Chapter 9

Protection

"Hikigaya-kun?"

"Yes?"

"May I ask you something?"

He had to bite his tong to avoid giving out a sassy remark about how she had, just in fact, already asked him something, not because he didn't want to say it, but because, even though the day had barely just started, he was already feeling exhausted.

"Sure."

"Is everything all right with Komachi-san?"

"...What makes you think there is anything wrong with her?" He asked slowly, knowing already what her source of concern was, but still feeling as if he had to protect Komachi's pride or something.

"Well..." She didn't finish her sentence, and instead simply turned to look behind her, an action that he followed suit right after, his face going into a grimace at the sight.

"...!"

So perhaps seeing Komachi scribbling down on a notebook right before looking up at them, and then repeat the cycle wasn't the most...comforting of looks.

Specially since she had been doing that ever since they had left the house, for today Komachi had insisted on walking to school with them.

He should have known something was off when he couldn't find the notebook he had taken from her.

And he could only imagine the kind of stuff she was actually writing right now in that thing, especially with the look of apparent glee she was sporting right now

But it wasn't like he could explain any of that to Yukinoshita, now, could he?

Well, technically he could, but he would rather not make the already awkward enough morning even worse, and Komachi had also made him promise to not reveal her secret to anyone else so...

There was only one answer he could give here.

"She's going through puberty." He said with as much seriousness as he could muster.

Not that it helped stopping Yukinoshita from giving him the most unimpressed look he had seen in her face in a while now, but at least he tried.

"If you didn't want to answer, you could have just said so."

"I'm not joking, Yukinoshita." He pushed on, however. "Perhaps you rich people wouldn't get it, but us commoners get on some weird stuff at around her age that we can, years later, think back on it and then die from second-hand embarrassment."

Source: A friend's neighbor's cousin.

"I see..." She still didn't look entirely convinced, but at the very least it seemed she was actually pondering his words now. "Did that happen with you too?"

"I rather not talk about it." What part of second-hand embarrassment didn't she get? His morning was already rough, was she trying to kill him or something?

"Would you rather we talk about you rejecting my offer, then?"

Oh right, he had done that yesterday, hadn't he?

In his defense, he as rejected every offer he had gotten yesterday, not just Yukinoshita's, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

Because, contrary to popular belief, he actually didn't like being pushed around by strong-willed women.

Maybe if they really needed his help, he would have relented, but they all knew about Yuigahama's taste far better than him, and even Kawasaki could just ask Ebina rather than him.

Too many things happening at the same time left him longing for a few days just to himself, to say the least.

"I'm busy, there's nothing much I can do."

"For the entire week? You?" The cold edge of her voice could not be ignored, but there wasn't really much else he could do about it, now was there?

"I do have a life, you know?"

"..."

She wasn't buying it in the slightest, but it wasn't like she could do anything by now anyway.

"Bye bye, Onii-chan, Yukino-neesan!"

At least they had finally reached school, and while a part of him was fine with Komachi dashing away from them first, he could have lived without her referring to Yukinoshita like that.

Especially given the way she blushed at hearing that.

He did not need her getting even weirder ideas on that head of hers.

Sadly, it seemed such thing was inevitable, not because of Komachi though, but rather because his peers had nothing better to do than to gossip away as they walked through them.

"Isn't that the guy that's been getting too cozy with Yukinoshita-sama?"

"Yeah, who does he think he is, huh?"

"Shhh, don't say anything, didn't you hear?!"

"Hear what?"

"You'll die if you bother him, that's what!"

Such and such comments were heard, and as little as they really bothered him, or Yukinoshita for that matter, he still caught on the fact that the nature of the gossips seemed to have suddenly...shifted?

Before, he was scum that seemed to have dirt on Yukinoshita or something.

Now they seemed more...afraid? Than anything else, almost as if he was going to smite them for looking at him funny.

Teenagers were weird.

