certainly on fire now if it wasn't before. One second she's all jokes, and the next she hits him with a line like that…

"Er- nah, it's just what I've come to expect by now," he forced out. "Anyways, I'm glad you did well. Good to know that your free trial wasn't wasted."

"Mm, yeah, I'd say it's cause for celebration, wouldn't you?"

"Er- yeah," he responded awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

"Well theeeen," she drew out the syllable expectantly, "where are you taking me?"

Urk. That phrasing. Why'd she have to say it like that? It had to be deliberate. Thankfully, he had thought about the answer to that question over the past couple of days, so he had prepared an answer.

"There's this good ramen stand over by Kishaba Park, called the Komodo Shack. Is that good with you?"

"It sounds great!" she chirped.

"Alright," Hachiman continued, letting out a silent sigh of relief. "Is tomorrow afternoon fine?"

"Yep, that sounds perfect. Actually…" she trailed off. "My apartment happens to be pretty close to Kishaba Park, only a couple blocks away. How about you come pick me up and we walk there together?"

Hachiman's mouth hung open. Pick her up? The pieces seemed to click together in Hachiman's mind, and he gulped at the realization that Asano fully intended this little "celebration" outing to be… a date. Hachiman would be lying if he said that he didn't intend it that way when he asked her in the first place, but to basically receive confirmation that she considered it such as well…

It was a little much. His heart beat spastically, and his brain felt like it was tossed into a toaster oven. Hachiman desperately needed time to process.

"Y-yeah, I can do that. How about I come by about 6:30 and we go from there. Just, uh, send me the address I guess."

"Okay, sounds good! It should be easy to spot, it's a big complex with a massive fancy sign on the side. I'm on the second floor, not too far from the entrance. You should be able to find me easily, but just call me if you get lost!"

"Ah, yeah, will do…" Hachiman trailed off. His mind felt scrambled. "Hey, uh, sorry but I think I hear Komachi calling for me. She probably wants help making dinner or something."

"Oh, okay," Asano replied, disappointment evident in her tone.

Hachiman felt like he had just kicked a puppy. Damn it.

"Yeah, sorry, but I'll, uhh, see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, of course!" she exclaimed, sounding happy again.

He liked her much better that way, Hachiman decided.

"Err- right. Well, later then."

"Hehe, bye Hachiman-san!"

Hachiman tossed his phone onto his bed and fell back, staring at the ceiling. He felt about as scummy as people thought he was for lying to her, but honestly Hachiman could barely concentrate on her words. It was like his social "muscles" were so atrophied from years of the loner lifestyle that this was all too much, too fast for him.

Damn it, he was pathetic.

The last week had felt like the social equivalent of trying to run a 4k marathon with absolutely zero training. He was at that breaking point right now. He needed to regroup and recover before tomorrow. If he could just get his thoughts sorted out and calm his wild heartbeat, he could get himself back in order. Maybe he could do something like study for a while, that may help.

Hachiman fetched his study materials for humanities and laid them out on his desk. He dropped into his chair and took a deep breath. He turned to the page he had last left off and read through the first passage. Then read it again. And again.

With a growl, Hachiman rubbed his eyes and closed them for a moment. After a minute he opened them again and settled back in.

Mischievous green eyes, glasses glinting. Playful smirks. A pale hand brushing dark hair behind an ear. Soft giggles.

He didn't get much studying done.


The bus ride was short. Too short, in Hachiman's opinion.

Saturday had slipped by at record pace, and as the sun fell low in the sky Hachiman paid Komachi a flimsy story about going to a local tournament for a popular fighting game. She bought it easily and he was able to escape without suspicion, catching a bus in only a few minutes. As his ride ended and he stepped off the vehicle, Hachiman adjusted the collar of his white button-down. In front of him stood a four-story apartment complex, with a massive sign on the front wall reading "City Heights". Hachiman sighed and checked his watch.

6:24.

Might as well just bite the bullet. With great trepidation, Hachiman double checked the address Asano had sent him and set off in search of it. He located it quickly, just as she said he would, and stopped in front of the door. His hand reached to knock but stopped inches away.

He breathed. Once in, once out. Okay.

He was ready.

Knock, knock, knock.

Hachiman stepped back and waited. He didn't know what to do with his hands. Should he leave them at his side? Behind his back? In his pockets, maybe? Did his hair look fine? Wait, should he tuck his shirt in? Why was he even worrying? Since when did he care about any of that shit? Damn it, maybe he should've just swallowed his pride and asked Komachi for help-

The door opened, and Hachiman's breath hitched.

