A/N: Hey everyone, welcome to Chapter 1 of Hachi Hachi Paradise. This story will be told from Hachiman's point of view, and will follow him on his endeavors involving the many interesting characters in his life. The tags and the synopsis should tell you the rest.

Disclaimer: I don't own Oregairu, which is probably for the best. I definitely wouldn't have been able to do the series justice, and I'd be pretty worried about ruining such a great series. Luckily this is a fanfiction so if I do something silly it doesn't affect anything. Shoutouts to Wataru Watari and the publishers of the series.

Chapter 1: Even to this day, Hikigaya Hachiman is still answering requests.

1-1

I feel sweat start to dampen my forehead. In my line of sight I see a beautiful girl wryly smiling as she fiddles with her peach-colored bun of hair. Next to her I steal a glance at another beautiful girl, frozen stock still in a way befitting her porcelain-like appearance. Under their heated stares, in that clubroom, and with the scent of red tea drifting through the air, I force my body to stay still and as I wrench my jaw unclamp, I feel a thump and a pounding against my eardrum.

Ow…

9:00 am. Why the hell is my alarm even set? And why the heck is it set to max volume? Is there really something that I absolutely needed to wake up for? It's not like I have anywhere I need to be. Although, it's not going to be like that for much longer. And that's precisely why I should be taking advantage of this type of situation by doing what I do best. Taking it easy and being taken care of by my adorable little sister. Actually, speaking of which…

"Oh Onii-chan good, you're awake."

As I silenced my obnoxiously loud alarm, I sat up while looking at my sister with my best irritated expression.

"Komachi, you didn't sneak into my room after I fell asleep and set my alarm, did you?"

"That's exactly what I did, actually!" squealed Komachi with a wink as she flashed a peace sign.

Because it's so hard to be mad at her since she's too cute, I quickly lost my will to scold her. Still, I as her older brother need to hold her accountable for her actions somehow. I sighed and brought my hands up to rub my eyes awake.

"...Why?"

"Well Otou-san and Okaa-san are at work, and I'm going to be spending the day catching up with a friend, so I figured I'd make you breakfast before I left. Otherwise you'd make some sort of unsuitable slop for yourself. Not good for the most important meal of the day, especially for a still, probably, growing young man such as yourself!"

What was with that probably? I mean yeah, technically I'm at an age where I can theoretically still grow and change, but it's largely unforeseeable. Regardless, it would seem that my sister still thinks I'm hopeless.

"As nice as that is, I could've made breakfast myself...and I wouldn't have had to wake up at 9 for that…"

While I gave Komachi my best annoyed expression, she made a sheepish grin and began lightly rubbing the back of her head.

"Well you see, I figured it was the least I could do since I need you to do me a favor-"

"And there it is."

That's just Sibling 101 stuff right there. Heck, even with people who aren't your siblings, the phrase "it's the least I could do" is often a death sentence of expectations and obligations. Source: Me.

"Oh hush. You know as well as I do that the only way to get anything out of you is to force it on you in the moment so you have no choice but to accept it. Otherwise you'll immediately decline and say that you're busy with something when it couldn't be farther from the truth."

Huh? When did you get a Grade A Hikki certification? You knew me that well, even after all this time apart? I get that we're siblings and all, but still. That's a bit much, Komachi-chan. Seriously. I don't know whether to cry because I'm touched, or cry because even now I'm being forced to do stuff against my will.

I let out a defeated sigh.

"Alright...what do you need?"

It's as I thought, the Imouto vs. Onii-chan matchup is 100-0 in the Imouto's favor. 100-0! No upsets!

"I need you to pick up some appliances that are going on sale today. I don't want to disturb my friend with it since I'm sure they have better things to do than go shopping with me, but I also don't want to postpone it until tomorrow in case the best ones are taken on the first day of the sale. See the conundrum?"

"Sounds like every housewife's nightmare."

"Or every househusband's. If anything you should be thanking me for giving you this wonderful practice opportunity. Heck while you're there you might run into your future working wife to complete the whole househusband equation."

I haven't seen my sister as much ever since heading off to college outside of the immediate commuting area (an unfortunate but necessary decision I had to lament and live with every day by the way, but I digress), and as a result I'm not too sure how her impression of me has evolved without the same factors being in place. Nowadays I really can't tell if she's humoring me, teasing me, or something else entirely. Oi Komachi-chan, what happened during your second and third year of high school without me around? Is there something I'm missing here? Regardless, I guess I have a little bit of explaining to do.

"...Look, Komachi. I'm not looking for someone to take care of me anymore. I-"

"Why?"

Komachi's face suddenly dropped and her voice grew serious, something that I'm now noticing has become more frequent over the past couple of years. She moves to sit on my bed alongside me and peers into my face. If she wasn't my sister my heart would skip a beat. Luckily I've gotten better at dodging her when she gets like this as a result. Gosh, when did my sister get so nosy?

"What?"

"If you're willing to work now, and-"

"It's not like I'm willing to work, I just am-"

"Or if you think you have no other option but to work, or whatever it may be. The point is that you're apparently not looking for something so one-sided anymore. If you're going to do your part, someone out there is going to want to be a part of that. What good reason is there for you to ignore that?"

Admittedly, there have been a number of things that must have happened to her that I'm not aware of in the past couple of years, but that's a street that runs two ways. I've certainly not told my sister everything that I've been doing in university. A lot of it would be things that don't interest her I'm sure, however, there are indeed a handful of things she'd never stop hounding me about if I ever let her even get a whiff of it.

