Chapter 15

Rich People's Problems

"Are you sure you're alright, Hachiman?"

How many times had Totsuka asked him that by now? Four, maybe five? He wasn't sure, as his attention lay elsewhere at the moment.

Namely, on the green bracelet that he was now holding between his fingers, with his gaze being a combination of confusion and trepidation.

"Yeah." That didn't mean he was ignoring Totsuka though, for he made sure to answer her every time, even if said answer was sort of lacking.

But in his defense, he was kind of having an existential crisis, so surely he could be excused, right?

After all, not only had he just been confessed to by Miura Yumiko of all people, but he was also seemingly growing insane, for he certainly remembered leaving this thing locked away before going to school today.

And yet, apparently, he had been wearing it proudly right until Miura confessed to him.

Perhaps he had been wrong and Yuigahama was truly the last sane person in Sobu.

"It's pretty." Totsuka said as they walked side by side, her gaze peering at his hand in curiosity. "I didn't know you liked this kind of thing."

"…I don't." He muttered before pocketing it with a sigh. A part of him had considered just throwing it away and being done with it, but whenever that thought came to his head, he was also hit with a sense of…something.

What, he wasn't sure, but the closest thing he could compare it to would be regret.

And that just gave him more worries than anything else.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" He tried to redirect the subject back to Totsuka, deciding that he could rack his brain about this later.

"…Do you not want to?" Totsuka responded with a question of her own, her upturned eyes looking at him with doubt, which only made him shake his head slightly.

"It's not that, I'm just…surprised, I guess." Frankly speaking, he couldn't remember the last time someone had actually asked him to do this.

Doing so without his consent? That had been happening surprisingly often as of late actually, but this was different.

Which was one of the reasons that had him agreeing with Totsuka in the first place.

The other one is that…he honestly just felt bad about Totsuka.

How could he not though? Having to live a lie for so many years, he couldn't even imagine what that did to a person.

So he really couldn't blame her for what she had asked of him. After all, if he was truly the only other person outside of her family and some teachers that knew her secret then, he couldn't fault her if she just felt more comfortable around him now.

"Well, here we are…"

"Ohhhh…!"

But still, wasn't she overreacting a bit? They were just going to be hanging out in his home.

"Make yourself comfortable." He said as they walked in, with another sound of wonder leaving Totsuka as she entered his home.

He didn't say anything even though he still believed she was overreacting. His home, after all, was pretty run-of-the-mill.

"Would you like some water?" He still tried to be a good host though, despite the fact he didn't really have that much experience on the matter.

"I'm good." She answered, her gaze roaming through the living room. "Is Komachi-san here too?"

"Nah, she's doing…stuff." He did not know what stuff was at the moment, but Komachi had decided to stay at the school for a bit longer, contrary to him who had just skipped club hours entirely.

Which he already knew would definitely piss off Yukinoshita even more, but after the whole debacle with Miura he just didn't have it in him to then having to deal with Yukinoshita, or worse, actually having to solve a request.

He just hoped Yuigahama would be able to handle her in his place.

"And your parents are away…" He heard her mutter, making him nod. He had explained to her that they were out on a business trip, as that was the only way he could put it without cursing someone. "So…we're alone then."

Indeed they were.

And the way she had said so, with obvious fluster, did make his heart skip a beat for a moment.

He really needed to learn how to keep himself composed around her.

"M-May I use the bathroom, Hachiman?" She then asked softly, as she hugged the rather big bag she had been carrying all the way here. What was inside, he didn't know, as he had assumed it was related to her club, like her tennis stuff or something.

"Sure, it's right over there." He pointed to where she had to go, and then she surprised him with how fast she dashed there, closing the door behind it without saying a word.

He sighed slightly, with nothing but silence now around him he was quick to take out his phone.

There was just something he needed to confirm really quick.

"Oh, the promise thing? Yeah, I remember you ranting about marrying Yumiko-chan all the time. It was annoying but also cute."

"…I see."

"You would even go to sleep with that bracelet of yours. Frankly speaking, if it wasn't for Yukino-chan I would be rooting for Yumiko-chan."

"…Thank you for your input, mother."

"Why asking me about that now? You're not thinking of cheating on Yukino-chan, are you? You better be treating her well-"

"Say hello to dad for me."

"Wait, don't you dare to hang up—"

Suffice to say, he hung up.

What was the worst she could do anyway, being on the other side of the world?

He had other things to focus on, anyway.

Namely, the fact that Miura had apparently not been exaggerating at all when she made Ebina share her story with him.

That had been the only fault he had thought about, but with his mother already confirming what she had told him…damn.

What kind of dumb childhood did he have?

Not that it mattered by now anyway, as the only thing he could probably do was to brace himself for whatever Miura was going to do now.

He would try to ignore it of course, but this was the girl that had hung to a childish promise for a decade already.

Something told him she wasn't just going to give it up now, especially after confronting him the way she did.

"S-sorry for taking so long…!"

He was taken out of his thoughts by Totsuka's surprisingly nervous voice, which prompted him to stand up from his slouched position on the couch.

"Don't worry I was just-" His words died on his lips however, for as soon as he turned around to look at her, he was left out quite speechless by the sight.

"D-does it look weird?"

The reason for that was that Totsuka had seemingly decided to change her clothes.

