A/N: Assume this is set around the timeframe of 10.5. Unfortunately, I can't read moon, so I can't tell you what happens in 10.5 unless Spyro/Excorsism's done translating them. Maybe slight spoilers for anime-only watchers? Seriously, go read the LNs if you haven't yet.

Well, this is my first crack in writing fanfiction since I abandoned it all those years ago! Keeping my old stories up for reference, but man, they were bad. Hopefully this fandom becomes as big as the old fandom I used to write fanfics for. The way I write, assume they're all still speaking in Japanese and I'm translating.

Disclaimer: Not mine, it's Wataru Watari's etc. etc. Don't own anything I mention here as well. Sidenote, I really hate the localized title of this series.

Story 1: Even so, the Service Club continues to interact in peace

-0-

Consider the following:

When reading a light novel with the label 'romantic comedy', certain assumptions already come to mind. The mere term 'light novel', of course, already implies a certain level of literacy and content: to put it mildly, a 'light novel' with 'romantic comedy' elements implies certain expectations, which we call 'tropes', that should emerge in the process of writing the romantic comedy light novel. To put it as bluntly as possible, when reading a light novel under the genre of romantic comedy, you expect certain things to happen.

For example, the protagonist must be as generic as possible, for easier self-insertion from the reader. Of course, he has to have some kind of character, so he has to have some quirk: a determination to create games, or maybe incredibly perverse tendencies, or even chuunibyou[1] tendencies. But, strip away the defining quirk of the character, and you tend to get the same character archetype: nice, all-loving, somewhat dense, wants everyone to get along. In other words, an indecisive wimp. In most light novels, this character tends to join a highschool club with some weird, quirky goal like Occult Research or Making Friends, but be that as it may, it ends up with him meeting a quirky cast of characters, mostly female, to help him break out of his shell and/or find that elusive loved one.

Not that I hate this character because of these characteristics. I understand all too well the pitfalls of the publishing industry – the need to have an easy, continuous source of story material to work with. In a romantic comedy, one cannot wrap up romantic options immediately, or risk losing the audience's attention. There are instances, of course, where you risk losing the audience by blue-balling them too much (Nisekoi[2]comes to mind) but for the most part, you can milk a light novel series for all its worth by making the character this way.

This is because the main draw of the series is the variety of beautiful women that fawn over the protagonist, all loving illustrated by a (hopefully) dedicated illustrator. Indeed, one might say that the true draw of the light novel are the illustrations – the writer's job is to simply write a scenario where the illustrator can draw beautiful girls.

And so, when reading a love comedy light novel, you expect certain things: a dunce of a main character, a slew of women falling in love with him because of his niceness/bravery/skill in battle/heart of gold or some other nonsense. If the author wants to attract the shounen audience, he writes in battle scenes and skimpy outfits for the women, all lovingly drawn by the illustrator (probably with just one hand, heh) and if he wants to come across as more 'literary' or 'artsy' he writes in dramatic moments, wordplay galore, or some other nonsense. Monstory[3], was it…? How should I know, I've never won any light novel awards.

Obviously, this kind of development never truly happens in real life. Source: me.

Normalfags (and maybe delusional otaku as well) like to imagine that if you join a club with a predominantly female membership then you'll become popular and they'll fawn all over you, but that's fake as well. Source: me, once more.

An acquaintance of an acquaintance of mine has this to say: Instead of fawning all over you, most of the time they'll keep their conversations to themselves, paying no attention to you (or most likely make fun of your creepy eyes) and they'll probably talk about inane things like what did you have for lunch Yukinon, did you see that TV show last night Yukinon, no Yuigahama-san I was watching this adorable cat video while browsing for new Pan-san merchandise, ah that's interesting ha ha ha ha ha hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa….

Again, source: a friend of a friend.

Of course, hypothetically, if I were in that situation, I would probably just lean back on my own chair and read the light novel I bought last week. Hypothetically, of course. Yup. Purely an invention of my mind.

Coincidentally, I was doing the same right now, reading a light novel I recently bought. To be honest, the plot itself was uninteresting, and the protagonist's meandering and inability to respond to the feelings of the women surrounding him was infuriating. That damn idiot, just come clean with your feelings…!

