As Expected He Was More Warped Than Most

He thought about it all day yesterday. But no matter what he did he couldn't come to a conclusion. Would he or would he not be a good brother to someone? It was an odd question. But for some reason it kept coming back to him much like why he risked his own life to save Hiratsuka Shizuka. But unlike the latter question this one kept coming back a lot more. He thought so hard that eventually his head started to hurt. Fortunately, when he had stopped thinking about that. He got a theory about the other question. Hiratsuka Shizuka. The nearly thirty year old woman that whined more about her love life or lack of a love life than anything else and often tended to release her frustrations on him for whatever reason, had somehow managed to gain his interest. Not to say he thought of her romantically or sexually even though she did have a desirable body. But maybe something else? It was a theory. One that sated his growing curiosity for the moment and reduced the headache he was getting from all this thinking. For now at least. If he was lucky he might forget about it soon enough. With no idea on how to go about this 'problem' he couldn't really do about it.

Sunlight shone inside from the open window. There was nothing to do. He had spent yesterday cleaning his apartment after coming back from his teacher's home as best as he could and played some old games on his GBA. Unfortunately after that he had nothing else to do. At times like these He wondered how housewives and househusbands passed their time after finishing housework. His phone was charging and in order to preserve battery health he couldn't really use it while it charged. Also he had no more anime to watch nor manga to read. Well, time to blankly stare at the wall again.

Minutes passed. And eventually hours. The rays from the afternoon sun heated up the atmosphere. At least they fixed the transformer outside. But who knows when that will blow again. It was summer after all. His head turned towards the window. The blue sky came into view. White clouds slowly passed through from one side to another. Each having their own unique shapes and sizes. One vaguely looked like a cat. Another looked like a... rabbit? Was it just him or did it look like the rabbit was chasing the cat? A Rabbit chasing a Cat. Now that was a weird picture there.

One looked like a train. And another looked like a square with two smaller squares attached to one end. Almost like a... Shirt... Shirt... Shirt? The words echoed in his mind. His brows furrowed. Suddenly he felt like he was forgetting something. He looked down at the T-shirt he had on. Light blue, short sleeved and hung a little loosely around his body since tight clothing always felt too constricting for him. The same as it was yesterd-

Oh...

He stood on his knees and slid closer to his charging phone. Three out of five bars charged. It would have to do. Picking up his wallet he checked the amount of cash inside. Looked like it would be enough. Hopefully he wouldn't end up wasting too much money like the last time he went to the city. A couple of new T-shirts and maybe a pair of pants shouldn't cost too much. Plus it would give him something to do instead of just waste the day away doing nothing.

He called a Taxi. Intending to head straight into the city. However barely ten minutes later he got caught in traffic. By the looks of it, it was not going to clear up anytime soon. A quick sigh escaped him. He was beginning to think not being able to use both arms was going to be more troublesome to his daily routine than he originally thought. He noticed a convenience store nearby and got out of the Taxi after paying for the ride . He intended to buy a MAX COFFEE then walk the rest of the way. The mall shouldn't be too far from his current position. And a walk would definitely waste some time. The sensor in front of the convenience store reacted to him and opened the glass door for him. He entered and looked around. The employee at the cash register bowed to him, acknowledging his entry. He nodded at the man who seemed a little surprised at him for acknowledging the employee.

"Where is your beverages?" he asked the man.

"Alcoholic or Soft Drinks sir?" the man asked back.

"Soft Drinks." MAX counted as a soft drink right?

The employee showed him the direction he needed to go to reach the beverage refrigerator. He went deeper into the store. On the way something made him stop. He turned to get a better look at it. It read-

'BUY 2 DOZEN EGGS. GET 1 DOZEN FREE'

Three dozen eggs for the price of two? Who in their right mind would pass up that kind of deal? His good arm reached for the eggs. His fingers touch the plastic containing the eggs. He stopped before grabbing onto it. What would he even do with that many eggs? Aside from not even knowing how they taste he didn't even know how to make too many dishes with eggs. Maybe Haruno or Hiratsuka knew? He shook his head. How did they became a factor to his decision to buy eggs? His hands went back down. Then again... His hands went back up. It WAS a great deal.

