I woke up to a stinging pain across my back. I had fallen asleep lying on a bed frame, and my arms spread onto the bed behind me. Someone had piled a blanket on me while I was asleep. I felt a warm sensation on my right arm. Looking towards the source of the warmth, I saw that it was Kawasaki's hand who was firmly gripping onto my wrist. She was still sound asleep, her face no longer bearing the stresses present in her daily life. She looked at peace, delicate, and admittedly, very beautiful. I found myself staring, just a bit. It was not helping that with every breath she drew, her ample chest movements gave me something else to look at. I forced myself to look away before I got too mesmerised.

My eyes took in the unfamiliar surroundings I found myself in. Mild panic began to set in as my eyes landed on a clock. It was eight in the morning. I had somehow slept the whole night away. And it was a Thursday. My brain gradually sputtered to life and updated itself on the events that had just occurred. I had just spent the whole night sleeping alone with Kawasaki. In her room. And she was still holding tightly onto my wrist. I had to get out of here before anyone noticed.

Recalling that I had left my bag downstairs in the kitchen, I plotted my escape route. But first, I had to free my right arm from the restraint that was Kawasaki. Gently prying her smooth, slender fingers from my arm, I freed myself from her grip.

Stealthily sneaking towards the door, I opened it gently, only to realise that my plan has been foiled by a particular insect. For some reason, he had picked this exact moment to leave his room, and he immediately saw me as I poked my head out of the room.

"Good morning, onii-san!"

This wasn't good. I have been spotted. However, not wanting to be a rude guest, I responded with a greeting of my own.

"Good morning, Taishi. Has the snowstorm cleared? I should head home now."

"Onii-san, you should stay for breakfast. School is cancelled anyway. The roads are still quite clogged up from the snow."

Breakfast? Was I going to cook again? This sneaky bugger sure is great at giving me more work. What a scheming little insect this one is.

"It's okay, Taishi. I shouldn't keep Komachi waiting, and I really need to take a bath." Indeed, I desperately needed one. I caught a whiff of myself, and it didn't smell great. It had been a whole day since my last bath after all.

"But…" Taishi responded, only to be interrupted by the doorbell. I wondered who would be visiting the Kawasaki household at such an early hour. Then I recalled what Taishi told me last afternoon.

"Taishi, when are your parents coming back?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Tomorrow morning had arrived, and so had their parents. So this was why this lad decided to leave his room. His parents were back, and he had planned to go and receive them.

"My parents are friendly, and they already know you are here. I texted them last night after all." Taishi preemptively assuaged my concerns as he disappeared down the staircase. There was no way I was going to sneak out now, was there? I had left too many traces of my existence around the house. My bicycle, my backpack… Realising it was futile and ditching the idea of climbing out of the kitchen window, I followed Taishi's footsteps with a sigh. Human interaction at such an early hour. What a wonderful day this is already shaping up to be.

"Good morning, papa, mama, Welcome home!" Taishi greeted as he opened the door. I was still fumbling down the stairs, still plagued with the slight grogginess that always afflicted me right after I woke up.

The corridor went silent as I felt multiple pairs of eyes lay their gaze on me.

"Good morning, Sir, Ma'am." Kawasaki's parents were at the doorstep, and I greeted them so that they would not stare at me any longer. It was also basic courtesy. Kawasaki's dad was well built, and a friendly face sat atop his broad shoulders. He looked like the typical Japanese corporate slave, really. Kawasaki's mom, on the other hand, was a beauty, even in her age. She had short, but lush hair, and it was obvious that the younger Kawasaki had inherited most of her beauty, especially those gorgeous eyes of hers.

"Ahh, you must be the gentleman who stayed over and helped us take care of the children. We heard from Tai-chan. Thank you so much." Finally, someone recognised my high spec ability in being a gentleman. I did not expect it to come from the head of the Kawasaki household though.

"It's nothing much really, I couldn't leave due to the storm anyway. Sorry for imposing on you." I politely replied. He was, after all, an elder.

"Come, join us for breakfast. It's the least we could do." Kawasaki-san grinned at me, gesturing toward the kitchen.

"It's… It's okay. I shouldn't leave my family waiting, and I really need a shower." Komachi! How could I forget? I had left her all alone, and by this time my parents had probably left for work anyways. Such is the sad life of corporate slaves. Even when the weather is deemed too terrible for students, they still must slave away. That is why I'll work hard and make sure my future spouse will never need to work another day! To work is to lose! Wait, why does that sound different from what I normally say?

