As Expected He Was More Warped Than Most
It was a widely accept fact that humans were the 'smartest' creatures on the planet. Most scientists 'proved' it and most religious folk believed it since it was written in their scriptures. Yet, for some reason, humanity always had a fascination with the rest of the animal kingdom. Then again, what's not to be fascinated about it? Thousands of creatures, many of whom looked completely different from one another, each developed their own way of life, existed in this world. And that was without including marine life and 'micro organisms'. Not to mention that scientists were 'discovering' new species every year. So many things to learn and so many things to know about them. Despite all the creatures of the world had to offer, the majority of the human population cared about a handful of things when it came to those animals. Such as:
Is it dangerous?
Is it cute?
Is it 'cool'?
But most commonly:
Is it edible?
Koto... Hikigaya Hachiman, he really needed to stop forgetting that, was more into the first and last one. Aesthetics were inconsequential to him. As it should to everyone else, he believed. But unfortunately it wasn't like this. Safety and food was necessary for survival. And Survival was everything for most people. Him included. Especially now more than ever. Dozens of people walked around him. None of whom he knew or would likely ever know. Yet all these people and he shared a common purpose today. A purpose that would be fulfilled by the end of today and perhaps be repeated a few more times in their lifetime.
"This Koala is so cuuute! Just look at it's nose! Don't you think so Yui-san?"
Hachiman' gaze did not shift from the two in front of him. In truth, he found this a waste of time and money. More money than time. For he had plenty of time today since it was a weekend.
"T-Totes!" Yui agreed reluctantly. Her reluctance wasn't due to her disagreeing. But because… well… "Let's go check on the Penguin's Komachi-chan!"
"Stick together." Hachiman said. "This is a dangerous place. " Both girls looked offended by his statement.
"Mou~" Yui pouted at him. "I'm not a kid Hikki!"
Hachiman resisted the urge to make a face. He had no idea why the girl insisted on addressing him with that. He had given her the option of calling him 'Hachiman' but she rejected that offer vehemently with a red face. Muttering something under her breath. He had heard what she muttered though, thanks to his better than average hearing. And at that moment Hikigaya Hachiman had came to a conclusion.
For some reason or another, Yui Yui had a crush on him… In retrospect, it was somewhat obvious. Especially due to how she behaved around him sometimes. He should have noticed it long ago. Hachiman just thought that someone actually liking him like that was more of a once in a lifetime kind of thing. With Orimoto Kaori being that 'once'. He allowed her to call him that, seeing how they were friends now and all that. Nicknames were commonly used among friends. Same with Given names. His unimaginative mind couldn't really come up with anything so he just stuck with her given name.
"Yeah, we can take care of ourselves!" Komachi agreed with Yui.
"Ah." He said. "Sorry." His apology didn't sound as apologetic as it probably should have. He figured it was due to 'the way he spoke' as Haruno would put it "You know I will always worry for you, Komachi."
The young girl stuttered as face flushed pink in embarrassment. "G-Geez, do you have to say such creepy things Onii-chan?!"
Yui Yui giggled. Initially she was disappointed that it wasn't her and Hachiman. All the hard work she and Yukino put into today's plans were almost worthless now. But it wasn't a complete lost.
Yui looked at the brother-sister duo with a smile.
She was getting to see a side of Hachiman that she had never seen before. Even after knowing him for the better half of the year- wait what's this?! Her eyes widen in disbelief. Was he… Was he smiling? Was Hachiman smiling? The same Hachiman that hadn't smiled even once over the many months she had known him?! It wasn't a full on toothy or even a teasing smirk smile. But an actual smile with the edges of his lips curling upwards and everything! She could actually feel her face getting warmer as she kept looking at that smile.
"It's unfortunate Yukino couldn't make it." Hachiman suddenly said. Oddly enough, he wasn't looking at them when he said that. Instead he was looking around, almost as if searching for someone. "Especially since this was her idea in the first place."
Yui laughed nervously. "Ahahaha… Y-yeaa."
"You know, Onii-chan…" Komachi began. "You can get a better look at the animals from here." At the moment, Hachiman was roughly five meters away from the two girls. "Closer to the animals."
"That's alright. I'm fine from here." Hachiman said. 'It would be best for me to not get closer to it.' Animals and he never got along well. His strained 'relationship' with the stray cat, and the one that his family had for a pet was proof of that. Last thing he needed here was to attract the ire of a bigger and potentially far more dangerous animal.
"Are you scared?" Komachi teased.
"There's nothing to be scared of Hikki. It's behind a glass wall, see?" Yui lightly tapped on the glass barrier separating them from the small animal.
Hachiman raised a brow. He wasn't afraid of the creature itself and Koalas were far from being life threatening to humans. 'Maybe it won't react the same way as cats.'
A crowd of people were inspecting a different animal nearby. Within that crowd was a certain dark haired girl named Yukinoshita Yukino. She was currently wearing a pair of glasses and had a hat on. Not the best disguise out there but it was better than nothing. She had a small frown on her face as she spied on the trio from afar. It was impossible to hear them from this distance but their actions were somewhat visible.
'Who is that?' she thought for the tenth time today. She looked familiar for some reason and by the looks of it, the younger girl was close to Hachiman. Yet they did not appear to share the type of closeness a man and a woman would have. Almost like…
A thought came to mind.
"Didn't he say he had a little sister?" she asked herself. In truth, that day was somewhat of a blur to her. So much had happened, so many things were told and so many emotions were running. She thought back to the day at Chiba Village. When they were going back home and she had overheard Hachiman and Kawasaki Saki talking about the scar on his back. The way he just said what happened to him sounded weird to her. He spoke as if it didn't matter, as if it was too trivial to matter. But, after hearing what he had to say at his final day in the club room it all made sense. His stoic nature. His lack of reaction to nearly everything around him. Even his so called desire to be 'normal'. Something that was seemingly so mundane that it didn't even feel like a desire in the first place.
He was an odd person. She had a hunch on that from the day she met him. But at least now she knew that there was a method to his madness.
Well, close enough.
"KNREEE! KNREEE!"
She was brought out of her thoughts when a high pitched infernal screeching reached her ears. She winced when the noise pierced through the air again. She looked towards the direction where the noise was coming from. A number of people had already gathered there, obscuring her view of the creature that was making that infernal noise. 'What could possibly make an animal scream like that?' she thought to herself
"Wonder what's going on there?" a random person next to her voiced her thought in words. Said person moved toward it. Her first instinct was to follow. But it disappeared as soon as it came. She was no mindless sheep. Besides, she was here to spy on-oversee Hachiman and Yui's 'date'.
Speaking of them… "Where are they?" she mumbled.
"So you made it after all."
Her heart almost leapt out of her chest as a scream got stuck in her throat. She turned around, just in time to see Hachiman standing there with a raised brow.
"You-wha-what?!" she breathed out.
"I noticed you about ten minutes ago." He replied to her incoherent questions. '"Also your disguise was terrible. I recommend hiding your hair inside your hat next time."
"Y-Yukinon?!" Yui approached Yukino, looking more surprised than anything else. "W-What're you- I mean I thought you were busy with something for your Oka-san." There was also some excitement in her eyes which Yukino frowned inwardly at.
But Yukino knew Yui more than anyone else, at least that's what she liked to think. She knew that Yui had already given up on their plans and just wanted everyone to have fun together. Including…
She glanced briefly at the younger girl.
"This is my little sister." Hachiman began.
"I'm Hikigaya Komachi. Nice to meet you Yukino-san." said girl smiled with a slight, but respectful, bow. She really was his sister wasn't she?
"A-Ah!" Yukino exclaimed. She remembered now. "'Weren't you the girl that was with Kawasaki-san's little brother that day?" Of course she was referring to the day said little brother came to her and Yui about Kawasaki Saki's nightly escapades.
Yui was the first to react. "So that's why you looked so familiar! Sorry Komachi-chan, I should have remembered!"
"It's okay." The younger girl already forgave them. "That happened months ago. I'd have been more surprised if you did remember me."
"Looks like the Koala stopped screaming." Hachiman sent a sideway glance towards its direction.
"What happened to it?" Yukino asked in slight concern. Though pandas were always going to be her all time favorite. And cats he second. Koalas weren't that far behind them.
