Chris receives an unexpected visit.


Thursday, October 2044
"Damn it, forgot I ran out of Anpan and of course didn't think to buy some on the way home to refill my stock," I mutter to myself while checking the contents of my cupboards for my prized snack. "Seem like I will have to settle with potato chips for today…" I resign myself while grabbing a bag of onions flavored chips.

"YASSAI MOSSAI ! YASSAI MOSSAI ! YASSAI MOSSAI !"

Hearing my phone notifying me of a new email, I left the bag of chips in the kitchen and move toward the living room where my phone is. The sender is my hyperactive kouhai, loveable dummy and hugs monster; Tachibana Hibiki.

'Still need to make her call me senpai at least once before I graduate.' I shake my head to ignore the random thought to check the message's content.

My Dummy: Hi, Chris-chan, I'm at your door, can I come in?

The message contains no emoji, which is strange considering she usually uses them a lot, the content itself also confuses me a little, I mean if she is at my door right now why didn't she just ring the doorbell or knock at the door. Hell, she usually would just barge in using the key she had since I got this apartment. 'Something must have happened.'

Reaching the door at a steadfast pace, I open it. And here she was standing a bit awkwardly, her phone in one hand and a paper bag in the other as well as her school bag strapped at her shoulder.

I stared at her for a moment without uttering a single word, seeing her fidgeting a little under my gaze until I break the silence. "What the hell are you doing here?" I ask her, faking being irritated at the situation to mask my confusion.

"Well… I wanted to pay you a little visit after today's mission, sooo… here I am… hehehe," she laughs lamely at the end.

I eye her again, this time with a little suspicion in it, losing myself in her beautiful eyes which I didn't mean to.

I must have been staring at her for a moment too long since she's now avoiding my eyes, looking at the ground, and shifting her weight from her right leg to the other.

Refocusing myself on the situation at hand I release a sigh. "Whatever, come in," I say to her while heading back inside.

"Eh? I can?"

I Stop myself at her question as I look back at her, she seems really surprised. 'She wasn't expecting me to let her in.' I bite my lower lip at the thought.

"You already made all your way here," I start an explanation. "Judging by the fact that you still have your school uniform on, as well as your bag means that you didn't stop by your dorm for some reason and came here directly after your talk with the old man."

"W-well, I-"

I interrupt her before she says anything else. "And with this behavior of yours currently, I guess that you have something weighing on your heart, we can talk about it if you want, or not. Anyways, come in. It's warmer inside too," I finish with a rare smile.

Giving a small smile in return, she follows me inside, locking the door behind her and muttering a thank you as well as an apology for the intrusion. Once in the living room, she puts her winter coat and her bag on one of the arms of the couch before turning to me, a little unsure of where to lay her gaze on while fiddling with her fingers.

Taking mercy on her, I'm the one talking first. "So… What's in this paper bag? It doesn't seem to contain one of the old man's movies to me," I ask pointing to said bag that my eyes landed on since she arrived. 'That will distract her of any serious thought she could have.'

"Huh? Oh! It's for you," she hands me said bag, which once I hold it notices its warmth. Opening it to look inside, I'm surprised by its content, causing me to look at Hibiki once more for answers.

"Oh, I found this new place on the way here, they had these on display and after trying one I bought some of the recent batches for you. Try one, you will love it." She responds to my unvoiced question with a smile and an eager look on her face.

'Good, she is smiling again.' Taking one from the bag and biting in it right away, I have to recognize that these freshly baked Anpan are freaking amazing, the best I have ever eaten, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the Anko a little sweeter than the store-bought ones that I usually get. 'I need to know this place name.'

"What's the name of this place?! Tell me its name! Now!" I know how forceful I sound, but we are talking about a place that sells the best Anpan I have ever eaten so I really don't care.

She looks at me a little stunned by my seriousness and little outburst. "I think it was called… 'Calamity Crowe Café', C3 for short, seem to have recently opened, I can show you next time," she rapidly answers with a thoughtful expression before setting with a bigger smile than the last one.

"Then tomorrow, after I finish with club activities." I smile, seeing her more like her usual self.

