Man, did y'all miss me so much~? It was, like, a week tops!
Anyways, it's Heaven on Their Minds this time.
The siblings didn't falter in their walk to the office they'd been given directions to, but they did take their time getting there. Walking slowly enough that they could look around the mostly plain corridors. Seeing how desolate they felt in spite of sounding like there were people doing something behind the closed doors.
"Feels like we're walking to a funeral." Komachi murmured before the first worker that they'd seen since they left the meeting room appeared, holding some papers with designs of colorful dresses and some irritation on the face. He nodded at the siblings when they pulled apart to give him room to walk through, but didn't say much else. Not even bothering to close the door by himself, which slammed shut on its own moments later.
They Hikigaya siblings looked at each other, silently asking themselves if they really wanted to be there at all.
"No matter how we look at it, this is still a business." Hachiman murmured back. "Can't really avoid the corporate environment."
"At least the pastries were tasty." Komachi replied, earning her another meaningful look from her brother. Which made them share the unsaid sentiment for a moment.
The free food made them agree to keep going.
It wasn't like the corridor was that long either. They just really didn't want to go. At some point, Hachiman wondered if any of the other rooms had Yui in them, so he listened in to try and discern her voice, to no avail. Komachi also helped, but neither of the siblings could find Yui; and knocking and entering random rooms would be a little too much. So, without anything else to do, they finally faced Saitou Ichigo's office like two kids that had been summoned to the principal's office for pulling on the hair of said principal's daughter during lunch break.
Tch. If only they had actually done something nasty…
"Is it just me, or this is incredibly ominous?" Komachi tilted her head to the side close to her brother, whispering while looking straight at the door.
"This happened in one of the series I read. The thing behind the door was trauma, and it started a rampage through Tokyo by a literal eldritch abomination." Hachiman replied in his usual monotone tone.
"Not very reassuring." Komachi crossed her arms and closed her eyes like she was processing the information that her brother gave her. "What if we go back and pretend we weren't told to come here?"
His thoughts arrived at the face of the idol that had told him to go ahead, but that hadn't actually appeared before the siblings were summoned to this room.
"…That'd probably just delay the inevitable." His words made his little sister stare at him with some suspicion. But in the end, she had to sigh.
"Guess there's no way around this." Komachi reached out, making a fist to knock on the door.
Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!
"…Was it really necessary to do it like that?" Hachiman chose to furrow his brows instead of chuckling as an annoyed voice came from the other side of the door.
"It's not about it being necessary." Komachi lifted her chin with some smugness before twisting the knob to open the door. "It's about sending a message."
The room reeked of smoke, but Hachiman only had eyes for the girl sitting behind the desk; on the big boss chair.
Hoshino sat there, holding a long sandwich and eating peacefully while her boss-slash-dad sat on the desk itself, close to one of the corners and in front of her from Hachiman's point of view.
She looked… Normal. While eating like that while her boss looked rather stressed out was odd, there was nothing extraordinary about Hoshino while she chewed on her food. Absentmindedly looking at nothing before slowly regarding the siblings when Saitou stood from his spot.
"Does being a pain in the ass run in the family?" Saitou growled while holding his forehead, sunglasses covering part of his expression by way of hiding his eyes from view.
"Eh, fifty-fifty it's learned behavior." Komachi replied while letting herself in.
The man clicked his tongue while looking away.
"Another one of those, huh. Well, at least I know how to deal with girls that think they're too clever for their own good." Saitou turned around to regard Hoshino, make sure she knew he was talking about her. But his expression died when he saw that Hoshino had something in her mouth. And so, he looked down at the plate on his desk.
The sigh he released them was so tired that Hachiman had to blink the tiredness that was transmitted to him away.
"I told you that you could take a bite, not that you could eat the whole damn thing." The man growled, lifting the plate to let Hoshino put the food on it.
"It's really good, though." She didn't, of course. And simply took another bite without a care in the world.
"I didn't have breakfast today. That's mine." Saitou insisted, moving the plate a bit to put some pressure on Hoshino.
"Should we…?"
Hachiman put a hand in front of Komachi, cutting her off while staring at the two that had started a staring contest for the fate of that one sandwich.
"I want to see where this goes."
"We're not some circus performers to be used as cheap entertainment." Saitou returned his attention to the Hikigaya siblings before forcefully taking the food out of Hoshino's hands and giving it a bite himself.
