Satisfied I closed the book which I just finished to read. While I didn't close the book in an exaggerated way, the sound it caused echoed painfully loud through the empty house. After an apology to the silence I just disturbed, my way led to me to the kitchen.

To quench my thirst, that had build up during my read, I opened a can of MAX Coffee and took a sip.

Luckily the trip back to the sofa was as uneventful as the journey to the kitchen. I seated myself properly on it and took another sip before I exhaled a long breath.

My thoughts traveled back to yesterday's evening. Of course Komachi questioned me immediately how everything turned out. I could only reply that I wouldn't really know till the next meeting of the club. Clearly worried my sister picked up her phone, but after hearing me say that I didn't feel like it went completely wrong, she put it away again.

I wonder who of the two she was about to call first.

The day was so tiring that I had no choice but to sleep early.

Which brings me back to today. Sunday. Only a Sunday can make this idyll possible.

My parents took Komachi off to somewhere in order to reward her once more for the entry exam. You know my dear parents, she only got a feeling that it went well. We won't get the official result for a few weeks to come. There is really no reason to spoil her that much.

And why wasn't I even asked to come along?

Not that I would have even if they did. Who would ruin his Sunday by going outside? Not a single sane person. That's for sure.

The only problem with Sunday was the unpleasant shadow an evil creature named Monday would cast.

Normally.

Despite the book being as good as it was, I couldn't really relax like usual while I had read it.

My glance set once more on today's enemy. An action that interrupted my reading several times.

Low battery, no new messages. That thing behaved like every other day. It can't fool me though. I had good reasons to believe that it would attack me with a call soon. If not today, then tomorrow, or any day after.

This uncertainty really took a toil on me. However I knew that the call itself and everything which would follow was way more stressful than the uncertainty I felt at the moment. Having thought about it for too long, my mood was ruined. I better distract myself with a short study session. Halfway to my room I stopped in my tracks. I went back to take my phone along with me.

Ignoring it would put me in an unimaginably dire situation after all. I was so scared trying to think about possible consequences that it was no small feat to have arrived safely at my room. My legs were shaking so much as if they were made out of jelly.

Before my door was completely shut, Kamakura's snore reached my ears. The cat slept without a care in the world in front of Komachi's door. I sighed.

"Cold." A fresh breeze kept my eyes closed. I was shivering and tried to turn my body into the direction from where the wind was blowing. The window needs to be shut as quickly as possible or I'll freeze.

But no matter how much I turned around I couldn't figure the origin of the breeze out.

I felt surrounded. It came from everywhere.

I forced my eyes open and was dumbfounded. This isn't my home, I'm outside! How could this happen? On a Sunday no less.

Tired of the long study session I was half asleep when Komachi and my parents returned home in the afternoon. I vaguely remember how she announced her wish to eat Namerou.[1] Despite me having bought a long list of groceries yesterday, we apparently didn't have all ingredients needed for this dish. I don't recall whether I was pushed out forcefully by my father or if I gave in and accepted my new task. Maybe it was a mixture of both. It was one of Chiba's famous foods after all and tasty on top of it.

Mother and Komachi insisted on me going to the same grocery store as yesterday, apparently that's the place to go for the best balance of quality and cheap prices. Since I had to bring back the receipt I had no choice but to go all the way to this rather far away supermarket.

I wouldn't be surprised if a complaining Yuki-onna[2] would pass me along the way.

It really was that cold.

Inside the grocery store I found the horse mackerel and flying fish quite quickly. I raised my gaze along with the last fish needed for our dinner tonight until suddenly familiar ringlets came into view. Our eyes clearly met this time. I could tell because hers widened in surprise. Mine must have as well. Thanks to the freezing cold I had completely forgotten that I saw her shopping here yesterday. Now was a good time to panic.

Mahapadma! [3]

As if a normal meeting wouldn't be bad enough already, Miura was quite some distance away. We were separated by three rows. I was at the hip-high freezer for fish, while she was at the fruit section behind a multistorey chest-high shelf. In-between was another row of hip-high freezers filled with meat, but I couldn't care less about that now.

I was tempted to ask what she has done to be send outside on this frosty afternoon. I remembered in time that she always goes outside with bare legs on display so I refrained from inquiring. Miura must be immune to the cold and thus her parents had no ill thought for doing so. Unlike my father who sacrificed his son to the snow just to have more Komachi-time. I would have probably abused my authority in the same way if I had any.

Also, calling out to her at this distance might attract the attention of half the supermarket. I better spare her the shame of publicly announcing to the other customers that she is in any form related to me. Haven't I been way too mean to myself here?

Since a verbal greeting was out of question and a gesture could be seen by others as well, I went for the last option available.

It was impossible for me to say how long this moment lasted. I had no idea how long I thought or if my ability to stop the time actually worked, but for some reason we averted our faces at the exact same time. A wave of relief came over me, signaling that my choice was correct. With my gaze not longer locked to her green eyes I caught a glimpse of her legs between the multistorey shelf when I turned my face away.

I made my way to the register, paid and left the supermarket as fast as I could.

It was only outside I could finally relax my stiffened body, but only for a second, before I was hit by very chilling breeze. Miura's legs came into my mind again. She was either crazy to put her public image above her health or she really was immune to this weather.

My own legs started to wander towards home, glad that their owner covered them with clothes. My thoughts roamed as well and stopped at Miura's eyes.

