"Let's extend it to a four-month contract," Hachiman finally made a decision after a few minutes of deep thought. "I'll see everything through the summer as well."

"Have you really given it thought? Or was it a snap decision?" Chihiro asked him with an unusually authoritative voice. "Hikigaya-kun?"

"Komachi's fight doesn't stop at a successful debut. 346's plan for her aims higher than that. 346 planned for Komachi to take on Kisaragi Chihaya," Hachiman clasped his fingers nervously. "I want to help Komachi at least that much."

It would have been highly unfair for Hachiman to bail midway. Even if his original promise only extended to her debut. From that point onward, Komachi planned to fight on her own terms to ensure the unity of the Hikigaya family.

"I know that's indeed the case. And I know Komachi has that potential, but have you given thought to how Komachi can fight her?" Chihiro asked him with a mixture of concern and curiosity.

"Isn't it obvious? The battleground would be the Tokyo Idol Festival 2021 in August," Hachiman grinned.

"Indeed, although it's a little bit soon, it IS a good chance to fight Kisaragi Chihaya on even terms," Chihiro hummed. "What are the chances?"

"Accounting for her growth rate, Mother said maybe a 1:3 chance of Komachi winning," Hachiman rolled his eyes aside. "My father is a little bit more optimistic, maybe 35 to 40%. Either way, I HAVE met Kisaragi Chihaya myself. And though it was brief, I can tell just how massive the gap between Komachi and Kisaragi is right now."

Kisaragi Chihaya was a person who could speak on even terms with a world-class genius like Kagura Rei. She might be an oddball, but there was no doubt that she was a monstrous prodigy.

"Even so, Komachi-chan will still pursue that fight?" Chihiro narrowed her eyes.

"It might sound like a dream to beat her on the first try," Hachiman closed his eyes. "But while dreams betray many, hard work betrays no one."

Komachi wouldn't know the distance she had to cover without standing on the same stage as Chihaya, in front of the same audience.

There WAS no better stage than the Tokyo Idol Festival this summer, especially when Komachi would still be riding the fresh wave of her debut at that point. And Komachi would be more than willing to take a defeat if it meant she could grow even better as an idol.

"I see," Chihiro lowered her eyes. "I have yet to see any idol who would happily fight a losing battle."

"Komachi is not your run-of-the-mill idol blinded by hopes and lured by sweet dreams," Hachiman said confidently. "She's my dearest little sister."

And both of them were equally rotten to the core. It was just that Komachi hid it behind her angelic mask.

Chihiro took a deep breath and then raised her face as she let it out with a big smile. "Looks like the two of you have decided... no, you have decided to support her to the end. In that case, I see no point in dissuading you."

"Thank you, Senkawa-san," Hachiman nodded. "And another thing..."

"?"

"I'm nowhere near as kindhearted, nor am I as nice as you are. Even so... I will try to lend my hand to those I can reach," Hachiman promised. "And those I want to reach."

"I sincerely hope you find them, the people you want to reach," Chihiro nodded in agreement. "For the time being, I hope you can give your best to help those within your reach."

"Yes."

"Then let's repeat your contract terms and conditions."

"Your contract will effectively take effect starting today. Your next term of work will take place between the 6th of May and the 31st of August 2021."

"Your mandatory work hours will be limited to 28 hours a week, and additional time beyond that will count as overtime. You are to be paid by the hour, with a current nominal payment of three thousand yen per hour, paid at the end of each month."

"You are entitled to five unpaid vacation days, which we will have to stress that you should take at some point even if there's no legal requirement to do so. This doesn't take into account Sundays and national holidays, and they will be compensated separately."

"This is more or less the core content of your new contract. Do you have any objections?" Chihiro asked him.

"I have no objections," Hachiman answered.

"Then, let's put our stamps and signatures here," Chihiro pulled out her personal stamp, and Hachiman pulled out his own. They both put their stamps and handwritten signatures on the contract paper, leaving one column empty for the HR manager to fill.

"Well then, that takes care of the heavy stuff!" Chihiro put the contracts back into the envelopes. The air around the table suddenly felt lighter. "I'm sorry we had to do this in such an unprofessional setting, but I felt it would be best if no one pressured you into compliance."

