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Chapter 11: Coincidences

Pathetic. Why are my thoughts being clouded by the actions of others? That girl kissing me got my brain riled up. Though it's not entirely her fault that I can't function properly right now. I share on the blame because it was my thinking that actually fired my brain with these adolescent thoughts. Sure, she kissed me which triggered the possibility of delusional thinking but my mind clearly went through with thinking of these things. Such is the mind of the typical adolescent, hormone-driven male. I thought I was an exceptional case. I thought I wasn't like normal guys. I guess I'm pretty ordinary.

"Onii-chan…"

Komachi whined from her bed, begging me to come to her. Too cute, little sister! You keep saying stuff in that way and I might just not leave your side ever! My little sister was still down with a fever but thankfully she's gotten much better. She could actually go to school tomorrow. That's how much better she was right now. Sadly, I can't allow that because she might relapse if she overexert herself.

I close the book I was reading "How to give a Soubu High School Tour for dummies" leave it on her desk as I stand from the seat and move over to Komachi.

"What do you want?" I say as I tower over her figure which was currently wrapped in a cocoon of blankets.

"Onii-chan! Sit here!" She motioned to a spot on her bed.

"Right." I mumble as make my way to the spot she gave me.

It seems that the better Komachi is feeling, the more commanding she gets. At least when it comes to me. Is this special treatment for your brother? Because if it is, it's bad special treatment. I get the short end of the stick when you're healthy. You boss me around so much… Well, there's nothing we can do about that. Little sisters will be little sisters.

"Onii-chan, what time is it?"

Tch. Seriously? You have a clock on the wall of your room! All you have to do to know the time is to turn your head, lazy girl.

"8:24 P.M." I reply as I sit on the edge of her bed.

"Cuddle with me, onii-chan!"

"No."

"Wah!? Why not?"

"You just got back from a fever. I don't want to get your sickness."

"Meanie!" Kommachi cries out as she hides under her blankets.

She's really cute when she's cross with me. I like it when she gets angry. Wait. Does that make me a masochist?

"Onii-chan, did you wash the dishes?" Komachi asks as she slowly pokes her head out of the covers.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Screw the dishes. They can wait. I have to stay by my sister right now." I say I lean on the bed's headboard.

"Ah! Onii-chan that scored you a lot of points!" Says Komachi as she gives me a sly smile.

After Komachi and I ate the dinner I cooked, which was curry by the way, I just left the dirty dishes in the sink. I should wash those before my parents get home. I wouldn't want them to wash dishes the moment they get home. That's just downright inconsiderate. Then again, I have plenty of time to wash. My poor parents won't get home until much later tonight. Something to do with clients and stuff I think.

"By the way, onii-chan, who's Rai-chan?" Komachi asks suddenly.

What's with girls and the first name basis? Are you females that close to one another that you automatically call each other with first names?

"No one." I say as I suddenly remember what happened between us in the dark of the living room.

"Ehehe! Onii-chan you're blushing!"

"No. I think I caught your fever." I say as I jokingly check my temperature with my hand.

"Liar!" Komachi squeals.

"You caught me." I shrug.

"Seriously, onii-chan. Who is she?"

How do I go about explaining my relationship with Shiori to my little sister? Tell the absolute truth? I could. Should I?

"She's a transfer student. We haven't talked much."

"Really? Then why did she take me home?"

"Didn't sensei request her to take you home?"

"Oh, right! Ahaha! That makes her a good person then!"

Mhm… You are such a good judge of character, Komachi. Sigh. Just because she helped you doesn't mean she's nice you know? Ulterior motives, little sis. Ulterior motives. True goodness in people are rare nowadays. Many would only do good things because they would have something to gain. An image, a reputation, indebt, etc. Nevertheless, I should just agree with Komachi.

"Sure."

"Onii-chan we should do something for Rai-chan! How about a welcome party!? Maybe you could invite her here! Or bring her on a date!" Komachi squeals, she's obviously enjoying this.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. We're only acquaintances."

