Chapter 11: A Loner's Explanation I

Hikigaya POV

What the hell…

These three words are most definitely an understatement. They don't do justice to the past weeks, to all the crap that everyone had to go through...what she had to go through. All because of-well it only makes sense to start from the beginning.

I now lie on my bed, pondering the same question over and over again. What would happen if I suddenly vanished from the world?

The simple answer is not much; the world would continue to spin and people would move on with their lives. In a perfectly logical world, my absence changes nothing.

But the world is not logical; humans are not logical.

So, what would really happen if I were to…

…disappear?

Guess that's a question that'll remain unanswered. For now, I probably don't have the energy to make it out of the house. Makes sense to just stay in bed.

So that's exactly what I did. I got into bed, shut off the lights, and decided to close my eyes. I managed a solid ten or fifteen seconds of relaxation before the doorbell rang.

Wait, what kind of cruel individual would ring our bell this late at night? I mean, sure it could be some aggressive salesperson trying to meet some quota for the junk he is trying to sell. It wasn't my parents as they were on some business plan overnight and would come back early in the morning. And they aren't the type to lose the keys to the house.

Whoever it was at the door should just go home.

Ring…..ring….ringringringring-

Who the hell is this person?!

Irritated, I got out of bed, careful not to make a loud ruckus and wake up my peacefully sleeping Komachi. Again, I only care for her as her older brother. It isn't entirely my fault I'm usually the one with the responsibility; our parents, who are basically corporate slaves, have to work long hours and don't get home until after she's asleep. Today was one of those days where they wouldn't be back until early in the morning.

It is in these facts where I take inspiration for my vision to become a house-husband: flexible hours, minimum effort and maximum return on investment. If anyone had a much better alternative can try to change my mind.

By this time I managed to stumble out of my room and take the stairs down to the first floor, where the incessant doorbell ringing just gets louder. Annoyed, I fumbled with the keys to unlock the door and swung it open.

"What do you w-" I stopped, my brain unfortunately recognizing the person standing on the other side.

"Ah, Hikigaya-kun, nice to see you up at this hour," the demon herself smiled.

"Obviously not thanks to your idea to incessantly knock on my door this late," I replied, contemplating shutting the door right then and returning to my sleep.

"Oh, I would think you'd be happy to see me here," she smiled, as if plotting to drain my soul right at that moment. On second thought, that would probably hurt her more than it would hurt me, hah.

"Anyway, what do you want?"

"Hm..always getting down to business Hikigaya-kun, it's so like you," she replied, taking a small step forward. "It's very tempting to have you for myself, though I can sense that Yukino-chan would not be very happy about it."

I scoffed. "As if."

Silence.

Seeing as this conversation was going nowhere at all, and would likely continue unless I let her inside, I had no choice but to back away from the door and let it open for this woman to enter. As she did, I reflected on how dangerous she could be...very.

So much so that she was already halfway to the kitchen before I could wrap my head around what possibly could she be doing and snap back to reality.

"Oi, where're you going?" I asked, realizing my voice sounded like crap.

"Your fridge; it sounds like you need a drink, and I'm sure you have a supply of those sugary drinks you simply can't resist." She opened the door to the fridge and pulled out a familiar can out and into view. With a coy facial expression, she opened the can, stopped for a split-second, and handed the can over to me.

Dammit. She knew I wouldn't waste a can of MAX Coffee.

I let myself indulge the sweet beverage as she took a self-guided tour of the first floor. When I eventually caught sight of her, we were in the living room. She decided to make herself comfortable on the couch, leaning back as if she lived here. I yawned, feeling much more tired than I figured I would have been after drinking a full can of MAX coffee, though being awake this late at night was enough of a reason to kick her out.

"If this is all you were planning to do I'm just going to leave you here bored while I sleep in peace in my room." After I finished my sentence, I realized a horrible mistake as her smile returned. "With my door locked," I added. She was dangerous.

"No fun, Hikigaya-kun," she laughed off, seemingly disappointed. "I suppose it must be so." What do you mean it must be so? If it were anything else she'd be arrested for both home invasion and attempted assault. But of course she was immune to any legal issue, or perhaps most problems in general. She was a Yukinoshita, second only to her mother in terms of scariness. Even the memory that one encounter with her on Yukinoshita's birthday was enough to send chills down my spine; she was not one to provoke.

"Sit," she added, making space on the couch in an attempt to have me sit down next to her. Yeah right, nice try. "You seem tired."

"I'm not tir-"...I yawned. I guess I was tired. She got up, looking like she was about to leave. Perfect, now I can perhaps sit down and relax for a bit. Drowsily, I managed to land on the couch without much trouble.

Why the hell was I so tired? If anything, I should at least be normal with the extra sugar and caffeine. Was my tolerance already that high? Eh, I guess.

