MY HIGH SCHOOL LIFE IS NOT AS QUITE AS I EXPECTED IT TO BE
[Sunday, 14th April]
[Hikigaya Household]
After putting on my clothing which consisted of an orange t-shirt, pair of blue jeans and sneakers, I picked up my phone and opened up the chat room that we, or more specifically Orimoto and Nakamachi, used to make a quick plan for today at eight in the morning.
KAO: You guys~ Tamanawa can't come today, he said he has things to do~ _
ChiNA: Well that's alright I guess -3-
KAO: So should we go to the movies like usual? :3
ChiNA: Definitely :D
KAO: Anything you wanna add Hikigaya-Kun? ^_^
Eighto: Nah
ChiNA: Ah let's hit the arcade! :3
KAO: Alright! Then it'll be the movies first and then the arcades, agreed! :D
ChiNA: Agreed! :D
"Haa…" I sighed before sliding the item into my back pocket as well as my wallet in the other, why do they use emoticons so much…?
"Haa…" I sighed again, this would've made for a great lazing day…But it's not like I can reject Orimoto's invitation after a conversation like that…Although I expected her to let it all out face to face but I guess it is a sensitive subject so she must've thought that it'd be easier to think and talk about over the phone…
11:45 AM, feeling it's time to move, I grab the plastic bag that contained Nakamachi's 'YesMan!' movie before going downstairs and out of the house.
[The Mall]
I walked through the entrance and looked for the other two while doing some light inconspicuous arm stretches. The two were found window shopping at the 'Be Blue V' accessory shop, my hand tremors tingling!
"Yo" I used my generic greeting to get their attention, the imagery of Tamanawa carrying their bags flashed through my head when they looked at me.
"Hey there, Hikigaya-Kun!" Orimoto greeted elatedly; wearing an aqua long sleeved shirt t-shirt, a black pleated skirt and a pair of wedge shoes "Let's have fun today!" She said excitedly.
"Hey, man" Nakamachi greeted with a smile; adorned with a purple hoodie, black jeans and skater shoes; a style that reminds me of a scary yet cute Anteiku waitress "So…Did you bring it?" She asked, obviously withholding her excitement.
"Yeah" I answered calmly, showing her where I kept it; she took it, almost eagerly even and in exchange gave me another bag.
"Alright, thanks, Hikigaya-Kun!" I nodded before looking inside the bag "I hope you like it, it's a Kevin James movie"
"'Here Comes The Boom', huh" I read out loud.
"You've seen it?" She asked, probably noticing my tone.
"Haven't, I just lost it after buying it" I answered, not exactly sure how I lost it though "Glad I don't need to spend money to buy another one"
"Heh heh heh, well who do you have to thank for that?" She asked with a proud huff of her chest.
"Yeah yeah, thanks to you" I humored her.
"Hehehe, you're welcome" She said, looking up at me with a teasing smile which effectively made my heart thump a bit.
"So~ you two ready?" Orimoto asked with a bit of a strain, we nodded "Great! Let's go see what movie is playing first" She suggested, finding no reason to reject the notion, we followed.
Within arrival at the top floor, we saw many people mingling around at the cinema lobby "There's a lot more people than usual today" Orimoto noted, walking up to a monitor that shows today's schedule of movies.
"Yep! Every Sunday the price is smaller than normal days but usually the crowd is smaller than this" Nakamachi explained.
"Maybe it's because of that?" I pointed at the monitor two lefts of us, it showed a man in a red suit duel wielding two katanas with the title being read as 'Deadpool', they emphasized his ass for some reason…
"Deadpool, The Merc With The Mouth…" Orimoto read out loud.
"Oh right~ a Marvel Film! No wonder it's a lot busier today" Nakamachi said, figuring out the current state of affairs.
"Oh, that um big comic book company, right?" Orimoto asked.
"Yep" She answered with a nod "So you wanna watch this? Not a lot of good movies right now, well with our taste that is" She suggested but then looked at me "What about you, Hikigaya-Kun? Got anything you want to watch?"
"Oh um…" Her consideration for me was unexpected but considering she's associated with Orimoto I should've expected so, even more so when Orimoto is treating me well "Well, I'm not interested in the other movies so I'm good with Deadpool" I answered.
"Alright, it's decided then" Orimoto nodded "Let's go get the tickets and some food after that"
We proceeded to do just that, luckily we manage to get the last three seats but one was far away from the other two. I decided to take that one and let the other two seat next to each other; after buying the food, we waited for the cue for us to move into the seating. The employee gave the signal, prompting everyone to go to their respective movies.
"Oh? Well if it ain't Hikigaya-Kun!" The moment I sat down an annoying voice called out to me, I turned to my right to see one Kakeru Tobe "Yo! You a Deadpool fan too?" He inquired as he sat down which made me notice the flaxen haired girl behind him.
"Senpai, who's this?" The girl asked Tobe.
"What, you don't know this guy, Irohasu?!" Tobe exclaimed quietly, head locking me and poking my cheeks. What's with you invading my personal space and head locking me…?
"No but he does look familiar…" She answered before taking a seat next to Tobe.
"Then let me introduce you two to each other! Irohasu meet Hachiman Hikigaya, Hikigaya-Kun meet Iroha Isshiki, she's our Kouhai so treat her well, won't ya?" He suggested, still head locking me.
"Nice to meet you, Senpai~" She cheered with an unnecessary amount of cuteness…
"Yeah, likewise…" I nodded, Iroha Isshiki…Somehow she gives off the Riajuu vibes but when she talked to Tobe I didn't felt anything…Well no use thinking about it when we're less likely gonna meet again. The movie was about to began so Tobe finally let go of me and turned to the big screen along with Isshiki, I followed.
Approximately two hours later, the movie ended; I waited for the other two as I leaned on a pillar, watching some other movie trailers at the adjacent monitor. Hm, I had a relaxing time watching the movie, even if Tobe was a bit too reactive but thanks to Isshiki he controlled himself.
…If someone told me months ago that I would accompany two girls I wouldn't have believed it…Damn that video, if I'd known who recorded it I would beat him to a pulp! Well…If it's someone weaker than me that is…
"Phew~ that was a great movie! Buying an extra hotdog was worth it" The voice of Nakamachi snapped me out of it as she and Orimoto approached me.
"I can't believe you can still eat while watching all of that gory stuff…" Orimoto responded but then smiled "But it really was a good movie, a bit too dirty for my taste though" She then turned to me as she arrived "Did you enjoyed it, Hikigaya-Kun?" She asked.
"Yeah I might get into the Marvel Cinematic Universal now" Now I know what to borrow from Nakamachi.
"Oh no! You're not gonna turn into a nerd are you?! Hahaha" She joked.
"If I get to enjoy something, maybe I'll even turn into a big one" I shrugged, humoring her.
"Hehehe, well next is lunch, right?" Nakamachi asked.
"Yep! Let's go~" Orimoto led the way and after ordering our food, we found a table at the center of the court; Nakamachi sat next to me while Orimoto sat at my front. What's with this arranging of seats…? It's gonna make me feel awkward…Aren't they going to feel awkward…? "Hey, Chika, can I have a slice of that beef?" Orimoto asked with a fork already hovering over her friends meal.