I wonder if I had ever stared into her eyes that long before. Well since I couldn't tell how long I actually did it this time, there is no way for me to answer my question. But since I had nothing to do as I walked, I thought back on the occasions were I had seen her humongous eyes in the past. When my mind came across a certain image my feet nearly stopped moving for a second.

Miura with the eyes of a panda. She had rubbed her eyes, which were painted black with mascara and eyeliner, too strongly with her sleeve. When the make-up crumbled, it was then that I first truly thought that Miura Yumiko was a cute girl.[4]

Sure, I labeled her cute before, but somehow those times were different. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's the girl part that had changed and added to her cuteness. Before the career plan request I saw her more of a woman on top of the far away and highest caste at our school. The image of a normal girl, usually not more than five meters away in class, was unthinkable back then. Since I was forced to join the Service Club I have seen a few sides of Miura that I had not known before. This school year was rather eventful and I can understand why Komachi was so set on entering Sobu High. Surely the number one reason was because of me, but my tales of the club should have an honourable mention when it comes to explain her decision.

I somehow felt warmer on my way back home than towards the grocery store. Must be due to my goal being a heated place right now.

Home is the place to be. Not only is it the place where little sisters eagerly await the return of their brothers, but also where one can shamelessly use the kotatsu to its fullest.[5]

Today the first part was rather lacking though. I didn't really expect to be welcomed with an overjoyed greeting and a passionate hug, but being completly ignored by Komachi, who was immersed in a magazine for female teenagers, was very depressing.

Onii-chan just went through a snowy hell to fulfill a certain princess' wish, you know? To save myself from feeling down, I came to the conclusion that she must be focused on an article of how to become an even better sister. Komachi was the best, I knew it all along.

At least no one disturbed my revitalisation under the kotatsu till dinner was ready.

My father sneakily seated himself next to Komachi who did no attempt at relocating herself today. The trip with our parents must had been to her liking.
Oi father, you're looking way too happy here. What's with the victory vibes you send towards me? Picking up a fight?
My mother, who was still in the preparation to set the table, suddenly spoke to me.

"Seeing you actually helping out with the chores for once brought back some memories."

Wasn't the wording a bit too mean mother? It's not like I never do something, or did my previous deeds expire after only five years?
I guess I really have no right to be offended this time. Just as I was about to mentally apologise to my mother I remembered something.
Didn't I order and pick up the party barrel from KFC before Christmas? Now I am kind of miffed, but I'll let it slide. Getting upset over your work not being recognised only leads to more work.

"Well, I would be in a tight spot if Komachi ends up getting sick by going outside in her current state."

Whenever someone mentions 'chores' or 'work' I was on my guard. I'll give vague responses till I knew what they were scheming. I didn't avoid chores for the last five years by chance. Wait, I'm proud of it now? I successfully exorcised the evil spirit, called guilty conscience, and returned to my normal self.
My mother gave me a puzzled look.

"What do you mean by that?"

I meant the shopping is merely an exception. As soon as Komachi has recovered, I won't lift a finger ever again. Of course I didn't say that out loud.

"She pushed herself quite hard with the studying these past months. Isn't it easy for a burned out person to catch a cold in this weather? If that were to happen I would miss out on her tasty cooking for a while."

I took a glance over to Komachi for confirmation by how much my Hachiman points went up, but there was no reaction. Still looking at her magazine she might have not even heard our conversation. My effort of praising her was totally wasted.

It wasn't like my words had no effect at all. Father's frown increased tenfold. You're jealous pops? My Hachiman points with him probably hit rock bottom years ago, so I didn't really care.
Did my mother's face lit up for a second? Was it just my imagination? I wasn't sure. Damn it, I got carried away and forgot who my current opponent was for a moment.
It was too late to read anything from her face once I put all my attention back to her.
She nonchalantly continued our conversation.

"Oh, what about your cooking? It's been a while since I got to eat that, did you improve?"

My heart stopped for a moment and the alarm went off inside my head. Cold sweat started to run down my back. If only I had paid attention. I have to chose my next words wisely.

While I was still collecting myself Komachi answered in my stead.

"He still has the most distinguished cooking skills among sixth graders of the country."[6] She flashed me an overtly brightly smile as if to signal me that there was no way her points wouldn't go up with that. Onii-chan is truly happy that you grasp the worth of this achievement, but unfortunately there are people, like Yukinoshita, who cannot understand this. Also you were listening to the conversation all along huh?

I turned my head back to mom expecting to see a displeased expression or at best a wry smile, but to my surprise she seemed happy.
Was she one of the few to understand? My affection for her skyrocketed as I saw her off to the kitchen where she was about to get the last plates.

"Oh, in that case – Komachi would you be so kind and teach him till the new school year starts?"

So she deemed it not enough after all? Then why did she make a face like that before?

Then it struck me. That smile wasn't meant for me but for herself. So she really had a hidden agenda and to show it so openly my mother was sure to have me trapped.

I won't go down that easily. But just when I wanted to voice my objection I got distracted by the view in front of me.

Komachi seemed to be fine with mom's suggestion and had a grin on her face. Next to her my father's displeasure at the thought of me spending more time alone with my sister was unduly. There should be a limit to that, you know? I'm still her brother, pops.
So far nothing unusual and I wouldn't have even paid any attention to it if it weren't for what followed.