I turned my head to the right, seeing Haruno still standing there, as if waiting for something. She had nothing to wait for, as there was seriously no point for her to be here. Exactly what did she accomplish from her ten minutes of being here? Literally a five minute conversation, looking through the house, and handing me a can of MAX coffee that I already had? Congratulations, it looks like Haruno Yukinoshita has hit a new low in terms of messing with me.

Leave. I tried to say, but the words just didn't reach my mouth. I was that tired. It was hard to move my head, so I was stuck looking at that stupid expression she wears, like she knew something I didn't Which to be honest was probably true.

My eyes felt very heavy, and I just realized that my body decided to sleep. As in I could not move. This felt wrong. For a second, my eyes gained focus and projected an image of Haruno just smiling as I sat motionless. Her lips moved.

"Good night, Hikigaya-kun."

My eyes lost focus, succumbing to the sleepiness as I drifted off to the abyss.

The hell is happening...ugh I can't move.

Where am I? I literally can't see anything. This is probably a dream, I mean of course I would dream of nothing but darkness. Just me, myself, and the void.

"Onii-chan...where are you?"

And Komachi. Let the tropes just shoot me down already. Hold on, it's getting lighter...great must be time to wake up and go back to the same cycle of going to school and suffering. Eventually, the black faded to the mundane familiarity of my room. It was already pretty late in the morning, well late as in if I ran from here to school I'd still be late and receive a nice conversation with Hiratsuka-sensei.

Apparently, Komachi was also in the room. Everything was still a bit blurry, but she was somewhere near my bed...oi Komachi I told you not to mess with my things again-wait she was crying.

'Komachi...why-"

"-why'd you go…."

"What…" I'm right here? I know when I'm trying to use stealth Hikki, and at this moment that is certainly not the case. Could she not see me? I moved over to where she sat, moving my hand across to see if she noticed. Yet once my hand reached her, the scene blurred, scattering the room into a billion pieces.

The faint sound of cars passing by was what I woke up to. I never thought that we lived on a busy street, so that felt off. Also, this position was not comfortable at all to sleep in...could I have fallen asleep on the couch? Even still, the couch would have at least been a bit softer.

I opened my eyes, revealing a view of gray blurred all around. Wait… I was in a car?!

"What the hell?" I croaked, moving my hands to rub my eyes. This must be some sort of dream sequence, so in a moment I'll realize I overslept and will have to face another demon...also single, but not as scary. As my vision cleared, it only became worse. It was an unfamiliar car, albeit quite fancy with leather seats and all the bells and whistles. Some rich person's car...er limousine actually. And...who is this person sitting here?

I turned to see none other than Haruno Yukinoshita literally resting her head against my arm, sound asleep. Really scary! A hesitated a moment before moving my arm, wondering the consequences of waking her up intentionally. Well, since I'm the one who's seemingly been kidnapped, I think my priorities are in order.

As expected, she stirred, opening her eyes and instantly putting on that smile or hers. Any guy would melt if he was in my position currently; I may have even been taken aback for a moment if not for the warning signs blaring in my head.

And what do are those signs in my head? They are as followed:

What the HELL am I Doing Here?

"Morning Hikigaya-kun," she cooed, apparently trying to elicit a reaction by snuggling against my shoulder. Woman, this isn't going to work.

"Why am I here?" I responded, looking directly at her eyes. She returned her stare, still wearing that smile and dirty look in her eyes.

"Just a small excursion, nothing too long to worry about." And what is that supposed to mean? I deadpanned, just long enough so that her mask faltered in the presence of a genuinely disgusting stare.

And just like that, she answered. "I'll explain it a bit more once we get there," before regaining her composure. That was something the two Yukinoshita sisters shared: never letting their guard slip away for more than a moment.

I sighed...just what was she up to this time? Assuming Haruno's veiled statements can often mean the exact opposite, I'm a bit afraid but much more irritated that this was definitely not a small excursion. So it's not short, and I've already experienced first-hand that it's not an excursion.

By definition, excursion would imply leisure and 'fun'; the latter of the two I'm not surprised this would lack, but for leisure…

I looked back at Haruno Yukinoshita, who returned a playful expression, even going as far to stick her tongue out.

Yeah no leisure either. I turned towards the window, eyeing the weak sun rising out from the horizon, only one question in mind.

What kind of mess was I in for?!

"A pretty big one, but nothing too far for you to worry much about."

Instead of retorting, I leaned back on the car seat and waited until we arrived at the destination. The scenery changed drastically until it became unrecognizable from the Chiba I grew up in. Eventually, the car rolled to a stop in front of a massive set of steel gates, held in place with a continuous stone wall that stretched beyond sight in either direction. In its closed position, the gate formed a sizeable golden "Y"- how fitting. Damn rich people.

The driver waved his hand at the guard, signalling the gates to open. With the path open, the limousine moved along towards the mansion. Now, I have seen only a few Western-style mansions over the years, yet the one approaching us was something else. Damn rich people.

