Edited: 01/01/17

Stressful days of studying passed and I was now trying to enjoy my break time in a somewhat noisy classroom. Everyone, except me, was chatting happily with their friends and somehow I had the feeling that this whole situation was something like a foreign language to me.

Unfortunately, due to what happened that day, I had become very aware of my surroundings and it became very hard for me to ignore this demonstration of friendship. Everyone was entertained talking about random stuff, but the most discussed topic was that stupid Workplace tour.

With all the stress from studying and with my new interest in observing Chiba, I had totally forgot that I had to go through the humiliation that Hiratsuka had prepared for me.

"Where are you going?"

"Who are you going with?"

Those were the phrases that were already marked in my soul. The drama of choosing the groups and their workplace was killing me. I was in a horrible situation and these idiots were just making a big scene because the groups consisted of three people. As if that would be a problem, idiots.

They could all choose the same workplace and that would solve their problems. However, my own problems weren't that easy to solve. Hiratsuka told me to pick two people, but whom would I pick? I hated everyone in this class and I didn't feel like showing them my most embarrassing side. The origins of Hachiman - it was the perfect name for a movie about the dramatic story of my life.

I could choose Kawasaki, but I doubt that she would accept it. She had already covered up the truth for me once, so, would she do it again? Probably not. She thought that I was a nuisance and idiot, as she called me many times. Even though we were in the same class, ever since we met at the coffee shop some days ago, we hadn't talked ever since.

To be honest, I was avoiding her. I didn't know why, but she was a scary person. She wasn't a bitch like Yukino and she wasn't a devil like Haruno, but she was certainly something else, perhaps a psychic. Her cold and uncaring eyes were able to judge me just from small reactions.

Yuigahama was out of the question. She was a nice girl and I truly hated her type. Yes, we technically were on the same club, but I didn't want to meddle with her. She was one of those girls that I couldn't understand. She seemed to despise me like the others, but at the same time she tried really hard to be nice to me. When I returned to school looking like shit, she even sent me emails asking me about how I was doing and she kept insisting that I should visit the club sometime.

A really nice girl and that was why I hated her. Well, I didn't need her pity and I didn't need anything in return from her - maybe some service, but that was just me being a pervert.

Maybe this was how Kawa-something felt when I told her that I wanted to repay what she did. Even though I wanted nothing from Yuigahama, I couldn't ignore the fact that my delinquent classmate saved my life and helped me cover up some things. She didn't save my dog, she saved my life, which would maybe have the same value as a canine's life, but my stubborn mind couldn't forget this easily. Using her own words, it would be the right thing to do, I wanted to show her my gratitude somehow.

I kept getting into pathetic situations because of my stupid actions or decisions. Sometimes I wonder if everything could have been different if I had decided to act differently when the rumors started. It was true that I didn't try to stop the situation, I guess that I was too shocked to notice that I no matter what, I would always trash to everyone else – these snake-like eyes really made me look totally shady. Anyways, there was nothing that I could do now.

Unfortunately, school was one of the cruelest places in the world. School wasn't just a place where you took classes. School was the natural habitat populated by every time of human being on this earth. And so, high school students would always try to mark their territory, through puny disputes in the form of bullying and just like any stratified society, high school also had a social hierarchy.

Of course that the amount of friends and contacts that one had was also an important factor in a successful teenage life. All these reasons would clearly make me the weakest and most repugnant being at school and that was why I decided to use intimidation to create some sort of respect. I was still hated, people sometimes would speak badly of me, but they wouldn't even dare to approach me.

With my head resting on my table, I kept a keen eye on the behavior of my classmates - they were all scum, these riajuu bastards trying to live a happy life without even caring about the truth behind their meaningless existence.

I noticed that lately I had become a little bit dark and my thoughts would always end up making me want to punch someone in the face. I was still really angry about what happened, the humiliation, the fear and the pain that I suffered from that beating was still haunting me, but I refused to move on.

Suddenly, my line of thought broke, when a soft voice spoke, "Hello, Hikigaya." Her small pair of hands shook me gently and she sat in front of me.

I grunted in response, trying to scare her away, but this little thing was brave and very persistent, "Huh- I'm sorry if I'm getting in your way... I just wanted to talk with you and say hello."