"I will come watching you. Chris-chan is always so cool during club activities." I feel my cheeks heat up at her words before I look away to hide the upcoming blush.

Before a silence could take place between the both of us, she asks. "So, what were you doing before I came?"

Putting my flustered face under control the best I can, I answer her. "Well, initially, doing my homework while eating a bag of chips, to begin with."

"Ahhh… And now that I'm here with you?" she asks again hopefully, thinking that my answer will change with her presence, which it will, just not in the way she hopes for.

So, with my face forming an evil grin, I tell her. "Now that you are here, you get to do your homework while I do mine, and instead of a bag of chips we got to enjoy these, that you bought." I shake the bag of Anpan for emphasis.

Seeing her hopeful expression morphed into horror by my merciless words I follow. "But since I'm a very considerate senpai, you just have to do what's needed for tomorrow and then we can watch a movie the old man recommended, what do you think?"

"I feel like no matter what I say, it would not change anything about the homework part," she mutters while pouting.

'Damn, she is too cute when pouting like that, I want to hug her!' I thought, and rapidly putting it aside to resist the sudden urge.

"Damn right! As your senpai, I can't let you skip on your homework, so come on, the faster you begin, the sooner we will be able to watch the movie," I say to her, going for the fridge to take something to drinks. "What do you want to drink? I've got Fruit Juice, Milk, Green tea, Barley tea, Calpis, Ramune, and Cola."

Saying she wants a Ramune, I take one bottle for her and the carton of milk for myself as well as two glasses. Reaching the table where she is seated, I set the drinks between us. "So, what are your subjects?" I question her once I'm seated with my own books.

"History and Math, I can manage history on my own but the math…" she grimaces at the end, eyeing the math's book as if it was her worst enemy.

"Fine, begin with history, I will help you out with math once I'm done." 'I'm really going soft on her. Well, it's not that much of a bad thing at this point.'

"Really!? Yosh! I will do my best." She exclaims before going for an Anpan as she attacks her homework with an enthusiasm that I never thought possible from her.

"You then do this… and here the answer," I tell her, showing each step to solve the equation, her last one.

"So, it's how you do it… I somehow always understand better when someone else explains it to me." She looks at her books with amazement before smiling at me.

"You're not the only one; sometimes, teachers' lessons can be too close to the book. While the method's shown works, its explanation isn't enough for the student to fully comprehend it and thus causing trouble applying it."

"Right, Miku said the same thing to me once. Still, thank a lot for the help Chris-chan, now I'm confident that I will be able to do great in class tomorrow."

"Only if you manage to stay awake during the lesson. Now let's clear the table and set up for the movie, but you have to finish this first," I said, handing the last Anpan to her.

"Huh? I can have the last one, really?" She asks me dumbfounded before eyeing the pastry I held with suspicion.

"Take it as a reward for the good amount of effort you put into your homework," I tell her. "I will go fetch some more snacks while you take the blankets from the closet."

"Then I will gladly accept it."

Taking the Anpan of my hand and beginning munching on it, I head toward the kitchen before I hear her. "Chris-chan… Do you mind if we share the blanket?"

I open my mouth, ready to shut down her idea on reflex before taking a double-take. 'She is unknowingly giving me a reason to be close to her. I must seize this chance, just need to not sound too eager or seemingly agreeing too easily while accepting.'

"It's ok if you don't want to, Chris-chan, I don't want to make you uncomfortable with this." Her voice interrupts my thoughts.

'Shit! I was taking too long to answer; I can't let this rare chance go through my fingers!'

"We can share one," I said a bit too quickly to my liking. "But there will be no cuddles." I manage to follow while pointing a warning finger at her. 'That will have to work.'

"Then we will just snuggle against each other," She responds with a grin, to my surprise and slight confusion.

"That's basically the same thing," I reply flatly. 'Wait, did she just ignore how I acted just now?'

"Actually, no, Chris-chan. 'Cuddling' would be mostly referenced as holding someone in your arms, and 'snuggling' as getting really comfortable with someone or something. In this case, I want the two of us to get comfortable using the same blanket with our shoulder touching at best, no holding each other needed," she finishes with what I think is a smug on her face from where I stand in the kitchen, which leaves me quite stunned.