Hoshino furrowed her brows but kept chewing without saying anything about it.
Interesting…
"I wouldn't pay for this comedy bit anyway." Hachiman shrugged, taking a step forward to go to the chairs facing the desk. Dragging them back a bit before offering one to his little sister. The boss of Strawberry Pro kept eating until Hachiman was finally seated. "So? Why are we here?"
"Tch. Everyone's a critic nowadays…" Saitou rolled his eyes. Or, it looked like that. Hachiman couldn't tell for sure because of the sunglasses.
Why was he still wearing them indoors? Did he think it looked cool?
"Real charming." Komachi said in the dryest tone she could muster.
"Thanks!" Hoshino spoke before completely shutting off again. Not even regarding the siblings and instead staring at her boss, but with the same lack of interest that a student would give a boring teacher during a lecture.
Okay…?
"You're not helping." Saitou glared at the idol for a moment, before regarding the siblings again. "Okay. Putting aside the matter of my food…"
"You could've called us once you were done." Komachi pointed out.
"Oh, is it a problem? Did you eat before coming here?" The man didn't seem to mind the interruption, and pivoted into the question so naturally that Hachiman almost forgot that they were being little shits to him a moment before.
"We had breakfast." Hachiman assured the man without thinking too much about it.
"Yeah, we're good." Komachi nodded, toning her mood down a bit.
"You sure? We can order something if needed be."
"Eh? Then what's the problem with eating this?" Hoshino chimed in again.
"That I'm hungry right now!"
"Eh…"
"Umm, no need." Hachiman interrupted them, feeling his little sister get annoyed at the antics.
"Feels like we're now in the VIP side of the business, right?" Komachi looked away, sounding a little tired.
"Eh… I mean." Saitou shrugged. "We started out on the wrong foot, I'd say. I just want to play nice."
"A little late for that, don't you think?" The younger Hikigaya glared at him.
Hachiman didn't say anything, because he shared the sentiment. Even if he didn't want to express it.
"…Yeah, probably." Saitou scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
"It's never too late to make amends!" Hoshino lifted a finger, closing her left eye while speaking. "If we try, we can all be friends. Right?"
Komachi didn't look very convinced.
"Under different circumstances, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Hachiman stated, taking the lead before Komachi could say something outrageous. Hoshino's smile became sharper, more fake. "…But neither of us need that reminder."
"And that's why I think we should have it." Saitou clapped his hands once, breaking the contact between Hachiman and Hoshino when they were both distracted by the sound. "I think we're all very thankful that things have turned out this way, given the circumstances."
"Given the circumstances…?" Komachi frowned even more.
Saitou's expression became serene. Like he was bracing himself for what he was about to say.
"I never wanted this. It goes without saying, but Ai's life is precious to me… And I'm glad your brother is here with us too."
Komachi looked down.
"All things considered, we've all been pretty lucky." Saitou sighed before taking another bite from his sandwich. It took some of the vibe off the conversation. But Hachiman was a little thankful for the break in such a heavy topic. "And I'd like to show my gratefulness."
"That's good and all, but what's the reason to put us apart? Is it because of Nino?" Hachiman closed his eyes, trying to keep himself calm.
"In a way. I want us all to be on the same page, Nino is one of the topics to cover. As promised, we sent her home for now. Auditions will begin soon enough too." Saitou looked a little more serious when he fixed his glasses. "Now, just for clarity's sake, is it true that none of you is interested in Nino's spot in B-Komachi?"
Hoshino didn't look at Hachiman like he thought she would. Instead, she regarded the back of her boss when he asked the question. Not like she was mad or anything. But simply chose to rest her sight on him.
Hachiman didn't know what to make of it.
"No." He stated while putting aside those thoughts.
"We've seen what happens in that little group. I don't think anyone is impressed." Komachi looked away again.
"That's… Fair. Alright, then." In spite of saying that, Saitou still sounded glad. Like he was hoping that'd be the answer.
Irresponsible. That was Hachiman's first thought about the man's reaction.
The man took out his phone, looking for something while Hachiman and Komachi exchanged a glance.
"Y'know, I talked to Yukinoshita-san a while back." Saitou spoke while looking at his phone.
The change of topic made Hachiman incredibly uncomfortable. Much more since Hoshino now shifted her gaze back to the siblings. Like some sort of warden seeing that her inmates behaved.
