"Yo." - Person Talking
"Yo." - Person Thinking
And here is a sudden new chapter. Let's a go.
"Mmm, Hachi, Machi; how was your first day?" The sleepy voice of Kanami called out when the front door opened, an equally sleepy smile on her face as the faces of her children soon came into view.
"It was great, Kaa-chan! Taishi-kun is in my class and I made a few new friends!" Komachi reportered as a bright grin marred her face, Kanami returning it in full as she turned to face her oldest.
"Mmm, same old." Hachiman quipped as his mother sighed a bit at his vague answer, opting to entertain Komachi as she quickly plopped down and started talking animatedly about her day with her mother.
Seeing that they were enjoying their time together, Hachiman smiled slightly as he made his way upstairs to shower and prep for the next day. A quick shower helping relieve him of the taut muscles and stress that he accumulated during the course of his day; Hachiman found himself with his headphones in as he went through the mathematic and science prep books that Shiori had recommended to him during his time working. Hearing him openly lament his rather lackluster performance in both areas, she had adamantly stated that he do his best to strengthen those subjects, going as far as to buy the study material for the raven haired youth.
If he was being completely honest, he could have cared less about those areas, opting to focus on his core strength in his literature and social studies courses. But the moment she had told him that she dipped a teeny bit into her own personal savings and purchased those books for him, practically forcing them into his backpack, his consciousness grew guilty at the thought of neglecting them without giving it at least the same five percent he had promised Shiori and Jiro. At first it was a practical chore to even open the books, his natural adversions to those subjects being a heavily demoralizing factor.
When he finally forced himself to sit down and power his way through at least five percent of the books, he was pleasantly surprised that the explanations and exercises weren't as difficult or as convoluted as he had expected. With the supplemental material, he was feeling much more confident with his skills and knowledge in his two weakest areas, feeling that he would now do at least average on his future work. Once he finished the first set of books, Hachiman found himself buying the next set as there was only half a chapter of the final set of study material and exercises, no doubt a corporate ploy to facilitate sales of future volumes, one which he fell into face first into without resistance.
Finishing with the current set of problems, he set his pencil down and shook his hand to rid it of the slight aches that started to throb from his flexor and abductor muscles of the pollicis brevis family. Whilst he flexed his hand, a chime from his phone alerted him to a text sent by Yui, the pinkette having even customized the tone to a recording of herself calling his name as embarrassing as it was. The 'Hikki, Hikki, answer me!' that sounded softly each time she called or texted him did cause a large amount of embarrassment to fill him, but he did have to admit that he felt a flutter of his heart each time her voice reached his ears.
Picking up his phone, he opened the message and was greeted with the sight of a rare Yui Yuigahama with her normally done up hair freely flowing down her back, Hachiman's eyes widening a bit when he saw just how much longer her hair had grown. Without being done up in her usual bun, it was a little past her shoulders. Quite quickly, he saw that she had most likely just finished showering before snapping the photo based on the droplets of water that still clung to her person. Observing the rest of the photo, he smiled when he caught sight of Sable with his usual happy expression, currently being held by his equally happy looking owner.
['Hikki! Sable wanted to say 'hi' to you and he couldn't wait until the next time you came over, hehe! But don't think I'm still not mad at you for what you did earlier today, dummy! Hmph!']
Seeing the photo and message, he couldn't help but crack a smile as he contemplated what he could say as a reply. As he thought about what to type, Komachi had just finished her own shower and was moving to drop off her laundry when she gained an overbearing urge to see her brother when she passed his room. Pausing, she placed her basket down and moved towards his door and knocked on it softly.
"Onii-chan? Are you busy?" Komachi called out from behind his door, the curious imouto opening it and seeing her precious older brother leaning against his desk while fiddling with his phone.
Silently and stealthily, she entered his room before making her way over to him like a wraith. A small smile spreading across her face, she soon wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he froze and stiffened at the sudden embrace before relaxing when he realized who it was that had given him the surprise hug. With Komachi, she squeezed him tighter when she felt him relax in her arms. Nuzzling against his hair, she took a couple of test whiffs before fully indulging herself in the smell of his hair, smelling the new brand of shampoo that he had begun using as it left a tingle in her stomach. Reluctantly rising her face, she peeked over his shoulder and felt her mood dampen when she saw the text containing a photo of Yui posing with her lovable and adorable dog, Sable.
"Yui-chan really is pretty, huh Onii-chan?" Komachi asked as she started at photo of the radiant looking pinkette, Hachiman raising a brow as he raised his free hand to ruffle her hair.
"She may pretty, but she still isn't as adorable or cute as Komachi. Ah, that must've earned me a lot of points!" Hachiman told her in a sure tone, Komachi smiling slightly as he moved his hand.
While she would normally rebuke his statement and reaffirm the pinkette's beauty, Komachi found herself keeping silent instead. Even after hearing the truth and affection in his words, they failed to warm and tickle her heart like they usually did. Her small smile thinning to a small line at his choice of words, Komachi felt her soul craving something more then his usual words of praise that revolved around her being 'adorable' or 'cute'. Her feelings caused her to tighten her hold around his person, drawing a confused and concerned look from her brother that she wished she could hide from.
"Is something wrong, Komachi?" He asked in a soft and worried tone, softly stroking her head as a few shakes began to emanate from her core.