Seriously. What are you thinking, Komachi. Just leave the girl alone, will you?

"I'm just so happy that your bride choices have increased!"

Haaah? Whuuut? Hang on. I should voice my thoughts.

"Haaah? Whuuut?"

"You know! There's Yui-chan! Then there's Yukino-chan! Now there's Rai-chan! I bet you have other choices too! Maybe Taishi's older sis?" Komachi blabbers quickly.

I stand up from the bed and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Since you can think of such things, I am assuming you're perfectly healthy." I say as I stare down at her.

Komachi scrambles out of her blanket and bounces on her bed a couple times.

"You betcha, onii-chan! Komachi is good and well!" Komachi says while giving me a thumbs up.

"Don't overexert yourself. Next thing you know the fever's back." I say as take my book from her desk and walk to the door.

"Heeeeey! What about staying with me ooooonii-chan!" Komachi whines as she starts to hit her pillow.

That pillow did nothing wrong. Why are you hurting it? Then again, I don't think that pillow feels a thing. Poor pillow, you are a mere anger management tool.

"Onii-chan has work to do and you have to rest. I'll be in my room. Just give a shout if you need anything." I say as I leave her room as fast as I can, closing the door behind me.

I can hear Komachi yelling and cursing me from the other side of the room. That's good. If she gets angry with me it means she's pretty healthy. Okay, I'll leave her to rest. If she doesn't get enough rest tonight her fever might come back.

Now, what should I do? Oh, right. The tour. This is such a hassle. I can't believe Hiratsuka-sensei strong armed me to work on this…

I walk in the hallway and make my way to my room. I enter my silent sanctuary and sigh. I sometimes like to refer to my room as… wait for it… The Batcave. Hell yeah. I don't know why but I've been a huge fan of Batman and I sometimes like to pretend I'm him. I remember back in junior high I would cosplay as him. Though my costumes only comprised of my grey towel, dark blue jogging pants and black Metallica shirt that I inherited from my dad.

*Rapatata-ding-ding! Rapatata-ding-ding!*

Notification on my phone. I wonder what could it be? I pull out my phone and click the power button. I look at the notification symbol. It's an email notification. From Yukinoshita. I open the mail and read it.

[Hikigaya-kun, if you are free tomorrow you and I can head to the mall to get your suit.]

Well… You could have just told me that tomorrow. Then again, what's the point of having someone's address if you don't use it, right?

I plop myself on my bed and dig my face into my pillow.

Okay. Should I reply to this? Normally, I should. It's common communication etiquette to reply to emails. Which means I really should reply. Especially since it's Yukinoshita. I don't think she'd like it if I didn't reply. Now that I know I'm going to reply, I need to have a plan on how I reply. Oh, and when. Think, Hachiman. Should I reply now? No, that would mean I wasn't busy. I should wait at least a couple of minutes before I reply, that way it will give an illusion of me being busy. Right? I don't know. The contents of my reply. How should I proceed? Formal or casual? Long or short? Emoticons or no emoticons? Okay, that's actually an obvious one. Hmm. Hmmm…

Damn. This is stupid. It's a waste of energy and effort. Screw it. I'm replying now. I'm replying right now with whatever I think of on the spot. It's not like I care what she thinks of me. I already know she doesn't care. Or does she? Argh, don't get those thoughts into your head, Hachiman!

I begin typing my reply on the phone. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Yesh. Whatever works. Just cram it all in there. I finish my reply in no time and without thinking or double checking its contents I press send.

[Mail sent]

Aahhh… Well that's done. Should I reread what I wrote? It's weird how I just wrote it a while ago yet I don't remember the contents. Nope. Not going senile. Just not observant. Yep. That's it.

I lay on my bed and stare at the ceiling for a while. It just occurred to me that I'm actually waiting for Yukinoshita's reply. Just like in middle school, I'm waiting on a girl. No. This can't happen. I'm not the person I once was. I'm not going to wait for her reply. I'm not going to wait for anyone's reply for that matter. Never again. I don't want to feel what I felt back then.