Synchronously both of their faces switched to a neutral expression. Only their eyebrows closing in together gave away that they were apparently thinking hard. After five more seconds another switch occurred. My father now with a smile, you don't see that often, nodded his head to mom's suggestion while my sister looked liked she accidentally drank milk two weeks over its day of expiry.

Were they on to mother's thinking?

"Nah, I don't want to."

I ignored Komachi's monotonous voice of refusal as best as I could and tried to follow their reasoning. It really hurt though.

I was on pretty good terms with my sister and her initial grin proved that she had no qualms with the superficial meaning of mom's words. So at fault was mother's ulterior motive. Pops would only be happy if I spend less time with Komachi and not more. Which means..

NAIVE! I was so focused on avoiding a bit of extra work that I didn't see the bigger picture.

Being able to cook for yourself is the first step into independence. My parents want to chase me out of home. You can't do that! The outer world was scary, that's why remained inside in the first place.
No wonder Komachi had that expression on. She doesn't want to be separated from her onii-chan. My sister is the cutest in the world. I don't want to part with you or the home either. At least for the next 50 years.

Meanwhile my mother had returned from the kitchen and sat down next to me.

"Why not? Ah, we could buy you the dress you liked as compensation for your efforts."

"Really?! I'll do it!" So the little devil sold our joint future out this easily. [7]

However I won't give in so easily.

"Mom, we shouldn't bother Komachi with something like that while she still recovers."

"Don't worry, it will be a big help for her in the long run." She replied immediately.

How can being separated from her brother be of any help to her? I stared fiercely in my mother's eyes. Even I had a limit of what I could take.
Either she was immune to my frown or didn't get what I wanted to convey, but she suddenly started talking to me as if I were a little kid that didn't understand.

"You know, getting into Sobu High was just the first step. She will have to study more than in middle school once the new school year starts. If you want your sister to stay healthy and be the energetic person she is, you'll have to do a small part as well from now on."

I got caught in her trap. There was no way I could talk myself out of this. I turned my head to my sister.

Komachi was my impetus, there was no denying that. I couldn't endure a zombie-like Komachi for three years. As I thought about it, I felt a single tear saying goodbye to my eye and traveling down my cheek.
With a whisper I accepted my defeat.

"Fine, I'll do it."

I had to close my eyes afterwards. My sisters eyes sparkled so brightly upon my words. I'm glad you understand that it was no small sacrifice, but this view was too charming to face directly.

So I lost. But there is no one better at losing than I am.

I reminded myself of my old mantra that I hadn't used in a while. Others might think of it as depressing but in my case it provides me with the motivation to stand up after a loss.

It's not like I gained nothing. Sooner or later I would have needed to improve my cooking anyway. Even if I won't become a full-time house husband I needed to support myself for the days Komachi wouldn't come over to cook for me.[8] Huh?! That sounded wrong, of course I'll become a house husband. Hiratsuka-sensei, stop messing with my dream![9] Despite her being so meddlesome I wonder if I could ever get mad at her.

Oh, I nearly missed the most important point. Mother was clearly arguing for Komachi's sake. That means my sister, pops and I put too much thought into it. I won't get chased out of home so quickly after all. Realising this a smile formed on my face. For people unable to read my mind this must had been misunderstood as direct reaction to my sister's sparkling eyes.

What a heartwarming scene that must had been. I could only guess as I was still unable to open my eyes.

Inside my classroom I collapsed on my table. Unlike with usual Mondays my mood wasn't that bad today. I felt no gazes on my back from Miura so we must have formed some kind of nonverbal pact to ignore yesterday's incident.

I don't know how, I don't know when. Dealing with humans can be so confusing.

Not like it was totally unexpected. We barely talked with each other to begin with, and from her perspective it was just a one time coincidence. The first meeting at the grocery store completely escaped her attention after all.

More importantly than the absent gazes at my back was the fact that I was a proud owner of a phone that never rings. [10]
Knowing that even that person wouldn't bother me while I was in class, I could truly relax for the first time since Saturday.
Homeroom started, but I paid no attention to it. It would have been wasted effort anyway. Homeroom wasn't needed for my university life after high school at all.

I walked towards the clubroom after waking up with more than half of the class already gone. The relaxation felt so good that I fell asleep at some point during the last period. Thanks to that I wasn't that anxious of today's meeting. Wasn't there something super important? After all the effort I put into saving this club I shouldn't get careless now.

I opened the door and was surprised to see only Yukinoshita inside. She looked up from her book and greeted me with a soft smile.

"Good afternoon."

"Sup."

After my lazy reply I went into my usual spot while Yukinoshita continued her book.
While I pulled out my own book I decided to ask her.

"Yuigahama won't be coming today?" I don't think I saw her back at the classroom among the leftovers.

Yukinoshita sent me a questioning look. Don't tell me her existence got erased or I ended up in an alternate universe without knowing. [11] Who is Yuigahama?

"She has a cold and won't be coming to school this week."

I looked at her with eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh." I didn't expect that.

Yukinoshita pressed her hand against her temple. Seemingly convinced that I really didn't know, her expression turned into a complicated smile.

It sure was a complicated situation now. Yuigahama was kind of required to confirm the results of Saturday's events. I really didn't know what to do so I escaped reality by reading my book. Yukinoshita was actually the first one to do so and I gladly followed her lead.