"...Komachi will always have a place in your heart, right Onii-chan? E-Even if someone takes Onii-chan away from Komachi, you w-won't forget about Komachi, will you?" She asked in a shaking and frightful tone, Hachiman's instincts as an older brother flaring to life as he turned his body and pulled her into a sitting position on his lap.
The sudden act startling the girl, Komachi soon found herself straddling her older brother while he sat in his chair. Their current position a bit precarious, it was trumped by the intense feelings that both sides were currently emanating; Komachi having a lost and forlorn aura and Hachiman having a questioning and concerned aura. As he scanned his sister's person, he furrowed his brows when he saw that she kept her eyes down, refusing to meet his gaze while she held her hands folded together.
"You really have become a bit of a handful, haven't you..." Hachiman muttered in a soft and amused tone, though Komachi shuddered slightly and dropped her head a bit lower.
"I had a similar talk with you yesterday, didn't I? Even if I might seem like a stinking raijuu to you, and Kami forbid I do, you did tell me that there is no way that I'd manage to get by without my dear imouto by my side." He said as Komachi felt her lips twitch a bit at his self deprecating tone, raising her head slightly and offering it to him as he smirked in turn.
"And I remember telling you that you should only think that I'm leaving you behind when you actually hear it from my mouth, and sorry to tell you this my dear imouto, you will never hear those words leave this rotten mouth of mine. So, as sad and skin crawling as it is, you're unfortunately stuck with this 'dead-fish eyed, looks like a suspicious petty criminal' of an Onii-chan for as long as you're adorable, which will sadly be the rest of your life. Bet that scored me bunch of points!" Hachiman declared as Komachi's eyes widened considerably, a teary but radiant smile slowly spreading across her cheeks as Hachiman's began to burn from the embarrassing drabble that left his mouth.
"So, if you ever get second thoughts about your place in my heart or anxious that I'll leave you behind just remember this, Komachi. Who was it that put up with such a useless and pathetic excuse of an older brother for the better part of their life? And even took the time to fix the heart he had so stupidly gotten broken when she should have been out and about, becoming the exact opposite of what he was. You aren't stupid or a burden, you're the only person would care enough about me to say those things with those false thoughts in your mind. You can't expect your brother to leave you behind without repaying you for all you've done, so get those kind of empty and baseless thoughts out of your head, alright. So Komachi-chan, do you have anything else to add?" He asked as she flushed deeply, though a melting smile crossed her face as she shook her head in the negative.
"No, thank you Onii-chan. But, can Komachi ask one thing?" She asked with a small tremor in her voice, Hachiman raising a brow before nodding.
"Does Komachi have enough points to trade in for something selfish?" She asked as he smirked slightly, his expression causing further embarrassment to fill her.
"Well, I don't know... I think you did use a lot of points with having your poor Onii-chan reassure you of things you should have already known..." He muttered as Komachi's heart dropped slightly, though when she saw that smirk on his face she gained a small pout as he chuckled.
"But seeing as you still have an infinite amount of points left, I guess you have some to spare." He quipped as she smiled gently and fondly at him, her cheeks turning a deep pink while she adverted her gaze.
"Then... Can Komachi trade in her points for a... For a kiss?" She asked with embarrassment heavy in her tone, Hachiman flinching as pink dusted his own cheeks though he nodded somewhat stiffly.
"Mmm, I-I think you have enough points for that, though it might use up all of them." He warned as she giggled softly, facing him with a bright and soft smile on her face as she nodded in agreement.
Mentally readying himself, he learned forward as Komachi's breath hitched slightly. Closing her eyes, she minutely puckered her lips slightly as he neared her face. But her expectations were dashed when she felt his lips gently make contact with her forehead. Crimson flooding her face, she was disappointed but the ache in her heart ebbed a bit more softly as he parted from her. Upon opening his eyes, Hachiman blinked a bit when he saw the embarrassed and slightly angry pout that marred her face.
"Mou... K-Komachi was talking about a different kind of kiss, Onii-chan..." She muttered softly as his own blush deepened, though he soon gained a look of understanding as Komachi felt her heart quicken once again.
"Right, sorry. I'll offer a full refund of your Komachi points if you allow this unreliable Onii-chan to remedy his mistake and promise not to report this incident to the manager." He said as she giggled brightly, nodding her head as he took a breath to ready himself.
Once again, Komachi felt herself closing her eyes and puckering her lips as he leaned towards her. But her expectations were once again dashed when she felt him kiss her on the cheek, feeling a deeper flush cross her face as she savored the feelings of his lips on her cheek. While disappointed, the ache in her heart had all but vanished as he pulled away from her with a reddened face. Seeing that, she giggled happily as he merely grunted and turned away.
"That better?" He muttered as she grinned happily in response, Hachiman feeling his embarrassment melt slightly as she slowly got off his lap.
"Mhmm! Thanks Onii-chan, Komachi feels recharged and ready for anything!" She declared in her usual energetic and bright tone, Hachiman smiling upon seeing it as he turned back to his work.
"Good, let's keep it that way." He said in a warm but cautious tone, Komachi smiling when she heard it while she excused herself.
Seeing him return to his work, she offered him one final smile that he returned before she exited and closed the door to his room. A content sigh leaving her, Komachi leaned against his door as she reached up to touch the cheek that he had kissed as a radiant and slightly resigned smile spread across her face. Slowly, she pushed her herself off his door to collect the basket of laundry that had been neglected during her impromptu visit. Heading back to the laundry room, she spared one fleeting gaze towards his room before a softer expression graced her features.
