HOLY CRAP! THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I HAVE EVER WRITTEN! Over 16,200 words... God, how come my fingers are still intact. Anyway, I apologize for taking so long to update. Things have been seriously went downhill for my mental health and then with what been going on with the pandemic. But not to worry! I'm back in full swing and ready to write fanfics! It feels so good to have people around you, especially in these hard times.

Stay home, and be safe. I just watched the news of people in Michigan protesting over COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Like, I get why they would be mad but seriously? Do they have to go outside and protest? Why don't they voice out their complaints on the internet or something? They just made things worse for them, not better.

Not being political here but still. Lesson learn, don't be stupid.

Anyways, on to the reviews! Some of them at least

faust79: I don't think he will. Boi got a lot on his plate right now.

Mr.N0Name: I'll try to keep things at a moderate pace and yeah, 8man's actions won't be done without consequences.

Afnan-kun: Thank you so much. You take care as well!

Echonic: I understand. I haven't thought much about whether I'd go on the redemption arc or the FUCK YOU arc. I'll think about it along the way.

Galaghiel: Thank you for reading this! I'm very glad that I have improved my writing.

jargax: Thank you for your review. Stay safe as well.

rikusp2002: Hmmm... who knows? You just have to read this chapter and find out!

Chihiro Fujimi: From what I heard, Japanese history is a difficult academic subject. Or was it Japanese literature? I don't know. Sorry about that.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Oregairu series as it is respectfully owned by the author and studios.

"What the hell are you talking about this time?" The policewoman name Miura Yuko asked the bandaged-covered man sitting on a chair typing at his computer. Her face showed bewilderment from his earlier statement. In the police department, she is working at this man is by far the most enigmatic person in this branch. He has odd hobbies and never opened up to other officers until it was deemed necessary for him. She would only see him here, sitting at his computer to type whatever he was typing for. Sometimes, she would see him snooping around other officer's work and cases, reading documents about officers including her from information on working experience to private information such as family background and body measurements and then got punished by others, particularly female officers and the deputy chief who is also female. He did sometimes wear normal clothes but only for meetings and his view of "special occasions" so everyone has adapted to see him covered in bandages except for Miura as she would always complain to him about proper attire and his problem in hygiene as if she is his babysitter.

Despite his strange hobbies and personality, This man is respected by everyone in the department, including the higher-ups. He works as a detective and on rare occasions, acts as captain of this branch. His great achievements involved solving some of the greatest mysteries of Japan and stopped syndicates and drug dealers multiple times throughout his line of work. There was one time when he was asked for international assistance in locating a terrorist leader to which he accomplished it in just mere days. This detective is one of the few people Japan is proud of. However, he still holds secrecy to some of his identity and background that few people suspect him. One of those people is Miura Yuko who is the "closest" to him as she would often come by his office to observe his behavior and discover his schemes.

"My statement...is self-explanatory..." He answered between heavy breaths with his husky voice.

"...I know this is late to ask but why are you talking like that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My voice...unnecessary...for a disgusting person such as-"

"Please talk normally or else I'll have to grab your throat to force it back to normal." She interrupted him while flexing her hands, indicating that she is committed to grabbing his throat for the sake of her sanity. The bandaged-covered detective turned around to stare at her for a few seconds and he complied. He coughed loudly and hummed to check his voice. After a few more coughs, he spoke.

"As I was saying, my statement is self-explanatory." His voice is not husky and instead turned back into a low, manly voice. He's also self-depreciate.

"Are you saying that you sent a criminal that the kid once encountered?" Miura asked with folded arms.

"Yes."

"Instead of a professional detective or even a simple patroller?"

"Yes."

"...WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" She yelled with a vein popped in her head. "DO YOU EVEN HAVE A SINGLE FUCKING CLUE WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO HIM?!"

"Calm yourself, Miura-san," He said nonchalantly and went back to his computer. "I prepared various contingencies if any miscalculations appeared in this event."

"Doesn't change the fact that you're going to put the kid in danger." She complained until she sighed. "Just make sure that he would be alright, Hajime."

"I can assure you, he will be in one piece throughout his mission." He responded. "Also, it's not Hajime, it's Ojin."

"Hah? You changed your name already?! It's only been a week since you renamed yourself!"

"I like my name to fit the theme of this mission." He said while waving his hand indicating his name change is not an important matter to him. Another strange behavior of this man is that he would occasionally change his given name for different reasons whether it was because of being undercover or he was just tired of that name. His previous name before "Hajime" was Johnny until he changed it because he realized it didn't meet his standards. Truly, Detective Ojin is the strangest person of the police department.

"Whatever," The policewoman exit the room as Ojin went back to work. She still wondered what his name change means for his mission. The detective is also known for his ridiculous hints and depressing jokes about himself. He is incredibly hard to read.

Meanwhile, in Kyoto

The night is silent and cold in Kyoto. Some building lights and light posts illuminated the roads for people to see the way easier and yet the darkness remains in certain places and the lights aren't enough to illuminate comfort for those afraid in the dark. Nighttime can be a wonderful time for people to enjoy the stars, take part in nightly events, and embrace the wonders that could only appear at this time. However, the night is also a time of terror and danger. The night is advantageous for scoundrels and criminals to lurk in the dark searching for victims and opportunities to use horrible tactics and schemes. That, along with the lack of people roaming around in the streets are why many are afraid to go out at night while others go out for the thrill.

For Hachiman and Minami, tonight is comforting.

After a serious and pointless conversation of doubts and reassurance of their friendship, the two teenagers are walking back to the inn with a sense of relief. Minami once again walked in front while Hachiman followed a few feet behind her with his back slouched. No words are needed to be exchanged as this is a moment of contemplation and development.

"Friends," Hachiman's inner monologue began. "For now, that's where we are. There are still a lot of uncertainties with this, but I know that she accepted where we stand. Until then, I'm not alone, not anymore. This is where my new path truly begins. As for how far our relationship can go, ... Let's see what happens."

Hachiman nodded to himself in satisfaction of his conclusion. He looked straight at the brown-haired girl's back as he remembered her words earlier. The former loner thought if what she said was true, that they were already friends before they had that argument. It wasn't like he and his former clubmates didn't have serious moments that developed their bonds. In fact, it's because of those moments that the betrayal had more venom than being rejected by his former middle school crush. On this day, his cynicism grew, but he didn't desire to return to his previous loner life. Instead, his desire to change grew.

"Friends, huh?... GODDAMNIT!" Meanwhile, Minami also contemplated on their current relationship, but for her, it's filled with frustration. "It's like nothing changed at all! No, I think something did change but... It feels like I got friendzoned, didn't I?! I was about to confess to him and he rejected me before I could even say the 'L' word! I mean, yeah, I get why he would be skeptical of me and had that stupid discussion but STILLLL! AAAAHHHH! Why does this guy have to be so complicated and dumb and awkward and nice and cute and-"

"Minami? Oi." Our protagonist called out to her and interrupted her thoughts. Both stopped walking, and the girl turned around to look at him while trying her best to hide her frustration. It failed since he noticed that her face is all red as he looked at her warily

"W-what is it?" Minami stuttered.

"Uh... We're here." He pointed in front of them and they see the familiar infrastructure. "You go first. I'll wait here for a few seconds until I get in so no one will suspect anything."

"O-okay." She said while twirling a brand of her hair. "Hey, Hachiman..."

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, I know. What time do you want to-"

"9 am sharp. Let's eat breakfast together before going out."

"Then it's settled."

"Yup. Good night, Hachiman."

"Good night...Minami-san." The moment he said her name with an honorific, she pouted and marched towards him with a fist raised. "Okay, okay. Good night, Minami."

"...Good night." She said as she nodded and ran inside the inn. Minami quickly went upstairs while holding both cheeks and entered her room.

"Ah, welcome back~! Eh, Sagamin?" The voice of the Fire Queen was ignored as the brown-haired girl dove into her futon and covered herself with a blanket. Miura Yumiko and the rest of the female classmates/roommates looked at each other in concern for Sagami since she was out for a puzzling amount of time. The reason she went out of the room earlier was that she felt awkward in here. Kawasaki, her only female friend, is in a different room with other classmates so Sagami felt out of place when Miura and the others entered and conversed themselves without her. Sagami was glad that she isn't roommates with her former clique, but being in here still felt like she was in a room full of strangers. Some roommates, including the Fire Queen, noticed her uneasiness while others are still trying to deduce her problems until they gave up and started gossiping. Before Miura could ask, Sagami left and had been gone for an hour until she finally returned but her behavior turned even stranger.

"Hey, Sagamin," Miura walked towards the blanket-covered girl. Sagami's face is also covered so she couldn't see her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yup," She said in a muffled voice. "I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"You sure? You were out for a while now."

"Ah!" One of the roommates squealed in realization. "You bumped into Hikitani-kun, didn't you~?"

"No, I didn't." The blanket-covered girl said in a muffled voice while squirming on her futon.

"KYAAAAAH~! You did!" The girls screamed except for Miura in response to Sagami's denial

"Hey, what were you guys doing?!"

"Did you two like, snuck out and went on a night date or something?!"

"Or maybe... You locked yourselves in an empty room and... went all the way?! KYAAAAH~!"

"N-no!" Sagami removed her blanket, only showing her blushing face to look at the roommates. "And since when did you girls care?"

"Well..." One of the roommates answered. "It was after Hikitani-kun beat up those guys for you. I saw how those perverts treated you and the day after that, I was just walking in the hallway until I saw those same perverts and then someone just ran to them and beat their faces! He was like 'Stay away from my girl!'"

"Yeah, I doubt that." Sagami wore a deadpanned expression by that.

