Chapter 4

The Babysitter

"I'm going to need you to take the kids to the park or something."

"…Can I ask why? Also, why me?"

"They don't have classes today and going out would benefit them. I would do it myself but Ai's filming another chapter today and we'll be there most of the day."

"…I see, but—"

"And you're the only one Ai would trust with her children like this, so… I can pay you if that's what you want."

"That's not the issue…"

"Then?"

"…Fine."

"Well… We're here." He announced, the sun shining brightly above them as he inspected the area, finding nothing but children playing around and who he could only assume were their mothers watching over them or gossiping with one another. "I'll sit over there so, just don't go that far away, alright?"

"Ohhhhh…..!"

"Ruby, are you listening to me?"

"Ohhhhh….!"

No, but seriously, this wasn't the first time they even came to this place so why did she keep showing such wonder? He knew they spent way too much time indoors due to their status, but still…

"Aqua, keep an eye on Ruby just in case."

"Of course." They both nodded at one another, with nothing but understanding being shared between them.

"Why don't you play with us?!" Ruby finally left her awe-inspired stupor just to then grab him by the end in an attempt to drag him to one of the play areas.

"You can play with Aqua or the other kids, Ruby." He clarified, making her puff her cheeks in obvious displeasure, which only made him sigh. He was already getting enough looks as it was from the adults here, he didn't need to make it worse when they were trying to be subtle. "Just… don't tell anyone your family name, alright? Don't forget that."

He had been there when Miyako had explained that to them, and this wasn't the first time they had gone out like this, but he still felt like reminding them, just to be sure.

And by them, he meant Ruby because he knew he didn't have to worry about Aqua blabbing it out by accident.

"I'll be sure she doesn't babble it out by accident, Hachiman."

See?

"Stop treating me like a baby!"

Those words would be far more effective if she weren't still puffing out her cheeks, making her look like, well, a baby.

"Just… come back if you need anything, alright?" He scratched the back of his head, hoping this day wouldn't cause them any trouble. "I'll be right over there, so—"

"Hikigaya?"

He froze as soon as he heard that voice, one that he recognized quite well.

He turned slowly, his frowning visage meeting a very confused Kawasaki, whose eyes were moving randomly between him and the twins.

He could only imagine what sort of idea she was already conjuring in that head of hers.

Of course, it would be his luck that Kawasaki would decide to come here today of all days.

"What do we do, Onii-chan? We have to do something!"

"I know, Ruby. That's why I'm trying to think."

"Well think faster before she steals him away!"

"Now you're just being dramatic." He sighed, thinking of how easier it would be to devise a plan if he didn't have Ruby blowing his ear off and shaking him as if the world was about to end.

Then again, he supposed he did understand her point of view. What they were seeing right now was sort of… unprecedented, to say the least.

But maybe it was their fault for just assuming Hachiman had no friends besides Ai, if that could even be considered just a friendly relationship.

Maybe it was also their fault for assuming he wasn't close with any, admittedly attractive, women of his age.

But it wasn't like Hachiman was that forthcoming with his personal life. Besides mentioning his sister occasionally, he seemed more than fine keeping stuff for himself.

It's not like he blamed him anyway. What was he supposed to do? Speak about college with a couple of literal children? Not like he would know that, technically speaking, he was older than him and even Ai.

But it all made this an unexpected situation. Seeing Hachiman sit and talk so… comfortably? with another woman did raise more than a few questions.

Were they friends, or just college classmates? Or did they know each other from before that? Was she his ex, perhaps? Or a fling that happened long ago? Hachiman didn't strike him as the type but one could never be too sure.

Or maybe, and this was easily the worst-case scenario, something was already happening between Hachiman and this… Kawasaki?

"Maybe we can hide the body somewhere."

"I already thought of that but she's too tall and could easily overpower us even if we try together…"

"…That was a joke, Onii-chan."

"…Of course it was."

