Back at the café, when Hachiman and Hoshino were "done" "discussing" things…

"Wha…!" Hoshino was the first to notice something was amiss, finding a girl that she recognized talking to someone in front of an ambulance, packing a frozen back on one side of her face. "Ari-chan?!"

Hachiman hung back when the name got out of Hoshino's mouth. They didn't need more problems, and the situation actually surpassed the concern of how the purple-haired idol would react if she noticed her group-mates there.

"Ah, Ai-chan…" Shijo sounded tired, terribly so. She was hunching a bit, and her fingers trembled slightly even when she flexed them. Things that increased Hachiman's own worry the more he looked at the girl.

People had noticed, but only a few slowed down or stopped in their tracks. A couple only did so due to Hoshino's voice, actually. So Hachiman moved to intercept them and force them to move along in the only way a Japanese citizen would understand: Shaming them.

"What kind of weirdo wants to see little girls crying?"

Or…

"They're too busy dealing with trouble to notice you, creep."

Or simply…

"If you're not helping, you're just a hindrance."

Things like that. Short, to the point. Stuff that would make people pretend that he wasn't talking to them while hurrying up, looking around to see if others were looking at them. Rather than make them mad and try to face him.

Peer pressure was fun like that. And, for once, Hachiman silently thanked the ingrained value in people of trying to make themselves as small a problem to others as possible. To go with the flow, unnoticed.

He couldn't say the same about the girls whispering hurriedly. About the girl whispering in a hurry; as Shijo limited herself to stare blankly at her fellow idol. Holding back just as well as Hoshino was.

Anyone else would've gotten frustrated, would've raised their voices of gotten pissed off. Not Hoshino. She insisted on talking to Shijo in the same hushed voice, staying way more sober than Hachiman had seen her be while they were alone. Away from prying eyes. But the opposite seemed to hold true when she had eyes on her, when she knew that people were watching. Her control was nigh perfect, if only because her own emotions were getting in the way. Making her trip on her words, repeat herself when she said she would let Shijo rest…

Hachiman felt the need to step forward, place a hand on Hoshino's shoulder, and give her some sense of balance. However poor it'd be without speaking.

His presence might actually be detrimental for her, he'd believe that. But he couldn't not be there. Plus…

"Are you alright?" He also worried about the green-haired idol. They hadn't known each other for more than an hour or so, but he wanted to think that it had been time spent in good company. And that it gave him the right to be casual toward the girl.

"Sure." Shijo stated. Not quite whispering, but being mindful of her volume all the same. "You should see the other girl."

That didn't fill Hachiman with confidence or relief. Not at all.

"Ari-chan…" Hoshino struggled to word her thoughts properly on the best of days, so Hachiman couldn't imagine how hard this was for her.

He wasn't a people person, of course. But Hachiman's problems always seemed too small compared to Hoshino's that he almost forgot, hilariously enough, that Hoshino's problems derived from a similar source from his own: fear. Just magnitudes bigger, more present.

Whereas he'd call his main shackle "shame" most of the time, Hachiman couldn't picture Hoshino with something as cute as simply wanting to avoid being embarrassed.

Humiliated. That felt more like a word that belonged in Hachiman's side of life, rather than Hoshino's. Even though he knew that she was far more fragile than she let on.

The only thing that seemed to eclipse her façade of greatness and perfection, was the shadow of her problems.

"Your wrist is red." Hachiman pointed out softly, moving a finger in a sweeping motion like he was going to trace a line along the girl's limb. Although he didn't touch her. He didn't want to invade her personal space, and it felt like he had said it in a comforting enough tone to avoid making Shijo uncomfortable.

"She grabbed me." Shijo stated, looking away. Clearly unwilling to go on.

"So you defended yourself, okay." He didn't know what else to say. How to breach the fact that Shijo had fought a girl that she had been messing around with like half an hour ago. How did one move on from that? How did anyone carry on with their day when someone close to them turned out violent?

"Y-Yeah. I know some self-defense and stuff."

Hachiman nodded.

"I know… I knew a girl that was pretty good at it. She's pretty good at many things. Bbut martial arts are the kind of thing you don't expect an ojou-sama to casually pull off." Hachiman kept his soft tone, and did his best to intonate as well as he could. Speaking slowly, knitting his sentences almost. Shijo looked in his general direction, but not at his face. It seemed like he was getting a positive reaction at least.

It was worth digging out those painful memories, it seemed.

"Heh." Shijo looked kind of smug for a moment. "We need it the most. Girls like us, I mean. Right, Ai-chan?"

Hachiman couldn't imagine how much restraint it took Hoshino to look remotely calm while being reminded that she got attacked. By one of her fellow idols, no less.