"KYAAH!" The other roommate shrieked. "I saw it too! That time, I was in the third-year classroom talking with senpai about stuff and then suddenly Hikitani-kun just waltz right in and they started fighting! I didn't believe him at first when he explained his reason, but... He was so manly back then."

"I don't get you girls," Miura said with an annoyed expression. "That creep is violent and literally went like, beast mode around the school. Hayato would've just talk his way to solve that harassment, not beat them into a pulp and get suspended. He has more good points than Hikio."

"Ugh," A roommate grunted in annoyance. "It's not like every boy can be like Hayama, y'know?"

"Yeah," The others agreed. "And besides, Hayama isn't the only hottie in our school. Like that senpai in the swimming club, he was sooo~ hot when he swam."

"Oh! What about that gym teacher?! He's kinda hot. I saw him playing basketball with the third-years and when he's all sweaty... Kyaaaah~!"

"And of course, there's Hikitani-kun. I mean yeah he was sort of a loser and kinda creepy when he smiled, but after he and Sagamin started dating, I looked at him in a new light."

"Yeah, did you see him yesterday when the boys are running around laps while we were at the pool. I saw him wiping his face with his shirt and oh. My. God. I caught a glimpse of his body!"

"Eh!? No way!"

"I saw it too! I didn't know his body is muscular til now and the way it shined because of all that sweat? Just pure manliness."

"At first, I thought those scars were kinda scary. I mean, he might've got that from street fights, right? But after seeing him talking with Sagamin and how mad he was from those perverts, I see those scars as bonus manly points."

"He looks like the bad boy type! Definitely checked all the boxes for me~."

"Heeeeh~?! He's your type?"

As the other girls were speaking out their fantasies and tastes in boys, Sagami and Miura looked at them in shock but for different reasons. In the Fire Queen's case, She thought they were delusional that someone like Hikigaya can be boyfriend material even though he's dating the brown-haired girl lying on the futon. Hikigaya did many awful things to others in order to "solve" the requests such as that time at summer camp and of course, at the Cultural Festival. Not to mention, there were rumors regarding his delinquency. She thought that who in their right mind would have a crush on him? Well, she already knew the answer, but it was a rhetorical question.

In Sagami's case, it's the same, but it is out of jealousy instead of disgust and wonder. On one hand, she was glad that there are more people acknowledging Hikigaya, but she is jealous that he is growing in popularity, especially with high school girls. She didn't expect that one incident was enough to rebuild the hero's reputation nor would he gain fangirls from Sobu High. Sagami did see in social media on Isato and his fanbase. Some of what they posted were just jokes and memes of his vigilantism while others criticized it but there were people online who truly admired his actions. And of course, there are also fangirls in the media but they don't concern the brown-haired girl since they're anonymous and they don't know Isato's Identity. What concerns her now is that her classmates got their eye on Hikigaya, not Isato but HER man.

"H-hmph!" Sagami looked away from the girls and closed her eyes. "Not like they can steal him away from me. I'm the closest girl to him and we've been through some serious stuff. I went to his house, met his sister, got his phone number and chat a lot, and we're going on a date tomorrow! So there!"

"Sagamin~." One of the roommates called her.

"Y-yeah?"

"You and Kawasaki-san are friends right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just that..." The other roommate interjected. "Don't you think that she's been rather close with Hikitani-kun?"

"Well yeah, they're friends, so what?" Sagami is getting confused about where this conversation is heading.

"No, no. I think Kawasaki-san is WAAYY too close to him." The female roommate corrected her while the others nodded in agreement except for Miura who sat on her futon while texting her cellphone. However, the blonde girl is listening to their conversation as she too is interested.

"I... don't know what you're talking about." Sagami pretended to be confused by her roommate's exclamation but she knew better. The brown-haired girl can see the chemistry between Kawasaki and Hikigaya. While Kawasaki can be curt and awkward when talking to someone until she got used to that person; she was a loner; serious at academics; she cared her younger siblings deeply; and she looks like a delinquent with how she dresses her uniform poorly, Hikigaya is also a loner; smart at academics; cared for his younger sister deeply; looks like a delinquent with those dead-fish eyes and scars.

"They're too compatible with each other! What the hell is up with that!" Sagami mentally voiced out her anxiety and it did not go unnoticed by the other girls inside the room.

"You realized it, didn't you?" The same roommate leaned forward to close in on her face.

"Those two aren't that close," Sagami denied her claims. "They don't talk to each other much."

"How would you know? What if they're keeping their relationship from you?"

"Being paranoid over something without proof won't get us anywhere." The brown-haired girl retorted while shaking her head.

"Actually..." One of the roommates intervened. "I saw the two of them together back in summer. I enrolled in a cram school back then and those two are classmates. I didn't know what they were doing together because I was in a different class, but those two were together in that cram school."

"Eh?!" Everyone gasped by that revelation.

"I-I saw them too!" Another roommate confessed. "It was two weeks ago, they were walking together after school."

"No way!" As the girls shrieked in a mixture of surprise and excitement, Sagami is trying her best to process the discussion and tried to deny their claims. However, she did see a sense of closeness between Kawasaki and Hikigaya to a degree every time they interact with each other. He once said that Kawasaki once went to his house with her little sister to study and hung out so that could be a hint in Sagami's mind. Her jealousy grew but quickly subsided as she remembered her conversation with Hikigaya earlier this night.

"Let me tell you this to get things straight, I'm already your friend after you saved me. It doesn't have to take time or a million conversations for us to be one. Sometimes all it takes is just one serious or personal thing between us and if we get each other's deal, we're now friends. Got that?"

From her words and the seriousness of that moment, she knew that despite being only friends, they are beyond what others perceived in the word "friends". Their bonds are much deeper than ordinary friends. She concluded that there is no point in fighting against possible love rivals for the affection of a boy. What's important for her is to help him with whatever conflict Hikigaya will be given from his troubles as a high school loner and as the heroic persona.

"Ugh, I don't get you guys at all," Miura said with a sigh and silence the gossiping roommates. "I'm going to sleep. It's getting late and I don't want the teacher to give me a boring penalty."

"Ah, you're right."

"Then that's it for tonight."

"Good night~!"

Everyone followed the Fire Queen and turned off the lights to fall asleep. Unbeknownst to them and Sagami, Miura has been bothered by Hikigaya whenever he was mentioned in a conversation or even hear his name. His surprising familiarity with her mother brings several speculations in wondering what and who he truly is.

"I'm gonna get some answers from him tomorrow, or else this shivering on my spine will kill me... Even if I have to strangle that creep to get it out of his mouth"

...

Meanwhile, in a certain boy's bedroom.

A strand of hair called "Ahoge", is moving on its own as uneasiness spread into the mind of our protagonist. Hikigaya is playing a card game of Uno with Totsuka and Zaimokusa (the one who suggested to play with them despite being in a different room and even not classmates). The other roommates are also playing different card games aside from Hayama who fell asleep early after playing five rounds with them before passing bedtime. Hikigaya noticed Totsuka staring at him worriedly.

"Is something wrong, Hachiman?" The silver-haired angel asked while Zaimokusa looked at our protagonist with a raised eyebrow.

"No... it's nothing." He answered as he put down a yellow five-card.

"FUHAHAHA! Hachiman, you fool! You have forgotten to say the incantation!" Zaimokusa said in an arrogant tone. What the chuunibyou meant from that statement is that Hikigaya forgot to say "Uno".

"Tch," Hikigaya clicked his tongue as the other two players laughed by his mistake. "My Hikigaya-senses are tingling. Based on how my ahoge moved, it seems I might face something annoying tomorrow."

"Oi! The teacher's coming!" The roommate said as he looked outside of the door.

"Oh, crap! Quick, hide the cards!"

"Hey what about that fat guy over there!" a roommate pointed at Zaimokusa. "He's not our classmate!"

"Whatever man, just hide behind the blanket!"

Next Day, 8:30 am

There is a dining area of the inn for guests to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Sobu High School students have the option to eat outside instead but for our protagonist and his companions, Totsuka and Zaimokusa, they agreed to eat in the dining area by Hikigaya's suggestion. His reason? He is too lazy to walk outside so early in the morning so he would rather stay indoors for a while longer. At least that was what he told them but the two real reasons are that one; Sagami's suggestion and two; he is preparing himself from a troublesome situation that is about to happen. Hikigaya is not superstitious, especially in believing in something as ridiculous as an anime trope. However, his uneasiness tells a different story. So the three male students sat on a five-seat at a round table with.

"Yahallo!" Yuigahama greeted them with Kawasaki walking by her side.

"Good morning, Yuigahama-san, Kawasaki-san." Totsuka is the only one who returned the greeting as Hikigaya and Zaimokusa focused on eating their breakfast.

"Morning." Kawasaki greeted while tapping our protagonist's shoulder.

"Yeah, morning." He greeted back without looking at her as she sat beside him.

"So what's the plan for today?" She asked the group.

"Hmmm... Let's go to a haunted house?" Totsuka suggested with a gleeful smile.

"Eh?! No way!" Yuigahama denied and Kawasaki seemed to agree as she flinched in fear by his suggestion. "Let's go somewhere else before the scary stuff, please?!"

"Hmm... Then let's look at more temples?" He asked.

"Anything's fine." Kawasaki answered in an indifferent tone while trying her best to hide her fear from the haunted house. She isn't good at dealing with horror as evident by how her hands were shaking just by the thought of what the haunted house has in store for the poor customers/victims.

"Then, let's think of somewhere to go on the way out!" Yuigahama exclaimed and they all nodded in agreement apart from Hikigaya. He completely forgot that the second day is for groups and on the third day is when everyone can roam around Kyoto freely with whoever they want to be with. He either has to tell his group that he and Sagami are about to go on a "date" or tell Sagami they have to reschedule for tomorrow. He concluded that the latter is much more reasonable as it would get the two of them in trouble if the two tried to sneak out. The probability of encountering a classmate or even a schoolmate and get reported is moderate to high.