Surprisingly enough, Ruby went silent right after that, which made him remove his gaze away from the duo sitting on the bench to her, as they both remained hidden behind a tree.

"You don't think…" Ruby started, the frown on her face far more pronounced than before. "You don't think Hachiman's cheating on Mama, do you?"

"…Ruby, those two aren't even together like that." He sighed, truly wondering once again if Ruby was actually like him and had reincarnated.

"I-I know, but still!" She stomped her foot on the grass, now sending him a glare as if he had insulted her. "Mama likes him, and I'm sure Hachiman likes her too so why can't they just…!"

"Things are more complicated than that, Ruby." Of course, she wasn't the only one who had noticed the little dance that was going on between Ai and Hachiman.

And by dance, he truly meant more like a huntress trying to catch a slippery prey because boy was Ai not subtle at all in her endeavors.

And as embarrassing as it was seeing Ai do all but throw herself at Hachiman, he still couldn't help but support her.

He was her… son, after all, past life notwithstanding, and Hachiman was one of the few people he actually trusted enough when it came to Ai and Ruby, especially since Ruby had pretty much imprinted on Hachiman by now.

Hard to not trust a guy that had been willing to take a knife to the gut for his newfound family, after all.

So even though, by all means and terms, Ai and Hachiman weren't together right now…

"Alright, I think I have a plan, Ruby, but I will need your help."

"You got it, Onii-chan!"

That didn't mean he would let an outsider endanger their happiness.

"I thought you were making enough cash on that fancy shop of yours." Kawasaki commented as she took a sip of her water bottle, with sheer curiosity showing on her gaze. "But now you're babysitting too? No wonder you look like you're about to pass out every time I see you."

"Right… that's definitely why."

At least she had bought his excuse about this just being a side gig for some extra cash.

Besides, he had technically told her the truth about babysitting his neighbor's kids, and he was apparently going to get paid so his conscience could remain clean for now.

"And what can I say? Rent is expensive and that." Sure, he had a massive discount because of who had gotten him his current apartment, but that was neither here nor there.

"True enough." She sighed in apparent understanding, before she gave him another, this time softer, look "Those kids seemed to really like you though."

Was that how it had looked?

"Not the first time I've done this." Boy was that an understatement.

"I guess you've always been good with kids." Kawasaki shrugged, now making him look at her with confusion, resulting in her actually smirking at him. "What, don't tell me you already forgot, Haa-chan?"

"Very funny." He didn't need to remember that embarrassing nickname Kawasaki's sister liked to use.

He kept his gaze on the front though, making sure not to lose sight of the twins, who were currently playing… hide and seek? Or at least, they were hiding behind a tree for some reason, so he could only guess.

"What about you?' He asked, curiosity beating him in the end. "This place doesn't strike as your usual hangout area."

"And what would that be? Holed up in my apartment? I still need fresh air from time to time, Hikigaya." She huffed, which only made him shrug. Not like Kawasaki ever struck him like the most social person so surely his question was valid, right?

A rather comfortable silence fell soon after, as he focused mostly on Ruby and Aqua rather than anything else. Sure, the place was relatively a safe one, but one could never be so sure, especially since the twins weren't exactly normal kids given who their mother was.

And since Kawasaki seemed to be fine with the silence…

"Hey, Hikigaya…" Never mind then, as Kawasaki suddenly spoke, getting him to turn to look at her while she gave him a look from the corner of her eyes while attempting to smooth her already pretty smooth-looking hair for some reason. "Are you going to be doing anything later or—"

"Hachiman!"

But Kawasaki's words died on her lips as suddenly, and he could only wonder how someone so small managed to go through such a distance that fast, Ruby appeared and glomped his leg, a grin on her lips and he could have sworn he saw her eyes sparkling.

"Hey, Ruby." He blinked in confusion, not expecting her to just appear like that. Raising his gaze a bit he saw Aqua already walking towards them, albeit at a rather slower pace than what he assumed Ruby had used. "Shouldn't you be playing or something?"

