(A/N): If you're interested in being a beta reader then please reach out.

"Hello, Hachiman." She smiled at me, her eyes kind, voice soft. Her pale hair fluttered in the wind, as I observed her.

"Kei, What brings you to my neck of the woods?" I stepped aside to let her into my house. "Now come in, it's way too hot out there and we're letting the heat in." She slid in and closed the door behind her. Her skin had a slight glimmer of sweat on it, as I expected. She likely took the train here, then walked from the station.

"Pardon the intrusion." Kei called out, as I stifled a laugh.

"Kei, no one else is home right now. There's no need for that." I motioned for her to head into the living room as I walked toward the kitchen.

"Either way there's no regret on my part. A breach of manners is a breach of manners regardless of who observes it." She flipped her hair and recovered without losing the rhythm of our discussion.

I reached the fridge and pulled out a bottle of pomegranate juice, pouring myself a glass. "Would you like something to drink? We have water, soda, Gatorade, juice, tea, coffee, or sparkling water." I took a sip of my drink and released a contented sigh.

Kei sat on the couch, her posture rigid, "Sparkling water would be great, thank you." She smiled, I imagine that the heat of summer left her quite thirsty.

I grabbed a glass bottle from the fridge, a truly wasteful luxury. Water that was bottled in Norway was then shipped to Japan, for no real reason or benefit. The only reason that I bought it was that when I wasn't around, spending money for Komachi made me feel like less of a neglectful brother. But for her, the money never replaced my presence.

I walked back to the living room and saw that she was scrolling on my tablet. Technically everything that she's seen is privileged information but if nothing else the Shiroganes have honor. I trust that she wasn't actively trying to spy.

Kei gratefully accepted the water bottle, following my lead and not acknowledging the breach of privacy. I sat down, opposite her and waited.

She came here for a reason, I could afford to wait, she, however, could not. I took a sip of my drink and kept my expression neutral.

She fidgeted, which piqued my interest, Kei was one of the coolest customers I knew. For her to be uncomfortable meant something was seriously irregular.

"Hachiman, I need a favor. Our manager of general affairs is behind on his work." And there it was.

I had known Kei for about two and a half years and had known her brother for two years. That was actually how I met her brother for the first time, I had been invited to her house for dinner and stared down by her big brother.

The Shirogane family all cared about each other, though whether they showed it, or not, was another story. But in the maternal gap that Miyuki had filled, he had missed the ways that Kei grew up. He still cared for her and treated her as if she was an elementary schooler.

Kei was just as fiercely protective of her brother and knew that if she told him about her struggles, he would put it all upon himself. He already pushes himself to the breaking point, there's no more that he can handle.

If she admitted that she couldn't take care of it, he would keep on treating her as a child.

It was an interesting mix of selfishness and selflessness.

"Ok," I acknowledged. "Fax them over to me and I'll handle them by tomorrow evening. You'll owe me a favor."

"I'm always impressed at the amount of work that you can cover." She smiled.

Kei was weird like that. She appreciated that I treated her like an adult and didn't do things for her pro bono. As someone who grew up relatively poor and much faster than her peers, her pride refused handouts and charity. Even in middle school, she insisted on repaying me after I'd covered a drink from the vending machine. Even if it was something for my benefit, she could never accept it or treat it as a gift.

The few times that the middle school student council went out for refreshments. I'd always left my card with the waiter beforehand. To get Kei Shirogane to accept something without reciprocation required delicate psychological manipulation along with some careful scheming.

We chatted for a little longer, about how her family was doing. When it was time to go she stood up and hugged me hesitantly. I squeezed her with one arm and then let go.

"Later, Kei."

"Goodbye, Hachiman."

I closed the door after her and lay down on the couch. A notification popped up on my phone and dinged, signaling a file transfer. What a clever young woman, she'd had the files queued up in her email because she had never doubted that I'd accept. I walked up to my room and opened the bottom drawer of my dresser. In it was a metal stylus that I had received from a law firm last year but never really bothered to use. I tossed it on my bed and grabbed my tablet. I began racing through the documents, only half paying attention. Seeing Kei had dredged up a lot of bittersweet memories. I still didn't have closure but was maybe beginning to find acceptance.

I kept working, lost in the easy repetition. It took Komachi coming home to break me out of my flow. "Bro, what's for dinner? I'm so hungry."