Before Kawasaki-san could reply, a growl erupted from within me. My stomach was groaning for food. Indeed, it had been quite a while since I fed myself. The last meal I had was lunch the previous day.

Admitting defeat, I shuffled into the kitchen. As if he sensed my apprehension, Kawasaki-san assured me with a pat on my back, "Don't worry, we bought enough for you too."

As we took our seats at the table, I could not feel more alone. I was, after all, an outsider among them. This felt different from the usual situations in school. It felt… different. The situation could not feel more awkward. Or so I thought.

"So, I heard that you helped take care of Saki-chan? She is such a hardworking daughter... she takes cares of her siblings so well and we could never thank her enough. I'm glad she has friends like you. Thank you so much." It seemed that the entire Kawasaki household had the ability to smile extremely well. Except for the eldest daughter of course. She would only scowl at me if I ever came close to threatening Taishi, get flustered over the small things, or… whatever it was she showed me last evening. If only she smiled a bit more.

"It's… nothing much, I just did what I should do." I was getting a little too much praise and thanks now. I could feel my cheeks warming up slightly.

"So, did you sleep well last night? In fact, where did you sleep?" My eyes lit up the moment I heard the question.

"I… I fell asleep in the living room." I lied. Her parents definitely did not need to know that I had spent the night sleeping inches away from their precious daughter, her warm fingers wrapped around my arm.

Sensing that Taishi was about to speak up and reveal the truth, I gave him a sidelong stare. Thankfully, my dead fish eyes still maintained its potency and Taishi remained quiet. How great it is to have a wonderful repertoire of 108 skills.

By now the food was distributed, and the smell had awoken my already famished stomach. I duly demolished my portion. Getting up and placing my utensils in the sink, I thanked them for the meal before leaving.

Stepping out into the outside once more, I could sense that the weather had indeed become much milder. The skies had cleared, and the winter sun was actually providing some warmth. Mounting my trusty steed, I finally proceeded on my short journey back home.

I was finally alone. As usual, my thoughts began to keep me company. The last day was a whirlwind, and I could not begin to entirely process what happened. For now, all I needed was a hot shower.

Before long, I reached my destination, one that I should have reached many hours ago. My home.

Fishing out the keys from my wallet, I let myself in.

"I'm home."

Komachi burst into the corridor and came to greet me.

Before I could apologise for not being home the previous night, Komachi sprang a question on me that I would never have expected.

"Welcome back, onii-chan! Is Komachi going to be an aunt soon? Ahhh I can't wait!" She was bubbly. Way too bubbly, given the time. Why was she so excited? Her imagination knows no bounds, it seems.

"Nothing happened, Komachi, she was sick, and I took care of her, that is all."

"Ohhh, so taking care of Kawasaki-san includes falling asleep together in the same room? How caring of you, onii-san", Komachi said mockingly.

"N-nothing happened. I was too tired and I fell asleep, that's it." I could feel my cheeks reddening. It was obvious what Komachi was implying, but I was not going to acknowledge it. Middle school students nowadays were scary. What do they even teach in class nowadays?

"Aww, what a disappointment you are, Onii-chan. I thought that you finally made a move."

"Wait… how do you know we slept together?" I winced as the words left my mouth, for the awkward phrasing had left little room for misinterpretation. This could turn nasty very quickly. I really hoped that my parents weren't home. Wait, why was I so concerned anyway? I didn't do anything wrong.

"Taishi-kun texted me you know, I was so worried about you… Also, who did you think it was who put the blanket over you while you were sound asleep?"

It looks like I had wrongly classified that insect. In fact, it looks like he was more like a snake. I would need to neutralise him before he sunk his fangs into Komachi. Furthermore, he now knew something that the rest of the world should never hear about. Yet another reason to get rid of him. One fine day….

"Thank you, Komachi, for being so worried about me…" I was slightly ashamed of myself. I forced Komachi to contact that snake because she was worried about me. Komachi is the best imouto I could ever have.

"Onii-chan, what's with that expression? It's creeping me out you know…." Komachi recoiled slightly in mock disgust. At least I think it was an act. No way my beloved Komachi is actually disgusted with me right?

"Anyway, onii-chan, you should bathe. You really stink." Komachi said as she brought her hand to her nose while waving the other in front of her. Now that really hurts me, my dear imouto. I didn't have a choice okay? I really needed a bath though.

