This situation was… the word most would use is 'unexpected'.

However, I would place it under the category of 'suspicious'.

For Yukinoshita to have invited anyone into her home was a few steps beyond 'out of the ordinary' and well into the area of 'bizarre'.

That taken into account, I wonder why I even agreed to come.

But, as soon as I do, I remember exactly why…

"EEEEEEEEEEEE! HAHA! Yukinon invited me over for dinner!" Yui shouted.

"It seems she invited both of us. Something must be terribly wrong."

"Hiki! You're so negative even about something like this? This means Yukinon might have finally warmed up to us!"

"As much as I would like to believe that, I think I'd rather remain in ambivalence on the subject."

"Eh?! You're not going?"

"I don't think-"

Yui looked up at me with big auburn eyes, pouting her lips and furrowing her brow.

Even I wouldn't say no to a face like that.

…

And that face is the reason why I was now putting on the nicest clothes I could find, and preparing to leave for Yukinoshita's home at seven in the evening.

Not often do I ponder how much my life has changed since being sentenced to the service club.

"Komachi! I'm going out for the evening! I left supper in the top shelf for you!"

"Ehh?!" As I expected, my little sister immediately ran up to me with an expression of astonishment.

"Did my brother actually suggest having plans for an evening? Oh, hurry, someone alert the news station! It's a miracle!"

"Yeah, yeah, this is a little out of the ordinary for me. I'm honestly just as surprised as you."

"Hmm. So, what's the occasion?"

"I was invited to dinner at Yukinoshita's, along with Yui."

"Ooh! So, which one are you gonna decide to go after, huh? You know, I can say without a doubt that that Yui girl has it bad for you."

My brow furrows and I can feel my face redden. "Aren't you too young to concerned with your brother's love life."

"Well if you're not going to concern yourself with it, someone has to! Besides…"

Komachi held a finger in front of my face and a sly grin appeared on her face.

"It's not nice to keep a girl waiting y'know!"

I was forced to watch as my little sister proudly cantered off to her room, content in her ability to leave me blushing and bothered.

This night was off to just a wondrous start.

…

Yukinoshita's home wasn't too difficult to get to on bike, plus the night air was too cold for me to have worked up a sweat. However, things got considerably warmer when I saw Yui standing at the lift in Yukinoshita's apartment building.

She was… the word that comes to mind is beautiful.

Yui showed up in a red sleeveless, collared shirt that hugged her figure in ways I have difficulty describing, a ruffled, white skirt, and black stockings that reached her thighs.

I should've known she'd pull out all the stops for this.

I unfortunately continued to gawk long enough for Yui to notice me staring, and blush from embarrassment.

As soon as she looked at me, I flinched, ready to be slapped, but it never came.

"W-what are you staring at?..." she asked in a quiet, innocent tone that she only so rarely took on.

"Uh… I was j-just a little surprised you got here before me." I said as nonchalantly as I could manage.

What was this? I've seen pretty girls, beautiful, gorgeous even, and I've never been so flustered. Looks have never been so important to me.

So why does seeing this girl always reduce me to a blubbering, blushing wreck?

I know the reason. I won't say it, not to myself. But I know exactly what this is.

Something that I cannot allow myself to acknowledge.

"More importantly, why are you just standing there? I she not there or something?"

She jumped a little at the question.

"Oh! Well, I was waiting for you…" She spoke with her gaze lowered.

Damnit. She's doing it again. This girl… what is it that makes her care for me? It's not just about her dog anymore, so what?

"T-thanks. And, um… You look nice."

Her blush brightened substantially, and mine follows suit. "Y-You really think so? I really wanted to look nice. Since, you know, because we were going to Yukinon's and all! But, um, thank you!"

I press the buzzer and await a response, hoping for something to break the tension that had developed.

However, while I was expecting the monotonous voice of Yukinoshita, Yui and I were instead greeted with something much more terrifying.

"Hello!" Haruno Yukinoshita was the one who answered, eliciting a jump from both Yui and I.

"Uh, it's Yui and Hiki. We were invited for dinner." She responds nervously.

"Oh! You're here! I'll buzz you in, better hurry!"

Yui and I were brought up to Yukinoshita's flat, whereupon entering we were greeted by Yukinoshita with an almost solemn expression.

"Yukinon, we made it." Yui greeted.

"What exactly is your reason for inviting us, anyway." I didn't have to look to know that Yui was giving me a berating look for my asking, but it was a reasonable question.

"… It was Sister's idea."

Oh.

I see.

It suddenly became very clear why Yukinoshita wore such a sad expression.

We had arrived at the dinner table to find a lavishly set table decorated with a bountiful platter of various foods, all cooked by Haruno, something she boasted about far too much.