When I finally looked at her directly, she flinched in a nervous expression, but with a nervous smile, she held my gaze with a cute expression, "Tch, are you still trying to become my friend? I told you, I have no need for friendship... I could accept a slave though, if you are interested we can hold a contract that makes you deal with me for four-to-six hours a day, so what do you think?"

Hearing my stupid and perverted proposal, Totsuka laughed cutely, putting her hand over her mouth, "You say some funny things, Hikigaya. And if that's what I need to do to become your friend, I would gladly spend that time with you."

Someone help me, please! This reverse trap can't be this cute. [1] I couldn't understand her reaction, she was supposed to be disgusted by what I said, intimidated, not happy. Why isn't she trying to avoid me? I am treating her badly, so why? Her kindness and cuteness was starting to melt my cold heart and I just wanted to abduct her and take her home with me.

"So, what do you want?" I said, trying to remain composed.

She looked at me nervously and said, "Hikigaya, have you decided where you're going for the Workplace tour?"

I sighed in annoyance, remembering one of the motives behind my foul mood, "I'm going to hell. I'm going back to where I belong... Well, what will be, will be." I confessed part of my problems to this cute tennis player.

She tilted her head in confusion and chuckled softly, "Hmm, sometimes you say some intense and really sad stuff..."Her sad and worried expression was making my affection levels for her raise. I was afraid of how easy it was for me to forget my tough façade when confronted with her pureness.

I stood in silence, not wanting to mess up, so she decided to insist the matter, "So, you've already decided your group members, huh?"

Her eyes looked sad, but at the same time they had a small glint of hope. I could sense the hidden meaning behind her seemingly innocent curiosity. She wanted to come with me.

This made me freeze in anticipation and I somehow felt like I was about to misinterpret her vague words. I was about to reach a point where I had to make a decision: kill or get killed.

"What about you? Have you decided your group?" At the same time, I started wondering if I could use her gentle side to my advantage.

She was confused with my sudden curiosity and blushing, she said, "M-Me.. I-I've already decided!" She averted my gaze and started to glance at me sideways, clearly wanting to see my reaction.

Once again, my keen instincts told me that she was clearly inviting me to be part of her group, so I said bitterly, "Well, that's normal for you... You're popular after all. I don't have or need any friends, so it'll be a pain to form a group."

Her reacting was just as expected, she seemed offended and I was expecting her to retort something like: 'I'm your friend' or preferably 'I want to become your pet', but that would a perfect scenario for a perverted bastard like me and I wasn't lucky enough to get the good endings.

Suddenly, the King's clique started making a huge noise, trying to learn more about the plans of the wonderful Hayama. The conversation between Tobe and Hayama was disgusting. They were talking to each other without a care in the world. They were treating each other with their first names, as if this would show how close they were. They were fakes, every single member of that little group.

I was disgusted by their act of 'friendship' and I felt like I needed to let out some anger, "Saika." I called out her first name, wanting to experiment if this lame trick would really change my relationship with a certain person.

Hearing her first name being called out, Totsuka froze and said nothing. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in shock. I was right, this changed nothing and the riajuu pigs were just overreacting.

Suddenly, before I could apologize for my mistake, Totsuka spoke, "...I'm really happy. It's the first time you've called me by my first name." Wait, what?

I was confused at her delayed reaction. Her smile and her eyes showed some type of deep emotion, "So, can I call you Hikki?" She asked boldly.

"Don't call me that." That stupid nickname that Yuigahama gave me made me feel sick.

Looking disappointed, she tried again, "Uh... What about Hachiman?"

...

I sighed in annoyance. I couldn't deny that it felt good to be called by my first name and maybe, just maybe, I was really envious of those riajuu that had their first name called by cute girls.

"Whatever, suit yourself."

She puffed out her cheeks, feigning some sadness and then smiled at me and thankfully, the bell rang and I was saved from being captured by Totsuka. Watch out, Ash Ketchum! I sense that there was a new master in town and this one was about to catch them all: females and males included. [2]

I wanted some peace, but that was seemingly impossible. I was enjoying my break time when my stupid phone started vibrating, due to the huge amount of emails received in a short period of time. This phenomenon was called spam, kids be aware.