Long gone was her tracksuit, and instead it was now replaced by a floral pattern long white dress that went just past her knees.

And with that thing on, there was no hiding the fact that Totsuka was, in fact, a girl.

Sure, he had already known that, but still…

His heart had not been ready for this.

"T-There really isn't that many chances for me to dress like this." Totsuka explained, her voice soft and her eyes glued to the floor, although they went up to meet his every few seconds. "Sorry if I surprised you."

"N-No, it's fine…" He hadn't thought about it but it made sense if Totsuka was forced to dress like a guy most of the time. "And I mean…it does suit you."

He decided to answer her question just to be sure, but he regretted it immediately with how awkward he made it by saying that.

Seeing Totsuka's face flare up all the way to the tip of her ears was quite the sight though, he had to admit to himself.

For as much of a shock as it was seeing Totsuka dressed like that, what followed right after was actually quite… normal.

Mundane even, to the point that he knew some might even consider it boring.

But to him, it was just refreshingly relaxing.

After all, the only thing they did was to talk.

He had offered to do more of course, like maybe watching the TV or something like that, but Totsuka had insisted that she was fine with just sitting on the couch beside him and, well, talking to him.

About her club, about her new class, and even a bit about her family, although whenever that last subject came up, to him it felt as if Totsuka had just been making up excuses to defend them for forcing her into this sort of lifestyle.

He never told her that though, nor asked for more than whatever she was willing to share, and rather sat there, listening patiently. It was a bit strange, as Totsuka had never struck him as someone this talkative before, but perhaps, it was because she felt comfortable with him now?

He would understand it if she had been making walls around her before as a result of her secrets, but now that he knew, he supposed she didn't have to hold back anymore?

It was just something he theorized, just as she slowly stopped talking, her expression going from child-like excitement to a slight frown just as her head dipped low.

"C-Can I ask you something, Hachiman?" Even her voice now had a tint of worry, which clashed a lot with how relaxed she had been sounding so far.

"I know you said that nothing was going on with Isshiki-san." She said after he nodded to her question, her words making her nod again as she spoke. "But I-uh, I mean… I've been hearing stuff about Miura-san as well…"

Oh.

Right, he should have guessed Totsuka would be able to put two and two together unlike most of the school.

And considering he had barely interacted with Miura before, he supposed he couldn't blame Totsuka for her curiosity.

That brought the issue of what to say to her.

But the answer came surprisingly quick to him.

"We were friends when we were kids." He said, the words making him feel as if he had sold his soul to someone the moment they left his lips. "And I guess she just wanted to…reconnect."

What was the point of trying to hide it by now?

Every time he tried to deny it, he was just hit with the fact in another way or form, and frankly speaking, he was simply tired of giving it so much importance to the point he had been trying to hide it as if it was some sort of massive secret.

Compared to Totsuka's, it just felt childish.

And considering he had learned of her secret in the way he did, sharing this much he felt was the least he could offer. It hardly made things even, but with how things had been left off, he probably needed to get used to having to explain his past friendship with Miura.

He only hoped that was the only thing he would have to explain when it came to her for now.

"R-really?!" Yeah, he could definitely relate to Totsuka's shocked expression. "I…had no idea."

Neither did he.

Her face though, slowly morphed from sheer shock to a thoughtful one as she kept her gaze low. She was even chewing on her bottom lip, her gaze looking extremely far away at the moment.

"Everything ok?" He hadn't expected that reaction to what he said, and it seemed even Totsuka hadn't realized just how deep in thought she had been, given the way her eyes widened as he called her out, with her suddenly waving both of her hands in front of her.

"S-Sorry, I was just…" Then, her face flushed pink, in a way that honestly to god made her sparkle and made him swallow dryly. "I was just thinking… that it must have been nice, to have you as a childhood friend…"

And now he was the one feeling the heat going to his face. It didn't help that she suddenly smiled at him.

"I think I'm jealous of Miura-san right now." Totsuka spoke with a melancholic chuckle, which just made him look to the side in embarrassment. He could only imagine how her childhood must have been if she considered having him as a childhood friend an upgrade.

Then again, considering everything he knew by now, he wouldn't be surprised if Totsuka's childhood had been a lonely one.

"S-Sorry, I made things weird again." Once again, Totsuka finally realized how weird it sounded when she put it like that, her face flushing red just like his. "S-So, what do you usually do when you're free…?"

"When I'm free?" Her attempt at changing the subject was a noble one, but he actually couldn't remember the last time he had been free. It's not like he did much anyway, so the options that came up in his head weren't exactly plentiful. "I…play videogames, I guess."

"Ohhh…!" He did not expect the amazement that sparkled in her eyes, as if he was talking about some alien concept to her. "May I see…?"

"…S-Sure?"

She was only asking to see him play so why was he getting nervous all of a sudden?!

Alright so maybe he hadn't thought about the logistics of what letting her see him playing would entail.

After all, he was using a portable console, which meant Totsuka had to be close to him to even see what was happening on the screen.

This meant she was leaning on him pretty heavily, so while she was looking admittedly pretty happy, he was as stiff as a board right now.

Also, he was pretty sure he once had a dream like this.

He was taking that fact with him to the grave, mind you.

"Mreow…"

At least someone else here was enjoying himself, since Kamakura had decided at one point to just make his presence known by resting on Totsuka's lap.

