Edited: 01/01/17

Today was a shitty day. After being released from the hospital, I just wanted to rest, but in the end, I had to deal with more problems than in my math's test.

Firstly, I was sexually harassed by Haruno Yukinoshita, then I had that meaningless conversation with the great Hayama, who acted really weirdly, perhaps finally showing his true colors.

To completely ruin my day, I had messed up and now my cute sister was mad at me. I had hidden the truth from her and now she was avoiding me.

Finishing up some homework that I had to finish for tomorrow's class, I headed down stairs and was surprised by the sound of the LCD from our living room. I was sure that Komachi was locked on her room, still not wanting to talk with me.

When I entered the room, I almost had a heart attack. I couldn't believe my eyes, in my sofa, there was a lazy teacher that didn't acted like her age, "What the hell are you doing here, woman? Why are you at MY house, eating MY junk food, watching anime on MY television while drinking beer!?" I was seriously pissed off.

"Oh, Hikigaya, sorry for the intrusion. Do you want some?" Still paying attention to the screen in front of her, Hiratsuka kept munching on potato chips while watching a stupid action anime.

"No, thanks. Why are you here and why are you acting so casual?" I tried to calm down my temper.

"Well, I said that I wanted to talk with you, right? But you were studying and Komachi said that she didn't want to talk with you, so I ended up taking a seat and waited for you to notice me."

I sighed in annoyance, this woman wasn't an adult. I still didn't know why she scolded me when she was ten times worse than me.

Picking up the remote to lower the volume, I sat next to her and said, "Okay, so let's just talk so that you can't stop contaminating my beloved house."

She sighed, completely ignoring her initial purpose and looked at me with a bored expression, "You lied to your sister, right? She seemed to be really offended... You always mess up, Hikigaya."

"Tch, I don't want to hear that from you, especially not in these circumstances. Look, let's just be serious about this."

Her expression changed and she looked at me, "Yeah, you're right. Look, I'm going to be direct with you and say what I think. From what you told me it looks like someone was targeting you because they have something against your family."

She had a point, after hearing what they said, while they were beating me and the image that Hayama showed me on his phone were evidence that this people knew exactly what they were doing. It wasn't a random crime.

"It's true that lately there has been a rise in criminal activity in Chiba. There are reports of gangs, young delinquents doing dumb stuff and other criminals that started to pop up to take advantage of the chaos. You should talk with the one in charge of your group and report what happened to the authorities, this is not something that you can take lightly."

"Hmm, that's true..." I said vaguely, not entirely convinced that I should speak with my family about this. I didn't want to create a huge mess. If I could, I would like to solve everything on my own.

"You're not thinking on doing something stupid, right? This time you were lucky to be saved, but if you keep playing this game, you'll end up living in a completely different world." Her words were almost philosophical, she was clearly trying to convey a serious warning through pretty words, but I understood what she meant.

Calmly smiling, I said, "Don't worry, Hiratsuka. I won't do anything too stupid. I'll think about what you said and I'll find an answer, thank you for worrying."

With a shocked look on her face, the woman sighed and got up to leave, "I don't know why, but I can't feel safe after hearing those words, Hikigaya. Just be careful, okay? See you tomorrow." Saying that, she left, with a bitter smile on her face.

I was left sitting on the couch, munching the leftovers of junk food that she left behind, while thinking about this whole situation. I hated dramas, but this action anime on the TV wasn't that bad.

With the end of Golden Week, the temperatures in Chiba kept rising. During this period of time, students also had too much free time on their hands, which was normally used to create huge commotions and the hot topic of today was me.

Unfortunately for me, I had to return to school and since I couldn't ride my bike and that made me arrive fashionably late to Hiratsuka's class. If the rumors about me weren't enough, I had now became the star of the week, receiving multiples scornful glares as soon as I arrived.

"Who is that guy?" Annoying girl #1 asked out loud, "He's the delinquent from our class." Her bitchy friend answered.

"He looks awful."

"He's really scary, look at his eyes."

