Turning back to look at the…the guy's retreating back, I can only open and close my mouth repeatedly. "...Ah." With him no longer here, I curse him. "That…bastard. What the hell's his deal-"

Click.

"Natsuki? What are you..?" Looking back at the door, I find Sayori-senpai peering out through the now half open front door. Though, her eyes are not on me, but looking past me. "...Hachiman? Why…" She whispers, so silently that even I don't quite catch what she said, but even I could tell she was being…uncharacteristically quiet.

Taking the moment of silence to my advantage, I give her a good once over. Doing so, I make an effort not to wince. To say she looked bad, would be an…understatement. Her hair looked like she slept for hours on end, but her eyes disproved that idea, having dark bags under them. …The less said about her, the better. 'That asshole…he did this?!'

"-tsuki. Why are you here?" Sayori's unfeeling voice rings coldly in my ears, a clear difference to her usual happy go lucky tone.

"Ahem. Sayori-senpai, where have you been? Are you alright? …Did that bastard do some-"

"Don't call him that!"

Hearing Sayori-senpai yell at me, strikes me in my core, reminding me of… "...Sayori?"

Realization seems to dawn upon her, as her angry glare is soon replaced by frustrated frown. "...Sorry. It's just…Hachiman isn't to blame for, well, this. It's all my fault, it always is." She reveals, leaving me far more confused than before.

"What? I don't understand. What happened on saturday? What happened in that park? Tell me, please." I ask, now feeling an extreme concern for her.

With a shake of her head, she denies me the answers I need to fully understand what happened. "Thank you, Natsuki, but I'd rather not say." Looking back over at the fence, she smiles sadly. "Please, leave."

This… "Like hell I will!" I argue. "I'm not about to just let you suffer here alone, and not do anything! We're friends!"

The Genuine Route

"-We're Friends!"

Holding back a snort at the anime-like declaration from the pink haired literature junkie, I instead focus on my fellow eavesdropper. "I'm surprised you haven't said anything."

"Well, should I? You obviously went against my wishes, and now our night of planning has become pointless." She starts, obviously exaggerating her displeasure. "Buuut, here we are. Natsuki's too stubborn to give up on Sayori, and in turn Sayori will have no choice but to return to her normal self. Which, while not fixing the issue, will push things in the right direction." She smiles, putting her hands behind her back as she leans in closer to me. "Good job, Hikigaya-kun. Would you like a reward for your hard work?"

"Yeah. Back up, you're too close." I tell her, my discomfort obvious as I lean away from her.

"Mou~, you're so boring." She complains, but straightens her posture.

"I'm fine with that, I prefer leading a life of boredom than one of excitement." Her eyes widen, looking at me with…I don't actually know. "...What?"

"You're a good liar." She frowns. "Do you want to-"

"You're getting off topic. What is it, Monika?"

"...Just be careful, okay? You saw her, she's obviously not well, so watch your words." She frowns, upset by our current predicament with our upperclassmen. "...See you, Hikigaya-kun."

"Wait." I call out to her retreating form.

"Oh? Are you going to walk me home? Or, even better, are you offering that I can stay the night? Well, Hikigaya-kun? What is it?" She teases, smiling mischievously, but her heart's not in it.

"...Funny." I sigh. "Just…be careful too."

My "concern" for her seems to put her in a stupor, as her mischievous look is replaced by a… "Ah." She breathes out, before turning away, beginning to leave again.

"...Who was that?" I hear from behind me.

Tearing my eyes away from the retreating form of Monika's, I meet the creeped out eyes of Hara Natsuki. "...How should I know?"

"Well…You were talking to them, weren't you?"

"No. Why would I be talking to a complete stranger?"

"Hm…" She stares at my face for longer than I'd like, but I don't crumble under the gaze of someone so short. "Who are you calling short?!" The gaze immediately darkens as she gets angry.

"W-What?" I stutter out, freaked out by her sudden mind reading. "...I didn't say anything, woman." I finally say, with my composure returned.