Finally, as the warm streaks of water flowed over my body. I found some much needed solace.

I began to recall the events that had transpired the previous day.

The snowstorm. Bringing Taishi back here in the bitter cold. Kawasaki falling sick. Cooking for the first time in ages. Feeding her because she was sick. Then as I fell asleep… those words. Words that I never thought would be directed at me. Definitely not from her.

I left the bath, wiped myself down and changed into my home clothes. As I stepped out of the bathroom, I decided that I have had sufficient sleep, and so I went to rest in the living room. Komachi had disappeared, presumably into her room, leaving me all alone.

Usually, this was a time I could relax and waste the hours away. Increasingly rare these days, it seemed. However, despite the peace and quiet in the room, it was quite the different case within my head. I was thinking of the same thing ever since I left for home.

Those words. Those words that Kawasaki had uttered as we both fell asleep.

Those words definitely meant something. Surely, it was directed at me. No one else was in her room at that time after all. Or was she dreaming? Surely not, for she had just closed her eyes. Her tone, on the other hand, definitely made it sound intentional. It was a declaration, a confession right?

I looked up at the ceiling and released a sigh.

Going by the assumption that it was a declaration of that nature, why would she harbour such feelings? Drawing into the immense reserves of excellent brain power that I possessed, I recalled our first interactions. Thanks, in no small part I must mention, to that sneaky snake.

It was Taishi who raised the request. It was one of the first few requests of the club, back in summer. Seeing that his sister was spending way too many nights outside, he got concerned. Sneakily telling Komachi about it, I was eventually forced to intervene.

She was working hard so that she did not need to burden her family. Attending the cram school that would definitely help in her goal to qualify for university, but she also had to find a way to pay for it. This led to her taking up the job at that luxurious bar that charged nearly a 1000 yen for a single serving of ginger ale. My wallet would never let me forget that. In fact, I sometimes bumped into her at the cram school, but we would never do more than exchange a few words before she retreated to her corner of the classroom.

She was scary back then. So much scarier than she was now. Back then, her eyes would bore through anything but the thickest armour. Or Yukinoshita. She was one of the few that ever dared stare her down, and not lose. Nowadays she had become more tame, especially around me. I wonder why. If this continued, maybe one day, I can finally squish that snake. Anyways, it meant that I no longer was at the end of her fiery stares. I'm thankful for that.

In that McDonalds at five in the morning, I introduced her to my get rich quick scheme: a scholarship. It seemed such an obvious solution to her problems, but for a smart girl like her, she somehow neglected to see that. With that, her issues were mainly solved, and she no longer needed to work part-time overnight. She softened after that, no longer attempting to kill me with her stares. I wonder why.

Undoubtedly, Kawasaki herself was thankful as well. Obviously, she wouldn't say it in front of anyone else. No loner would. It was a sign of weakness. A sign of depending on someone else. The moment one did that, he or she was no longer a loner. Was this why she felt any sort of affection towards me? For that assistance I had rendered? Maybe she felt some sort of indebtedness towards me, and that she must do something to repay me for it. However, all I did was only to provide assistance, as required of my role as a member of the service club.

Maybe, it was because we are both loners that she feels closer to me than others. As such, we understand each other on a level that mere riajuus cannot. This similarity inevitably led to her thinking that we are closer that we actually are. That must be it. None of this was genuine, merely a host of coincidences forcing us together, forcing us to interact. Based on this, her confession of sorts must have been misguided. There was so space for such a thing between us. After all, that is the path of a loner.

This was all about how she feels, and I think that it was misguided from the start. My feelings don't matter much, I don't think. Not in this case. Not really getting anywhere, I must analyse this from the start.

I thought about what exactly it was that she said once more.

"About that 'love ya'... I love ya too."

That implied that I once mentioned those words to her before. Trying hard to recall when I did so, my memories surfaced. It was back during the culture festival, when I was desperate to find Sagami, who had irresponsibly disappeared without a trace. Wanting to express my thanks to her, as I did to Zaimokuza, I uttered those words.

She was very helpful, as it turned out. That very stairwell led me to find that useless bitch, who was shying away, waiting for someone to find her so that she could feel better about herself. I'm thankful that I no longer have to deal with her. At least I hoped so.