"Hachi! You didn't reply to the mail I sent you!"

"Eh? Oh, sorry, Rai. I guess I fell asleep."

"No you didn't! You deliberately ignored it!"

"How would you know that?"

"Because I-"

No. For once I don't want to have any flashbacks about her. I don't want to remember anything new right now. Stop it brain. Listen to me about this.

I sigh and stand up from my bed to place my phone in my desk drawer. I'll leave that there until later before I sleep.

"Hachi… I love you. Let's sleep together all the time."

"D-don't say that! You make it sound sexual! Also, we can't do this every day! What if my parents see you in my room?"

"Relax. You lock your room, right? Besides, I'm pretty good at hiding."

Please, stop. Brain. I don't want to remember anything right now. Also, these triggers are so weird. I'm pretty sure that memory was triggered because of my thought about sleep. Why didn't I remember this before? I think about sleeping all the time! No, stop thinking about this stuff, Hachiman.

I sit on my desk and flip through the book sensei gave me. I skim through its contents quickly and gain a decent understanding of its parts. Honestly? "How to give a Soubu High Tour for dummies?" It's basically telling me how to give a typical school tour! There isn't anything Soubu at all about this thing! Show food store. Show year level rooms. Show gymnasium and fields. Show bathrooms… This book is no help.

I chuck the book into my desk drawer and make an annoyed sheep sound.

"Baaah!"

That reminds me, if I'm going to give a tour I need to be with Shiori. Wait. How am I supposed to do that? Don't tell me I have to go to her classroom? What's her section number anyway? Great. I don't even kno- Hang on. Right. Sensei gave me her transfer documents. I'm still wondering why she had to give me such sensitive material but at least my job's easier now.

I excavate my school bag for the document Hiratsuka-sensei gave me and manage to find it in no time. As I'm about to open the document I feel a weird sensation. It feels like I'm stalking her with this… It doesn't feel right. Should I- no, I have to. I need to know her section at least.

I manage to pluck up enough courage to open the document and I read the file. Here we go. First name. Last name. Height. She's taller than me!? Getting of track. Weight… Nope, I won't look at that. Too late… Screw you readers, like hell I'm going to tell you her weight!... What, they even have foot size? Unnecessary much? Ah, there we go. Section 3-I. That's the same section as Yukinoshita? Is this a coincidence? Well, at least I don't have to see her that much.

After finding out her section I close the document and return it to my bag. It's not like I want to know more about her. I think. Well… It couldn't hurt to know her interests right? I shouldn't. I won't look into that document anymore. I'll return it to sensei as soon as possible.

Hmm… I think I should ask sensei about this tour. The book she lent me didn't cover anything about time so I don't know when I should give the tour. Do I give the tour before class starts? That would mean she and I would have to arrive earlier than most students. We don't share email addresses so I can't contact her for that. I guess it should be after classes end? I think Yukinoshita would allow me to skip club if it I told her my situation. Yeah, I guess I could do that? Still, I should ask sensei.

I get my phone from my desk drawer. I hesitate opening it. Why though? Is it because I'm hoping Yukinoshita replied to me? That's it, I guess. I really shouldn't think about that stuff. Emotions like that won't do me any good.

[No New Messages]

Tch. Why am I feeling disappointed? I try to divert my attention from my feelings and begin to write a message for sensei. This time I double check it before sending.

[Oi, sensei. What time should I give the tour?]

Yep. Not rude at all. My relationship with sensei is kinda special. I doubt she punches any of her other students, or does she? Brushing off that thought I click send. It'll take a while before she replies to me.

*Bibadabap-Bapbap. Bibadabap-Bapbap.*

[1 New Message]

Wow. That was quick, sensei. I open the mail and begin reading.