"Good Morning!" A familiar female voice greeted them.

"Speak of the devil." He said inside his mind as the group turned to look at Sagami approaching them.

"It appears the will of the gods are calling me," Zaimokusa stood up. "Til we meet again, my fellow comrades."

"Ah, see ya later, Chuuni-chan!" Yuigahama said while waving at him. He clutched his chest as if something hit him. Unknown to him, she was just doing it out of courtesy.

"See you later, Zaimokusa-kun." Totsuka did the same but with actual warmth. Zaimokuza flinched once more while stepping backward.

"F-farewell..." He stuttered as he walked away while Minami sat down at his chair, particularly next to Hachiman.

"Good morning," She greeted him.

"Morning," He answered. While the others are chatting to each other, he leaned closer to her so he can whisper without letting them hear their conversation.

"About our promise last night..."

"Oh, yeah...Hey everyone!" She suddenly called out to the group and Hachiman's eyes widened. "Hachiman and I are going on a date so can you guys cover for us?"

"Eh?" Totsuka tilted his head in confusion. "Why don't you just extend it to tomorrow?"

"Eeeehhh~?" Minami pouted. "We just wanna like, make as many memories as we can soooo~"

"You have lots of time tomorrow," Kawasaki denied her request. "Just put some more effort into your date."

"It's better to have more time to spend with my boyfriend." Minami argued with a hint of jealousy, unnoticed by everyone. Her roommates' speculation last night still bothered her.

"Don't blame us if you got caught." Kawasaki retorted and both ladies are glaring at each other. Meanwhile, Hachiman is analyzing the silvery blue-haired girl's behavior. He knew that she is carefree to most things that don't involve her family or her studies as if nothing in high school life interests her.

"Well, she did interact with other classmates during the festivals so maybe it's more of a development?" He deduced, but he got a feeling that he missed something from that or he made the wrong deduction to her behavior.

"I was about to talk to you about this," Hachiman intervened in the stare-down as the group looked at him. "Sagami-"

"Minami." The brown-haired girl corrected her.

"...Minami, let's move our date to tomorrow." He suggested as he played the boyfriend act. He still assumed that there is no way to deny the rumor as he noticed some of the students are listening to their conversation. He also concluded that confirming the rumor instead of denying it will stop the harassment to Minami in a higher percent. "I don't want us to get in trouble and even if they cover for us, will the others do the same?"

"Oh... okay" Minami agreed in a disappointed tone while Kawasaki crossed her arms in triumph, puzzling our protagonist even more. Yuigahama is just silent throughout the whole scene as she felt out-of-place so she took her cellphone and fiddled with it.

"So... Where are we going first?" He asked

"Hihihihihi!"

A burst of creepy laughter echoed in the dark and eerie hallways. Only small blue lights are illuminating the entire area yet it's not enough to calm the minds of some guests. The designs on the walls are old, and there is blood covering some parts of it along with the wooden floor. The wood sliding doors are closed yet emanates an aura that they will be opened as something or someone will come out and pounce on the poor victims.

"W-what's that creepy laughter?!" One of the victims is Kawasaki who is holding our protagonist's blazer tightly from behind as fear permeated through her body and mind.

"I can't handle this stuff..." Another of the victims is Yuigahama who is grabbing Totsuka's right arm.

"W-who's idea was it to get in this haunted house, anyway?" And of course, there is Minami who is also holding Hachiman's arm since the moment they entered this haunted house. An emotion of fear is taking over her mind but also jealousy as she stared at the silvery blue-haired girl holding his blazer and being too close to him.

"What's so scary about ghosts in haunted houses?" Hachiman said indifferently. "Human beings are far scarier."

"You and your-, well at least that calms me down," Minami said with a sigh of relief. "You kinda like a knight to me."

"What I'm saying is that I'm terrified of haunted houses where people do the scaring."

"Hah?! What kind of boyfriend who's more scared than the girl?"

"The kind who is a human being like the girl and also feel fear." He retorted as he looked at Totsuka who still has his usual bright smile and doesn't look afraid of the haunted house. "You... seem just fine, Totsuka."

"Yeah, I actually love this stuff" Totsuka answered. Hachiman then looked at Yuigahama, who closed her eyes throughout the whole walk in the creepy hallways. He felt a familiar emotion when he saw her face. Before. he always felt indifferent to his former clubmates even after being kicked out. However, something is surging within our protagonist. It is familiar to him but he couldn't distinguish it. It is a mix of anger and satisfaction.

"Could this be...?" Before he could figure it out, a zombie appeared to the right side and screamed. Only Yuigahama and Minami screamed in terror as they held their own male partners' arms. Totsuka felt excited and Hachiman just widened his eyes in fear but didn't scream nor even opened his mouth as he gritted his teeth. Kawasaki's eyes looked hollow as she slowly walked away from the zombie and steadily in front of the group to make a run for it. But before she could even prepare her form, someone grabbed her right arm from behind.

"HIIIII!" She shrieked and looked behind her to see Minami with a deadpanned expression.

"Where are you going?" The brown-haired girl asked.

"J-just felt like running..." Kawasaki stuttered.

"And leave us behind? Never thought you can be this cruel," Minami then formed a sinister grin on her face. "Let's enjoy this haunted house, together~. Niiiicee~ and slooooww~."

"N-no..."

"Yes."

"NO! LET ME GO YOU-!" Kawasaki tried to shake her off, however, Minami relented and didn't let go. Minami pushed her to make Kawasaki walk forward with a satisfied grin. Minami doesn't have the strength to hold someone like Kawasaki, but she is strong enough to slow her down and not run away in the hallway. As they wobbled forward, Hachiman and the rest just stared at them with different expressions. Hachiman's are a mix of pity and deadpan while the other two is only pity.

"S-should we stop them?" Yuigahama asked.

"Nah, let's just get this over with and think of someplace to go." Hikigaya answered deadpanned and walked forward while slouching. The two companions behind stared at his back before following him.

"HYAAAAAAA!" The screams of the two girls echoed in the haunted house as they all encountered horrific things such as ghosts, fake blood dripping on the ceiling, and other cheap scares that terrified the poor victims. Kawasaki and Sagami forgot their fight and just walked together while holding each other's arms from whatever scare this establishment will bring. Hikigaya walked in front of Totsuka and Yuigahama only a few feet apart. Apparently Hikigaya got scared a little which is why he slowed his pace for the two groupmates to catch up so he wouldn't be alone.

After a series of scares and misfortunes, the entire group got out of the nightmarish establishment that is the haunted house. The first to exit is Kawasaki and Sagami, both are crying from the scares and torture inside. The second is Hikigaya who looked calm and stoic as always when in reality, he was scared throughout the event. Last but not the least, Totsuka and Yuigahama with the silver-haired angel still maintained his usual smile while the girl looked tired as she slumped forward.

"Finally," She mumbled with a sigh of relief. "It's over."

"You guys look like you enjoyed yourself," A familiar male voice said to them as he stood up from a bench. "Let's get going, then?"

"Ah, wait up Hayato!" A blonde girl clung to the blonde boy's arm. A couple of hours ago, back in the dining area, Yuigahama suggested that they should group with Hayama's group because the trip will be more enjoyable if they're with more people. While the rest didn't see a problem with that including Sagami despite her awkwardness toward Hayama, Hikigaya was suspicious by the orange-haired girl.

"Ebina! Let's go!" Miura called out to the glasses-wearing fujoshi who is in a store buying a Kimono with Tobe swinging a wooden sword.

"I wonder if the haunted house helped..." Yuigahama mumbled, but it reached our protagonist's ears and her words confirmed his suspicions.

"So that's it," He thought. "Tobe made a request to the Service Club about getting together with Ebina so the club planned to use this trip to get them closer. However, Hayama seemed to object to that idea from the way he gave me a clue yesterday. I guess he didn't find a way to reject his best friend's request so he thought Yukinoshita might reject the idea by refusing said request but ultimately failed. If Tobe does something stupid like confessing to her, which he will, the clique will fall apart."

"Wasn't that fun, Hachiman?" Totsuka said to the group with excitement and satisfaction. Only Hikigaya responded with a nod as Kawasaki and Sagami is still crying while Yuigahama still stared at Ebina and Tobe.

"Where's Ooka and Yamato?" Tobe asked Hayama.

"They went ahead of us," He answered as he pointed at a path. "Said they want to see something cool over there."

"Then let's go!" Tobe enthusiastically ran to the direction his friend pointed while the others followed him by walking. They've been to a few places now and it always feel like they haven't seen enough of Kyoto which is a relief for Sagami as her date with Hikigaya is still open for more options. Whether it'll be more temples or a simple market and restaurant, as long as she has a chance, it's fine with her. Hikigaya is still thinking about Hayama and his clique but not out of worry but irritation. What Hayama did yesterday was a sign for help from our protagonist's perspective, so he decided to ignore the blonde classmate's problem since he's not involved in the club anymore.

"And if he asked me directly, I will humbly refuse." Hikigaya said in his mind as he walked forward. The next place they went to is the Ryoan-Ji Temple, the site of Japan's most famous rock garden known as "The Garden With Tiger Cubs Crossing". The group is now nearing the entrance and saw several of their schoolmates outside and inside of the temple with some are familiar classmates and friends. While they approached the entrance, Minami lightly punched Hachiman's arm with a pout.

"What's that for?" He asked.

"For being a scaredy-cat." She answered with a cute, angry tone.

"Says the girl who was screaming like no tomorrow."

"It WAS scary! How come you're afraid when you've been through something worse?"

"No matter what, humans will always be terrifying creatures that can do anything to scare others."

