Authors note: I'll be skipping ahead a few events of the main manga plot. Such as this moment, we do not know who will win the battle between Nagi and Ruka in the main story, but in my fanfic, let's just assume that Nagi has won (in some way in hopes that she will win in the main story). Thanks for bearing the wait for this next chapter. I'm given more time to extend and develop my writing. Since there are those who really like this fic, I'd really hate to leave it unfinished, so I will do my best given my time to keep updating over the summer. Also to Festus Flare, thank you, I really appreciate your feedback. I did not know Hina and Hayate were in different classes given their age difference, but seeing that Hinagiku often helps him with homework, let's just say that she's well advanced to learn at his level of year in this fic. Enjoy.

Chapter 4: Dinner is ready. Dessert is offensive.

The night sky exposed the streets lights turning on and shining through the pathways of the inner city. The butler who's just finished working at the cafe, takes his time to walk and enjoy the scenery of his route home. As he carries his bike, his purple-haired co-worker/roommate/childhood friend walks by his side.

They walk home together like this everyday, which lead to very little being said. At the same time, having each other's presence on this route home is one treasure that no one else could see.

Today however, felt different. She's slowed her pace down to a complete stop. The blue-haired boy noticed, just after a few feet, and turned around to face his friend looking down at the ground by his feet.

"Nishizawa-san?" he asked.

She paused for a few seconds. Disappointed at how he didn't seem interested to talk to her today, with every bit of courage, she looked up to him with a bold look. "Hayate-kun...?" Ayumu asked. "Did I do something wrong?

"No, you're fine," he responded. "Did something happen earlier?"

She paused for a few seconds. "I feel that you weren't being yourself today..."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"You barely smiled or talked today..." she muttered, with a disappointed look. Truth be told, she just works to be able to live and walk home with her childhood crush. His smile would make her day, any day. She was looking forward to see it again, but today, that reward was not given. Out of frustation, she just had to ask what went wrong.

Hayate came to a realization. All that thinking of his dream and the clues that he picked up had him lacking in social interactions. He remembers this also wasn't the first time it has happened either. He sighed. What has happened in Athens was not what he wanted to happen again. He looked up to the sky.

"Sorry about that, Nishizawa-san..." he said. "I had a dream..." Ayumu's ears rang into listening-mode, "but whatever has happened in that dream, might've been real..."

"Hm? What kind of dream?" she asked. 'Cool!' she thought, hiding her excitement. 'We're actually having a conversation!'

Hayate recollected the thoughts that went through his mind all day. That feeling of warmth embracing his body, that soothing whisper in his ear, that soft hand rubbing against his...

Face! Hayate put his hands on his face as he blushed furiously. "Uwahhhh!" he yelled.

Ayumu stared at him with signs of worry. "Wa... was it really a dream?" she asked. She continued to stare at Hayate panicking. "Or... was it a nightmare?"

Hayate, too red to show his face, couldn't tell her what happened. 'This is inappropriate to talk about! he thought. He then realizes the possibility of her still liking him. 'Uh-oh, she is the last person I'd want to tell my dream about!' Recovering from his embarrassment, Hayate uncovers his face and looks at Ayumu with a nervous grin. "Hey, Nishizawa-san," he said to her, "let's race!" He drops his bike and makes a full sprint home.

Ayumu stood there confused. She then gets on his bike and starts pedaling after him.

"H-hey! You can't leave a lady behind!"

Hinagiku walked out of the bathroom, wearing her pajamas with a towel wrapped around her neck. She thought having a bath with the idol would make her feel better about earlier. Boy, was she wrong.

She looked down at her clothing to see it laying flat around her chest, then looked at the clothing wrapped around the idol's curves after she too walked out of the bathroom. Even with clothes on, she could tell just how much more she lacked than Ruka. Hinagiku cringed.

'Goddamnnn,' she thought, 'That idol has got some big ti-'

"Thank you so much, Hinagiku-san!" Ruka said, interrupting her thoughts. Feeling enthusiastic and motivated again, she hugs her, pressing her chest heavily against her's. "I feel so much better after talking to you!"

Hinagiku felt the round weights shift against her chest. Her face got really red. "Uwahhhh!" she yelled. 'This isn't fair at all!' she thought. Her eyes have gotten watery, believing there's no way she could win against Ruka with those.

As Hinagiku struggled to resist her humilation, she heard the front door shut open and close. Nagi arrives home.

"I'm back!" she yelled. "With some new material!"