We had all started eating, and were engaged in idle conversation.

And by that I of course mean that Yui and Haruno were engaged in idle conversation.

"I am just so glad that I can for once share a meal with some of Yukino's friends!" Haruno's voice carried a cheery tone as always.

"Thanks for the food, Haruno. Everythings's really good." Yui said.

"Eh, you think so? I worked hard to make everything. I should really teach Yukino to cook some time." She glances at Yukinoshita, who continues to only look down at her plate and continue eating.

"Oh, come now, must you always be so cold, even with your friends here?"

Yukinoshita pointed directly at me. "He's not my friend."

It seems she still has enough energy to express her disapproval of my existence.

"At this point I wonder if you're just testing my patience." Which at this point was wearing rather thin.

"Honestly Yuki, you're never honest with yourself. With your attitude, you'll lose what few friends you have. You know when I was your age, I was not only class president…"

And at that point I knew exactly how the conversation would go.

Haruno would go on incessantly about her 'glory days' and talk to us like we were kids invited to a lecture by her.

Yui doesn't seem to appreciate it much either, having already to put up with Miura's putdowns.

But the one most bothered by this is Yukinoshita.

She doesn't show it, but this has a greater effect on her than anything. This happened every time Haruno started speaking in Yukinshita's presence, or even when brought up in conversation.

She wore this expression of aberration, as if acknowledging her sister's words as ultimate fact.

That Yukinoshita holds something in such high regard is odd enough, but it's simply not fair that the one thing she truly upheld makes her miserable.

I've seen this before, in the faces of many. People whose idols and mentors have disrespected them and abused the admiration they have for them.

And normally, I wouldn't care, but I made a promise.

"Hikki, be sure to save Yukinon if she's ever in trouble, okay?"

"Honestly, Yukino. You could really benefit from being a little more like me."

"… On the contrary, we're all very fortunate that she's not like you."

What was that Yui said? To say what no one else will?

"Eh… Hachiman, what do you mean?"

She's baffled. How predictable.

"I mean what I say. The less people like you there are, the better we all are."

"H-hachiman, i-if this is about all the poking I do about you and my sister, I would've hoped you could be a little more mature abo-"

"Believe me, this is about more than you, me, or Yukinoshita."

This won't be fun. This part is never fun.

"I imagine you'd like to dismiss what I'm saying as immature rants from an angry child. You probably like doing that with any kind of opposition to your 'omni-important agenda'. You're just never allowed to be wrong, are you? Everything you say just has to be upheld as ultimate, doesn't it? because that's the kind of person you are."

She doesn't speak. She's not even defending herself.

"It's not enough that you hold such a high position in the social hierarchy. It's not enough that you've done so much for yourself and for others. No matter how prestigious your status is, it kills you inside to know that there are so many others that hold the same status. You have to be a center figure in the lives of everyone you know. That's why you belittle and those around you, putting all others beneath you from the instant you meet them."

I don't have to look at them to know what faces they're making. Yui stares at me with sadness and confusion, wondering why this is the only way I can do this. Yukinoshita continues to look down at her food, not wanting this to happen, but unwilling to stop it.

Haruno's is the worst. It's the same look Sagami made on the roof. Her face contorts in shock and pain from that shell of ignorance protecting her from the realities of her life choices slowly falling to pieces around her.

I wish I knew some other way to do this. I wish I could help people without hurting them. Without being an enemy to oppose.

But I don't get to make that choice.

"If you don't believe me, you could always ask Yukinoshita."

She looks at her sister expectantly, hoping that she might act in her defense. Sadly this was not the case.

"You belittle her the most because she is the biggest threat to your self-imposed position of power. She doesn't need any high-end position in the social hierarchy to be an important figure in the lives others. She's achieved what you once had without trying nearly as hard, so you do everything you can to make her feel inferior to you. You've systematically conditioned your own sister to hate your very being."

I finish eating as silence fills the room.

"Thank you for the meal. It was all very good."

I leave the building.

I don't feel much like getting home too fast. I just walk with my bike rolling alongside me.

I wonder if I did any good with that. I want to say I don't know what compelled me to do this, but I know exactly why.

I could see that Yui and Yukinoshita were in pain.

There are two people that I care enough about to care about their well-being. They weren't family, they weren't loved ones, and yet I find myself concerned with their happiness.

What's happened to me?

My thoughts are interrupted as I find myself suddenly on the ground from having been shoved on the ground.

I turn to look at the culprits, not sure what to expect.

"You. You're the punk that made Sagami cry."

It's two kids from school. Kids I don't even know.

But I suppose I don't really have to know them to know why they are here.

I don't even bother to run from them, because I know I deserve every punch.