There stood Asano Hikari, dressed in a loose black minidress that hung around her pale shoulders and fell to just inches above the knee. A pair of small silver earrings bounced lightly as she stepped out to meet him. Her usual hairstyle was now substituted for a neat little bun. Her lips were painted a warm red, and Hachiman could notice the subtle application of eyeshadow that hadn't been present last time.

"Hachiman-san!"

Hachiman regained enough of his mental faculties to raise a hand to greet her, but she simply dashed forward and wrapped her arms around him, quickly pushing her head against his shoulder. After a second, he wrapped his arms lightly around her to return the embrace, then she pulled back after a second more. She smiled at him shyly and he struggled to hold eye contact.

"…you look good."

Really? That's what he went with? Damn it Hachiman.

Her eyes lit up for a split second and her smile widened.

"Thank you! I'd almost forgotten I had this laying around in my closet. It is rather nice, isn't it?" she said, then twirled in a little spin, momentarily giving Hachiman a glimpse of the exposed base of her neck.

"Y-yeah." He looked away in embarrassment.

"Hmm," she hummed, stepping close to him. "You don't clean up too bad either, though…"

Asano raised a hand up to his head and Hachiman's eyes widened as her fingers gently threaded through the hair above his forehead and pushed it back. What was she…?

"Nn," she nodded to herself. "That would look even better. Maybe some other time."

She released him and quickly combed the hair back into place with her fingers, then stepped back.

"Anyways," she continued as if nothing had just happened, "shall we?"

Still thoroughly embarrassed and marginally confused, Hachiman forced out an agreement and they set off towards their destination. By now, it was nearing sunset, and night would soon fall. As they walked, they made some small conversation about how their past couple of days had been. Normally, Hachiman was firmly opposed to all forms of small talk, but today he didn't find himself being all too bothered. He had ended up admitting that, as per usual, he hadn't done much other than lie around, relax, and occasionally study.

"Agh!" she cried out. "Studying? On summer break?" She gave an exaggerated shiver and rubbed her arms. "I guess that's why you got into Sobu and I didn't, though, huh?"

"Yes, well, some of us have dreams and aspirations in life," he responded jokingly.

"Oho?" she responded, eyes narrowing playfully. "Dreams like seducing rich older women and living an easy life, eh? Although I'm not sure what studying has anything to do with that, but maybe a dunce like me just wouldn't get it?"

"It's okay," he said condescendingly, "once you mature enough to understand the world like I do, you'll know that to work is to lose. The man who can live the most relaxing life with the least work possible is the one who truly wins." Hachiman spread his arms dramatically. "I, of course, have thought long and hard about how to accomplish this, and have determined that house husbandry is the optimal way. Maybe you too will see the light."

Asano muffled laughter behind her hand and smacked him on the arm.

"You're ridiculous."

"It's one of my 108 skills."

"Oh? And what are the other 107 skills?"

"It's classified."

"I see, I see. Well, I know at least one of them is your ability to keep me entertained, so 106 to go~"

Urk. Hachiman's gaze snapped away from her, his face burning. God, how little shame did this girl have to just say something like that? Flicking his eyes back, Hachiman noticed that her cheeks carried just a tinge of pink, and her smile was a little wobblier than usual. Okay, so maybe she had a little shame after all.

As they continued along the sidewalk towards their destination, Asano told him a little about how she had gone to fencing practice, and how she was struggling to improve much by this point. Apparently, her instructor had told her that if she wanted to continue to improve from where she was, she would have to devote more time to practice instead of just a couple nights a week.

"It's kind of unfortunate, but Yamada-sensei really knows what he's talking about," she told him. "He won a national championship once and was a finalist for an international tournament a couple of times, too. I think he wants me to take fencing a little more seriously, but he gets that I just enjoy it as a hobby, too. He's just one of those people that's devoted his life to it, you know? I guess it's a little hard for students to live up to his standards unless they really give it their all."

"Mm," Hachiman hummed in agreement. While he never really played any sports himself, he had seen coaches in sports manga that acted in a similar fashion. Although maybe sports manga weren't really the greatest comparison to reality. Remembering how Zaimokuza had tried giving his moves cringy chuuni names in his match against Hayama nearly sent a shiver down Hachiman's spine.