"It suddenly fell from the tree it was on." Komachi frowned. "Poor thing, the fall must've hurt a lot."
Somehow or the other, the four of them continued onward as a group. Though the presence of Komachi turned their entire plan out of whack both Yui and Yukino found themselves enjoying themselves. Yet even though it Yui had given up on her 'date', Yukino had not.
'The simplest way to let them have some alone time so Yui-san can confess would be for me and his sister to leave them by themselves for a bit..' She thought. 'But how can I do that without tipping him off?' She looked at the girl of her thoughts.
Hikigaya Komachi was generally a happy girl. She had two parents doting on her, father more than mother. And now she had the person she thought she had lost so long ago back. No matter how happy a person she was merely a month ago, it could not even begin to compare to how happy she felt these past few days. Although… today she felt a little guilty about it. That's right. She knew. She knew that this was no ordinary outing. She knew that this was somewhat of a 'kind of date but not a date' scenario. She knew that Yui, and maybe Yukino as well, were the ones to orchestrate this. Because she found it really hard to believe her beloved, and somewhat introverted, brother would ever ask a girl out on a date.
Also it was pretty obvious to her that Yui had a crush on her brother. So there's that too. 'Am I a bad person?' she thought to herself, frowning inwardly. Because technically, she was intentionally getting in the way of someone else' love life. She shouldn't be doing that. She should be trying to help Yui even. God knows her brother needed to lighten up and express himself more. A girlfriend would definitely help in that matter. Well, as long as he didn't tell them that he-
Komachi held back a wince as she took a step away from a confused Hachiman.
-occasionally indulged in 'grownup activities'.
She only used the term 'grownup activities' because he was her brother. If it was anyone else then she'd have called him a 'perverted dirtbag and a waste of space'. Then run like hell, praying to never cross paths with him again.
"Its nothing." She told him when he asked her if something was wrong. And as she watched Yui starting a one sided conversation with him again, she realized that maybe. Just maybe. She was a bad person for doing this. 'But…' Seven years. Seven long years, she thought him to be dead. And now he was back. Her onii-chan was finally back! They had literal years of catching up to do. If he got a girlfriend. One he should definitely have to spend as much time with as possible. He would no longer have time for her. She would be alone again, going home to an empty house as her Onii-chan would be too busy being lovey dovey with his girlfriend. After knowing all of that would anyone blame her for intruding?
"Komachi-chan. Can you take a picture of us?" Yui suddenly asked her as she pulled out her phone. Her request made Hachiman raise a brow and Yukino panic a little. Komachi took the phone and Yui wasted no time. Grabbing both Hachiman and Yukino by their sleeves she pulled them closer.
Komachi simply stood there for a moment before holding the device up. "Say Cheese."
The sound of the phone's shutter reached her ears. She opened the gallery and looked at the photo, only to pause upon seeing it. Three faces stared at the camera. One stoic, another flustered but not repulsed and another simply happy to just be there.
"How is it?" Yui asked, prompting Komachi to return the phone to her. Yui took the phone and showed the picture to Yukino.
Komachi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The Komachi of the near future may come to curse her for what she was going to do. Heck, 'I might even regret it in a few hours.' But who was she to deny her Onii-chan his happiness? He always used to do so much for her when they were little. Even now, he still did more than he should for her. 'I can at least do this for you.'
"Yukino-san." She suddenly spoke up. The others looked at her. "I need to use the restroom. Can you come with me?" She didn't need another person coming with her. And this shouldn't work. But knowing her onii-chan…
"I'll go with you." Hachiman said. "Yukino can st-"
"Sorry Onii-chan." Komachi interrupted him. "This is kind of a-uh-" she hesitated. Even though it was a lie her face heated up. "-girl thing."
Hachiman instantly caught on. After blinking once he said. "You should have told me you were menstruating. I wouldn't have brought you here."
All three girls became red faced in embarrassment at his… blunt declaration of something so personal for women.
"O-Onii-chan!" Komachi exclaimed, mortified. 'So much for few hours!' She should have just followed her gut instinct and stayed quiet! A random passerby, a man, overheard what he said and snickered. As if it couldn't get anymore humiliating!
"Hikki!" Yui mirrored Komachi' expression.
Hachiman ignored their protests. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?" His cold palms landed on her cheeks and then her forehead to check her temperature.
"Hikigaya-kun!" Yukino exclaimed. "That's not something you say out loud!" Her lips parted to give the teen a good talking to.
"A-Anyway!" the still red-faced Komachi moved away from Hachiman' grasp. "Can you come with me Yukino-san?" She asked while looking at the older girl. Hoping she would get what Komachi was trying to do.
"Aaah." Yukino had never really been in this type of situation before. She glanced at Yui who may have had experienced something like this before. But before she could suggest Komachi to ask for Yui' help rather than hers, Komachi gripped her hand a little tighter. Yukino' brows furrowed, wondering why Komachi was so insistent that she should be the one to help. A brief sigh escaped her lips. "Okay."
To Hachiman' approval, Yui said. "We'll wait here for you two."
"Nonono! You guys go ahead." Komachi denied them of that. "We'll catch up with you two alright?"
Hachiman held back a sigh. "Alright." When he opened his eyes he spoke. "I added my number on your speed dial. If you need anything, just call."
"What? When did you do that?" the perplexed Komachi pulled out her phone and checked. And there it was, saved on number 4. "Ah. Nevermind. Let's go Yukino -san." She pulled Yukino away.
Hachiman' gaze followed them till they were out of sight. His brows furrowed in confusion. A couple of minutes later he heard a buzzing noise coming from his side and was able to detect Yui pulling out her phone from the corner of his eyes. She probably got a text from someone, but that wasn't his main concern right now. 'That isn't the way towards the restrooms.' He had already 'bookmarked' the restroom's location in his head earlier in case of an emergency. 'Do they not know the way?' That wasn't good. He knew little about the female body's inner workings. 'If they take too long she might actually get hurt.' His body leaned forward to give chase so he could send them towards the right path.
"Hikki!" Yui suddenly grabbed one of his arms. "Lets go see the Rhinos!" The moment she tugged his head turned to her. Yui flinched back at the way he was glaring at her. Eyes slightly narrowed and nostrils flairing. She instantly let go of him and took a step back
"They're going the wrong way." He stated, his eyes burning holes into hers. His glare disappeared as he remembered something. 'Ah, how could I forget?' he pulled out his phone. This would be faster and a lot less taxing than chasing after them. When Yui called out to him he ignored her. To him, Komachi was far more important right now.
"There's another restroom building that way too!" Yui exclaimed.
-Elsewhere-
"Again, thank you for going along with this Yukino-san." Komachi thanked the older girl.
"Hah." Yukino sighed a little. "A prior warning would have been appreciated Hikigaya-san." She couldn't really complain though. This way, she didn't need to come up with a plan to separate them from Yui and Hachiman. "Thank you though. You don't realize it but this… this means a lot to me." She closed her eyes in relief. 'It's all upto you now, Yui-san.' The text she sent was small. Only letting Yui know that Komachi had no troubles 'down there' and this was merely a ruse to let her have some alone time with Hachiman' to confess her feelings.
"Still…" Komachi scratched her cheek. There was a look on her face that Yukino couldn't quite decipher.
"Is something wrong, Hikigaya-san?" Yukino asked. A question asked more out of courtesy than anything else.
For a moment, Komachi thought she should seek out Yukino' advice. Surely someone like Yukino Yukino would be able to help with the inner dilemma about her real feeling towards her brother getting a girlfriend. But she second guessed that notion. She didn't even know Yukino that much. She had no right to inconvenience her. "N-Nothing." She fake laughed. "I was just thinking about how Onii-chan would react if Yui-san asked him out." There was a pang of guilt in her chest. She kind of hoped he rejected her.
"Knowing him, he would probably say yes." Yukino responded. He did say that he wanted to be 'normal' right? 'And what was more normal than having a girlfriend/boyfriend?' Well, that's what she thought was normal. In reality, Yukino Yukino wasn't really as normal as most other girls her age. Being somewhat of a loner and all. 'Besides, does he even have a reason to say no to Yui-san?' Yui was beautiful, nice and a great person. Unless he already had someone he was interested in he would have been an idiot to reject her.