Once the car stopped at the entrance, I was escorted up the steps and through another set of large doors into what appeared to be a large foyer. Before I could speak, the woman next to me beat me to it.

"Here's one of the estates my family owns. It's smaller than the other two in this region, but this one was the closest." She smiled. "I'm sure the size wouldn't bother you either way."

Damn rich people.

"Enough about your family's over-abundant wealth; why am I here?" I turned to face my supposed captor-that's right this is basically kidnapping, although I would refrain from calling myself a kid except in the type of scenario where I am both a minor and brought to a place against my will. Sounds familiar. I was irritated, and still somewhat drowsy...while the woman opposite me had only a look of amusement plastered on her face.

"As you wish, but over some breakfast," she replied, bringing me across several rooms toward what appeared to be a dining room. Two seats were already prepared with piping hot tea and omurice. Even though my stomach growled in hunger, my mind suppressed it with all the confusion swirling around. Haruno took her seat as I sat in mine, and before I knew it my hands mechanically spooned food into my mouth. Thanks stomach. Defeated, I took a sip of the tea, which was surprisingly pleasant tasting - and sweet.

"You really do have to watch what you drink, Hikigaya-kun," Haruno started, letting a smirk pass from her face. "It's partially the reason why you were pretty easy to bring here." She only added more confusion with her words, as I could only recall drinking a can of MAX coffee from my fridge.

The can she offered from my fridge.

Realizing my mistake, I instinctively grunted out of annoyance. "Isn't drugging a minor and kidnapping him a sizeable offence in Japan?"

"It's only illegal if it's caught," she replied, taking another sip from her cup.

That logic shouldn't apply here woman!

"Anyway," she continued, "now that things have settled down, I'll fill you in on what's going on. I started something...what would high-schoolers call it now...oh an experiment!" She tilted her head playfully, letting out the faintest giggle. "What would happen if the monster of logic, the king of loners, Hikigaya Hachiman was suddenly removed from the equation...I bet you've thought of this at least a few times in your life-"

I internally scowled, irritated by how much she was prying into the lives of both me and those associated with me. Not only that, but she wasn't wrong about half the things she has said, and that's that most irritating part. She wasn't wrong.

"I bet you've wondered how your interactions, however marginalized you've made it in your mind, have affected those around you. Minimal, you'd say. A few days of grief perhaps, but everything would return to equilibrium eventually-"

"So you dragged me out here to see what it would really do to those who know me. Of course," I added, "there would be several measures you've taken in order to make sure that my location or present state is not revealed to anyone outside of this room-no police, no cameras, no evidence." There was a fine line between cleverness and insanity, and only a person like her would be able to bend this line in her favor.

That's not even how the metaphor is supposed to work, but that's the point. She decided the rules, after all.

Haruno chuckled. "How wonderful of you to understand so quickly. Nothing more expected from the monster of logic. But…" she paused, narrowing her eyes for a second.

"I suppose that could all change in time." I looked in confusion at her statement. It was enough to be concerned for my physical safety here, but whatever the hell she was thinking about that would potentially have that much of a profound effect on my mental state should've had the government on watch. Namely her father. Only another Yukinoshita, namely an older and more influential one, would be able to deal with a Yukinoshita.

"So what am I going to do here, just relax and let the days go by?" I questioned, seeing that there has to be something I had to do in her favor, which would certainly require work from my end that I am opposed to do-

"That is correct! My, Hikigaya-kun, you sure are quite a bright person for your rotten personality."

What?

"Bullshit."

"Of course it's true. All you have to do is sit back and observe-isn't that what you were thinking of?"

"Too good to be remotely true." I narrowed my eyes. "Even if I were just here to sit around and not endure any physical strain, there has to be some sort of suffering I'll have to face here...other than being in your presence."

"I take that as a compliment, Hikigaya-kun, and…" she trailed off, as if to think of how to phrase her words. "I never said anything about not suffering."

Fuc-

"Before you start mentally screaming profanities that will probably come out of your mouth as well, I suggest we go out and I'll tell you some of the ground rules here." With that, she stood up expecting me to follow. For my own good, I had to follow. There was no choice when it came to her.

I could start to see how the suffering could play out, and I'm definitely not a fan of it. But there are three rules when it comes to Haruno Yukinoshita. 1 - if she's serious, do what she says. 2: If you don't, you're fucked. 3: If you fucked, refer to rule 1.

Defeated, I rose to meet her; she started walking out of the room, but instead of heading out the way we came in, she took a different turn that led us further in, past several rooms and halls.

"Don't worry, I figured it would be easier to explain some things here," she replied, defending her obvious change in direction. The only thing predictable about someone like Haruno was her unpredictability. And when she latches onto an idea, it was always accomplished regardless of what underhanded method she chooses to utilize. We ended up in a spacious lounge room, fitted with comfortable seating and a large flat screen TV on the center of the back wall. Casually, she retrieved the remote and teasingly played with the buttons for a few seconds before turning it on. The screen on the TV turned a dark grey, waited a couple of seconds, and then displayed what appeared to be a video feed.