"Quit with your old loner attitude, will you? So? How are you gonna pay back all of your minus boyfriend points?"

"Oi, since when was boyfriend points established in our relationship?"

"I got permission from your little sister."

"How come I've never heard of this?"

"We've been texting in secret. You should put a password on your phone so Komachi wouldn't snoop around your contact list."

"Note to self: Insert password and install tight security on my cellphone." He thought as he grunted in annoyance to his sister's meddling.

"So?" Minami asked with hands on her waist. "You have a way of getting back all the lost boyfriend points?"

"No," He answered without hesitation while the two are walking in front of the garden and both sat down on a wooden floor. "I only care for my Onii-chan points."

"Some boyfriend you are. I wonder how long you can keep me?"

"Very long since I can get those points back whenever I want."

"Heeeh~? You think that's easy? Well, then-"

While the "couple" is arguing, they didn't notice other female students sitting beside them as they watched their display of affection. These female students are in Class 2-J, an international education curriculum that comprises approximately 90% female students. The aim of this class is to nurture the academically gifted students capable of fulfilling an active role at the international level. Some of these students either have experience in overseas or have aspirations to travel overseas, or they come from a wealthy. well-connected families that have influential positions in society. One of the female students in Class 2-J is Yukinoshita Yukino, who is sitting a few feet beside the "couple" glaring at them for their distracting and annoying PDA. However, she saw a silver-lining for encountering them.

"If these two are here," Yukinoshita pondered and stood up, not interrupting the "couple" nor being noticed. "Then that means Yuigahama-san is here. We can discuss the progression of Tobe's request."

"Yukinon!" Just as she was about to sneak out of the temple to not gain the "couple"'s attention, Yuigahama unnecessarily shouted and gained almost everyone's attention including Hachiman and Minami.

"Yukinoshita-san?" The brown-haired girl mumbled as she turned to look at the Ice Queen's back. Hachiman just closed his eyes and kept his head low to avoid being involved in a scene. Yukinoshita only stood there before taking a deep sigh and smiled at the orange-haired girl.

"Hello, Yuigahama-san. Shall we go over there for a private discussion?"

"Okay!" Yuigahama complied and followed Yukinoshita to the hallways, passing by Hayama and the rest of his clique.

"So, how are we doing with the request?" Yukinoshita wasted no time to ask the main question.

"Ah, let me call Iroha-chan first!" Yuigahama pulled out her cellphone and dialed a number. After a few rings, someone answered and a girl's cute voice was heard on the phone.

"Yahallo! Yui-senpai!" Isshiki called.

"Yahallo! Iroha-chan! We need to talk about Tobecchi's request. Do you have time?"

"Yeah! It's good that it's break time here." After Isshiki's answer, Yuigahama put the call on speaker for the three of them to discuss as clubmates.

"So back to my first question, how are we doing with the request?" Yukinoshita repeated.

"It's not as easy as we thought." Yuigahama answered.

"Hmmm~, well let's still take it slow or else Ebina-senpai might feel turned off," Isshiki explained. "Let's make them feel naturally close."

"Fair point," Yukinoshita agreed and pulled out a folded paper. "I don't know if this makes up for not assisting you, Yuigahama-san, but I came up with some ideas myself."

"Ah, It's no biggie, Yukinon!" The orange-haired girl reassured her friend as she grabbed the paper. "So, what's this?"

"Famous spots in Kyoto."

"That's more than enough! Thanks!"

"In fact, I should be the one to apologize, Yukinon-senpai. I'm not there when you need me..."

"It's fine, Isshiki-san. We should discuss more tactics while we're at it."

Nighttime 7:00 PM

The sign lit a glowing yellow with the word "LAWSOON" that is visible to people in the dark. The Lawsoon store is open for 24 hours like any other convenience store so any Kyoto citizen in this area who likes strolling at night can stop by here to buy, take a break from the dark, or read magazines. Our protagonist entered to find any interesting magazines or shounen mangas to kill time. As he walked towards the magazine shelf, someone called out to him.

"Well, if it ain't Hikio." He heard a female voice in his right and he turned around to see Miura Yumiko wearing a purple jacket and a pair of black pants. Hikigaya grabbed a magazine open without looking and just stared at the Fire Queen warily.

"She knew I am sort of associated with that policewoman which I didn't know she was her mother until yesterday," He contemplated. "I'm sure her first question will be-"

"What's your relationship with my mom?"

"That one..." He internally sighed the moment she asked that question. It was obvious for him that Miura would ask that eventually and luckily for our protagonist, he is mentally prepared for any possible scenario for this moment.

"Didn't she already told you?" At last, he spoke with calmness in his voice. "I got into an accident and she helped me get into a hospital. After that, we bump into each other a lot which incredibly disturbed me."

"Hmmm~?" Miura is suspicious of that reasoning. It is the same as what her mother told her but she felt some deceit behind the explanation. Hikigaya was glad that he heard their conversation in the ride to the station so he can make up more excuses for every question the Fire Queen is about to ask.

"I'm telling you this once," She spoke. "Stay away from mom."

"That depends on her," He answered with the same calmness. "It's not like I want to see her. She just suddenly appeared out of nowhere when I was just taking a stroll."

"Hmph, like hell I believe that crap."

"Whether you believe it or not, it's the truth."

"Really? Or maybe you got arrested for doing something?"

"Pfft, I may be against the structure of society but I won't stoop so low as to commit any crimes or forms of delinquency."

"What's with that? Gross. And do you think anyone's gonna believe that when you look like that?"

"Mundane accidents and got into a fight with my sister. Is there anything else you want to ask at the cost of my privacy?"

"As if I want to know your private info, you creep. God, you're disgusting."

"Whatever," He closed the magazine and put it back on the shelf. "I already said what needed to be said."

"Oi," Miura caught his arm before he can escape. "You think I'd let you get away?"

"I'd rather if you don't hold my arm so tightly. Your strength doesn't fit a lady such as you."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere." The two had a stare-down waiting for the other to falter. Hikigaya's stare is pure calmness with a mixture of indifference to this situation but on the inside, he is very desperate for this to end with no further problems or at least with the most minimal problems. Miura's stare is filled with fire and venom, fit for the Fire Queen of Sobu High School as her determination is strong to find the truth from our protagonist. Thirty seconds passed yet none faltered. Both heard steps walking closer to them and Hikigaya see a tall man behind Miura. He is wearing a black jacket that covered his face with a hoodie and a pair of jeans. Hikigaya can see his face and his memory finally clicked.

"This guy is-!" Our protagonist's face is now filled with dread and rage. Miura is confused by his sudden expression so she turned around to look at where he was looking and saw the tall, hooded man behind her. Before she could even yell in surprise, Hikigaya pulled her arm closer to him and moved in front of her.

"Aren't you-?" The tall man spoke.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Hikigaya's angry voice surprised both the tall man and the Fire Queen.

"It's okay," The tall man tried to reassure. "I don't want to hurt you nor anyone... Not anymore."

"H-Hikio?" Miura stuttered in fear but Hikigaya didn't answer as he only stared at him in his basic fighting stance. Our protagonist is worried if he can win the fight against this enemy he is fond of. Height is an advantage in a fight along with other physiques. He wished that he could learn how to counter against tall enemies but now that this situation occurs now, he had to improvise.

"I should go. Sorry for scaring you two." The tall man bowed in apology and went outside of the store. The two teenagers didn't avert their gaze from the entrance. After a few seconds, Miura finally spoke.

"W-who was that?"

"...One of the guys who tried to rape Mi-, Isane."

"What?! Shouldn't he be in jail?"

"Yeah, even if he turned himself in, a half-month in prison is not enough of a penalty from an attempted rape."

"Then..." Miura hesitated to speak as to not bring any mindless speculation to prevent fear from running through her veins. Meanwhile, Hikigaya already came up with a theory from the tall man's sudden appearance.

"Could it be that this mystery person is responsible? For him to have that authority to free prisoners is..." He shook his head before finishing his inner monologue as he noticed that there is a more concerning matter right next to him. "For now, Let's get back to the inn, okay?"

"Eh?" Miura looked at him and saw his eyes turned back to normal. The same eyes that she saw yesterday. In contrast to his usual stoic and dead-fish eyes, she can see that they are now filled with determination and focus on someone that matters to him. To her, it's like a different person appeared to protect her.

"He's pretty handsome, isn't he?"

The words of her mother echoed in her mind but shook that thought away. Miura turned her head away from our protagonist to hide her blush. She tried to remind herself that the only boy she's in love with is the blonde prince, Hayama while closing her eyes remembering all the sweet things he did to others and to her. Hikigaya raised an eyebrow from her expression as he felt concerned.

"Oi, you okay?"

"Ah- yeah... I'm fine." Miura fiddled a strand of her blonde hair as she said that.

"...Let's go?" He reached out a hand. "Or are you buying something important here? I can wait."

"N-no, let's get out of here." She took his hand out of instinct as they made their way out of the store. The night is silent and cold in Kyoto, but instead of the comfort Hikigaya felt last night, this one is more awkward but very serious. While they walk, he looks left and right to see if there is anyone suspicious as he firmly holds the Fire Queen's hand.

"Sorry about this." Hikigaya apologized.

"Why?" She asked in confusion.

"You're creeped out by me holding your hand, right?"

"I would be... but not at this moment."

As for Miura, she is only following Hikigaya from behind as she felt his strong yet gentle hand that is filled with scars. Each passing minute, her initial view of our protagonist slowly diminish. Whether her view of him is better or worse, it is unknown to her. However, she felt like she could rely on him for situations such as this. It made Miura confused why her friend would expel him from the club and-.

"Miura, we're almost there." Hikigaya pointed at the building. "You go first while I stay here for a few seconds and get inside."