"...Hmph. Whatever." What is she, bipolar?! "...Listen, I'm–sorry! Okay?!" What is she, bipolar?! Wait… "Look, I…You were right. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, especially when I had no idea what actually happened."

"...What did she tell you?" I ask, finding my voice after a momentary pause.

"Well…" Her hesitance made me prop up an eyebrow, curious as to her reasoning behind her sudden and out of character hesitant tone. "I can't tell you everything. I promised her, but I know it isn't your fault-err…mostly."

With a sigh full of frustration, I bite down the desire to make a comment, and instead just respond with a nod.

A silence overtakes us, as we stand in the cold. The last of the sun's rays illuminating the both of us in an orange hue. "It's getting late." I observe.

"Hm…" She hums, lost in thought.

"Let me walk you to the station."

"...Eh?"

Doki Doki~

Now at the station, I wait beside Hara-san for her train.

"You didn't have to do this, you know?" I hear her mutter.

"Maybe not." My eyes don't move from the train schedule. 'Last train, huh, I guess it is pretty late.'

"Then, why?"

"I was practically raised to be a gentleman, and as much as you may dislike me, you're still a girl." I don't particularly like her either, but telling her that won't help either of us.

She doesn't respond to my answer, so I do the same and keep quiet. 'She's also Sayori's friend, so that helps.'

"...You must really care about Sayori." She says.

…Do I? "Do-Don't you?"

"Of course! But, this situation isn't about me. The only person who can directly fix this is you, since she won't ask for help. And, you've known Sayori since you were kids."

'I haven't. I don't know a thing about her or us. Not her birthday. How we met. How long we've known each other. Nothing.' Choosing not to respond, I voice an observation. "Your train is here."

"...Yeah, it is." She doesn't move from her seat. "...Listen, Hikigaya-senpai…" Her tone was different, I could tell, it would be impossible not to notice.

First was Dread.

Then, Fear.

The train has already begun to leave, and yet…

She was still here, pleading.

"Could I stay at your place? …please."

"No." Her pleading didn't elicit any pity from me. "Go home."

"You…I… please, Senpai." Damn it. "I don't want to retu-"

"Tsk. Fine. You can stay in the guest room." Even now, that foxy brat haunts me.

Hikigaya Household

Locking the door behind me, I turn to face the girl I ended up bringing home. Our eyes met briefly, only for me to walk past her as I shuffled out of my shoes. "I'll make some food, so make yourself at home or whatever."

Getting into my home's kitchen and living room mix, I start rummaging through the cupboards for the needed ingredients. One of the other dishes I could make, that wasn't curry, was Omurice. I wasn't a pro at it though.

Reaching into the fridge, I pull out the carton of eggs I would soon use. '...When did I become the literature clubs' personal chef?' Shaking my head at the passing thought, I get into the motions of preparing the meal.

Cracking enough eggs for four (Just in case a certain club president appears) into the bowl along with the other ingredients, I start to whisk it. After a couple moments of whisking the eggs, I place the bowl to the side so that it can rest.

'Now, to the hard part.' I inwardly sigh. 'Actually…'

"Oi. Hara." I call out, not turning as I turn on the rice cooker.

"Wh-What?"

"How are you with chicken?"

"Uh…Fine? Why?"

"And, onions?"

"I don't mind them."

I promptly ignore her as I get the go ahead to continue. With the rice already cooking, I begin with the now unfrozen chicken breasts I had left out this morning.

'Sayori is usually the easiest to deal with, but as you can currently tell, she isn't an option right now.'

Grabbing the few breasts in the container, I place them on the cutting board and begin cutting them into smaller pieces as evenly even as I can get them to be.

'Then, who? Let me guess, Yukinawa-senpai?'

"Hey…" Stopping, I look over to my right, and find my guest staring at my work. "I can help if you want." At her offer, I look at her with curiosity, her eyes trail down to the floor as her hands fidget with each other.