"Of course." Again, Hoshino's control over her voice and body language scared Hachiman a little. There was no hint of anger, fear, or anything like that. She sounded perfectly calm, if focused on Shijo instead of the conversation. "Of course. Girls like us."

The green-haired idol tried to move, and Hachiman reached out to her to offer his hand.

Shijo pushed him away gently.

"This isn't my first rodeo, Hikigaya." The girl shook her head, although her breathing failed her for a moment. "I am a Shijo after all."

"…What does that mean?" Hoshino narrowed her eyes. The only part of her expression that Hachiman could see, given that she got a facemask on her.

"You know, old money and stuff." Shijo shrugged, her voice wavering slightly. "I'm the kind of person who's worth a lot in rescue money."

Hachiman's horror was eclipsed by a new, fresher kind, when her words settled in.

"Oh."

"You just realized?" Shijo tilted her head, looking either sleepy or out of sorts. Like she'd pass out at any moment.

"The farmer does not think of Emperor's face when his name is mentioned, but of the title itself." Hachiman looked at Shijo while moving his face to one side. Giving her a look of mixed worry and discontent. "The distance between earth and heaven is too wide for an inhabitant of one to picture the other."

"My, you thread words like a seamstress does the silky night robes of a young concubine." Shijo gave Hachiman a sidewise grin. And he couldn't completely hide his annoyance at the fact that the girl seemed livelier whenever she was making fun of someone.

Or snarking back. Hachiman knew snarking, it was his thing after all. So he knew how annoying people that thought that they were too smart for their own good were. It was only funny when he did it. Or, said in another way, only Hachiman had the right to snark and be annoying at any given point in time.

"Well, at least I can see that you are fine." Still, he held back his tongue. Only letting Shijo know that things were fine between them with a scoff and crossing his arms. "Guess you're good to go home."

"Please no." Shijo's voice broke with her reply, the small hint of amusement that she had before nowhere to be seen. "I can't, not now."

Hoshino was staring at Hachiman, but she'd been doing that since Shijo engaged him in their own way of talking. So he suspected that she was not going to help him diffuse this situation.

He looked around, glaring at the people that crossed his gaze. Trying to keep a line metaphorically drawn in the sand.

Shijo might look too different with scratch marks, messy hair, and her broken glasses. But Hachiman could never be too sure.

"Well, I can't bring you to my home. Mom would kill me." Not to mention that the woman didn't want to know anything about Strawberry Pro at the moment. Never mind that Shijo was apparently a bigshot daughter. If his mom realized that he got himself into another mess with the idols, she'd probably snap.

He didn't want to keep hiding things from her.

"Can… Can I stick with you for a bit? I'll call Mei."

"Is it okay to bother her now?" Hachiman asked honestly. He didn't know how close Shijo was to the other girls, or if she had other contacts. So he worried that dragging yet another idol into this would complicate things.

Shijo's smile became less forced, warmer.

"She'll be angrier if she gets wind of this in any other way." Shijo's expression was too soft now, too unguarded. It made Hachiman feel acutely out of place while she grabbed her phone with both hands, focusing on it.

"Ah… I see." Hachiman turned around, scratching the back of his head. "Won't she… Huh…"

He looked around again, and when he kept speaking, he made his volume even lower.

"…Won't she get the wrong idea?"

Shijo didn't reply. It seemed like Hachiman had overstepped her boundaries with that implicit accusation because, although she pretended not to have heard him, her features became harder. Clearly holding back her annoyance and/or anger.

Hachiman mentally kicked himself for trying to be casual after Shijo went through all of this.

"Shouldn't we get going now?" Hoshino spoke up after realizing that none of the other two would. Just in time, actually. Given that more and more people were snooping around. Testing the limits of the girls' personal disguises.

"Shijo?" Hachiman eyed the green-haired girl, who furrowed her brows but didn't speak up about the way that she was being addressed.

"Not up to me." She pointed with her thumb at the paramedic that was talking to the people of the café. Looking as concerned as Hachiman was feeling.

Hoshino's expression changed, but not in a way that Hachiman could describe. Due to the half of her face that was hidden.

She turned around and left, going to the people that Shijo had pointed at.

The green-haired girl sighed when Hoshino was far enough. Relaxing to the point that she wobbled in place. Forcing Hachiman to try to grab her by the side.

Shijo thrusted her palm in the opposite direction, pushing Hachiman's hand like a sumo fighter would or something.

"I'm fine." Shijo spoke listlessly, sweating and looking like she wasn't focusing her sight anywhere.

"Did I ask?" Hachiman gave her an annoyed look.

"I'm fine." Shijo insisted, giving Hachiman one of the most pathetic looks of annoyance he had ever seen. "Care for your little swing, she needs it the most."

Hachiman had to hold back the venomous retort that he was going to reflexively use.