"Huh? Why?"

"So no one would assume that we're doing something indecent at night. I don't want to have another pointless rumor flying around. I have my plate full."

"I'll just explain to them what happened."

"No. Even if you tell them the truth, they will gossip one way or another. Besides, at what chances do you think they will believe what you said?"

"...Fair enough," She sighs. "Wait you haven't told me the truth about you and mom."

"I already told you the truth."

"Tch, you annoying crap. I swear I'll get it out of that mouth."

"Why me? Just ask your mother."

"She'll just play with me till I get tired of asking."

"Like mother, like daughter..."

"What?!" Her grip on his hand hardened

"Nothing. Anyway, now is not the time to talk. Just get going already."

"Hmph!... thanks for escorting me." She let go of his hand and ran into the inn leaving Hikigaya alone outside at night. He contemplated if he should find the tall man and face him but he decided against it as he doesn't have any leads and nighttime could be more dangerous than he initially thought in this region. He concluded that he needs to be cautious against what is about to come and protect Sagami at all costs if she's the tall man's target.

"My normal school life is turning into a crime fic." He sighed from that thought. "Life is a cruel mistress."

Next Day.

"Yukinon, are you okay?" Yuigahama asked in concern for her friend.

"I-I'm fine." Yukinoshita reassured her between heavy breaths. She was tired from climbing the stairs to the temples and getting through the crowds despite her athletics and physique. She held her can of refreshments firmly while sitting on a bench. She sighed but not from exhaustion but from frustration by the progress of Tobe's request. So far, Their tactics didn't work even if Tobe and Ebina interacted, it didn't feel romantic in the two girls' point of view. They decided to take a break and discuss this matter as Yuigahama's cellphone rang and looked at the screen to see who it was.

"It's Iroha-chan!" She answered the call and put on speaker mode. "Yahallo!"

"Yahallo, Yui-senpai! How was the request?"

"There's progress... I think." Yuigahama said with doubt on her voice.

"It's not going well, isn't it?" Isshiki asked in a deadpan tone.

"No, it is not," Yukinoshita answered. "But we have to keep making progress."

"Do you think we should tell Tobecchi to call off the confession?"

"Maybe not. Tobe-senpai and Ebina-senpai have known each other since first semester, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then I say we keep it going! Surely they've been close already and you guys see them acting unromantic because that's their thing... or something."

"Hmm..." Yukinoshita held her chin as she contemplated her junior's words. "Perhaps, you are right. And if the confession fails, then there is nothing we can do."

"You sure?" Yuigahama has still doubts about this. She felt that there could be horrible consequences that will affect her friends, particularly her clique. The orange-haired girl thought that they should call off the request but it could be disrespectful to Tobe's determination to see this through. If all fails, then she will embrace the outcomes. However, she wants to use every opportunity she had left to stop this before it could get worse so filling their clubmates with doubt is worth a try.

"We can't stop now!" Isshiki answered.

"She is right, Yuigahama-san," Yukinoshita followed suit. "Let's look around for more tourist spots for the confession event while taking a break."

"If you say so." The two girls stood up and walked around the streets and bought food such as croquette and bread. Isshiki is still in the call conversing with them about mundane topics and the enjoyment Yuigahama and Yukinoshita are having so far in Kyoto. Days after they expelled Hikigaya, the two girls (or at least Yuigahama) were worried how they will recruit a new member of the Service Club. They asked Hiratsuka for help but she can only promote their club only with posters and talk with students as a guidance counselor and mention the club to them. But one day, Isshiki Iroha suddenly barged in their clubroom with a letter of approval from Hiratsuka, begging them to join.

It was like a miracle to them. (at least to Yuigahama)

Isshiki helped with the advertising of their club since she has enough social skills to convince other students, especially the 2nd and third years. Thanks to her, the Service Club received more requests than ever and they solved all of them like it was nothing. Yukinoshita Yukino with her intelligence; Yuigahama Yui with her friendly attitude; and Isshiki with her social skills and knowledge on trends and issues regarding the young generation and her latent abilities. With those combine, they're an unstoppable trio (at least that's how Yukinoshita felt).

"Eh?! That seriously happened?!"

"Yeah! Yeah! It's like, right at my face! You should've seen it too, Yukinon!"

"I... rather not."

"Does Yukinon-senpai not like haunted houses?"

"I-it's not a matter of preference, but seeing the benefits of going to a haunted house. From my perspective, there are several more negatives than positives. Your heartbeat will increase due to the emotion of fear which is very unhealthy considering your heartbeat increased not because of proper exercise but on unnecessary anxiety and- " Yukinoshita kept on explaining to her two clubmates why she couldn't go to a haunted house but Yuigahama and Isshiki can already tell that the Ice Queen is too afraid to face the horror genre.

"Hehehe~" Isshiki giggled on the phone. "You should check the haunted house next!"

"I refuse," Yukinoshita replied without hesitation. "I told you, the benefits-"

"Benefits, shmenefits. It's not like it'll kill you, senpai~."

"I humbly refuse."

"I'll come with you!" Yuigahama said with excitement. "I entered there once so I won't be as scared as before so lean on me!"

"Not you, too." Yukinoshita held her forehead and sighed. Before she could retort, a shout from a lady is heard from the other side of the road.

"Someone, please! He snatched my purse!"

The two girls along with some bystanders looked at where she pointed and saw a man with an unshaved beard running away from a police officer. Just as the police officer could close in, another man appeared from an alley and pushed the officer away and followed the snatcher. It seems they are associated with one another as the man held a purse and a golden watch.

"HAHAHAH! That's what you get!"

"Can't catch us now, can y-" Before the unshaved snatcher could finish his sentence. He was met with a fist right at his face and fell back to the ground. While he was grunting in pain on the ground, his accomplice saw two high school students: a boy with a scar on his right cheek and a girl with short, brown hair behind him. Before the accomplice could stop, the male student did a thrust kick at his stomach and made him tumble backward.

"Gah!"

"Stay back, Minami." Hikigaya stood in a basic fighting stance as the unshaved snatcher went back on his feet and pulled out a pocketknife.

"Bastard!" As the snatcher went for a thrust, Hikigaya suddenly remembered the rich delinquent's technique back at the sushi restaurant. From the way he maneuvered against his fist to the painful feeling from experiencing it, our protagonist understood the delinquent's movements and ready himself. Hikigaya caught the snatcher's wrist that he used for a thrust attack, then grabbed his collar of his shirt and did a judo throw in quick succession. He pummeled the criminal into the ground in his back and was immobilized but the fight is not over.

"What in the hell..." The accomplice slouched on his feet and stared at Hikigaya with an angry expression. He picked up the snatcher's pocket knife and charged at the student. Our protagonist dodged each swing and thrust and deflected few of the swings by moving the criminal's wrist where he held the knife. After ducking under a thrust attack, the student swung his right elbow to his gut, hit his throat with a karate chop with the same arm and ended the fight with a left front kick in the face.

"I have enough of knives and sharp things," Hikigaya said between breaths. "Glad that I watched a video on countering opponents wielding weapons."

"Hachiman, are you okay?" Minami clung on to his arm.

"I'm fine." He reassured her and looked towards the lumping police officer approaching them.

"Woah, that was crazy, kid!" The officer praised him. "Thanks for the help. Bastard pushed me hard and landed my head into a pole."

"Are you alright, officer?"

"I'm was dangerous what you did but still pretty cool." The officer gave him a thumbs up and handcuffed the two snatchers. "I'll send these two to the police station and return what they stole. You enjoy your date now. There's an unusual amount of criminal activity here recently, so be careful."

"It's not a date," Hikigaya denied his claim. "We're just doing important business."

"Just the two of you?"

"... Yes."

"Sounds like a date to me!" The officer grinned at them before leaving while dragging the two criminals. "See ya, kid!"

"Hachiman," Minami pinched Hachiman's side while still clinging to his arm. "What do you mean by business?"

"We're trying to get back my lost boyfriend points, right? That means we're working, so this is classified as an important business."

"That doesn't sound like a date at all..."

"Because it isn't. I'm just making up for that night we had."

"Don't say things that make horrible misunderstandings, you idiot!" The two walked away from the scene as if nothing happened. They were on a "date" as an apology for the worthless discussion that night. It was pure coincidence that they encountered the criminals and Hikigaya dealt with them like the secret hero he is. Unbeknownst to them, the bystanders watched the whole scene with a mix of shock and amazement to his movements. The "couple" completely ignored everyone as usual, not noticing that the two Service Club members saw the whole scene. Yuigahama almost dropped her phone as she looked at the retreating form of the "couple". Yukinoshita just stared particularly at Hikigaya with widened eyes as she tried to process the reality of this incident. Isshiki is trying to call out to them on the phone until the orange-haired girl mumbled.

"Hikki..."

"Hikki?" Isshiki heard the girl's whisper on the phone. She contemplated on who that nickname is from until she remembered. Hikigaya Hachiman, the loner student that hurt a girl, and the hero secretly known as "Isato". To Isshiki, he is a brave man who shouldn't be risking himself to save strangers. Someone like Hayama is more fit to play the hero role yet it's the most unexpected person who did the job instead. This piqued the cute junior's curiosity. She wants to know his mindset that led him to make such a dangerous decision. A man who is nothing did the most out of everything.

"Um, heeeelllloooo~!?" Isshiki called out to the two clubmates on the phone once more and finally received their attention.

"Ah sorry, Iroha-chan!" Yuigahama is the first to respond. "Something just happened and-"

"Shall we go?" Yukinoshita suddenly walked forward. Her orange-haired friend can't see her expression and just follow in worry.

"Eh? Ah, wait for me!"