Her bond with Yuigahama was strong, so she probably would not tell me even if I asked.

It's kind of the reversed situation from the time we met Yukinoshita's mother after the Valentine baking event. Yuigahama didn't stay with me either after we got separated from Yukinoshita.

There was just a slight difference. We continued to stay in the same clubroom and that made things awkward.

I couldn't read at all. I just flipped the pages after a certain amount of time. Yukinoshita continuously took glances at me from the corners of her eyes. I felt very uncomfortable. If you want to talk about it then just talk. I promise to look surprised next week. Just when I wondered how to survive this afternoon, let alone the whole week in this atmosphere, the door flung open.

Isshiki stormed in. Woohoo I'm saved! I don't think I was ever that happy to see her, but I quickly regretted that. She stomped in my direction without any greetings, but with a sullen look.

She stopped in front of me with her hands on her hips.

Her cheeks puffed and her eyes were watery, she looked like someone did something really bad to her. It made me feel like beating up that certain someone and make him apologise for whatever he did.

"Senpai, you're so sloooooow."

Huh? I was the one at fault? That was the third time since entering the clubroom that I was truly surprised. Were we supposed to meet? I have no recollection of that. Even if we were to meet up, wasn't I clearly here before you?

"Isshiki-san had already been here before, but she had to leave for student council related work. However she didn't tell me why she was here in the first place."

Yukinoshita placed her hand at her chin wondering about Isshiki's intention.

When it was Isshiki there were only two reasons why she would show up. The first was to laze around while escaping the student council work. The second one was to ask for help with said work when it couldn't be escaped.

The former wouldn't require me being here on time.

"So what do you need help with?" I asked her directly.

"It's not like I always come here for help, you knooow?" Isshiki started to act like she would be sulking, but quickly averted her face.

"This time that is actually why I'm here though." She was probably annoyed of my correct assumption.

The sentence was the signal for Yukinoshita to close her book and look at her underclassman with a stern look.

"If you have a request for the Service Club you could have said so earlier."

Her cold voice definitely contained displeasure. Is she mad that Isshiki didn't rely on her?

You know that frosty vibe you give off right now doesn't make anyone want to ask you for help. I felt my sweat turning into ice. It wasn't a surprise that Isshiki took refuge by my side.

Hey, don't use me as your shield, I'm scared too. Also, you're too close. That sweet smell of yours is making me dizzy. With her hands on my shoulder she peeked at the club president's face which turned even colder after witnessing the student council president's retreat.

As the temperature in the clubroom dropped further, Isshiki's hands grabbed my shoulder even tighter and her face came all the more closer. If I had turned my head towards her, our noses would have touched. Imagining that was more than my feeble high school heart could manage and my face heated up quite a bit.

I don't know how strongly I blushed, but it was enough to snap Yukinoshita out of this neverending cycle. Apparently flustered she averted her gaze.

"Y-You should step away from that before you get an infection."

"Stop treating me as a germ, that seriously hurts." Why did I become the new target? Wasn't I the victim here? Isshiki relaxed upon the change of the mood and sighed briefly. Her warm breath hit my cheek with full force.

Iroha-chan you totally did that on purpose, didn't you?

"I don't want to bother the club, just senpai will be enough."

So bothering me was fine? I was part of the club too. But before I could voice my refusal Isshiki had already grabbed my sleeve and started pulling me towards the door.

Had she been always this strong? I was barely able to seize my bag before it was out of reach.

"Wait! I'm coming as well." The startled Yukinoshita tried to stop my kidnapper, but she waved it off.

"No need, no need. It's about the graduation ceremony farewell speech, senpai is qualified for once." I was dragged two steps closer to the door, before Yukinoshita made another attempt.

"If you talk about qualification, I would be the best choice as I ranked the highest in Japanese." What happened to grades and ranks didn't matter? And quit that proud grin will you? Oh, I just remembered something.

"Didn't you agree with Hiratsuka-sensei to do the farewell speech on your own?"[12]

Isshiki stopped in her tracks and her powerful grab on my sleeve turned into a light tugging.

When she turned around to me her eyes were already welling up tears.

Just like the last time this theme came up, this onii-sama grew totally weak to this approach.

"I guess it should be fine if I just check for mistakes and tell her of the previous year." I said to Yukinoshita and saw her trying to hold back another headache.

"Then let me do the correction." Looks like Yukinohita had no intention on giving up. She put her book in her bag and stood up from the chair.

Was Isshiki and I being alone that much of an issue to her? Come to think of it, those two had been sticking around when I had to deal with Isshiki a few times recently. That even lead Isshiki to back off me as well. Was she scared of them or considerate? They didn't threaten her right?

Will Isshiki give up when Yuigahama wasn't around as well?

The student council president already had one hand on the door. She turned her face towards Yukinoshita.

"I prefer senpai coming with me. You know, like someone who knows how to reduce the workload. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your offer, but I fear you'll make me do more than necessary. Wouldn't it be bad too if someone came to an empty clubroom?"

Her smile was gentle and her voice was as sweet as ever when she dealt with other people that weren't me or Tobe. However her strong grip on my sleeve revealed that she was annoyed by Yukinoshita's stubbornness. Despite that, she remained amicable and careful not to hurt the club president.

Iroha Isshiki was a good girl.

No, no, I didn't mean you Tobe. [13]

It was unlikely that Yukinoshita saw through Isshiki, so I guess the point of leaving the clubroom unattended during service hours had an impact.