"Huh? We haven't evens started eating and you're already asking for mine?" Nakamachi responded while blocking Orimoto's fork with her own.
"Come on~ Just one slice~" She persisted, avoiding the interceptions.
"Haa~ fine fine" As soon as she said that Orimoto stabbed one piece of meat and brought it to her mouth.
"Hehe thanks, Chika~" She said after swallowing.
"Yeah yeah, ittadakimasu" Nakamachi prayed, followed by us "By the way, Hikigaya-Kun, I've been meaning to ask you this" I looked up at her after slurping up a couple of strands of noodles "How do you keep that ahoge standing?" She asked as she proceeded to poke my…Ahoge.
"Oh yeah, I've been wondering 'bout that too! I thought it would go down by now but lo and behold!" Orimoto commented.
"Err…I guess it's just how it is, no matter what I do it would still go up" I answered, holding down the standing strand of hair only for it to rise back up again.
"Boo~ what a generic answer~" Nakamachi booed.
"Hey not like I have any other answer" I retorted, with that we continued eating but while doing that I noticed Orimoto starting to fidget around and trying hard not to look up while also subtly glancing at Nakamachi, I used my [Enhanced Peripheral Vision] and can see an encouraging look in Nakamachi's eyes…I don't know what game they are playing but it seems to have failed judging from Orimoto's subtle yet slightly exasperated sigh.
After we finished eating, we, as planned, went to the arcade. As usual it's filled with many people, the combination of neon lights and loud music in the dark dimmed premises created a chaotic atmosphere suited for the occasion. When I was in middle school I always tag along with my 'friends' here so I at least have enough energy to go through this.
"Oh let's play that!" Orimoto pointed at a shooter-driver arcade booth that had an Indiana Jones feel to it, we went inside and noticed that the required tokens were more than we thought it was "Uh oh, let me get some more coins"
"Why don't we just play another game?" I suggested, she's probably gonna use her own money.
"Nope! I feel Indiana Jones-y right now, hehehehe, I'll be right back~" She left and I sat back down at the middle; the drivers seat while Nakamachi sat at the shooters seat to my right in silence but raised her voice after a couple of seconds.
"Hey…" I turned my head and didn't find that easy-going smile she always has on her lips.
"Hm?" I simply grunted in response.
"…Kaori wants to talk to you about something…" She said.
"About what…?" I asked.
"I don't know…She said it was something about middle school…" Middle school…I see, I should've expected that to be honest "I don't know what happened and I don't want to pry into your and Kaori's business but I just want to know…Do you hold it against her…?"
"I…Don't…" The incident was years ago and it actually woke me up from my worthless annoying self. If it weren't for the treatment I received at the time, I would not have been so self-aware as I am now. I did at some point hated Orimoto but the old me is dead now, plus yesterdays text conversation had already cleared things up between us…
"Phew~" The response elicited a sigh of relief from her "For a second there I thought you would say you do, I don't know what I'd do if that were the case" She said scratching her cheek awkwardly "But it looks like I didn't need to worry at all, you're a good guy, Hikigaya-Kun"
"Well it's not like I can hold a grudge that long…Actually never mind" Other than Orimoto there are some people who actually just bullies me for the fun of it, not to mention some other people with different circumstances and intentions.
"Ah looks like I really do need to worry" She smiled wryly "Can you keep this conversation a secret? She really wants to talk it out with you later but I got a bit curious and worried" She said, timidly, I guess that's why they exchanged glances when we were eating.
"Sure" I nodded, Orimoto made a good friend…She's a horrible secret keeper though, I bet.
"Okay~! I got the tokens, let's kill some spiders, shall we?!" Orimoto appeared seconds later with blazing fire in her eyes.
"Let's do it!" Nakamachi cheered along.
"Hm" I nodded, with that Orimoto took the other shooters seat besides me and inserted the tokens. As the game progressed, things got a lot more hectic. While I tried to stay on track, the other two were doing a good job at shooting the spiders to smithereens, either they've played this a lot before or they really hate spiders…What's so unusual about this is that I find myself having fun too…
"Aw man I feel so dizzy…" After playing a game that involved spinning a lot, Nakamachi groaned as she crouched and leaned on a wall, Orimoto kept stroking her back.
"It sure was, hehe…" She barely kept herself together to make her friend feel better but then she also turned to me "Did you have fun, Hikigaya-Kun?" She asked with a forced smile, although whether it was due to the dizziness or nervousness, I can't tell.
"You should worry about yourself first" I told her as I gave her a couple of bottle of water for both her and Nakamachi "But yeah…I had fun, I guess…" She nodded with a smile before taking the bottles and after a few seconds of rest, they recovered.
"I'm glad you're having fun" She grinned happily, a lot more happier than when we met earlier "So~ what do we do now? We've still got some time left to waste" I took out my phone and read the time; 3:03.
"Well, let's go window shopping and then go home, that okay with you guys?" Nakamachi suggested to which we both nodded, the suggestion made me flinch a little because I almost misheard that as just shopping… "Ah can we go to the game shop first? I want to see what's new" She asked.
"Sure, lead the way, Chika" After walking for a while and descending a couple of escalators we reached the game shop. We split up and went into different sections, Orimoto went to the collectives section while I went to the PC section and so did Nakamachi.
"So you game a lot?" I asked her curiously, as we both browsed around.
"You could say that but I'm more of a casual but occasionally I like to go online and have a second life, you know? Sure there's a lot of it now but they are mostly stale and shitposting. What about you, Hikigaya-Kun?"
"Yeah, I game a lot too…I guess" Considering I have a nerve gear at home…
"Got any recommendations, dude? I don't see anything that looks interesting here" She asked as she put the game she held back onto the shelf.
"Well…There's this game called Shin Megami Tensei Imagine Online, I've played it before and it's free to play" I recommended.
"Oh the SMT franchise? Didn't know there was an online game before, what's it about?" She turned towards me, fully interested.
"Well…In a nutshell; in an apocalyptic world where Demons can be both your enemy and ally, your mission is to bring peace between the demons and humans, while also repairing the damages that was dealt to the structures, environments and et cetera"
"…I think that's the most passion I will ever get out of you, Hikigaya-Kun" She said with wide eyes at first but then smiled "Sounds like a lot of fun, I'll check it out later, do you still play it?"
"No" I lied "If you need help you can just go to a girl named Saika, she always helps around the noobs last time I played" She nodded at the statement as Orimoto joined us from her browsing.
"Got anything you wanna buy?" She asked both of us to which we shook our heads "Alright, let's go then~" We exited the shop and walked around for a while looking for interesting shops as the other two talked for a bit, then we found ourselves in a shop called 'Othello's Antiques' browsing its many items. A lot of the items for sale here are quite old, hence the shop's name, and some of them don't even have prices.
"Tell me why we're here again?" I asked, grabbing a small old wooden chest, it seems like the old man at the front just collects stuff and sells them.
"Ask the old lady here" Nakamachi pointed at Orimoto, as she tried out a monocle.
"W-What? Antiques can be pretty cool, you know? You just gonna keep on looking" She defended, checking out a porcelain vase with a unique design to it.