Komachi' brow twitched. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Y-yeah. Probably." An uncomfortable silence ensued. "I-I guess we should head home then huh?" Normally such a thing would not happen. She was far more outgoing than her brother had ever been. But today? She just wasn't feeling like putting up the cheerful façade.
"I suppose so. But I think we should at least, let them know we're no longer here. Hikigaya-kun might worry." Yukino pulled out her phone and checked for his name in the contact list.
Komachi bit her lip as she looked at the direction they came from. Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath and hoped for the best.
-With Hachiman and Yui-
Hachiman put away his phone with a slight frown on his face.
"Who was that?" Yui asked.
"Yukino." Came his one worded reply He didn't even look at her as he continued, opting to glare at his phone instead. "She said Komachi wasn't feeling well and she was taking her home." The grip he had on his phone tightened.
Yui, remembering how Hachiman initially reacted when she tried to stop him and seeing him frowning at his phone, came to a realization. "You must really care for your little sister." She absentmindedly said, not noticing Hachiman freeze at that comment of hers.
Care.
That… that was a word. No. An emotion. A normal emotion. Something normal people did... And he himself had said a couple of days ago…
"And I like spoiling my younger sister." The words had come out of his own lips so naturally that he didn't even notice it. Until now.
His phone slipped through his fingers and hit the ground. The old and outdated piece of technology split into three pieces. Each pieces went different directions.
"Hikky?!" Yui exclaimed. Seeing Hachiman basically go catatonic scared her. "Are you okay?!" Placing a hand on his shoulder, she shook him.
Hachiman shook his head and rapidly blinked. "Ah, sorry." He apologized. "I don't know what came over me." He knelt down to pick up the scattered pieces of his phone.
"Are you okay?" Yui repeated her question. Her expression made her concern very obvious. "Do you need to sit down? Let's go sit down."
Hachiman didn't need to sit down. But the prospect of resting his legs a little was appealing. Also it would give him some time to think. So he nodded at her. She pulled him to an empty bench. The two sat down next to each other with only a few inches of distance between them.
"…Yui " He calls her name. His voice stern yet far from cold.
"Y-Yeah?" Yui stuttered. She still hadn't gotten used to him calling her by her name like that. She waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she asked. "What is it, Hikky?"
Hachiman searched the right words. He knew what he wanted to ask. Just not how he should phrase it to her. It had to be in a way she wouldn't be able to misunderstand it. "How… does it feel-" he paused. "-to care for someone?" He could be mistaken. Everyone gets something wrong once in a while. And he was often wrong about these sort of things.
Yui blinked at him owlishly. That was not the type of question she ever thought she would hear. From anyone. Even her somewhat weird classmate. "Huh?"
"How does it feel to care for someone?" he asked again. "How do you know you... care... for someone?"
"I… Um…" Yui was lost. She wasn't even sure what she was supposed to say here. "Sorry Hikky. I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to answer to that."
"I see." Hachiman looked at the ground. It was such an insignificant little thing. Yet it was…. important. Really important. He sighed, realizing Yui was of no use here. "Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask."
"N-No wait!" Yui found herself unable to breath for a bit when Hachiman looked at her questioningly. "What I meant was that I didn't know what to say. If you give me a few minutes I can think of something!" It was rare for Hachiman to ask something of her. And compared to the usual Hachiman she knew, this time he looked so desperate that she felt the need to give him a suitable answer.
"I see. I'm sorry for inconveniencing you then." His head tilted downed into a bow.
"Don't be. That's what friends do right?" She smiled at him. One, much to her disappointment, he didn't return. Instead he just nodded.
Yui sighed. The question he asked sure sent her for a loop. In truth, she didn't even think such a question existed up until now. 'How do I feel when I care for someone? How do I know I care for someone?' Those were the two questions he asked. Yui closed her eyes as she tried her best to put it into words.
Hachiman saw the girl struggling with her words and came up with an idea. "Do you care for someone?" She likely did. Probably cared for a lot of people in fact. Even those that wrong her, such was the forgiving nature of Yui Yui. She nodded at him, prompting him to continue. "How do you know you care for that person?"
Yui placed a delicate finger under her chin. She did care for someone. A lot of someones actually. Her parents for instance. Sure there were moments when she was annoyed with them but hating them was impossible. 'Then there's Yukinon, Yumiko and the guys and-' her trail of thought stopped. She shook her head a little. "I guess…"
Hachiman leaned closer to her.
"… I just do?"
His face fell.
"I remember this one time, when I was in middle school mama was really sick but she still got up early to make me and papa our lunches. I remember papa scolding her that she didn't need to do that." Looking up at the cloudy sky, Yui smiled. "Mama said she would never do it again. And then she did it the next day. She was pushing herself too hard. Papa and I were like, super worried for her!" She looked at him to see if he was listening. Her smile brightened when she noticed she had his undivided attention. "But she said that she loved to make our meals. And she couldn't stand being unable to make them for us."
"But… isn't she just doing her duty as your mother?" he was still somewhat a stranger to these sort of things. But as far as he knew mother's were obligated to do that. Even if they held no affection for their family, they still should be taking care of them. "All parents are kind and caring towards their children."
Yui looked away. "Well, not all parents." She thought about her best friend. "Some are just… less caring I guess." Her reluctance to say negligence was due to her upbringing.
"Are you talking about Yukino?" Hachiman had a decent understanding of Haruno and Yukino' relationship with their mother. He had thought that to be a rare exception due to their family circumstances. Or something like that. It had never occurred to him that there might have been more out there.
Yui winced. It was a sore subject for Yukino to even bring up in their conversations. Even the few times she slept over at Yukino' apartment. Yui was only able to tell because of Yukino' attempts at redirecting the conversation whenever it was brought up. "Y-Yeah…" Suddenly, she felt the need to give Yukino a hug. A sad smile appeared on her lips.
He made her uncomfortable. He felt no remorse or regret for it but apologized nonetheless. "I'm sorry for saying that."
"You know you care for someone when seeing them happy makes you happy." Hachiman blinked in confusion when Yui' mood shifted. "When seeing them sad makes you want to comfort them. And when seeing them in pain makes you want to help them."
"... I see." Hachiman looked at the sky. What she described was a lot like how friends were supposed to feel for each other. But somehow this was different. He knew what he felt for his little sister wasn't like what he felt towards Haruno or Zaimokuza. But it wasn't anything of the sexual nature like what he felt towards Yui' mother or that prostitute. But he was… fine with that for some reason. Normally it would weigh down his mind for hours till he eventually gave up in order to push through his day.
"And most of all." Yui leaned on his shoulder. He didn't mind though. Physical contact wasn't much of an oddity or inconvenience to him anymore. "If you care for someone then just being a part of their life is enough to bring joy in yours."
His eyes widened in realization. It made sense now. Why he felt his heart growing warm when she smiled at him. Why he would smile back at her afterwards. Even though she wasn't some tragedy that left others in tears or some cruelty that had others suffering. Even though she wasn't any of that she made him feel happy. Being near her brought him joy. 'I… care for her.' He cared for Komachi.
"…?!" Yui was left flabbergasted as Hachiman suddenly caught her in a gentle hug. Her face became red in embarrassment. But she didn't mind the attention even the slightest. In fact, she ended up returning the hug. Which in turn reminded her of the state his back had been in for the past few years or so. She frowned, the feeling of embarrassment had been overshadowed by the feeling of regret. Come to think of it, none of them had ever brought it up before. It just felt like too personal of a thing to bring up. She licked her dry lips and opened her mouth to speak.
"Thank you." He said. His voice soft and even sounded like he was happy, causing her to freeze. "You've made me realize something I was too foolish to notice."
"I-I'm sure you would have found it out eventually Hikky." She stuttered. Her blush returned full force.
"Maybe." He told her. She could tell he wasn't confident in that word. "But still-" he parted from her. And she she stared at his usually stoic face her eyes widened and blush deepened. "-thank you." He was smiling. At her.
What Yui did next shocked even herself.
She kissed him.
Impossible things tended to happen from time to time. Such was the Nature of the world. And what seemed impossible today may even end up possible tomorrow. Such was the Nature of progress.
Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed while preparing next year's syllabus. "Maybe this is a good thing." She muttered. The prospect of Hachiman getting another girlfriend had came to her thoughts once or twice recently. But considering how he was such a thing seemed like a fantasy more than anything else. 'Haruno isn't going to do anything because of her mother.' She herself couldn't because of their age gap and their preexisting student-teacher status. 'I didn't think Yuigahama had the balls to confess. Least of all like that.' She chuckled to herself. 'He'll be moving out next month and now he already has a girlfriend.' Maybe it was time she tried to move on as well. Fortunately nothing ever happened between her and Hachiman while he had been staying with her so far. Despite him crawling into her bed a couple of days ago while she was asleep which almost gave her a heart attack. Although…
She blushed, remember the feeling of waking up in his arms. It wasn't a bad feeli- A groan escaped her lips. 'What am I? A school girl?'
"Hiratsuka-sensei?" a man came up from her side. It was the PE teacher of Sobu. "Do you have a moment?"
"Now?" she asked. "Kyouya-sensei, Class is going to start in fifteen minutes."
"It'll take just a minute. And I'd like it if you would know this now before the law has to get involved." The man said.
Hiratsuka raised a brow at him. 'The law?' Surely the man was over exaggerating . Sobu wasn't a major trouble magnet. So whatever it was couldn't be that big a-
"Last Friday I caught Hayama Hayato and another student just before they engaged in a physical confrontation."
And suddenly her relationship troubles sounded a lot less troublesome.
-Later-
"Hayama. Kotomine." She barked out their names the very moment the bell rang. "Stick around for a bit."
Both teens were perplexed about her sudden request. Hayama told his friends to go on ahead of him. The smile on his face was strained for some reason. Hachiman did the same for Yui. He even pecked her on the cheek. In front of the few that still remained in class. His action left those who were looking towards their direction go wide eyed or jaw dropped and Yui blushing fiercely. His face was still unchanging though. The irritation she felt for being ignored was overshadowed by disappointment as Hratsuka grimaced. 'I'll have to talk to him about keeping their public shows of affection to a minimum…' At this rate their relationship will be completely superficial.
'He treats it like an obligation…' she hid her frown. It wasn't a conclusion she came to on her own. She believed that to be the case because when she asked him earlier in the morning about why he accepted Yuigahama' confession he said… well…
"I had no reason to reject her. Was I suppose to?"
'No reason to reject her.' Not because he liked her or thought she was even cute. That wasn't how relationships worked. Because of the time she wasn't able to properly explain to him. The classroom was now empty save for the three of them. "So…" she began. "Kyouya-sensei came to me before class today." She watched their reactions with a critical eye.
Hayama' brows twitched while her roommate remained impassive as always.
She sighed in annoyance. "I'm going to ask this once." She glared at them. "Why were you two fighting?"
"Sensei, this is all a big misunderstanding." Hayama started. "We just had a disagreement. Nothing major. It's all okay now."
She deadpanned at Hayama, making the teen uncomfortable. Then she stared at Hachiman, expecting him to say the truth.
"He's correct." Hachiman stated. "A misunderstanding. Hayama-san just came to me for advice on something. Unfortunately it wasn't anything I could help with. And since I am no longer a member of the Service Club I am not obligated to help either."
Shocked, Hayama stared at Hachiman. He didn't know Hachiman had quit the club. His brow twitched in realization. If he knew Hachiman had quit. If Hachiman man had told him that he had quit. Then he would have never went to Hachiman in the first place! Then Tobe would have never found out! His jaws clenched tight as his eyes widened.
Hiratsuka saw Hayama' sudden shift in demeanor and was ready to jump in at a moment's notice. "Don't do anything stupid you two."
Hachiman noticed Hayama' anger and raised a brow. "Learn to take responsibility for your actions Hayama-san. He is handling this far better than you even though you're the one that wronged him."
The woman was confused. Without context, there wasn't much she could say here. She watched as Hayama looked away, his face changing from enraged to remorse. The woman leaned back on her chair since Hayama was no longer a fight risk.
Hachiman sighed. "Sensei." The woman looked at him. "Hayama-san merely said something he didn't want a certain individual to find out. Unfortunately said individual was already present when he said it. I didn't tell him about it. And so here we are."
"And what was that? Did you steal something from him?" She was looking at Hayama. "Or did you do something else you didn't want this 'individual' finding out."
"He didn't want one of his friend to confess to another one of his other friend." Hachiman interrupted Hayama before he could even speak. Hayama almost scowled at Hachiman for that.
There was a brief silence after that. "…That's it? That's what you two almost traded blows over?"
That had to be the crudest way it could have been explained. But it wasn't wrong. Hayama gripped the strap of his bag tighter. Hearing their teacher speak as if it was nothing frustrated the blond. Of course they wouldn't understand. It wasn't their friendship that was in tatters…. He shook his head a little. He was letting his anger and frustration get the better of him again. In truth, the matter had already been 'solved' between him and Tobe, just this morning in fact.
"I know things won't be the same but I'm willing to at least act like they are." Tobe' voice was surprisingly neutral. "It would be unfair to the others if I block you out. The others don't have to suffer just because you messed up with me."
That was… mature of Tobe, Hayama wouldn't lie. It made him question: had he given Tobe too little credit? Had he given all of his friends too little credit? Was he truly paranoid for nothing?
The matter was already solved. In a way that he would normally approve of. But why….
Why did something feel amiss?
"Haaaah." The woman sighed while rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I don't get paid enough for this." She muttered. "Is this gonna be a problem? Or can I trust you two to take care of this by yourselves. In a civilized way." Normally that wouldn't be an option. As a teacher and the guidance counselor of Sobu' students it was her duty to clear these things out before it got too complicated and the law got involved. But she knew her roommate wasn't the type to resort to violence without reason. And Hayama was the type to avoid conflict however it was possible.
For Hachiman the sudden 'strain' in his and Hayama Hayato' 'relationship' was mostly nothing to worry about. Hayama hadn't tried anything since and even if he did, Hachiman was completely prepared for a full retaliation.
He rubbed the area over his pants pockets discreetly.
For him that was a small moment of self indulgence. Not malice towards the golden boy of Sobu or or Tobe Kakeru. Self indulgence. Nothing more, nothing less.
"I have no problem with that." He said, looking at her in the eye.
Hayama took a deep breath and nodded at her. "Hmm." He couldn't trust his voice to say anything right now.
"Alright. I'll be going then." She got up and left. Leaving the two teens alone in the room.
"…?" Hachiman suddenly remembered something. "Hayama-san." The teen in question looked at Hachiman' stoic face in confusion. "I'm a little slow on social cues so I just remembered. You should grab a man by his shirt like that-" Hayama flinched as Hachiman' tone became a colder. "- only if you're prepared to actually fight him." That's what his senpais at work would sometimes say to him. "And no I am not being aggressive. Just thought you should know for future references." Who's to say the next person Hayama touched like that wouldn't beat the blond black and blue? With that, he too left the room.
Just as Hachiman exited the room he pulled out his phone to text Yui. He still had a decent amount of time but he preferred not to be late to pick up Komachi like last time, he also had an errand to run for her. The reply came about five minutes later. He was able to tell because of the vibrations his phone made. But he didn't respond back because he was already on his bicycle. 'I hope she is feeling better now.' Hachiman was able to do some research on the subject in the little amount of time that had passed since yesterday. But so far, from what he gathered, he was only able to learn the basic things.
'Alright then.' Hachiman stopped in front of a convenience store and entered. When he got out he had a bag. After that he stopped by a pharmacy and came out with another bag. He began listing off the things he had bought. "Chocolate. Tampons-"
-With Komachi-
"Bye guys!" Komachi waved her friends goodbye before approaching her brother. Said brother was staring right at her with an odd intensity for some reason.
"Did you make it to school okay today?" Was the first thing he said to her. She had texted him last night, telling him that she didn't want to be picked up from home because she was coming with some friends. That was a lie. She didn't come with friends. She just needed more time to get her thoughts together. The feeling of unease was still there but no longer overwhelming her. She was somewhat coming to terms with things. Him getting a girlfriend and spending more time with her would have happened eventually anyway. He would get married and have a family of his own just as she would. It was an inevitable. Separation from family was just a part of growing up.
"What's wrong?" Hachiman asked her. She blinked a couple of times and shook her head.
"N-nothing." She shook her head.
