The so-called idol couldn't start making up excuses fast enough. But Hachiman couldn't listen to her right off the bat. Actually, he wanted to. But he wasn't allowed to get in the girl's face and press her for answers. Instead, Zaimokuza and Miura pushed him further back; creating a human wall between him and the bug that had intruded and damaged Komachi's face. Which forced Hachiman to try and go around them, and that ended with a back and forth that just pissed him off even more.

"I understand this bastard, but even you?" Hachiman hissed, glaring at the blonde that had teamed up with the idol fan among the group.

"He's right for once. You're insane if you think I'll let you beat someone up just because she hurt your sister." Miura stated while holding a ready stance, knees bent and arms stretched. Prepared to catch or wrestle Hachiman if needed be.

"Thank you for the vote of trust, but I take offense in that." Zaimokuza fixed his glasses, deadly serious even though he didn't look as ready to clash with Hachiman.

"You're too obsessive." Miura complained, tearing her eyes off Hachiman to say that. Which only prompted Zaimokuza to chuckle proudly.

"It's called "living life to the max", Miura-san. I don't know if you've heard of the concept."

"I don't care about any of that, move." Hachiman growled, jabbing a finger in the direction of the idol. "I just want to make a couple of questions, force the answers out of her a little bit."

"Man, Hikigaya-sama's really serious now." Ebina stood farther away, like a neutral party just witnessing Hiratsuka put herself between the idol and Komachi. The girl with glasses just crossed her arms, resting her shoulder against one of the walls farthest from Hachiman. "You really messed up there, Nino-chan."

"You're one of his friends, right? Why don't you help me too?" That's right. Be scared, bitch. That's what you get for hurting…

"Nah, I'm good here. Ain't no way I'm stepping between these siblings." Ebina uncoiled one of her arms and gave the panicking girl a thumbs up. "Good luck, tho!"

"So much for faithful fans…!" The brunette cringed, looking toward Hachiman while he remained locked behind his two traitorous friends. And recoiling when she found him glaring at her all the same.

"Why does everyone think I'm a fan? You're confusing me with Yoshi-dono." Ebina shrugged and looked away; so smugly that it wouldn't have been strange if she pulled out her phone and started recording the whole thing.

"Don't worry, Nino-chan-sama. I'll protect you with my life." Zaimokuza stated with so much confidence that Hachiman actually flinched, fearing for a moment that the thicker guy would actually attack him out of fanaticism.

No such thing happened, but Hachiman dialed it down a bit. Just in case.

"Don't make this weird! Weirder." Miura hissed, pushing her elbow onto Zaimokuza with some annoyance.

The absolute bastard did not move a millimeter.

"Is this house just filled with psychopaths?" The idol looked more scared for her life, turning to Hiratsuka for help. "Hey, you're the one in charge. Right? Can you…?"

"Hmmm. She got you good." Hiratsuka, however, had given the idol her back. And was checking on Komachi's face with the same precision that someone who'd punched people in the face before would. "Any dizziness? Nausea? Ringing in the ears?"

"Nope." Komachi didn't put a lot of emotion in her tone. Simply blinking when Hiratsuka mentioned the dizziness. "I'm good."

"See? She said she's good." The idol with the hit marks on the face motioned toward Hachiman's sister.

"You're so dead all the same." He jabbed a finger in her direction.

"But why?!"

"Stop trying to argue!" Miura yelled, turning her head a bit so that the idol knew she was being talked to. "He won't listen!"

"Right. This is the guy that was fighting with…"

"Fighting is a bit of an overstatement." Ebina put a hand out, like she was saying the obvious. "More like, bantering, enrolling in a friendly spar of wits. Flirting, even."

"Oh, like with Yukinoshita junior?" Miura sounded actually surprised, a bit glad too? "That's something I haven't seen in full force in a while."

"Good times…" Zaimokuza nodded, giving himself a moment to think of something else than his beloved idol.