Suddenly the front door opens again. Revealing Hayate and a tired, sweaty Ayumu.

"Hayate-kun! Right on time!" Nagi said out of excitement. Hinagiku quickly looked across the hallway as she heard that name. She then hears Nagi ask Ayumu panting heavily. "Hamster, what the hell happened to you?"

Ayumu exploded. "We raced! Hayate was so fast and I couldn't catch up... even on a bike.." she said as she set the bike down and lazily headed towards the bathroom to bathe herself.

Hayate watched as she went. 'Hopefully she forgot what she asked just then,' he thought. Maria walks into the crowd.

"Ah, since everyone's here, we can start having dinner," she said, then looked at Hayate. "I already prepped everything just as you wanted. I'll leave the cooking part for you, Hayate-kun."

"Thanks, Maria-san," he said. As he was about to start walking towards the kitchen, Hayate's eyes suddenly met with Hinagiku's glance as she stood across the hallway next to Ruka. His eyes widened. Time froze again. Hinagiku felt Hayate's gaze at her. His eyes were telling her something. 'Uh-oh..' she thought. 'Does he know now...?' She couldn't move. She couldn't hear anything. She couldn't hear Ayumu muttering hi to her as she walked past her to the bathroom. She couldn't hear the big white tiger outside picking his nose. All she could see is how Hayate's eyes widened at her.

Maria and Ruka glanced at one another, then looked at each other with a slightly confused look.

'It must be about this morning...' Maria thought.

'It must be a showdown,' Ruka thought differently. She panicked. 'I should do something before someone gets hurt!'

Ruka decided to interrupt their staring contest. "Ahem-hem!" she exaggerated her cough loudly. Hayate and Hinagiku snapped out of their senses back to Violet Mansion. Hayate turned around, hiding his flustered face and quickly walked to the kitchen. "Soo..." Ruka begins to ask to Maria, "What are we having for dessert?"

Hinagiku, quickly hiding her blush, joins in on the conversation. "Ah yes! Maria-san, you always have great dessert!" she added. "I'm excited for what we're gonna have for dessert!"

Maria gave an anxious laugh with a sweatdrop. She could see why Hinagiku is acting this way, but decides to play along. "Well, it's something you've never had for a while," she said. "Melons!"

Hinagiku cringed again. She looked down to her chest again with an agonizing expression.

Ruka got excited. "Really?! What kind of melons?" she asked.

"Honeydew!" Maria replied.

"I love honeydew!" Ruka cheered. "They're just so nice and juicy! I also like how round they become when they grow in the most perfect sizes!"

"Since they went on sale too, I don't see why anybody wouldn'thave them!" Maria responded. She then realizes that Hinagiku is missing. "Eh? Where did Hinagiku-san go?"

Maria and Ruka then spotted Hinagiku, trembling in the corner of the living room with her back turned away from them.

"Melons...?" Hinagiku muttered to the corner. She gripped the walls. "What melons..."

The roommates all dined together under the aroma of chicken stew, rice, oer d'oeuvres and vegetables on the side. Besides laughters and yells heard across the table, not a single word was said between Hayate and Hinagiku, althought they were sitting right next to each other. Maria, being the only one who noticed, raised one of her eyebrows at them before she went to the kitchen to prepare dessert.

"So, Ruka-san," Nagi asked across to her, "Will you be staying here again?"

Hayate engages into the conversation. "If you would like to, I'll go prepare a room for you right away."

'Which means Hayate would move back to the attic...' Hinagiku thought. She analyzed the butler's kind behavior.

"Wow, that's nice and all..." Ruka timidly replied, "But I must leave in a couple days to prepare for my next tour in Europe..."

"O-oh..." Nagi muttered, saddened that she may not collaborate with the idol for her next sketch soon.

"But I could stay for tonight!" Ruka said out loud. She then looked at Hayate, before she looked away and turned as red as a tomato. "I wouldn't mind staying over... just for one night..."

Both Hinagiku and Ayumu, sitting across from one another, spat out the bits of rice at each other's faces out of surprise. Nagi, too young to understand such body language, questioned everyone's reaction. Chiharu sat back to be entertained while Alice and Kayura left the dining room to watch TV.

Ayumu laid on the floor, after taking over 9000 HP points of damage to her confidence.

'That idol is sexy AND straightforward,' Hinagiku thought. She pictured those two sharing a bed together. She turned red before the picture progressed and shook her head. 'No! This can't be happening!'

