Making up for lost time
- Chapter 1 -
~The Beginning of the New Service Club~

- Extra -
~ No one saw? ~

Right after Yukino and Hachiman begin heading to the café.

"I wonder if anyone saw us just now…"

"Would that be a problem?" Yukino asked plainly.

"Maybe. You're not worried?"

"There was no one around when I looked, so I'm not going to worry about it." She closed her eyes and gripped onto Hachiman's arm.

"You certainly have nerves of steel…" I guess she doesn't mind... The two continued their walk down the street.

Yukino was actually worried to death.

- Extra -
~ Next morning ~

Hachiman was having a really nice dream—or at least, he thought. As he began to awake, he was questioning whether or not it was truly real. The last thing he remembers was talking to Yukino and holding her soft hand. He could barely believe it, but yet it felt so real. What was I doing last night? Still in doubt that it was real, Hachiman was trying his best to remember. What could have made him have such a dream? Maybe he was playing a visual novel that had a character resembling Yukino, making him dream about doing the same things with her. It was possible, but he felt that wasn't right.

No, he was definitely not at his own house right now. Oh yeah, I'm at Yukino's house… He remembered being roped into staying at the Yukinoshita household. Did I even make it to the futon Yukino rolled out? He looked around still barely awake, attempting to take in his surroundings. His eyes made contact with the futon, but it was still on the other side of the room. Wait, then...?

His eyes were open, and mind fully able to grasp the situation. Yukino's face was right up against his, breathing gently against his cheek—their hands still intertwined. Any closer and they would be practically kissing. His heart rate rose tremendously in the shortest time imaginable. This is really bad… she's right here… asleep…! Deep down he had a small desire to do something to her. Maybe grasp her cheek in his hand or even… something that Hachiman currently had no courage to do. The reality is that the present Hachiman was a bit of a coward. You could argue he was just unsure about what to do, but it would be better to say he was unsure of what he could do.

Hachiman had no idea how far he could take their relationship as it stands. Right now, they were a fledgling couple. Would she even be okay with "that", now or ever? These were the kind of thoughts running through his head. Yukino was a very unique existence, and he was afraid of touching her without her knowing. Hell, she probably had some kind of sixth sense and would wake up the second he did anything, then proceed to give him an icy glare and a death pinch. The phantom pain in his left arm was enough to make him think twice—no, rather five times.

If on the off chance that she was okay with it, would it be alright for their relationship in the long run? He was worried about rushing things too fast. The last thing he wanted was to do something they weren't ready for. Well, kissing isn't too bad but… The picture was too hard to imagine for young Hachiman. No! No! No! there's a time and place for everything. Especially that...! Yeah, that will have to be put on hold for now… Rushing things was not an option.

As he pondered what to do, he remembered a more pressing issue. Her mom…! He panicked but reminded himself that it was her mother that suggested it. Oh, well maybe she won't make a fuss—but… There was hesitation in his mind. He was terribly afraid of Yukino's parents, considering they came from a different world than him.

Yukino's mother was known to be strict and particular when it came to their family image. Here was Hachiman, a boy with no redeeming features, dating their daughter who was beautiful, skilled, and smart. Although her mother had been receptive to him, he was not sure if it was just a façade to lower his guard. After all, he knew that the Yukinoshita women were fearsome creatures. She might goad him into doing something really tiresome, like getting into a tough university just for the sake of improving his public image.

He knew that getting close to Yukino would mean he would have to take on new responsibilities. That was the consequence of getting involved with a Yukinoshita. He had accepted that, but it was no less exhausting to think about. Her father on the other hand was no exception to his anxiety.

Mr. Yukinoshita was the wild card. He never met the man before, nor does he know how he feels about his daughter. Was he overly doting? Overly protective? The hands-off type? He doubted the last one, there was no way that was possible. Hachiman was trying to picture the man that helped give life to his girlfriend.

M-Mafia…? He wondered picturing an older, intimidating man of some kind. Her father was involved with local government, but like other teenagers of his age, never really paid attention to it. The innate human fear of the unknown was currently consuming Hachiman. Is this guy gonna kick my ass if he finds me in her room…!? Whether or not her father had returned home already was what drove him into action.

I'll just—try to make it out of here alive…!

- x -

Yukino was slow to wake up.

"…Why am I sitting on the floor?" She rubbed her eyes groggily. She too could barely remember the last thing that happened before she passed out.

"Ah, my blanket…" Her blanket had been laid across her body as if someone made sure she wouldn't get cold. As she straightened herself, she remembered that Hachiman had stayed the night.

"Hachiman…?" She muttered quietly. However, there was no response. Hachiman wasn't hiding anywhere in her room. "Where did he go…?" The worried Yukino stood and went for the door. She left and began a search around the house. He was not in the kitchen, living room, or any of the bathrooms.