Kawasaki is a smart girl, after all, she definitely got what I meant back then, right? Given her decent grades, she definitely had the inference skills to deduce that I was thankful. Her response yesterday was merely to thank me. That must be it. Who on earth would fall for me anyway? I gave myself a mental pat on the back for solving this. In fact, there was no problem. After all, I was merely overthinking matters.

"Onii-chan, what are you thinking about?" Komachi leaned over the sofa, and looked at me quizzically, derailing whatever was left of my train of thoughts. She was too cute and caring to be ignored.

"Nothing much, really," I reply dismissively. I wasn't about to let Komachi know that I was indeed, thinking about a girl. I would never hear the end of it from her.

"Ohhh, really? Then why was it that you didn't reply when I asked if you wanted some MAXX?" Komachi teasingly said and she handed me an ice-cold can of liquid diabetes. It was so sweet but so good. As the brilliant taste of MAXX coffee filled my mouth, what Komachi said next nearly made me choke.

"By the way, Yui-san called last night. She was concerned if you got caught out in the storm."

Barely regaining my composure, and wiping some of the MAXX coffee that might have leaked out, I replied. "And what did you tell her?"

"Well, I told her that you were at Taishi-kun's house, and you weren't picking up."

Just as I thought I could finally get some rest, I now had to quell the fire that was Yuigahama. Leaping from the sofa, I grudgingly went to dig for my phone. I was not about to let the airhead draw her own conclusions from what Komachi said. To think that my own lovely Komachi would betray me like this…

Finding my phone lying on the table where I last left it, I scrolled to the bottom of my contact list and called Yuigahama.

"Yahallo, Hikki!" Luckily for me, I had expected that the Yuigacannon could launch electronic blasts as well, and I had placed my phone an adequate distance from my tender ears. Her voice still came through loud and clear.

"Yo." I gave my trademark greeting. Short, and effective. Much unlike my inner monologues. Wanting to keep the phone call short, I continued, "I'm home now. I heard from Komachi that you called yesterday. I'm fine. I just got snowed in and I stayed over."

"Ahhh, glad to hear that you are fine now… see you tomorrow in school, Hikki." Did she just voluntarily end a conversation? I never thought that this day would come. Maybe she finally sensed that I was not a man of many words. Even she can learn.

"Goodbye, Yuigahama." With that, I ended the call. There, no space for misunderstandings, right?

"That was very suspicious of you, onii-chan. Why, do you have something to hide from Yui-san?" Komachi gave me a cheeky smirk. Just how much did Taishi tell her? I was getting afraid now…

Sensing the awkward silence that had now filled the living room, Komachi decided to destroy it in the worst way possible.

"So, did you hold her hand, or did she hold yours?" Komachi smiled devilishly, reminding me of a certain cunning kouhai that I had. I felt an unnatural warmth in my cheeks as her question surfaced the memories I had just buried at the back of my head.

It was going to be a long day ahead, and I was trapped in the house with my lovely sister that I could not ignore.

My alarm clock woke me up with a bang. It was Friday. Unfortunately, the snow cleared out sufficiently yesterday, and I had to go back to school once more. As I got dressed and headed out of my room, I was greeted with silence. My parents had disappeared early in the morning, as usual. Komachi, presumably, had left the house too. Normally she would wait for me, but not today.

For the first time in many years, I had argued with her yesterday. She kept on peppering me with questions about the evening prior. I'm not sure what that snake told her, but it definitely had poisoned her thoughts dangerously. I had come to my own conclusion on the events of that evening, and her constant questions and teasing finally got too much. I snapped at her. Never had I raised my voice at her, but I did so yesterday. With that, my words became lethal weapons, and they silenced her for good. She retreated to her room, slamming the door on the way in. Getting frustrated from the thoughts that were filling my head, I decided to distract myself by spending some needed time with Vita-chan. It was a free day off school anyway. We had not exchanged a single word since.

Walking down the stairs and into the dining room, I saw my breakfast lying on the table. Looks like Komachi still bothered to make one, despite what happened last night. It was omurice with some leftover chicken from yesterday's dinner. Typically, she would draw a big red heart with ketchup over the omelette, but today there was no such art. I guess I couldn't ask for more, right? At least there was something to eat.

Getting to school was a typical affair, but it was without Komachi for half the way, hence it did feel a bit quiet. We would have to fix that eventually. However, before we could get to that, I had to grind through what was bound to be yet another measly, torturous winter day back in school.