Yukinoshita sat down and took out her book again.

With a worried face she said something that could have meant goodbye.

"Be sure to do it properly."

I don't know if my nod was one of affirmation or apology. Perhaps both.

With the situation defused Isshiki and I headed to the student council room.

Isshiki started to write the speech while I sat next to her. We had been silent all the way to the student council room. Even inside the room we remained silent. Since Secretary-chan and Vice President weren't in the room, there had been no situation that would end the silence naturally.

Apparently the situation in the clubroom affected Isshiki quite a bit.

She deserved to be cheered up, so I tried praising her.

I didn't mind the silence, just Isshiki's mood.

"You're quite good at dealing with people. If I weren't a loner I would learn that from you."

She stopped her writing to look at me. There was a pained smile on her face that I barely got to see. I suddenly had the urge to embrace and comfort her, but luckily her words buried that urge quickly.

"Even with an expert like me, you're too hopeless to begin with."

No out of the blue rejection? No 'Are you hitting on me? It's nice that you want to cheer me up, but you better learn how to do it properly first. I'm not that kind of girl that gives in so easily. You will have to wait for your next chance. I'm sorry.'?

Did I just reject myself? Ah, that's why she did it so often. It was pretty funny after all. A devilish smile appeared on my face. It must have looked amusing to Isshiki because she started to giggle. I didn't mind that at all and chimed in.

Actually Isshiki didn't need much help. After I told her what I remembered from last year, I barely needed to correct something. Most likely she just didn't want to do it alone.

Mainly I had to prevent her from getting too informal, but since it was part of her style I tried to find a compromise that would please the teacher while it remained natural to her personality. It was odd to see Isshiki accepting most of my suggestions obediently, only very few times she tried to argue. In the end she always gave in though. Perhaps it troubled her if she got too submissive.

I started to throw in a few things in that she could easily recognise and refuse, like my twisted views on youth or warnings that each step into the future would add more bitterness to life.

After the fifth of those I could hear the sound of her pen writing instead of the expected refusal. Startled by that I jumped out of my chair.

"What are you doing you idiot?! Now you'll have to write that page again before you can turn it in for approval!"

There was no way Hiratsuka-sensei wouldn't notice my participation if she read that. I doubt she would physically harm Isshiki, so I'll probably get twice the beating this time.

The student council president made a mean-spirited smile.

"So you are aware that you had been spouting nonsense."

She showed me that her last words were on a different paper which she sneaked in at some point.
So she figured it out and made a fool of me, huh? That girl is way too dangerous.

"It's not nonsense, it's more like I remembered the pain a certain teacher programmed into the bodies of people who spread this kind of wisdom."

"Hiratsuka-sensei? I don't think she would do that, or any other teacher for that matter." She waved it off with her hands.

"So I'm the only one that gets that treatment? Mhh.." I accidentally mumbled that loud enough for Isshiki to hear. Her eyes widened in shock and she quickly tried to set the conversation back on track.

"Aaaaanyways, you're not that bad dealing with people... in your own ways. But please stop that. The speech is already hard enough to write without having to focus on your 'considerations'."

"Sorry." I truly was, but it didn't seem that Isshiki was really annoyed by it. Actually she now made her bright smile that could melt any man.

"Senpai is surrounded by so many weirdos..." I heard the student council's murmuring.

You have no right so say that. Smiling like that while you are working makes you definitely the weirdest of them all. Maybe. Hiratsuka-sensei really wasn't a normal teacher.

We were getting closer to the end when Isshiki started another casual conversation.

"Didn't Yui-senpai come to the club today?" She didn't look up and continued to focus on her writing.

"Yukinoshita said she got a cold, so she won't be coming this week."

The student council president interrupted the progress on the speech to stare at me in disbelief.

Wh-what now?

"Isn't Yui-senpai in your class? You should have noticed her absence or heard it from your homeroom teacher."

That's true, I should have heard it in the morning. Just what did I do again during homeroom?

I couldn't recall it at all.

"There are too many people in a classroom to check upon every single one of them.

Isshiki acted exhorting with her eyes narrowed, lips pressed and waving her frail finger sideways. She wasn't serious at all though.

Each of these actions were exaggerated, making it look extremely cute.

I wonder how she learned to be this sly.

"Yui-senpai would get worked up if she heard you saying that."

"If it's her she would get worked up even if I had noticed her absence."

"So true!"

Imagining Yuigahama's possible reactions in our mind we both startled to giggle again.

A few second of silence followed during which Isshiki fiddled with the hem of her skirt.

Are you looking for words? Don't worry such is life. The fun always ends at some point and for some it never starts. Before I could tell her any of this it seemed like she decided on what to do. The expression on your face reeks of danger, please stop that.

"Senpai, if I ever get sick... please... notice it... on your own."

She spoke in fragments with trembling lips and moist eyes while both hands grabbed her uniform at her bosom tightly.

...

I swear I was only stunned for half a second there before I could make a retort.

"Y-you're not even in my class. I have no chance to notice that in the beginning."

Apparently satisfied with my reaction she switched to a broad grin that screamed 'I got you good'.

"If you don't I order you to this room every afternoon till school closes, burying you under grunt work."

I finally found my composure again and replied with a wry smile.

"I don't think the student council president position comes with an authority like that."