Hachiman wasn't convinced. "Is your privates hurting again?" Once again a passerby, fortunately a female this time, heard what he said. Unlike the last one she did not snicker. Instead she tripped and fell. Komachi showed concern for the stranger even though she was embarrassed. But Hachiman stopped her before she could help the poor girl. "Here." He split the handles of the bags he had been holding and presented it to her. "I don't how it works but I hear these will help."
'Is this gonna haunt me forever?!' It was one small lie told for the greater good! Her embarrassment worsened. She pushed the bags away and urged him to get on his bicycle. "Just take me home already."
Hachiman raised a brow yet didn't question it.
The silence during the ride was deafening and a little tense. Hachiman noticed it quickly enough. He had spent enough time around women to recognize the silence. "I'm sorry."
Komachi' brows furrowed . "For what?"
"I don't know what I did. But I'm sorry to have upset you." As Satoshi once told him;
"In regards to women. When it doubt, just apologize. Don't argue, just apologize... I'm really sorry dear please don't make me sleep in the couch tonight!"
He didn't remember the rest of that conversation.
Her eyes widened a little as she frowned. He couldn't see it since he was sitting in front of her. "N-No. You didn't do anything wrong Onii-chan."
"Then why are you sad?" He could tell she was still upset. Her grip around his torso tightening was all the indication he needed to tell.
Now that took her aback. Was it-was it that noticable? Her friends didn't mention anything earlier though. "You're imagining things. I'm perfectly fine! See?"
Hachiman sent a side glance towards Komachi to see her smiling at him. He didn't say anything for a moment. "…Alright."
They reached the Hikigaya residence and both brother and sister entered the home. Komachi went to her room to change clothes while Hachiman did so in the living room.
Komachi returned, wearing a green track suit to protect herself from the cold. "Kaa-chan bought cookies yesterday. Do you want some?" she asked.
Rejecting the cookies would be rude but unfortunately- "Sorry. I can't consume any excess sugar anymore. It'll affect my 'gains'."
"... What?" Komachi was confused at his choice of words.
Hachiman rolled up his sleeve and showed her his arm. "A Senpai from work has been teaching me how to fight." The arm wasn't anything special. Just a little thicker than what it was the last time she had seen it. The muscles showed, a couple of veins were also noticeable. "I've also been exercising whenever I can."
"Fight?" Komachi looked at him, alarmed.
"Yes." Hachiman laid down the couch to rest his back. He had about an hour before work. A small nap would do him well. He closed his eyes "So that what happened at the Beach doesn't happen again."
Komachi flinched. Her frown returned. The image of her brother's prone form, beaten black and blue came back to her mind. "Onii-chan…" She wanted to change the topic. Even if it changed to- "How was your day with... Yui-san yesterday?" She went into the kitchen. It was a little early but it was better to make dinner for their parents now so she could focus on studying.
"It was okay." He would have shrugged if he was sitting.
"A-Ah." It seemed that she needed to mention it herself huh? "Did anything interesting happen?"
"Nothing that I can think of."
Komachi was surprised. His answer left her confused, disappointed and… even a little-. "So she didn't do it…" she whispered in relief.
"…?" Hachiman' eyes lazily opened. "She didn't do what?"
Komachi was unaware of his stronger sense of hearing and stuttered in shock. "N-Nothing!"
"If you're talking about Yui kissing me then yes. She did do it." From his perspective that was the only thing she could have meant.
Komachi' breath hitched just as her eyes widened. "R-Really?!" she tried her best to sound excited for him. "Does this mean you two are boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
"Yes." Hachiman replied. Romance was one of the many things that failed to interest him. Was he bad at it? Maybe. He knew the things he was supposed to do but didn't really understand them.
"Are you going on a date anytime soon?" she asked.
'Odd.' Hachiman thought. 'She has been acting weird all day.' And now she was acting weirder. Talking about this was clearly making her uncomfortable. Why though? Was it because it was her brother's love life? Apparently most people had a hard time talking about these sort of things with their relatives(or so he was told by Takeshi). No that can't be. She's the one to bring it up in the first place. Then maybe it's because...He sat up. "Komachi."
"Yea, Onii-chan?"
"Do you not like Yui?"
"…" Komachi froze. She was just about to turn on the stove to start making dinner.
"I can break up with her if you want me to." Spoken without any reluctance or unease. Hachiman kept staring at the back of Komachi' head with his unwavering gaze. Just a single yes or even the hint of nod was all he needed. It would be unfair to Yui. Even more so then agreeing to be her boyfriend despite not having any feelings for her. However, Komachi was more important. And that's that.
"No!" Komachi suddenly spun around with the brightest smile on her face. "Don't you dare do that Onii-chan! Yui-san is a great girl. You should be grateful to have her as your girlfriend."
'I do?' Feeling something upon a whim wasn't his strong suit. 'Right. I suppose I should.' Summary of his life. "I see. I'm sorry." He misinterpreted then. "I'm here for another hour or so. I suppose I should finish my homework while I'm here."
All of her worries seemed to fade as an idea popped into Komachi' head. "Onii-chan. How hard is it to get accepted in Sobu?"
-Line Break-
Two weeks passed by without much of note happening. The quarrel with Hayama hadn't reared its head again and by the looks of it it wasn't going to. Somehow or another Hayama had reconciled with Tobe, Hachiman noticed. He also noticed that reconciliation was merely a facade. Hayama hid his well, considering how he had been all this time it was almost second nature to the blond. Tobe was struggling though. Even now as Hachiman' watched the group laughing with each other as Tobe had his arm slung over Hayama' shoulder Hachiman was able to notice the limb was slightly stiff.
"Hikky."
He turned his attention to his girlfriend. "Yes?"
"I really had fun on our date yesterday." Her face flushed pink.
"That's good." He remained impassive. It wasn't much. Just a simple outing that involved them watching a movie and eating out at Saize. Something his roommate was very upset with him about. What was wrong with Saize? The food was affordable and tasted good. He couldn't really speak from experience about the food though.
"D-Did you have fun?" she asked.
No. He did not. Then again he still had no idea how 'fun' worked. But he should be lying here right?
"Always nod to questions you think you should say yes to but aren't sure of it." Another wisdom filled advice from Satoshi. He nodded.
"Alright class, get quiet or get out." That was their math teacher.
-After School-
"Aagh. This is hopeless!"
"You made the same mistake you did ten minutes ago."
Currently, Hikigaya Hachiman was standing behind his sister as she studied. The year was nearing it's end. Classes would end soon for everyone and the admission exams for first years would start. Their goal was simple:
Get Komachi into Sobu.
So far progress has been…. Slow.
It wasn't that Komachi was stupid or that she wasn't trying. She was trying her best here! But trying to do something she learned to do half a freaking year ago was such a pain in the butt. Especially without revising on how to do it.
"Think of it like this. Now that you know which parts you forgot you also know which parts you need to study for." Hachiman explained. "And since you've already learned them before re-learning them now shouldn't take as long. You have plenty of time left. Do not stress yourself. Overthinking is a habit you should avoid."
Komachi groaned. "Is this even gonna be in the test?"
"Unlikely."
She slowly turned to look at him. With a deadpanning expression she asked"...Then why are you teaching me this?"
"It's better to not take chances." Truth be told, Hachiman was actually excited. When Komachi told him she was interested in attending Sobu with him it made him happy. The prospect was so attractive to him he had been personally tutoring her ever since. Someone like Yukino would have been better for the job considering her far better grades but she was busy with club around these hours.
Not to mention he doubted her teaching skills. She and Yui had multiple study sessions and frankly? Yui' standing had not improved that much from before. He wasn't belittling Yukino in any way. It was just that, with what was at stake here, he couldn't take any chances.
His phone rang. He ignored it. It was probably a telemarketer or something. "We'll be going back to the important stuff in the middle of January. By then these would be-" his phone buzzed again.
"You're not gonna pick this up? Sounds important." Komachi was silent up until now. But the third phone call was an obvious telling of this not being a telemarketer.
His brow twitched in irritation. Here he was, busy with what could possibly be the most important thing in his life and someone was trying to take him away from that. "Keep at it. I'll see what this is about." With that he headed for the living room.
He pulled out his phone and accepted the call. "Yes?" He nearly growled.
"H-Hikky?" came the slightly wavering voice of his girlfriend.
He took a look at the clock mounted on the wall. Club should still be on for another ten minutes or so. Why was she calling him now? He willed himself to calm down. She was his girlfriend and she sounded stressed. And like any 'good' boyfriend he asked. "What's wrong?"