Yuigahama sent me a bunch of emails, trying to warn me that the club had received a visit from my weird 'friend'. I knew that she was talking about Zaimokuza and that was why I ignored her. He probably wanted to request some help from us, but I didn't want to deal with it.

Sometime passed and I received a bunch of calls from an unknown number and I figured that somehow, my club mate had given my personal contact to an annoying character without my authorization. Taking a deep breath, I accepted his call and we agreed to meet outside of my classroom.

When he saw me, he made a dramatic pose, "Ohhh... We meet again, partner. The path to glory awaits me. I'm on the road to El Dorado!" Finishing his stupid monologue, he started laughing like a maniac - he was beyond salvation.

I turned around and started to walk away, this was a waste of time. "Wait, don't be so cruel! Please, listen to my request." He pleaded.

I sighed and decided to listen to him, "So, what do you want?"

"I'm sorry for my previous enthusiasm, but as a writer who seeks inspiration, I couldn't control my enthusiasm. Hachiman, listen and be amazed! I have decided to venture forth to a publisher for my workplace tour! In other words, you get it, right?"

"Let me guess... You want to present one of your works to a publisher and see how it goes, right?" Somehow I tried to understand his weird phrasing.

He nodded furiously and slapped me in the back, "As expected from my editor! I didn't want to be a bother, but I want you to give me your feedback on my work. It doesn't matter if you say good or bad things. As a writer, I live to receive feedback from my fans and for that reason, Hachiman, I need you to help me realize my dream."

A sighed again, but this time I wasn't annoyed anymore. In fact, I probably was a bit shocked to see him so dedicated to this hobby. "Okay, I'll read your story. Hand me the draft once you finish it and please, don't spam my phone again."

He laughed and gave me a thumbs up, "Hahaha! Sorry for that, it was a situation of life or death. Anyways, thank you."

I was about to walk away and end the conversation when I remembered something, "Hey, Zaimokuza, are you familiar with the Dollars' site?"

He gave me a weird look and answered, "Of course, I know about it, Hachiman. Don't you dare offend my otaku knowledge, I'm a big fan of the series."

"Yeah, right, but I don't want to discuss our opinions on the series. I was curious to know if you could help me with something." Finishing my sentence and trying to set a serious mood, I showed him the print screen that Hayama had showed me some time ago.

He took the phone of my hand and read the messages with a serious expression, I decided to break the ice, "Since you probably have more experience than me in this type of human interaction sites, I wanted to know if you could help me find out more about those weird people that are randomly appearing online, throwing threats and causing a big confusion everywhere."

He stood in silence and then looked at me as if he understood the meaning behind what happened to me, I raised my hand in a defensive way, not wanting to explain the full details of my request.

He nodded and said, "We can serve as bait to make these people reveal themselves. It seems dangerous, though. This people seem to be serious about wanting to hurt others." Saying that he gave me a look that conveyed a deeper message. He wanted to warn me to stop this, but I was already too involved and I couldn't stop now.

"Let's do it then. We can create a chat room like this one and somehow start talking about this. We might end up figuring something out."

Before Zaimokuza could respond, someone approached us and we stopped talking about this sensible topic. Looking around, I met the gaze of a certain person, which always managed to ruin my day. It was none other than Hayato Hayama.

Smiling politely, he walked towards us and said with a cool voice, "Sorry for interrupting, Zaimokuza. You too, Hikitani."

HIs words made it look like the two of us were the ones who were on his way and in an awkward way, Zaimokuza said, "Uhh, I better get going now... H-Hachiman, we'll talk later!"

I understood Zaimokuza's reaction perfectly. The popular kids always had this strange effect of superiority that would make the outcasts feeling even more pathetic.

I tried to ignore his presence and leave, but he grabbed my shoulder and said, "Wait, I wanted to talk about you about something Hikitani. I think that you might be able to help me."

I sighed in annoyance, feeling that I really wanted to slap away his hand and shove him away. I decided not to do something brash, I needed to gain a better control of my anger. From inside the classroom, I could sense many eyes on us through the windows. I was sure that I even heard a girl screaming hysterically, followed with a big thump. What the hell is happening?