And he sure did look comfortable there.

Almost made him feel jealous.

Almost.

"Can I try?" Totsuka asked after he paused the game, her eyes going from the screen to peering straight at his own.

"S-Sure." His brain could use the breathing room anyway, as having her this close to him was doing unhealthy things to his head.

But when he went ahead and tried to hand her the device…

"Onii-chan, I'm home!"

They both froze in place as Komachi's voice suddenly came from the entrance, both of their gaze widening just as Kamakura jumped out of Totsuka's lap, apparently with the intention of greeting his other owner.

"Go get changed." He whispered after the shock washed away. He had not expected Komachi to return so soon, but now wasn't the place to be wasting time. "I'll keep her busy."

Totsuka didn't say anything, but the dread on her face was clear, and given how important this secret was for her, he couldn't blame her, even though he trusted Komachi with his life.

Current hobbies notwithstanding.

She gave him a shaky nod before she pretty much bolted out of the room, just as he made his way to the entrance. At least Kamakura seemed to be working as a distraction given the cooing sound he could hear from the entrance, and fortunately, Komachi wouldn't be able to see Totsuka going to the bathroom from that spot.

Now that just meant he just had to play it cool.

"Yo!"

"You brought a girl home, didn't you?"

What the fuck.

"Who is it? Is it Yukino-neesan? Did you two finally make up? Or maybe Yumiko-neesan? It can't be Saki-neesan, Taishi-kun would have told me…"

Last time he checked she didn't have any damn sister for her to be naming them out like that, but now wasn't the time to bring that up.

"What are you even talking about-"

"Fufu, silly Onii-chan. Do you think I wouldn't have realized it?" She said while waving a finger and in a smug tone, right before she moved to the living room, her gaze sweeping through the entire place in curiosity. "There's no need to be shy, Onii-chan, although I didn't expect you to turn our home into your love nest so quick!"

If she had not been Komachi, those would have been the last words he would have heard from her before he cut her off from his life in its entirety.

"Now you're just making things up—"

"I can smell the perfume on you, Onii-chan."

Oh so he hadn't been hallucinating that smell even with Totsuka gone, that was good to know for his mental healthiness, not so much for hiding the fact he did, in fact, have a girl hiding in the bathroom.

"Where are you hiding her anyway? Don't tell me you brought her to your room? We will have to talk about this seriously if you did." Then, she took out her phone, her gaze now focused on him with a scary amount of fire in her eyes. "But not before you give me the details first, starting with how you both were immediately nervous the moment you stepped inside together, knowing it would change your relationship for good—"

"Is that what you do when you're typing on your phone?"

"Well, someone took my notebook so I had to modernize myself." She harrumphed, only giving him a growing sense of dread.

So yesterday she had been…?

"Give me your phone." Consequences be damned, he was breaking that thing.

"Everything's backed up already, foolish Onii-chan." That smirk of victory she sent his way was highly unnecessary. "You can not stop peak fiction like my own from coming out."

They had vastly different understandings of what 'peak fiction' was.

Also, was it just him or was she talking more and more like Zaimokuza every day?

…God what a terrifying thought.

"Y-Yahallo, Komachi-chan."

They were broken out of their stalemate by Totsuka's soft voice, with their attention moving to a now tracksuit-wearing Totsuka.

"Totsuka-senpai?" The confusion in Komachi's voice was almost palpable, and he would have snickered at that if Totsuka's nervousness wasn't almost as visible. Now wasn't the time for laughs, he guessed.

"Yeah." He said as he walked to stand by Totsuka, like a united front against Komachi. "He just wanted to hang out for a bit, right, Totsuka?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry we didn't tell you." Her bowing like that only made it seem even more suspicious.

"…Since when does Onii-chan knows how to hang out?" Her narrowed gaze was accompanied by an accusatory whisper.

"…I think that's enough for today then." And now he was doing his best to guide Totsuka to the door, not because he didn't want her here, but because he didn't need Komachi being weird in front of her too.

"Eh? Uh, bye-bye, Komachi-chan!"

"Huh? W-wait I have several questions—"

He never heard them after he closed the door behind him, which was probably for the best.

Definitely for the best.

"I'm sorry." He apologized after leaving out a tired breath. "I didn't think she would get here that soon."

That had been dangerous, to say the least.

"It's fine!" Totsuka didn't seem upset about it, however, which came as a surprise to him. "I really enjoyed myself today, Hachiman!"

Really? It's not like they had done anything special…

"So, uhh…." And now she acting bashful once more, as she readjusted the strap of her bag. "Can…can we do it again someday?"

"…Sure?" It was an easy enough request, and it's not like he had disliked spending time with Totsuka, as nerve-wracking as it could get, so there wasn't really any reason for him to say no to it if it would be as chill as it had been today.

Except for the last bit, of course, he could have lived without that one.

So he definitely hadn't agreed because of the doe eyes she had been making at him, nope.

"Thank you, Hachiman!"

And he definitely didn't skip a beat at the grin she sent his way, definitely not.

"Onii-chan."

"…Yes?" Why was a sense of dread forming in the pit of his stomach the moment he went back inside his house?

And why was Komachi giving him such a… serene smile?

"I just wanted to let you know I'm on your side."

"What?"

"I will always support you, Onii-chan, that's all!"