"I wanted to meet Hachiman's friend!" Ruby suddenly declared, right before her gaze zeroed on Kawasaki so fast that it seemingly caught her off guard. "Hello, nice to meet you! My name is Ruby!"

"I-uh…" Kawasaki had definitely not expected to be addressed so formally out of nowhere, and he couldn't even blame her. Since when did Ruby speak like that? "Nice to meet you, Ruby. You can, uh… call me Saki, if you want…"

"Saki-san!" Ruby suddenly said, almost as if tasting the waters, before a smile formed on her lips. "I like it, it's a cute name!"

"C-Cute?" Was Kawasaki really blushing just because of a child's words? At least, her face softened a few seconds later. "Well, you have a cute name too, Ruby."

And as wholesome as Ruby's giggle was as a response, he was still put a bit on edge when her eyes started darting from Kawasaki to himself as her face slowly turned into a frown.

"Are you really Hachiman's friend?" Ruby suddenly asked, making him turn his gaze to a confused Kawasaki, who seemed not to know how to answer that question.

Which was rather understandable. Were they friends? Considering how long they knew each other by now, he supposed they could be, but it was never something they had addressed.

"I-I guess?" Kawasaki's answer was as unsure as it could be, but even then said answer somehow made Ruby pout like the child she was. "It's something… wrong?"

"…I thought Hachiman's only friend was Mama." Ruby whined pettily, her words making his heart jump for a second as he didn't expect her to mention Ai, even if it wasn't by name.

"You're actually friends with their mom?" And now Kawasaki was giving him a raised eyebrow, for on his previous explanation he had made it sound as if they were only neighbors for the sake of avoiding extra questions, but now it seemed that Ruby's words had just made her suspicious.

"Well that's—"

"Yeah, they are!" Ruby interrupted him with a cheer, however, her lips were already moving before he even had a chance to interject. "They even do everything together! They watch TV together, they eat together, they even hug and cuddle all the time!"

Suffice it to say, with each word that left Ruby's mouth, a part of him died on the inside.

The fact that he could visibly see Kawasaki's expression turning grimmer with every word was not helping either.

"And they even sleep—"

He had never moved so fast in his life.

His hand clasped over Ruby's mouth like a blur, with nothing but muffled gibberish being heard.

"Just the babysitter, huh?" Kawasaki's tone was now an accusing one, a glare set on her face that he couldn't really return back with any heat of his own.

Nothing of what Ruby had said was technically wrong, after all, which was a concern for another day all by itself.

"You know how kids are…" Still, he wanted to come up with something here. Not because he needed to justify himself in front of Kawasaki or anything, but because he didn't need his college life to complicate itself even further. "They have an active imagination and that—"

"So you don't like Mama?" Ruby, however, wasn't stopped, and as she used both of her hands to remove his from her mouth, she asked that question in such a crestfallen tone that, if she had started crying right there and there, he wouldn't have been surprised.

"That's…" He struggled to find the right words to say in front of Ruby's teary eyes and Kawasaki's sharp look, but in the end, he could only sigh in defeat, coming to a quick decision. "You know I do, Ruby."

Calming Ruby down took priority over saving face in front of Kawasaki.

Sure, he was now feeling a hole being burned on the side of his head, but if he didn't look at her properly he could pretend it wasn't happening, right?

"I told you to let Hachiman be."

Aqua finally joined them, coming in with a tired expression aimed at Ruby, with him barely even sparing a glance at Kawasaki as he took Ruby's hand in his own.

"Sorry about that." Aqua said, sounding truly apologetic. "Hope she didn't bother you too much."

"It's cool…" Kawasaki was the one that answered first, her gaze softening as it moved to the twins.

"Now c'mon, let's let the grown-ups be—"

"But I want to play with Hachiman!" Had Ruby always been this spoiled? Just today he had just seen her both overly polite and acting like an outright brat, which were two extremes he rarely saw Ruby behaving as.