"Well Ruka-san..." Hayate says slowly. The girls all prepare to hear his answer. "I'll go prepare your room right away!" he said with a smile.

Chiharu crashed to the floor, amazed at how dense Hayate really is. 'Baka!' Hinagiku thought, then sighed of relief. 'Although, that was a close one...'

"No! No need to..." Ruka said to him. She pokes her index fingers at each other and glances up to him. "I just wanna share a bed so..."

Hinagiku hit the floor as well. 'That idol does not give up!' she thought. She looked up to see Hayate speechless with his blush exposed, which made her head steam out of jealousy.

"Then you can share one with me!" Ayumu exclaimed, recovering from her fall as she slams her hand flat on the table.

Ruka sweatdropped. "U-uh, well I meant-!"

"We can talk about boys, watch movies, and have pillow fights!" Ayumu interrupted. "SLEEP WITH ME." she said with a straight face.

"Ooh! I wanna join!" Nagi shouted. "Can I please, Maria?" she asked as she saw Maria walking into the room with a plate of cut melons.

"Well..." Maria said as she wondered. 'From what it seems, it looks like Ruka-san wants to be with Hayate,' she thought. She looks at Ayumu, then at Hinagiku, who is sitting there glaring at Hayate. She sighed. 'Hayate-kun sure is the popular type...'

"Since it's finally the weekend," Maria continued. "Might as well..."

Nagi cheered. Ruka sighed after feeling misunderstood, but then smiled. After all, she wouldn't mind sleeping over with her friends.

Hinagiku scolds Hayate. "Hentai! I know what you were thinking!" she whispered to him. "Don't you dare think of anything weird!" She wants him to delete that image out of his head right away.

Hayate chuckled, completely denying it. "W-what are you talking about?" he asked, as he inserts a mouthful of melon pieces to his face. His eyes widened at the sweet taste. "Wow, these really are good! Hinagiku-san, you should have some melons!"

'I don't think he should have said that...' Maria thought, remembering Hinagiku clutching the wall earlier. She observes Hinagiku saddening her look as she glanced at Ruka talking to Ayumu.

"Forget it!" Hinagiku said. She flustered, feeling really embarrassed, even though she knew what Hayate was referring to. "I'm not a fan of melons anyways..."

"Would you like raisins instead? Nobody wanted them since we had some, so I figured we could-"

WHACK. BOOM. POW.

Was the sound heard from the television Kayura and Alice were watching a romantic comedy on. At the same time, Hinagiku left the room to wash her angry red face, leaving the girls looking at Hayate laying on the floor with a big bruise on his head. Maria shook her head.

Hinagiku washed off the few remaining pieces of rice on her face. She looked up and stared at herself in the mirror. She then looked around to see if anybody was around, before she anxiously pulled her arms closer together, trying to see if her chest could pop out or not.

It was still flat. Hinagiku twitched. She noticed how even Ayumu has a well developed body. She's never felt confident with Ruka and Ayumu around. She felt like she was in last place. 'Ruka would definitely be number one' she thought. She walks the hallway to her room, only to run into none other than...

"Ah, Hinagiku-san," Ruka says her name with a smile. "Will you be joining our slumber party at Ayumu's room?" she asks excitedly as she constantly moves her hips left and right.

Hinagiku gawks at her curves. 'Please... stop torturing me...' she thought. She saddens. 'Seeing her like this won't make me feel better...'

"Sorry Ruka-san..." she answers before she yawned. She also had a terribly long day since the incident this morning. "I'm really sleepy, so I don't want to ruin your time with Ayumu and Nagi."

She looks at Ruka pouting. 'Damnit, she's even sexy when she pouts!' she thought.

"But don't worry! Ayumu and Nagi are really fun to be around!" she said, successfully cheering up the idol.

"No worries then," Ruka replies with a smile. "I'm really happy we talked today, Hina-chan." She walked into Ayumu's room and turned her face to Hinagiku's. "You know..." she said to her. "You're really an amazing person. If you were to like Hayate-kun, I would definitely lose to you."

Hinagiku twitched. "Hmph! W-with that boy? G-g-give me a break," she denies out of her frustrations earlier. Her face then changes to a frown. "Besides... Hayate-kun has no reason to like me..."

"Oh, you're right," Ruka said, "You're always mean to him. There's no way he'd like you!" she laughed.

Hinagiku's face dropped dead as Ruka shut Ayumu's door.