I walked closer, noticing certain aspects that caught my attention. Desks, chalkboard, windows… it was a classroom. More specifically, a classroom at Sobu High. Most of the students in that class were unrecognizable, but I could tell they were second years.

This was class 2-J. Yukino Yukinoshita's homeroom. No sight of Yukinoshita though - class was about to start, and for a fact I was sure she was always at least fifteen minutes early to class. I noticed at that point that the camera was attached to an individual, and in close proximity a hand appeared, holding a phone with its fingertips. The phone lit up with a distinctive lock screen.

Pan-san.

Haruno has done it. She is literally spying on her younger sister. Not that I was suspecting she was doing so already, the fact of witnessing someone I knew being bugged; I fear for my safety now. If this were a crossover of a Russian spy novel and overly protective onee-san manga...I'm sure nobody would disagree; then why do I have to be stuck in the middle of this?

"Are you just asking to be arrested?" I deadpanned, once more finding her methods beyond just borderline. She smirked, noting I already knew the answer, before moving on to the main reason this was set up.

Basically I would live in this place, practically doing...nothing at all, though at certain times she would have me honestly spy on Yukinoshita. As uncomfortable as that sounds...nevermind there's no positive to this. It's completely lunatic.

My teenage hostage situation is wrong as expected.

"Already, not that all of this is cleared up, we can go out on a date!" she exclaimed, completely ignoring the weight of the situation. I raised an eyebrow, again questioning her mental stability over the past few hours. But I conceded; any sort of resistance would guarantee I would be dumped somewhere in the forests of Japan and be truly missing in a matter of minutes.

Instead, those minutes were spent walking to the car and riding towards the city. As the skyline was replaced with buildings, a thought popped into my head.

"If I was reported a missing person, wouldn't the cameras spot me the instant I walk out of this car?" Logically, that would be my ticket out of here. Or at least a ticket out of proceeding with her antics.

"That's been taken care of, you see," she nodded, flashing a quick smirk. "The citywide surveillance program is operated by a small private company stationed in the business district; they would take the video data and send it directly to the police department, and this allowed the city to have much more efficient and effective cameras."

"So, you're saying I could be caught even if I'm in this car." Something was up.

"Normally yes. But our family has a relationship with that surveillance company.

"Your dad negotiated with them?"

"He bought the company."

If I were drinking anything at that moment, I'm sure I would've spit it straight onto the leather seats. That was such a Yukinoshita thing to do I suppose.

"So don't worry about the cameras...you're invisible," she faked a playful smile, and that concluded the car trip.

The "date" consisted of her shopping around and me listlessly wandering in the general vicinity of her location. It was quite uneventful, which I was perfectly fine with. It would have been much more concerning if something eventful occurred in fact; that being said, the probability of something catastrophic happening will only increase as time goes on, so fuck.

It was approaching mid-afternoon...I was surprised I haven't received any messages on my phone asking where I was. I mean, the only people I knew had my contact was Komachi, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama. Judging today's phone-addicted society, I would have expected at least Komachi or Yuigahama to have given my phone a seizure with unread texts and missed calls. Yuigahama and Yukinoshita probably would believe I took a day off from school...Komachi on the other hand was too smart for her own good, but she'd probably think I went to school without her and only take away some Komachi points. It's okay, I've already accumulated a lot to make up for that-wait why am I thinking of this like there's no problem at all?

We eventually ended up sitting in a fancy cafe, two cups of some fancy coffee in between us. I would have preferred something a bit more separating us, like a brick wall. Or the Pacific ocean.

Of course this fancy cafe had a private room that was reserved for people of status in the town. And of course the Yukinoshita family was one of those on the list. Why do I even bother having to explain all of this, half of which I still don't understand why they haven't been convicted of anything.

Well, one thing I can be grateful of is the relative silence between us. Other than her musing about a few things in her life, not much that I had to pay attention to was brought up.

But, as always, everything didn't seem perfectly fine. As if on cue, she pulled out her laptop, typing something into it before setting in on the table for both of us to see. It looked like a video player on the screen, with the obnoxious buffering symbol plastered on there. The screen lit up, now displaying a view of another familiar setting: the clubroom.

"If Yukinoshita ever finds this out, well I'm sure you'll figure something out for yourself, but there's no escaping my death," I sighed, taking another sip from my cup. Even though I added a good amount of sugar, it doesn't taste as good as MAX coffee. I should probably be more careful about drinking things handed to me by a certain someone though. I would not be having this conversation otherwise.

Yukinoshita had her usual cup of tea, sitting in her usual spot at the head of the table. It was also pretty quiet; except for the ambient noise of the room and the outside, there was nothing to hear.