"Ruby…" But before he could even address the issue, Aqua's voice came out as a warning, prompting Ruby to pout before nodding reluctantly, to which Aqua followed with another sigh before his gaze went to him, and then right to Kawasaki. "Once again, I apologize. Ruby is usually not like this."

He parted his lips, trying to get his voice in before Kawasaki replied herself, in a vain attempt to reclaim control over the situation.

Unexpectedly though, it wasn't Kawasaki who beat him to the punch, but rather Aqua himself.

"She's just been like this ever since she saw Mom sleeping with Hachiman."

Wait what.

"Goodbye miss, goodbye Hachiman."

No wait, he couldn't just leave after saying something like that.

Aqua what the fuck? He was supposed to be the smart one of the two!

"…Sleeping with the mom, he says…"

Kawasaki's accusatory whisper came right after Aqua bolted out of the place with Ruby in toe, while he himself had his own hand raised, almost as if attempting to get Aqua back so he could clear up the misunderstanding created by his careless wording.

"Kawasaki, look—"

"Guess now I know why you've been so tired lately." She huffed before she stood up, glaring down at him as if he had committed some sort of crime. "And here I was feeling bad for you."

"That's not—"

"Is this the part where you tell me it's not what it sounds like and that it's all a misunderstanding?"

"…"

"See ya' later, Hikigaya."

The walk back home was a silent one, with the twins walking in front of him as he tried to think of the best way to approach this.

Of course, he wasn't petty enough to get honestly upset at a couple of children for getting him in trouble with Kawasaki. Kids would be kids, he supposed, and he had no authority over them to admonish them or anything like that.

Rather, it was more like his own fault for being so careless, not only at the park itself, but rather whenever he was with Ai.

He was… probably giving them a wrong impression by now, and considering everything that they had looked them do, he couldn't even fault them for that. Kids were impressionable after all, so the only guilty ones here were Ai and himself.

He would need to talk about this with her, that was for sure.

"Sorry, Hachiman."

He was taken out of his thoughts by Aqua's suddenly talking, his gaze going low which let him see the frown that both twins were sporting as they looked back at him.

"For interrupting your date, I mean…"

Was that how it looked to them? Weren't they too young to even know what a date was?

"It wasn't a date, Aqua." He clarified while scratching the back of his neck. "And you guys didn't interrupt anything so don't worry about it."

Sure, the afternoon could have gone better than this, and he would most definitely have to talk with Kawasaki after she calmed down, but things could have gone worse… maybe?

As long as Kawasaki didn't decide to gossip with her family, as that would inevitably reach Komachi, everything should be fine.

He raised an eyebrow though, when he saw Aqua and Ruby share a look.

It was a subtle one, a 'blink and you miss it' sort of moment.

But he could have sworn he saw their lips twitch upward for just a second there.

"Mama!"

"My babies!"

At least, he had finally returned them to their proud mother, so as he let out a sigh of relief, he could only think that the day was finally coming to an end.

"Did you two have fun with Hachiman?"

"Yeah! We even met one of his friends!"

Wait, no…

"Oh? Did you now?"

"Yeah, it was a pretty lady with silver hair!"

"A pretty lady you say…"

"But not as pretty as you, mama!"

"She seemed to be prety close with Hachiman though."

Aqua, not you too…

"Hmmm you don't say..."

Now usually, Hoshino Ai was the furthest thing away from 'scary' as one could be.

But the gaze she sent his way, even as she kept hugging Ruby and Aqua, had her somehow both smiling and yet with no light reaching her eyes.

It was… concerning, to say the least.

"Please, do tell me more about Hachiman's lady friend."

…Miyako better be giving him a good pay for this.

No Ai for this one, only the kids.

A bit of Aqua's POV here for testing the waters before next chapter, which is going to be mostly outside of Hachiman's POV

Once again, thank you all for having read this far!

Next Chapter: Ai's day.