I felt the familiar pang of guilt, I was so wrapped up in the work that I completely forgot about Komachi. No matter how much I tried to be there for her, I kept failing. But, at the end of the day, I was a lawyer, and lying came as naturally as breathing. "Well, I thought you and I could go out for dinner tonight. I want to spend some time with my cute little sister."

She smiled at me, "You're so corny. This is why you'll never get a girlfriend." She made a face and then ran up the stairway. "I'm going to go get changed." At the same time, I began texting Shinomiya. Her family had their hands in almost every conceivable industry in one way or another so getting a table at a nice restaurant would be a cakewalk for their heiress.

I need a table at a nice restaurant within a forty-five-minute commute from my house.

Her response took only a few seconds.

Done, I've also had a car sent. They'll be there in fifteen minutes. I need you to come to the family estate for urgent legal matters in Kyoto for two days, one night. I'll have Hayasaka send you a digital ticket for a train.

I smiled, the legal matters were certainly pertinent and I had no doubt that her family wouldn't let her email sensitive matters. I also suspected that she was fond of having another person her age besides Hayasaka. The last two times that I had been to the estate she had struck me as very lonely. To be honest I had missed Kaguya. There weren't many people who could match wits so effortlessly.

I'll depart tomorrow morning. Make sure the restaurant is nice, Komachi is not going to be happy when I break the news to her.

As if the restaurant that I would send you to would be any less than excellent. You insult my honor, Hachiman Hikigaya.

I didn't rise to the bait, if we got into a debate over text, we would both end up typing essays rebutting each other on our phones.

Komachi came downstairs, in a floral sundress with flats and I smiled. "You look fantastic. I bet that all the boys will be falling over you." I hastily amended the statement with, "Or girls."

She laughed and stepped around me, marching towards the door. "Let's go, big bro." I sat down, and she stilled, "What's the hold-up? Are you feeling alright?" Komachi frowned.

"Nope, but the transportation is coming to us tonight." I coughed, I was a great liar but terrible at deceiving Komachi. She deserved the truth. "I have something that I need to tell you."

Her eyes narrowed, any hint of a smile had been washed from her face. "You're leaving again aren't you." She stepped back face downtrodden.

"Look Komachi, it's not a big deal. I think you're old enough for." I tried to reason.

She cut me off with a snarl, usually cute features twisted with frustration. "It is a big deal, you're leaving me again. You're always leaving me alone, and every time you do you get hurt. Why do you keep doing this to yourself? You have nothing to prove. At least stay for the summer." She finished, face red, a vein bulging, eyes and nose running.

I stayed silent, I knew that my absence had been difficult for her but never knew to what extent. I knew she was attached to me but had assumed that my importance to her was diminished by the presence of other social connections. At least now I could frame the news positively to her.

"Komachi, I was trying to tell you that I was going on a two-day trip to Kyoto," Her eyes widened, and the frown from before was now a neutral line. "I was going to ask if you would like to come with me. I think you're responsible enough to go sightseeing on your own, as long as you exercise common sense." Was my addendum, the neutral line was now a full grin as she launched herself at me.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you. You're the best big brother ever." She squealed and I smiled, that hadn't initially been my plan but after her reaction, I couldn't bear to leave her behind again. I would have to let Shinomiya know out of courtesy but it shouldn't be an imposition. Each time I went, every bedroom in the guest house was made up. When I felt lonely, I would sleep in a different one each night.

I nodded then offered my arm, "Let's go my dear sister, a delicious dinner awaits." She took it and we strode out the door towards an expensive-looking black car with a chauffeur beside it.

~/~

When we arrived at the restaurant we were ushered inside by an attendant, who asked if there was anything at all that she could get for us to make us comfortable. After we were seated and the sliding door to our suite closed, Komachi leaned forward, her eyes shining. "Is this how you get treated everywhere you go? Are you really that good at law?"

I considered her questions for a moment as she waited patiently. "When I work for clients they often try to provide a luxurious experience so I'm more enticed to work with them again. Honestly, a lot of the things that seem super exciting now, get old very quickly. Many of my clients were older and insisted that we met face to face. A lot of the time, I was tired and trying not to let my irritability get the best of me. I was also anxious to get home to you." I offered her a smile to which she blushed.