I only say this because it made the footsteps very noticeable in the audio. Yukinoshita seemed to notice as well, as the camera angle shifted slightly towards the door. It slid open, and a girl with coral hair-buns appeared.

Yuigahama.

"Good afternoon, Yuigahama-san."

"Oh, Yukinon...yahallo…" Her face, the tone of her voice.

Shit. She knew.

But how would Yuigahama already know about it...there was nothing to show that I was kidnapped or running away.

Don't overreact, Hachiman. She may be upset about something else.

But I knew very well that was a lie.

With Yuigahama's distraught look on her face, Yukinoshita seemed to go stiff. "Yuigahama-san, are you okay? What happened?"

"Um...it's…" she started, just as a tear rolled down her cheek. It took a couple of seconds before Yukinoshita suggested that she sit down with her; the way Yukinoshita was always composed about these matters gave me two conflicting ideas. One part of me was honestly impressed at her composure, as if she knew what to do at almost any point in time, no matter how big of a hole she found herself in. But, everyone human being has his or her limit; although she may not seem to exhibit such human-like qualities at times (maybe more cat-like), her emotions do exist. It did take her a couple of seconds before comforting Yuigahama, not instantaneously.

After a few minutes, Yukinoshita's voice was apparent, a bit softer than usual. "Hey, Yuigahama-san, did you see Hikigaya-kun when you were wa-"

Fuc-

AHH what the hell my ears!

"Gah, turn the volume down!" I instinctively said through gritted teeth as the speakers on the laptop screeched violently. Before the speaker blowing out became imminent, she turned it down to half volume. If Yuigahama's crying was that loud, I was afraid everyone within a two-mile radius of the school would need immediate medical assistance.

Back to my original thought: Yuigahama was definitely aware of my disappearance. What was also concerning was Yukinoshita was on the verge of being told this; of course this is exactly what her older sister wanted, as well as wanting me to see it in real time.

"- is Hikigaya-kun involved in this?"

Yuigahama nodded.

"Did Hikigaya-kun do something to make you upset?"

Is she going to think I assaulted her or something? Yukinoshita, you of all people shouldn't be assuming trivial things like this.

Although that's probably what she's thinking about at this very moment as Yuigahama nodded again. What did I do to deserve this, Yukinoshita? It was all your sister's doing!

"What did he do?"

"Hikki….he…"

I ran away.

"H-he r-ran away." Except from the quiet sniffling from Yuigahama, the entire room was dead silent. As the seconds ticked by with no immediate reaction from Yukinoshita, I could have sworn the tension emanating from there was deadly. There was one very likely outcome to occur within the next few moments, using the logic I could salvage from my overwhelmed mind.

Her expression would turn sour and I was afraid she would lose her temper. The very few times she showed anger left no stone unturned; after I falsely confessed to Ebina, she didn't hold back her frustration from me and Yuigahama. Since the supposed action this time is infinitely times more outrageous than that, it warranted a scolding beyond comparison.

"Hikigaya-kun did what?"

Here it comes….Yuigahama went off a bit on how she came to find out. So Komachi had told her; she must have been devastated. Komachi, your onii-chan has failed you, gomenasai! If the psychotic spawn of the Yukinoshita family sitting across from me hadn't intervened, none of this would be reality.

"What?"

Yukinoshita was again at a lost of words, but it didn't seem out of anger or disgust. She seemed….genuinely shocked. This was completely unexpected of her, like watching an alternate reality of Sobu High on this laptop. Yuigahama showed the end of her patience as she virtually snapped at Yukinoshita; she then proceeded to explain a note that Komachi had found in my room.

This was all unexpected. Then again, me being whisked away from the their world without any prior notice was also unexpected.

I was taken aback when Yuigahama raised her voice; the nice girl of the Service Club suddenly started yelling at the Ice Queen, catching most of us off guard. Of course, Haruno seemed quite amused by the slow-moving trainwreck.

"My, how one event rocks the boat quite significantly, don't you think?" she smirked, apparently enjoying the situation from the comfort of her leather seat. I turned my attention away from the computer screen for a moment to address her nonchalant attitude.

"How could you be so-" I stopped. I must have lost my train of thought or something similar to that, since after a few seconds I felt no urge to continue that conversation. She kept her smile in place, unfazed. What provoked me more was that note apparently left in my room that Komachi found...what possibly could that have even been?

"Significance is a stupid word. To say an object has significance is materialistic. To say a person has significance is an overstatement. To say I have significance is a lie. If you're reading this, check what time and date. Has it been 12 hours since I left? Two days? A week? The real question is: does it really matter? The reality is that I left because I felt my presence was only a burden on those I associated with. My absence can be regarded as my final social suicide. I leave behind two parents, a younger sister, a single teacher, two clubmates, and those who know my name, in whatever form. I don't know where I'll go, or for how long. That is all I have to say. Oh, and Komachi, you can use my room now that I'm gone. Dammit, maybe I do have a siscon. Might as well put that out there. Don't worry about me, just carry on with your lives, that is my request. Sincerely, Hachiman "

I glared at the screen, not believing what my ears just picked up. That writing was mine, unmistakably my own writing. It wasn't hard to recognize at all, in fact.