"What happened? He's full of bruises."

"Wow! Hikitani took a beating... Bro, like, that's totally not cool." Hmm that annoying voice, that ridiculous hair... That was Tobe, the guy who were ten times a better thug than me without even trying, but since he was friend with the King, he was still treated with respect.

"Yeah, fighting is bad..." One of the less important members of Hayama's group said, what was his name again? Matt? No, he wasn't blonde and handsome like the vocalist of the Teen-age Wolves. [1]

"Well, that's what happens to delinquents, right? It's normal." The other useless member of the clique said with a stupid smile. Who is that kid again? I couldn't care less about them, but their amused smiles and stupid comments were infuriating me.

Before I could glare towards them, Hayama said something and they stopped their stupid conversation. He looked at me with a smug smirk and shrugged his shoulders. Your Highness, I don't need your pity! The same could be said towards Yuigahama. She was looking at me like I was anorectic stray cat, dying in the cold streets of Chiba. Please stop that! Don't you dare pick me up and take me home. I'm a stray, but I still have my dignity.

I really missed the daily heat that I received from my kind classmates. Having people acknowledge your existence was a wonderful thing.

Deciding to ignore the popular kids, I went straight to my seat and ended up facing Totsuka, because her seat was right in front of me. She had a really concerned look on her face and unlike the others, it seemed like she was truly worried, but I had to ignore her. I didn't want to deal with her, especially after that talk with her father.

The tennis player was about to say something, but she was abruptly interrupted by Hiratsuka's loud voice. She started scolding us for the commotion created and in the end said that she wanted to talk with me after this class, perfect she was about to warn me that she wouldn't tolerate my late arrivals. Well, blame it on this useless left arm of mine.

The morning class ended and after getting scolded by my dear teacher, she gave me another stupid piece of paper that I had to fill. I rushed towards the exit of the classroom, trying to find a place a bit cooler.

I was the ridiculously weak against hot weather and the verbal offenses and weird looks that I was receiving was making my composed personality vanish, stupid noisy brats. Just like a lone wolf, I aimed for a place without human presence. It wasn't as if I felt uncomfortable in class or something like that, I just wanted to be alone with my buttons.

The world was the one who was wrong, not me. My classmates were the ones who failed as human beings, not me. They gathered in herds because they were weak. They made fun of other people because they were insecure about themselves.

They were the fine example of an herbivorous species, they acted as group so that they could sacrifice one of their own when they were attacked by carnivores, like Hayama's clique. They would usually play friends until it became inconvenient for one of the parts.

My goal was to become something strong like a lone wolf. I was still not sure of what I needed to do, but I already had already mastered the lonely routine of this cool animal.

However, I was still weak and useless against those two bastards. I knew that I could barely protect myself if anything like that happened again, but would I be able to protect something important to me? Probably not.

With many unneeded thoughts on my mind, I kept moving my feet towards my destination, the stairs to the roof. Seeing the padlock opened, I immediately thought that this place would be filled with male and female riajuu.

However, it was awfully quiet past the door and it seemed like this time my deduction wasn't on point. The large rooftop provided me the right amount of wind to cool of my previous foul mood. I looked towards the sky and started wondering why I enjoyed the silence so much.

I tried to imagine my future just by staring at the hazy blue sky above me, but so far I had no clear answer of what I wanted so, I decided to seat on the ground and started to fill out a certain paper that I had on hand. Prospective Workplace Tour Survey Form, now this sounded really boring. In my dictionary, working equals to losing. You lose yourself into a daily work routine that would end up being the death of you.

I started writing my twisted opinion about 'work' on that sheet of paper, carefully listing my dream job and respective workplace – I wanted to become a stay-at-home husband and of course that my workplace would be my comfy house. I was struggling to write properly because I couldn't hold down the paper with my left hand and suddenly, when I carelessly let go of the piece of paper, the wind blew. My dreams and that stupid piece of paper were taken away from me and just like a paper airplane, my sheet happily took off to Narnia.