[Hikigaya-kun, that reply was quite obnoxious, even for you. Please edit and revise your writings before letting others read them. If you don't the readers may lose a IQ points because of your terrible writing. About our outing tomorrow, we should head to the mall after club. Also, should we ask Yuigahama to join us?]

So it wasn't sensei after all. I reread Yukinoshita's reply. What was so bad about my message? I quickly check the mail I sent to verify her critique about my writing. Oooh. That is obnoxious. Well, let's just delete that and try to forget about it, shall we? After deleting my sorry excuse for a reply I begin to ponder Yukinoshita's other point. I already agree that we should go after club so I'll just confirm, but what about Yuigahama? She would feel bad if she was wasn't invited and if she was invited she would feel like the third wheel. She wasn't invited to the party either. I already feel sorry for her.

I ponder the possibilities and I decide on a final verdict; invite her to the outing. That will ensure she doesn't feel left out or betrayed. Yukinoshita and I should just leave the decision to her. I personally think that's best. I type my reply to Yukinoshita and send it without double checking. Damn. Forgot to double check. Well that's spilled milk. No way am I going to read that mail either. Delete before I get a glimpse!

*Tantitampam-Tantitampam*

Fast! Superfast! That wasn't even five minutes! Demon superwoman!

[Chances are there won't be enough time to do the tour before class starts so do it after classes. I will inform Yukinoshita about your responsibility. She will excuse you from club. Also… Don't 'oi' a teacher you brat!]

It was from sensei this time. Looks like I have a green light for this tour. The club won't bother me about it. Good job sensei. Though I kinda feel some malicious energy radiating from this message. Is sensei the type to hold grudges? We'll find out tomorrow, I guess. Please don't kill me sensei.

The time on my phone says it's already 9:15 P.M. I could stay up later and read my novel but I feel beat right now. I'll just sleep now so I can wake up early tomorrow. That doesn't sound like a typical high school student…

I check to make sure the alarms on my phone are active. Good. They're all on. I sometimes sleep heavily and I tend to wake up to turn off the alarm only to go back to sleep. That's why I have to have a lot of alarms to wake me up. I place my phone on the desk and change to my pajamas. I should have done this earlier…

After changing clothes I slump down on my bed. My mind and body are ready to sleep. Crap, I forgot. I have to brush… Urgh, the bed is so comfy. I just want to forget about my teeth and hygiene and just go to sleep. Sadly, I can't. I don't want to have cavities. I also don't want to smell bad because I respect other humans enough to have decent hygiene when in close proximity with them.

A quick maintenance in the bathroom, lasting for five minutes, and I'm finally back on my bed and ready to sleep. Moments later and I begin to get drowsy. I slip from my consciousness from time to time. I'm about to fall asleep. It's kinda cool how I can tell that I'm about to sleep…

My first alarm wakes me up from my slumber. The sun's not even up yet… Five more minutes of sleep, please.

.

.

.

Great. I can't fall back to sleep.

Seeing as I can't return to my slumber, I decide to start the day early. I yawn widely and stretch my arms. Afterwards I get up and leave my room to check on the members of my family.

I quietly opening the door of Komachi's room. She's snoring pretty loudly and I bet she even has some drool dripping on her sheets. Your cute girl image is breaking down, little sister. Just kidding! After ensuring Komachi is alive and breathing I head to my parents' room to check up on them. They lock their doors before they sleep so all I can do is attempt to perceive them snoring or breathing from outside their room. Yep. Both parents are alive. Now that that's done I guess I should get ready for school and make some breakfast.

I return to my room and make my bed. It's routine in my family to always keep the beds in order after we wake up. Next I check my phone to deactivate the rest of my alarms before they go off and annoy me.

Oh, it seems I have a mail.

[I understand, Hikigaya-kun. I will inform Yuigahama about our outing tomorrow. I believe she will be happy to join us. Would it be alright if we drop off our school bags at my place first? It would be bulky if we were to also bring our bags to the mall.]