"...Fine." I accept. "There are onions in the cabinet below the one I got the salt and pepper from. Dice two of them if you can. There should be a knife and extra cutting board in the sliding cabinet next to the sink."

'Pfft, I wish.'

Leaving her with those instructions, I finish up with the chicken and move onto the next step.

'That brat, seriously?'

Waiting for her, which wouldn't take long, as she was already halfway done with her first onion. Once finished with the first, she reaches for the next onion, but I stop her. "Nevermind. One is enough." Placing the diced onion in a bowl, I put it to the side for now.

"Get some butter from the fridge door." Crouching down, I pull out the pan I used the week before and place it on the now lit stove.

'Yes, Natsuki's your best bet here, especially when you're so pressed for time.'

"Here." Taking the stick of butter from her hands, I cut off a fourth and waited for the pan to heat up before sticking the piece in.

'So, what?'

Once melted, I throw the pieces of chicken in and cook them for three minutes at most, before throwing in the diced onion and a little bit of the salt and pepper.

'Hm, How about inviting her over to your place?'

Stirring them, I notice a slight issue. "The rice!"

'Funny.'

"Here." Dumped into the pan, is the freshly cooked rice, courtesy of Hara.

'Hm? Oh, I'm being serious, Hikigaya-kun.'

"...Thanks." Stirring them once more and adding a little bit of ketchup for taste, the fried rice turns out nicely and without much issue…thankfully. 'Now for the last part…'

Breaking my focus, I noticed that Hara was done making five omelets, one more than I had planned. "The omelets are done. …Oh, so are you."

'Of course she was.' I sigh.

""Itadakimasu.""

Taking a piece of both sides of the meal, I enjoy the savory taste.

"Mnn! This is pretty good~…Th-The omelet I mean! Your rice was fine too…" She harrumphs pridefully, obviously not meaning to speak so loudly.

"Thanks." Her tune quickly shifts as she stares at me expectantly. "...Yours was pretty good."

"Obviously!" …I prepared those, you know!

Outside Sayori's House

Knocking twice, I place both tupperware containers at the feet of her door. Turning around, I take in a deep breath, and take a seat at her doorstep.

Staring up at the sky, none of bright stars greet me tonight, only a cloudy expanse.

"...You must really care about Sayori."

Reminded of my guest's words, I sigh. 'Do I care about her? Is that why I make her meals everyday? Why I brought her to the mall? Why I asked her that? Because I care about her?' I shake my head, convincing-no, confirming the cold truth. 'Of course not, I…I just want to get home. I-I don't care about…'

'Then why are you still sitting here…' That passing thought repeats itself, over, and over, and-

Click.

"Hachiman?"

To Be Continued…

Canon Omake

The Literature Club was silent. Deathly so. Perhaps it was due to the fact I was alone? Natsuki as always hid herself in the closet, and neither Sayori or Monika had arrived.

There was beauty in it. A peaceful moment where I could be alone with my thoughts. Thoughts of the near past, last week to be exact. Where I met him.

My Dark Prince.

A Dark Obsession

"You alright?"

The concern was clear in his eyes, his grip on her arm softening after a few moments. Yet, in those few moments I took the chance to absorb his perfection into my mind.

Slide.

Sliding open, I glance over at the door. As expected, Monika, our president, enters.

Glancing back down at my book, I hear someone I had not expected to.

"This is it?" Looking back at the door's direction, what I saw froze me in place.

It was him.

He was as charming as the day I first laid eyes on him. I could hardly contain my emotions as he entered our clubroom, but it was all ruined once Natsuki dragged him over to a desk. '...Ugh. She can be so selfish.'

Refraining from making a verbal comment, I instead approached Monika, who suspiciously entered alongside my prince. 'No, Monika is too…, to be of any threat to my relationship with my prince.' Shaking that assumption away, I notice the frown on Monika's face. 'She isn't a threat, …right?'

"...Yuri? What is it?"