I decided to stay and listen to his problems. I couldn't deny it, I was very curious. Hayama, the perfect guy, was asking for my help. I wanted to know about his problems, I mean, the popular and well-loved Hayama was asking me for his help. This was a highly improbable event. It was rare like having the Hero making an alliance with the Demon King in order to stop a war. [3]

"What do you want?" I said irately, this guy was everything that I wasn't and for that reason and many others, I hated him.

Taking out his phone, which gave me a sense of déjà vu, he pressed a couple of buttons and then showed me a particular text message. While I read the said message, he explained that me that he asked my club for help, but they couldn't find a good solution. According to his words, the methods proposed by my club mates weren't efficient and that was why he was here.

He gave me a short explanation about his problem. Apparently, there was a mysterious chain message circulating in our class, implicating that Tobe, Yamato and Ooka were delinquents. I couldn't help but giggle like a schoolgirl. It felt good to see these popular bastards be the target of scorn.

"In the Service club, we already realized that this problem is connected to the upcoming Workplace visit." He said vaguely, clearly feeling guilty not wanting to talk badly about his peers.

"So, the groups are composed of three people and since there's one extra, someone is starting rumors to get a person knocked out from your clique." I hoped that my detective skills were with me, I didn't want to look lame in front of the King.

He smiled bitterly, but nodded in agreement, "That's exactly what's happening, Hikitani. You see, I'm mad because people are talking badly about my friends and I wanted to find a solution to this problem. I don't want to know who started it, I just want it to stop."

I wouldn't lie, I wasn't the best person to solve this mystery, I mean, I barely knew something about those three clowns. Tobe was the noisy guy, the big dude seemed to be indecisive and slow, a person who could easily be influenced by others. Then there was the other guy with the creepy smile, I couldn't say much about him, but he seemed to be an opportunist that used Hayama for fame.

"Tch, you are really retarded, Hayama. Were you born yesterday or something? It's obvious that your judgment is clouded by your friendly act. People aren't as nice as you think and that includes those three."

Hayama's gentle smile was gone and he was now biting his lip, trying to contain his anger. He was more naive than I thought, he was really trying to be a good guy, avoiding conflict and negative thoughts at all costs.

Thankfully one of my special 108 skills was finding the faults in people and lately I had been upgrading my observation capabilities. For that reason, this case wasn't that difficult to solve.

Their clique were all a group of performers and the director and audience of that play was Hayama. Whenever he wasn't present, I always noticed how silent the classroom - I really appreciated those moments. As soon as Hayama left the scene, those three would always act as if the others didn't exist. There wasn't a reason for them to keep their act if the one that they wanted to please wasn't there.

Sighing in annoyance, I said, "Your group exists for your sake."

He tried to say something, but interrupted him with my hand. His lack of self-awareness was unbelievable. Maybe he just didn't want to face the truth.

"Have you noticed how those three act when you're not around?" He nodded negatively and I continued, "Those three act as your 'friends', but when they are alone they are nothing but mere acquaintances."

Hayama had a shocked expression on his face and he went quiet for some time, reflecting on my words. "Those three are like employees of a multinational company and they are on a constant fight to see who gains the promotion faster. By this I mean that those three stupidly seek your attention, and they are willing to do anything in order to get the more attention from the boss."

My example was perfect, I felt like I explained exactly one of the big problems in our society. Everyone wants power, fame and they would do anything to get it.

"Unlike Yukinoshita suggested, you don't need to find out who the suspect is. If they are fighting to get your attention, removing the root cause, they'll be forced to form a group without you and hopefully, they'll bond or whatever you guys call it."

Hayama, the Hero who lost his way, nodded his head, agreeing with the devil's plan and looking at me with a flashy smile, he said, "That might work... Thank you for your help. I think that I'm starting to understand why Haruno speaks highly of you, Hikigaya."

Suddenly, someone opened the door of our classroom in a rude way and we were interrupted by a rude female, "Hayato? I was looking for you... Didn't you read my emails?"

Hayama seemed somewhat guilty and had a cheeky smile on his face, "I'm sorry, I was talking with Hikitani and didn't check the phone. Come, join me for lunch, Yumiko." Saying that, Hayama left and waved at me without looking back. This was the perfect crime. Hayama had just lied to his 'friend', but somehow, she still looked happy with how the situation turned out.

"Robin Hood is that you? How amazing, so cool! Even though you lied to me, I'll forget your crimes." That was how I interpreted her dreamy expected, Hayama was a twisted bastard that could turn any type of shitty situation into his advantage.