Once again, it was Hiratsuka-sensei standing in between me and the sweet release from prison. As she wrapped up her lecture, she began to go on a tangent. I groaned internally.

"As you all should know, Kawasaki is not with us today. Would anyone be so kind as to help me bring her homework to her house? I'll owe you a drink, of course." Sensei offered, winking at the end of the sentence. While she was evidently still young at heart, she definitely was not getting any younger. Please don't do it anymore sensei, it looks embarrassing.

Indeed, Kawasaki did not turn up to school today, and for some reason, I felt slightly glad. Not that I was happy that she was still sick, but because well, I didn't really want to see her. I didn't want her to feel more indebted to me than she already was.

Anyway, who would be stupid enough to volunteer? It was only a drink, and the effort required to get that drink was definitely not worth it. I let out a sigh, knowing that no one would be foolish enough to take up this unequal deal and that she would only drag on the lesson past its scheduled time. Again. If only sensei remembered the importance of punctuality, especially in a society like ours. Maybe this was why no one was willing to marry her.

The class understandably reacted to this new development by shooting their mouths away, and the most common consensus was that no one even knew where Kawasaki lived. That in itself was unsurprising, as she was never close to anyone in the class, not close enough for them to have visited her house anyway. She, much like me, had always kept to herself, and no one bothered her.

Lo and behold, my thoughts were shattered by the rumbling of the loose cannon situated diagonally behind me. Yuigahama Yui had decided to speak up. What an idiot! Was she going to offer her assistance?

Standing up and getting the attention of the whole class, she puffed her already generous chest outwards and proclaimed, "Sensei, Hikki knows where she lives!"

I turned around and looked at her in shock as her fingers pointed squarely at me. What the fuck? Did this bitch just gleefully throw me off a cliff? How is she still smiling? Seems like Isshiki's virus has spread to her. Poor me. Girls are scary beings. I would never want anything to do with them. And she was supposed to be a nice one. There is no justice on this earth.

Sensei's chuckle brought my attention to the front of the classroom once more. Her eyes were gleaming with a mixture of excitement and hope, and it instilled an immense fear within me. It was as if I was held hostage by that smirk alone. It's no wonder that nobody could stay around her long enough before being scared out of their wits.

That was how I ended up with an extra pile of papers on my desk to carry around. With sensei being how she is, there was no way I could reject her. I wasn't one of her suitors after all. Furthermore, I was not going to let myself get punched in the gut. Poor Komachi would be grief stricken if she saw her beloved onii-chan in such a state. Speaking of which, I should text her to inform her that I would be slightly late. Despite what happened yesterday, she is still my one and only Komachi. Maybe I could dump the papers on Taishi, he can be the pack mule for the bumper harvest of homework we received today. That would definitely solve the problem. I'm not a fan of being cheap labour. In fact, I'm not a fan of any labour at all.

Taking my phone out from my pocket, I see that I had received a message from that one girl that was the source of all of this trouble.

Hikigaya, can you please help me pick up Taishi again? Sorry for the trouble. Also, We need to talk.

I was in denial, and so I read the message once more. Surely not, she did not just ask me to do it again right? That last sentence did not bode well. I've read enough mangas and seen enough dramas to know that it was not going to be a pleasant experience.

Of course, there also was the issue of that burden. Not only did I have to carry the extra weight from the papers, I now had to make that detour. Again. This day was getting from bad to worse. I sincerely hoped that it did not get even worse from here on. Did I just curse myself?

After sending Komachi a short text, I sighed as I left the classroom and made my journey towards her school. Thankfully, the weather had begun to return to normal, and it was becoming the mild winter that I knew and loved about Chiba.

As the pair of them leisurely strolled out of the gate, I was once again filled with hatred towards that snake, who was getting way too close to my dear Komachi. I wish he would stop poisoning her. I decided that I must put a stop to it. As such, I would talk to Komachi about a topic where he can't possibly butt in. I'm such a genius.

After we exchanged our usual greetings, I decided to make my move.

"Komachi, about yesterday…" I was still struggling for words. It was, after all, such a rare occurrence.

"It's okay, onii-chan. I took it slightly too far. I should have been more considerate towards an outcast like you… teehee!" As she finished speaking, she gave me the brightest smile in the universe. How unfair of her. There was no way I couldn't forgive her when she did that. I gently rustled her hair as she looked up at me. All is fine now, I guess. Our bond was way too strong for something so trivial to break it apart. Watch and learn, Taishi, for you will never achieve anything close to this with Komachi. Not on my watch.