"Is… Is that so?" Hachiman didn't know what that had to do with anything, and Komachi looked equally as confused. So his mind raced to the absolute worst possible outcome, making him a little pale while Saitou kept looking at his phone.
"Yeah. Clever lass. A little weird, but that's how it goes with people that were born into old money." The man spoke way too carefreely for Hachiman's heart. He wanted to punch Saitou, to be honest. But the dread building up kept him pinned in place. Kept him listening. "Is it true that you were looking for someone on the day that you met Ai?"
Hachiman didn't think that using the word "meeting" could really describe what happened back at her apartment. It felt wrong, a violation of the weight behind what they went through.
Hachiman hardened his features; Hoshino exaggerated her smile.
"Yes." Elaborating would do him no good. There were things better left unsaid, band aids left un-lifted. Some injuries required time to heal, and Hachiman was in no hurry to look at the scar left behind by that particular series of events.
He had enough of that on his stomach for a lifetime, to be quite honest.
"I see… Can I pry?" The man was looking straight at Hachiman. The younger dude could feel it even through the sunglasses.
"No." Hachiman didn't bother looking at Hoshino. He deserved this much. There was no room for complaints or bringing it up later. He'd not allow it, not after being told to his face that he couldn't know this or that before.
He deserved to keep his privacy; even though he suspected that Haruno would've made sure to tell her side of the story in excruciating detail if she could get away with it.
"I see." Saitou finished chewing and kept eating. Like he was trying to give Hachiman a moment before continuing.
He didn't think that Saitou was that kind.
"Well… I guess I'll have to trust your word." The man swallowed before looking around the desk for something, before clicking his tongue and regarding his daughter again. "Ai, did you take my drink too?"
"Eh? No." Hoshino lifted her gaze to look back at Saitou, expression neutral before doing like he did moments before and looked around for the thing on the desk. "I don't think you brought anything else into the room."
"Damn…"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Hachiman interrupted, a little too stressed out to let them continue delaying the topic now.
"Right. I just wanted to make sure I have the right info. It was a concern before, knowing where the hell you came from." Saitou waved his phone around, like he was a teacher a topic he only loosely cared about. "Talking with Haruno-san and Shizuka-san gave me a better picture. And Miyako talked to your mom, but I wanted to make sure."
"Sounds like you had enough info already." Komachi pointed out.
"And that's why you're not in charge of looking after this cutie-pie over here." Saitou jabbed his thumb at the girl at his back.
Hoshino waved at them like she was at a meet and greet again.
It annoyed Hachiman a bit, given how the last one went.
"Careful not to be too overprotective." Komachi looked around the room. "Shouldn't she be with the others? I think I remember part of the problem being how different you treat her compared to the rest."
"We were discussing a very important topic; we couldn't just talk about it with everyone present." Hoshino interjected. Sounding perfectly alright with being the subject of the current discussion. "Not even with Gotanda-sensei or Kaburagi-san."
Hmmm…
"I thought you went to smoke with Hiratsuka-san and the director?" Hachiman regarded the man again.
"Hmm? Yeah. Ai just crashed here a few minutes ago." Saitou glared at the girl that was still occupying his seat through this whole affair. "Just because it's important, it doesn't mean that we have to talk about it at length."
The man returned his attention to the Hikigaya siblings.
"Okay?" Komachi didn't look very certain of what was going on, but she didn't look at Hachiman for help either.
"Yes. Now, then. Regarding your newly acquired career in the entertainment industry…"
"I just want to appear in a couple of magazines, gloat to my friends, and call it a day." Komachi huffed.
"See, that feels like such a missed opportunity. You have Strawberry Pro here. Surely, we can do more for you." Saitou clapped his hands again, letting them drop on his lap while he got more comfortable on the edge of the desk. "If nothing else, why not give it a try? I don't think you'll regret it."
"That's for me to decide." Komachi frowned at him.
"Ichigo-san has a good eye for people." Hoshino placed her elbows on the desk, pointing at herself while talking. "He scouted me, after all. And even I didn't have faith in him at first."
"Hey…"
"So, what I'm saying is…" Hoshino kept going in spite of her boss' protest. "Have some faith in him. It'll be worth it, I hope."
"Nah." Komachi shook her head.
"So quick!" Hoshino laughed it off. "You don't think I'm right?"
"I don't have a reason to trust you." Komachi stated simply.
Hoshino changed tactics and looked at Hachiman instead.