He was pretty sure there was some misunderstanding going on here.

It was a sad state of business that he now considered entering a Sobu filled with students talking about him the norm.

But it was what it was.

In fact, the only thing weird about this morning had been, once again, the lack of Yukinoshita when he had left his home.

And once again, the fact that he found that concerning was a concern all by itself.

But they were going to talk today, considering what today entailed, so he sure hoped Yukinoshita was not as upset as she had been before.

Right now though, he had other things to worry about.

Namely, the fact he was about to go inside the classroom, which meant he was going to be facing Miura after everything she had told him yesterday.

Hell, even right now he was still feeling secondhand embarrassment for the stuff she said.

But it wasn't like he could avoid her, they were in the same classroom, so he could only hope she wasn't going to do anything weird or stupid.

Like confessing to him again in front of the entire class.

He would die if she tried that, literally.

"Hmm?" But when he entered, everything was… normal.

Well, as normal as it could be now that he was being greeted by like six different people whenever he arrived, but still far from what he expected.

Specially since Miura didn't even greet him, and instead was focused on her phone while on her seat.

He didn't know if to be relieved or even more worried now.

"Hey, you doing something later?" After he sat though, it was Kawasaki who whispered by his side.

Hadn't they gone just yesterday and she wanted to do something today too? Had he underestimated Kawasaki too?

"Sorry, I'm busy with something." He had to decline, however, as he did in fact have to do something.

Namely, to go to the wolves' den and hope to not get mauled.

"Damn." Kawasaki clicked his tongue, and he could only be grateful that no one else seemed to be paying attention to them. "Keika kept bothering me about it so I wanted to know if you—"

"Hey, Hikio, you dropped something."

Kawasaki was interrupted by Miura's sudden input though, as she tapped him on the shoulder before presenting him with… a piece of paper?

"That's not mi—"

"It is, I saw it fall from your pocket." She interrupted him just like how she had Kawasaki, her gaze set into a glare as she almost pushed the paper in his face.

"…" He ended up just taking the thing to avoid further conflict so early in the morning. What was she trying to pull, he didn't know, but the answer did come to him after he slowly unfolded the folded paper.

'Don't forget I love you'

His reaction wasn't immediate, as he honestly had to read the thing three times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

When he realized they weren't, blood rushed to his face faster than ever before, and he had to actively avoid spluttering in sheer shock and embarrassment.

He gave Miura a side glare, but she was seemingly too busy looking at her phone now, although it seemed even she realized how embarrassing this was as he could see a rosy hue on her cheeks.

And to say it was embarrassing was frankly an understatement, as in he didn't know if to be annoyed or impressed by her by now.

"What was it?" His blood ran cold when Kawasaki asked that out of nowhere, her gaze suspicious as it went from the paper still in his hands to Miura and then back to his face.

"Nothing." He grumbled out as he pocketed the paper for there was no way in hell he was telling anyone what was in there, even if Kawasaki's suspicious look increased in its intensity.

"Alright, settle down."

Fortunately, Hiratsuka-sensei's timely arrival saved him from anything else that Kawasaki could have asked him.

The more time passed throughout classes, the more he realized one thing.

Miura Yumiko had been 'holding back' this entire time.

It was a weird way to put it, given that she had even gone out of her way to change seats and then get him roped in a class project with her.

But at the very least she didn't use to text him during the middle of a class.

The first time it had happened, he had stealthily looked at his phone while the teacher hadn't been looking. It was unusual for him to get a text, let alone during class, so he had been a bit concerned.

'Hey, it's your fav color still black?'

Of course, that concern went out of the window when he saw that it had been just Miura deciding to make… small talk? He hadn't answered mind you, definitely because texting during class was wrong and not because that was, indeed, still his favorite color, and admitting that to Miura felt like eating a sour lemon.

Not like his lack of answer deterred Miura or anything, as his phone had kept buzzing in his pocket for a while and it didn't take a genius to figure out who the responsible for that one was.

It was only after a while that Miura finally understood that he wasn't going to answer her, but rather than giving up, she just started tracing words on his back with the eraser-end of her pencil.

At first, he thought she had been trying to poke him out of anger like before, but after a while, he realized she had been tracing forms in a far softer way than before. Was it distracting? Sure, but it could be worse, he had supposed.

Until he had started paying attention, realized she had been making letters on his back the entire time, and after spending some time trying to figure out what she was trying to say out of morbid curiosity, well…

He regretted it immediately as it became harder and harder to keep his face and expression in check with the amount of heat that kept going up there.

And that's how he found himself right now, at a rope's end when it came to… whatever this was supposed to be.

But when the teacher finally got distracted by something on the board, he knew it was his moment.

So he turned around slightly, looking over his shoulder and more than ready to tell Miura enough was enough, truly!

And he would have…

If his eyes hadn't landed first on her open notebook, or rather, the contents of it.

Because even though the book was upside down from his perspective, he could still make up the literal dozens of hearts that Miura had seemingly drawn on the pages he could see from it.

But what got his attention wasn't just that, but rather the letters that she had put inside every heart.

An H and a Y.

It didn't take a genius to figure that one out.

He raised his gaze slowly until his incredulous face met the cherry-red face of Miura, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

He didn't say anything to her, and instead turned his face around slowly, deciding that, for both of their sake, he was just going to pretend he hadn't seen that.