Maybe it will spoil soon. That could be why it was so cheap. His hands went back down... AGAIN. He closed his eyes and turned his head away then opened them after taking a few more steps to the other direction. Out of sight, out of mind. His eyes narrowed, scanning the section. He spotted the drinks section to his left. MAX COFFEE on the very bottom of the shelf. He kneels down and pulled out one. Would have taken two but he didn't really have anything to keep the second one in. Turning around he moved towards the checkout counter. After turning a corner he stopped.

An ahoge saw another ahoge. The second one didn't notice the first as the first one twitched. In fact the second one hasn't even noticed the first one since it was too busy trying to reach a box of cookies from a high shelf. After seconds of trying really hard it seemed like the second one stopped trying at all. The first one walked forward till it stood behind the second one and reached for the box of cookies. The second one was surprised when the longer arm grabbed the box and presented it in front of her. The second one took it and turned to look at the first one. Then it twitched.

"Hikigaya Komachi-san." He stared at her with his empty eyes and she stared back with her much more lively ones. Silence took hold of them both. Her eyes widened when she realized who she was looking at. Her hold on the shopping basket had tightened slightly. He couldn't help but think if it was too heavy for her.

"Ko-Ko-Kotoime-san." she stuttered. "Ha-How are you?"

"Good." he nods back. Seeing her stuttering like this made him remember the last time he saw her. The face she made flashed before his eyes for a brief moment. It made him want to frown. He managed not to. "And you?"

"Good." she replied nervously. "What are you doing here?"

He shows her the can of MAX in his good hand.

Nearly half an hour later. The two were still in the convenience store. He decided to stay and help her with her shopping much to her surprise. She didn't object much to his surprise. In fact. She seemed kind of... happy with that idea? That was odd. Most people didn't want to look at him let alone talk to him unless necessary. People like Haruno and Hiratsuka were the only exceptions. But they had their own agendas. People like Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were his club mates so they didn't really have a choice. And as far as he was aware the younger girl in front of him shouldn't have a hidden agenda. For some reason he didn't think she did though. It was odd. A 'gut feeling' if you will... Even though he was the one that felt it, he couldn't help but notice how absurd that sounded.

"Anything else?" he saw her examine the shopping basket in his hand. He had offered to hold onto it for her since it was getting heavier with each item added into it. Right now he was beginning to think that she should have gotten a kart instead of just a basket.

"Nope. That's everything." she replied with a smile. "Thank you for helping me Kotomine-san."

"Hmm." she smiled at his curt reply. For some reason that smile felt different than the ones he saw from the likes of Haruno and Yuigahama. "Let's go then." They walk towards the checkout counter. He handed the basket over to the employee. The man took out a device and scanned the items one by one. Hachiman couldn't help but notice something. The man, his eyes looked... unfocused for some reason. It unsettled him a little bit. The man wordlessly packed all the items they bought in a plastic bag. "Thank you."

The man didn't say anything but bowed. From the corner of his eyes he saw Komachi glancing at him as well. But turned away from him when their eyes met. He nudged her with his bad arm and then they left. As they were walking outside Hachiman felt the employee's unfocused eye staring at his back. When they got outside Hachiman felt his body relaxing. He had gotten tense? When did that happen?

"I-uh. I live nearby." Komachi brings him out of his musings.

"I'll walk you home." The words came to him naturally that it surprised even him. She beamed at his offer. He noticed her smiling a little wider than before. It felt... nice to see her smile. Yes. Nice. It was nice to see her smile. "Komachi." she had asked him to call her by her given name. Without honorifics no less. At fist he was reluctant but once the words rolled off his tongue he didn't want to call her anything else. Does that make sense? It... felt like it did. To make a decision built on feelings. It was odd. Perhaps there was hope for him yet. They walked for minutes in silence. Komachi tripped on something. But she managed to grab onto his injured arm before she fell. He flinched but did not protest since he had leaned in for her to grab him anyway.