Stopping my mental dramas, I tried to grasp the paper, but as if it was teasing me, my dreams kept flying away, higher and higher, and I finally noticed that it was something that wasn't doable. The paper was gone, "Screw you wind!" I shouted in anger, giving up on that piece of paper.

Shrugging away my problems and starting to walk away, I was stopped by a feminine voice, "Is this yours?"

I froze in surprise, I thought that I was alone. Deciding to ignore the husky and apathetic voice, I said, "Throw it away, I don't care anymore."

"Where are you goin'? Is this how you deal with problems?" The voice laughed with scorn from above. I looked up towards the ladder that reached up to the water tower and I ended up staring a familiar character.

She was the girl who saved me. She was leaning against the water tower while playing with a lighter in her hand, which she swiftly tucked away when she met my scornful smirk. Trying to scold me while showing her own weaknesses, too naive.

Her long and pale blue hair fell all the way down to her back and the unnecessary parts of her uniform were loosened up, showing some of her most feminine attributes. Her long, sharp legs looked like she was person with fighting experience, but what captivated me the most was the look on her eyes.

Unlike the first time we met, her eyes today looked ambitionless instead of the previous enraged gaze that I received in the hospital. She had bags under her eyes which made her look really tired. Nevertheless, I thought that she was appealing, perhaps because she saved me or maybe I just had a thing for older-looking girls.

Without saying a word, she swiftly climbed down the ladder, but then, the wind blew. This time, the weather was in my favor and I burned the image of a single line of fabric that led towards heaven.

In another words, I saw her panties. Good job wind! "Huh, black lace... It suits you." Crap, I just said what I was thinking out loud.

The girl let down of the ladder and took some time to turn around and I noticed her ears becoming red in embarrassment, "I-I'm s-sorry! It wasn't on purpose." Wow, I was the best liar. This was the perfect excuse, no doubt, especially after declaring my perverted thoughts.

I was expecting to get kicked or punched in some painful areas, but to my surprise, when she turned around, she had a composed look on her face and handed the paper to me, "... Are you a moron or just a pervert?" She said curtly. As soon as she finished her verbal attack, which was justified, she turned around and entered the school building.

I was left there alone, with a lot to talk with her. I wanted to say 'thanks', talk with her about the accident, ask her why she took care of my sister and why she went so far because of me. Anyways, the bell signaling the end of the break rang out from the speakers and I went back to my classroom in a mixture of satisfaction and deep confusion.

Sometime after delivering my paper sheet, Hiratsuka called me to the staff room and I knew that I was about to get scolded again. This was the second time today, a personal record in a space-time of two lessons.

My teacher was sitting in front of me, hitting the floor angrily with her stiletto heel. I was mesmerized by her pair of supple legs, which were hidden in the tight suit and pants that covered them. At this point I realized that I was becoming a major pervert, one that loved women with long legs.

Even though her age was a mystery, she was still a gorgeous woman, even if she was the most aggressive specimen that I had ever met. Too bad that her suit removed part of her feminine appeal. I couldn't deny that her vest adorned perfectly her curves.

I was abruptly pulled back to reality when I noticed her frightening expression, "Hikigaya, you know why I called you right?"

I knew the reason, but her intimidating gaze took away my answer. Now I was sure that in the past she had been a real delinquent girl, totally not a fake one like me.

She continued chewing on her tobacco filter and started cracking her knuckles, "I don't know what to do with you anymore... Maybe you'll learn through violence, huh?"

"Sorry for testing your patience again, sensei. I'll rewrite the damned thing."

My straightforward answer only made her angrier, "You know what, I was about to tell you to rewrite it, but since you aren't showing any type of remorse, I'll let you do as you please. Yeah, I'll let you have what you want."

Wait, what did you say? She was smirking in a devilish way, the same way that Haruno Yukinoshita looked at me while playing with my maiden heart.

"Ehh!? Weren't you going to beat me up to help me understand that I was wrong through the pain of losing?" Please just punch me once and we'll move on with the story. That was what I thought to myself. Her smug expression meant trouble for me.