"This is nerve-wracking." Hachiman contemplated the events of the Kyoto trip so far. "Ever since last night, all I've been thinking about is what that policewoman said two days ago, no matter what I do to get my mind off of it. So much for distracting myself..."

"Is something wrong, Hachiman?" Minami asked him. "You've been spacing out a lot."

"Yeah, you're still clinging to my arm." He answered without hesitation.

"Ah," She let go and averted her gaze from him. "S-sorry. So where do you want to go next?"

"Chojiro."

"That sushi restaurant? You keep bringing it up."

"You're the one who introduced me to it so my curiosity piqued. Plus, it's lunchtime, so it's perfect."

"Well then, let's hope that it's as awesome as they said on the internet reviews!" She grinned. They've been walking for a minute until they reached their destination and went inside. Chojiro is a sushi joint known for its perfect blend of 21st-century technology with the ancient art of sushi making. IPads are available at every seat with details about every single roll of sushi available and photos of every dish. Customers can easily learn about how the rolls are made and order with a few taps of their fingers. The ingredients are extremely fresh and affordable at the same time. Almost everything they've read about this joint is present the moment they entered inside.

"Wow, there's literally an iPad on each table." Minami said in awe.

"Where should we sit?" Hachiman asked.

"Near the window." She pointed at an empty four-seater near the window and he complied because he can't find any seat for two and the seats at the conveyer belt are full. A few feet into the seat however, Hachiman noticed two people sitting in another four-seat table beside the same window. A man and a woman sitting across from each other. The man has a shaved head with black eyes while the woman has hazelnut hair tied into a ponytail and brown eyes. Hachiman froze as he recognized these two perfectly and their surnames reminded him of his dreadful childhood. The man looked up from the iPad and his eyes widened as he saw our protagonist.

"Oh, Hikigaya? Is that you and your girlfriend?!" He said with a huge grin while waving at the "couple". The woman turned around and surprise is evident in her expression.

"Isehara-san..." Hachiman mumbled.

"Hachiman, do you know them?" Minami asked while looking at him in wonder.

"They're the owners of that sushi restaurant," He explained. "You know, where we first talked after... that."

"Oh...OH! then that means," She leaned closer to him to whisper. "They're that couple you saved from that rich scumbag?"

"Yeah."

"Don't just stand there, you two!" Isehara Yusuke said to them. "Join us! We were actually talking about you two."

"What do you think?" The hero asked Minami.

"It's fine," She answered enthusiastically with a smile. "from the looks of it, you met a lot of cool people so I want to know them."

"If you say so." They complied with Yusuke's request and sat at their table. Mihara moved to her husband's side while Minami and Hachiman sat next to each other. They all look at the iPad and watched videos of how this restaurant made the sushi before deciding on an order. All of them are amazed by how advanced the service here. Hachiman deduced that this is the Iseharas' first time eating in this restaurant. Each video presented various sushi with chefs using different techniques traditionally and technologically, which made the four have a difficult time deciding on their orders. After five videos, Yusuke tapped the screen to order what they've chosen and with one last tap, their orders are sent to the kitchen.

"Never thought I'd see you here, kid!" Yusuke spoke. "By the uniform, are you guys on a school trip?"

"Yes," Hachiman answered. "This is our third day here so we'll be leaving tomorrow."

"What a coincidence," Mihara said with her hands clasped together. "Today is also our last day before going home tomorrow. Would you like to come to our restaurant once we go back to Chiba? It'll be our treat."

"Really?!" Minami asked in excitement. "We don't want to be rude but..."

"It's fine! It's fine!" Yusuke waved it off. "Consider this as thank you to Hikigaya for helping us back there. How was your arm, by the way? I remember that blade sank deep in your sorry flesh."

"What?!" Minami gasped in shock and stared at the hero with a worried expression.

"I'm fine," Hachiman reassured her. "My arm is healing well. Probably by tomorrow, I can remove the bandage as long as I'm not doing anything reckless with it."

"That's good to hear," Mihara sighed in relief. "So how are you two enjoying Kyoto so far?"

"Ah, it's been fun!" Minami answered. "We did lots of stuff like going to a haunted house, checking our fortunes and taking lots of pictures."

"Hahahaha! That's good. That's how young romance should go." Yusuke laughed in joy.

"You sound like an old man, darling." Mihara teased.

"Pfft, I'm not that old yet."

"I didn't expect that you two would go here on your vacation trip," Hachiman said. "If you don't mind me asking, why Kyoto?"

"Why Kyoto?" Yusuke repeated. "Because this is Kyoto. A place where Japan's tradition and modernity shine brightest. Also cool nature. My relatives kept on blabbering about it but hey, I'm not complaining. I just love it here so much even I kept on blabbering about it to my wife."

"He's not kidding," Mihara sighed. "Every time we talked about going on vacation, Kyoto is the first thing that came out of his mouth. Now that we're here, we can finally go someplace else before he decides to go back here again."

"You really can't blame him, Isehara-san," Minami said while waving it off. "Kyoto is just so awesome!"

"Ah, call me Mihara-chan, and I haven't got your name yet."

"Ah yes! My name is Sagami Minami, nice to meet you!"

"Minami-chan then!"

The four have a lengthy conversation about Kyoto and other mundane topics even after they've received their orders. At first, Hachiman felt awkward just by being in the Iseharas' proximity but it was slowly replaced with a sense of relief and normality as he talks to them without being nervous nor in pain. Well, he's only answering their questions with short replies and sometimes argued with Minami with awkward sarcasm but that is HIS normality in a conversation and it amuses the Iseharas. It felt strange to our protagonist as their representation of his childhood slowly diminished in his mind. The day after he helped them at that incident, he swore to never visit that place ever again, but now; he wants to go there as soon as possible.

"So you came here to observe them as a rival?" Hachiman asked while taking sushi into his mouth.

"Not my idea," Yusuke raised his hands while chewing food. "Mihara is a lot more competitive than you think."

"Isn't it strategic to observe your opponents," Mihara said after drinking a glass of water. "It's for our business, darling. Even the slightest chance, we have to take it to improve the restaurant."

"Wow, that's so cool, Mihara-san." Minami said with glee. After thirty minutes of conversation, they finished their plates and went outside. The Iseharas' are about to go to a place different from the "couple" but Minami asked if they could join which Yusuke declined first saying that they don't want to get in the way of their date. Minami blushed at that and both teenagers bowed farewell. However, before they go to their separate ways, someone stopped them

"Hikigaya-kun," Mihara calls out to him with her hand clutching her chest. "Can I talk to you alone? Just for a minute?"

"I... guess?" Hachiman hesitated until he followed Mihara. He wondered what she wanted to talk about in private. Is it the incident? Does she know about his childhood? Or is she part of the mystery person's game. All possibilities are plausible, even the least probable ones. He doesn't have enough information, so that increased his paranoia further. As they reached a certain area where the other two can't hear them, Hachiman and Mihara just stood there with the woman only showed her back and didn't turn around to face our protagonist. He waited patiently for her to speak but as each second passed, his anxiety grew but does his best not to show it from his expression to keep a conversation natural and calm. Mihara took a few deep breaths until she finally turned around with a serious expression.

"Hikigaya-kun," She took out a small, white envelope from her pocket. "Here, this is for you."

"Okay?" He took the envelop while raising his eyebrow in confusion. "What is this?"

"This is from my sister. You former elementary teacher."

"..."

"It's okay, Hikigaya-kun. You don't have to open it right away... She always wanted to be a teacher. Even if the school she worked at wasn't exactly a good one, she was still happy that she got the job. After giving birth to her daughter, things went south and she got desperate to keep the job while taking care of her. What I'm trying to say is please understand her circumstances. I know that she didn't help you to stop the-"

"It's okay, Isehara-san." Hikigaya interrupted.

"Eh?"

"All that ended four years ago," He explained. "I'm over it."

"R-really?"

"I'm... not exactly sure. I don't have a grudge against sensei but I still don't want to see her. She didn't help me at that time but she didn't hurt me either. I just hoped for something that never even existed. I waited for sensei to do something without considering what her circumstances were so it was natural I got what I deserve as a selfish child."

"Yes," Mihara approached him and held his right cheek and traced his scar. "That was what you were once. A child. You wouldn't understand anything adults go through, so I say it's natural for you to lean on to someone like your mother or your kind teacher. But don't say that you're selfish because you're not. If you were, you wouldn't go so far to save us, right?"

"..."

"You're such a sweet child, Hikigaya-kun." She removed her grasp from his cheek and smiled. "If you still think you were a selfish person in the past, then don't you think something changed in you over the years? You now have such a wonderful girlfriend beside you, and you became such a brave boy. Stop saying such awful things about yourself, because you changed them for the better. "

"... Thanks." That was all he could say before going back to their respective partners. After waving each other goodbye, the couples walked to their separate ways. Minami asked our protagonist multiple times what he and the wife of Isehara talked about, but he refused to reveal anything and she gave up. On the other side, The Iseharas are walking silently on the district looking forward without sharing a single word. This is Mihara's moment of contemplation and Yusuke respected her wish by letting her swim deep into her mind.

"We always have a soft spot for kids," Yusuke said in his mind. "After our baby died before he could even be born, we always treat kids as if they were our own. From babies to teenagers, we always imagined what would it be like to raise a child through interacting with them."

"Darling." Mihara finally spoke.

"Yeah?" He responded while looking forward.

"This time for sure... I will bear a child."

"I know."

"I honestly want our baby to be a boy."

"Heeeh~? Why a boy? Not complaining or anything."

"It's just... I want him to be like Hikigaya-kun." The words coming from Mihara made the two stop walking. The people and the entire surroundings are a blur to them, as if the two entered their own world by her words. "I want him to be awkward when talking to others like him, have this tired expression like him, to be so self-depreciating and smart."