"Well, to each their own I guess…" I opened the box and a calm melodic music began to play, at the center an elegant porcelain ballet held a Pirouette position on a continuously rotating round pedestal, a mirror was embedded on the inside of the lid of the chest and it reflected my face…
Despite the calm and relaxing vibes I'm getting from this thing, I really want to smash it. I looked at the price and it seemed to be at a fairly decent price, I put it back and went deeper into the shop; after several minutes of browsing the many antiques, we walked out of the store.
"Now that was a waste of time" Nakamachi commented with a deadpanned tone.
"Hey we found some interesting stuff so it's not that much of a waste of time" Orimoto countered.
"We did agree to do some window shopping to pass the time so in a sense we have to waste time" I said in a matter-a-factual tone.
"See, Hikigaya-Kun's got the right objective so let's waste some more time!" Orimoto cheered, grabbing Nakamachi's and my hand which evidently took me by surprise, and dragged us towards another antique shop called 'Shinshoudo Antiques'.
"Whoa whoa we just went through a dozen of antique items and you want to do it again?" Nakamachi asked exasperatedly after pulling her hand from Orimoto which stopped her movements.
"Oh, hehehe sorry" She apologized, poking out her tongue and rubbed the back of her head "Where should we go then?" She asked, letting go of my hand.
"I don't know, I'm just following you two now" She answered and then the two looked up to me. G-Guh…I guess we can go pay a visit to the bookstore, I want to see if there's any new books anyway.
"Let's go to the bookstore?" I said, unsure if that's a good suggestion but they nodded with a smile.
"Alright, lead the way, Hikigaya-Kun!" Orimoto said.
"Ok…" Damn it, why am I so anxious? We went a couple of floors down and neared the bookstore, however, for some reason there are people lining up outside of the store that we were approaching; a familiar playful voice called out to me as we neared the line.
"Well~ well~ well~ if it ain't Hachiman-Kun~" I turned to the front of the line and found myself looking at one of my favorite author, Sen Takatsuki approach…That's not her real name though.
The woman stood up and approached us; despite being older she's a couple of inches below my neck and has a messy green mint bobbed hair, a sleepy yet curious expression and she wore her clothes in a sloppy fashion. Her clothes consisted of a sky blue light jacket and muffler scarf, a black shirt underneath and slacks, also a pair of black converse.
"Eto-San? I thought you were overseas" I asked, raising a brow.
"Oh? How did you know, you're not stalking me are you?" She asked with that sleepy grin of hers.
"Kaneki-San told me" I deadpanned, Orimoto and Nakamachi talked to each other quietly behind me and it looks like they don't know who the author in front of me is.
"Well I did; it was just a fan signing so it didn't take long plus I overslept and arrived to the event later than planned, some of my readers left even hahahaha" She laughed as she shared her experience.
"I see" Looks like her sleeping habits stays with her even overseas "Speaking of readers, aren't you supposed to be attending to them?" I looked at the corner of my eye towards the line of people, some were murmuring and looking in our direction.
"Don't worry, the event hasn't even started yet and the booth is just being setup" She explained before taking out her phone "Now lets take a picture together, shall we?"
"How about no?" I answered, I know she likes to take pictures of her readers but she took one too many with me already…
"Oh, come on Hachiman-Kun~ It's been a long time~" She whined lethargically, before I could decline again, Nakamachi interrupted me.
"Um Hikigaya-Kun, who's your friend?" She asked, she's not a friend but whatever.
"This is Eto Yoshimura otherwise known as Sen Takatsuki the author" As I introduced Eto-San to her, she did a small bow and so did the other two in response "This is Kaori Orimoto" Orimoto did a small wave "And this is Chika Nakamachi" Nakamachi nodded.
"Nice to meet you two, thanks for taking care of my little Hachiman-Kun~" What, are you my mom now or something? "Ah how about we all take a picture together?" She suggested as she grabbed my arm, moving us between the two.
"Okay" Nakamachi nodded with a smile.
"Sure~" Orimoto replied delightedly.
"1~ 2~ 3~" Eto-San touched the screen and took the picture, everyone smiled except for me. By my sides; Nakamachi and Orimoto made peace signs, and in front of me, Eto-San winked at the camera and made a peace sign too. I wasn't prepared so I tried to control my expression as much as I could which ended up being my neutral expression but a bit of confusion and blush can be seen, I look kinda derpy… "Alright~ sorry for the inconvenience, I like taking pictures with my readers you see"
"Um sorry Yoshimura-San but we haven't read even one of your works" Orimoto explained, rubbing the back of her head.
"That's okay but I would appreciate it if you would at least take a look at it and if you don't then that's okay too, also call me Eto-San" She smiled brightly by the end of that sentence.
"Which reminds me, King Bileyger was great" I rate it 10/10, as expected from Eto-San.
"Ah as expected of you, Hachiman-Kun, thanks for reading my work as always" She said, slightly bowing to me.
"You needn't to bow…" I said, rubbing the back of my head.
"It's fine~ it's part of the job" She dismissed with a sleepy smile.
"So are you going to write another book?" She may seem like another energy-saver like me but Eto-San is always writing books after book, if I were her I would have not written anything at all if I could.
"Hmm I don't know" She held her chin and contemplated it "Maybe if I have the inspiration in the future I might make one but right now I want to relax as soon as possible after this event is over.
"Takatsuki-San, the booth is finished!" Her manager, I assume, called out.
"Well then, it's nice to meet you two" She nodded towards the other two, they nodded back "Hachiman-Kun, let's meet again sometimes at Anteiku" She made a less lethargic smile when she said that.
"Mhm sure" I nodded.
"Have a nice day, you guys~" She said, waving at us and we waved in return; Once she got busy I entered the book store, followed by the others.
"She's a nice girl, Hikigaya-Kun, and she's so cute!" Orimoto squealed.
"She's older than us though" I informed as I browsed around the novel section.
"Eh? Really?" Nakamachi asked, a bit wide eyed.
"She's in her late twenties if memories serve me right" Her height and childlike appearance really makes her seem younger to everyone else, I remember meeting her for the first time I thought she was a high school student like me.
"Late twenties?! Wow I wonder what product she uses…" Orimoto wondered, looking out the window at Eto-San.
"You guys want to buy her book?" I doubt they'll accept the offer but it's better to ask now than later to find out.
"Sorry, I'm not much of a reader, ehehehe…" She answered with a wry laugh.
"And I just read manga" Nakamachi answered straightforwardly.
"That's okay" I returned to my browsing and found something that interests me, hmmm this author seems new, I guess I'll take a peek of this next time.
"But I wouldn't have expected you to talk to an author like her, Hikigaya-Kun; I mean look at that!" Nakamachi said, pointing outside the window where the line got longer, waiting for their turn to meet 'Sen Takatsuki'. Having accumulated this much fans is no surprise considering her first work was published during her teen years and was sold more than 500, 000 copies.
"How did you meet her by the way?" Orimoto asked as she plopped herself down on a comfortable looking beanbag while Nakamachi was browsing around at the manga section nearby.
"I met her at a cafe a couple of years ago, she was trying to find an opinion of a stranger and seeing as I was the only one there at the time, she asked me" Orimoto made a small 'Oh' and went to read a magazine, Nakamachi and I browsed around for a while until I noticed the time; 5:30 PM "Should we go home now?"