How so? Well I'd say it would be hard to forget the first 'A' I received on an assignment in Japanese literature. Of course, this assignment also earned me a quite unfortunate meeting with a surprisingly counseling yet still-single Sensei; any other teacher would have probably contacted my parents or perhaps a mental health hotline, but she decided to take it upon her own for this. A blessing and a curse I must say.

This still left a question outstanding.

"How did you manage to get this?" I directed toward the woman across from me.

"I have my resources," she replied. "Let's just say I was given something years ago I thought was quite useless at the time. In fact, I was considering throwing it away...but it proved to be just what I needed."

"So," I calculated, "after I was knocked out by the drink, you came up to my room and left that note there. In order to get the note, you had to have gone into the staff room in the school, meaning you had the key to the room. There are rumors in the school that valedictorians were given the master key as a token of gratitude. The teachers always denied this due to the backlash for a student actually having such a key to the school grounds. You were obviously the top of your class…"

"So I used the key, how bright you are Hikigaya-kun! I expected nothing less."

"But why go through all the extra work? You could have easily fabricated a pessimistic, self-loathing yet logical piece of crap that would pass as my writing," I deadpanned. "I guess handwriting would make sense as a reason… but going through this seems quite roundabout, even for you."

Haruno finished her sip and placed her drink down, looking down for a split second. "That's true, but I was only being cautious. There are more people than you think who can sense what writing is unmistakably yours, and what might be an imitation. Yours sister, obviously; sibling relationships are normally quite close I'd presume. But this entire situation is to prove not only to them but also to you of how close you all actually are...as boring as that sounds."

I said nothing.

"But, it seems as though things are becoming much more interesting than I first expected, so kudos to you!"

"You-"

Slap!

My eyes darted back to the screen, where the angle shifted towards the door and shook for a few seconds. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor and footsteps slowly diminished to the previous noise level. Once the cam stabilized, Yuigahama's figure came into focus; her right hand was flat and off to the right, her teeth slightly clenched with a dead serious expression imprinted on her face.

"H-how could you say something like that! About Hikki, about how w-we, we shouldn't…worry?" As quick as her anger appeared, it simply vanished as an exhausted Yuigahama started tearing up again. It was finally time for Yukinoshita to console her crying clubmate once more; obviously it was painful to watch from such a great distance, but in the end the anger and negative atmosphere seemed to simmer down. The arrival of Hiratsuka-sensei seemed to also bring things back to a sense of reality. With that, Haruno's complexion gradually showed signs of boredom.

"I guess that is the end of it for now. You guys show a solid five seconds of excitement before going back to being quite boring, but it was still pretty eventful." She sighed, finishing the last of her drink before moving her hand to close her laptop. My mind gave a small sigh of relief at that point, as though the day's torture has finally concluded-

"SENPAAIIIII!"

Crap. Haruno's hand froze, and that irritating smile of hers returned. Isshiki, you couldn't have helped your reliable senpai out and wait a couple of seconds? Huh?

"Looks like it's not over just yet," she chuckled, sitting back in her seat to let the new set of events unfold.

This is going to be a long day.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at that table, half-heartedly monitoring the events in Chiba as Isshiki joined Yukinoshita and Yuigahama on a trip to another cafe. Other than Isshiki ordering a MAX coffee, things seemed not very out of the ordinary. On most occasions I would not see ordering MAX coffee as a negative thing; in fact, someone appreciating the sweet and satisfying nature of that heavenly beverage is a small token for change. But Isshiki? That sly fox of a kouhai? Not expected.

Of course, things started to become complicated when Hayama and his clique showed up...that curled Haruno's lips upward even further. Is that even natural?

The dashing prince of Sobu conversed with Yukinoshita, and apparently she didn't want Isshiki to know about my disappearance.

"Why is she trying to avoid that conversation? Isshiki is going to figure out that I'm gone eventually. I'm a bit surprised she hasn't found out yet, since she's usually the first one to squeeze that sort of info out of people," I commented, taking another sip from my drink. We had already order a round of refills from the cafe. Twice.

"You really are a dense one, Hikigaya-kun," she sighed, nodding towards the screen. Moments later, Tobe spills the beans about my absence. If this moment had been an apocalyptic moment that started World War III, then I'd say something along the lines of "Tobe you dumbass." However, under the current circumstances and the inevitability of Isshiki hearing of this, my response is more like:

"Tobe you're still a dumbass but your current actions are not reflective of this."