She could play with his back all she wanted, he was not going to turn around ever again.

"No but seriously, what's going on between you and blondie?" Kawasaki asked the moment they settled down, to the point it almost felt as if she was using the food she had just given him as a bribe to get an answer from him.

He sighed, knowing that this topic was going to come up sooner or later.

"Would you believe me if I told you we played together when we were kids and she's trying to reconnect?" But once again, by now he saw no reason to hide that fact, especially from someone like Kawasaki. It wasn't like he was going to go around proudly admitting they used to play together, but by now there wasn't a reason to hide it.

If he did, it would just make it more of a big deal than it really was.

Of course, he forgot to mention the part where Miura had confessed to him. That was a whole different beast that he wasn't going to explain to the other girl who seemingly had feelings for him.

"…Didn't she use to ignore you?" Kawasaki said after a few seconds, her tone telling him she wasn't exactly buying it.

"It's… complicated, but I think she was upset at me."

Kawasaki looked at him with a frown for a bit longer before she released a sigh herself.

"Couldn't you had been friends with someone less annoying?"

If only.

"What are you waiting for, Hikigaya-kun?"

"…You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Ara? This is simply the most practical method." Yukinoshita said without a doubt. "Rather than having to wait, isn't just going directly the best? Mother is a busy person, after all, so she can't stay too late."

He wasn't an idiot.

Even though her logic made sense, he knew that was just an excuse for her limo to have come to pick both of them up.

Right at the entrance of the school, with everyone that was leaving now having their attention on them.

It wasn't every day that the school princess left with a guy, after all.

Was this his punishment for making her upset?

"I should get changed at the very least." He argued, for even though he didn't particularly care, he wouldn't have gone in his school uniform.

"Hmmm…" And it seemed Yukinoshita was actually considering it as a fair point. "Very well. We'll pass by your house then first."

Of course they would.

"Fine…" He sighed, knowing that the damage was already done and that he was going to hear about this on Monday for sure.

Or heck maybe even tomorrow at Yuigahama's birthday if he was lucky enough!

The car ride that proceeded was as awkward as one could imagine considering they hadn't left their last conversation on good terms.

But in his defense, it wasn't like he could just suddenly tell Isshiki that he wasn't going to go along with this. He had already given her his word, and he wasn't just going to leave Isshiki behind just because it made Yukinoshita upset.

He didn't enjoy making her angry of course, but he wasn't going to back down from this just because she didn't like it, especially when it was between Isshiki and him, not her.

There was a difference between him agreeing to help Isshiki with her fuck up, and Yukinoshita trying to… he still had no idea what she was trying to do here, to be honest.

"Hikigaya-kun." It seemed even she couldn't keep up with the tense silence, as she finally regarded him from the opposite seat. "I must apologize—what's with that expression?"

Well, could she blame him? It wasn't every day someone like her apologized to someone like him! He would have thought it was a dream if most of the day before it hadn't been a nightmare.

"It's nothing just… go on." He tried to cool his expression as much as he could, not wanting to ruin what could very well be a historic moment.

"…As I was saying" She started once again as he nodded along. "I pondered what Yuigahama-san said on that day and I realized you're not the only one at fault for what happened."

Well, he wouldn't have put it like that but—

"I am partially to blame as well."

He was going to need a detailed explanation of how that logic worked out in her head because he had nothing.

"For this partnership to work, both of us need to be able to cover for the other one's… shortcomings." At least Yukinoshita seemed keen on explaining her reasoning, although something told him he wasn't going to like it. "And as such, I should have been more alert to avoid someone like Isshiki-san taking advantage of your… bothersome unwillingness to say no to her."

…Why did he felt like a child being admonished by his mom?

"So worry not, Hikigaya-kun." And now she was regarding him with a magnanimous smile, like a saint about to spread the word to anyone listening. "Just as I know you would be there to support me, I will do my best to help you in such regards. If it was up to me, we would be breaking up this fake relationship of yours right now, but as you already gave your word, a different solution will have to be reached."

…She wasn't going to make Isshiki disappear, was she?

Like, he shouldn't be considering that kind of stuff but it was hard not to nowadays.

"A-And since we're already on this subject." But before he could even bring up that what she was saying made zero sense, she had already moved on to whatever else she had wanted to say, although the sudden reddening of her cheeks gave him another feeling of dread. "I also believe It would be best for our future if we spent more time together—"

First of all, why was she talking as if they were already wedded? Second, they already walked to school almost every morning what else could they really do—

"—As such, I believe it would be best if we started eating lunch t-together in the clubroom from now on."

Oh…

Well, this was going to be a pain to explain, wasn't it?

"What is it now?" And Yukinoshita had caught on his grimace quite swiftly given the narrowed gaze she sent his way. "You already eat by yourself most of the time, correct? Surely my suggestion is better than the alternative."

"Well…" He started for some reason feeling nervous as if he had done something wrong. "I'm not exactly eating by myself nowadays…"

He didn't have to look at Yukinoshita to know she was making a hole in the side of his head.

"Is that so?" Was that accusation in her tone? "With whom then, if I may ask? It isn't Yuigahama-san, she would have told me. Is it Komachi-san, perhaps? Or maybe—"

"With Kawasaki, actually." He stopped her from listing every single person he knew, as he almost heard her mouth closing shut as he spoke.