Also stop saying such scary things with a face like that.
Annoyed with my quick recovery from her attack she started to pout.

"Senpai, you'll never get popular with the girls if you keep being like that. Can't you just play along for once?"

Oh playing, that I can do as it is the opposite of work.
I flashed my sparkling teeth and gave her a thumb up.

"Don't you worry, If you'll ever get sick I will refrain from coming to school and nurse you at home as long as it takes!"

"Eeek!" Isshiki backed of with her chair like half a metre and her eyes widened in shock.

Hey, that hurts, I totally looked cool right now.

"That's creepy, please don't do that ever again."

Oh crap. That was just a reflex upon the word play. It was not my fault that I only had Komachi to play with.
Still it wasn't that bad right? I went into my sulking mode and watched how the president repositioned her chair in order to continue with the speech.

As soon as the pen began to move again she started to hum joyfully.

Isn't your mood a bit too good for being creeped out? And what the heck are you doing there?

"You know, the audience won't see those little hearts you're putting at the end of your sentences. Hiratsuka-sensei will be grossed out if she looks over it."

She replied without looking at me.

"It's fine, it's fine. These are for accentuation, sensei won't mind it."

Iroha Isshiki was a sly girl.

After Isshiki finished the speech we met Yukinoshita on the way out of the building. It was around the time club activity usually ended. I grabbed my bike before we said our goodbyes and everyone went their own way home.

Unfortunately I couldn't stay there. I greeted Komachi and asked what I had to buy for tonight's dinner. Our household was one of those that would get fresh ingredients like fish, fruits or vegetables daily. It had not been a big deal when my sister was in charge, as the supermarket was on her way home from school. I didn't even want to think about how much of my time will be wasted per month for just a handful of food.

I was in front of the entrance to the grocery store,

It wasn't as cold as yesterday, but still enough to make me enter quickly through the door.

After already two meetings with Miura here I couldn't rule out to encounter her a third time.

I was on my guard as started to pick up the needed grocery one by one.

It didn't take long to spot her. Not like it was hard. She was regarded to be the most beautiful girl at our school. Miss Totally would probably stand out everywhere.

Our eyes met, but thanks to the experience from last time our reactions didn't take as long this time. We immediately averted our faces and chose to ignore the other presence.

I stayed away from her and finished my hunt for food without any issue.

Today the supermarket was rather full as I had to line up for the register.

Suddenly I shuddered.

I felt a gaze piercing my back. It's unavoidable to be looked at when one lines up, but normally I wouldn't be that focused on.

I turned around to scare away the stalker with an annoyed expression of mine, just to be greeted by a pair of green eyes that I have come to known. I had barely been this close to Miura so my mind was kind of shocked. My face might had been too.

I remembered one of those rare moments where Miura was on the edge of my personal space.

The scary fight between her and Yukinoshita that nearly escalated thanks to that stupid rumor.

Now I felt even more uncomfortable.

She took the initiative since my mouth was open but no words were coming out.

"Ah." She gave me something that appeared to be a greeting, thus I responded on the same level.

"Hhm"

Not like I could have spoken a clear word after that surprise anyway.

The line moved forward and thus I turned back around to close the gap.

After twenty seconds of silence my back was being inquired.

"You're not up to something, are you?"

I turned around once more and tilted my head, puzzled by what she was referring to.

Did Miura think that she was the target of our club activity?

"No, just shopping." I somehow stringed enough words together to make sense.

The line moved forward again after I uttered those words and so I had to break the eye contact once more. It might not had been 'eye contact' by definition. Not that I didn't dare to look directly in her eyes at the moment. It was just that the candy section, which was in my line of sight when I looked over her shoulder, got suddenly super interesting.

Another silence lasting half a minute followed.

"I have never seen you here before yesterday."

That sounded scary. It carried an accusation with it.

Given the Service Club's record one couldn't really blame her. I somehow mustered one of those generic polite expressions before I faced her and explained to her.

"This duty was passed onto me recently to reduce the stress on my sister in regards to her entry into high school."

That felt like the longest sentence in my life.

"Ah."

I don't know if she remembered my sister. Last time they met was at New Year, but Miura had a bad mood because of Hayama's absence, so she pretty much ignored us.

Looks like she accepted my reason for my presence in this shop as there were no further questions. Not like she could have asked any since it was now my turn to pay for the goods.

What to do now though? Was the conversation over? Could I leave?

I could be digging my grave if l left without a word of parting. The same could be said about waiting for her to finish as well, if she finds it too obtrusive. While I was at a loss of what to do, Miura ended her purchase and looked surprised to find me still here.

Oh shoot. I failed by timeout? At least she didn't look angry so I might come out of here alive.

We exited the supermarket together. Now was the chance bid farewell and escape the situation. It made me uncomfortable because I couldn't classify our relationship and thus I didn't know how to behave. We weren't strangers to each other anymore. ] We weren't real acquaintances either, let alone friends.

Urgh, no time to think about that right now. I don't want to timeout again.

I searched my memory for a proper thing to say and decided to go with the most common I remembered.

"Goodbye."

"Mhhm goodbye." Miura gave me a slight nod and a reply of the same kind. My request to part has been accepted and I could let my feet carry me home.

It took me five seconds to realise that the sounds of the footsteps weren't trailing off into the distance as they should. It weren't mine obviously. I walked like a ninja in stealth mode all the time.