"I like to think I'm far too privileged in this company," Hachiman scoffed. "I'll do my best in return, even if it only helps a bit."

"That's what we expect from you, Hikigaya-kun," Chihiro grinned. "Let's finish our lunch properly, shall we?"

The rest of the lunch break felt significantly more comfortable now that they had put aside the formal topic. They shared all the little stories from their daily lives, especially what had happened since their meeting last week.

"This vlog project blew up more than we expected."

"It has the combined fanbase behind Ryou and Kagura. Of course, it will blow up."

The cooking video during the sleepover ended up garnering even more views than Saika and Anya's vlog about family stargazing. This didn't in any way demoralize the couple, though.

Their date video ended up garnering a lot of attention as well. Sure, a fraction of it was shitposting, but there was a lot of genuine support for the couple.

Hachiman's personal shipping war effort didn't go to waste, which he was glad for.

"The silly couple even planned to go to Hokkaido to spend the rest of Golden Week together for a big family reunion," Chihiro laughed.

Family reunion, huh?

"What about you, Hikigaya-kun?"

"I honestly don't know. Normally, our family doesn't really go anywhere far on Golden Week," Hachiman told Chihiro. "Maybe visiting Father's family in rural Chiba?"

If Hachiman was determined enough, he could literally ride back and forth on his bike easily. It was maybe a two-hour ride at worst.

"What about you, Senkawa-san?"

Chihiro clapped her hands, and her face turned grim.

"Gotta use it to finish my cosplay for next summer's Comiket and meet some friends from the circle," Chihiro said. "We might not have much free time up until August, but no one can take my precious paid leave from me!"

Chihiro pretty much only took her paid leave for Comiket and only Comiket. Unless there was another festival worth attending. She was really an otaku deep inside.

"Ganbare, Senkawa-san," Hachiman earnestly cheered her up and politely poured the wine from the decanter into her glass. Even though this was no drinking party, Hachiman felt it was worth giving a formal toast of respect.

Of course, Chihiro went for the hilarious route of mixing 1/3 part oolong tea and 2/3 part soda water so that Hachiman could have a non-alcoholic beer to toast with. Hachiman had really underestimated Chihiro's expertise in the abuse of drink bars.

"I pray that you will have a productive and satisfying vacation, Hikigaya-kun!" Chihiro raised her now-filled wine glass. "Kanpai!"

"Kanpai desu," Hachiman raised his glass of sparkling tea slightly lower.

clink

Best 2500 yen Hachiman had ever spent since buying used games for Vita-chan.

青春 の輝かしいステージ ひどく明るい感じ

The Shining Stage of Youth feels awfully bright

(Oregairu/Idolmaster - Cinderella Girls)

Original Story by: Watari Wataru/Bandai-Namco

Written by: ZeroXSEED

Chapter 23 - Change of heart

Hachiman and Chihiro went their separate ways once they finished handing the new contract to the HR manager, who signed the contract without so much as a glance.

At that time, Chihiro looked slightly drunk but was still self-aware enough to keep herself composed. She said she would go back to the dorm quickly, and Hachiman didn't have to worry. After all, the dorm was located in the same city block as the office.

Anyway, Hachiman decided he would check on Komachi & co. They should have finished the farewell party by now.

Hachiman barely saw Munakata as the poor girl entered the car with her baggage. The other girls were just outside the entrance to the teen dorm area.

"Onii-chan! Yahallo!" Komachi called him. "Have you finished everything?"

"Yeah, it was taken care of," Hachiman grinned. "Are you done?"

"Cursed by the sun of the afternoon, Milord," Ranko greeted Hachiman. "We're just about done with this feast of despair."

Honestly, that last description might just fit Munakata's mental state right now. Not that Hachiman cared.

"And I just blood-signed another contract of servitude," Hachiman replied confidently. "I'll be here until the scorching sun of the summer season stops tormenting us all."

"Is that so?" Asuka showed a hint of relief in her voice. Losing a chuuni brother figure might have been a sad loss for the group as a whole, to think of it.

"Yay!" Mirei jumped happily. "He'll be with us for longer!"

"Celebration might be very well warranted, but unfortunately, I have to retreat to my land of exile," Ranko closed her eyes.