"Onii-chan still doesn't see Komachi as a girl, but... It's enough for now, isn't it..." Komachi mused to herself as she descended down the stairs, moving to touch her cheek before touching her lips as a smaller smile crossed her face.
"Mmm... It's enough for now..."
(Time Skip - The Next Day)
"Morning Onii-chan." Komachi yawned as she entered the kitchen, rubbing the remaining sleep from her eyes as she watched her beloved brother finish their lunches for the day.
"Morning, you sleep well?" He asked as she sleepily nodded, a smirk crossing his face as she groggily made her way to her seat.
Uttering a quick 'itadakimasu', she helped herself to the simple breakfast of grilled mackrel, miso soup and rice; feeling her sleepiness begin to flow out of her body as the miso soup began to warm and wake her body. Soon enough, she was happily and energetically enjoying her breakfast as Hachiman joined her. Falling into a comfortable silence, they quickly finished before placing their dishes in the sink; Komachi wrapping their mother's breakfast before they left the house. Locking the door, Hachiman was about to unchain his bike when Komachi latched onto his arm, the older Hikigaya giving her a curious look as she simply grinned in turn.
"We have plenty of time, Onii-chan! Let's walk together!" She chirped as he shrugged his shoulders, his imouto beaming as she snuggled deeper into his arm as they carried on their way.
With half and hour to make it and a route that took twenty five minutes, they made the most of their trip, Komachi keeping the flow of conversation while her brother would throw in his two cents every now and again. While it seemed one-sided, the smiles that they shared spoke volumes of how they felt inside. Their conversation keeping their attention, they were ignorant of the knowing and envious looks that those that passed by gave them, their conversation only breaking when they saw the familiar sight of the school gate.
A small sigh leaving Komachi's mouth, she gave him a resigned smile before reluctantly parting from him as they crossed the threshold that her brother had wordlessly established, Hachiman giving her an appreciative look as they entered the building together. Stopping at the stairway that separated their respective years, Komachi had a sullen look on her face as Hachiman sighed in a good natured manner.
"We'll see each other after school ends, Komachi." He reassured her as a small pout crossed her face, huffing a bit as she crossed her arms.
"Hmph, if Gomi-chan wasn't such a dummy, we could at least spend lunch together." She muttered with puffed out cheeks, Hachiman snorting as he patted her head lightly as to not mess up her slightly tamed bed head.
"And have you become an accomplice associated with the ultimate loner of Sobu? I think not. Now go, you'll be late for class if you don't hurry." He told her as she pouted a bit harder, quickly moving to ensnare her brother in a tight hug as a heavy dusting of pink crossed his face.
"O-Oi!" He hissed in an embarrassed and heated tone, taking note to his utter dismay of the many prying eyes that were currently locked onto their moment.
"Hehe, this is what my Gomi-chan gets for being such a Gomi-chan!" She chirped before breaking free and heading to her class with a skip to her step, Hachiman's brow twitching as he clicked his tongue in turn.
As he turned to leave, he was keenly aware of the eyes that were still on his person. Still irritated by both Komachi's sudden hug, though he truly wasn't, and their gazes, he let his glasses drop enough to release the seal and unleash the power of his dead-fish like eyes; effectively startling and scaring those unfortunate enough to see the rather intimidating gaze he sent their way. With the slight scowl that sat comfortably on his face, his stiff and imposing posture, his long locks tied in a pony tail that caused his bangs to shadow his eyes slightly, his appearance effectively locked him into the 'delinquent' route of those who first saw him, the first years still staring at him scattering like mice when he scowled in their direction.
"Ha... Well there goes my odds of having a cute and clumsy kohai..." He lamented in a mirthful manner though he was shedding tears, quickly heading up the stairs before a teacher possibly apprehended him for being a public menace.
(Scene Change - Sobu High: Class 3-I)
Arriving in his class, Hachiman headed to his seat without sparing a glance towards any of his classmates, drawing a raised brow from one blonde haired young lady, though she returned her attention to the others who were animatedly chatting around her. As he was about to pull out his usual book, he was soon approached by a silver haired young lady as she stood with her arms crossed over her chest. Slowly but surely, Saki felt her temper begin to rise when he completely tuned out her existence; Saki forcibly lowering the book in his hands as he followed the delicate looking appendage to its owners face.
"Yo, Kawasaki." He greeted as Saki felt her blood pressure suddenly rise, her brow twitching as she sighed in irritation.
"I've been standing here for the past minute, ya know." She deadpanned as he blinked in turn, raising his free hand in a half hearted apology as she felt her ire near its limit.
"Sorry, not used to being greeted in class." He admitted in an awkward tone as she flushed a bit in turn, looking away while she fidgeted with the ends of her blazer.
"O-Oh, right... S-Same with me when it comes to greeting people..." She added as she offered him a shy and awkward smile, Hachiman returning it as they fell into a small bit of chatter.
Saki feeling her heart swell each time she said something that drew a smile to his face or cause him to snort in an impossibly adorable manner, she found herself sitting slightly on his desk as he leaned back in his chair in a comfortable manner. As she recounted the affairs of yesterday, silently praying that her beloved younger brother would forgive her for retelling his embarrassing slip up yesterday while shopping.