Gathering my thought to her words, I decided to humor her. "What you are saying seems to hold a certain logic. A logic possible by researching said subject… Or your roommate telling you that. And while I'm certain I could find something more on it on my own, I don't feel like debating this with you so I will just go along with what you said."

"Yeahhh! Miku's explanation totally worked on you."

I roll my eyes as I ignore the provenance of her explanation of snuggle and cuddle. "As I said, rather accepting than debating on it, so what are you waiting for, let's snuggle or whatever."

Minutes later, both of us are on the couch, warm blanket on our laps, in perfect 'snuggling' position Hibiki would say, with me holding the remote to start the movie and the snacks barely in range.

'It works out in the end.'

"As expected of a movie recommended for Chris-chan; lots of guns involved. Though, I guess what Shishō wanted you to see is how people can curve their shots," Hibiki comments, groaning a bit while stretching her arms above her head.

"I guess so… that would actually be pretty useful for the moment when one of you is standing between me and the target, or suddenly appear in front of me and blocking my sight."

"Aww… Come on Chris-chan, that doesn't even happen anymore now," She whines at me.

"Only because I stopped voicing my complaint when it happens," I retort. "Though, I look forward to trying it, seems like everything come from the arm and the wrist," I say while mimicking the movement from the movie.

"There's nothing you can't do when guns are concerned Chris-chan, I can even offer you my help for your practice."

"You? Helping me? How? Do you plan on standing still while I try to curve my bullets as to avoid you, what about those whose don't? You will take them head-on?" I deliver a barrage of rhetorical questions, disbelieved by what she could think of in order of helping me.

"Chris-chan… I would have at least caught those that would hit me?" She replies as if it was the most logical answer… which probably really is for her.

"Doesn't make it sound any less crazy and reckless. But I guess that would also be another form of training for you; catching something exceeding the speed of sound," I elaborate, seeing her point.

"You think so? We could also ask Ogawa-san if he can help you," She inquires with a thoughtful expression.

"Senpai's manager? Why?"

"He is a ninja, Chris-chan! He taught Tsubasa-san that shadow-thingy technique that can stop us from moving. I bet he knows how to curve a bullet, we should totally ask him," She adds excitedly.

"Fine, fine, we will try asking him next time we see him," I tell her while resting my head on the back of the couch and looking outside my bay window. 'Beginning to get late.' I thought before getting up. "Well, I will make dinner," I say, noticing Hibiki looking up at me.

She looks outside for a moment before lowering her head, "Right, I should probably head back now," she says so low that I almost couldn't hear her.

'She doesn't seem to want to leave. Well, it just makes it easier for me to make her stay here with me.'

"What are you saying, you're not leaving this late with this cold outside, I already prepared the bath, so you can go in first while I cook, then we will eat together and after I take mine, we will go to bed," I list her how the rest of the evening will unfold without leaving any room for argument.

Hibiki looks at me completely at a loss of words to what I just said. Not leaving her much time to think I grab her arm, pulling her from the couch, ignoring the blanket falling on the floor as I guide her toward the bathroom. "Stop zoning out and go take it already!"

"But I don't even have a change of clothes or a pajama" she tries to argue before being fully pushed inside.

"That's why I made all of you bring and leave a set of clothes here with how often the lot come. I will bring it to you, so stop arguing and resign yourself!"

Hearing a soft 'fine' behind the door I head toward my bedroom, satisfied. After picking Hibiki's nightwear, I knock on the first door of the bathroom before opening it, realizing she is already showering herself. I signal her that I left her change of clothes in the basket and that I took her school uniform to prevent any wrinkles on it and left as she thanked me.

Once Hibiki's uniform and her bag are hanging beside mines, I head to the kitchen preparing the ingredients I will need for dinner. "Pancetta, pecorino cheese, parmesan, eggs, garlic cloves, butter, salt, black pepper, and spaghetti for the pasta." Once the ingredients gathered and laid in front of me on the counter, I put on my red apron with 'All hail Enma-sama' written on it and begin cooking.