"…Is she the one that has been cooking for you?" Somehow, Yukinoshita's gaze had become even sharper, with her tone being so cold that it almost made him shiver on the spot.

It seemed her memory was as good as usual though, considering she hadn't forgotten that little tidbit…

"Yeah…" He confirmed as he pushed on. It wasn't like he had done anything wrong anyway, so no reason for him to feel guilty, right? "I… helped her with something and that's just how she decided to pay me back, I guess…"

He had to admit, a part of him did feel bad about not telling her the complete truth, as in Kawasaki's feelings regarding him, but he still considered that a private matter between her and him, his current mess of a relationship with Yukinoshita notwithstanding.

"…I see." He had expected some scathing comment from her, but instead what he got was a short response, followed by her closing her eyes and taking a deep breath which she released slowly just a moment later. "It seems I shouldn't have lowered my guard, my mistake…"

"…?" He didn't understand what she had just murmured, but before he could inquire about it, the limo came to a stop, his gaze going outside the window, where he was greeted by the sight of his home.

"I'll wait here, Hikigaya-kun." Yukinoshita said as she pulled out a… notebook and a pen? "I would accompany you inside but I have something to note…"

He decided to not tell her he hadn't even offered to let her in, and instead simply nodded before leaving the vehicle.

He had a headache already waiting for him later on, he did not need to make it worse by antagonizing the only Yukinoshita he didn't dislike.

"I'll admit I feared you would need help with this, but…" Yukinoshita coughed into her fist, her gaze moving rather erratically between his form and the opposite end of the elevator. "You look… nice, Hikigaya-kun."

"…Thank you." Did he find it weird that those were the first words she had said to him ever since they had left his home? Absolutely, but maybe that had been on him too for not trying to break the awkward silence that appeared the moment he had joined her at her limo.

At least said silence was over now that they were mere minutes away from reaching her condo, although he hadn't expected a compliment like that anyway. It wasn't like he had dressed up particularly fancy anyway, as he had been told this would be a rather casual affair.

Although he had assumed his and their definition of casual was completely different, so he could only assume what Yukinoshita would get changed to after they finally reached her place.

Which brought another question forth.

"Is your mother already here?" He asked, not knowing if he had to brace himself already or not.

"No, not yet." Yukinoshita answered as the elevator's gates finally opened. "She'll be here shortly, or so I was told."

Wait, did that mean they would be by themselves then?

"Not… exactly." Was her rather tired response after he voiced out his doubt, only making him frown even more by her reaction.

The explanation came when they reached her door.

"Yahallo!"

As said door was suddenly open from the inside rather than by Yukinoshita herself.

And the one responsible?

Yukinoshita Haruno, of course.

"My my, who are you trying to impress tonight, Hikigaya-kun, I wonder?" Haruno's coy smile almost made him groan right there and there. He knew she would be here, of course, as apparently only Yukinoshita's dad wouldn't be present, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Please, Nee-san, not now…" Obviously, he wasn't the only one who was tired of Haruno before she even began if Yukinoshita's sigh was anything to go by.

"Oh c'mon, Yukino-chan, I'm sure he doesn't mind a bit of teasing." Haruno pouted as she spoke, although her expression slowly turned into what he could only describe as… devious. "After all, what's a bit of tease among family, don't you think so, brother-in-law-kun?"

And just like that, it was as if something broke inside of him.

He wasn't sure what it was. Maybe his last working brain cell? Or maybe what little remained of his sanity, but one thing was for certain.

He had nothing of it left.

And because of that, it was as if everything that had happened and every decision that he had made in the last few weeks came crashing down on him with apocalyptic force.

And oh boy he had not been prepared for it.

And oh god Kawasaki was in love with him and her family was weird as fuck.

And oh god Miura was in love with him and she was crazy as fuck.

And oh god Komachi was weird as hell and he was somehow the normal one of the family.

And oh god Totsuka was a girl.

And oh god he was fake-dating Isshiki and that was somehow the less weird thing that had happened in this entire month.

And oh god he was going to get married to Yukinoshita at this rate which meant Haruno and him would be… would be…

He couldn't even finish that idea, that's how fucked up it was.

And while on the inside he was having the existential crisis of a lifetime, on the outside his gaze simply grew sharper.

If he hadn't been motivated to break this engagement before, then he sure as hell was now.

It was a rather silent affair after the female members of the Yukinoshita household had gathered, to the point the only sound that could really be heard was that of the cutlery whenever it touched their plates.

It was far from a comfortable silence though, and the general tension he was feeling was also boosted by the fact he was currently the center of attention.

As in, both Yukinoshita and Haruno, who were sitting to the left and right of the table respectively, were throwing glances at him every few seconds with the subtlety of an active volcano, but that paled in comparison with their mom, who was sitting opposite to him.

After all, the matriarch had her eyes fixed on me, to the point that whenever he raised his gaze, it was immediately matched by her own eyes.

He even started wondering if she even knew how to blink

"I do hope the food is to your liking, Hachiman-kun." And of course, it was her voice that cut through the silence like a knife to butter. "Even though she didn't have to, Yukino's culinary skills are certainly remarkable, are they not?"

Well, he couldn't deny that fact.

Of course, with her being a superwoman he shouldn't have been surprised that she had decided to cook for the evening, nor that the meal itself was as delicious as expected.