"Oh, it's getting late already? Okay" Nakamachi went to Orimoto "Hey, Kaori…Wake up" She nudged Orimoto's shoulder a bit.
"Hmm mhm…Home?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes, Nakamachi nodded "Okay…"
"Ah Kaori, don't forget…" Nakamachi whispered something to hear, I couldn't hear from this distance.
"Of course I won't!" She said with a bit of anger, waking her up a bit.
"Okay, okay; reminding you just in case" She replied, raising both her hands in defence.
After that, we went to the entrance and exited the mall, a couple of minutes of more walking, we found ourselves at an intersection "My home's this way so bye guys, Hikigaya-Kun, make sure she goes home safe" She ordered, poking my chest; well I was gonna do that anyways.
"Yeah" I nodded.
"See you later, Chika" Orimoto waved at her as she left and once the green walking man light lit, we crossed the zebra crossing. It was quite for a while until Orimoto gained my attention.
"Hey, Hikigaya-Kun" I turned to her, she did not had any expressions as she looked straight ahead, her demeanour was tense but she hid it well.
"Hm?" I grunted.
"Can we stop by at the park for a sec?" She asked, glancing at me from time to time.
"Sure" I agreed.
[The Park]
We sat at a bench as the sun was setting, it's late but there were still some people left, mostly families, couples and joggers. An awkward silence lingered ever since Nakamachi left, I know why that is, courtesy of Nakamachi.
"S-Say, what do you think of Chika?" Orimoto stuttered, after several seconds of fidgeting.
"Nakamachi…Well she's pretty easy-going and relaxing to be around with" And can be pretty serious if need be…
"I see, I see, that's good" She said with a relived and cheery tone but then the awkward silence returned, before it prolonged she continued "Hikigaya-Kun…You remember how I said I was an observant girl?" I nodded "Well I might not have been that observant…And I think I might be more of a selfish person rather than a coward…"
"Selfish…?" I asked, not really following since she didn't mention this in her text.
"…At the time if I were to continue to talk to you than my friends would just leave me…I didn't want that, I didn't want anything to change…So I went along with everything…I didn't even think about you even though they just talked about us…All I did was keeping everything together like how it was supposed to…"
"Orimoto…" I couldn't say anything…How am I supposed to respond to that in the first place? I've always saw Orimoto as the nice girl but hearing her calling herself selfish was something rather strange…
"But it was all for nothing…" She continued, looking down on her hands that gripped the hem of her skirt with furrowed brows. Unsurprisingly…Was what I almost said before I bit my tongue "I was afraid…That they would bully me like they did to you…"
Well I also lacked the courage to stand up against the verbal bullying…But…
"But I want you to know that I sincerely didn't want things to happen like this…When someone heard our…Conversation and spread it around, I didn't think they would take it seriously…But by the time I noticed it I was too late and only thought about myself…"
The confession and the following bullying made me realize how two-faced our society can be and what it has in store for us…
"You…Must've had a hard time, huh?" She asked rhetorically, letting out a subtle sigh with a deep frown but then looked up at me with a sad smiled "Maybe it's because of my mistake that I became more 'observant' now, right? Sounds ridiculous I know…"
"It's called growing up…" I said gently, looking straight ahead "We both did just that…" We both made mistakes and it wasn't even entirely our fault; my eyes made it hard for me to make friends and got misunderstood a lot while Orimoto, being the nice girl she is, probably just feels guilty at the thought of making someone miserable indirectly…But in the end we both became better.
"…Even so, I want you to know!" She inched a bit closer as she got more fervent "I want you to know that I'm sorry and that I…I…Just like you said I'm not like my young self anymore…I…I don't want you to hate me, Hikigaya-Kun" By now she has invaded my personal space and I leaned on the armrest of the bench, she closed her eyes tightly and looked down.
"You idiot…" She tightened her eyes even more "Didn't I said I already accepted your apology?"
"Eh?" She uttered, opening her eyes in surprise.
"In our text messages?" I reminded, still leaning on the armrest, avoiding eye contact.
"Then…!" She returned to her seat "Then…Do you…Want to…Be friends?" She asked awkwardly but it effectively struck my mind.
"I…" My words got stuck, my line of thinking got messed up, for the first time in a long time; I felt like my hateful past self again so I forced myself to think logically "I…I…Saying all of this to me…How can I not?!" But failed to do so as I quietly said that barely hiding my emotional tone.
"Hikigaya-Kun?" She responded with worry in her demeanor.
"…Haaah…Sorry…" I try to take a breather as I straighten up and took another breathe before saying "I don't think we can be friends…" There's no reason to be friends really, we can just let bygones be bygones; if she understands that all of her hard work was all for nothing then she would understand that befriending me will gain her nothing…
"Why…?" She asked, dejectedly looking down again.
"I…Isn't it enough to let bygones be bygones?" I don't understand…Why's she being dejected…? "You don't need to work hard anymore, alright? I'm already perfectly comfortable with the way things are…" Well except for all of that video junk "There's no need to waste your time on someone like me"
"Hikigaya-Kun…" She looked up at me with a frown and then looked away "I still want to be friends with you…I always thought of how things would have been if we could be friends" She smiled sadly "Maybe if I helped you out things wouldn't have turned out the way it did"
"Well it did and I've already come to terms with my circumstances" I replied quickly, I don't know if that was pity for me or herself but I continue without questioning it.
"…At least…Don't you want to try to be friends…? I promise to not bother you if you want to hang out with your new friends or anything…" She suggested as she made a small smile; I think it's because of my new found reputation she thinks I have new friends but I won't change that line of thinking and just…Sighed.
"Haaaa…" I looked her at the corner of my eye; she continued smiling "You're not gonna give up, are you?" I asked now that I realize it.
"I was hoping you would genuinely accept me as a friend if not then I would just let it go but…" She smiled abashedly as she rubbed her arm "Looks like I really do want to be your friend…"
"Why…?" I don't understand, Orimoto knows my past and by now knows that I'm not exactly the friendly type of guy…
"I guess…It's just that I don't like it when people put up 'walls', you know?" She explained awkwardly "Even if the other person hates me I want us to at least have a friendly relationship…Don't you want to be friends with me…?"
"…Haaah…" There's only one way to settle this "…No I don't want to…" Her shoulders sunk "But…We can…At least start as acquaintances…" I suggested awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck; I decided to follow up with an explanation "I'm…Not sure if…I want friends right now…With the video being viral and all…And we can at least start by being acquaintances, right?" I know I'm using the video as an excuse but it's a valid one, okay? You don't know who wants to genuinely be friends with you or not, you know?
"…Pfft hahahaha" She responded with a hearty laugh as I looked at her as if I'm looking at a madman "Ah…Hahaha…Hoo…You really know how to make me laugh, Hikigaya-Kun; it's been a long time I laughed like that" She caught my confused expression and continued "Acquaintances, huh…I think I can settle with that"
"Hm" I nodded with a light heart.
"Then…Let's say I want to be more than acquaintances; what should I do?" She asked with a teasing grin which evidently riled me up.
"H-How should I know?" I huffed crossing my arms "Either way there's no 'wall' between us so you can be rest assured about that"
"Wow changing the subject like that, huh; what a Tsun Tsun" She continued with another teasing grin.