Overhead, Hachiman noticed the streetlights flicker to life. The sun was rapidly descending beyond the horizon and darkness was settling in the streets of Chiba. Just in time, they arrived at the small food court that held Hachiman's ramen stand of choice. Food stalls were packed close together and littered about were a variety of small tables and chairs. As night fell, so came the people of Chiba to satiate their hunger. Salarymen, families, and friends of all ages drifted about, chatting loudly as they ate. As Hachiman and Asano stepped into the fray, Asano pressed closer to him and lightly grabbed his forearm.

Fighting embarrassment and rationalizing that she only did so to make sure they didn't get separated, Hachiman led them to the small stand labeled the Komodo Shack. Four of the six bar seats were already taken by tired-looking middle aged office workers that spoke and laughed heartily amongst each other, leaving two left on the end. Hachiman bit back the instinct to claim the one on the end, and reluctantly chose the one next to the group of men. Asano's thankful smile seemed to make the discomfort worth it, though.

"Hmm," Asano hummed, staring at the menu hanging at the back of the stand after sitting down. She leaned closer to him so he could hear her over the buzz of the crowd.

"So, what would you recommend?"

Hachiman's spine straightened as her breath hit his ear and he leaned forward as if he was taking a closer look at the menu. After he regained his composure, he leaned back closer to her.

"I usually order the Tonkotsu Komodo Special. It's pretty spicy, though, so…" he trailed off.

She put a hand to her chest and feigned offense. "What, you think I can't take it? I see, so this is how you think of me…"

Hachiman rolled his eyes and flagged down the chef. The older man approached, and Hachiman ordered for the two of them. When asked if they would like drinks, Hachiman ordered them both bottled green teas. As the chef set their drinks down and headed to start cooking, Asano raised an eyebrow at Hachiman playfully.

"Oh? Bold of you to assume what I'd like to drink."

"Well, making assumptions happens to be another of my 108 skills."

"Is that so? Well, perhaps you are rather good at it, then. I do rather like green tea."

Actually, he just happened to remember an offhand comment she had made when they were at the café, about how their iced green tea was good. He wouldn't say that, though. After all, hiding his methods was another of his 108 skills.

"Hehe, I'll pry those 105 other skills out of you yet, Hachiman-san."

"Yeah, good luck."

Or rather, not a chance, seeing as another of his 108 skills was making up random skills as part of his 108 skills…

She gave a small laugh before seeming to think for a moment.

"So, I've been wondering about your club, the Service Club, was it?"

Hachiman nodded.

"Right, so you help other students with their problems? What kind of requests have you had?"

Hachiman nodded and thought for a moment. He decided to omit Hiratsuka-sensei's request for Yukinoshita to "help" him, but would start from the beginning after that.

"So I guess I should start by saying that the club was originally only one member: its president, Yukinoshita," he began. "After I got into a little bit of trouble with Hiratsuka-sensei, one of my teachers, I was forced to join as punishment."

Asano leaned closer to him, head casually resting on her palm. Their faces couldn't have been more than a foot away, and Hachiman struggled to maintain eye contact.

"After I joined, our first request was from this girl, Yuigahama. She needed help baking cookies to give to someone. It should've been easy, by all means, but Yukinoshita insisted that she had to learn how to make them well herself, rather than just use ones we made for her. The problem there was… well, truthfully I'd almost rather shoot myself than be subjected to anything that girl brings out of the kitchen."

Asano giggled and seemed to lean a little closer. Hachiman's face warmed and he restrained the urge to lean back.

"As it ended up, she never learned how to bake properly, but I solved the problem by educating her a little on how guys think."

"Oh? And how's that?" Asano asked in amusement.

"Ah, well, basically I just told her that if she was trying to give the cookies to a guy that she liked or whatever, they'd appreciate the gesture whether the cookies were good or not. Having a girl give them something… it has its own value, I guess. And to give something that you put your own time and effort into, like cookies, conveys a certain message regardless of its actual quality. So in that respect, guys are pretty simple."

Asano said nothing, but just softly hummed and gazed at him warmly. It was almost enough to make him go run and hide somewhere out of embarrassment.

"Well anyways," he said, looking away. "After that Yuigahama decided to join the club, although she wasn't actually an official member for a while. Then she quit a while later… then we got her to join back."

Asano looked at him questioningly.