"-nd poor Taishi didn't see the wet floor sign until it was too late. He slipped and fell face first into one of the female employees, who screamed loud enough to wake the dead." Saki said in a tearful and bitter manner, silently shedding tears for her younger brother as Hachiman snorted.
"Wow, even I feel bad for him now." Hachiman chuckled as Saki surprisingly pouted at him in an angry manner then her usual death glare, her look only drawing more laughter from him as the door to their class opened.
Minutes prior, Shizuka was lazing at her desk in the staff room, gloomily looking at the pile of papers that denoted the activities for her students for the day. A sigh leaving her mouth, she was about to take the stack when a familiar head of pink hair hopped into the room.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, yahallo!" Yui called out in her usual bright manner, Shizuka returning it as the pinkette bounded towards her club advisor.
"Hmm? Is all that for your class, sensei?" Yui asked as she saw the small mountain of white, getting a wry smile in turn as Shizuka nodded in confirmation.
"Ah! Let me help you then, sensei!" Yui cheerfully said as Shizuka grinned in turn, splitting the paper mountain with her 'oh so helpful' student as they carried on their way to their class.
"So Yui-chan, how're you doing as a third year?" Shizuka asked as the exited the staff room, Yui smiling as she bounced from foot to foot.
"It's so exciting, Hiratsuka-sensei! I'm in 'Class 3-E' with Hina-chan and Tobe! It's a bit sad that Yumiko, Hayato and the others aren't in our class, but it's still fun! It's also a bit sad that sensei isn't our sensei. But other then that, I feel that this year is going is going to be a good one!" Yui reported as Shizuka smiled at her words, seeing that the originally forced and fake smile that the pinkette held for appearance sake was much more real and alive.
"That's good to hear, Yui-chan! And don't worry about your Shizuka-sensei, I have a colorful cast of wonderful students in my class this year as well." She said as Yui smiled brightly, the two falling into a bit of idle chatter as they passed through the halls.
Upon arriving at 'Class 3-I', they saw the chatting students and smiled seeing that their energy was so high in the morning. Entering, they headed towards Shizuka's desk to relieve their arms of the small weights they had been carrying for the past few minutes. But soon enough, they froze when they saw the unfamiliar sight of Hachiman openly chatting and laughing with Saki; a radiant and flushed smile on the face of Saki while a small and amused smile graced Hachiman's. Shizuka quickly recovered, offering them a small smile as they had seemingly broken from their shells enough to be comfortable around each other, though she did raise a brow when she saw that Saki was practically sitting on the young man's desk. Though it was Yui who seemed to be shocked to the point of dropping her usually happy and bubbly expression.
"H-Hikki!" She called out with an overly loud and cute tone of voice, frantically waving her arm as she bounded over to his desk.
While she was her usual bright and smiling self on the outside, her mind was racing as she desperately tried to activate the vast untapped well of brain power that she had only just started dipping into with the help of Yukino over the break. Scanning the class, she mentally pumped a fist when she saw that she had grabbed the attention of the majority of the class. A bit of a snide and calculating smirk crossing her face, she quickly schooled her features as she stopped in front of the raven haired youth and beamed a sweet smile at him. Startling the pair that were previously occupying it as they stared at her.
"Yuigahama!" They said in tandem with a start, Yui internally frowning a bit seeing as she had interrupted something rather intimate given the sight but rolled with it nonetheless.
"So you're in 'Class 3-I', Hikki? Now I know where to wait for you when we go to club! Ah, yahallo Saki-chan!" Yui said in an excited tone, though she quickly turned and greeted the girl still sitting on Hachiman's desk.
"Hello, Yuigahama." Saki replied in a polite tone, though internally she was feeling something ominous about the smiling pinkette that she couldn't place.
"Ah, Hikki! You never replied to my message last night! Mou, you always do that!" Yui suddenly said in a tone just loud enough for the rest of the class to catch, all eyes widening as they swap to look between the two in question.
"Oi, what're you talking about? I did reply." He hissed in an embarrassed and accusatory tone, narrowing his eyes as hers began to glint with a light that he did not find comforting.
"Hmm? Then what do you call this, Hikki!" She declared as she pulled out her phone and showed the pair at his desk, Saki nearly choking on her spit while Hachiman raised a brow.
"It's showing that I replied right there." He deadpanned as he pointed at the text that he responded with last night, Yui blinking blankly before turning to look at her phone before gasping and smiling sheepishly.
"O-Oh, I guess I forgot! Hehe!" She said while giggling in embarrassment, Hachiman shaking his head in exasperation though a smile graced his features.
"Ah, well I should get back to my class before the bell rings! I'll talk to you later Hikki! You better remember to text back, or else!" Yui declared as she moved to depart from the class, Hachiman merely nodding as he bid her a brief farewell.
As he did so, Saki quickly got off his desk before briskly making her way towards her own. A bit stunned that she had moved so suddenly, he offered her a quick 'goodbye' that was promptly ignored. Blinking, he turned slightly to look at her before focusing his attention back to the front when a frigid look was staring back at him. A sigh leaving his mouth, he focused on the board as Shizuka rounded the attention of the class, moving to distribute the syllabus she had printed for them.