"I'm surprised you knew that term" I deadpanned.
"Do you want a drink?" She stood up and approached the nearby vending machine "My treat"
"Some MAX, thanks" I requested.
"Okay" After inserting a couple of coins into the machine, she came back with a can of MAX and a bottle of green tea for herself "Here ya go"
"Thanks" I said as I took the drink and drank it.
"You're welcome" She replied before taking back her sit, as she did that a group of guys that were playing with their bicycles at a distance caught her attention "Hey, Hikigaya-Kun; you said you bike to school, right? Why don't you use the train?"
"I like to bike plus it has it's incentives" Of course, I don't like biking but I rather do that than riding the bus where there's a potential of bumping into someone I knew from middle school.
"Hm~ So you got a new bike then? I've seen the video by the way" I'm not surprised "You weren't hurt too much, right?" I shook my head which elicited a relieved sigh from her "That's good; so did you get a new one?"
"No, surprisingly it didn't even get scratched" I answered.
"Hahaha ridiculous! It's like you and your bike are connected or something hehehe" She giggled, I fail to see the comedic part though… "Speaking of bikes, do you remember, on our third year, we went to a school trip and one of the idiots in our class tried to trip a cop's bike?"
"…Oh those guys" I almost forgot about that.
"Yeah those guys, honestly who the heck thinks it was a good idea to play truth or dare using a cop's bike? The cop was even watching it all happen" Her smile grew more and more until I even felt myself smiling at the memories "Good thing those idiots were the only one who got punished, hehehehe, I wonder what was wrong with them at the time"
"Well they were the Trio Class Clowns" I reminded, I guess there was some times when I would laugh along with the class, huh…
"Pfft yeah, I notice that hahaha" She did a last big gulp and threw her beverage into the garbage bin "I think I'll go home now; it's getting kinda late" I looked at the central clock and read the time is 5:50 PM.
"Yeah" I mimicked her action and threw my drink into the garbage before standing up "Let's go" I started, walking forward towards the exit.
"Oh, you're walking me home?" She asked as she caught up.
"It's late" I feel a little anxious leaving her alone at this hour…Plus Nakamachi might kick my ass if I leave her all alone…
"Okay, thanks, Hikigaya-Kun!" She smiled brightly; the atmospheric lighting helped made the smile more charming.
"…You're welcome" Even though I felt my heart went doki-doki for a second, I'm glad the distance between us shrunk into a comfortable one; despite the childlike smile she gave me I couldn't see the girl that I once had a crush on; she did grew up.
However…There's a lingering doubt in my mind about the conversation that we had…Have I really matured…?
[Kaori Orimoto]
[Orimoto Residency]
While Hikigaya-Kun and I walked towards my home, we had a comfortable yet awkward conversation; we caught up with what ever was worthy of mentioning, even though it was more like me bringing up things that I found funny, he humored me anyway.
Although, honestly; he should've just said he was worried about me rather than being a Tsun Tsun…! Pfft ahahaha no way, I can't picture him saying all of that without keeping a straight face heheheh.
"Good night, Hikigaya-Kun; I had fun today, see you soon" I said as I stood at the entrance of my home.
"Hm night" He replied shortly before turning around.
"Gee don't sound too sad, Hikigaya-Kun" I jokingly said with a grin, he responded by waving his hand as he walked forward "Oh~ acting so cool~" I whispered by myself with a grin, I turned to turn enter my house but then looked at him again.
…To be completely honest, I don't even know why I want to be friends with him again…It's just something that I wanted to do…I don't know if I wanted to redeem myself or if I pity him or myself…And then there's the feeling of wanting to spend more time with him…It's not like I have a crush on him or anything that would make me feel horrible…
"I guess I'll just hang out with him some more, not like I can think of the answer by just thinking!" I said to myself confidently and went through the gates of my home.
[Hachiman Hikigaya]
"Haa…Haa…Damn dog…" As I leaned on the concrete wall, I tried to catch my breathe after being chased by a stray dog "Now I'm all sweaty…" …Haa…Just my luck; do a good deed and get paid with being chased by a dog, I don't even know if the RomCom gods are playing with me or not anymore…Reading the time from my phone, It's 6:10 PM, it was getting darker by the minute; I hope Komachi already ate dinner…
My house is in sight but there's something different about it…There's a blue thing in front of the door, I wonder what it is…? I turned on [Hikkisageru Shusseki] (Reduced Presence) and moved a little closer silently to see clearly what it is.
…It seems the more appropriate word would be someone and who it is…A blue haired maiden was fidgeting around in front of the door to my house…She's kinda cute…But she looks really familiar hmmm…Ah that's right, she's my freaking classmate…!
…What's her name again…? Shit, I'm in a pickle here…It started with a Kawa right? Kawasomething…Kawanagi…Kawanegi…Wait, what was the name of that motorcycle brand?!
"E-Excuse me!" The sound of the doorbell ringing interrupted me from remembering her name ""I-It's Saki Kawasaki" So that's her name! "Your neighb- ah wait you don't need to tell them that, you idiot…" She reprimanded herself…C-Cute! So her name is Kawasaki, phew…Alright…I think I just saw something I shouldn't have seen…How do I approach her now…?
"Coming~" The muffled voice of Komachi came before the door opened "Hello Kawasaki-San!" Looks like she's a better neighbour than I am… "What can I do for you this evening?" She asked, Kawasaki sighed in relief before answering.
"Hello, you're Hikigaya's little sister, Komachi-Chan, right?" She asked with an unexpected gentle smile; Komachi nodded with a polite smile "I'm sorry for bothering you this evening but I was wondering if you and your brother would like to have dinner at my house?" Ah I think this is my cue.
"Ah…Ehehe, sorry, Kawasaki-San, tonight's movie night so…"
"I'm home…" I called out, going through the gates which made Kawasaki flinch in surprise.
"Hikigaya" She calmed herself down before turning around to greet me…Over her red knee length t-shirt and sport pants was an apron with 'Best Big Sister' on it "What…?" She looked down at where I was looking and proceeded to gain a little bit of red on her cheeks "…Mhm, so are you ready to have dinner over my house…?" She asked with a forced calm tone while looking away.
"Yeah, sure" I nodded, trying not to completely be overwhelmed by the unexpected cuteness she exuded "Let me just get ready first, I kinda got sweaty…"
"It's not like you need to have dinner over my house now…You're tired already" She said with a frown.
"It's okay" I insisted, what kind of man would I be if I don't have free food as soon as the opportunity presents itself?! "You shouldn't let all that hard work go to waste anyway" I said noting the slightly dirtied apron.
"I-If you say so then I'll setup the dishes" She said with a huff before leaving to go to her own house.
"Onii-Chan…" Once she left Komachi called to me, I turned to see a cross armed angry looking Komachi "What is this…?" I gave her a raised brow "Tonight was supposed to be movie night like you said!" She explained.
"Oh right…" I looked down at the movie Nakamachi gave to me "Don't worry we can still make it plus it's free food…" I explained quickly, it didn't seem to be enough for her though.
"Haa~ why is she even inviting us over for dinner?" She asked with an irritated tone.