While Yukinoshita was reprimanding Tobe for his apparent slip-up, the camera was still focused on Isshiki, who was sitting across from the two clubmates. Her expression froze, and she didn't make much movement for the next couple of moments. She looked...shocked, yes. Panicked? And...a mix of sadness and disbelief.

A slow realization started to kick in as I gritted my teeth. She was a playful kouhai to me, but I never thought much about it. What was I to her? A reliable senpai on the surface level, though what was going on in that mind of hers was up to anybody's opinion.

"She definitely is into you," Haruno butted in. Within two minutes, her hypothesis bore fruit. With Isshiki now a sobbing mess, I couldn't help but get frustrated at myself. Not only was I probably the cause of this scenario from occurring, but I couldn't do anything at this point; these events were bound to happen sooner or later. It was only the meddling of the elder Yukinoshita sibling that sped everything up. It was a cruel trick she played, but what would have gone differently if this entire setup never went through bothered my logic the most. As my mind continued to grind its gears, Yukinoshita was again on clean-up duty with Isshiki… which she managed to do quite effectively spouting words of encouragement that I could tell was not entirely confident.

"That's enough for today, aren't you tired as well?" I droned, noticing that her eyes had were not as sharp as they usually are. It was pretty much dark outside, as the entire afternoon was spent at this very location. Of course our legs were cramped up from all the inactivity. If Haruno was thinking of a reason to protest my statement, it all but fell to pieces as she quietly winced at the slightest movement of her legs.

"I believe it would be best to call it a day, as you wish," she conceded, finally closing the laptop screen. There may have been something I'll miss from now until the end of the night, but going through two breakdowns within a couple of hours like I'm watching some sort of highschool drama is a bit overwhelming for the first day.

Once the car got back to the Yukinoshita estate, I looked out toward the slowly diminishing moonlight, exhaling and watching the mist slowly dissipate in the clear air. The physical atmosphere was just the opposite in nature of the storm brewing in everyone's minds.

These next few weeks are going to hurt like hell. For all that it's worth, I'm the center of it all, and I can't do a damn thing about it.

That's how the next few weeks went by. Waking up in a gigantic bedroom took some getting used to, but eventually I could get out of bed without a panic attack of not knowing where I was anymore; some fancy meals with Haruno Yukinoshita, which was probably one of the less unenjoyable activities during my time here. Of course I've averted any MAX coffee, just in case. It's more of a psychological aversion at this point than anything long-term; nothing can break years of trust with that beverage, not even poisoning and abduction. Then, Haruno would pull whatever she wanted to do for the day out of her head, mostly shopping, some attractions, which more often than not she called a "date" just to mess with me. But recently it started to feel more like a vacation that has been extended a bit too long, and she even is showing the signs of that. In short, she's bored.

What happened over those few weeks? Nothing much in Chiba, so that's probably why.

Okay, there is something, or more precisely something going to happen today. It's the first day that the Sobu Student Council meets with Kaihin Sougou to go over a graduation festival. The thought of a graduation festival is a bit tacky, but nevertheless it sounded like a good idea. On paper. Of course there will be struggles and complications in the planning stage, as the student councils' track record has been pretty crappy, to say the least. That Tamanawa could start a small weather pattern with his hand gestures, while Orimoto could preach however many times she wants if it makes the council feel better about this colossal project.

Haruno and I sat at another cafe in this city which seemed to have an unlimited supply of cafes. Once the meeting was about to start, she ordered the first round of drinks as if we were watching some movie. It's the kind where I would rather not watch even if I were paid to do so; with Hayama in the cast I was already disinterested. The thought of Hayama actually helping the student council in this type of situation was ridiculous. Sure, he has the charisma and personality that people would associate with a natural leader. Some individuals at the other high school apparently held him in high regard, except for Orimoto after he showed a part of his true self to her that one time. Other than that, he seems like the man for the job. Unfortunately, the joint council meetings fall under the category where even natural leadership is tested with roundabout conversation and 99% "beating around the bush." It's easy for any sort of leader to fall into this rut in order to not only please everyone else but also find a sense of rhythm in the group dynamic. The problem lies in that this group dynamic is what causes the internal failure in the first place.

This failure played out in real time throughout the entire meeting, where Hayama was only adding to the circumventing of ideas; no real thoughts on logistics, just superficial throat-clearing ideas. I almost gagged at his rebuttal of Yukinoshita's statement, as she was trying to push the council to move forward with concrete ideas, while he just brought it back to Tamanawa's court.

A trainwreck in slow-motion once again. But this time…

"You won't be able to save them now, won't you?" Every time she uttered this phrase, I mentally grimaced knowing that it was the truth. Being removed from Chiba meant that I was not physically able to intervene with their activities.

The project was a failure from the start; brought on by Kaihin Sougou, it was over-ambitious with not enough time nor resources to figure everything out in time. Perhaps two capable councils could have been able to just barely pull through, but the two councils involved currently are far from that, even with the help of Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. I was pretty sure I wouldn't have helped much at all, but even a little push with a slim chance of succeeding would feel better than not being able to change the path of an inevitable collapse.