Whilst Shizuka was briefly explaining what it was, Yumiko was tuning her out as she felt a bit betrayed that Yui hasn't even noticed her attempts to gain the attention of the pinkette before she sped out, narrowing her eyes at the person who was the sole receiver of her attention. Stopping by each desk to offer a polite hello and reintroduce herself to each of her students, she paused at Hachiman's desk and offered him a wry smile that was returned. Soon enough, she was back at the front as she began breaking down the aspects of the class.
(Time Skip - Twenty Minutes Later)
"-at's all there is concerning late and missing work, you miss it, you make it up. Anything else anyone have questions of? If not I'll be moving onto the next order of business." Shizuka asked as she scanned the room, seeing that her students desperately wanted to move on from hearing rather self explanatory things.
"Right, now that we're officially going to begin class activities tomorrow, I think that it would be best to elect our class representatives for the year. If you want the job, go ahead and nominate yourself otherwise nominate someone you think will be a good fit for the job. So come up to the board and place your bets." She explained as excited and defeat groans could be heard from her students, though she was paying mind to a single one as he listlessly stared out the window.
Seeing that, Shizuka had an evil smirk cross her face as she discretely moved to place the name of a certain loner amongst the candidates. But imagine the surprise when she saw that he was already listed among the male representatives, curiously turning and scanning the faces of those who could have potentially added his name before seeing a few boys and girls in the back snickering and gesturing towards Hachiman. A small scowl marring her face, she shook her head at their childish behavior. Soon enough, she saw the last of her students return to their seats, nodding as she moved to declare the nominations.
"Alright, now that we got some names, let's narrow em down, shall we?" Shizuka asked as she looked over both lists, nodding as she pulled out a marker of her own.
"Let's see, we'll start with the boys then. Any of you actually want the job?" She asked as a deafening silence met her, the black haired beauty sighing as she could have sworn to have heard the chriping of crickets.
"Right... Then we'll have a vote to decide then. All in favor of Akita-kun?" She called out, getting another round of silence.
"Ok... Akira-kun?" Once again, she was met with silence.
"Then... Reiji-kun?" She asked in a tone that suggested she knew the answer, being correct as no hands rose.
"Mmm... Toki-kun?" She drawled out, already knowing the outcome as no one looked at her.
Sighing, she continued to list off the names of the other five candidates as more and more awkward silence met her. Growing a bit frustrated at their lack of insight, seeing as one of them will have to take the job willingly or unwillingly, she turned and saw the last name on the list as a bit of a glint shone in her eyes. Though, she did feel a bit of sympathy for her favorite dead-eyes student. Taking a breath, she turned and faced the class as she pointed to the last name on the list.
"Finally, is anyone in favor of Hikigaya?" She asked as a sudden sound drew her attention, Shizuka smirking when he snapped his head towards her with his eyes wide.
"O-Oi! I don't remember signing up!" He said with a start, a rather disquieting scowl marring his face as he glared at Shizuka.
"Oh? If you bothered paying attention, you would have heard that you didn't have to volunteer, that you could also be nominated, Hikigaya." Shizuka reported in a snide tone, Hachiman's scowl growing as his glasses dropped a bit.
Seeing his normal eyes, the ones not distorted by his glasses, along with his older look caused a bit of a shiver to dance down Shizuka's spine, a shiver she found both exciting and mortifying. With his eyes dead and sharp, a heavy scowl crossing his feature along with the way his bangs were shadowing his eyes with his glasses slightly drooped; he had a look that screamed that he was a rough but calculating character, the look of a true manga villain much like a certain traitorous Shinigami. If he were to stand his full height and stare someone down, Shizuka had no doubts that even the toughest in their school would be intimidated by the young man.
That sentiment was soon proven to be true when he gave the rest of his class an irritated gaze, the snickering that was once heard dying almost immediately when he crossed eyes with the boys and girls who had agreed to place his name amongst the others. Seeing that, he openly clicked his tongue at them as they paled slightly at the sound, feeling like he had marked them for death as they focused their attention to their desks which somehow had became extremely fascinating. Seeing that, he focused his attention to the front as Shizuka awaited someone to vouch for the ravenette. That someone came in the form of a person neither of them had expected.
"Sensei, I think Hikio would be fine as the class representative." Yumiko said as she rose her hand, stunning the majority of the class as they turned to look at her.
"Oh? You think so Miura-san? On what basis do you say that?" She asked in a curious tone, though she knew the answer.
"Ha... Even though Hikio is Hikio, he's proven himself to be able to handle activities like planning, meetings and execution when he's been forced into them by his connection to the Service Club. While I don't think that he's the perfect candidate for the job, he is certainly better and much more proven then the others who were nominated, some of them I know for a fact would crack under any form pressure unlike Hikio, who would just say something creepy or stupid before getting the job done. I'm sure you remember the Tennis Club request, the Chain Email incident, the whole Summer Camp situation, the Culture Festival fiasco, a certain Kyoto event I will blantantly ignore for now, getting our current student council president elected and a personal request of mine that he realized; and those are just a few of Hikio's achievements, though the way he went about them were extremely Hikio and creepy." Yumiko explained as the class quieted doen considerably, everyone looking between the two as Hachiman's brow twitched in utter humiliation.
"This bitch... After spouting all that bullshit, there's no way I'm getting out of this." He cursed in his mind, glaring at the blonde who simply glared back.
"Alright then! Any objections or further vouches for Hikigaya?" Shizuka asked with a grin, directing it towards the young man in question as he intensified the glare being sent her way.