"So-Sorry!" Komachi gasped. "Does it hurt?"

"It's fine." his words fail to ease her worries. "It's just a few cuts. They don't hurt much."

"What happened to your arm anyway?" she asked him. He could sense the concern in her voice.

"Accident at work." his lips and vocal cords acted without his consent. Less than a second later he blinked. Why did he lie? He had no reason to lie. Yet he still did. "Like I said, it's fine." he silently pondered why he didn't correct himself even though he wanted to.

"If you say so." she nods. They stop in front of a normal house. Two story building, painted white with multiple windows and a gray roof. There was even a few small trees in their front yard. To Hachiman it looked... normal, homey and also... daunting somehow. "Do you um.. want to come inside?"

He stayed silent for seconds. Unknown to him with each second passing Komachi could feel her hope dwindling. When he looked at her his breathing hitched momentarily. "I'm sorry. I have to buy some new cloths then head home and make lunch." Her eyes brightened. His breathing returned to normal.

"Oh! Oh! Can I come with you?" she asked excitedly. She even got a little closer to him that he would have preferred.

He nodded at her. She told him to wait for a bit so she can put the things they bought away in her home. He took another look at the house in front of him. A frown plastering his face. He took a step back and turned away from the building. He didn't know nor understand why but this place bothered him. Not in a way that put him at unease but almost as if he... wasn't allowed(?) to be here. He took a deep breath... He wanted to leave... now.

"I'm back!" he doesn't look at Komachi who had just returned. "Is something wrong?"

"No." he lied again. "Let's go."

Idle chatter about random things. Hachiman asked her a question. She asked a question after answering his. He learned her parents were usually busy with work but still made time for her whenever they could. She learned he had no parents. He learned she was president of the student council. She learned his sense of taste was out of whack. He learned she knew how to cook. And she learned he too knew how to cook. They talked about cooking a little bit. He told her that because of his lack of taste buds he couldn't properly make delicious meals. A surprising realization hit him harder than any punch ever had. It hit that hard because of how little time he had spent with this girl.

He liked talking to Hikigaya Komachi.

"What do you think?" she asked him. A green short sleeved T-shirt on her hands. The English letters on it made his eyebrow rise. He wasn't particularly smart but he was decent enough to know some English words. 'Good Vibes'? What did an emotion have to do with a T-shirt?

"Does it matter?" his questioned. Her jaw dropped making him blink in confusion. Had he said something stupid without realizing it again?

"Of course it does!" she practically shouted at him. The other shoppers give them a glance. The two ahoge's apologized for distracting them. A random shopper mumbled something that neither of them could hear. "How can you expect anyone to take you seriously if you don't wear good looking cloths?"

He looks at the T-shirt and pants he wore at the moment then tilted his head in confusion then visibly frowned at her. "So you're not taking me seriously right now?"

"N-No. I mean Yes!" she exclaimed before sighing. "Look, people like those that dress well you know?"

He did know. Some would say a little too well. But truthfully speaking, did it really matter that much? Most people are usually repulsed by his eyes. He remembered dressing 'well' in middle school. It didn't really look like it changed anyone's opinion of him. But maybe- Maybe he just didn't wear the right set of clothing? Maybe it was because he was the one that choose what he wore instead of someone that actually knew and understood what they were doing? "I'll take your word for it."

They ended up buying two T-shirts, A regular shirt and a pair of jeans for him. He was very adamant about not buying skinny jeans. There was only so much he was willing to sacrifice for the sake of making friends or having people like him. And loosing all sense of comfort in his lower body was definitely not one of them. How do people even wear such constricting cl-

*GROWL*

He looked at his left to see Komachi blushing in embarrassment.