Ever the insensitive, meddling annoyance, Taishi decided that this was the best time to open that large trap of his. "Onii-san, I'm sorry too, Komachi kept asking me all those questions and I just…" He voice tapered off, as did his bravery. It seems that the King Cobra had become a mere tree snake. Stop trying to suck up to me, you are barking up the wrong tree, really. It's a hopeless cause trying to convince me. At least he knew he was a snake though, so I guess that's some progress.

Seeing that I had gone silent with my inner thoughts, Taishi once more began conversing with Komachi. My plan to interrupt them had failed, or had it? Instead of conversing with Komachi, I would instead talk to Taishi. That would work.

"So, Taishi, how is your sister doing? She rarely skips school." It was true, even on the days when she used to work overnight, she would still turn up to school, even if she wasn't punctual. Such was her dedication to learning and getting herself to university.

Seemingly happy for me to have initiated a conversation with him, his face lit up with joy as he answered, "Ahh, she's feeling much better now, but our parents forbade her from leaving the house today. She rarely falls sick, you see."

"Ahh, that's great to hear." The memories of yesterday began to resurface, the most prominent of which was obviously the more than friendly bodily contact that she had initiated. I guess that everyone has different sleeping habits, and who am I to judge?

I arduously carried on with the awkward conversation, which mainly focused on me trying to convince him that aiming for Sobu High might not be the best option for him after all. It was totally coincidental that Komachi was aiming for it, and that I was quite confident that she would be able to pass. Without a snake by her side, she might even be able to outperform me. Well, she already did in math, but that is an entirely different matter.

Thankfully, we soon turned onto the street that the Kawasaki household lived. Finally, my ordeal was coming to an end, and I could spend some precious alone time with Komachi once again, free from the venomous snake. Taking out the worksheets that sensei had unceremoniously dumped on my table from my bag, I passed them to Taishi.

"Here, it's for your sister."

"Onii-san, why don't you come in?" Taishi invited. This time, although the cold was biting at my fingertips, I was not on the verge of freezing to death, so I decided to decline the offer.

However, before I could reply, Komachi cut in. "I haven't seen Taishi's house! Let's go inside, onii-chan." There was no chance I was going to refuse the request of my beloved Komachi. I sighed as we headed inside.

"Onee-chan, I'm home!" Taishi bellowed. Within moments, Kawasaki peeked out into the corridor and responded. Wait, was she waiting to pounce the moment Taishi returned? What a dedicated brocon. Taishi soon scuttled up the stairs, bringing Komachi with him. Hey, since when did I allow you to take my precious Komachi away? I'll get you for it later.

This left me alone with Kawasaki in the hallway. Colour had returned to her features, and she definitely looked more alive then she was last morning. So alive in fact, that her cheeks were a slight tinge of red. Realising that my hands were still clutching onto her homework, I passed them over to her.

"Here, today's homework. Sensei requested that I bring them over."

"Thank you." She took the stack of papers into her arms before continuing, "about that night…" Her voice trailed off, and I remembered the last part of her text earlier. I wonder what she wanted to talk to me about. It seems that she was surprisingly thankful for what I did.

She began to hug the papers tightly, and she looked straight at me with those stunning eyes of hers, her face full of determination. I had not seen her being so serious before. "Did you hear what I said?" Oh. That. Those words that had bothered me so much yesterday.

I nodded in response.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "We… We need to clarify what's between us. Our… our relationship."

Wait… what? Wasn't she just thanking me before she fell asleep? Surely she was, at least, that was the conclusion that I had come to yesterday. Confusion filled my mind, and it evidently showed on my features, as she continued, "It's… it's okay if you need more time."

"Yea… I do." And I did. At this point, I was rather confused as to what was going on. It looks like I needed even more time to think. Surely the monster of logic did not give me an incorrect conclusion… right?

Our relationship. What did she mean? Obviously she mean the interpersonal relationship, the interactions we had over the school year, and over the past few days. What was it that she wanted to clarify? We were classmates, and we occasionally helped each other when the need arose. All we had in common was that our younger siblings often met and that we were both loners.

We were loners in a sad and terrible world where being one was frowned upon, but I believe for both of us it's a choice, rather than a sign of weakness. We chose not to interact with others. Those insignificant riajuus, whose main aim in class seemed to be chasing after such superficial interactions, to act as if they were popular, on top of the world, superior to those who did not have as many connections as them. But this was not what I sought, and I presume Kawasaki had similar thoughts. We were the superior beings, who saw through such charades and decided not to participate in them.