"We had a misunderstanding and she wanted to apologize for it" I explained calmly as I entered the house.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked grumpily, following me "We should've been the one who had to invite Kawasaki-San"
"Are you saying it was my fault…? Well you're partially correct actually" I replied approaching the kitchen "And I forgot, okay?"
"Onii-Chan doesn't forget anything that involves free food!" She used a sound argument "So tell me why you hid your relation with this girl!" She asked, getting riled up.
"I-I really forgot!" I answered anxiously but truthfully before pouring a cup of water "Sheesh I'm sorry about movie night okay? But we can still watch it after this" What's wrong with her? I haven't seen her like this ever since I've brought her to Anteiku…
"Haa…Okay, you're right" After taking a breather she conceded "It also would be disrespectful of us if we cancel it now…" She expressed neutrally going upstairs "I'll get ready" She said, ending the conversation there.
"Haa…" I only sighed in exhaustion before drinking the water; after that I took a short shower and put on a simple blue t-shirt and black jogging pants. I descended the stairs to find a still Komachi who wore a long sleeved white shirt and a pair of jeans"You still mad?" I asked getting her to flinch.
"Hm? Nope!" She said with an enthusiasm that's so fake "…Haa I'm fine, it's just…I'm sorry for getting all angry like that; it was just so sudden" She explained. Well having a no good brother like me having some relation to a cute girl would definitely shock her into defensive mode…
"It's okay" I said as I approached her "We can still re-schedule this for another day, It's kind of my fault for not telling you anyway" I said rubbing the back of my neck.
"No no" She shook her head with a wistful smile "It's fine! I told you it was just all so sudden!" She smiled brightly now, one that I couldn't know whether it was real or not but I brush it off and nodded.
"Alright, let's go then" I said before we walked out of the house and then locking it.
[Kawasaki Residence]
I rang the bell and waited, an awkward silence filled the air "…Been a long time since we've visited someone else's place, huh Onii-Chan?" Komachi asked with a wry smile.
"Yeah, I don't even remember the last person I visited anymore…" I replied, trying to not let the anxiety get to me.
"Ah it was the Kinoshita Twins, don't you remember?" She reminded.
"Oh right and that was how many years ago?" I asked, remembering some memories about them, a lot of memories actually.
"Definitely more than four" She grinned "I wonder how those two are doing" A nostalgic smile was plastered on her face.
"They moved because they were aiming to get into Fumizuki Academy, right?" She nodded "Hm they were pretty determined already when they were young, can't imagine what the hard work will be like…"
"Of course you can't, you're Onii-Chan after all" She responded in a matter-a-factual tone "I wonder if we'll see each other soon…" I couldn't answer that as the door was opened, Kawasaki greeted us with a slightly nervous demeanor.
"W-Welcome…" She said, now without the apron as she fully opened the door and let us in "I'm not much of a cook so don't get your hopes up" We took off our shoes at the entrance and entered the living room.
"Don't worry we're not picky with our food!" Komachi dismissed cheerfully yet in a polite manner; um Komachi-Chan, don't you remember I don't like tomatoes? Oi~ Komachi-Chan~
Their living room was similar to ours but theirs have a lot more items; specifically pictures. Even from the entrance to the hallway there were already a couple of pictures hung on the wall.
I took a peek at one of them and can see a younger Kawasaki grinning at the camera. Another one showed me an even younger girl, that might be her little sister, being piggybacked by a brown haired boy, probably her brother and then the next picture showed two adults, her parents maybe.
Huh, for a girl with such a lovely-looking family, she's a pretty cold girl; I wonder what her warm side would be like… "Taishi, Keika; we have guests" Kawasaki was unexpectedly gentle and warm when she said that as we reached the dining table, I turned to her a few seconds with a bit of a surprise; so this is her warm side! "What…?" She asked giving me a raised brow.
"…No, nothing…" On top of having a Tsundere-ish personality, she has this unexpected side of her; she's definitely wife material…
"H-Hello!" The brown haired boy spoke up first, nervously staring straight at me "M-My name's Taishi Kawasaki, n-nice to meet you, Onii-Chan!" He bowed stiffly.
"Onii-Chan?" I almost reeled in disgust if it were not me being at a neighbors house; why the hell is this guy calling me that…?
"Haa…" Komachi sighed so quietly that even I almost missed it "Hey there Taishi-Kun! This is my bother Hachiman Hikigaya!" She introduced me to him cheerfully; wait why is she calling him with his first name? An answer came from her as she whispered "Taishi-Kun and I are in the same class" She smiled at him after that which made him go red on the cheeks a bit…This punk is so lucky he's in his house right now… "This must be the youngest in the family, right? Hello my name is Komachi Hikigaya!"
"Hello! My name is Keika Kawasaki!" A cute little girl with blue hair introduced herself cheerfully and politely bowed to us "It's nice to meet you, Nee-Chan and Onii-Chan" She gave a heartwarming smile to us, effectively charming the both of us.
"Heheheh you're so cute!" Komachi praised and then turned to the other person in the room "And what's your name, little girl?" …A miniature version of Yukinoshita sat next to Keika, she was quite this whole time, I tried to believe that she was just a figment of my imagination but I guess she was real after all.
"…Rumi Tsurumi…" She answered a bit distantly which made things a bit awkward, it seems like she's polite enough to answer though.
"Rumi is a friend of Keika and she also invited her for dinner tonight, I hope you don't mind" Kawasaki explained after bowing slightly.
"It's okay, Onii-Chan can use a little less food every now and then" Komachi replied.
"Thanks, Coach…" I deadpanned, with that we went to our sits and without further ado "Thanks for the food…" We all said and dined in; the food looks great despite Kawasaki's modesty. A western-eastern mix dinner set that consisted of spaghetti, potato salad, french fries, chicken curry, fried rice and- "…At first I thought you were just being modest…" Kawasaki looked up at me as she scooped some food for Keika "Now I think you're just being humble…" It's a full fucking dinner set!
"Well…" Her cheeks went pink a bit as she avoided eye contact, making things pretty awkward; oh god why did I have to open my mouth… "…Taishi and Keika helped a lot since their friends were also visiting"
"I couldn't have just left Nee-Chan to do it all since Komachi-San was coming too" Taishi said, rubbing the back of his neck shyly; so you're not considerate of me, huh…
"I helped washing the veggies!" Keika cheered "I've never eaten with so many friends before so I wanted to help too!" Such an angel! Although it begs the question; why she is friends with Tsurumi, someone who's probably 4 to 5 years older than her but I guess it's not my place to pry.
"Delicious!" Komachi exclaimed as she took a bite "I can see that you worked really hard on this! My brother here would have fallen for you if he wasn't such a weirdo"
"Oi oi, don't embarrass me in front of the neighbors…" I grumbled to myself as the two younger siblings laughed at the exchange, Kawasaki and Tsurumi was silent, the former lowered her gaze while the later was hiding her diminutive smile by drinking subtlety.
After dinner, we bit more than we could chew and were given the permission of staying there a bit for some rest at the living room; the two little girls were watching TV but weren't paying attention to it while Komachi and that boy were having a conversation. As for me I sat at the single leather sofa watching TV.