"You do realize that Saitou's around Hiratsuka-sensei's age, right?" Hachiman quickly intervened, feeling like his credibility had suddenly taken a sharp turn for the worse. At least, he wanted to make sure Komachi didn't…

"Oh, jeez. Don't remind me." Komachi looked away, visibly growing uncomfortable with the line of conversation.

"You were flirting with an older woman?" Hiratsuka turned around. Slowly. Glaring at Hachiman like he'd just made a comment about her age.

"I was not. Not with an older woman, not with anyone." Hachiman quickly crossed his arms above his chest. Forming a big 'X' to get his point across. "She started it."

"That's literally how you flirt." Ebina insisted.

"No, it is not." Hachiman growled.

"Explain Yukinoshita, then." Miura added.

"It's not… It's not just her." Hachiman swallowed painfully. Not being quite ready to have himself be questioned on this particular topic. "I've done it with both Haruno-san and Hiratsuka-san before. So it's not just Yukino."

"…" Miura gave Hachiman an unimpressed look.

"All beautiful women." Ebina shrugged.

Hiratsuka was covering her face with a hand.

"Onii-chan…" Komachi also crossed her arms, getting Hachiman to start sweating cold. "Please stop digging your own grave."

"You've got it wrong…" Hachiman tried to reach out for his sister, but the other two blocking him still did their job.

"What is wrong with all of you…?" The idol now looked weirded out instead of scared.

"Oh, don't give me that, rainbows and sugar girl." Miura actually turned around fully and pointed at the idol. "I bet one of you is even worse than all of us combined, so shut it."

"I'm not the one talking about fighting to seduce someone though!"

"They're just trying to break the tension, trash." Hachiman interrupted. Hoping that the idea that popped up first would stick.

"Why would you call me…?"

"Now. Given that Hikigaya is not looking to attack this girl anymore…" Hiratsuka coughed on her fist, putting up some airs of control before continuing. "Why is she here?"

"Well, I…"

"I don't believe you." Hachiman interrupted.

"Stop that!"

"Let Nino-chan speak!" Zaimokuza echoed the girl.

"I don't care about what she has to say." Hachiman glared at him. "I'll…"

"This is going nowhere. Komachi-chan, if you will?" Hiratsuka interrupted, giving the youngest of the bunch a look for her to start.

Komachi sighed and rolled her eyes.

"So, I was using the groceries money to buy the new tome of psychopathic fighting Ai-chan when…"

"Komachi-chan." One of friends had shaken her a bit by the hem of her blouse, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "The girl in the sports sweater has been following us for a bit."

Now, as a regular girl… What do you do? For every time her brother had told her to be careful, to watch out for creeps and weirdos, there had been a moment where she'd tell him not to overthink things. To stop making her nervous, because these things don't happen in real life. At most, Komachi had been pursued a little too hard by a guy at school. But that hadn't led anywhere dangerous, and she continued to live her normal life.

Until that moment.

No one likes to think that bad things will happen to them. Bad news are usually understood as one step separated from people. Things that happen to others and that surely, for certain, won't apply to "me". One of such fallacies are so common place that people are actually surprised when they find themselves being in the center of something bad happening, that degree of separation tricks them. Make them stop and get scared because their defense mechanism had always been thinking that "it won't happen to me though".

Except, Hikigaya Komachi had an experience with someone creepy fresh in her mind. Even if not directly concerning her. It still popped into her mind so suddenly and so vividly that she froze in place, and had to fight the urge to look in the direction that friend-chan told her.

How could she not panic?

At first, they tried to go easy on the girl. Going to the nearest mall, see if the guards would deter her from following them anymore. Technically, this could be a coincidence. Nothing wrong with dressing up to avoid detection and go check on those forbidden fanservice-packed stories that girls frowned upon when guys showed them during class. However, and this was a big one, Komachi had a really bad feeling about this. She didn't recognize the girl at first, but the more she and friend-chan moved around, the more evident it became that they were the stalker's target. And so, Komachi decided to take matters into the public restrooms. Where she waited behind the door to see if the girl would enter.

She didn't, so Komachi waited around a bit more before opening the door and revealing the same girl trying to enter.