As the meetings continued to come and go, Haruno seemed to slowly become more interested in the conversations and interactions, especially involving Yukinoshita. Yukinoshita was trying her very best to stay calm and collected and divert the attention of the council toward realistic goals; however, it was either miscommunication within the groups or the lack of strength or conviction behind her voice that kept the meeting from moving forward. Both Haruno and I could tell that she was exhausted, as well as quite distraught over everything. She was obviously still mad at me, no doubt. But she didn't show anger, but instead a mix of sadness and feigned confidence.

But even her best seemed to not be able to penetrate the wall of ignorance that the council had built up over the weeks leading up to the festival. It was almost two weeks into the process. They will have to call an "emergency" meeting in a few days in order to "finalize the general plans" of the festival. General meaning overarching themes, nothing specific to what is actually going to be put into the activities or stalls at the event.

This is not good I ended up mumbling to myself out of habit. One of the only reasons why the Christmas event came together in the end was the concerted effort of both Yukinoshita and I to oppose Tamanawa. There needs to be at least two people that would oppose in order to actually have a voice in the issue against Kaihin Sougou and their circlejerk council. In the present case, Hayama has fallen out of favor, Yuigahama never really could project her voice against the council, and Isshiki was hesitant of losing popularity among everyone. The rest of the Sobu council were under the lead of Isshiki, but recently they have put Yukinoshita as acting head just as they had done so with me during the last collaboration effort. It was too much for one individual...that's why I asked the Service Club in the end for assistance.

It was all frustrating; why can't society just work for once? Groups of teenagers really can't plan anything without assistance from someone with authority.

"Not so well, right?" Haruno chuckled, taking a bite into a sandwich that was probably more expensive than someone's weekly allowance. "It's a shame that they can't figure things out on their own...though I do feel at fault if an event this big were to not succeed. It's something planned for the entire Sobu senior class, while I only wanted to see what would happen to a smaller number of individuals. Oh well, what is done is done," she concluded. "Unless you can think of a way you could contact someone to help, without giving away anything about your situation."

Right, that. Haruno gave one exception for my isolation from Chiba; I could contact someone who would not disclose my current situation. It was a ridiculous statement, since virtually anyone I would normally talk to would automatically let everyone know that I was at least okay, even if I tried to persuade them not to talk. A Catch-22 of sorts. Irritating, I know...unless…

I recounted again my small set of connections. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama are automatically out, along with Isshiki and Komachi. They're too close to not cause this entire situation to collapse. Class 2-F is also out of the question: Tobe would blabber, Ebina is not a very helpful resource at this time either, Miura would not help even if she could, Kawasaki may not react well to the news, and so too would Totsuka. Zaimokuza would be in Tobe's boat. Hayama has proven that he is of no use in the council. Sensei was a gamble: she would be understanding of my situation, but since Haruno is involved, she may take action against her once this is over. Which means that Yukinoshita would figure out and things would not end smoothly. That left an individual whom I admittedly respect, and would probably be the person for the job out of anyone.

I nodded towards Haruno, then took my phone out. A few scrolls later and I reached her contact, waited for a moment, then dialed the number. Two rings in, and the phone picked up on the other end. Figures, she must have already known about my absence once the news broke out across the school. I sighed as her voice came across the line.

"Eh, Hikigaya-kun?!"

"Yo, Shiromeguri-senpai." I still used the honorific, of course. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah, I'm in my room, but that's not the issue...are you okay?"

"I'm fine thanks. I have two things to ask you. First, please don't tell anyone of this conversation or that I'm okay or anything. I'll tell you a bit of my situation, but that's it."

There was a few seconds of silence, probably her thinking over what I just said.

"Alright, I'll agree to that as your reliable senpai. So what happened?"

"All I can say is that I did leave Chiba, but not on my own terms."

"So she had something to do with it?"

I was a bit surprised. "How could you tell?"

I heard a bit giggling. "One can tell who's the culprit if you put the pieces together. But as long as you're safe I'm glad." There was a pause before she continued. "But, there's another reason why you're calling me, right?"

"You're right." Time to get straight to the point. There was one person who could bring things back for Sobu High.

"Shiromeguri-senpai...I have a request."

And I knew damn well from the start she was all for it.

A/N: I'm back! Sorry for an even longer hiatus than expected by everyone. Apologizes for the delay! University is much more intense than expected, and the summer preceding took a lot of time away from writing. Wanted to put this out here as a nice little Christmas present from Hikigaya and crew! Well, little meaning the longest chapter to date at over 8.7k is not too bad. This is Part 1 of the Loner's Explanation, so expect Part 2 in the future, hopefully sooner. Don't worry, I've not been abducted either by a can of MAX coffee. See you in the next chapter!