He himself regarded Saitou before speaking. This was a topic that he'd covered with Komachi at home.
"Your attempt to appeal to us is dully noted, but not really enough." Hachiman sighed. "Every step of the way, I'd been bitten in the butt by giving my help to you. The whole thing with Nino happened because you didn't do anything on your end."
"That's…"
"I played fair, I told Miyako-san that much." Hachiman interrupted the man, glaring at him to let him know that he didn't have a say in this until Hachiman was done. "I was willing to let you do whatever you wanted as long as I wasn't involved anymore. What do I care that some random girls think I'm some evil pervert ogling their lead? Nothing… As long as I don't have to see them myself."
"I don't think that's the image they got of you in their head." Hoshino pointed out.
"It's a metaphor. Or a saying… An example." Komachi looked angrier, more like her brother in how she glared at Hoshino like he would other people. "It's not literal."
"Ah…" Hoshino looked at Hachiman, who just nodded while the idol moved her eyes back to his little sister. "I didn't catch that."
"Obviously."
"In any case." Hachiman continued before his little sister could get angrier. "The point is… I feel like this is you trying to prey on my little sister, now that I've exhausted my usefulness."
"Look, I know it was bad." Saitou lifted his hands like he wanted to placate the siblings. "But it was nothing personal, it was just practical. The easiest solution."
"It was personal to me." Hachiman bristled, unable to hold back now.
Saitou fell silent, not even putting up any resistance.
"I understand."
"If it was made public, a random asshole could've easily pulled up and done something nasty to Komachi. All because you appeal to weirdos and freaks that get no outlet to their emotions than the parasocial relationship they get to the idea of your little group of cute girls." Hachiman waved a hand, looking at Hoshino with a glare now that he'd started speaking. Unable to hold back his feelings.
"Idols are more than that, Hikigaya." Saitou jumped to Hoshino's defense immediately. "You make it sound worse than it is."
"What do you mean worse? Nothing about idol culture is normal." Hachiman growled, grabbing the armrests of his seat to keep his hands busy. "What the hell, Saitou? I've been called a weirdo all of my life. But I'd never be even close to doing a fraction of what idol fans get up to."
"How would you know?" The man frowned, visibly holding back his own anger.
"Look at the internet! Look at all the scandals! Hell, Hoshino herself was in danger because she had a boyfriend? What the absolute fuck?" Hachiman tried to keep his voice level, but it was increasingly hard the more he spoke. "Like, that's straight up seinen-rated stuff. And don't you dare saying that it's 'just how things are' because there's no version of this world where that's anywhere near an acceptable excuse."
Saitou's expression remained rocky, but he didn't get angrier. He didn't yell or had Hachiman stop talking. He simply… Took it. Hearing Hachiman while he tried to keep his voice as level as possible, breathing roughly once he said his part. Analyzing.
"And you think that's our fault?" He asked after a moment of pondering.
"It's not…!" Damn it. Why did people insist on asking stupid things? Why did it matter whose fault it was, when the problem was exactly that: the fact that they were preying on an existing problem? "I know you're just the owner of a company. I know how it works: demand and supply. I know the problem lies elsewhere. I'm just judging the way you use those problems for monetary gain."
Saitou chuckled. He freaking…!
"You're not going to save the world, Hikigaya. You learn that rather quickly while growing up." Saitou sighed after a moment, shaking his head while crossing his arms. Stretching his legs… He was unwinding. "Yes, society is fundamentally broken. Which has led us all to this… But that's beside the point."
"It really isn't." Hachiman frowned even more.
"It is. B-Komachi started as a dream; my dream." Saitou placed a hand on Hoshino's head, startling the girl for a moment before her expression became a complete poker face when the man's hand started petting her. "Ai made that dream true. And, to me, that's all there is to it. That's all that matters."
"And look at where that led us." Hachiman tilted his head, trying to glare even harder at Saitou.
"Yeah." He man sighed. "Yeah…"
"It wasn't because of I had a boyfriend." Hoshino spoke up when Saitou remained quiet for too long. "Not exactly."
Hachiman huffed.
"Details."
"Those matter." Hoshino looked away.
Hachiman mulled over her words for a moment.
"Is that so?" He gave a quick look to his little sister, and she had her eyes trained squarely on Hoshino. Defenses up, ready.
Hoshino stared at her dad.
Saitou didn't even look back at her.
"Go."