"Yukino-chan?" Haruno's voice called from behind her.

"Nee-san…"

"What are you doing walking around the house?"

"I can't find Hachiman anywhere…"

"Oh what? He's not in the house anymore?"

"No…" She grabbed her right arm anxiously.

"Oh wait, that idiot…! Ahaha! He's really an idiot!" Haruno began a giggling fit now that she knew what was causing Yukino to roam the house like a lost cat.

Her boyfriend was suddenly gone and didn't know what to do. Yukino stood there silently, trying to process the situation. The plan she made with Haruno last night was thrown into chaos.

"He could have at least stayed for breakfast. Doesn't he know he shouldn't just bail in the morning?" She had a hard time keeping her laughter in. "It's like you two had some kind of... pfft…! one night stand…!"

"Nee-san, what are you talking about, nothing happened…"

"That little twerp was worried about mother and father wasn't he, haha...!" Haruno knew exactly what Hachiman was thinking. Hachiman had a high sense of self-preservation and was prone to avoid stressful situations, even if it meant damaging his image in the process. He wanted to avoid seeing her parents after staying in the same room as their daughter, an attempt to avoid any kind of confrontation. It seems Hachiman still has room to grow.

"He didn't have to do that… if it was father he was worried about, he is still away."

"Well, Hikigaya-kun didn't know that didn't he? Oh well, let's just move on. There's always next time. Cheer up Yukino-chan~." Haruno patted her on the back and retreated to the living room, but Yukino was still downcast.

"I guess this will take some time… though I thought we made good enough progress." Yukino sighed. She needed some time to think, so she decided to walk to the front door. A breath of fresh air might help to clear her head she thought. However, her mother intercepted her before she could leave the house.

"Yukino? Are you going outside?" Her mother peaked out of the hallway at just the right time. Yukino was already at the front door.

"Just for a little while. I need some fresh air."

Though Yukino couldn't see it, her mother smiled. "Don't stay out too long, breakfast will be ready soon."

"Of course." Yukino slipped on a pair of outdoor shoes and left the house.

Once outside, she sat down on the steps in front of the door and took in her surroundings. It was not too cold, but there was a breeze that passed through that was fairly chilly to the lightly dressed Yukino. She looked out towards the horizon where the sun was rising. It was just after seven o'clock, so the sun was just barely peaking over the distant buildings.

There were many things I wanted to do with you, watching the sunrise together was one of them. I want to hold you close right now—so much so it hurts. She hugged herself tightly as she thought about Hachiman. After a while, one of the neighbor's cats hopped over the wall and made its way near her.

"Ah, a cat..." For a brief moment, Yukino was able to move her focus to something else less painful. "Come here…" She held her hand out to get the cat to come closer, yet the cat decided to ignore her. "Ah… wait." The cat ran towards the gate, and she followed in pursuit.

She opened the gate and turned left to where the cat was heading. However, she stopped dead in her tracks, losing sight of the cat—something else caught her attention.

"Hachiman…"

"Yo…" Hachiman was up against the wall. "Sorry for—" Before he could say anything further, Yukino dashed into Hachiman and grabbed onto him.

"…You idiot." She lightly punched him. "You… You made me so…"

"Yeah, I know." He wrapped his arms around her. "About that—yeah I'm really sorry. I was dumb."

"You are quite dumb. You didn't say anything, leave a note, or wake me up…"

"I didn't want to disturb you; you were sound asleep."

"You wouldn't be disturbing me—I'd have liked it…"

"O-Oh...?" She made Hachiman blush. Despite being mad at him, she was still cute about it.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, you know?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'll do my best."

Hachiman explained to her the reason why he left so early in the morning. Initially, he planned to bail entirely. However, he ended up running into Yukino's mother. She interrogated him on the spot, which was as scary as it sounds. She was persistent trying to get him to stay, and once Hachiman found out that her husband wasn't home, he decided to stay. Though, he still went out to the convenience store to grab a coffee anyway.

"You really don't have to worry about things like that, you idiot." Yukino sighed.

"H-Hey, I've never met your dad before, I was worried about my wellbeing okay!"

"He's not that bad… and you'll have to meet him soon anyway."

"Ugh…" Hachiman was not pleased about it, but he would have to meet her father at some point. He was beginning to accept fate, although begrudgingly. Yukino—now recovered from her frustration—chuckled at Hachiman.

"Come on, breakfast will be ready soon. Let's head back inside."

"Yeah, sure..." Tugging on his arm, Yukino pulled Hachiman back into the house.

"Hachiman, you haven't forgotten our promise, right?"

"What? Of course not."

"Then please don't do anything stupid again, and think about the situation more okay?"

"Ah sure, I'll do my best…"

"Like last night in the hallway."

"Wait, what...?"

Hachiman is still clueless.