Right. We were talking about the shopping thing. She sent this yesterday, I guess around the time I was asleep. Damn. She asked me a question and I didn't reply. Not good. I doubt Yukinoshita would be happy about me not replying automatically to her question. Ah, there are more.

[Hikki! You and Yukinon are going to the mall tomorrow? Is it a date? She invited me because you told her to, would I be the third wheel!?]

[Hey! Hikki! Why are you not replying to me? You're for sure awake! Don't ignore me stupid Hikki!]

[… You're ignoring me, aren't you…]

[:( HIKKI!]

[oh… maybe you are asleep… ok… ehehe. ;) Sowwy]

Looks like I have to talk to Yuigahama about this later. Sorry for not replying, Yuigahama. I know how it feels to be ignored. But then again, I'm not to be blamed at all! I'm innocent! It's not like I didn't want to reply to her. I just fell asleep, that's all. At least in this situation it's true! Not like other situations such as my friend who always sent mails to girls only to receive stupid replies like "Sorry I fell asleep" from those girls or messages from mailer-daemon! Definitely didn't happen to me. I'm telling you it happened to a friend! Urgh. Who am I kidding…

One thing's for sure. I am not replying to them now. We're going to see each other at school anyhow. I'll just talk to them then. Postpone work until last minute, that's the motto of most teenagers, right?

After reading my mail I place my phone back on my desk and head downstairs to make breakfast.

I reach the landing of the stairs and I my gaze lands to the hallway where the light switches were. The place where I got my first kiss from a girl that wasn't part of my family. Sure, it wasn't lips to lips but it's still a milestone. Looks like this hallway is historical for me now. I mean, if I care about that stuff, not that I do. Honestly, this stuff brings out the worst in people in most cases. That's why I choose not to care about romance and love, it's too dangerous, you know?

Now's not the time to be thinking of that stuff. It's breakfast time. If I don't focus on household chores like cooking then I will fail as a house husband. If I want to reach this goal of mine, I need to have a certain set of skills. Cooking, cleaning, washing, among other things. Not only must I do them, but I also have to do them well and efficiently. A mark of a master house husband is the ability to execute chores with high quality and quick time! Sadly, I still can't perform well on both requirements which is why I need to practice more! Alright, enough talk. Let's get cooking.

.

.

.

Next time, I think I'm going to have to get cooking lessons from Soma Yukihara. But if I can, I'd love to get his dad instead. Hahaha! Well… At least the food's edible.

I prepare the table so that when Komachi and my parents wake up they could have breakfast. Heh, I'm such a good son, aren't I? Looks like I have plenty of time to kill before I actually have to head to school. I'll take a bath, eat breakfast and then play some Monster Hunter! Oh yeah!

There's something great about waking up early. The relaxing atmosphere of a still sleeping house truly comforts me. It would be a great start to a day if it weren't for these stupid Lizardmen that always swarm me! Shit! This was meant to be a relaxing time waster that I play while lying down on the couch! My character's not built for swarms! If only I had slaves that would help co-op these cold-blooded bastards! Oh, by slaves I actually mean 'friends'. Haha, not that I really want them though.

After playing the game for a while, I decide to stop and get ready for school. I can't be tardy two times in a row or sensei will kill me. So, I turn off my game and do all the necessary preparations for school. In no time I get into my uniform and sling my bag on my shoulder. I wonder if I should wake my parents up… Nah. They need their sleep. I'll just slide a note under their door about the food and Komachi. Although I am pretty sure the school has already informed them of Komachi's condition. I guess they didn't fuss too much over it because they knew I would take care of her well. Honestly, that's both good and bad…

On a loose slip of paper I write a note to my parents and slide it under the door. Next, I head into Komachi's room. As soon as I enter the room, Komachi bolts up from her bed.

"Onii-chan! You're going to school?"

"I always go to school. I'm not a delinquent."

"Right! Have fun then!"

"Huh? Why aren't you getting ready yet? Come on, I'll wait for you." I say as I sit on the edge of her bed.