"Yeah, it was a whole ordeal. She and I had a… difference of opinion," Hachiman said, remembering Yukinoshita's words when they had first spoken about it. "It was a bit of a misunderstanding on both of our parts, I guess. I kind of got ran over and I thought she was just being nice to me out of guilt, and- "

"Wait wait, you got ran over?" Asano interjected with alarm. "Like, by a car? Don't just skip over that part!"

"Er- right. So, it was actually on the first day of high school. I was headed there early when I noticed that some girl's dog had gotten off its leash and was standing in the middle of the road. There was a car coming, and so I just… tried to save it, I guess."

Asano stared at him wide eyed.

"Well, the dog was fine, and I got out with just a broken leg so it wasn't too bad."

Asano raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"Er- anyways, it turned out that the dog's owner was Yuigahama, but I never knew until just earlier this spring. After Yuigahama had been in the club for a while, that is. So, when I found out I was just… well, I assumed that she had been sort of… pitying me. I told her that she didn't need to pretend to act nice to me because it wasn't her fault I got ran over, and I guess we just weren't, er- on the same page."

"So basically she got upset and left the club because you said something harsh?" Asano asked.

"Well… yeah, I guess." Hachiman looked away abashedly.

Asano sighed and reached over, resting a hand on his forearm.

"Hachiman, girls are just sensitive like that sometimes. While I won't necessarily blame you for speaking your mind with her, you have to admit that maybe you went about it the wrong way. Also, perhaps you could've considered that you may have been thinking too pessimistically. I mean really, did you just assume that a girl could only be nice to you out of obligation?"

Hachiman let out a small nervous laugh. If she knew that he was treated like gutter-trash by most girls in his school, then maybe she'd understand. Even still, he could take criticism where it was due. He can't say that he had never had any regret about how he approached Yuigahama back then, so he understood where Asano was coming from.

"Yeah well, I get it better now," Hachiman responded. "Anyways, we managed to reconcile and she rejoined the club, so it's all good now."

Well, maybe "all good" wasn't the way to describe it, but whatever.

"Ah, so you kissed and made up?" Asano asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Hachiman gave her a highly unamused look.

"The cops probably would've been called on me. She and Yukinoshita already treat me like some kind of predator as it is."

Asano eyed him in mock wariness and leaned away, arms covering up her chest. "Should I be concerned? Call my parents to pick me up?"

"Well according to Yukinoshita, I probably wouldn't try anything because I'm too scared of the consequences, so you should be fine," Hachiman said with a small grin.

Asano let the act drop and an easy grin worked its way back onto her lips as she leaned closer to him again.

"Mm, well I guess I'll have to take my chances then," she said mirthfully, giving his arm a little flick.

"Tch."

The chef announced that their order was finished and slid their bowls to them. They said their thanks and quickly dug in. A few words were exchanged commenting on the food, but little else was said. Hachiman was content to simply relax and eat while enjoying the sounds of the busy food court. He could tell from Asano's expression that she didn't mind.

Night had completely fallen by the time they finished their bowls, leaving the food court illuminated only by the dim glow of the streetlights, lamps, and the warm flames of the various stoves. The orange light reflected off Asano's glasses as she threw him a glance.

"Say, Hachiman?" she said questioningly.

"Eh?"

"Want to go for a walk around Kishaba Park?"

"Er- sure."

Hachiman flagged the chef and retrieved their check. Before Asano could say anything, Hachiman grabbed his wallet and paid. Usually, he would be the first person to accept an offer of free food. Rationally, he would rather save money than preserve any sense of "nobility" he might have. In this case, though…

Well, he wasn't sure. He didn't believe in the notion that a guy should have to pay for a girl's meal, even if they were on a date. It was an outdated and entirely unfair practice. However, he felt like… he just wanted to? He didn't bother trying to look too deep into it, though, and just paid for the meal. With that done, they both stood and slowly set off towards the park. Asano once again pulled herself close to him.

"That was a good suggestion, Hachiman," she said. "We should come back sometime."

Hachiman fought to keep the smile off his face. He didn't want to come off as creepy after all this time. Come back, though, eh? And wait, did she just call him "Hachiman"? Without the honorific? Damn his errant heart, why wouldn't it stay calm?!

"Y-yeah… we should," Hachiman responded.

They eventually made their way out of the food court and were rid of the throngs of people, so Asano's hands slid away from Hachiman's forearm. He wasn't disappointed, he reassured himself. No, not at all.