"Geez, you must really like me to give up all this." She giggled to herself and I followed suit.

"Yeah, I do like you, a whole lot," I smirked, feeling a pang of nostalgia. "I bet that won me a lot of points."

I gazed at her intently as her easy smile took on a bittersweet note. When I first started working I had created the game as a means to keep her studying and healthy. I was an eight-year-old trying to take care of a six-year-old with a mom who was around even less than she was before. So I created a game if she ate all of her vegetables she got twenty points, and if all her exams were over 85% she got a hundred points. When she asked what the points were for, I had always told her they were for winning the game.

"You know, Hachiman. I was furious when I first realized that you were manipulating me." My heart sunk, and I regretted my impulsive reminiscence. "But, as I grew up, I realized that you were just a kid out of their depth trying to care for an even smaller kid, with minimal parental support. You were buying groceries and making honestly terrible dinners at age 9."

I found myself responding, too happy to care about control or decorum. "Hey, I thought the corner store's riceballs and buns were a feast." She laughed with me, thinking back on those hastily thrown-together meals.

"Remember when you bought a bunch of snacks for me when I got my first period?" I wrinkled my face at Komachi's question.

"Yeah, I do. I had no idea what to do and how I also bought every feminine care product in the store for you. I felt so helpless." She laughed at me, just like she did then.

"But by the next day, you were like an expert on the subject." Komachi reminded me.

The night of, I had done extensive research on the subject. I had read a medical textbook and pediatrics specialty primer, along with a book on gynecology. By the end of the night, I knew most EMT and Nursing procedures and had a tenuous grasp on the medical field.

"More like, I wasn't medically illiterate anymore. I was far from an expert." I corrected her. "Honestly, I was a little scared. I had no idea how to help you, so that night I stayed up and did a fair amount of research. Any further discussion of my delve into medicine was delayed by the arrival of our waitress, She bore a platter laden heavy with dishes.

"I haven't had Chinese, in forever." Komachi sighed as the food was laid on the table. Dozens of small dishes were arranged at the table along with lined up shot glasses of various teas. We ate and chat but the conversation was much less serious than it was before the food.

I learned about how Komachi didn't like her Science teacher because he talked too slowly. I told her about some of the attractions that I heard were good in Kyoto.

"What do you mean, I heard it was good, haven't you been, in the last three times that you went to Kyoto?" She gestured at me with her chopsticks, something that had me wincing imagining Fujiwara's reaction is she found out.

"That's part of the reason that all these trips aren't fun. They're also a lot of work. Most of the time that I go somewhere, I'm remotely handling other cases at the same time. If I'm not in a meeting or sleeping then I'm probably working." I confessed; I had always tried to keep the professional aspect of my life compartmentalized but now I felt she was old enough to get a taste.

Komachi looked at me with something foreign in her eyes. But popped a fried wonton in her mouth and kept on chatting.

We finished dinner and headed home. Both of us were in high spirits. I told her to be up and packed by 7:30 am so that we could be at the station by 8. She laughed.

"Okay, Big brother. Goodnight, I love you." Komachi ran upstairs, dashing around her room packing. My smile was fond as I walked outside to begin an evening workout.

~/~

"Uhh, I'm so full." Komachi groaned. Rubbing her slightly swollen stomach. I patted her on the head and chuckled.

"I told you, just because the desserts are free here, doesn't mean that you should try all of them." She had been amazed when we were riding the train and had raced to try everything the gran class compartment had on offer. I had opted to take a nap in our private cabin instead and made full use of the twin-size bed.

Our attendant knocked, and when I gave the affirmative walked inside. Informing us that our stop was ten minutes away. I nodded, and she bowed as she left. I stretched lightly to shake off my sluggishness and then gestured for Komachi to follow me.

Our attendant came back flanked by another similarly dressed man. Both of which were shouldering our bags. The train doors opened with a hiss, and Komachi leaped out, ignoring my yell to 'watch your step'.

My gaze went past my sister and to the blonde girl a few paces ahead. She smiled when she saw me, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement at my sister. "Hachiman, it's good to see you again."

I nodded respectfully, "And you as well, Ai."

(A/N)2: I changed the way that Komachi and Hachiman interact, she no longer takes his presence for granted and doesn't pretend to dislike it when he spends time with or compliments her.