"What's with the negative traits?"

"Hey, smart isn't a negative."

"Still lots of negatives."

"I know. It's because that if our boy have those things, we can take care of him. I feel like I can act as a mother forever if he's so full of flaws. He will lean on us every day until he becomes strong."

"That's a messed up way of thinking there."

"Yes. But that's how I want my son to be after meeting Hikigaya-kun."

"I doubt our future son will be like him though. We're too energetic and hardworking."

"Ahahahaha!" His wife smiled at that. "You're right. Then I guess Hikigaya-kun will have to do!"

"Hah?" He raised an eyebrow from that. "What the hell are you saying, woman? He's not an orphan."

"I know, I know. But I would love for him to come by our restaurant sometime," She ran ahead of him and turned around with the brightest smile Yusuke is very fond of as the sun above their heads emanated a heavenly light under his beautiful wife. "I'll spoil Hikigaya-kun until he begs us to be our son!"

"I... don't know if you're joking or not." He facepalmed at her ridiculous declaration. "But yeah, I can't wait to see that kid again."

"Damn, I'm starting to get nervous!" Tobe's loud voice echoed in the inn while scratching his head to which his friends, Yamato and Ooka, told him to lower his voice in courtesy of other guests. It is now evening as the sun slowly sets for the coming of night. The moment is getting closer as time closes in but one issue is that his confidence wane in each passing second. Tobe asked help from the Service Club to ask his crush, Ebina Hina, to go out with him and he's planning to use this school trip for that moment. From his perspective, it was going well so far. He talked to Ebina several times and had moments alone together so he concluded that the plan is a success. Now to determine the success, he will confess to her at the bamboo grove of Arashiyama recommended by his good female friend, Yuigahama.

"It's all good." Yamato tried to cheer him up.

"You're getting a girlfriend, huh?" Ooka said with hands on his waist. "I bet you'll stop hanging out with me."

"That won't happen, man!" Tobe loudly said while still clutching his head. "This is baaadd!"

"Damn, first Hikitani-kun and now you?" Ooka folded his arms. "I really need to get a girlfriend too. Dontcha think, Yamato?"

"Don't know," Yamato shrugged. "If you do, I doubt she'll be as pretty as Sagami or cute as Ebina."

"Whaaat~? I'm gonna catch a girl better than them!"

"Hah! In your dreams!" Tobe exclaimed with an arrogant smirk. "Ebina-san is the best. I bet you can't even find a better girl than her."

"That's a bet then!" The three boy laugh as Tobe's anxiety dissipated for a moment. The door slid open as Hikigaya entered the room with an exhausted expression and sighed. The three friends looked at him in wonder while Totsuka noticed our protagonist's exhaustion and felt worried.

"Hachiman, is something wrong?" Totsuka asked while Hikigaya faceplanted on his futon.

"Minami, that's what happened." He answered in a muffled voice.

"Oh, your date! Did something bad happened?"

"Yeah, she's been dragging me to a lot of places non-stop."

"But you enjoyed it, right?"

"... I guess." He said with another sigh. His day with Minami is only part of his reasons for exhaustion. So many things happened to him in the span of three days in the Kyoto trip as if lightning struck at the same place numerous times. Too many things for him to contemplate on and need time to rest. Every fiber of his being said to him that the worst has yet to come and he wished that those instincts were wrong until he remembered what the policewoman said once more. Then, his thoughts came back to the tall man he once faced weeks ago and Hikigaya already knew he will face him again.

"Damn, looks like having a girlfriend is tough," Yamato said with a smirk. "Having any second thoughts, Ooka?"

"Pfft, hell no." Ooka shook his head. "But I kinda feel sorry for ya, Tobe. You gonna go through the same thing as Hikitani-kun."

"It'll all be worth it, man." Tobe retorted. "Ah, I'm getting nervous again!"

"Hey, Tobe." Hayama just entered the room.

"Oh, what's up, Hayato?" Tobe clutched his head once again. "I'm losing my mind here!"

"...Actually, never mind," Hayama shook his head and smiled. "I thought I'd tell you to break a leg, but I lost confidence once I got a look at you."

"Wow, you jerk! Ah, but that helped me relax a little." Tobe went back to conversing with his other two friends while Hayama approached Hikigaya who is still lying on the futon with his face down.

"Hikitani-kun." He called out to our protagonist. "Can we talk outside?"

"No," Hikigaya immediately refused.

"Please," Hayama pleaded and Hikigaya raised his head to look at him. "This is serious."

"It's time, huh." He said in his thoughts. "Can he at least ask an hour later so I could rest more? I'm not some doll anyone can share nor play with... I think I already am a doll thanks to that woman. Minami has been a lot more... aggressive lately. Ugh, enough thinking, time for the Prince to beg the commoner only to be denied in the worst possible way"

"Fine," Hikigaya complied and followed Hayama outside. The walk wasn't that long since their inn is near to one of the landmarks in Kyoto, the Togetsu-Kyo Bridge. The wooden bridge spans the Katsura River in front of Arashiyama Mountain, offering incredible views. The spring cherry blossoms and fall colors draw large crowds, as the scenery is spectacular. The river reflects the setting sun with leaves of autumn truly matched the color of the sunlight. Hayama and Hikigaya stood near the side of the river facing each other.

"So? What do you want?" Hikigaya asked with indifference. "Though, I think I already know what you're going to ask."

"That saves me some trouble," Hayama said while laughing. "You're as smart as always."

"Cut the crap already. You're the one who gave me that one big hint and I just figured it out even though I don't want to."

"Sorry about that, but thanks for figuring out." Hayama sigh and wore a serious expression. "So let's cut to the chase, I need your help-"

"I refuse."

"... Please, I know this isn't any of your business-"

"Yeah, that's your problem, not mine. Also, I'm not part of the Service Club anymore so ask those girls instead."

"I doubt that Yukinoshita would stop. I can tell that she's going to see this through no matter the outcome."

"That figures," Hikigaya sighed and started walking away. "Welp, you're on your own. See ya."

"Please, Hikigaya-kun!" Hayama shouted as he bowed his head. "You're the only one left I can lean on."

"If this is all it takes to tear you apart, then maybe you weren't good friends with them at all."

"Maybe...but," Hayama clenched his fists while still bowing. "Once you lose something, it's gone forever."

"You're an idiot," Hikigaya turned around to look at him in annoyance but his voice remains calm and indifferent. "You're trying your best not to lose such shallow relationships. What a wasted effort."

"You think so?" Hayama stood straight and looked at him. "I don't they're shallow in my view."

"Then you need to get some glasses because your view has problems."

"...Right now, my surroundings mean everything to me."

"And so you told Tobe to forget about it but he didn't. Unlike you, he wants to change things."

"Change but at what cost? We can't predict the future so we have to keep things careful and steady."

"Steady? It's been months now since the start of our second year and you think that's not steady enough for you?"

"No, it isn't. You saw Hina's face throughout the trip. She isn't ready to open up just yet."

"Is that right? Then I was wrong. It's not you who is selfish but her. She's a fujoshi and all but I never would've guessed that she is a rotten piece of-"

"Stop it," Hayama marched toward him and now they're one feet apart from each other. Hikigaya's expression indicates his irritation to the Prince's issue grew while Hayama's face is full of anger. "Don't say another word about her or any of my friends."

"Your so-called 'friends' are nothing but shallow servants who satisfy your peaceful time." Hikigaya folded his arms. "I guess both you and Ebina are selfish. All that worse-case scenarios are getting through your head. Your clique falling apart is just from your perspective."

"In that case, what would you do? I know that you and Sagami-san are not really dating so what would you do if she asks you out for real."

"Then I'd accept her." Hikigaya closed his eyes as he answered until he opened them again realizing what he just said. He saw Hayama surprised by his immediate answer and so is himself.

"Why did I say that? And without hesitation either..." He contemplated. "Right now, Minami just became my friend so it's unnatural for me to have these feelings so soon. Even if she said that we've been friends for weeks now, the progression is too fast. Am I being desperate again? Or-"

"You're amazing, Hikigaya-kun," Hayama interrupted his thoughts with a smile. "More amazing than me..."

"... You really need to get some eyeglasses." Hikigaya retorted but there was a hint of nervousness from his voice. "Me? Better than you? I'm still at the bottom of the social pyramid and I don't have the same abilities as you."

"Even if you are," Hayama maintained his smile. "You're still better than me."

"Tch, I'm already tired so I'm going back to the inn." Hikigaya turned his back on the prince and walked away once more.

"Just how do you do it?!" Hayama shouted. "After being expelled from the Service Club, the place that you hold dear. After being spat on by your own two former friends, how did you just move on and have a good time with Sagami and the others."

"...I don't have the answer you wanted," Hikigaya stopped but didn't turn around to face him. "It was all just luck that I got close to her. If she didn't approach me any sooner, I would've actually cried in my bedroom and not go to school for days. Depression would be late to kick in and things would go downhill. It was all thanks to her."

"I see..." Hayama looked down and took a deep breath. "Sorry for wasting your time."

"...Yeah," Before our protagonist could take a step forward, Hayama's last words shocked him.

"Take care of yourself... and don't get yourself hurt, Isato."

From that, Hikigaya quickly turned around in shock and saw Hayama's back as he walked away with the sun setting further and slowly let the darkness envelop the river.

"He must've found out the same way Hiratsuka-sensei did." Hkigaya sighed and decided to not go after him as he sees no problems from Hayama finding out his identity. He is sure that the prince will keep the commoner's secret safe so the hero continued walking back to the inn. Light posts are illuminating one by one as night enters. As he walked on the sidewalks, he noticed on the other side of the road a familiar person he wished he didn't encounter once again: Tall height, wearing a black hoodie which covered his head over, and a pair of jeans. He didn't want to speculate but his instincts knew that it was the same tall criminal.