The girl in question had a huge smile and a small blush on her face after hearing those words, but when she faced me, her expression changed and now she was glaring at me with hostility, "What were you two talking about?"

Unconsciously raising one eyebrow, I said in disdain, "It doesn't concern you."

I saw her hand become a fist as she gripped her skirt in anger, "You are an ass. You better not contaminate Hayato, he's a nice guy unlike you." I laughed bitterly saying nothing, I couldn't deny that fact, but her stupid argument was funny somehow.

She passed in front of me, almost shoving me away, but then stopped and said, "Are you okay? You look like shit and I bet that you're about to do something dumb, again... You're not the hero, Hikio. Oh and don't forget about that bet, I lost after all." Saying those words that conveyed a message that I couldn't decipher, she left in a hurry after her crush. She was a weird woman.

The next day came and my plan was an amazing success. As planned, removing Hayama out of the picture, made his three buddies acknowledge each other and they ended up forming a group without their beloved leader.

I looked at the blackboard and I noticed that my options for groups' members were running out. Almost everyone and their dogs had already decided where to go and with whom.

Who would I choose? My evil teacher really won this time. My defiance towards her only worsened my situation. She was right, I already had learnt a good lesson.

Suddenly, an angel stood in front of me, with a graceful smile, "Good morning, Hachiman."

"Yo." I greeted coldly, turning around my head, clearly trying to show that I had no interest in talking with her.

Normally, if I treated someone coldly, they would stop bothering me immediately, but this girl was something else. Despite looking innocent and quite fragile, she had guts - real balls that would put many guys to shame. She kept trying to make small talk with me every day and my façade was growing weaker each day.

She didn't feel threatened or afraid of me. She wasn't disgusted by my looks or my reputation and no matter what I did, she would always come back with an adorable smile as if saying: "I'll accept you for who you are."

"Uh, a-about the group for the Workplace tour..." Her voice was hesitant and then she stopped talking. Definitively an awkward silence... I sighed, it was a pity if she had already formed her group. She could have been useful. Her kindness would probably make her ignore the truth behind the Gaya-group.

Before she or I could say anything, a sudden voice joined our conversation, "Can I sit here?"

I ignored his presence and Totsuka was too embarrassed to talk and looked at me as if she was waiting for my permission. She was really cute. The blonde ended up sitting in the empty chair next to the tennis player.

"Thanks man, it looked like everything worked out perfectly." This was the second time he had thanked me and I felt like I had done something out of ordinary. It was an honor to receive the King's approval, twice. I looked at the 'Three Musketeers' and they were finally acting all friendly with each other.

I was reaching for my music player, in order to ignore both of these nuisances, when Hayama said something really out of character, "I just wanted everyone to get along, but you made me understand that I cause conflict too..."

My cynical mind was unable to find an answer to the honest side of Hayama. I wanted to say something nasty, something that would make him see how stupid his character was, but I only made a scornful sound, which showed that I had interest to learn more about his problems.

"Oh, since the two of us haven't decided on a group, why don't we go together?" Smiling in an exaggerated way, he offered me a handshake.

I felt the urge to puke at his behavior. Why is he acting friendly with me? Damned, riajuu and his American costumes.

I grunted in discomfort and said, "Thanks buddy, but that's not a good idea." Saying that I slapped his hand.

He looked confused and with a forced smile he said, "Why do you say that? Is it because you don't want attention to yourself?"

"That's not untrue, but Hiratsuka gave me a penalty for being rude and my destination for this tour was forcibly decided by her. Since this is my penalty, I'll take responsibility alone." I said trying to make him lose interest in his stupid idea. The delinquent and the popular kid getting along? This was almost a plot worthy of a Yaoi series.

He was surprised by what I said, but smiling broadly he insisted, "Really? That's interesting... May I ask where are you going?" This bastard. He was one of my kind, he was certainly a 'S' in disguise.

Totsuka was looking at me with a lot of expectation, she had this curious expression that made me blurt out the truth, "My family's house."

His smug grin was gone and now he had a serious expression on his face, "I understand now, but I insist, let's go together. I'll keep quiet about your group."