Unfortunately for my adorable little sister, I am quite the troublesome guy. It never comes easy with me, and the things that come easy to normies don't quite apply to a loner such as myself. What happens outside of a loner's mantra is the exception, never the rule. As detestable as it is, I've learned that any given situation couldn't be farther from one's control. My experiences have come as a result of that, and nothing more.

With my convictions rehardened, I turned my dead eyes onto Komachi and answered.

"What reason? Well, there might not be a single good reason, but my reasons are my own. Isn't that enough?"

As happy as I am to spend whatever time I can with my sister, this sort of probing isn't something that I'm very keen on continuing. Although truthfully, if she heard the whole story maybe it could finally confirm to me what I've been thinking all along. It's a question I've visited and revisited often. What good reasons do I have? What compels me to act in this way? And for whose sake do I act for?

It was a question Yukinoshita Yukino once asked herself, and it was the only question Yukinoshita Yukino could not answer. Down the line I found myself asking the same question, but when I came to my own answer I knew I was wrong. Yuigahama Yui had the answer from the start, but she couldn't be right when the rest of us were wrong.

So I decided to live with being wrong until I could correct it myself. I act for my own sake, and I act to find the genuine thing that will elude me everytime. But I will find it, and I will find it for myself and without being a burden to others. This is what I've determined as a loner.

Komachi seemed to be displeased with my answer. She lightly scowled and after a small sigh, began to lecture me in a strangely nostalgic tone.

"There are people out there that love you too much to let you be on your own, Onii-chan. Especially when it's so clear that that isn't what makes you truly happy. The sooner you can realize that, the better."

"I've been on my own all my life. Hell if anything it's so normal to be single at this age that it almost doesn't suit me. If Hiratsuka-sensei traumatized you in some way, please forget it. I won't become like that, I promise."

My response came out without any thought as if it was predetermined. Hiratsuka-sensei's name flew off my tongue so casually that I felt myself become visibly taken aback. Ah, I thought so. For her name to come up here, in this situation, with those words…

As I was about to lose myself in my thoughts, Komachi clicked her tongue and brought me back.

"...Ugh, that's not what I mean."

Komachi turned back from where she was standing, seemingly unaware of my reaction, and began to head for the door. Before she got there, she turned back to me halfway and slightly muttered her words.

"If you still don't understand then that's fine. I thought I'd need to make you understand one way or the other anyways. It's not on me to be the one waiting forever though…"

She let out a frustrated groan and continued talking as she opened the slightly closed door to let her body through, out of my room and into the hallway. But just then, she paused.

"For now, just eat your breakfast before it gets cold. Before I forget, the list of what I'm looking for is on the table in the dining room right next to your plate. I'm not trying to cheat you here either. I went the extra mile in making you a good home cooked meal since I know you don't get those very often anymore, so make sure to do your part also. See you later, Onii-chan!"

Before I could regather my thoughts and respond, Komachi was up and out the door, leaving me with an eerie hunch as to what she meant. I can never be too sure with her, but hopefully she doesn't cause too much trouble. Well, not like there's anything I can do it about it right now anyways.

I took a deep breath as I rose from my bed and moved to use the restroom before eating the breakfast that Komachi prepared for me. As I did I couldn't help but notice how strange that conversation was. I mean sheesh, that conversation really turned itself on its head, and fast. I don't live that far away from home for the moment, so it isn't unheard of for me to come home when I can. Sure it'd be impossible for us to talk as much with how busy we've become and how I'm no longer regularly under the same roof, but where was all this coming from?

Wherever it was coming from, she sure was hitting me with some profound sentiments. I guess my idiot little sister really is growing up, she's in college now after all. Part of that makes me regret my decision to not attend a local college. As a result of that decision, I seem to have missed a big part of her development. But putting those regrets aside, I can't shake the feeling that I didn't really understand the full extent of whatever it is she was trying to tell me, and that hit me with a strong sense of déjà vu.

And I know full well why that's the case. The way Komachi spoke so thoughtfully, so mysteriously, so passionately, and even in her words themselves...it really did remind me of Hiratsuka-sensei. Try as I might, she always seems to crawl her way back into my thoughts. Even if I deliberately try to avoid having that happen...I even almost slipped up in front of Komachi too. And for it to happen now, especially at this time of year...

I suppose I knew this was coming. After all, I've always been the kind of guy that thinks too much. Or so I'm told, anyways. And between those thoughts and whatever dwellings remain of that dream from earlier, I already have had just about enough of thinking for today. But then I suppose there really are some things in this world that'll just stay on you like a bad itch.

With thoughts of my former self swirling in my head I couldn't help but wonder if things would be different if I were to try it all again. But with those thoughts of my former self came the convictions of that incarnation, which brought in the answer to this question that I had posed long ago, and that is…

That not a damn thing would change.

I took one more deep breath as I found myself out of my room and in front of the door to the restroom. For now I have an errand to run. Oh well, maybe it'll beat lazing around here. Let's see here...I've got plenty of time before Komachi gets back and not a whole lot of stuff to do besides an errand that shouldn't take long and figuring out what to do for lunch, hmm…

I moved to turn the knob while a solution popped into my head. Ah. Of course. At a time like this, I know just the thing to help remedy my troubles.

A/N: Alright people, that's Chapter 1 for you. It's more or less just a small prologue, chapters from here on out will likely be a bit longer. Not too sure how long updates will take, once we get into the swing of things I'm sure it'll be easier to gauge. With that being said, everyone's favorite imouto sure has grown, huh? Next time we'll see where our leading man is headed, as well as what's there waiting for him. R & R if you wish, otherwise until next time,

-Lyzen