What did she mean though? Does she mean that she saw us as more than just classmates? As friends, or even something beyond that? Sure, I guess you could say that we share some kind of bond and a level of mutual understanding as outcasts from our cruel society, but as friends? That was unlikely. Thinking about this logically and taking my past experiences as a reference, my own overtures for friendship have been constantly turned down by a certain Yukinoshita.

I winced as I recalled further back and reminded myself of the one time I had decided to attempt furthering a relationship with a girl beyond mere friendship. As much as I would hate to admit it, that experience had definitely scarred me. The feeling of rejection. The despair, the pain, and how there was no one I could turn to. It was all part and parcel of how I came to be the way I am today. It is an undeniable fact that what happened in the past had shaped me to be how I am today, and the actions I take in the present and the events that happened to me would then affect how I am in the future.

So, what is Kawasaki to me? Is she an acquaintance, or did I feel that there was a possibility of something deeper? Would I consider her a friend? Does she consider me a friend? What did we even need to clarify in the first place? The more I thought about it, the more confused I am. This is why I hate dealing with people. Everyone is so complicated, so confusing, always hiding behind facades. Why doesn't anyone just tell me what they mean straight to my face?

It would take a long time before I came to any sort of conclusion. Thankfully, the weekends were upon us, and I would have much precious time to myself, away from the meddling enigma that was other people. Throwing these thoughts aside for now, I dug up Vita-chan and engrossed myself in the virtual world that was much less confusing.

The weekend had zoomed past quickly in a flurry of games and homework. My brief respite from school was over almost as soon as it began, and I was once again seated at my desk in classroom 2F. At least the weather was pleasant today, and it seemed like it would continue for the rest of the week. This meant that I no longer had to stay in the classroom during lunch. That was a plus. Lunch would begin in a couple of moments, and it was not Hiratsuka-sensei teaching, so that meant that we had a teacher who actually could tell the time.

The bell rang, and as the sensei left the classroom, the numerous cliques began to form their own respective herds. It was a ritual that was repeated every break time. The betas would flock to the alphas, and they would pretend to like each other and converse about nothing but the most superficial topics. Not wanting to witness this ritual, I started to walk out of the classroom, as planned. As I stood up, Kawasaki did the same. I guess that she would like to go to her favourite spot: the rooftop. It was getting noisy in the classroom anyway. As I walked down the stairwell towards the cafeteria, I noticed that she was not heading up the stairs as I thought she would be. Our eyes made brief contact as I looked back towards her. Looks like I have been spotted. After all, I still owed her a reply. That must be it.

She caught up to me and uttered something incoherent. It was lunchtime, and the stairwell was filled with a hungry horde of students moving toward the cafeteria. It was difficult to discern what she was trying to tell me. Lip reading, unfortunately, was not one of my 108 skills. As such, I told her to speak up.

She got flustered for a moment, her cheeks reddening slightly. It was becoming a familiar sight, and I wasn't sure what to make of it. All I did was to ask her to raise her volume slightly. I hoped that it was because she was indeed too soft, and not that my ears wer suffering from the long term effects of sitting next to the Yuigacannon erupt day after day, time and time again.

Instead of repeating what she had said, she instead decided on a ridiculous move. She grabbed my wrist again and charged down the stairs, pulling me along with her. It seems that she did not know that it is dangerous to run down the stairs, especially with her head facing downwards as she was doing. Her actions reminded me of a certain sneaky kouhai. Did she steal a page from her playbook? This epidemic of Isshikitis was really spreading. I need to contain it before it spreads even further. Unlike her soft, soothing grip that morning, her hands were tightened around mine like a vice, and it was beginning to hurt. I was once again reminded of the fate that awaited me if I failed to dispose of Taishi properly before she found out.

As she dashed down the corridor with me in her tow, we were garnering quite the audience. She was breaking the school rules, and running through the hallways in such a manner was definitely going to attract some attention.

She finally slowed down after reaching a deserted part of the school. Coincidentally, it was quite close to where I had intended to go in the first place, but I had no bread or drink. She swung me towards a corner. She finally let go of me as she paused to catch her breath. She was way too close. Dangerously close. Her scent was overwhelming my nostrils, and I had nowhere to retreat.