"Gah!"

"Kyaa?!"

The two of them had startled the other, and Komachi did the first thing that she could and shoved her aside. Breaking into a run to find a guard as fast as possible.

Now, there's something that Hachiman didn't know thus far. Apparently, this idiot was supposed to be wearing something on her face. Some way to mask her real identity, just so no one could tell.

Like, it made sense, but being told this and the fact that Komachi's violent shove had her lose the cloth/hat/whatever did make what happened next be painted in a different light.

"Wait!" The creepy woman abandoned all pretense of being a decent human being, so she chased down Komachi directly. Prompting the cutest little sister in existence to panic even more, double her efforts to flee, and tripping over the floor in such a way that she slid a bit on it before the other girl could catch up.

"Get away from me!" Komachi kicked up when the girl managed to catch up, hitting her on the stomach and making her bend over because she didn't expect to get kicked by the girl she was trying to reach toward.

She made a strange sound, and Komachi scrambled to get to her feet. Giving the creep her back for a couple of seconds, which had been Komachi's only mistake (if she could ever make one, of course).

"You…!" The girl pulled on Komachi's sleeve and punched her on the face. Getting the younger Hikigaya to stumble and look back. Completely startled as the idiot idol reeled back too. "Wait. I didn't mean to…"

Komachi whacked the idiot with the soft side of her hand. Making the girl unable to resist being grabbed by the hair so that Komachi could actually hit her for real.

She managed to put up some form of defense, lifting her arms to block the punches. But Komachi simply released her head and grabbed both arms to push her back and pull her closer.

Making her hit herself didn't do much damage, but it did mean that in her panic to stop being whacked, she lowered her guard and that let Komachi punch her again. Except that this time, it made the girl fall and bought Komachi enough time to keep running away.

"…and that's when the guards showed up." Komachi sighed. "They probably heard the screaming and went to see what was happening. This girl just chased me down from there."

"If I'm caught by the police, my career is over!" The creepy idol complained, jabbing a finger at Komachi like she hadn't done enough damage already. "Why did you have to go full gorilla on me?!"

Gorilla? Who? Komachi? Oh… Now she did it. Now her career was over for real. Hachiman would make sure to…

"Because you were stalking me?!" Komachi looked actually offended by the question.

"You didn't have to fight though!"

"Yes, I did!"

"But why?!"

"BECAUSE I'M NOT STUPID!" The younger Hikigaya screeched so loudly that Hiratsuka actually had to push her back a bit. "For all I know you could've wanted my young, unblemished organs and I had no chance if you got reinforcements!"

"Actually, fighting her head on wasn't the smartest move." Hiratsuka interjected, using her 'teaching tone' while placing a reassuring hand on Komachi's shoulder. "Remember: Only when absolutely necessary should you do it. The best defense is one you never have to use."

"Yeah, well. I was scared."

"Understandable." Ebina stole the word right out of Hachiman's mouth.

"What part of me looks threatening though…?"

"I still don't understand why she's here." Hachiman crossed his arms, still having the shitty idol in sight.

"Right. So, after I noticed she'd followed me I realized that…"

"She tried to kick my ass again." The brunette interrupted.

"That's…!" Zaimokuza tried to say something, but Hachiman put a hand on his shoulder. Murderous intent wholly centered on him. "…probably not the whole picture. Do continue, Komachi-sama."

"I admit I did try to knock her out a little. But then I recognized her." Komachi looked away. Not at all looking regretful for her actions.

Good, she didn't do anything wrong.

"So you brought her here, knowing your brother was studying." Hiratsuka nodded to herself.

"No, she started complaining to me…"

"Because she almost killed me!"

"…and I figured she should bother someone else. Her employer, for example." Komachi looked back at Hachiman. Expression filled with nothing but seriousness again. "She had a lot of silly questions, but the point is that I don't actually know how to get rid of her without the police asking questions. So please get rid of her."