"Well, I wouldn't be a decent teacher if I hit an incapacitated student, right?" She was denying a free chance to hit me.

"No, no, no! It doesn't matter if the student is already hurt or not. This isn't a samurai show where the rivals will delay the battle because they want to fight at full strength. Hitting a student is wrong and you're lucky to still be able to teach, gorilla woman."

Slowly raising her hand, she made a V sign while smirking, "Two times, Hikigaya." Her previous smirking expression was gone and now she was back to her aggressive mode, "I'll punch two times as soon as you get better. The first one is because you volunteered to a punch as your punishment and the other will be for calling me a gorilla. I might be beautiful and resemble Otae, but as far as I know I'm still not one of the 4 Devas of Kabuki District." [2]

"Beautiful? Perhaps, but I think that your monstrous strength would allow you to be considered one of the four bosses of Chiba. Perhaps one day you might even find your own stalker." [3] She nodded in agreement with my stupid argument and somehow we were immersed in a banter, mainly focused on shounen references.

Adjusting herself in her seat and letting out a playful chuckle, I reached one conclusion about this woman: she was an idiot, but still a beautiful person on the inside. She was lonely, just like me.

"Anyways, I'll let you have what you want, Hikigaya. I allow your group to visit your house, if that's what you really want."

I couldn't contain a smile after hearing her words. I felt the urge to celebrate knowing that for once, I had won a battle against Hiratsuka. But why am I feeling awkward about this? Why is she grinning madly?

"However, I'm not talking about your comfy and luxurious apartment... No, you'll visit your family's house."

I gulped after hearing her statement. I knew what she pretended to do with this action. She wanted me to solve the conflicts with my family. I could also sense that somehow she wanted to humiliate me by having to show my weak side to my future group.

"No, let me rewrite it, please! Anything but that..." I almost begged for mercy, I was even considering on kneeling and licking her feet - in an erotic way.

She puffed out smoke from her cigarette and glared at me, "Sorry, but you'll have to start learning from your stupid actions, Hikigaya. That shitty answer of yours was just another way of you showing how twisted you are. I thought that you were making progress, I even allowed you to spend less time in the Service Club, but you're not making any progress."

"Uh, I-I'm trying, okay? I can't change just because you feel like I am wrong. 'You can't run away' is an ideal for the strong. You're not always wrong. Society, the world and the people around you - often someone else is in the wrong. To think that you can change is adapting to this cruel, indifferent, trashy world. It's admitting defeat and servility. You're simply deceiving yourself by dressing it up with pretty words. I don't want to be forced to accept stuff that I don't agree with… I don't want to take forced decisions and become just another marionette like those other kids out there that live happily and carelessly, without knowing the truth of things."

She let out another puff of smoke as she looked towards me with a kind smile, "I understand what you're saying... But you're almost an adult and you'll have to learn to accept society, even if you don't agree with it… I'm not saying that you should change, I'm saying that you should learn to accept things as they are and adjust to them as a proper adult. You can't run away from your problems forever, Hikigaya. You haven't improved much since the first time we talked, but I want you to become a good person, I see much potential in you."

I looked at my feet with shame, this woman always managed to deliver emotional speeches that would make me stop bitching about my problems. I felt almost as if she understood exactly what I was going through.

"Geez..." She said with a sigh, "Anyway, sorry but you'll have to do as I say this time. Oh, you can also start counting all the survey forms as a penalty for hurting my feelings multiple time, rude brat."

"This is stupid... Why am I stuck doing a stupid 'workplace tour' at this time of the year? Doing these odd jobs is sucking up my time before the tests too." I couldn't help but whine to myself as I started counting the damned surveys in my hand.

"It's because we're reaching the time where you'll be picking your third-year course right after summer break. If you paid more attention to lessons maybe you'd be more informed." She was right, I spend most of the time reading my novels or daydreaming.