The park was located just off the edge of the food court, so they made it there in barely a few minutes. It was rather wide and open, with only a few clusters of trees littered about. The lights that lined the path were a warm orange, casting a pleasant glow upon them. It was far quieter here, which Hachiman found he much preferred to the rowdy food court. They walked along for a bit, just enjoying the warm summer night, before Hachiman decided to speak.

"Have any plans for the summer, Asano?"

She stepped in front of him and turned to face him, causing him to stop. She crossed her arms and tilted her chin up with a frown.

"Hikari."

He blinked. "Huh?"

She gave him a little disapproving glare.

"Don't make me spell it out," she said. "I know you're not as dumb as you look." The teasing lilt told him she wasn't entirely serious.

"Urk. Fine." He looked away for a moment to gather his composure.

"Hikari."

She smiled victoriously. She turned and continued walking, prompting Hachiman to begrudgingly take a few hasty steps to catch up.

"Well, to answer your question… yes, but not really."

Hachiman stared at her for a moment. "Yeah, I sincerely hope you know how little sense that makes."

"Ah, that's okay Hachiman," she said with mock-condescension. Patting his arm, she continued, "I know you're a little slow so I'll explain it to you, okaaaay?"

"Tch. Please do, sensei."

She giggled softly. "Well, I've got fencing class, you know, and will probably go visit my parents for a bit, but other than that I haven't planned much yet. So yes, I have "plans", but nothing big like a vacation or anything."

"Ah."

"What about you, then?"

"Mm, yes, but not really."

She giggled again and bumped her shoulder into his.

Hachiman gave an exaggerated sigh. "I guess I can explain, then. I've got cram school towards the end of the summer, but for the most part I've planned absolutely nothing. Probably going to keep it that way, too."

"No big trips?"

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Why go somewhere else when I'm perfectly happy at home?" Hachiman said, only partially joking.

"What about Tokyo?"

"No."

"Mm, Okinawa?"

"Been there, don't care."

"Kyoto?"

"Overrated."

"Vegas?"

"N- wait, actually that might not be that bad."

Hikari laughed and swatted his arm.

"Well it's good to know you have priorities, I guess," she said. "Even if they are mildly degenerative. Oh well, I can't say I wouldn't like to see Vegas if I had the chance, either. Even if just to say I've been."

"Not afraid of being labeled a degenerate like me?" Hachiman asked.

"Mm, well if I'm being compared to you then at least it can't be all bad."

Urk. Hachiman looked away in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I don't know," he responded. "There's definitely a lot of people that would disagree with that statement."

"Ah, and what was it I told you on the phone yesterday?" she asked.

"Uh?"

"Hehe, in that case I believe you were telling me about children being horrified by your scary face."

"Oh, you said…" Hachiman trailed off and looked away, hand coming up to hide his mouth.

Right. She said they had bad taste. He'd rather die than say that out loud, though, so he opted to just remain silent.

Hikari giggled and bumped his shoulder again. They walked for a while without trading any words.

"Say, Hachiman," Hikari broke the peaceful silence.

"Uh?"

"Do you want to come to my fencing class sometime?"

Where was this coming from? Hachiman didn't know. He decided to take it at face value, though: an opportunity to spend more time with her.

"Ah, sure. Why not."

She gave him a smile that seemed to light up the night.

"Hmm, good. I think you'll like it."

"Ah, maybe- wait, we're just talking about me coming and watching, right?"

She continued to smile innocently at him.

"R-right?"

She looked ahead as if he didn't just ask a question. Damn it, what the hell was he getting himself into?

After a short while longer, they had made it all the way back around the park to where they came in. By unspoken agreement, they continued out of the park and back the way they came. As they came back by the food court, Hachiman spotted the bus stop he had found on a map earlier. This stop would take him back to his house from here. Hikari followed him as he headed towards it. Getting closer, she nudged him.

"Hey, Hachiman."

He looked over to her and she gave him a small shy smile.

"Walk me home?"

Hachiman swallowed thickly and simply nodded his head. He didn't know why it made him happy.

"Er- of course."

The bus stop went ignored as Hachiman led her back along the route they initially took to get here. They approached a crosswalk at an intersection, and the light turned red just before they reached it. Hachiman sighed and pressed the button at the corner to request crossing and settled in to wait. Hikari stood next to him as cars slowly passed by. Hachiman wondered if he should say anything to break the silence.