"What is he up to?"

"Looks like Sagamin had a fun date." One of the female roommates said as she and the others watched the brown-haired girl squirming under her futon once again.

"Must be nice dating a cool boyfriend~."

"Didn't you say that you have a crush on that senpai? Why don't you make a move when we get back in school?"

"Y-yeah, but..."

"I'll help you out!"

"Me too!" The girls have begun to plan their friend's confession event while ignoring the still squirming Sagami on the futon screaming on her pillow. She and Hachiman went to many landmarks such as the Fushimi Inari Shrine with its iconic vermilion torii gates; the Monkey Park Iwatayama that comprises 120 snow monkeys called the "Japanese macaque" and they got in trouble for touching one (the macaque will act aggressively when staring to its eyes or make physical contact); And last but not the least, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove as they stroll through the paths lined with endless rows of towering bamboo trees. To them, it's as if they're walking to another world filled with wonder and nature. Overall, it was a wonderful "date" for her and perhaps the best day of her life.

"Excuse me~." A girl with the signature red-framed glasses and brown bobbed hair entered slid open the door.

"Ebina! What's up?" Miura stood up and spoke.

"Ah, well..." Ebina put her hands behind her and looked at Sagami. "I want to have a chat with Sagamin, that's all."

"Hm?" The mentioned brown-haired girl sat up and looked at Ebina. "What's the matter?"

"Can we talk privately?"

"...I don't see why not?" She stood up and followed Ebina outside until they reached towards a vending machine where no one can interrupt. Sagami felt anxious as Ebina is one of Hayama's friends although not as anxious when she's near the Fire Queen. To her, Ebina is more approachable than Miura because she thought that Ebina wouldn't give her the fiery eyes. Despite her fujoshi tendencies, she sees Ebina as a sociable and kind girl like Yuigahama.

"So uh... What do you want to talk about?" Sagami asked and Ebina took a deep breath.

"I want to ask you...about Hikitani-kun." Ebina exclaimed with an unusual serious expression on her face. This shocked Sagami due to not seeing her with that sort of expression unless it's about her fujoshi fantasies and other strange hobbies.

"C-could it be that she knows that he's the hero?" Sagami speculated. "I-If so, what should I do? Should I play dumb or just tell her the truth. I mean, I don't think she's the type to spill the beans to everyone but Hachiman would get mad at me for not keeping a secret. L-Let's just see how this plays out."

"Hachiman? What about him?"

"Well... How does it feel like to... y'know... date him?"

"...what?"

"I said how does it feel to have a boyfriend like him? Are you two good? Is he like, treating you well? Something like that."

"It's been a blast. You don't have to worry about him doing awful stuff on me, he's not that kind of person."

"Yeah? That sounds great..." And then there is silence. Sagami's confusion grew from Ebina's questions. Anxiety also began to develop the longer this silence holds as she feared that her speculation might be correct. Ebina pulled something out of her pocket to which Sagami widened her eyes in fear that it could be evidence of Isato's identity. Her fear subsided with a sigh as it is nothing but a coin in the glasses-wearing fujoshi's hand.

"What is it?" Ebina asked as she noticed Sagami's expression.

"O-oh nothing! Hahaha..." She answered while scratching her cheek. Ebina insert the coin in the vending machine and pressed a button. They heard the sound of a can falling and she crouched down to take two cans of soda.

"Here," Ebina reached to her a purple can.

"T-thanks." Sagami took the can stared at it for a while. Ebina leaned her back against the wall as they both opened their cans and took a sip before continuing the conversation.

"So uh... Here's the thing."

"Mhm?"

"There's this guy that has a crush on me."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, and I think he will confess his feelings tonight."

"Wow, that guy's got guts. So what's the problem?"

"I... want to reject him."

"Oh? Is it one-sided?"

"You could say that," Ebina held the can tighter. "This guy is a friend of mine and if I reject his feelings, our friendship could fall apart."

"Oh," Sagami wore a look of realization. "I get what you mean but I don't think rejecting him will hurt your friendship."

"I bet it will. Once I reject him, we'll start avoiding each other and then everything goes downhill at that point. I'm scared that things won't be the same."

"You make it sound so complicated."

"Because it is..."

"Hmmm... Say how long have you two been friends?"

"Since the start of second year, but we didn't like, talk to each other much or have moments together or something."

"But is he nice?"

"Well, yeah."

"Is he cool?"

"Hmm... Yeah, he can be kinda cool."

"Is he smart?"

"Nope, he's a bit of an airhead." Ebina said between giggles.

"Heeeh~? Theeeen... Is he good at sports?" Sagami asked and took a sip of her can once more.

"He's a member of the soccer club." She answered while fiddling with her own can.

"Oooohhh! Then what's the problem? Is he so stupid that he pisses you off?"

"Well... he CAN get annoying but not to that extent. I'm just not ready for change, y'know? No matter what answer I give him, things will change. So I wanna ask; How did you feel when confessing to Hikigaya-kun?"

"Oh...It's... Uh..."

"Or was he the one who confessed?"

"He did the confessing." Sagami answered. That was a lie but there is some truth in it. She sees his proposal of friendship counts as a confession (not a love confession) and she's trying her best to lie. Hikigaya never told her what their cover story will be if any of their classmates ask them regarding their relationship but fortunately, no one had asked them about it. Totsuka and Kawasaki knew that they're not really dating and everyone was afraid of Hikigaya back then. It was relatively peaceful despite rumors and gossips flying around school.

"Then how did you feel when that happened?" Ebina asked.

"Well I felt glad since I feel the same way." She answered immediately.

"But what if you didn't?"

"Then I'd reject him." Sagami's immediate answer surprised Ebina.

"S-seriously? Just like that?" Ebina asked.

"Yeah, he and I have been through...stuff."

"You mean him talking trash at you during the festival?"

"That's part of it and you would understand his reasons if you saw what I did as chairman. After that incident, we just... hang out and got closer. It's hard to imagine we would avoid each other after the fun things we did and how we understand each other. It's like... You two did all that and one event is enough to end it? Wouldn't that weird?"

"No, it makes sense because it'd feel awkward when you two are close after rejecting his feelings."

"True, but if that's what it takes for us to end our friendship then I guess we were never real friends at the start." Sagami drank the can down to the last drop and tried to do a basketball throw with it into the trash bin but failed the shot. "Ah, missed it."

"I don't believe they're not my real friends," Ebina retorted as she finished drinking her own can. "I really want to be with them."

"But you're afraid of things like change?" Sagami picked up her can and tried another shot and this time it went in and she did a fist pump for that accomplishment. "Whether you reject him or you go out with him, or worse, run away, things will change. The only thing you can do is pick a direction where the change is the best for you. There's no perfect change, you have to suck up all the good and bad."

"...I see." Ebina was convinced by the brown-haired girl's words. She now sees that the scenario she will enter is inevitable and things won't last. If she runs away, Tobe will be left heartbroken and she will be regarded as a rotten coward, which she really is in her opinion. Ebina just holds her current relationship with others as precious to her because the clique is something she never had since the unpleasant times in middle school. She knew very well that she was just trying to maintain her own happiness instead of others. Enforcing stagnation while others seek endeavor in their school life. Such a selfish wish is understandable but despicable at the same time.

"Thanks, Sagamin." Ebina mimicked Sagami's action and shoot her can to the trash bin perfectly.

"Woah! Nice shot!" Sagami praised her.

"I know what to do." The glasses-wearing fujoshi gave a bright smile.

"Glad I could help."

Hikigaya's body shivered as he walked. He didn't know if it's the cold temperature, the stretching darkness in the streets if Kyoto at night, or he is anxious from tailing a criminal a few feet away. Whatever the case, he is here now and the hero couldn't ignore what this tall man is scheming. All Hikigaya has to do is check on said schemes and if it's a crime, call the police. Simple as that. However, his instincts tell him that the events will play out differently. Whether it's better or worse, the police might not get involved by the time he discovers something. He shook that thought and take deep but silent breaths to calm himself. There are still people outside so it made things easier for our protagonist to follow the man without being noticed. He then saw the tall man turned left in an alley.

"Of course, it's gotta be alleys. Rats always crawl in tight and dark spaces." He grunted and entered the alley. It is as anyone can typically imagine of such a narrow pathway at night; dark, trash and litter everywhere, and perhaps a rotten smell. The walk continued to the end of the alley with Hikigaya hiding behind piles of garbage bags to stealthily follow. Near the end of the alley, both can see an abandoned school building. Its walls have crack and graffiti everywhere, and there are unclean windows with a few broken ones.

"You can come out now." The tall man turned around which indicates that he knew Hikigaya was following him. The hero hesitated but he revealed himself regardless. The two are now having a staredown with only the sounds of rodents crawling around and the distinct sounds of vehicles fill the silence.

"How did you know?" Hikigaya is the first to speak.

"I have good ears," The tall man explained. "Once I walked into this quiet alley, I hear small footsteps."

"What are you up to?"

"...I don't want you to get involved in this but... Maybe if you're up for it, this'll make things easier."

"Huh?"

"Isato-san, I need your help." The tall man bowed his head to him as he begged. Of all scenarios, this is not what Hikigaya had in mind. The criminal's plea for help could be a sign of our protagonist's struggle in the longest night of his life.

"No matter where I go..." Hikigaya sighed. "Trouble always follows."

WHEW! We're finally getting close to the big action. And it's almost time for the climax in Tobe's confession. Will Ebina reject him? Or maybe give him a chance? What the hell is this tall guy's deal? Misfortune never stops for Hikigaya so let's pray that he'll make this through!

As always, thank you for reading this fanfic. Please leave a review as your opinions will help me make this story better.