This made Miura's heels knocking on the ground earsplitting.

Or was that my anxious heart?

The unknown was twice as scary as something you had perceived. By that logic I should calm down if I took a glance.

I looked to the side to confirm her presence.

There was the same temporary confusion on her face that I had on mine. If I tried hard enough I probably could visually authenticate my expression within the reflection of her eyes.

I wonder if Yuigahama used Miura's eyes to check up on her own make-up.

Hand mirror Miura got over the confusion first and redirected her gaze to the path ahead.

Since Miura knows best I followed suit. [14]

Saying goodbye first without confirming her direction had been a mistake. The chance for her to head in the same direction was about 50% after all.

We stopped at a nearby traffic light and waited for it to grant us passage.

So she didn't turn left at this corner nor went straight on, but instead chose to cross the street. The chance for that to happen dropped to a third of the previous one. Not that I was too sure of that. It reminded me that I had not studied math yesterday like I wanted to.

This unprecedented situation made me really nervous. I tried not to show it but I couldn't stop myself from shifting my weight from one leg to the other several times. If I weren't so afraid of cars I would have gone ahead without waiting for permission from traffic light-sama. Getting hit by a car one time was more than enough. Would she try to go ahead if there weren't this many cars driving by?

I stole a short glance at Miura next to me without turning my head. Not a single sign of nervousness in her body language or expression. She truly mastered social interactions at this age. Or did she just not care that I was here? Either way I was impressed by how calm she was in this abnormal situation, or was it just one for me?

Influenced by the unaffected Miura I was able to calm down a bit.

We didn't talk while waiting. I wouldn't know what to talk about anyway, even if I had been the type to take the initiative. Miura appeared to be the type to like talking so it was a bit surprising that she remained silent. Or she really didn't care about my presence here.

After the traffic light successfully stopped the cars and we crossed the street unharmed, the next fifty-fifty chance appeared. Would she go back into the direction we came from after changing to this side of the street? She did not and I halved the probability of her still being by my side again. We took another turn at the next road and entered a residential area. The road didn't allow cars to pass through and was narrow enough for four people to walk next to each other.

I stopped calculating at this point.

The sounds of the cars faded more with each step we took. If I excluded the sound of Miura's heels it would have been total silence. At least I thought so at first. But between the tapping heels I could pick up a new faint sound. Maybe it had just started, I didn't know.

I looked for its origin and my gaze landed on Miura. She grinded her teeth with one corner of the mouth pulled up while the other dropped down. Something seems to tick her of. Me?

Is there really a reason to make such a displeased face?

I quickly averted my face to look for a way out of this situation which suddenly got very scary.

A four-way intersection was up ahead. Saved.

I kept my head straight while opting for the left road, positioning myself away from Miura. Thanks to her loud heels I could hear that she had set for the right path and basically mirrored my action.

I was already halfway into the left-leading road when a thought popped up in my mind.

This would be a detour right? I really had no desire to prolong my absence from home further than necessary. Thus like I walked along a semi-circle I returned to the path I came from. From the viewpoint of my original position I went for the road leading straight ahead this time.

Weirdly her footsteps got louder again. I looked for the cause.

It appears Miura had a similar train of thought as me. I fell into a shock.

I hadn't been this scared from her glare in a while. Her anger was completely obvious. Her hands formed fists and her body trembled from the overflowing emotions.

"Are you kidding me?!"

I knew this wasn't a question that required a direct answer, but my moth still moved like that of a fish, unable to find words.

I was frozen on the spot while I continued my training to breath like a fish for like half a minute.

Unable to even lift a single finger I felt very pathetic.

Seeing me not stopping my odd behaviour Miura must have calmed down and realised what kind of glare she send my way. She softened it.

Perhaps surprised by the effectiveness of her attack, she started to play with her ringlet.

I recognised this habit of her and it snapped me out of my shock. The pink nails tried to straighten the hair but it kept curling up again when she let go of it. So that's why she does it so often. It really had a calming effect, even on me.

After I behaved like I was a normal human again, Miura started to talk with a sharp voice.

"This wouldn't have happened if you..." She interrupted herself. For which reason I didn't know, but after she resumed her voice was way softer than before. It was the usual annoyed tone I knew from the classroom. The one she uses when she stated her discomfort with something.

"Being ignored, you know, like, I really can't stand it."

So Miura was bothered by the silence after all. There was always merry chatter around her so it must have been odd for her. I wasn't really ignoring you, this was just a loner being considerate you know?

I had these thoughts, but I only settled for an apology.

"Sorry."

But wasn't it kind of cruel to expect a loner leading a conversation? If anyone should have done so, it should have been you.

I took a step towards her as it seems our joint way would continue.

"Stop." My feet halted obediently. Weren't they supposed to only listen to me?

"You chose that way first, so go."

What a ridiculous demand. Didn't you chose a different path too? That commanding voice really annoyed the heck me out of me. I felt like my freedom was robbed from me.

I was so about to tell her off, that I didn't notice how my feet had turned me already around and walked away. Feet, are you listening to me? Hello?

Honestly I was glad to just have escaped capital punishment. The detour would only be five minutes anyway. Five minutes were a small price to pay for staying alive and having the chance to see Komachi again.

The rest of the evening was the same as always.

There was just one thing that wasn't normal. My sister informed me that the cooking lessons would start tomorrow.