"Onii-Chan, what's your name again…?" I lower my gaze to see a curious Keika "I forget new names really easily, sorry…"
"…Well I forgot easily too so it's okay" If this kid was scared of me, she didn't show any signs of it "My name's Hachiman Hikigaya" I then turned to Komachi "And over there is my little sister, Komachi Hikigaya"
"Ah right! Ha-Chan, can we watch cartoons?" She asked eagerly; I feel giddy getting a nickname but I don't know if it's because my name is too long to remember or if she really just wants to call me that…
"Sure" I said which elicited a cute smile from her as she grabbed the controller from my offered hand "Anything in particular you're gonna watch?" I asked before Tsurumi came over and plopped herself down a few inches in front of the sofa.
"RumiRumi and I watch K-ON at this time of night!" She answered brightly "We're gonna make a band in the future!" She added, making Tsurumi flinched.
"Keika-Chan, don't tell others about it please…" She said, looking at me at the corner of her eye with a small blush "You didn't hear that…"
"Sorry, already heard it, RumiRumi" I teased; sorry about that kid, you're like a vulnerable Yukinoshita so let me at least have fun this once. I got a glare from her for that; unfortunately she has the same hostility as Yukinoshita it seems…
"Hehehe sorry about that, RumiRumi!" Keika apologized as she got to the channel she wanted and hugged Tsurumi from behind "I'm just so excited, I even watched some videos about making music!"
"I'm glad you're excited, Keika-Chan" She replied with a smile "I'm also practicing in my free time so let's have fun soon" She added before Keika released her and watched the show; surprisingly Tsurumi acted a lot more mature than her age when she talked to us but seems a bit more of a quite child when talking with Keika.
"Kawasaki! Are you home?!" A voice shouted as someone banged on the door, making most of us flinch and become a little anxious, Kawasaki stopped washing the dishes as she approached us.
"You guys, I'm going out" She said getting worried nods from her family and then turned to us Hikigayas as she scratched her head with furrowed brows "Hikigaya, sorry for the disturbance but I hope dinner was enough for an apology"
"It was more than enough" I nodded.
"Good…" A ghost of a smile traced her lips but she was interrupted as the door kept being banged "Haa…I'll be back…You guys better stay here, he doesn't leave when I tell him to…" She recommended before leaving, sounds of muffled arguments could be heard from the other side following her exiting the house.
As the girls went quite, they wordlessly watched the show. If they were bothered by the situation, they didn't show it "…Taishi-Kun, is it okay to ask what's going on…?" I heard Komachi asked Taishi quietly, I was about to say it wasn't in our place to ask but the boy beat me to it.
"I don't think Nee-Chan minds so…It's her ex-boyfriend…" The answer surprised her, I'm not that surprised though but I don't know why Komachi is; a guy would've obviously tried to date her, just look at her cooking and her looks, not to mention her Tsundere-ish personality!
"Eh~? She had a boyfriend~?!" Despite her shock, she took the opportunity to indulge in the 'gossip' "How come they broke up?" She asked curiously and of course due to her mighty cuteness, Taishi might as well be hypnotized.
"Well…Nee-Chan started dating Yuu-San only at the end of last year, they were classmates" He began "They started arguing a lot even before their second date"
"Why?" Komachi asked, I also can't help being curious; even though the information of someone's love life would be useless to me and I can't stop Komachi gossiping now so…
"Well…I think Yuu-San…Doesn't like us much…" He answered with a wry smile "We take up a lot of Nee-Chan's time, adding to that she goes to school and was searching for a job at the time…"
"So Yuu-San got jealous, huh…" Komachi finished, to which Taishi nod "Why's he still coming here though?"
"A-Ahaha…He's trying to win her back but they usually just end up arguing again" He answered, rubbing the back of his neck "We got used to it, Nee-Chan always tells him to leave before she calls the police for trespassing…Right about now"
"I have guests right now so beat it" The voice of Kawasaki coolly said as the door to the house opened.
"Wait! Who are these guests?! I thought you told me you don't have the time!" A guys voice asked desperately; don't worry buddy I'm not gonna date her anytime soon…
"It ain't like that, you idiot!" Kawasaki countered in embarrassment "I just owe the guy an apology and he's my neighbour so scram before I call the police on you, you're causing a ruckus as it is"
"…Tch!" The guy clicked his tongue loudly before the sound of a door being clicked closed occurred.
"Haa…" Kawasaki sighed as she entered the living room and plopped herself down next to Taishi on the sofa next to me "Sorry about that…" She apologized, turning to me.
"I don't mind, it's your house after all…" I worded out "And I won't ask since it's a personal thing" I said, glancing slightly at Komachi who just poked her tongue out mischievously in response.
"…Thanks" She thanked with a satisfied smile "I had enough of nosy people" After saying that, Keika crawled up to her big sister's lap just in time for the program they watched ended.
"Ka-Chan, are you alright?" She asked worriedly; That's a cute and easily mistaken nickname.
"I'm fine, Keika" She smiled warmly as she patted her on the head "What about you?"
"I'm fine too! I'm not gonna cry again!" She replied with a brave smile.
"…When are you going to get rid of him?" Tsurumi asked peering over her shoulder. So even she is in the know about this long before, huh…
"I wish it was that easy…" Kawasaki replied tiredly which meant our cue to leave.
"Well, thanks for having us over for dinner, it was a good apology" I said as I stood up followed by Komachi.
"Yep! Thanks for the food!" She said, bowing by the hip "I hope my Onii-Chan here won't be troubling you anytime soon~" She sang as she skipped to the main door.
"Ah, right" I said, taking note of the indirect reminder Komachi made "I'm also sorry about invading your personal space before, I was…Hiding, you see…" Kawasaki stood up and nodded with affirmation.
"Hm, let's call this even then" She said, picking up Keika "Come on Keika, say goodbye"
"Bye bye, Ha-Chan, let's play sometimes!" Kawasaki raised a brow at the nickname but didn't question it "You still going to be here, Rumi-Chan?" Tsurumi nodded "Alright, take care of Keika" She said, letting her down and went to the main door with me where Taishi and Komachi stood.
"Oh Onii-Chan's here!" She said as she put on her shoes "Gotta go now, Taishi-Kun!" She said, a small hint of relief was in her tone, before she bowed "Good night, Kawasaki-San!" After receiving a smile and a nod she waited outside.
"Ah by the way" She said and I turned around after putting on my footwear "This doesn't mean we're friends, alright?" She asked, coldly.
"Wouldn't have it any other way" I replied with a grateful smile "What are we then?" I asked, if there's even a relationship between us; I need to know what she thinks it is before I will over-think it in my sleep…
"Neighbors, just neighbors" She said neutrally.
"Right…Well see you…" I bowed before turning around and walking forward, the door behind me clicking shut.
[Hikigaya Residence]
"Haa, finally, we're done" I sighed as we entered our home "Not that I have any problems eating for free but after that fiasco I-" My words got caught in my throat as I felt Komachi wrapping her arms around me "Komachi…?"
"Movie night…" She grumbled sulkily as she tightened her grip.
"Oh of course, don't worry we still have time and we could use a little bit of dessert" I said, kicking off my shoes and walked forward, attempting to prepare the things but she didn't let go "You gonna let go anytime soon?"