I looked at him in the eyes and my Spidey sense alerted me of something that I wasn't aware: Hayama knew more about me than what I thought. [4]

I sighed in annoyance, deciding to accept his proposal just so that I could make him stop talking, "Okay, just remember what you said." I sent him a cold glare that served as a threat.

Totsuka made a cute pout and looked at me as if she felt offended, "Not fair, Hachiman! What about me?"

I blinked in surprise, trying to find a good answer, "Uh, I thought you had already decided."

"Yes, I decided to go with you, but you never understood my hints!" She crossed her arms and feigned to be depressed. Her sulking face was cute too and I wanted to see more of her reactions.

I decided to give up and as I thought before, Totsuka might be able to keep my secret. I also knew the truth behind her gender, so we would be on equal terms. Hopefully, I wouldn't need to threaten a girl.

"Tch, okay, you can come too." What was this lame reaction? Damn, was acting all bashful instead of scary.

Totsuka giggled happily and Hayama, wasting no time whatsoever, walked towards the blackboard to write our names. As I thought, that bastard always knew my name and was just messing with me.

When he was about to write the workplace that we were visiting, he froze, seemingly deep in thought, then he wrote something: 'HIratsuka's choice'

"Ehh? Hayama's going with him?" A stupid girl asked in disgust.

"No way, he's just being nice. I want to go where he's going though." Another of his feminine fans said in enthusiasm, but many were shocked when they noticed that our destination wasn't written on the board.

"What's with that vague answer, Hayato? Tell us where you are going!" A desperate girl said, clearly trying to get some attention.

Hayama walked away and showing an amazing smile he said, "It's a secret." The wink that he gave her at the end made many girls hearts go doki doki in excitement. This guy was unbelievable, another perfect crime that went unnoticed by these idiots.

A couple of days passed and the midterms were getting closer and closer, this meant that I spent many of my free hours studying really hard, which was something that I hated - I was a guy who didn't like to waste his energy in useless stuff. In my opinion I was ready to face the life of an adult, I just need to find a wife who would sustain our household.

My relationship with Komachi was still awkward and I still hadn't talked with her about what had happened that day. We still made small talk every day, but she was clearly throwing a tantrum.

Even though she was acting like this, she still kept doing her part of the housework and she would usually wear my T-shirt and blazers as nightwear. This could only mean that she wasn't really mad, right?

The other night we had this odd talk where she mentioned one of her male classmates and I had to control my protective instinct, clearly not wanting to complicate our current situation.

Apparently, the maggot's name was Taishi Kawasaki and he was my savior's little brother. This said kid was worried that his sister had become a delinquent, since she didn't come home at night and she usually acted weird.

Seeing this as the perfect way to pay back my debt towards that woman, I told Komachi that I would help her if she ever needed. This action made me gain a lot of points, which I noticed from her happy reaction. However, I still wasn't happy with this thing called Taishi - I was hoping that this kid would keep his distance from my cute sister, for his own sake.

Another day of school came and a new mistake was made. I arrived late to one of Hiratsuka's classes and that made me become the target of some disdainful comments, nothing new really.

It wasn't my fault to be honest, even though I had already removed the plaster cast on my left arm, but my left arm still felt like a brick and I couldn't ride my bicycle like that. Public transports were pretty unreliable and I took the wrong bus by accident.

When the class ended, Hiratsuka started scolding me for my late arrival, threatening me with one of her punches, but then, to my surprise, she stopped and said, "You know what? I forgive you this time, because you surprised me. You actually managed to find a group, I hope to hear further improvements from you."

Before she could continue her emotional speech, which clearly was showing how proud she was of her teaching methods, a familiar character opened the classroom's door, carrying her bag in a lazy way, "Are you fashionably late too, Saki Kawasaki?" Hiratsuka called out the lone female's name with a wry smile. Thankfully, now the beast's attention wasn't focused on me.

The girl silently nodded, walking right past us with an ambitionless look on her eyes. Sitting on her seat, she gazed in a vacant way into the blue sky. This female loner was the definition of cool. She was cold and mature and her aura was threatening enough to make Hiratsuka speechless. Please teach me how to be cool like you, black lace onee-sama!

Sometime after being lectured by Hiratsuka, I received an unexpected blessing, my sister called me to talk with me and she even invited me to hang out with her at a near shopping center.