"Hungry?" he asked her. She nodded without making eye contact. "Want to grab something to eat?"

"I don't have any money on me." she muttered. His left hand goes up to pat her head. Surprising them both.

"That's fine. Let me worry about that."... It felt nice to see her smile.

The lone walk home was far less boring than he had originally anticipated. In fact, the day itself was less boring than he had anticipated. It was a normal day. And not his brand of 'normal'. He was glad that he decided to go to that convenience store. Even though the eyes of that employee still unsettled him a little. Then again, he wasn't really one to talk. Komachi had parted from him not long ago.

"Let's meet up like this again, Onii-chan!"

It made him feel weird. But he didn't dislike it one bit. It was nice... Like her smile. Thinking too much about it made his head hurt though.

"Oh hey. Didn't see you leave." a man in his early forties called out to him. Tall, bald and packing large bulging muscles. That would be his landlord, Tennoji Yuugo. A man that Hachiman rarely talked to. Mostly because he was out of the premises all day. Then asleep at home almost all night. And relaxing or doing housework during weekends. The man was watering the plants outside the apartment complex. "Were ya out on a date with that girl?"

Who?

At first Hachiman was confused. He was pretty sure it was only him and Komachi in that convenience store. Then he remembered that his landlord had seen Haruno entering his apartment before. And even Hiratsuka when she took him to Chiba Village. "I was at the mall." he showed the older man the shopping bags in his good hand. "Needed some new cloths."

"Oh really?" the man chuckled. Hachiman realized that he didn't quite debunk the man's assumption. "Which one was it? The younger one? She seems like a nice girl. Kinda out of your league though. What's her name?" Was the age difference between Haruno and Hiratsuka really that noticeable? Hachiman wasn't sure how but he could almost hear the older woman sulking somewhere.

"Yukinoshita Haruno." the hold Tennoji had on the watering pot loosened. So much so that the 'nose' of the pot faced downwards. The bottom part of his pants had gotten wet when the water splashed on him. It didn't seem to bother Tennoji as the older man stared at Hachiman with wide eyes.

"As in the daughter of Yukinoshita Yahiro? CEO of Yukinoshita constructions?" the man asked him with wide eyes.

"I don't know the name of her father but yes. I believe so" Hachiman replied.

"Damn." Tennouji rubbed his chin. "That's a hell of a fish you got there kid. Try not to let it slip away." he winked at Hachiman. If Hachiman didn't watch anime he would have missed the innuendo.

"We are just... acquaintances Tennoji-san. There is no fish to be caught." the word 'acquaintances' didn't seem to properly fit his 'relationship' with Haruno anymore. Seeing as how she knew more about him than most people like Hiratsuka and some of his co-workers. Even though there was no other word to describe it.

"If you say so kid." the man chuckled at him. He motioned towards Hachiman' apartment room. "A package arrived with your name on it earlier. Didn't see a deliveryman though."

Hachiman raised a brow. "Thank you for telling me." he headed for the stairs to the second floor. It may not look like it but he was a little bit intrigued. Who would send him a 'package'? Haruno was not the type to send him things. She would rather show up right in front of his doorstep to give it to him personally. Same with Hiratsuka. She would just take him to it instead. And they were the only two that knows where he lived. None of his co-workers were the type either since they were all busy with their own things. He came to a halt. A small box sat right in front of his door. So small that he could probably hide most of it from view by holding it in between both his palms. He picked it up and went inside his apartment.

Wait a second...