"There's trouble…" she trailed. Fortunately for him she explained. "There was a new request for the Service Club. And now… Yukinon has to become the Student Council President!"
'Was? So she's not at the club right now?' considering her upset voice it was a possibility. A bigger question remained though. "… So?" his brows furrowed. How was that 'trouble?' Wasn't that a good thing?
"If she became the Student Council President then she has to Disband the club!"
"Yui. Take a deep breath." He ordered. "Would losing the club make you sad?"
"…"
"Yui. You don't care for the club."
"Wha-?! No! I do!"
"No you don't. You care for Yukino. The club is just an accessory that came with her." He quietly sighed. Seriously, how come the man that can't process emotions properly has to explain this to her? "You said it yourself remember?" He didn't understand emotion but he did know it when he saw it. "Caring for someone means being in life alone is enough." There was a long silence from the other end. Seconds rolled by and he said nothing. He kept holding the device next to his ears until he heard a soft clicking sound. 'Seriously. These people have to stop blowing things out of proportion.' Normal people were weird. Besides this was a great opportunity for Yukino. She would finally be able to help people like she always wanted. Being Student Council Presidents would allow her to organize things better and let her personally work on important school affairs. And that's a lot better at helping people that sitting in a room, lazily sipping tea and reading a random philosophy book. Or a book about cats. If he recalled, Haruno said that she denied becoming the StuCo president when she was at Sobu so this may actually be the thing Yukino can use to impress mother.
"I should get start getting ready for work." He muttered. 'But first, I should check on Komachi.'
-Two Days Later-
"Have you heard Partner?" Zaimokuza asked from across the desk. Today the two were having lunch together. Totsuka was invited too of course but the Tennis Club Captain had declined. "Yukino Yukino is running for StuCo President."
"Yes." He replied.
"Do you think she'll win? I hear she's competing against some first year. Isshiki Iroha."
"Most likely. Yukino is capable is her own right. She also has the credit of being the one to single handedly run this year's cultural festival." Though Sagami was the 'committee head' by name. Almost everyone in the committee knew who was the one actually calling the shots. Haruno made sure that her involvement was kept under wraps so every credit went to Yukino. Plus people talked. It was only a matter of time everyone found out the truth. And since the voting was going to be done by the students… Well, it need not be said who had the 'public favor'. So to speak. "Not to mention Isshiki-san isn't particularly popular."
"You know her?" Zaimokuza raised a brow at him.
"No. But I hear things." He looked back at Zaimokuza. "First year girls like to use some.… 'colorful words' to describe her with." Normally he would have straight up said that those girls called her things like (bleep) and (bleep) but Komachi had, more or less, told him to not say things like that in public places. Then she muttered something about indecency that was too incoherent to dechipher.
Zaimokuza grimaced. "Still stuck with middle school behavior I see. Poor her."
"Poor her." He parroted.
"So… how's it going with your lady friend?"
Hachiman paused for a moment. His brows crunched up in confusion as he gave his male friend a look. "What?"
"You know. Your girlfriend? Yuigahama-san? How're things with her?"
"Oh." Hachiman blinked. "Alright I suppose." Yui had told him that she would be running for vice-president. No one was running against her though, either because vice-president wasn't a favorable spot or they didn't care. And since Yukino' victory was all but assured, it was the only way for Yukino and Yui to maintain their friendship. That way they would be able to spend as much time together as they had been the rest of the year. They tried to get him to join too. He forgot for what position it was. He had declined. Those things didn't interest him. Yui seemed a little hurt at his answer. But his mind was made.
"Ah…" Zaimokuza found the answer to be lacking in many ways. He had always known his best friend was a little weird but it was one of the things that had the white haired teen approach Hachiman in the first place. But this was weirder. Normally people like them would change, even if a little, when they achieve a 'relationship' status
But there were none here. 'Is it because he already had a girlfriend before?' Zaimokuza wondered. Yeah, that was probably it. Besides, his partner was still pretty freaking cool. 'A man born from a fire, no memories of his own, no worldly desires and stuck in the seemingly internal chase for a purpose.' He grinned inwardly. He had only been made aware of Hachiman' past very recently. And he was still left both terrified and amazed at the things he heard. So amazed that the short novel he was writing currently was going to be based off of it. He wasn't going to write it word for word of course. He was going to IMPROVE IT! 'Needs magic and aliens, oh and a harem too!' None of the other Otakus believed him but romcom harems with over bloated drama were going to blow up soon, he swore to god it will. 'Maybe by 2010?' He had around a decade left then.
"Yoshi, You're doing that thing again." Hachiman interrupted the white haired teens thoughts. "Grinning to yourself while staring blankly into space."
"Oh! Sorry." Zaimokuza rubbed his face to rid the creepy grin off his face. 'This is why girls find you creepy Yoshiteru. C'mon, if Hachiman can get a girlfriend you can too! Do not loose hope!'
"Have you decided on what you'll pick for third year?" Hachiman instigated the conversation, catching Zaimokuza off guard.
"I haven't really thought much about that." Zaimokuza rubbed his chin in thought. "Gonna try to pick something that'll help with my writing skills."
"Ah." Hachiman nodded. "I see. Something along the lines of liberal arts then."
"What about you? You were going to quit after high school, right?" Zaimokuza pointed his chopsticks at Hachiman. "Tell you what, if you need a job in the future I might just accept you as my assistant."
"Thank you for the offer. I will keep that in mind." He'll keep that as a… last resort for now. "But my parents have convinced me to continue my studies. So I will be going with Sciences for my department." Considering how fast technology was advancing. 'Maybe something to do with computers?' Technology wasn't his strong suit but he was ready to put in the effort and willing to put in the hours.
"Ooh!" Zaimokuza almost jumped in excitement. "Wise choice my advisor. That doesn't sound half bad actually. Perhaps we'll end up going to the same college." Yoshiteru' ultimate goal was to become a writer but even he knew the value of a good educational certificate. 'Besides, a backup plan is always useful.'
"Maybe." Hachiman shrugged. It was all up to fate.
"Are you sure everything is okay with your girlfriend?" Yoshiteru asked again.
'Again?' Hachiman looked at his first male friend with a raised brow. 'I just told you didn't I?"
"Right. Sorry." Yoshiteru laughed sheepishly. "You just had that-nevermind. I'm probably just seeing things."
He didn't question Yoshiteru' odd behavior but he did pulled out his phone to check the time. "Lunch is almost over. I'll see you tomorrow."
Zaimokuza made a farewell gesture with his index and middle finger. "I'll catch you later, Hachiman."
-Later-
Another week flew by. Hachiman was putting his books back into his schoolbag. Yukino won the election, as he had said. Not that was any doubt to begin with. Her opponent didn't seem too sad about losing, if not a tad bit regretful. He recognized that girl now. Sort of. Isshiki Iroha was the girl that had called the teacher when he and Hayama had nearly came to blows at the shoe lockers. She was also the manager of the Football club. If he recalled correctly, the girls that had said 'colorful' things about Isshiki also used Hayama' name in some of their insults. 'So Hayama has another stalker.' Hachiman thought absentmindedly.
"Hikky." Yui came to him. She was wearing a scarf around her neck. The December weather was clearly getting to her. Had he been wearing a coat, he would have offered to her. As any other dutiful boyfriend. But he wasn't. This much cold wasn't anything he couldn't handle. It wasn't even snowing yet. "Going to pick up Komachi-chan?"
"Yes." He nodded at her, ignoring the glare Miura was sending his way from behind Yui. The blonde didn't quite approve him and Yui going out. It was either that or she was still probably mad about him punching Hayama a few months ago. Who knows what actually went inside a woman's head. Certainly not he.
"Can I come with you?" she asked. Nervously, she continued. "There isn't any StuCo work now and we-uh-haven't been able to spend much time together."
It was true. Sure they've been a couple for only around half a month yet they've spent very little time with each other. With the Student Council elections. Yukino and Yui getting settled in the 'office' as they so proudly put it. Him with tutoring Komachi and working didn't help either. "If you want to. My bicycle isn't big enough for the three of us though. How will you get home?"
Taken aback she stuttered out a lie. "I err-live pretty close to her school?" Realizing that came out as a question, she flinched.