"I'll vouch for Hikigaya as well." Saki announced as she rose her hand, Hachiman snapping to stare at her with a mix of betrayal and shock.
"Hmph." She huffed as she turned her head away, Hachiman sighing as he let his head drop in defeat.
"Well, looks like Hikigaya will be our class rep for the boys. Now for the girls, let's see... Ah, Miura-san? Any vouches?" Shizuka asked as a large number of hand rose from the boys in retribution for her cutting words, the blonde instantly growing irate as she leveled her firey glare on them.
"Oh ho? Looks like we've got a majority vote for you, Miura-san, congratulations!" Shizuka announces as horror crosses her gaze, instantly sending a death glare towards all who rose their hands as they immediately cowered in fear as the triumph and arrogance they felt vanished.
"Sensei. I really think you should reconsider. Those who don't have a basis for selecting their leaders other then spite shouldn't be allowed to vote." She said in a sickly sweet tone, the others cringing as the felt their pride break a bit with her words.
"Mmm... I think I'll let it slide, congrats Miura-san!" Shizuka chirped in a bright tone, a mischievous glint in her eyes as Yumiko had a twitch develop.
"Well, now that that's settled, would our newly appointed class reps come with me while the rest of you chat amongst yourselves!" Shizuka chirped as they became silent, Hachiman and Yumiko begrudgingly rising and heading to the front but not before sending a bone chilling and burning glare to their classmates.
Meeting each other halfway, they paused before narrowing their eyes at each other. The temperature of the room dropping several degrees, they scoffed at the other before stalking their way towards Shizuka. Arriving, their already low moods fell more when they saw the victorious grin smeared across the face of their teacher. Sighing in unison, they had a small twitch of their lips when they saw her eyes twitch with annoyance.
"Right then, well you two it's not too hard of a job you know. It's practically all formalities with the occasional meet ups with the student council, other class reps, organizing and planning with the off chance of extra work that may or may not be related to helping your poor, overworked and underpaid teacher." She explained in a sweet tone, the brows of the two twitching as irritation like no other filled them.
"So... Anyway I can pawn off this to some other unfortunate person?" Hachiman asked offhandedly, getting a scowl from the two ladies as he stepped away in precaution.
"If Hikio gets to leave, I demand that I receive the same treatment." Yumiko added in a heated tone, Shizuka sighing as she gave the glasses wearing youth a sad look.
"Hikigaya, you really don't want to do this?" Shizuka asked in a soft and teary tone, the man wincing a bit before shaking his head when he saw her eyes misting a bit.
"It's just me complaining like usual, sensei. You know how I am, just ignore me. If it'll help move things along faster and smoother, I'm fine with it." Hachiman sighed as Shizuka's visage brightened considerably, the black haired beauty turning to Yumiko as the blonde was staring at Hachiman in disbelief.
"Really? Just like that? All it takes for you to agree with something is a little bit of fake waterworks?" Yumiko asked in a tone of disbelief, Hachiman glaring at her as she scoffed in turn.
"Shut up." He muttered as her glare intensified, the raven haired youth turning away while the blonde smirked victoriously.
"Alright, that's enough you two, we'll start for sure tomorrow. You two are excused, enjoy your lunch!" Shizuka said with a smile, the two nodding as they headed back to their desks.
Sparing one last glare towards the other, they scoffed before separating, the class quieting when they saw the two returning to their seats. Grabbing his lunch, Hachiman quickly vacated the class as Saki let a small sound of shock leave before a sullen look crossed her face. With Yumiko, she watched him leave with an indifferent look before shaking her head as her clique soon joined her with their lunches. With Saki, she wasn't able to leave the class until the actual lunch bell rang, the silver haired girl rushing to deliever her younger brother's lunch before hunting down a certain ravenette to interrogate for the events that transpired earlier during their class.
With Hachiman, he was intent on reaching his second sanctuary with the knowledge that a certain red rimmed fujoshi may be occupying his first. Heading towards the bench that overlooked the tennis courts, he took a seat as a sigh of relief left him. Stretching a bit, he removed his bento and was about to help himself when a noise of surprise reached him. Turning a bit, he raised a brow when he saw a vaguely familiar person; she had gray eyes, short brownish hair that reached down the nape of her neck and thin eyebrows.
Almost immediately she scowled and glared at him, Hachiman staring at her for an extra second before returning to his lunch. At the sight of him ignoring her, Minami Sagami felt her blood boil when she realized just who the trash in front of her was, after all it was the same scum that humiliated her when it was her moment to shine during the Cultural Festival. While he might have changed physically, there was no way that Minami could forget the disgusting aura that he oozed like the slime that he was. While she could tolerate him while she had her clique to fall back on, remembering the last and what she had hoped was the final time they interacted when they crossed paths in the hallway, with the loss of her so called 'friends' last year, all 'pleasantries' were thrown out the window when she saw the person responsible for her social downfall casually eating in her 'soon to be' usual lunch spot.
"Tch, the hell are you doing here." She spat with undeniable traces of heat, Hachiman raising a brow before sighing and taking out his headphones.
Seeing that, Minami felt her face explode with anger and indignation, only growing more so when he flipped his music on and started eating without a care in the world. Spending a few more seconds fuming, Minami scoffed before taking a seat on the far side of the bench, continuing to glare daggers at the now reading man.