Hoshino had a complicated expression when she stood up, saying nothing more and calmly walking out of the room. Getting Saitou to walk behind her and close the door for her, letting out another sigh while the Hikigaya siblings turned themselves to look at him. Avoid giving him their back.
"Sorry about that." The man took off his sunglasses, cleaning his eyes with the back of his hand as he pocketed the pair away with the other. Breathing slowly as he got back his bearings. "I… I'd really like to come out clean with you. It's the least I can do, and Ai deserves that much trust put on her. I… I don't know if that's what I lacked, but…"
"You're lucky onii-chan was there." Komachi murmured.
"I know." Saitou nodded, face down.
"All of this is because of you." The younger Hikigaya added.
"I know that too." The man's voice became strange. Hachiman saw his shoulders shake as he covered his face, struggled to keep his expression straight. "But I couldn't let you walk all over me with her here. I have my pride to maintain."
Saitou Ichigo let his legs bend, smashing his knees against the floor loudly enough that Hachiman hissed at the second-hand pain he felt just by witnessing it. But the man didn't seem to care. He kept his hands up, hiding the mess beneath but being unable to contain himself any further.
"I know it's all because of me. Ai, Nino… I know my selfishness created this mess. I know that your life was in danger because of me too. I… I wanted to think I was doing enough, that I was doing her right, that we shared a single view and goal. If I… If I had been more attentive… Or more quick-witted, or more empathetic… If I had seen the writing on the wall. If I had been faster, stronger… Better…" Saitou let his hands drop to the floor, breathing so rough that his pants were accompanied by saliva. Like he was dry heaving instead of struggling to breathe. "I should've known better. I was the adult; I should've been there. I should've known not to take things for granted. I should've seen Ai for what she was: a kid. I know that I used her, I know I neglected to make sure she was fine. It doesn't matter how strict the industry is, or what idols are supposed to represent… I was the adult… And I failed. I was her only parental figure, and I was found lacking… I should've known better!"
Ichigo made a fist and hit the ground. Once, twice, thrice… It felt so out of the blue that Hachiman felt dizzy seeing the man just… Break. Seeing the vaguely threatening CEO become so human all of a sudden. Like a puppet falling when its strings were cut.
"And I know, I know what I thought. When I heard about it, I know I thought 'oh, thank God. Better a random pedestrian than Ai'. I know I didn't care about you. I'm still not sure I do. But… Nothing has changed. And Ai still won't open her heart to anyone. I was given a chance to make things right… And I'm nowhere close to figuring out how."
The man's tremors slowed down; his breathing became a little more regular. And he stopped hitting the floor.
Slowly, painfully so, Saitou got back his bearings. He used his suit to clean his face, got to his knees and worked his way up from there. Still trying to regulate his breathing through sheer force of will alone.
"That's why… That's why I'm begging you to trust me. Let me repay you, Hikigaya. I can do this much; I am good in this particular way. I'd give anything to see Ai smile for real, now while I still have the chance." Saitou put the sunglasses back on, keeping a weirdly pained expression on his face while he breathed roughly. "Let's make Komachi-chan a star, what do you say? I can get you in the payroll to be her manager, have others help out as much as they can so it's easy for you. Miyako, even. If you can trust her a little more than some random worker of the company."
Hachiman didn't have anything ready to say.
"You're not going to earn forgiveness this way." Komachi did, however.
"I know. I'm doing this to clear my conscience. I know I'm doing this for my own selfish reasons, and the company wins if you succeed anyway."
"…So it's in your best interest to push for it." Hachiman snapped out of his stupor.
"You're clever enough." Saitou gave him a weird smirk. "I can see why Shizuka-san likes you so much."
"Don't bring her up to buy cookie points." Hachiman growled. "Your confession was fine and all. But it's precisely because you said the truth that I can't trust you. You're right, you're a pretty shitty person. I don't think I want my sister more involved with you, the root cause of all of this, than strictly necessary."
"And I don't want to be put under the same conditions as the girls at B-Komachi." A-Komachi added with a frown. "Because it sounds to me like you still don't care about them."
"I do. It's just that making amends with them is harder, because most of our problems have to do with Ai's secrets." Saitou sighed.
"I don't think any secrets are worth using innocent girls as cannon fodder, Saitou." Hachiman spoke with conviction, forgetting how much the world didn't like him.
That's why he blamed his own mouth when Hoshino came back the moment he finished his sentence, twin babies on her arms.