Something brushed against the back of Hachiman's hand, and he jerked slightly. He looked over, and Hikari's hand was hanging there next to his, swaying slightly. Her fingers twitched ever so slightly. Hachiman glanced at her face and saw that she was staring intently at the ground in front of her, a strained little frown upon her lips. What was she...?

Ah.

Hachiman prayed that he wasn't making a mistake. That he wasn't misinterpreting the situation, making something out of nothing. He prayed that he wasn't about to destroy what he had just built up. Was it too early? Did it matter? He didn't know, so he prayed. Hachiman prayed, and made a leap of faith.

Slowly, delicately, Hachiman reached out and slid his hand into hers.

His fingers slid between hers, and he felt her hand grasp his gently. A fervent glance showed a soft smile and bright, satisfied eyes. Hachiman released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

God, her hand was warm. And soft. Softer than anything he'd ever felt. He could feel hardened callouses at the base of her fingers, but if anything, it only felt more hypnotizing. It wasn't just a girl's hand. It was Hikari.

She shifted closer to him, and Hachiman felt her gently lean against him. After a few moments of stillness, the crosswalk light shifted, and they both set off across the street. Hachiman walked alongside her in almost a daze, still not entirely accepting what was happening. She… this must mean that… right…?

Hachiman wasn't sure. That seemed to be a common theme lately. It agitated him.

Hikari quietly hummed some unfamiliar tune as they continued along. Her apartment complex was in sight now, the massive "City Heights" sign lighting up the street below.

Damn it, he was running out of time. He… he had to think. What did all this mean? Hadn't it been too quick, too fast? They had just met a week ago, so was that too soon? But when the only way they would see each other is if they both made the effort to meet, did that change things? Maybe the same logic that he understood about classroom romance meant nothing here. Seeing a girl in your class was a daily occurrence, whether you liked it or not, so those day-to-day interactions were devalued. Here, though, every second they had spent together meant something. They had gone out of their way to be there, to see one another. The texts, the call, this date, all deliberate. It had greater weight than anything he would ever find in a classroom.

But was he misunderstanding? Did this warm, comfortable hand gently grasping his, fingers wound firmly together, mean as much as he thought it did? To him, it meant whatever he made of it. But to her? Did she have the same understanding? Hachiman didn't know! How could he know, damn it! He… he couldn't. There wasn't logic he could use to understand it, in this moment. His greatest weapon would fail him here on this warm summer night.

In short order they reached it and made their way up to Hikari's apartment. Down the outside walkway they went. The lights were dim, some off altogether, but the light of the moon was bright enough to guide them. As they reached the door, Hachiman's nerves reached their crescendo. What should he say? What should he do? What would be worse, taking the wrong action or taking no action at all? He was tired of being so confused, damn it!

"Well," Hikari began as she released his hand and pulled out her key, then unlocked the door. "I'm glad you took me out tonight, I had fun."

"I- "

Hachiman cut off, then forced himself to be honest.

"I did too," he finished softly.

Neither said a word. Hikari stared at him, like she wanted to say something, but wouldn't make the first move. Hachiman was stuck. He wanted to say something. He just wasn't sure what. He opened his mouth, preparing to speak, but stopped. His mouth closed.

After a moment of silence, Hikari's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly, and she gave him a disappointed look. A fake smile forced its way over her face.

He hated it instantly.

"W-well, it looks like this is goodnight, Hachiman." She opened her apartment door. "I'll message you about that fencing class and, uh," her fake smile strained. "Well, I'll see you later, then."

She took a step back, into the doorway. She hesitated for one final moment, her gaze urging him to say something. Do something.

God, he really was pathetic, wasn't he? The one thing he wanted in this moment was standing right there in front of him, practically asking for him to take it. And here he was, frozen! All he had to do was swallow his damn pride, his fears, his doubts, and just…

"Wait, Hikari."

He stepped closer. She looked hopeful.

"I need to say… or ask, rather…"

Another step closer.

"If you want to do this again, like you mentioned, then…"

She stepped out to meet him, putting them nearly chest to chest. A wobbly smile grew on her lips. Better.

"…will you…"

Hachiman breathed in. Out. Back in.

Every last iota of his willpower was burned to look her straight in the eyes.

Now.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Green eyes widened, and a moonlit smile seared itself into his memory. The breath was torn from his lungs as she latched onto him with a hug. His arms wrapped around her instinctually.

"Obviously," she murmured.

Ah. Hachiman let out a long, suffering breath. As he wrapped his arms around her just a little tighter, he had only one thought.

So this is what I've been missing.