It wasn't hard to see through the lie but she seemed to really want this. 'How insistent of her.' He saw no reason to deny her request. He stood up and grabbed her palm in his own. "Alright, we'll part at the bus stop then." He had a vague information on where she actually lived. It wasn't necessarily close from Komachi' school. But not really far either. She should be able to go home from the bus stop easier than the middle of nowhere. "Let's go."
Yui' blush to the act of physical contact was far more tamed compared to how it used to be. It was no secret to 2-F that the two were going out now. And with how open Hachiman was on showing his 'affection' to Yui until recently, even a blind person could tell they were together.
As they reached the gates of Sobu Hachiman got on his bicycle. After Yui got comfortable in the rear seat Hachiman slowly pedaled towards Komachi' middle school. Neither said any words. Yui leaned a little towards Hachiman and grabbed onto the back of his shirt with one hand. There was a warm feeling in her heart. Yui wouldn't deny, it was nice. Certainly helped with the other feeling that had been plaguing her these past few days.
"How's being vice president working for you?" Hachiman suddenly asked. Whether he was actually interested or not she couldn't tell. But that was fine. She was used to his monotonous voice by now.
"It's… tiring." She replied with a sigh. "We haven't even been there for a month and they already want us to do a Collab event with another school."
"... A what?" Hachiman asked. There was a little bit of time till Komachi would be ready to go. A conversation wouldn't hurt anyone. Not to mention Haruno had asked how Yukino did as Student President. He understood her need to know, from one concerned siblings to another.
"A Christmas event with Kaihin High." Yui replied as she adjusted her position when Hachiman took a turn. "We're supposed to team up with Kaihin High's StuCo and arrange an event. Something about a show of responsibility or something." Yui tried to remember. "I didn't really understand much of it."
'Kaihin?' Hachiman questioned. 'Doesn't Orimoto-san go there?' He pondered the chances of her being in Kaihin's StuCo. Considering her personality it was an unlikely possibility. But he had been incorrect plenty of times before. "Sounds like a lot of work."
"We'll find out tomorrow after school." Yui responded. "Yukinon said she would think of something to propose to Kaihin tonight."
"Knowing her, she would probably think of more than one." Hachiman said. She had her dunderheaded moments now and then but she also had her big brained moments too. It all came with the package. At least she was trying to do better, that's a good thing. "We're almost there." He stopped pedaling as he spotted the building from afar. There were still a lot of students that were coming out.
Yui got off the rear seat just as Hachiman got off the bicycle entirely.
"Hikky. She asked. "I know it's a little early but have you decided on which department you'll pick for third year?"
The conversation was light. His reply made Yui' heart drop a bit. She bit the insides of her cheek. 'It's only been a few weeks. I could be just imagining things.' Truth be told, her relationship with the boy next to her was…. Not what she was expecting. At all. The first few days she just felt excitement. He was always so calm and reliable. Quiet but not the shy or awkward kind of quiet. Kind of cool and mature in a way too. The day she first kissed him was a… spur of the moment kind of thing. It started with that smile. That damn smile. The way he smiled did things to her. Even now, the memory of it made her heart beat rapidly.
But that was exactly it. That was the main problem. He hadn't smiled at her even once since then. 'Is it me?' She frowned, staring at the back of his head as his eyes scanned the area for his sister. 'Am I doing something wrong?' The thought gnawed at her. She never had a boyfriend before so she wasn't sure what to do. Outside the occasional peck on the cheeks they hadn't kissed since then either. Was that the issue? 'Hikky is really mature.' He said he had a girlfriend before and wasn't a virgin. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Could that have been it? Would he be more responsive to her emotionally if she did something like that?...
She shook her head, mentally scolding herself for even thinking that. That was… a 'commitment' she was not ready for.
Not yet at least.
"Ready to go?" Hachiman' voice brought her back from her musings. The question wasn't directed at her. She turned to see Komachi coming towards them with a smile on her face. Her smile faded for a moment for some reason before returning.
"Yui-san. You're here too?" She asked the older girl. "I-I mean how're you doing?" She nervously chuckled. "It's been a while."
"I'm doing great Komachi-chan." Yui smiled back. "I just had some free time today so I thought I should use it to spend some time with Hikky."
Komachi blinked in confusion. "No club today? Is Yukino-san sick?"
Now it was Yui' turn to blink in confusion. "No. I- The Service Club disbanded a while back. Yukinon and I are a part of the Student Council now. Didn't Hikky tell you?"
"No… he didn't." Komachi trailed.
If Yui wasn't frowning before, she was frowning now.
"Let's get moving. We still haven't gotten passed the fourth chapter in Mathematics, Komachi." Hachiman urged them to get moving. "So, how was school?"
The pair of siblings continued on with their conversation. Yui became aware that even while holding his hand, her presence had become nonexistent at some point. However, she did notice something. Hachiman… he was smiling. Not the kind she had seen that day at the Zoo but a smile nonetheless. Seeing the younger girl get along with him so well made her jealous. It was weird, she knew that they were siblings so she had no need to be jealous. Yet she was. It was a feeling she was used to. She didn't like that feeling.
"Onii-chan. Are you walking Yui-san home?" Komachi suddenly said her name.
"Hn? No, she's going to part from us at the bus stop up ahead." Hachiman explained.
"What?!" Komachi explained, appalled at the way he disregarded his girlfriend. "Onii-chan you shouldn't do that. She's your girlfriend."
"It's okay Komachi-chan. I can go home on my own no sweat." Her eyes widened a little as the younger girl spoke in her favor.
"Nonsense." Komachi rebutted. "Onii-chan, you're taking Yui-san home."
"But what about you?" he instantly questioned. "I can't fit three people on-"
"I can get home by myself." Komachi rolled her eyes, ignoring the part of her that didn't want her to say these things. "You 're taking Yui-san home and that's final."
"But-"
"I said that's final."
"But-"
"Onii-chan. If you don't do this I won't talk to you ever again."
"…"
"Komachi-chan…." Yui muttered, unsure how to feel about all this. But as she galnced at Hachiman' stoic face she was easily able to tell he wasn't a fan of that happening. "Hikky, you don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"Fine."
"E-Eh?!" Yui looked at Hachiman in shock. He had never budged from a decision he made in the past. It was why she and Yukino were so complacent to let him quit the Service Club that day. To see him bending this easily was a shock to her. "A-Are you sure Hikky?"
"Yes." Hachiman replied before turning to Komachi. "Do you have enough money for the bus ride?"
"Yup." Komachi answered.
His emotionless face softened. Both girls could see the disappointment he felt in his eyes. "Alright then, I won't have enough time to go home and tutor you so I'll head straight to work."
"Alright, Onii-chan." She frowned, seeing the, just barely, saddened look in his eyes. They approached the bus stop. It was on the other side of the road. "Don't worry, even if I'm not with you. I'll always be home waiting for you." She hugged him from the side.
His dead fish eyes sparked with life in them briefly as the feeling of warmth spread across his chest.
For as long as he could remember, purpose and his previous identity were two things he had always searched for. And even though he had found the latter, the former eluded him with no signs of relenting. But right now, as he patted his precious little sister's head. Hikigaya Hachiman realized that purpose… wasn't as important as he been thinking.
"Alright then." He said with a smile as the little girl parted from him. A warm but smaller palm grabbed his own.
Yui, who had been silently watching till now, felt her jealousy fade. But as she saw the smile on his face, a sad realization came to her. That day… 'He wasn't smiling at me was he?' Yet as she pulled the boy towards the direction of her home she thought of one more thing. 'Just a little longer...'
-Days Later-
December 24th, that was the day most called Christmas eve others just called it an excuse to spend the evening with their 'significant others'. Hachiman too had a one of those. But he also had a job that started in the evening. One that was really demanding this time of the year. Yui was a little upset that he couldn't spend any time with her today. And though she appeared sad she let it go quite easily. Much to his surprise. His family were also not pleased that he came to work instead of spending time with them. But he assured them that he would be all theirs in a week. Also that it wouldn't do for him to abandon his co-workers in this stressful time.
"Great job guys. Really pulled through there." Takeshi complimented everyone's hard work. "I can close up by myself. Why don't you all head home, rest up and spend Christmas with your family, eh?" The tanned man turned his head towards Satoshi and winked. "I better hear news about nieces or nephews next month bud."