Huh? Did Ranko plan to go back to her hometown?

"Aren't we all?" Asuka asked and looked at the two other figures in the group.

"Well, yeah. Mika-nee and I will go back to Saitama as well," the twin-tailed petite known as Jogasaki Rika howled. "Too bad for Mr. Boyfriend here! No sweet Golden Week intimacy for ya!"

"I'm not her boyfriend, and watch your mouth, brat," Hachiman pointed out semi-threateningly. Seriously, Mika's little sister was even more chipper than her!

"There's no way I would miss the precious chance for self-study and improvement. So I will, of course, excuse myself as well," Koshimizu Sachiko, who was practically the top star of the Third Division, smugly told him. "Perhaps we will have a chance to work together in the future, Hikigaya-san."

Haha, as if. She was the closest person Komachi had for a rival right now!

"Are you done yet, Ranko?"

"Ah. Onii-sama, good afternoon!"

A man with glasses approached the group without courtesy and looked at them judgmentally. With an unpleasant scoff, he introduced himself. "Kaoru Sakuraba. I came here to pick up Ranko."

"Hikigaya Hachiman, Production Assistant. Are you her guardian?"

"Yes," Kaoru answered. "...346 employs someone so young as a staff?"

"346 cares more for merit, not seniority. Though connections help," Hachiman shamelessly grinned. There was no possible way he could ignore the nepotism element persistent in his entire career so far.

"I see," Kaoru's glasses glowed ominously. "Thank you for taking care of my little sister."

For some reason, Kaoru finally pulled out his business card and offered it to Hachiman. Although his face was a bit curt, at least he meant well.

Hachiman replied in kind, and they both examined each other's business cards.

Huh, someone so young and already a professional surgeon? This guy was not ordinary. Medicine was one of the many fields where you couldn't skimp on formalities just because you were gifted.

"You're even younger than I expected," Kaoru remarked. "I was expecting a college student or something."

"I've heard that a lot, yes," Hachiman didn't hide the awkwardness. "You're also exceptionally young for a surgeon, Sakuraba-san."

"Well, they say excellence knows no age. Thank you for taking care of my little sister in the past month," Kaoru nodded in acknowledgment. "We're going back to Kumamoto for the time being."

"See you next week, Milord," Ranko curtsied at Hachiman and went back to the dorm with Kaoru following her warily.

"Holy... he's more handsome than in the photo, Kyaaah!" Komachi hysterically screamed once the subject of conversation was out of earshot.

Did Komachi just... squeal?

"Not bad. I'd say 9/10," Rika sheepishly laughed. "The glasses even add more to the charm."

"Such a handsome man with such an intellectual aura, I'd even say 9.9/10. You have the taste of a peasant, Rika-san," Sachiko sniped.

"Whoa, shots fired there," Asuka mumbled.

"Ranko-chan is going to cry if she hears this..." Mirei slapped her face.

LET ME OUT!

"Are you girls done?" Hachiman asked them.

"Pfftt, someone is jealous," Komachi rolled her eyes aside. "You should wear glasses too, Oniichan. The two of you are the exact same cool nerd type anyway."

"Are you telling me YOUR type is a cool nerd? Father is going to be unhappy," Hachiman snorted.

"Who cares about his opinion!" Komachi made a slapping gesture in the air.

Hachiman couldn't say he had tried glasses before, though. Maybe he SHOULD get a pair, if only because he worked with computers 90% of the time. These newfangled 'blue light filter' glasses should be good.

Yeah, that would definitely be on the shopping list.

"Well, off to Miyagi, I guess," Mirei sighed. "Man, I want to spend Golden Week together, but blood is thicker than water."

"Can't choose who you're related to," Asuka nodded. "...not that I dislike my family or anything."

"Neither do I."

It seemed that just about everyone was going back to their hometown unless they were actually from Tokyo. Or they squatted in the goddamn place, like Shuuko and Shiki, and spent the rest of Golden Week here. Well, Frederica was unlikely to go anywhere, either.

Of all the LiPPS members, it seemed that Mika was the only one going out of the prefectural Tokyo.

"What about you, Komachi-chan?" Rika asked her.

"Ah, our family planned to go to Hiroshima!"