A hasty goodbye to Yukinoshita later though, he was ready to go into his classroom and, hopefully, at least have some semi normal hours of classes.

"What did you do?"

All those hopes were washed away the moment Kawasaki's head popped out of the room before he could even enter, a frown on her face.

"I just got here, woman. I haven't had the chance to do anything." Was his answer, not knowing what she was even on about.

"Just... don't let them get to you, ok?" Her words made even less sense the more she talked. "I tried to make them move but the blonde bitch threatened to call the teacher."

Well, now he knew Miura was somehow involved if he had to take a guess, but that still didn't tell him much.

It did fill him with a growing sense of dread however, and now he didn't really feel like going into class.

But the sound of the bell sealed his fate, so with a last sigh he simply went inside, pushing through Kawasaki to try and see what the issue was about.

And, if he was being honest, no amount of warning of preparations could have readied him for...whatever this was.

It was as if the entirety of the dynamic in the classroom had shifted, and he could feel the tension in the air, to the point he wasn't surprised he felt so many eyes land on him the moment he got inside.

But that wasn't what bothered him. If it was just unrelated stuff, he would have just found a way to ignore it.

But this was certainly an act done because of him.

And the perpetrator was more than obvious to anyone with half a brain.

"Morning, Hikio."

For Miura Yumiko was grinning at him from her apparent new seat.

Because she was now sitting right behind his own seat, instead of on the opposite end of the room as per usual.

And she wasn't the only one that swapped spots.

"Morning, Hikigaya-kun!"

"Sup, Hikittani!"

"H-hey, Hikki..."

Ebina was sitting in front of him, while Yuigahama and Tobe were sitting to Miura and Ebina's left respectively, pretty much sitting behind and in front of Kawasaki's also newfound spot.

He could even see the other two stooges whose name he cared too little to remember right now sitting closer, and something told him the only reason Kawasaki hadn't been booted of her seat is because she hadn't let them.

Which was another issue that he didn't have the will to deal with right now, as he was too busy glaring down at an obviously amused Miura.

What did she think she was doing?

If this was some sort of convoluted way of dragging him towards her little group then, she was going to get severely disappointed by his response.

"Sit down, class has started already."

Sadly though, there wasn't much he could do right now with the teacher's arrival, and even Kawasaki's and Yuigahama's apologetic looks as he walked to his seat did little to help his mood.

He said nothing as he sat however, deciding that if he even acknowledged Miura, it was as good as letting her win.

And as petty as it sounded, right now he wasn't willing to give her anything of the sort.

"Can I ask you something, Hikigaya-kun?"

He sighed, honestly surprised she had taken this long to say anything after whisking away Kawasaki with something about a teacher looking for her.

Which, in retrospective, had been an obvious lie.

Why would Ebina lie just to get him on his lonesome during lunch break though?

Well, he could take a guess.

And it involved a certain meddlesome blonde.

"Just ask already." Once again, the temptation to make a snide comment was there, but he decided to skip it in order to end this meeting before it ruined his entire lunchbreak.

He might be a bit cross with the entirety of Miura's clique right now, so say the least.

"Someone's grumpy." Ebina's laughter did little to help his mood, but at least she stopped when he glared at her. "Fine fine, I just wanted to know what you were going to do about Yumiko, that's all."

"And why would I tell you if I was planning to do anything about her?" He responded immediately and with a raised eyebrow. "First thing you would do would be to tell her anyway, so I think I'll pass."

"You wound me, Hikigaya-kun." She did not look wounded at all. "I know how to keep a secret, you know? Specially since I do want to help you both, not just Yumiko."

"Yeah, I definitely saw that today." He clicked his tongue, right now not caring that much if Ebina took offense to that.

"You know she's only doing this to help you, right?" Ebina continued, her smiling visage turning into a more neutral expression. "She told me someone almost beats you just for hanging around Yukinoshita-san too much lately. No one is going to try that again if they think you're in the same group as Yumiko and Hayato-kun."