It's when I'm lowering the heat of the stove that's Hibiki exits the bathroom. "Thank Chris-chan, I really needed it," she tells me while drying her hair with a towel and approaching me, the scent of the body soap she used reaches my nose once beside me as she smells what I made, "It smells really good, what did you cook?"

"Carbonara Spaghetti, a recipe I wanted to try for a while now, can you bring me two plates and set the table?" I ask her.

"On it, I can't wait to eat Chris-chan's cooking," she answers excitedly, grabbing cutlery, glasses, and drinks while I fill the plates with a generous portion for the both of us. 'Right… It's the first time someone will taste a dish I made.'

Once seated and Hibiki filling my glass with Barley Tea, we began eating after saying "Itadakimasu". 'It turns out great for a first time,' I thought after the first bite. I then look at my tablemate, eating with a blissful look on her face, literally moaning at each mouthful. She notices my staring at her, prompting her to swallow her mouthful before blushing cutely. "It's really delicious Chris-chan." The compliment goes straight to my heart, and I could only thank her before we resume eating in comfortable silence.

After a second expected serving, emptying what remains of the pasta and the dessert, which was a tiramisu I bought earlier this week, Hibiki releases a huge sigh of relief as well as a "Gochisousama!" while rubbing her full stomach. Another compliment regarding the meal I cooked uttered, not failing in making me blush a little to the praise.

"Can I leave the cleaning to you while I take my bath?"

"Leave it to me Chris-chan, it's the least I can do!" She answers, already gathering the dishes.

Trusting her with this task, I walk into my bedroom to retrieve my pajama set before heading toward the bathroom.

After washing myself I soak in the still warm water, leaving the fact I'm bathing in the same water Hibiki just used into the back of my mind. I let my thoughts wander a little on everything Hibiki and I did since I let her in; the fresh-baked Anpan with the promise to go to the café together, helping her with her homework, the movie, and finally the dinner.

'Yep, I did a splendid job at cheering her up while enjoying every little bit of it myself,' I conclude, standing up from the bathtub a while later.

Exiting the bathroom while I finish combing my hair, I saw Hibiki lying sideways on the couch seemingly asleep and hugging one of the couch pillows.

As I take a look at the kitchen, I see the dishes are washed and left to dry. I come closer to her, looking at her sleeping face. 'She is really beautiful and cute when asleep,' I thought, smiling fondly. Relishing in the moment a little longer and of course, taking a photo of her with my phone to use it as my new wallpaper. As I finish drying my hair with something to stare at, I finally decide to wake her up by poking her cheek and calling out her name softly. "Wake up Hibiki, you can't sleep here." 'And I will certainly not pass on this chance to sleep with you in the same bed.'

Some more attempts later, Hibiki's eyes flutter open. She sits groggily on the couch, looking sleepily at me. "What's the matter, Chris-chan?" She asks me while yawning.

"Time to go to bed. While I know my couch can be pretty comfortable, especially with the number of times I passed out on it after a hard training day or just lazing around, the bed is better to sleep on."

Earning no answer or reaction from her, I gently take her hand and lead her to my bedroom, Hibiki nodding off and dragging the pillow she held all the way.

By the time I tied my hair in a high ponytail, set my phone on the nightstand, Hibiki was already comfortably nestled under the duvet. I join her carefully as to not stir her awake by accident, facing my back at her as I close my eyes. I then feel slight movements behind me before two arms wrap around my person, two legs intertwining with mine and something nuzzling against the top of my head.

I was frozen stiff as I was taking in the situation, my heart beating erratically. 'Is that how she sleeps with her childhood friend each night?!' I thought alarmed at how tight she held me against her. I knew I was completely trapped, trying to free myself would only be a waste of time, especially if the end result is waking up my bedmate.

I release a sigh to calm my beating heart, taking in the sensation my body was feeling as it settled. 'She is really warm,' I thought as Hibiki's body heat was seeping inside me. "Good night, Hibiki," I utter softly as I feel myself falling into a deep slumber the following seconds.