Komachi shakes her head furiously. "It seems I got my fever again…"

Not good! I wonder why? Did you overexert yourself last night, Komachi? This is why you shouldn't sleep late! Honestly, what could you be doing so late at night?

"Looks like I'll have to stay at home to take care of you then." I say as I stand and grab the thermometer from her desk.

"Nonono! Onii-chan has to go to school! Mom said she'll stay at home to take care of me! It'll be fine." Komachi says as she makes a shooing motion at me.

"Oh… Is that so?" I say sort of relieved.

Komachi nods her head several times. "Yeah! Yeah! Mom said it's important for you to be at school since it's your last year before heading off to college! She says you need to make memories!"

Pssh. What memories will I make? It's not like my school life is that interesting. I'm actually a pretty stale high school guy. My only selling point is the fact that I'm in a club with two beautiful ladies. Also, that selling point is only a selling point to other high schoolers. Since I don't care about typical youth I actually don't have any selling points.

"That's why you gotta go to school, Onii-chan!" Komachi says triumphantly as she points a finger at me.

"Right. Right. I'll go. It's good that mom's gonna be the one to take care of you. Dad's a really bad nurse."

"Bwahaha! Remember when we were little and he gave you hot chili for your fever? He said it would be like fighting fire with fire! It would counteract the sickness!"

Yeah. I definitely remember that. Honestly, dad. You went to college. You should know that doesn't work. All that red chili did was burn my tongue. On the bright side though, the pain I got from the chili did drown out the pain from fever, so I guess that's a plus?

"Anyway, Onii-chan, you gotta go now. Byebye!" Komachi says as she makes another shooing gesture.

"Alright. See you later." I say as I leave the thermometer on the table and begin to head out the door.

I stop before actually leaving her room and I say one last thing.

"Get some rest, Komachi and get well soon."

"Yes, capt'n!" Komachi winks and gives me a salute.

I grin at Komachi and leave her room.

It's still pretty early but I guess I'll head to school.

There's something mystical about being at school before it actually starts. Though this wouldn't be the best way to describe this feeling, I think the time before school starts could be analogized with an eye of the storm. See? I told you it's not too good an analogy. This made school sound like a disastrous event, you know? But still, it's what I feel right now.

It's as if I'm in the eye of the storm. Sooner or later I will be surrounded by its ferocious winds and its machine gun water sprays. By ferocious winds, I mean the people; students and teachers. By machine gun water sprays, I mean the lessons; quizzes, readings, etc.

All I can do now is to gain a positive outlook on the school day. Hah. Sadly, I cannot. Surrounding myself with people of such pathetic caliber, not that I think I'm better than them. Frankly, I think I'm one of the lowest people here. That's how pathetic I am.

Well, no use thinking about this stuff now. I guess I'll just sit in the classroom, read my novel, and wait for the school day to start.

I flip through my novel and immerse myself in the story. It was written by this award winning Japanese author. The book's about the happenings in Japan in the few hours before sunrise. Specifically 11:56 at night to 6:52 in the morning. At first it looks just like a normal story about nighttime happenings but then it gets kinda surreal. At one point, there's this sleeping girl character who is being observed by a man inside her TV. Then when she wakes up she's actually trapped in the TV!

The story was weird but apparently it's not the weirdest work this author wrote. I heard this particular author was inspired by a lot of western culture that's why his works don't feel to Japanese. I guess that's why he gets quite a bit of criticism from other Japanese writers.

Suddenly I hear someone yell my name.

"Oi! Hikigaya!"

I snap my book shut and stare at the person who yelled.

It was Hiratsuka-sensei. She was wearing her usual lab coat. She was standing by the doorway of the classroom wearing an annoyed look on her face while staring at me.

"Sensei."

"I heard from Shiori-san's parents that she's headed here now. Go to the gates and accompany the girl to her classroom, mister tour guide!" She commands in a sly tone.

"Do I have to?" I whine.

"Of course! As tour guide you have to! Also, it's an order from your superior!" She says triumphantly.