"No, really." Shijo exhaled, and even her breathing seemed to waver. "She needs it the most."

Hachiman took a moment to mull over her words.

"She's very important to me." Hachiman stated softly, calmer. "But not in the way you think."

"Bet."

"We're trying to make things simpler, define 'us' in a satisfying way."

"While I get that, and I'm happy for you, that's not what I meant." Shijo closed her eyes, looking like she wouldn't open them again, for a moment. "She's… People are weird about her, huh."

Hachiman didn't have it in him to say that she was mistaken, but he doubted that it'd be good for her to hear a confirmation from him.

"Are you weird about her?" Shijo asked like the thought had come back to her, like she had forgotten to ask before.

Hachiman closed his eyes for a moment.

"Maybe I am." He replied as non-committal as he could. Even though he knew that it was the most damning way he could've done so.

Shijo opened her mouth for a moment, a flash of fear crossing her eyes. But her gaze sharpened as Hachiman held her gaze even though she reached out for something in her person.

Hachiman flinched.

Shijo exhaled, her worries all but dissipating.

"…What happened?" Hachiman murmured, leaning closer to her. Trying his luck this time.

"We were messing around. I thought we were." Shijo looked away. "She was pretty mad, but y'know how it is. She's very idol-like like that."

"Right." Hachiman furrowed his eyebrows; not sure he'd call that idiot idol-like anymore.

"But… Between listening in, going back to the booth so the waiters didn't catch you, and the way she got… Even more mad…" Shijo looked at her feet, fidgeting with her thumbs as she fell silent. "Nino had this… Vibe. Like something was off about her."

Hachiman caught Hoshino on the corner of his eyes, approaching. Hachiman showed her his palm. Willing her to stay away.

Shijo exhaled through her nose, either thankful or content with this.

"She was kind of creepy. I…" Shijo scoffed, and looked up at Hachiman with a knowing look. "I have more experience with creepy girls than creepy guys, Hikigaya. I'd know, I went to an all-girls school. So believe me in this."

"Sure." Hachiman nodded. "Difficult not to, all things considered."

"Right, right…" Shijo's voice trailed off again. She had difficulty breathing, but not because she was injured or in pain. "I reached out for my taser, I… I wasn't playing around or trying to intimidate her. I just… I just knew, y'know."

Hachiman nodded again, feeling like he could guess where Shijo was going with this.

"She tried to grab me, prevent me from taking it out." Shijo wheezed, staring into space like she was relieving that moment. "She tried to take it, Hikigaya. And you have to understand… That's not normal."

"I got spooked just now, and I didn't know you had a taser."

"Right?! And… And… You know, if there's a point of no return… That's it. That one is it." Shijo shivered, and her emotions felt more real now. Wilder. "It's either them or you. And I was not going to choose Nino over myself, Hikigaya."

Something soft touched Hachiman's palm, making him turn around.

Hoshino had all but ignored his signal and just walked slower toward them. So now his hand was touching her cheek. She didn't close her eye, not even a bit. And some of her hair brushed against his fingers, heedless of the way people were staring. As she still had half of her face covered.

Shijo got quiet again, taking a moment longer to realize that her fellow idol was there.

"What was it?" Hoshino's tone wasn't understanding. Rather, it sounded like a mother trying to sound understanding when her children were misbehaving and she started scolding them.

Shijo didn't answer, and Hoshino's expression changed again.

She shook her head, moving Hachiman's hand away.

"Nino-chan's rib was broken." Hoshino stated coldly, which only got Shijo to nod. "They want the police to hear about this."

Shijo nodded again.

Hoshino looked away.

"Ichigo-san is on his way already so… Hachiman-san?" She turned to him, and her tone became softer again. "Can you make us some company? Sorry to keep you from your duties."

Hachiman took a moment to consider how mad Komachi would be if he was late, and weighed it against the importance of what was happening here.

"I wasn't planning to leave you alone." He scoffed, pushing those thoughts away.

He actually slept a lot better than expected that night. With Komachi back, Hoshino opening up to him and her family, and being back home actually worked with how mentally exhausted Hachiman was. Helping him crash in bed without difficulty, even though his dreams weren't particularly pleasant.

It helped, all in all. So the next day, when he had to sneak out and skip classes, he was ready. In the right mindset, and with enough knowledge that he only felt naturally apprehensive of what he and Hoshino were doing.

The apartment complex that they visited wasn't as run-down as Yui's had been, back when Hachiman made up his mind and finally got over himself. But it was far from the luxurious place that Hoshino told him it would be.

It was… Normal. The apartments were kind of big, yeah. But nothing like the Saitou's or Hoshino's, given her reaction to their estimations of how much space was there.

"I remember it being bigger."