"So, you gonna laugh Hikigerma? Laugh at the fact the girl who you embarrassed and ruined is eating all alone after her so called friends' bailed on her once things got tiniest bit rough?" She snarked in a mirthless manner, though her eyes were burning with untold amounts of hate and betrayal.
"Come'on, lay it on me! I'm not going anywhere you know! Go ahead, I'm waiting!" She snapped in a tone oozing with false brightness, an equally sickeningly sweet smile on her face as she turned to face him.
But once again, that facade dropped when she saw him completely in his own world, enraptured in the book that he held in one hand while eating in the other. Rage burning through the false pleasantness, Minami's body acted on its own as she suddenly stood up in anger; though in doing so she caused the bento that was sitting on her lap to fall gracefully to the ground. The sudden loss of her lunch stalling her mind, Minami simply looked at the spilled food in front of her as a sudden feeling of helplessness soon filled her.
A resigned sigh softly leaving her mouth, she simply stood there and looked at the ruined food beneath her, a small and humorless laugh leaving her mouth as a bit of moisture started to fill her eyes. Then, as gracefully as she could, she attempted to clean the mess she had caused, feeling none of the embarrassment that would usually come from doing such an act in public, only numbness. Using the lid of her fallen box to scoop up the remnants of her soiled lunch, Minami finished cleaning the spot in a relatively quick and efficient manner; though she found herself just sitting with an empty and lost look in her eyes when she was finished.
Minami was broken from her hollowed trance when she was offered a small assortment of dishes resting on the lid of a bento. Turning softly, she saw the glasses wearing form of one Hachiman as he held the offending lid towards her. Scanning his face, she soon found herself focusing on his eyes, the same eyes that were burned into the memory of her darkest and most hated moment were nonexistent. Instead, she found herself staring into two healthy and slightly slanted hazel pools that held a strange mix of sympathy and understanding. Continuing to stare into his eyes, eyes that never broke her gaze, she slowly looked down at the offered lunch before hesitantly taking it.
Uttering a soft 'thank you', she slowly ate while Hachiman returned to his book. With that, the two fell into a strangely comfortable silence as the birds chirped and sang, two loners merely accepting the cards that fate had dealt them. Occasionally, Minami would glance towards the young man who had given her a part of his lunch, seeing that he was still captured by his book. But to her surprise, he paused and turned his head slightly, raising a brow as he removed an earphone.
"You need something?" He asked as she blinked before returning to the lunch he had given her.
"No." She said curtly as he nodded, returning the earphone as silence prevailed once more.
Soon enough, she had finished the lunch that he had shared with her. Turning to glance at him, Minami returned the bento lid that had doubled as her plate, Hachiman turning to look at her before nodding as he took it, Minami sitting there for a few moments longer before excusing herself and leaving. As she stood and walked away, Hachiman watched her leave for a second before shrugging and returning to his book.
"Wonder who that was." He idly thought as he finished his own lunch, wrapping his bento back up he checked his phone before nodding and placing his book away.
(Time Skip - Ten Minutes Later)
(Scene Change - Sobu High: Class 3-I)
Entering his class once more, Hachiman headed to his desk only to pause when he saw a silver haired young lady sitting at his desk with a displeased expression on her face. Mentally sighing, he made his way over as she focused those same displeased eyes on him as he offered her a small wave, getting her to huff slightly and turn away.
"How was lunch with Ebina?" He asked in an attempt to break the ice, Saki giving him a level stare as he winced a bit.
"I thought we were going to have lunch together." She said in an even tone, Hachiman raising a brow as she gained a tinge of pink on her cheeks.
"When did we agree to that?" He asked in curiosity, Saki feeling her cheeks grow a bit hotter at the question.
"W-Well it's not like we openly said it, ya know. I thought that we sorta agreed to when we were talking this morning, before Yuigahama interrupted." Saki admitted with a deeper flush on her cheeks, the brows of the man furrowing as he failed to find the logic in her statement.
"Right... Well, we can do lunch tomorrow then, that work for you?" Asked Hachiman in an effort to reassure her, seemingly succeeding as she beamed a small smile at him.
"Speaking of Yuigahama, did something happen between the two of you? You seemed pretty pissed after she talked with us." He asked as Saki's smile dropped, her usual scowl soon appearing as she shook her head.
"Nothing happened. I'm just not used to her, ya know." She lied as he slowly nodded his head, the silverette sighing in both relief and frustration at his density.
"So... Not that I mind too much, but could I get my seat back?" He asked as she gained a brighter shade of pink, hopping out of his seat as if it were made of fire.
"R-Right, sorry! I just didn't know where else you'd go to besides our class or the roof, and since I don't have your number I couldn't text or call you." Saki muttered in an embarrassed tone, Hachiman nodding as he pulled into his chair.
"If you want my number I can just give it to you, you know." He said as she snapped her head up to stare at him with wide eyes, Hachiman resisting the urge to take a step back when he saw the unsettling glint in her eyes.
"R-Really!" She squealed in an extremely uncharacteristically cute manner, her eyes shining as she held her phone out towards him with two hands.
"S-Sure, it's no problem." He said while typing in his number, finishing quickly as Saki turned to look at the screen with a radiant and melting smile on her face.
"Thanks so much, Hachiman." Saki said with a tender tone, practically skipping towards her own desk as Hachiman took a seat with a dusting of pink on his cheeks.