Some laughed while others chuckled as Satoshi turned beet red in embarrassment before glaring at his dark skinned friend. A few seconds later Satoshi suddenly laughed as well. They all said their goodbyes to each other. Hachiman got on his ride and pressed on the pedal. No sooner had he done so did he cell began to ring. A brow rose in confusion. 'Who would call at this hour?' He pulled out his phone. The call was from an unknown number. "Hello?" He picked up the call. "Who is this?" Words whispered into his ear from the other side. His expressionless face showed exasperation as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I see. Thank you. I am on my way." He hung up. 'This woman….' Twice in a year, this happened. 'How did she manage up until now?' Maybe god knew the answer to that. And so, in the dead of night, Hikigaya Hachiman rode towards a destination that wasn't his home.
-10 minutes Later-
He stopped in front of a single floor building. After locking his bicycle in a secure spot near it, he entered said building.
He came face to face with a man in uniform. He bowed to the man who replied in kind.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?" the man asked."
"I was here a couple of months ago, officer. For the same person." Hachiman responded.
"Must be hard. Having to deal with a woman like that." The police chuckled. "Come with me."
Another ten minutes later Hachiman exited the building. However he wasn't alone. On his back was his teacher/roommate. Drunk out of her mind and half asleep. He sighed. With her like this he couldn't ride his bike and there were no taxis around either. Meaning he'd have to walk home from here and come back tomorrow for his bicycle. Too tired to complain he just walked. If they were lucky he might just find a taxi on the way home. But considering the day it was better to not hope for that.
She mumbled something that even he couldn't quite understand. It was probably gibberish though. "What? He asked. She mumbled again. "Speak louder."
"Aa'm sowy." She uttered out, still drunk but a little less sleepy now that she was talking to someone.
"Don't worry. I'm used to it by now." He said.
"Dat' daznt maek me eel good." She groaned. The smell of alcohol invaded his nose much to his displeasure. "I'm sappozed to beh the adalt here." Her speech was getting less jumbled up as more of her consciousness returned.
"I don't mind. That's just what makes you, you I guess." Hachiman really didn't. He had gotten used to it all at some point. He couldn't tell if that was a good thing though. He turned a corner and stopped walking. There, less than a dozen meters away was a taxi. 'Lucky us.' Fortunately he had just enough money in his wallet for the ride. The driver dropped them off in front of their apartment complex. He picked her up bridal style. Their apartment room was in sight. Just a little bit longer and he'd be freed from this dead weigh-
"… Don't leave me."
His stopped again as the words sunk in. His head turned a little towards her to see her eyes just barely open and a sad frown on her face. "What?"
"You're leaving next week." She said. "The Komi's are leaving too."
Their neighbors were leaving? He could remember Komi Shouko asking about Shizuka' whereabouts a while back. Was this what that was about? "They're leaving?"
"Hmm." She nodded with her head still resting on his shoulder. "Shouko was wondering if it would be better for their daughter grow up in a larger home. She wanted my advice on that." She chuckled bitterly. "Imagine that, asking for advice from a woman my age about something that I have no experience in."
"I see." He wasn't sure how to follow up on that.
"I'm so lonely." She wept. "I don wanna seep alone toniet." The alcohol induced sleep was hampering with her speech again.
"I'm still be around for another week." He reminded her. "I'll sleep with you until then." He offered.
"I… I'd like that." Her voice became hoarse. The moon was out of their line of sight but it was surely above their heads as she uttered three more words. "Mewwy Kistmas… Hakimnn…"
And with that she fell asleep. Leaving Hachiman to the quiet night. The fish eyed teen sighed. He opened the door to their apartment. "Merry Christmas Shizuka."
More days went by without a hitch. And once again, he stood in front of what could be considered his Achilles heel. It was so close yet felt so far away. He reached for it but his hand stopped just before he could touch it, the circular shaped object just remained there. Menacingly.
"Onii-chan." Komachi called out to him as her smaller frame bumped into him. She couldn't see him though, because in her arms was a box. No smaller than the one of his hand but far less heavier. "Can you hurry up? My arms are getting tired."
Hachiman' glanced at her direction. He had told her she didn't need to but she insisted that she wanted to help. Said box was covering her eyes but her hair was still visible. The ahoge on her head bounced up then down, as if encouraging him to do it. A smile came to his face as he shook his head to rid himself of his fears. He grabbed the doorknob to his room and opened the door to his new life.
-Seven Years Later-
A man in his mid twenties grumbled then turned. His eyes were closed and body was wrapped comfortably within a blanket. He slept merrily. Today was his day off and he had no desire to leave his-?!
His dead fish like eyes bulged open as a sudden weight landed on his chest like a cannon ball being launched into calm waters. Clenching his eyes shut, he groaned in pain. Coughing a couple of times while at it. "Wh—at?" he asked. The sound of giggling reached his ears as his vision became clear rapidly. "Why would you do that?" He asked. His voice held a tinge of annoyance.
"I'm sorry Tou-chan." He stared into eyes that were more like his wife than his own as the owner of said eyes answered him. "But Kaa-chan said you'd never wake up if I don't."
"A few inches lower and I really won't ever get to wake up." He rubbed his aching chest before caressing the necklace he hadn't taken off in years, checking if it was still in one piece. It's color had long since faded and a part of it's chain was covered with a thin strip of duct tape. Ascertaining that it was not in any danger of breaking he sighed in slight relief.
"Oh quit being dramatic. She isn't that heavy." Came another voice. An older one.
"You really will be the death of me one of these days." He got up from bed. "Why'd you wake me up? It's my day off."
"It's new years." she stretched the two words. "C'mon, we gotta hurry or all the good talismans are gonna be taken."
He rubbed his sore shoulders. Agreeing to marry her when she asked if he wanted to get married even though they weren't a couple prior was a bad idea. Getting married in general was a bad idea. Why did he marry her again? Oh yea, because he had gotten her pregnant. That happened... "Yeah Yeah." Being too sleepy made him forgetful. Curse his job as a junior programmer! 'At least the pay is solid enough.'
The sound of a doorbell rang throughout the household, followed by a cheerful feminine voice. The woman smiled. "I wonder who that is. Shana, can you go find out for Kaa-chan?" Shizuka told their daughter.
"Okaaaay!" the little girl stormed off.
'Definitely gets that energy from her mother.' he thought while shaking his head. "You called Komachi?"
"Best way to get you to move your butt faster." She began fixing the bed as he went into the bathroom attached to their room. "Oka-san sent us their Yukatas again."
"The same ones from that day?" he asked from the bathroom. The sound of teeth being brushed echoed from there.
"Yup." She finished making the bed. "They even had one made for Shana."
"Oh?" he leaned on the doorframe of their bathroom, toothbrush still inside his mouth. He was a little interested but he did not smile. Even after all this time, he remained mostly the same. But that's one of the reasons why she married him didn't she? "How is it?"
"You'll find out soon enough." she rolled her eyes. "Now hurry up."
"Alright, give me a few to take a bath." he yawned.
Shizuka stared at his toned back as he went back into the bathroom. Even though he had been a father for four years he still worked out like he was single. "Hmm." she pondered for a moment. She sorted the information in her head. Fact number one was- 'Komachi is gonna be able to keep Shana busy for a while.' Fact number two- 'We haven't been able to get much time to ourselves because of his job.' and on a side note- 'Shana's been asking for a baby brother for a while now.' She knew kids were persistent when they wanted something. Each and every time her little one requested it with that adorable face of hers the woman could feel her resistance wavering little by little. 'Well, looks like that is one wish you're getting granted.' The sound of water started coming from the shower. Hearing it made a her grin.
A few minutes later, a twenty three year old Hikigaya Komachi entered the room. "Shizu-nee, is Onii-chan don-?" Her longer hair swerved from side as she scanned the room for the aforementioned woman to no avail. "Where could they have-?" Unable to finish her sentence, Komachi made a disgusted face as the voice of her brother making noises that she, as his little sister, should NEVER hear with her ears. Her face stills as she spoke in a manner that would likely freak out Hachiman- "Pain and Despair is all I know." Yet, after she said those words morbid words, she began laughing to herself. Just a little. She closed the door, leaving the wedded duo to their activities.
THE END(Normal Ending)