!

Hachiman had never heard of this... but then again, he hadn't actually talked with his parents nor Komachi in the last two days! His mother's hometown was actually in Hiroshima, and Hachiman hadn't been there for years at this point.

"I see. Then see you next week!"

The group more or less dispersed in an orderly manner, leaving just the Hikigaya siblings together.

"Blood is thicker than water, huh?" Komachi mumbled as she headed for the dorm herself.

Come to think of it, something like this might have happened before. Last summer, Hachiman had declined to go and visit their family, and his family ended up leaving him alone in Chiba.

Hachiman had been at the height of his cynicism at the time. And the last thing he wanted was to see Komachi get preferential treatment from extended family.

Hachiman had decided to be absent out of spite and laziness. Komachi might have hidden it well, but to say she was unhappy would have been an understatement.

His parents might have started to change at that point, noticing that something was wrong with their only son. They seemed to pay more and more attention to Hachiman, culminating with Chihiro proposing to enlist him in 346 and his mother going to Korea and China in winter.

"Onii-chan, I'm sorry we didn't discuss anything with you again."

"Nah, it's rational. We don't really have the luxury of a free summer anymore."

Summer would have been the best time to take paid leave and visit distant relatives. But now that the family was knee-deep in the idol business, that was no longer the case.

Hachiman wondered if Komachi's quiet presence was asking him:

"What do you really want to do, Onii-chan?"

"Hiroshima ain't bad," Hachiman smiled. "It's been years since I went there anyway. And staying here the entire Golden Week might drive me nuts."

As much as Hachiman resented his parents, there was absolutely no reason for Hachiman to hate his grandparents in particular. In some ways, Hachiman and Komachi owed it to their grandparents for taking care of the siblings when they were still toddlers and highly dependent on others.

Komachi looked at him knowingly. "...I guess you need a peaceful retreat after this hectic month, meeting all these interesting people."

"That makes two of us," Hachiman pointed at her.

Komachi might appear to be an extrovert... but she wasn't. She hated being alone, true. Unlike Hachiman, Komachi had never been able to stand social isolation. But she WAS an introvert.

Dealing with people made her tired, and that's why she had separated herself from literally everyone on Showa Day, both Hachiman and her friends.

Back in Chiba, Komachi would literally roll herself in a blanket and binge gaming on the weekends, ignoring calls and declining invitations from her friends. And of those weekends, she would spend half that time with Hachiman.

And though they still had the precious, limited weekend afternoons to spend, things weren't really the same since they had come to Tokyo. It was a good chance for the two siblings to spend their time together away from other people, aside from the fact that they got to focus on family bonding.

"Are you sure you don't want to go elsewhere?"

"I don't get to pay for the expensive ticket, so more money for me!" Hachiman laughed on his way to the dorm.

"You know, the reason why Mother didn't ask you beforehand was that you're having fun with your friends. And between the orientation for new Third Division trainees and your contract negotiation, she didn't want you to get distracted."

"Mother said that if Oniichan has your own plans, she won't press the issue on you. Komachi only heard about it this morning too, but Komachi really prefers if we all can go," Komachi smiled wryly. "They planned to talk to you about this later this afternoon."

For Komachi, the unity of the Hikigaya family was the most crucial thing in the world. That's why she had come here and sold her freedom to the company.

And Hachiman was unwilling to betray her sacrifice.

As much as Hachiman felt discomforted being left out of the discussion, he understood that his parents were trying to be considerate of him. After all, Hachiman HAD rejected their previous trip.

And just like Komachi said, his father called him. "[Finished the contract rework yet]?"

"Yeah, decided to stick around until summer in the end," Hachiman told him. "Can't think of anything better to do."

"[Huh.]" The tone of the response from the Chief Producer represented a clearly turbulent conflict of emotions. "[Anyway, about Golden Week, do you]-"

"I'll go to Hiroshima as well," Hachiman preemptively answered his question.

"[Excellent, I was expecting you to make some arrangements on your own. It's good that the four of us can go, though. Actually, make that six]!"

"Six? I know Nitta will join us, but who else?"

"[You would know when you see her. See you later at the rental house]."

Bah. Probably not anyone important.