I had been already in my bed when I thought back to the situation with Miura. What were the chances for that parting to happen the way it did? Too bad I stopped calculating midway, but even without a proper result I was sure that if I had played the lottery at that time, the jackpot would have been as good as mine.

My last gaze of the day rested on my cellphone. It didn't ring today either. With a good feeling I started to sleep.

I closed my diary. It was in my favourite colour with a few sparkling stickers plastered on it, guarded by a small lock to keep nosy people away. It appeared rather childish for a 17 year old high school girl, but I didn't mind it. I have been using it since the start of middle school. Of course it would have burst by now if it weren't for the possibility to remove and add pages freely. I transferred the old pages to diaries I bought at later points. I had tried to write in the newer ones directly, but it wasn't feeling the same as with my pink one. After all this time I just grew too attached to it. There were only very few things I couldn't share with it.

I don't mean stupid stuff like the situation with him today. It's not like my diary doesn't have stupid things in it, actually it was mostly filled with them. But this situation was like too weird. I rather not remember it at all. It was uncomfortable and ridiculous. I felt like someone was playing a prank on me and would jump out from behind a tree any second, revealing a hidden camera for some kind of TV show. I mean that gasping, how could anyone do something like that for real? Totally a moron...

I coughed to suppress a small upcoming giggle. Really, no way that is going to make it into my diary. I had my pride after all. It would have been a different story if it were someone else. Like Tobe perhaps, but even for him it was just too stupid. Hayato would never do something like that ever.

I let out a long sigh at the thought of him and played with my hair again. I wonder what I should do next. My finger went from fiddling with the curls back to the diary and traced the outline of a sticker. I shared everything regarding Hayato with my diary. Every moment I spend with him could be read up here. Except for one time and that was Hikio's fault.

[1] Namerou is a dish from Chiba consisting of horse mackerel, sardines, flying fish and Pacific Saury. Cut into small pieces and served with miso, ginger, leeks and green basil.

[2] Yuki-onna means snow woman and is a spirit/demon that usually traps people in the snow. There are variations though. Yukinoshita dressed up as one during the summer camp.

[3] Mahapadma is an ability to freeze time. Used by Esdeath from Akame ga Kill

[4] These are the words from Volume 10, at the scene where Yumiko asks the service club for help with the career plan. It was after Hachiman strongly offered his help to her.

[5] kotatsu is a heated table with a futon that covers the space between the table and the floor in order to keep the heat under the table.

[6] Hachiman boasted with this at Yui's birthday party on a drama CD

[7] Komachi came up with that description for herself during the Christmas gifting event side story.

[8] Komachi said so in Volume 10.5

[9] Hiratsuka seemingly convinced Hachiman in Volume 10 about giving up on his dream. He stopped mentioning it in the main series, only in Volume 10.5 he mentioned it again. So I'll go with nearly convinced in my story.

[10] It refers to Shinji Ikari's phone from Neon Genesis Evangelion

[11] The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi

[12] Happened in Volume 11

[13] 'Tobe was a good guy' is a catchphrase inside Hachiman's mind through the series. The denial that Tobe wasn't meant by Iroha happened in Volume 10, when she cheered for Hachiman using 'senpai'. Tobe thought he was meant.

[14] 'Mother knows best' is a song from the Disney movie Tangled. Hachiman refers to Miura's maternal traits he witnessed in the past.

Author's Note

Greetings again,

It was just too early to let Hachiman think of their current status properly this time. I should get to this point in like 2 chapters. Please hold out till then and accept what you are seeing for the moment. You can expect the explanations to be in a similar form as this chapter's panda eyes-cute girl memory. Wording close to the source with either Hachiman's or my comments.

Hachiman's mother had a short talking scene in the LN, that's why she has direct speech here but not the father. She only called him 'you' there.

Two general notes. Beware that, like in the LN, Hachiman will say misleading things or contradict himself a few lines later. His real thoughts will sooner or later always surface though or at least be hinted at.
Because of his personality he will behave totally different depending on the situation. For example, he was overwhelmed meeting Miura in an out of ordinary place. If it were the clubroom he would have been able to speak with her in a normal way. He has already done so in the LN.

At everyone Thank you for the numerous comments.

I'll address those with questions or issues. I'll offer PM talks if a proper answer would get to big for this section.

RalphZiggy The vibes I got from the LN was that Hachiman realised it a while ago, but could not accept it due to his personality. But ultimately it is left ambiguous as you said and thus I can go freely with my feelings choosing which of the states is true.

Thatslifebro The length of chapters will vary greatly. They'll be as long as I need to convey a certain progress of the story. Luckily this is not a magazine with limited space.

Fanfic Critic Other than labeling the ship beforehand, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do for you. Hopefully you'll find some entertainment in the interactions with other characters, if you decide to continue reading.

yo Oregairu has a harem setting, so yes you'll find such elements for nearly everyone. However there are big differences in how Hachiman treats each of them. You can find something unique in his behaviour for every person. You can send me a PM if you want to discuss it.

8person I guess it won't get much better than this, but I'll try. Maybe it'll get 'right' enough for you with this chapter or any of the following ones.

Guest The LN clearly states otherwise. Don't worry, I'll include that material to illustrate it during the next chapters.

If there is something you want to ask about just do so. Answers will come with the next chapter.
So hopefully I'll see you at chapter 3 again.