"If our school wants to prepare people who want to attend university, will they allow my group to simply visit my house? We are supposed to visit the workplace that allows to determine our future courses, so why wasting time in this ridiculous activity?" I still wasn't satisfied with the outcome of the previous events, I didn't want my stupid classmates to learn about the truth behind Hachiman Hikigaya. I had built a reputation of a delinquent to keep everyone away from me, but if people learnt that I was actually part of a shady group, I wouldn't be able to keep my façade.

My family was one of my weakest points. I couldn't care less if people looked at me weirdly, if they talked shit behind my back because I was a weird person, but it was a different thing if they started talking badly about my family. Even if I pretended that I didn't care about them, they were still my blood and I had this normal instinct of wanting to protect them. I'm a real tsundere... But it was exactly as people said, you couldn't choose your family and deep down, I accepted them for who they were – even if I wanted to keep my distance.

"You're always coming up with good-for-nothing arguments... You still don't know if you'll choose between the science and the humanities division, right? However, you know that you'll become the heir of your grandfather's fortune and property, so visiting your house is the right thing to do. Once you reach adulthood, you'll be the one facing the responsibilities of dealing with the jobs of thousands of employees. You need to solve the problems with your family and reach a conclusion about your future." I stayed in silence, not wanting to face the harsh reality that my future would become. In fact, my life was already a mess.

Sighing, Hiratsuka continued, "I'm not saying that you should silently accept what people forced onto you. I'm just trying to teach you that you can't run away from your problems. 'You can't deny something until you try', this applies perfectly to your situation... You're free to make your own choices, if you make them in a responsible way."

Her words were sharp as a knife. She cut exactly where it hurts, I didn't want to face my problems, I was too afraid to make any type of decision that would end up destroying my false sense of happiness. I was fine, for now, leaving alone and avoiding any type of complicated feelings.

Before I could answer something stupid, a smooth voice interrupted me, "I finally found you, Hikigaya."

The owner of the voice was smiling towards me with relief on her face. The silver haired beauty, Saika Totsuka, who I had been avoiding the all day, finally decided to face me directly. She was bolder than I thought.

"Totsuka? Sorry, but I'm borrowing Hikigaya from you."

Waving her hand in panic, Totsuka said, "N-No, it's okay. I just wanted to talk with Hikigaya and maybe have lunch together. I was worried about him."

I avoided her gaze and scoffed in a rude manner, "Is that all? I'm sorry, but I can't, as you can see I'm busy. I told you before, I don't want to play friends with you." I was a little bit too harsh, but it was for the best. I didn't know the motives behind her kindness, but I didn't want a fake relationship just because of a stupid promise between our families.

She lowered her head in sadness and sighed, "I see... You still can't trust me. I just wanted to know if you were alright, you look like you went through hell and everyone was making fun of you and I hate it! You're not a bad person, I don't know what happened, but you are not a person who would do bad things for fun, right?"

Her eyes were shining with hope and something else that I couldn't distinguish, I had to stop this and crush the image that she had of me, so with a sadistic smile, I said, "Ehh!? I'm a good person, that's new. You know Totsuka, I love trouble and yes I fight with others because I enjoy it, I love to beat up scum that looks down on me. Don't try to act nice towards me, I don't need your pity! I'm the bad guy and you should just accept it and leave me alone... "

"I still don't understand you, Hikigaya! Why are you lying? I can see that you're hurting, I saw your reaction to the insults and I can't accept this. I-I'm sorry if I'm being a bother." With that, Totsuka left the staff room in a hurry with tears in her eyes.

Hiratsuka that had been silent during our conversation, now had a disappointed look in her face and sighed, "You're terrible and a cruel idiot! Totsuka is a good girl and I can tell that she was truly worried about you… If you keep acting like that, you'll end up dying alone."

I laughed dryly, "That suits me perfectly. I'm alone by choice and I don't want her to get involved with me. I'm done counting the surveys and there are three people that haven't delivered their sheet." I picked up my school bag and headed towards the exit.