"T-This much is nothing, mother." And as… strange, he would say, the relationship between Yukinoshita and her mom was, it seemed she was still not immune to getting embarrassed by such praise given the way her cheeks flared red.

Not like he stared at Yukinoshita for too long though, definitely because he wanted to keep his gaze fixed on her mom just in case, and not because the attire she had chosen for the night would have him blushing too if he stared at her too long.

Definitely not because of that.

Also, he was having déjà vu right now since they were all Yukinoshitas and that was getting confusing.

"I'm sure it helps that Yukino-chan puts tons of love into all of this." Of course, Haruno was just unable to be quiet in this kind of situation. "Don't you think so, Hikigaya-kun?"

He… did not know how to answer that with Yukinoshi—Yukino glaring at him from the other side.

"But as amusing as this all is." Yukinoshita-san interjected without missing a beat, however. "I believe we should go over the reason why you asked us to meet, Hachiman-kun."

"After all, as lovely as it would be…" She continued as she leaned forward, her chin resting on her linked hands. "I don't believe you requested this just to spend quality time with your new family."

…Why was she talking like that?

As in, it felt as if she was trying to sound as… evil? as possible for some reason.

Is this what politicians did? Or maybe she just never got over the phase Komachi was going through right now?

Also, the way she said the word family made him feel as if he needed an adult.

A different adult.

"Well…" Since he was now the center of attention, as both Yukino and Haruno were also looking at him seemingly waiting for how he would react, he cleared his throat, deciding that dancing around the subject would only make things more complicated. "I would like to actually see the contract that says I have to marry Yukinoshita, if you don't mind?"

There, a simple request that he believed was the very least he deserved if they were going to throw such a massive shift into his life out of nowhere.

So why was Haruno looking at him as if he had asked something outrageous, while Yukino had a face as if he had betrayed her? All the while Yukinoshita-san simply leaned back, although he could have sworn the corner of her lips twitched downwards for just a second.

"May I ask you something, Hachiman-kun?" Yukinoshita-san's response was a question of her own. "I promise to answer your request if you answer my question first."

He raised an eyebrow at her words, wondering what she was trying to play here, but decided to simply nod with a shrug. If answered she would move things forward, then…

"Tell me, Hachiman-kun, do you dislike the idea of marrying Yukino here that much?" Her words made his eyes go wide in surprise as he had not expected such a direct question, and neither had Yukino if the way he saw her tremble was anything to go by. "I was under the impression that you two had a… friendly enough relationship that would make all of this far smoother of a change. That's the reason I chose her, after all."

Wait, what?

Chose her?

"However, if being with her is making you feel like this…" Her gaze then moved to Haruno for just a moment, and boy had he never seen Haruno so pale in the time he had known her. "I know you weren't aware of this, Hachiman-kun, but the contract between our family never specifies which daughter of mine had to abide by it."

If a pin had dropped at that very moment, it would have been the loudest thing in the room with how quiet everything had gotten at her words.

In his defense, his brain was still trying to process the implications of what she had just revealed.

"No!"

But his mind proved to be not quite fast enough on the uptake, at least compared to Yukino's, who had suddenly bolted out of her seat, her sudden denial both loud and, dare he say it, desperate?

Even more than her mom's words, her reaction truly caught him off guard.

"Mother, there is no need—"

"I'm asking Hachiman-kun's opinion on the matter, Yukino." But Yukinoshita-san's eyes never even moved toward Yukino and instead remained fixed on him. "I already know your feelings on the matter, but I want to understand his own."

He half-expected Yukino to argue back instantly, but with the way she opened and closed her mouth, it seemed as if the words had just died in her throat.

It didn't help that she suddenly turned her gaze on him, and once more it was the emotions reflecting on the usually aloof Yukino that almost had him doing a double take.

Why did she have such a look of alarm? Wasn't her mom giving her an out of this mess right now? So why was she looking at him as if her world was about to crumble?

Surely, it wasn't because… unless?

"My opinion on the matter is that I don't like it."

One thing at a time though, so he replied to her question first, his gaze matching Yukinoshita-san's, even as he could see Yukino from the corner of his eyes, acting as if someone had struck her.

"In that case—"

"But that has nothing to do with Yukinoshita." He continued, quite purposely interrupting her. Was it rude? Most definitely yes. "It's out of principle. It doesn't matter with whom, I don't think I would like anything or anyone deciding my future like that."

Those were his honest feelings, and she had asked for exactly that, had she not?

But even so, it was now time to do course correction before she got the wrong idea and he ended up with a fate worse than death.

"If you force me to choose though." He then cleared his throat, his gaze moving from an apprehensive Yukino to a now clearly amused Haruno, who even went as far as to wink at him, before landing once more on Yukinoshita-san, whose eyes had a pretty remarkable glint to them. "Then I mean, it would obviously be, well… I mean, I'm clearly closer with Yukinoshita than with Haruno…"

He had sounded far less lame in his head, but how else was he supposed to put it without dying of embarrassment?!

Really, was he supposed to just say 'I would definitely marry Yukinoshita' just like that? No thank you, he didn't want to die.

"I see."

But the message seemed to have been conveyed properly, at least if Yukinoshita-san's nod of acceptance was anything to go by.