Forcing himself to calm down, he managed to pull out his book and read a few pages when his phone suddenly chimed. A bit confused as to who could be contacting him, he could hazard a guess as he pulled out his phone. Glancing at the 'Unknown Number' that was currently displayed, he opened it and felt his blush return when he saw the message.
['It's Saki, Hachiman. You just gave me your number, thanks again! You can use this for my contact photo, but if you do anything else with it I'll belt you.']
It wasn't the message itself that caused his blush, but the photo that was attached to it. Currently, Hachiman was looking at a selfie that one Saki Kawasaki has taken probably seconds before sending the message. With a heavily embarrassed look on her face, Saki looked as if she was going to cry during the picture taking process, her fingers in the victory sign with her signature ponytail undone and her silver locks freely flowing across her face and shoulders in a rather sensual manner. His face growing more red the longer he stared at the photo, he forced himself to lock his phone before turning to the culprit responsible for his current embarrassment.
But once he looked at her, he truly wished that he hadn't. Saki's face could make a tomato jealous, the embarrassed silverette hiding her face in her hands as she leaned over her desk with her ponytail messily redone. Slowly, she rose her head before making eye contact with him as a noise of embarrassment left her while she buried and hid her face once more.
"Oi! Don't send something so embarrassing if you're gonna act like this afterwards, Saki!" Hachiman snapped in his mind as his brow twitched in irritation, his attention being diverted when Shizuka entered the classroom.
With a tired sigh, he focused on his teacher as Saki slowly recovered from her embarrassing act, her attention and reddened face focusing on the raven haired man as Shizuka raised a brow in suspicion. With lessons nonexistent, class soon flew as the afternoon came to be.
(Time Skip - A Few Hours Later)
"Right kiddos, let's leave it for today. Remember, we're starting for real tomorrow!" Shizuka declared as they packed their things and began to file out of the room, Hachiman following suit only to pause when he saw Saki standing beside his desk fidgeting with pink on her cheeks.
"U-Umm, y-you don't have club yet, do you?" Saki asked in an hopeful tone, though her mood dampened slightly when he nodded his head in agreement.
"It's not actual club hours, just an hour of getting the new members used to the clubroom before we leave." He explained as she seemed to brighten a bit, Hachiman raising a brow as she forcibly school herself.
"I-I see, well do you mind if I go to your club with you? If it's only an hour, we can maybe w-walk home together after." She asked with another light dusting of pink, Hachiman sharing it though he managed to nod.
"S-Sure, suit yourself but it's going to be uneventful." He Warner as Saki shook her head, Hachiman heaving a mental sigh as he stood up and walked out with Saki.
"Ah, Hikki! You're finally done!" A cheerful and bubbly voice called out to the raven haired youth, Hachiman turning and seeing the smiling face of Yui as she waved happily at him.
"Yo, Yuigahama. Were you waiting for me?" He asked in a surprised tone, getting a brighter smile as she nodded her head in the positive.
"Mhmm! I told you earlier, remember!" She said as he nodded his head, though he figured that she would've been doing it when club activities actually started.
Ignoring his surprise, she was about to latch onto his sleeve and pull him towards their clubroom when she finally took notice of the sharp eyes that were fixed onto her person. Staring at the taller girl who was standing a bit too close to her Hikki for her liking, Yui offered Saki a smile that was returned with a curt nod. Her plans skewed, the pinkette opted to stick close to Hachiman as they made their way to their clubroom.
"So Saki-chan, why're you going with us? I'm sorry, Hikki probably forgot to tell you that we aren't taking requests until next week. Mou, why can't you be more proactive, Hikki!" Yui told the silverette in an apologetic tone before moving to playfully pout at him in a reprimanding manner, Saki feeling her ire rise as the pinkette continued to 'flirt' in front of her.
"No, he actually told me earlier. I just have business with him after and he said that it'd just be an hour, so I don't mind waiting for him to finish." Saki explained to Yui who nodded somewhat slowly, turning to look at Hachiman as he raised a brow in intrigue.
"S-So H-Hachiman, did you use the p-photo that I sent you for y-you know what?" Saki suddenly asked while mustering all of her courage, unable to mask the mass of embarrassment the flooded her system as her face reddened.
The question effectively causing both the man in question and Yui to freeze, Yui snapping her head towards the silverette who was focusing the entirety of her attention away from the glasses wearing boy despite her question. As for Yui, she quickly snatched his phone as he had frozen in process of pulling it out. Quickly unlocking it, Yui mentally thanking her Hikki for still failing to heed her words of setting up a password, she expertly navigated to his messages before finding Saki's name. Opening it without pause, she stood stunned as she stared at the exceptionally cute and somewhat sultry photo of the silverette.
Continuing to simply stare at it, the phone was snatched back as Hachiman shot her an embarrassed glare, grumbling to himself as he sped away, leaving his two companions behind as they stood motionless. Slowly, they turned towards the other as a pair of unsettling looks entered their eyes; Saki having a fierce light in hers while Yui seemed to lose all traces of life in hers. Wordlessly, they turned and raced after the man who left them as multiple different thoughts raced through their heads.
"Damn it, H-Hachiman! This is all your fault, you big i-idiot!"
"Hikki... She calls Hikki by Hikki's first name... Hikki is my Hikki though..."
And that's a wrap. Thanks for reading, stay awesome.