"Let's… let's eat lunch together." No wonder she didn't want to repeat it loudly in the midst of a crowd. It would be bad if others misheard… what if they mistook us for a couple? No wonder Kawasaki took this path of action. But why did she want to spend her lunchtime with me?

"Why? I need to get something from the cafeteria too…"

"There's no need for that." She gestured towards her bento, which was way too large for one person to consume. No way. "I made this. It's for helping me last week. Especially… the meal." Kawasaki's gratitude knew no bounds it seems. Why did she mention that meal again though, the more I think about it, the more awkward it got. I gratefully accepted the offer. Who said that there was no free lunch in this world must have been joking. I wasn't really swimming in cash anyway, not after spending most of my allowance sending Komachi back home on that taxi.

I led her to my secret hideout spot, away from the crowds, and extremely quiet. My kind of place. I guess it was a fair exchange for her food, and having previously intruded into her own spot, the rooftop. We were even now, I guess.

We sat down opposite one another and she began to uncover the bento. Some of the food had slid to one side, smashed against the walls of its compartments. Well, we were running pretty fast down the stairs anyway.

"Sorry, it became like this…" It seemed that the slightly timid Kawasaki had returned, and she was looking embarrassed with a tinge of… sadness?

"It's okay, I'm sure it still tastes good anyway." She definitely was highly advanced in those skills. After all, from what I have learnt, she was definitely a good cook. Indeed, I should learn from her if I were to be a decent househusband in the future.

"Thanks… I guess." Her cheek reddened as looked away from me. Looks like Kawasaki wasn't used to being praised. How humble of her. Well, it's not surprising, given that the younger brother of hers is a snake and Keika was still way too young to appreciate what she does.

She handed over a pair of chopsticks and we began to dig in. She was looking at me with every bite I took. It was getting slightly creepy, to be honest. I was very much used to consuming my lunch alone, and having someone stare at me while I was eating was a new experience. However, I was thankful for the free lunch and her kindness, so I didn't comment on it. It would be rude to bite back at the hand that fed me, and in this case, it was quite literal. Despite being a loner, I still knew and respected certain societal norms. I wasn't that much of a scumbag, as some might believe.

We continued to eat in silence, as neither of us were the type who would fill the silence with noise just for the sake of it. We both enjoyed the benefits of silence. I smiled in satisfaction as I finished the meal. It was way better than yakisoba bread, and dare I say, better than Komachi's own creations. For once, I was envious of Taishi. He could enjoy this every day. Unlike me.

"Thank you for the meal, Kawasaki." I was a polite gentleman, and my manners were befitting of that. My mouth was getting a bit dry, and I thought of getting a drink. Since I was going to the vending machine anyway, I decided to offer my assistance to her. "Is there anything you want?"

"Your answer." Wait… I was asking for an answer, why are you asking me for my answer? Oh. That. The talk about our "relationship". One that I had conveniently tried to forget over the weekend.

Taking into consideration our interactions over the past week, we were definitely no longer mere acquaintances. Spending time with her was admittedly rather enjoyable, as I was not being shouted at by her, much unlike the Yuigacannon. I never felt hurt nor insulted by her words, much unlike Yukinoshita, who constantly threw nothing but cold, merciless insults my way. By the way, she was the one who rejected my kind offer of being a friend. Lastly, unlike that kouhai I rather not name, she pulled me aside not for manual labour, but for food.

I decided to give her a response that I felt was adequate.

"I guess… we are friends?"

She looked straight at me, tears welling up in those beautiful eyes of hers. She looked like she had just been stabbed in the heart. Then she dashed off, away from where we had spent our lunchtime together, from my secret spot. Those tears definitely did not look like tears of joy, they looked like those of sorrow and hurt. What have I done?

I've made a girl cry.

My feet remained rooted to the ground. The cold, aloof and sometimes scary Kawasaki Saki was running down the corridor in tears, and I was to blame.

A/N: Before I hide behind a wall to protect myself from all the angry reviews that are sure to come, I would like to take the opportunity to thank SouBU and yang for helping with the beta/proofread, and all of you who have read this. Never in my wildest expectations did I dream of breaking 100 follows and faves, but you all have done it. Thank you. As for those asking about my update schedule, I'm trying to keep to a weekly one, but no promises. Updates on progress will be on my profile, so do check that if you are curious. As always, all feedback is welcome, so do keep the reviews coming. I hope to see you soon.

Katyusha.