"You're incorrigible, Hikigaya. I pity you... Anyways, choose two members to your group. If you don't want people to judge you and learn the truth about Hachiman, you need to choose the right partners, two people that will accept your true colors."

I was beginning to get angry, Hiratsuka's meddling was getting out of hand and I really wanted to stop her smirk. I wish I could just remove my belt and punish my teacher for being too nosy. It would be the perfect AV scenario, but I had to put a stop to my sadistic fantasies before I did something that I would regret. Anyways, I was tired of this, kindness, pity, love, courage, friends, responsibilities – even the ball – I had no need of them. [4]

The midterms were closing in, but my body was already tired of studying so much. I just wanted to complete this phase and put aside my books. I really need my summer vacation.

Lately, I had been really unfocused and that was because I couldn't stop thinking about the warning that Hiratsuka gave me, weeks ago.

'Chiba is becoming a dangerous place', those were the words that kept ringing in my ears, but I wasn't afraid of this change, in fact I was extremely curious. Lately, whenever I could, I decided to take small strolls through the city to try and understand what my teacher meant with those words.

As a guy who loved his city, I could see the differences clearly. The panic in everyone's eyes was justified, Chiba was indeed different. The fear kept spreading through the city as the criminal activities kept rising and in my opinion, the exaggerated social media and the passive attitude of Chiba's police force were also responsible for this mess.

Everyone was useless and delinquents took the opportunity to create more panic by acting as a pack, bullying the weak. This was now a normal routine in Chiba, the city that once was a peaceful place to live. The popular hangouts of the younger kids were now filled with thugs and I could see why this situation was so serious, everyone could be a suspect, even school kids. Crimes started happening on a daily basis. I still was not sure how this started, but I was sure that those two knew something about what was happening and that was why I was looking for clues.

Well, when I looked in the mirror I could totally imagine people say that I was one of those shady characters that had been terrorizing our city. However, I wasn't the type of guy who would enjoy seeing others suffer without a reason. That made me sound horrible, but I was smart enough to avoid any type of criminal activities, but that wasn't the point.

Since the 'accident' happened, I had been filled with rage and I felt like I wanted revenge. I wanted to catch those two guys, I wanted to hurt them… But I wasn't stupid, I knew that I couldn't fight them, at least not now, I was weak. However, I still needed to figure out the big picture and lately, that led me to walk around town while keeping an open eye to suspicious activities.

I decided to take a break at a local coffee shop, in order to regain my train of thought. I was starting to get obsessed by everything that happened and my head was a mess.

I ordered a drink that was very similar to my beloved Max coffee. Looking for a vacant table, my eyes ended facing a familiar face. It was the blue haired delinquent that saved my life, but what was her name again? Toyota? No that wasn't it. Maybe it was Honda, yeah that name suited perfectly. Just like a certain policewoman, my female classmate had a mature aura that demanded respect and her curvaceous figure was impeccable. [5]

Just before losing myself to my perverted thoughts, her purple eyes pierced my soul with a cold look. I froze and didn't know how to react. With her usual bored expression, she nodded at me signaling something. Is she saying hello or telling me to join her?

Crap, my lack of social skills were evident in this type of situations and I felt like I was trapped in a cliché romance event. Not sure about what to do I tried to identify my options:

A) Acknowledge her presence and simply nod back.

B) Avert my eyes and ignore her.

C) Be bold and join her table.

Since lately I had been acting strangely out of character, I knew what I had to do. My feet started moving and I took a seat in front of her.

"Uh, yo." I said awkwardly, regretting my bold move.

Kawasaki had a pen on her hand and she was focused on her book, taking notes occasionally. I recognized that she was studying English, something that I had the done previous day.

Without looking at me, she said curtly, "So, what do you want?"

I gulped in anticipation, not fully understanding the meaning of her question, "Er, why are you assuming that I wanted something from you? I simply wanted to enjoy my drink in the company of my classmate." Why was I saying something stupid like this?