Tch. Strong armed again.

I return my novel to my bag while still pondering what the hell will happen to that girl who got stuck in the TV. Guess I won't find out until later. I leave my bag on my desk since I doubt anyone would bother with it. Even my property has some level of Stealth Hikki.

"Make sure she gets inside the classroom, Hikigaya." Sensei says as she steps aside to let me out the door.

"Yeah. Okay sensei." I say grudgingly as make my way out the door.

Hiratsuka-sensei gives me a playful and painful slap on the back and says "Go get 'em champ!"

Just what am I supposed to get?

I give her a stiff nod before heading to the school gates.

Swarms of students begin to arrive at Soubu. After all, it's almost 8:30. In around ten minutes the teachers will begin the roll call.

Where the hell is this girl? I don't want to stay here if she's going to be late. If she doesn't arrive by 8:25 I'm bailing. Then again, it's better for transfer students to arrive just before class starts that way students won't be able to badger them until second period. Pretty smart move there, Shiori-san.

As I stand by the school gates awaiting the transfer student a familiar ice cold beauty enters my line of vision.

She notices me and walks over to me.

Yukinoshita greets me. "Hikigaya-kun."

"Yo." I reply.

"What are you doing outside? Class is about to start."

"I could say the same to you, Ms. Punctual. You're running pretty late today." It's true. I bet Yukinoshita's the type to arrive at least twenty minutes before school starts.

"A-ah. I s-slept kinda late last night because of some things…" She says awkwardly.

That's weird. Why's she so fazed? She slept late? I wonder wh- Oh. Maybe it was because of me? No, that's just thinking too highly of myself. I doubt she'd lose sleep for me. She probably had work to do. She's in the special class, after all.

"Oh, ok. You should head to your classroom." I say while trying not to sound bossy.

"A-ah, y-yes. Y-you should go as well." She stutters while beginning to blush mildly.

Maybe it was because of me? Get that thought out of your head, Hachiman.

"Yeah. I'll head back in a while. You go on ahead." I say. Then I add "Have you seen Yuigahama?"

Yukinoshita slightly jumps when she hears me say Yuigahama's name.

"No. I haven't heard from her. Uh, I'll go on ahead, Hikigaya-kun."

"Okay."

She gives me an awkward wave that looked like she wanted a high five. I give her a nod and she leaves for her class.

I wait for a while longer for this girl. A lot of students are still arriving, most of them seem to be still half asleep too. A surprising amount of students arrive really late. After a while longer of waiting, I decide to bail on this girl and I begin to walk back to my classroom.

Suddenly, a commotion starts among the late arrivals. I hear some of the students' remarks.

"Woah, dude! Check it out! A girl transfer student."

"Holy! She's hot!"

"Red hair and green eyes! Oh man, just my type of babe!"

"Hey, let's go talk to her!"

"Yeah, good idea!"

"I wonder which class she's in?"

I whip my head and stare at the entrance. There she is. Shiori Rai. I can't say she's not good looking because that would be a total lie. She looks really good in the Soubu uniform. Damn. The guys will be all over her! Sensei specifically picked me to be her tour guide so that she wouldn't be badgered by these blockheads! I gotta get there.

As quickly as I could I make my way between her and the guys that would surely attempt to hit on her. I stand in front of her like a wall, shielding her from the guys. I don't know what's her reaction to all of this because I was paying too much attention to her ever growing fan base.

The guys begin to verbally assault me.

"Hey. Dude. Get out of the way. We want to talk to her."

"Yeah, who are you anyway?"

"Buzz off, guy."

Using my best commanding tone I say "Get back to your classrooms. Leave this girl alone."

It seems they didn't listen to me because they continue their verbal assaults.

"Who are you to command us?"

"Yeah! You just want her for yourself!"

"Why don't you leave her alone?"

Crap. Not good. They aren't listening to me.

I hear a car door slam, the vehicle driving away, then footsteps.

"What's going on here?"