"You couldn't have grown that much since then." Hachiman argued, but Hoshino refused to react to his words. She was in one of those moods that only she understood. More passive, subdued. It would be a bad sign in any other person, but in Hoshino it felt like she wasn't here with him at all. Just the bare minimum of her mind to function, while the bulk of her was… Somewhere. In the deep recesses of her mind.

Protecting herself.

Not like he didn't mean it. Hoshino was pretty small, and her hasty summarization of her time with Kamiki clearly showed that time had done its part with them. The guy that Hachiman met versus the one that Hoshino remembered were… Pretty different. Like, how the hell did a guy that had been smaller than Hoshino grow up to be taller than Hachiman?

How tall would Aqua end up being? It was a coin flip, really. He'd either be a dreamy guy with more looks than personality, or yet another target of internet memes about little man syndrome. No in between to speak of, given his parents.

…At any rate, this place. Hachiman was holding back a lot of thoughts here, just to honor the willpower that it took Hoshino to even reveal this location. Let alone come out of her own free will. But he would be lying if he said that he wasn't nervous.

This was the guy responsible for Hachiman's hospitalization. Never mind the history he had with Hoshino, he had also found a way to sneak information out of the people that Hoshino spent the most time around, and found him. There were a lot of layers to this, not least of all the experience that Hachiman had with the guy.

"You can hang back if you want." Hachiman commented after he realized the slowness in Hoshino's movements. Like she was fighting against approaching this place.

"Ichigo-san said that there's no one with his name living here anymore." Hoshino sighed, probably speaking more than Hachiman had heard her do since the left that stupid café with Shijo in tow. "It'll be fine."

Hachiman didn't point out how such a hasty screening was a dubious source at best. But instead reached out to Hoshino's face and pulled her facemask a little higher up. Checking her ponytail one last time and trying to pretend that he couldn't recognize her even with most of her face covered.

His emotions were a burden here. They wanted the safety and peace that closing this chapter of their lives would bring. They both knew that things couldn't continue like thy had, that they wouldn't move onward until this persistent danger was dealt with.

He stepped forward, getting one step in front of Hoshino. Trying to lead the way.

Hoshino quickly got in front of him, refusing to be led. Refusing to have Hachiman as a wall between herself and whatever they found in this building.

If push came to shove, he'd protect her. There was no doubt in his mind. But his resolve wavered when he saw Hoshino seemingly disregard the thought that things might be complicated if the first thing that Kamiki did was to see her following by another guy.

Finding Kamiki was fair game, as he did the seeking first -probably getting the information about the crows from one of the idols-; but things were complicated enough without Hoshino's way of facing fear getting in the way. Like right now.

"If that's the case, then why don't you let me do the talking?" Hachiman suggested, fixing his shirt's neck to deal with some of the nervousness.

"This is my thing, Hachiman-san." Hoshino gave him an amused look, a faux one. And shook her head like he was being silly while talking. "I'll get the information out of people in no time. You'd look suspicious."

Hachiman opened his mouth, realized he had no argument against her words, and closed it sheepishly.

"Then walk beside me." Hachiman traced a line on the back of Hoshino's hand, inviting her in.

She snatched his hand with her own, not even taking a second to wonder if Hachiman's actions had been on purpose. Holding onto him more tightly than he expected.

Hachiman gripped her tightly too, taking the strength that her presence gave him. And willing himself to send some strength back at her. Sharing her courage, so to speak.

This would go so badly if Kamiki turn out to be there and saw them like that. By all means, the looked like a couple. Which scared Hachiman a bit, but he rationalized that looking casual and feeling more confident was far more important than whether people saw them like this. For that was the reason why Hoshino was "disguised" here.

"Ready?" Hoshino asked him like they were saving their playthrough before facing a boss.

"We're just going to ask around, Hoshino. Relax." Hachiman spoke relatively confidently, but that last part was more for himself than anything. "Komachi's going to be so mad…"

"Ichigo-san's going to be so mad too…" Hoshino murmured like the thought had just crossed her mind. "The meeting is still in about an hour, but let's hurry up. Okay?"

"Yes." Hachiman didn't have anything else to add.

They were just going to ask to the neighbors what they knew about Kamiki, and yet…

What if they did find him? Hoshino's thoughts were… Like the rest of her: Barely coherent to Hachiman, half-formed… And yet, so certain.

Maybe they should wait for Saitou but… Hachiman wanted to know.

For himself, for the people that cared about him, for Hoshino.

He wasn't worried about their relationship, not in the normal sense but… Given who she was, he was pretty sure.

Hoshino Ai would probably not give up in what she wanted.

He just hoped that she wanted the right thing here and now.

The scars in his stomach sent phantom pains that made it a little hard to walk straight, so he gripped Hoshino's hand a bit more for comfort. And she answered in kind.