"You can't do that. The rest of the group know I came here, if you make me disappear, they…"

"Hold on. This… This took a strange turn." Zaimokuza interrupted the idol for the first time, earning himself being released from Hachiman's grip. "What do you mean disappear? Sorry to bother with my question, but it's…"

"Stupid?" Hachiman offered.

"Nonsensical." Zaimokuza looked back with seriousness.

"I don't know…" The idol sighed, looking wholly defeated. "Everyone had their own theories, and most of them weren't even making sense to themselves. I didn't want to come; I just know that they were all wrong. They sort of didn't give me a choice…"

Hachiman blinked when the others looked at each other.

"What."

"I've come for the truth!"

"No… Okay." Hachiman pressed his fingers on his forehead and eyes. "You came all the way here… Because the other idols wanted you to come?"

"I, well, I did say some things myself…"

"Like what?" Miura tilted her head.

"That doesn't matter! What matters is that I'll expose you! You and your creepy friend will…"

"Why does everyone assume I'm friends with Haruno-san?!" Hachiman couldn't help interrupting, feeling exasperated more than angry now. "Like, seriously people! We don't like each other. Where is that coming from?"

"Maybe because you're one of the few people she actually, like, recognizes as a living being." Miura told him with a side glance.

"Ugh…"

"Is it that bad, actually?" Ebina pursed her lips. "Like, I can't help think y'all are exaggerating."

"Haruno is… A special case." Hiratsuka cringed. "Just like Hikigaya."

"Please don't rope me in the same category as that woman. That's slander."

"Kid, you're here having this conversation because I beat you into shape." Hiratsuka reminded him with a dangerous tone. "You were never precisely the most normal person at school."

"Onii-chan was fine…" Komachi complained. "I believed what people said a little too much but… Onii-chan was always going to be fine."

Hearing that gave Hachiman pause, seeing his little sister agonizing over something, even more. There were things that she wanted to say, things she saved to herself because they'd hurt him. But he wanted to think that that was part of life. She'd grow out of her bratty tendencies, some of them, and learned to meet him halfway. Like every relationship, like every pair of siblings. With their lives intertwined, not by blood, but by living through the same life along each other.

"Thanks." Was all Hachiman could say, given that he didn't have the time or the energy to fully understand what Komachi meant.

In place of a straight answer, she gave him a small smile.

"You didn't become better, onii-chan. You were always great from the beginning. Just… A little immature, is all."

Hachiman didn't know what to say to that except…

"I disagree."

"You're entitled to your opinion." Komachi looked down, a bit embarrassed.

Ebina's sidewise smirk also embarrassed Hachiman, a lot. He stared down for a bit, letting Komachi's words spread warmth through his chest. Making him smile a bit, lifting his face and stretching his back a bit.

Somehow… He felt a lot prouder about himself now.

"I… Kind of feel out of place now." The idol broke the spell while trying to pull back and getting Hiratsuka to grip at her tighter.

"You are. You shouldn't be here." The older woman sighed, releasing her immediately and shaking her head with some tiredness. "I need a cigar. Anyone has one?"

"Smoking would kill my career." Miura huffed.

"Not my thing." Ebina added.

"It stinks." Komachi frowned.

"Nah."

"It'd ruin my art." Zaimokuza finished.

"Well, damn. I'll go check if I have some…" Hiratsuka turned back and left to the kitchen, where she yelled at them from. "Where's my lighter?!"

"I don't know, it's your house!" Miura replied for them.

The idol turned around, looking at the small corridor that'd let her leave. Then turned to face everyone.

"We're not stopping you, if that's what you're wondering about." Miura crossed her arms. "You've told us enough. Piss off, you'll be in trouble anyway."

"No way this guy can talk to the Saitou if he wants…" The idol let out a tired sigh.

Hachiman just shrugged.

"What the hell? Who are you anyways? Do you have ties to big names? Are you the son of a gangster? Are you extorting Ai-chan for favors?" With each question, her desperation grew a little more. But she didn't quite explode. It was weird, doubly so because Hachiman couldn't help comparing her to the sides of Hoshino he'd seen. And it gave him an even weirder picture.