"So now you guys are the mob and I have to pay for protection?" Didn't Ebina realize how crazy she was sounding right now?

"I think there are worse payments than having to spend time with a cute girl." Ebina was back to giggling, to which he could only snort. Miura's appearance did little to balance the sheer mental toll that it was dealing with her from time to time, let alone on daily basis.

"I'm still waiting for an answer, by the way." She probed once again as she adjusted her glasses. "I find it hard to believe you haven't thought about doing something by now."

She was technically right, and at the same time, she was not.

"I'm going to do nothing." Which is why the answer came flowing out of him with ease, not because he trusted Ebina in the slightest, but because in his opinion there was little she could do to mess with it. "Sooner or later Hayama is going to return from...whatever the hell he is doing, and Miura will go back to fawn over that guy's every word, and then we can all go back to ignoring each other like before and live happily ever after. The end."

A sound plan if he could say so himself.

But when he got no answer from Ebina, it made him turn his gaze from his meal, which Kawasaki had crafted expectedly once again, to her.

He found her with her gaze glued against his own, no expression on her face, almost as if she had been suddenly frozen in time.

The fact that this lasted for a few seconds when she didn't even move did actually worry him for a moment, but just as he was about to break the silence, she beat him to the punch by finally reacting.

Just not in the way she had expected.

Because the only thing she did was to laugh.

But it wasn't a small giggle or chuckle like before, no.

It was a full blown, belly-holding laughter that even had tears threatening to leave her eyes.

It almost looked like she was about to fall off and start just rolling on the floor, that's how intense it looked to him.

"T-that's a good one, Hikigaya-kun." And it even took several minutes before Ebina was able to do anything else, and even then, small giggles were still leaving her mouth. "Y-you...really have no idea, do you?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" If Ebina's reaction hadn't been enough to annoy him, her cryptic words certainly did.

The fact that she suddenly stood up, apparently already deeming their unscheduled lunch meeting finished, only made his gaze narrow even more.

"It means..." She started, right before she touched her lips with her finger. "That you're severely underestimating Yumiko's feelings. If you think she'll stop just because of Hayato-kun then, you really don't understand her at all just yet."

But as she moved to leave through the door of the rooftop, she left him with a last set of words.

"She has spent the last decade waiting for you, Hikigaya-kun, and I don't think she'll ever be willing to let go of you now that she knows you didn't forget her entirely."

"Senpai has been growing more popular every day hmmmm."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He wouldn't have agreed to help her instead of going to the clubroom if he had known she would be acting like this.

"Are you sure? I keep hearing Senpai's been getting cozy with Yukino-senpai-"

"Maybe you shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"-And now Senpai has even been adopted by Miura-senpai!"

"I will drop these boxes right here and now if you ever say the word 'adopted' to me in that context ever again, I swear."

The pout Ishiki sent his way got met with a glare of his own.

"But don't worry, Senpai. I'll forgive you if you reconsider your plans and take me to buy Yui-senpai a gif-"

"I'll pass."

"At least pretend to think about it!"

"Just...go do whatever you do as president or something." They had finally reached the Student Council's room, so he was finally able to let go of the boxes he had been convinced of carrying like a mule.

"This does not end here." Her glare, alongside her pointing at him with her finger was far less threatening considering the other girls he was forced to interact with nowadays.

At the very least, it seemed she had relented for now.

Or at least, that's what he had thought, but right as she seemed to finally let him go, it was as if she had seen something right behind him, for her eyes suddenly widened, and even he could tell she had grown suddenly tense.

That, of course, prompted him to turn around to see whatever had gotten that reaction out of Ishiki of all people.

"Senpai!"

Or he would have if Ishiki hadn't suddenly yelled with enough might to make him jump on his spot.

"Are you going insane? I'm right here." He complained, which was seemingly ignored given the look of focus Ishiki was giving him, a far cry from her usual sly look.