"You just broke my heart, Hikigaya-kun." He could have lived without Haruno's melodramatic acting though. "Aren't you happy though, Yukino-chan?"

She never answered though, as she was seemingly too busy squirming on her seat, her face being quite honestly crimson to the point he was afraid of that much blood rushing to her head in one go.

He just hoped he wasn't looking the same, but something told him he had failed at that already.

Two weeks.

That was the timeframe that Yukinoshita-san had given him to show him the contract.

It was apparently heavily safeguarded, so something needed to be arranged before they could go and see it.

"I could show you a copy of it of course, or even recite it word for word, but I believe you will only be satisfied with the real thing, will you not?"

Considering how little trust he had towards her, he had not argued the words that were said as the dinner came to an end.

He didn't like having to wait even more, but by now he was just happy to move things forward.

Speaking of moving things forward, however…

Yukinoshita had been nothing but silent ever since they left, and for someone who had… insisted on riding with him back to his home in her limo, she sure didn't seem interested in saying anything to him.

Of course, he pretended to not notice how her gaze shifted from the window to him whenever she seemingly thought he wasn't paying attention.

He was too busy thinking about how to bring up the subject at hand, after all, with said subject stemming from Yukinoshita's… strong reaction to her mother's words.

Now, could he have just ignored it and act as if nothing had happened? Sure.

But what good would that bring?

He had done the same with Miura, ignoring the signs and making everything more troublesome than it had to be.

It was the same with Isshiki all things considered, and arguably Kawasaki

And something told him if he just tried to ignore this one then, it would just make things worse.

But even above all of that, there was also one simple fact at play here.

He wanted to know, as simple as that.

Curiosity killed the Hachiman, he supposed.

"Yukinoshita." He called her out, deciding to not comment on how her whole body tensed in response. "Do you remember what I asked you on the day after this was announced?"

He saw her lips part, but rather than words, it was a quiet sigh that left her, and even as she turned her body, she still refused to meet his gaze.

"You will have to be more specific—"

"I asked you…" He was not going to let her dance around this subject. Was he being too straightforward? Most likely, but whether he liked it or not, they were in this whole mess together, and he needed to know exactly where she stood on it. "If you were really alright with this whole thing."

And her answer had sounded as one of acceptance, as in, given everything surrounding her life, this was far a better deal than she had ever expected.

But her actions just less than an hour ago spoke of a very different feeling on the matter.

After all, hadn't her mother just given her an out by figurately throwing Haruno under the bus?

There was also the fact that Yukinoshita had not acted surprised by that reveal, but rather shocked that Yukinoshita-san had brought it up in the first place.

Did that mean Yukinoshita and Haruno had known about it beforehand?

"I want to change my question if you don't mind." After all, if he knew something, it was that Yukinoshita Yukino would not lie.

Maybe because of that she just sat there in silence? To the point that the small, almost timid nod that she gave him almost escaped his notice.

He couldn't stop now though, even as his heart started beating faster and faster by the second.

"Yukinoshita…" He spoke slowly, not wanting his words to be misunderstood. "Is this… is this something that you want?"

He was pretty much asking her if she wanted to get married to him.

Definitely a bit more than just asking someone if they liked him.

Then again, considering his interactions with Miura and Kawasaki, maybe it was he who was behind the times?

…Absolutely not.

But he still needed to know.

After all, he had assumed they were both unwilling participants in this whole debacle.

But with every second that Yukinoshita continued to stare down at her lap in silence, his assumption seemed to be crumbling more and more.

Until finally, she raised her head, her rather glassy eyes now matching his stare with a fire that he rarely saw on her, to the point that, even though he had been the one pressing for answers, he now felt as if he was the one being cornered.

And then she actually spoke.

"I love you, Hikigaya-kun."

Oh…

His fiancée loved him.

Who would have thought?

Pretty sure this is the longest chapter to date. It was going to be even longer at one point, but this is supposed to be a chill story, not a 10k words-per-chapter story, sorry!

Something very important that I wanted to know was to "even the field" so to speak between Saki, Yumiko, and Yukino before the next chapter, so they have all confessed now.

I know some probably wanted more Haruno but that's for another day.

Once again, keep in mind only one more "route" is confirmed. 7 is the total I wanted to work with for this story, and the last one will be revealed soon enough.

The next chapter is going to be a very important and fun one. With any luck, it should be faster than this one.

Thank you for reading this far! And thank you for favs, follows, and reviews!

Also I did publish that Oregairu x Oshi no Ko fanfic if anyone is interested!

Next Chapter: The Birthday Bash of one Yuigahama Yui.

1) Yukinoshita Yukino: "Because of my grandfather, my high-class Club President suddenly became my fiancée."

2) Miura Yumiko: "I discovered the most popular girl in the school is my old childhood friend and now she won't leave me alone!"

3) Kawasaki Saki: "My mundane high school days are being threatened by the Yakuza Princess' constant flirting!"

4) Hikigaya Komachi: "I somehow became the inspiration for my cute little sister's ongoing romantic comedy light novel and now she keeps setting me up with every girl I know!"

5) Totsuka Saika: "My adorable classmate ended up being a girl and now I have to protect her secret with my life!"

6) Isshiki Iroha: "I pretended to be my kouhai's boyfriend to help her and now the whole school thinks we're dating for real and she isn't letting me change their mind!"

7) ?