This idol didn't flip a switch and transform, Hoshino seemingly did. What the hell is going on?

"I was just in the wrong place at the wrong moment." Hachiman shrugged.

"Bullshit! You… You…!"

"Do I look like a cri… No, never mind that." Hachiman scoffed, looking at the others for support. But their attention was also on him. They were letting Hachiman lead the conversation. "It doesn't matter. If you have questions, ask Saitou-san."

"Like hell I'll get my answers. It's always been like this. No matter how hard we try, to far we go. If it's about Ai-chan we…"

"Ah, sorry to interrupt." Ebina lifted a hand, clearly out of her silly mode. "Yoshi-dono, you might want to sit this one out. Wouldn't want to ruin your image about your precious girls."

Hachiman returned his attention to the other guy in the room, seeing him still giving Hachiman his back.

He was tense. Hachiman hadn't noticed, but Zaimokuza was clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going. Clearly being there for a reason beyond just being supportive and a good friend.

"I…"

"Really?" Miura scoffed.

"It's fine." Hachiman interjected before she could make things worse. "It's something he cherishes."

"Right, but…"

"Your own sport has its issues relating to players, trainers… Hell, I'm pretty sure you can see the parallels in this whole thing. Favoritism is…"

"But then he should know." Miura insisted, not letting Hachiman finish the idea.

"The illusion is part of the show." Zaimokuza stated with some coldness. "A quintessential part of it. It's how it's 'played', Miura-san."

The blonde looked bothered by the answer.

"Fine. Be that way."

"I won't leave." Zaimokuza stated without looking at her. "No matter what, I'll support my idols. I know what I got myself into, I know there will always be ugly things behind the scenes."

"The cute face weaved into your favorite socks have a tangled mess when you reverse it." Ebina shrugged.

"Please don't compare my whole career to socks." The idol turned toward Ebina, her glare even stronger than with Hachiman. "I've done everything, given it my all. Even if Ai-chan stole everything, I'm still a proud member of B-Komachi. I'm still part of…"

"I'm back." Hiratsuka interrupted, cigar unlit in her mouth while she put herself back between the idol and Hachiman's sister.

"Why didn't you light it up?" Komachi asked.

"I couldn't find the thing." Hiratsuka shrugged. "Man, this sucks. I hope none of you stole it so I don't smoke."

"Eh, it doesn't really bother me…" Ebina scratched the back of her head.

"Listen to me!" The idol insisted. "This is important!"

"No, it's not." Hiratsuka shook her head. "None of us, Zaimokuza here exempted, really care."

"We just wanted to know why Komachi-chan was hit. That's all." Ebina nodded. "Your problems with Hikigaya are yours. You're not the first person to try and make up stuff about him either."

"People can't help dunking on Hikio just because he looks a little lame." Miura sighed.

"That's…"

"I…" Zaimokuza sighed, clearly trying to choose the right words to not set off the girl beside him. "I think you should just talk with Hachiman. You'll see what they mean."

The idol frowned now.

"Look, you're coming from a place riddled with problems." Hiratsuka pointed out, moving behind the idol and putting both hands on her shoulders. "You're tense, confused, and this cutie pie just kicked your ass. Why don't we relax and figure things out? Hmm? How does that sound?"

"I…"

"Your parents must be worried." Ebina pointed out.

"No, that can't be. I told them I'd drop by at a friend's house."

Hachiman raised an eyebrow.

"And did you tell your friend?"

"Eh? Why? She said she'd have my back no matter what."

That felt like a cold slap to the face.

"Let's…" If sentences could subtract braincells from him, he'd have taken heavy losses after the full meaning behind the idol's words settled in. "Let's wait for the pizza."

He took his phone out, quickly typing while getting Komachi to frown.

"You're not talking to Ai-san, are you?"

"Of course you have Ai-chan's contact after all, Kyun saw what she wrote in..."

"Of course not." Hachiman scoffed, trying to ignore the idol. "I'm telling Saitou-san directly."

Now that? That shut her up.