"No…" She answered, burying her head further into my back, an act that I find extremely cute; I don't receive this much touchy feely from her and when I do, it's either because I deserve it in a good way or because I deserve it in a bad way, I received them in the later way too often…
"Well…Just be careful…" I felt her nod and I continued marching forward, microwaving the burgers, preparing some drinks and taking out a bucket of ice cream "Hey, Komachi, you wanna watch this…?" I asked hesitantly, showing her the movie Nakamachi gave me.
"…Sure, I'll watch whatever you watch…" She said indifferently, oh gosh that is not what she says when she gives me the touchy feely of the good variation…
"Alright…" The microwave dinged and I inserted the disc into the player before going to the kitchen and took out our food. After placing everything on the coffee table, Komachi, still not letting me go, maneuvered besides me as we took a sit on the sofa.
Fourteen minutes into the movie, I was entertained; Komachi was snuggling very closely by now and it seemed like she was enjoying the show too "Ew~ what the heck~?! He just puked on that guys face!" She cried, tightening the hug and cringing against me, I find myself reeling in disgust too.
"Some people have some various humor senses, Komachi" I told her as I took the last bite of my burger before moving on to the ice cream bucket.
"Sheesh Onii-Chan, aren't you full already from Kawasaki-San's cooking?" She asked, indulging in the ice cream for herself as well.
"Look who's talking…" I said glancing at the finished burgers.
"Shut up" She retorted, shoving her own spoonful of ice cream into my mouth; I gladly accepted the order and watched the movie together with her.
We had fun watching it together, while we did just silently watched it; doing it with Komachi made it abundantly a better experience however I can't help but feel a lingering sense of something's wrong…Something about Komachi.
"Ngh~ phew, that was a good movie, Onii-Chan!" She said looking up at me with a smile as she let me go "But if I remember correctly, we lost the DVD for this right? Where did you find it?" She asked with a raised brow.
"Ah someone gave it to me actually, a girl named Chika Nakamachi lend it to me if I lend her a 'YesMan' movie" I replied.
"…A girl?" She repeated with a somewhat unreadable tone…I nodded "Onii-Chan…" She hesitated, she didn't know what expression to wear as she looked away and furrowed her brows.
"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.
"Haa…Looks like Onii-Chan's finally becoming a man huh…" She finally voiced out with a fake relieved smile "You now know how to borrow things from girls now, good for you!" Her sarcastic tone made it seemed like she was angry for some reason…
"Shut up…" I said, shifting my gaze to somewhere else "I can do these small things naturally, even with my low social skills" I defended.
"Wow that was so painful to hear" She cringed humorously and then sighed wistfully "Haa~ looks like you won't need me anymore, huh?" I gave her a raised brow; I fail to see why she said that "Well now that you have Kawasaki-San and some other people you probably now know, I wonder if I can even fit in with your schedule" She explained jokingly but it seemed even she felt saddened by the thought of it.
"Komachi…There's no one that could replace you, you know?" I said draping my arm over her shoulder, giving her a comforting hug. I feel my face heating up saying that and doing this but this is for Komachi, after all.
We pretty much only know the surface of our social lives outside of this house…We know nothing of whom we are close to and how intimate we are with and now that people are aware of me in the wrong way…I think Komachi is worried that I will drift away from her like most people my age…I don't get why she feels this way though, it's me after all!
"Do you really think I would leave you because of someone else? We made a promise together didn't we? I maybe lazy and all but I always keep my promise" I reassured, tightening the hug despite the rising of my temperature.
"…Dummy…" She voiced out quietly, leaning on my shoulder and hugging me back "…I love you, Hachiman…" I raised a brow at the first name calling but didn't raise any attention to it.
"I love you too, Komachi" I replied, the short talk we had made me realize that Komachi may love me much more than I expected and I wouldn't have it any other way…That lingering sense of something wrong was still there though…
CHAPTER 5
STAGNANT GROWTH OF INDIVIDUALS
LINGERING SENSE OF DOUBTS
Author's Note #2
Alright that will be the conclusion of this story's installment of chapters! You liked what I've added so far? If you're wondering who SakiSaki's boyfriend is I used the Yuu-San from the SakiXYuu carving on the bridge when Eightman and Sensei were talking. Will be busy for a while so next upload will probably take another long time see ya!.
CAMEO LIST:
1. Be Blue V [Persona 3]
An accessory shop originating from Persona 3 exists here.
2. Scary Yet Kinda Cute Anteiku Waitress [Tokyo Ghoul]
He means Touka Kirishima.
3. Shin Megami Tensei Imagine Online [Shin Megami Tensei]
An online game from the SMT Franchise.
4. Othello's Antiques [Katawa Shoujo]
An antique shop from Katawa Shoujo; the item Eightman held was an item that you give to one of the girls (Hanako Ikezawa) as a present; the feels was good in that game.
5. Shinshoudo's Antiques [Persona 3]
An antique shop from Persona 3 exists here.
6. Eto Yoshimura / Sen Takatsuki [Tokyo Ghoul]
A character from Tokyo Ghoul; an author here who leads a normal life; Eightman is a fan of her work.
7. Ken Kaneki [Tokyo Ghoul]
Main character from Tokyo Ghoul; Eightman tells Eto how he knew she was overseas.
8. Kinoshita Twins [Baka To Test]
A pair of twins from Baka To Test; they have some history with the Hikigaya Siblings.
HACHIMANS CONTACT LIST:
1. Dad
2. Mom
3. 3 Komachi 3 (←Komachi made him label her contact like this)
4. |Haiko Hara| (Yumiko Miura)
5. ~YuiYui~ (Yui Yuigahama)
6. KAO (Kaori Orimoto)
7. ChiNA (Chika Nakamachi)
HACHIMANS 108 LONER SKILLS:
1. Hikkikomori Mode (ACTIVE):
The ability to assume the characteristics of a hikikomori without compromising the personality or mindset of ones self.
Hikikomori meaning a person who excludes himself from the world in his /her comfort zone which most of the time is that persons own room due to various personal reasons.There was a period of time in his life that he once was a hikikomori, the reason he went hikikomori is unknown as he suddenly locked himself into his room. Fortunately that was only a short period of time and, with his twisted comical intelligence, found a way to manipulate his energy and determination.
2. Enhanced Peripheral Vision (PASSIVE):
The passive ability of being able to see more without looking directly in laymen terms.
One time, years ago, he was observing a girl he liked and due to his previously oblivious untactful ways, he got into trouble. So, eventually he learned to be tactful or inconspicuous when it came to observing things. He took it too far though and as a result he has a better peripheral vision than the average person.
3. Grotesque Glare (ACTIVE):
The ability to gross out yet instill fear in other people's heart.
Wanting to try out the killing intent skill he watched from various TV shows and movies, he tried to teach himself how to use it. After researching the subject, he only manage to acquire the lame variant of the skill that only grosses out and scares people due to the nature of his eyes.
4. Hikkisageru Shusseki (ACTIVE):
The ability to reduce a certain amount of presence
Hikisageru meaning reduce and Shusseki meaning presence. Reduced presence is a skill that Hachiman has learned after being treated as air for as long as he remembered. His presence doesn't completely disappear but only a certain amount of it will diminish. There is a complex manipulation of both mentality and physicality to use this skill so he can only use it in a certain amount of time and if he uses this skill any longer, he will be fatigued.