"Aren't I supposed to changed these or something?" he wondered aloud. He had absolutely no clue on anything to do with medical work. Since they had already eaten at the food court in the mall he didn't make lunch. Also it was already evening so there was no point to it. Might as well make dinner after a couple of hours. He leaned against a wall with the 'package' in his grasp. He pealed the duct tape off from the cover and opened the rectangular box. An eyebrow was raised once again. There was a folded piece of paper inside. It was a note. It read-

"Have fun"

'Have fun?' was this a toy? He turned the box upside down and shook it. Pieces of Styrofoam scattered across the floor. Some flew away with the wind. Two objects fell down from the box. The sound of clattering echoes throughout his empty apartment. His brows furrowed as he picked them up with one hand and analyzed it. They were red in color and shaped as... a 'T'? After getting a better look at it he noticed that the horizontal part of the red T had strange markings on it. While the vertical part had-

"?!" a sudden headache. With his eyes clenched shut he waited for it to pass. The objects fell from his hand which went up to his head. Because of his headache he wasn't able to notice the cross hanging from his neck glimmer a little. The headache passed. A deep breath. That migraine was half-expected. He was getting a lot of those lately. He wondered if he should take a nap. That could help. Looking at the object on the ground one more time he put it back inside the box it came from and hid it away in the closet. It still counted as a gift so he couldn't just throw it away.

*KnockKnockKnock*

'Who could that be?' he went to open the door.

"Yo." he looked at her quizzically. "Pack your things. You'll be living with me for a while." now he was just downright confused.

"Woman, are you drunk?" That came off a little rude and he knew it. But he had already said it so no point in taking it back. He leaned a little forward and scanned her face for signs of being drunk. "You sound like your drunk." An index finger against his forehead pushed him back.

"You're having trouble living by yourself with that arm right?" Hiratsuka explained. "You can stay with me till it gets better." Hachiman had to admit, that did sound like it would make things a lot easier. He was still technically wearing the same T-shirt and pants from yesterday. And without a washing machine he had to wash his cloths the 'old fashioned' way.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. Not that he appreciated her offer but having to pack things and come back tomorrow would be bothersome for him just because she wasn't sure about her decision. She nodded with a slight smile. "Alright then." Not long after, the two of them left his apartment. Hachiman got a double thumbs up from Tennoji who saw him leave with Hiratsuka. He also saw Tennoj say something with a wink... It was at that moment Hachiman realized, that his landlord really needed a hobby.

In Hachiman' closet the box had fallen on it's side. Both sides were torn open. Two long steel blades coming out of them.

-Chapter End-

It's a little short I know. Had to write this one in a rush. I'll be out of town for the rest of the month so I won't be able to start working on the next chapter at least until the second (if not third) of January 2021. Rest assured I will be back(unless something happens of course). See you all next year!

Omake(This is cannon to this fanfic):

Silent, calm and dark. The night held a serenity to it that they day could not replicate by no means. Everyone slept to regain their energy, to be prepared for the next day. Some stayed awake to finish work they weren't able to during the day and some just stayed up all night for the heck of it. But most just wanted to relax and rest.

Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly woke up with a yawn. The night was still young considering it was only Eleven PM. Her throat felt dry. She needed a glass of water or else sleep wouldn't come back easily. She sat up and opened her eyes as much as she could. It wasn't much but she was able to see somewhat. She stood up and opened the door to her room. The light from the TV was the first thing she saw outside. Why was the TV on? Her vision cleared a little. What she saw was far more ludicrous than anything she had ever seen in her entire life.

It was Kotomine Hachiman. Her roommate for the next week or so. Standing in between the television and couch. Dancing. If you could call it that. To 'Pretty Cure'. She made a face that could only be described as 'I have finally seen everything. It is time to ascend this plane of reality'. Sarcastically of course. Then she noticed something peculiar. His necklace was glowing faintly.

Oh

This is a dream. It all made sense now.

She silently closed the door to her room and returned to her bed then closed her eyes. She had seen enough for one dream.

Changes from the original: some spelling errors fixed and a few lines added+tweaked to fit the narrative. I decided to keep 'Pretty Cure'. Mostly because Hachiman 'likes' it and after all the crap I've put him through(and will in later chapters). He deserves something to help him chill.