She sighed in an annoyed manner and finally looking at me, she said "That's bull... You seemed like you had something to say to me, so let's cut the crap."

Hearing her cold rebuke almost made me choke on my drink, her social skills were just as bad as mine, but I liked her style, "I wanted to ask you something about what happened that day..." I said vaguely.

She stood in silence, staring at her book, so I continued, "How and why did you save me? Did you manage to identify those two who attack me? And, why did you did so much for me? You took care of my sister and lied for me... You stood all afternoon looking out for me, I-I just don't understand why you would do so much for a stranger like me."

She clicked her tongue and looked at me, "So many questions, you're a nuisance... I saved you because it was the right thing to do, it's not like I'm against fighting, but those two were torturing you. To be honest, I was reckless when I decided to attack those two guys, one of them was armed and the other was a large guy, but luckily for me, they were too interested in claiming their war trophies-"

"What do you mean?" I interrupted her, not being able to control my curiosity.

She made an angry expression and said, "Will you let me finish it?" Damn, she was scary. I nodded and she continued, "They were dragging your body around, takin' pictures of you... Since I know a bit of self-defense, I acted on instinct and picked up a metal trash can lid and smashed it into the bigger guy's face, stunning him. The smaller guy had his phone on his hand, so removing his bat was easy and being caught by surprise, they simply decided to run away… I couldn't identify them."

I was speechless, she was incredible just as I thought. She was scary, but not as a delinquent. She seemed like the type of mature woman that you wouldn't want to anger. She was the type of character that would sit at the counter of a bar, smoking and holding her drink in one hand. I was seriously starting to worship her.

Not wanting to mess up again, I let her continue, "After the huge amount of emails that your sister sent you, I ended up calling back her number and told her a little bit about what happened. As an older sister, I felt bad for her and I started chatting with her for some time, trying to calm her down. Seeing that it wasn't working, I decided to invite her for dinner at our house, because apparently our siblings were friends and that made everything less awkward. Don't get me wrong, I didn't do this for you. I only waited for you to wake up because your sister insisted and I couldn't say no to her. But at the same time, what would you do in my situation? Would you leave me bleeding on the ground? Would you ignore my desperate siblings? As I said, it was the right thing to do."

I was still trying to make sense of everything she said, but she was right, "Yeah, I'm not brave like you, but I'd probably do the same. Look, thanks for what you've done."

She looked outside with a vacant look on her eyes and said, "Have you talked with your sister? What happened to you was so serious that I decided to lie in order to protect her, but I think that she saw through it."

I sighed remembering that this topic was haunting me. Komachi was still mad with me because I still hadn't told her the truth. I was a terrible person, "No, I only told her that I'd talk to her once I was ready to share my problems."

She looked at me with a disappointed expression and said, "Well, it's indeed your problem, but she deserves to know the truth, just like the rest of your family."

"Yeah, right... How should I thank you? I don't want to be indebted to you."

She laughed sarcastically and said, "Don't be stupid, I didn't save you because I wanted some type of compensation... You owe me nothing, I did everything on my free will. You should forget what happened and move on. You have this strange look like you're seeking revenge or something and that's not good, you might end up getting killed..."

How can you see through me so easily? Is it that obvious that I was starting to fall on the wrong path?

Laughing dryly, I said, "Yeah, don't worry, I know what I'm doing." And saying that, I decided to leave the coffee shop before this conversation became even more serious. It was like she knew my intentions from the moment she looked at me. I was becoming sloppy, perhaps it was the effect of drinking too much caffeine or maybe it was this uncontrollable desire for revenge that was blinding me.

[1] – Reference to Yamato 'Matt' Ishida from the Digimon Adventure series.

[2] and [3] – Reference to Shimura Tae and Kondou Isao from Gintama – mainly because Hiratsuka, in my opinion, is very similar to Otae.

[4] – Tsubasa Ozora's motto: "The ball is my friend"- Captain Tsubasa series.

[5] – Reference to Honda, the personal attendant of Marika Tachibana in Nisekoi.