I take a risk and avert my eyes from the small horde of lusty boys and turn my head to look at the new arrival.

A couple steps behind us was Superman. Hayama Hayato. Good looking, rich and second highest grades in the batch or was it the school? He was also the ace of the Soccer team. Oh, and he's one of the most plastic people I know. His arrival shocked Shiori's fanboys which stopped them from advancing on Shiori for the moment.

Hayama suddenly got a shocked expression on his face. His eyes became wide and his mouth was slightly agape as he was staring at something. Whatever that was, it was really bothering him. I haven't seen Hayama Hayato this unsettled, ever.

I look to where he was looking and my gaze lands on Shiori. Hayama was looking at Shiori. Nothing wrong with that. She would make any man's day since she's such a sight to behold. But why does he have that expression glued to his face? Do they know each other? I look back and forth between Hayama and Shiori, hoping to figure something out while doing so. Shiori was staring back at him with a straight face.

Hayama quickly regains his composure and his expression reverts to the typical cool guy. He walks towards Shiori and me and stands beside me. He gives the ogling guys a stern and commanding look.

"Shouldn't you guys be in class?" He says sharply.

His words make the guys nervous and intimidated.

"Y-yes, Hayama-senpai!"

"S-sorry, Hayama-kun!"

"Let's get out of here."

"Yeah, you're right. It's almost class time."

In no time at all the mob of guys disperse and I find myself in front of the deserted school entrance with Shiori and Hayama.

"Rai."

My ear twitches to the sound of that name and I turn to face the speaker. Hayama was standing beside Shiori now. Woah, that was quick. Wasn't Superman just to my left a while ago? He was staring at her with a weird expression. I couldn't properly discern the expression but I could tell it was a mix. What emotions were these? Also, he called Shiori by her first name. So they were close? I stand in front of them quietly and I examine Shiori's reaction. She was wearing a deadpan expression that I couldn't read. She stared back into Hayama's eyes silently without moving at all.

"It's really you…" Hayama says in a whisper.

Although I want to leave those two alone, I know for sure it won't do any good. Their energies just weren't, right. Huh? What the hell am I talking about energies for?

"Uh… You two know each other?" I ask awkwardly.

Shiori turned her head towards me, looked at me with the same deadpan look and spoke.

"He's my ex-fiancé."

How'd you guys like that!? This is my Hissatsu shoot! I was thinking of not making this for the final thing because you guys might think it's too much of a coincidence… Well, it is a coincidence but I do have some points as to how it's pretty likely. Hehe. ShiorixHayama anyone? No? Ok.

The title was really bad this chapter. Coincidences was appealing because of the end though. I'm just really bad at chapter titles. The only thing I have going for my chapter titles is the fact that they all hint about the contents of that chapter.

I feel that I'm putting the 8manxYui ship in the back burner right now… Though I really want to add some more romance between the two I kinda remember something about them really just being friends in canon. 8man only thinks of Yui as a friend IIRC. I'll manage to get something going but don't expect it to happen anytime soon.

8man has a lot of ringtones, eh? I just wanted to make my own ringtones up. It wouldn't make sense for it to be different all the time though so just imagine they all sound the same if that makes you uncomfortable. But if it doesn't bother you then please enjoy those specialized ringtones I wrote up.

I haven't played Monster Hunter. Nor do I have any knowledge about the game. I was too lazy to even watch gameplays online to make realistic storytelling. Monster Hunter players, please forgive me if there aren't any lizardmen in the real game. Besides, it's not really that important to the story, right? Right? Don't hate me.

Props to anyone who knew the author I was talking about and those who read that specific book! If you guys want to know, the author is Haruki Murakami and the book's title is "After Dark".

Also, I have recovered from my fever but I've been real busy with real life so it still takes a while for me to update. I try to write a thousand words a day though.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. I would also love to hear from you guys so please feel free to leave reviews. I'd also be happy to answer questions so ask away and I'll answer them in my next AN.

Veltus, signing off.