That was what I would like to think, but instead she called me because she wanted me to her friend, Trashy Kawasaki and they needed my help. Not wanting to damage the current fragile relationship that I had with Komachi, I accept my fate.

When I entered the cafe that she mentioned, I noticed that it was crowded with all types of students. Looking to a certain table, I spotted three familiar faces.

Saika Totsuka, which was wearing her flashy jersey, was seemingly interested in the cakes, probably wondering what to order. The other two were Yuigahama and Yukinoshita and it seemed like they were studying as they waited for their order.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance, as I kept looking for an empty table. Why am I so angry anyways? Is it because they didn't invite me? No, that wasn't the reason, in fact, I was glad that my 'temporary' club mates kept their distance from me.

Is it because I was expecting something different from Totsuka? If that was the right answer, then I was being stupid and I deserved to feel this way. It seemed like I was angry, no, maybe this wasn't the best way to express how I was feeling... Perhaps I was feeling sad and disappointed.

Then, I noticed something idiotic, I had been staring for too long and that made those three notice my presence. Totsuka was grinning happily while waving at me. The other two girls' faces went pale and in their expressions I could see that I was clearly not welcomed there – nothing new.

I ended up ignoring them and sitting somewhere near the entrance. As I waited for my little sister to arrive, I picked up my phone and started to read the news. As a guy who loved Chiba, I had to know about the evolution of the current crime rate. Crap, I was starting to sound like a stupid cop.

Unfortunately for me, I forgot to bring some extra cash and now I couldn't afford to pay a miserable drink. Anyways, the queue at the counter was huge when I arrived, so at least I could find this lonely table.

Suddenly, I felt something cold pressing against my cheek and I had to contain the urge to jump in surprise. Looking to my left, I was faced with a Goddess holding a can of Max coffee against my face.

Totsuka gave me a guilty smile and said softly, "This is your favorite, right?"

I gulped in anticipation, I really wanted it, but I couldn't accept it, "I can't accept it, I can't pay you back. More importantly, weren't you studying with them?" I was being really cold towards the person who was being kind towards me. Yes, I was still somewhat dejected.

She put the can in front of me and took a seat in the opposite side of the table, "T-Take it, please. Sorry that you weren't invited... It's not like I didn't want you to come, but I had no way to contact you, Hachiman." Her voice and face was full of remorse.

"Tch, it's okay, I'm used to be left out anyways... I'll pay for this later." Finally giving to temptation and thirst, I started drinking my beloved can of coffee.

The mood was weird and Totsuka was unusually quiet in her seat, I was wondering if she really meant what she had said previously.

Fidgeting nervously, playing with her phone, Totsuka tried to said, "C-Can you give me your num-"

Before the blushing mess could finish her sentence, a cute schoolgirl that was near the entrance, waved at me with an energetic smile on her face, "Onii-chan!" The girl was Komachi and she was still wearing her school uniform.

She approached our table and I said in a protective way, "You're finally here. Wait, who's that dude?"

Behind my sister, stood a male student with a similar uniform and hearing my rude tone, he ducked his head, bowing in my direction. Is he Trashy? What is their relationship? I started to stare at him in a menacing way.

"This is my friend that I talked you about. The guy whose sister became a delinquent... The same sister that helped you, remember?" Her tone was serious and her smile was forced. I knew exactly what she meant, I was playing with fire.

Not wanting the previous good mood that I had created by accepting to help her friend - this boy. I just wanted to fix our relationship and hopefully, repay my debt towards black lace.

"I'm Taishi Kawasaki and it's a pleasure to meet you. You see, I'm really worried about my sister, she started coming home late and she doesn't listen to what our parents say at all. I tried talking with her, but she says that it's none of my business. I know you two met already, so please, you're the only one I can rely on now, onii-san."

What did this freaking brat just call me? I am not your brother! This kid was already trying to become part of my family. He was clearly trying to steal away my precious sister. However, I couldn't defy Komachi now, I had to control myself. I had promised to help the brat and so I had to keep my words. Crap, I always make the wrong choices!

[1] – Oreimo reference.

[2] – Reference to the first OP of Pokémon.

[3] – Reference to Maoyū Maō Yūsha and the respective characters: Demon King and Hero.

[4] – Spider man reference.