"I need a favor." She declared in a whisper, making him frown.

"I already helped you, in case you've forgotten."

"I need another favor." She clarified, while batting her eyelashes at him in a way that he was sure was meant to convince him of helping her.

It did little in that department.

"It'll be quick I promise!"

But damn even he had to admit that pleading look she was now giving him was harder to reject.

"What is it?" He relented with a sigh, earning a smile in return, which, for some reason, was accompanied by her cheeks reddening a bit.

"Just hold your arms like this." And then she opened her arms wide, which he ended up mimicking mostly out of confusion as he tried to understand what she was trying to-

She hugged him.

No, scratch that, it was more like she was embracing him than anything else, with the way her arms circled around his back and her head rested in his chest.

To say that he was caught off guard would be putting it lightly, to the point he didn't even know what to do with his arms, so he just kept them raised, even as heat started to go to his cheeks.

"Ishiki, what the fuck?!" He hissed down at her, failing to comprehend what had gotten into her so suddenly.

"Shh, just for a bit longer, ok?" Her whispered response wasn't exactly the best explanation either.

"But why are you-" He started, but he stopped himself the moment he saw her move her head to the side, her eyes glued to whatever sight was behind him, which made him try and turn his head to look back once more.

This time he succeeded, but he found nothing but an empty hallway.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Senpai." And then, quite unceremoniously, she broke off the hug and jumped, almost as if the contact had somehow burn her.

Her attempts at acting nonchalantly by coughing in her fist were completely invalidated by her burning up face, however.

"Are you going to explain what that was about or-"

"Bye-bye, Senpai!"

And then she ventured into the Student Council's room without missing a beat, while pretty much closing the door to his face, leaving him somehow even more perplexed.

Was there something on Sobu's water supply that was getting to everyone he knew?

Why was he doing this?

He was supposed to be back at his home already, pretending that his old, boring school life wasn't crumbling even more with each passing day.

But instead of that, here he was, at a mall.

Specifically, he was here to get a gift for Yuigahama.

The very same thing he had told like four other people he could not do because of his busy schedule.

And yet, here he was, still in his uniform and with his phone in his hand.

Once again, he wondered what he was doing here.

And once more, the answer came in the form of re-reading Komachi's last text, as she asked him in the cutest way possible to help her get a gift for Yuigahama's party.

Of course, he had agreed.

Definitely because he was a good brother and not because she had guilt-tripped him about it.

Besides, he did need to get something for Yuigahama anyway, so it wasn't like he didn't need to do this.

He had just planned on doing it on his own.

Not that he had told that toanyone. He didn't want to die.

Komachi was taking too long, however, and it was starting to worry him. She did say she had to do something first and that he should go on ahead, but still...

"Sorry, I needed to get changed first!"

But when a voice finally regarded him, instead of relief, it only made the hairs at the back of his neck stand up in attention.

That...wasn't Komachi's voice.

He turned slowly, almost robotically, until his gaze landed on the owner of the voice he recognized quite well.

"You're still on your uniform? Well, guess it suits you, so I'll let it pass for today."

It was Miura, a smile on her face and a twinkle on her eyes.

And when his phone buzzed a second later, he had a hunch as to what it was before he even read the text.

'Have fun, Onii-chan! Tell Yumiko-neesan I said hi!

He loved Komachi very much.

But next time he saw her he was burning that damn book of hers to the ground.

There we go. Sorry for the delay. Not much to say about this one. Are things getting clearer with Iroha now? I would say she's next but, that would be a lie.

Next one is the curveball.

Some people have asked about my inspiration for some of the "plots" so to speak. I'll explain them more when we get them all, but I will say Yukino's and Yumiko's are just super popular tropes so I can't pinpoint one series specifically for them.

Thank you all for your patience and for having read this far!

Next Chapter: Enter, Totsuka Saika.

Plots so far:

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!"