…Nevermind that. It's unimportant. "Is he..?" I'm unable to finish as Monika cuts me off, with an equally annoying answer.

"-Not yet. Hikigaya-kun is going through a…trial phase. So, don't go scaring him of-"

"You asshole!"

Immediately looking in his direction, I find a sight that makes my blood begin to boil. Natsuki was currently holding my prince by the collar.

'This bitch! How dare she touch my-' Then, our eyes met, even if only briefly, but he wanted my help.

Taking a step forward, I'm suddenly stopped by Monika. "Don't."

"Wha-"

"Apologize to her! She's your best friend, damn it!"

Natsuki's words stop me before I can move past Monika's flimsy attempts at not escalating the situation further. 'Her? Who? Best friend? They don't deserve that title! Only I ca-'

"This isn't going to wo-"

Time seemed to slow as a fist connected with his jaw.

"Hikigaya-kun!" I hear from my right, but at that moment I can only stand there, frozen.

"Bastard!" She…How? Why? "Just because I don't know what exactly happened, doesn't mean I don't know. I mean, it's obvio-'

"Natsuki!" I yell, finally finding my voice. "...How could you?!"

"You're taking this guy's side?! He hurt Sayori-"

"Enough, you two." Monika finally intervenes, but it's too late in my opinion.

'Sayori's his best friend? No, unimportant.' Shaking my head, I decided to take a more proactive approach and comfort him…

"That's it?! You're just going to run away?!"

Stopping, I glare at the brat. "Shu-"

"Natsuki, Enou-"

"I mean, you broke her heart, so I guess it's no surprise you're a coward." …What?

"Heh. Is that what you think happened?" He asks, sending a shiver down my spine just from his tone. "...Nevermind. Monika. Thanks for the opportunity, but I'm not interested."

"Hikigaya-kun!"

Slam.

He was gone, and it was her fault. '...Wait, Monika? He called her Monika? But, I thought…'

Tea Time

Now that both hindrances were out of the way, I felt my nerves start to affect my speech. "H-Hikigaya-kun?"

"Hm? Yeah?" His voice was like honey to my ears.

Trying to meet his eyes, I immediately look away, lest my face burns up any further. "S-So, you're really part of the Literature Club?" Please say ye-

"Sure? I mean, I haven't submitted a form yet, but I'm gonna trust Monika has it handled." I should be ecstatic about the confirmation of my question, but I have another sour feeling in my heart once he addresses our president like that, again.

"Oh? Are you close with Monika?" Please say no…

"We're passing acquaintances at best." He grumbles.

"Then, why do you refer to her by her first name?"

His eyes narrow at my questioning, and I feel vulnerable under his gaze. "Why does it…" His voice trails off, aa he looks away and adopts a thoughtful look. "...It doesn't matter." He shakes his head. "She and I aren't close, but I'm not one for formalities either."

"Then, please! Call me, Yuri!" …Did I just… "Ah! Wh-What I mean is…" I was too forward! Now he'll hate m-

"...S-Sure."

"Eh? R-Really?"

"Y-Yeah, Y-Yuri-senpai."

If my face wasn't already red, I imagine I look like a tomato now. 'I think…I'm in love~.'

End..?

I never did say this, but uhh…Happy New Years? In…March.

Moving on.

The Omake was a last second addition. Still feel the same about the chapter as I originally did.

Also, I've been holding off on this chapter's release for a while now, just didn't like it, but couldn't change it without fucking up my future plans.

In other news, what the hell was that? This chapter sucks! This chapter was such a nothing burger with a side of nothing fries.

Yeah, those are my thoughts exactly, but this chapter is a giant prequel to the chapters coming up. Now, I dislike promising things, but expect some things in the next few chapters. Or…the chapters after that?

Why was there a cooking segment?

It will all make sense in due time. Trust.

As the children of this age say…

Let Me Cook.

Review Time

Unfortunately, I won't be responding to any this time, due to most of the reviews being responses to my rant about the american education system.

But thank you for your support!

Anywho, goodbye.