"I have somewhere else to go. You go ahead and pack your things," Hachiman told Komachi.

"Yokai!" Komachi proceeded to ninja-run her way with feet so light they might as well have been made of feathers.

Komachi used to be unathletic. But the current her was actually physically more robust than the average girl of her age. It wasn't just Hachiman who had changed a lot in the last four months.

Komachi's improvements were internal and well-hidden.

...

Hachiman made his way to the dorm library, sincerely hoping that a particular person was there instead of elsewhere. It might have seemed like a stupid thing to consider in this age of information where you could use your cellphone to verify before the fact.

Nevertheless, it wasn't like Hachiman was immune to the habits of placing sentimental value in daily routines. Hachiman spent his morning almost every day in this library, and naturally, they always met every day.

Hachiman could only sigh in relief when he saw the person in question was sleeping soundly. Anyone else wouldn't have been this comfortable, sleeping on an upright chair.

But this particular bibliophile was different. She could literally spend an entire night sleeping like this on occasion.

Hachiman decided not to disturb her and took a random book that had been added to the library yesterday to read at the nearby table.

And sometime later...

"Eh, Hikigaya-kun?"

Hachiman wasn't sure how much time had passed until he checked his phone, and apparently, it had been almost a full hour. He had been so absorbed in reading that he forgot why he had come in the first place.

"Good afternoon, Sagisawa-san," Hachiman greeted her.

"Umm, did you see me sleeping? H-how long?" She blushed so hard her lustrous white skin turned as red as a ripe tomato. "I ate so much at lunch that I felt sleepy the moment I came here."

"...Just about an hour, I think?" Hachiman raised the book. "I was too busy reading to pay attention."

"That long? Y-you should have woken me up instead."

Wut? That would have been really rude of him.

"Anyway, I came here to say sorry. Since my family planned to visit our relatives in Hiroshima, I can't join you on your trip to Nagano."

For a moment, there was a strong hint of disappointment on her face. It didn't last long. But it was there.

"Your family... everyone in your family?"

"All four of us will go."

Then her face suddenly brightened up. "I see! I'm glad to hear that!"

Err, wasn't the contrast a bit extreme? It was Sagisawa Fumika he was talking with.

"Ah, what I'm saying is... I always thought you were pretty distant from your father. I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm intruding in your family business, but I only noticed it recently."

Well, if there was any glaring flaw to Sagisawa Fumika as a person, it would be that she was slow on the uptake.

"We are," Hachiman confirmed without hiding anything. "We're still trying to sort out our differences and find ways to reconcile. But yes, we're far from close."

"I see. So it was like that, still..." Fumika paused for a moment. "So it was last night when the Chief Producer debriefed the members of the First Division about Kaede-san transferring to the Second. I returned to the office because I left something, and I saw him."

"He watched your cooking video and started crying," Fumika whispered. "He said that he had never seen you laugh like that before..."

What the hell?

"Well, I don't normally laugh like that, either!" Hachiman blushed. "It's just that everyone was being stupid for the entirety of that night."

Admittedly though, it had been tame as far as boys' sleepover parties were concerned. They didn't even have the energy to watch Yuutarou's porn stash, which DEFINITELY would have been on the menu at some point...

"Isn't that just because you're straining yourself around your father?"

"That, and he's an asshole," Hachiman sighed. "Still, he did try to cheer me up when I was down recently. So he's vastly improved compared to how he was last year."

The night before the double date, for example. That had been the closest moment where he had actually tried to impart the wisdom of a father.

"It might be just my ignorance speaking, but I sincerely wish that you can mend your relationship with him," Fumika smiled. "And then the two of us can... no, I mean... everyone can go on a trip together the next time we have the chance."

"I hope that's the case," Hachiman nodded. "Thank you, Sagisawa-san."

In the next five days, they wouldn't be able to meet each other in the morning. Though small, Hachiman felt a sense of loss. In some way, he felt less bothered not meeting Mika and Kanade for the next five days since they always communicated through phones even when they weren't meeting in the dorm or at school.

Hachiman didn't often call or message Fumika, which made suddenly starting conversations about unimportant things awkward.

As Hachiman exchanged a look with Fumika for the last time, he wondered if Fumika felt the same way.