Truly, I felt bad for this fictional character.

I was in the Service Club room. The name 'Service Club', unlike the romantic comedy label, is misleading – we do very little service for other people. In fact, the name 'Service Club' itself is a misnomer – if anything, what we do is offer advice for the personal growth of the student populace. Ideally, that is. Instead, we end up being like stagehands in a play, running around doing all the work and setting the stage so the characters can act out their farce – err, rather, their play. Grunt work, basically. So in a sense, maybe calling us the Service Club was spot on…? Ugh, I've lost my train of thought.

What I want to say, perhaps, is that whatever assumptions you have about the name are probably wrong. Because, at its core, I think even our president has no idea what the club is supposed to do.

Speaking of our president, she was sitting at the opposite side of the table we use in club. Her name is Yukinoshita Yukino, a name that perfectly befits her image: ice-cold like snow, unapproachable, and yet undoubtedly mesmerizing. To look at her was to look at the sight of a vast, expansive tundra, to look at a great expanse of white wherever you look. Breathtaking in a lonely, cold sort of way.

Her appearance certainly didn't help matters: she was the spitting image of a Yuki-onna, which is perhaps why her name befits her image. She had long, black hair and a svelte, pale countenance that seemed frail and doll-like, resulting in an image of etherealness, of being otherwordly. Indeed, looking at her was like looking at someone who descended to this world from a different plane of existence.

In keeping with the theme I had established earlier in describing the Service Club, however, assumptions can be misleading. That is to sa-

"Hikigaya-kun." The voice was chilly, and I could swear I could see faint wisps of mist and snow emerge from her mouth.

"Uh. Huh. What is it, Yukinoshita?"

"You're staring. It's quite unsightly. It sends shivers up my spine, as if a stalker is following my every move."

I didn't respond. I was staring at her, after all. I suppose you could say I was being rude.

"Normally, I would brush off people staring at me. After all, I am used to it," she subtly brags, adding a faint smile with her last sentence. She adjusted the strands of her hair. "However, those eyes of yours… truly, you have been cursed with a terrible burden. I feel sorry for the genes that Komachi-san inherited."

Komachi was my little sister, by the way.

"Heh. You're one to talk, Yukinoshita." I reply, raising my voice a little higher. Honestly, I imagined my voice would sound more like Wakamoto, but I sounded more like Eguchi. "As a matter of fact, I was looking at you, or rather, I was resting my eyes, and they just so happened to stay on you. When you're studying, don't you need to rest your brain by concentrating on something simple and uncomplicated? That's the same concept here."

Yukinoshita sighed. "While the logic itself is sound, your application is questionable. Considering all you've been reading is that trashy novel, what does it say about your brain that you need to take a break in reading it?" She smiled again. Damn it, she got me there. "Furthermore, if you want to focus on simple and uncomplicated creatures, why not focus on Yuigahama-san?"

"Wha- huh?! Yukinooooooooon, that's mean! Why'd you have to drag me into it?!" Yuigahama, who was busy nibbling on cookies, immediately sprang into action as the straight man of Yukinoshita's joke.

"Well, it's true, I probably should have looked at Yuigahama-san first. I apologize for overlooking you, Gahama-chan~!" I hit my head with my knuckles and stuck out my tongue.

"No prob, Hikki! Wait…! Wait! You're still making fun of me! And I told you, I don't like being called Gahama-chan!" Yuigahama whined. She stood up and slammed her hands on the table, involuntarily causing her skirt to flutter. I had to avert my gaze.

"What, so should I call you Yui-Yui instead?"

"Ugh… I know I came up with that myself, but it still feels so weird when you say it, Hikki…"

Yuigahama Yui, according to my initial assumptions, was a slut, plain and simple. Airheaded, ditzy, hell, maybe call her a bimbo too while you're at it. I think she reminds me of a sprite…?

She looked gaudy with her flashy uniform and her…erm, modest proportions, colorful pink hair (did she dye that?), painted fingernails, numerous accessories hanging from her phone and her bag. She spent most of her time on her phone too, so I immediately assumed she was one of those types.

Still, contrary to my assumptions, she was a really good person. Airheaded, sure, but she was good at playing along and inserting herself into any situation. In other words, the complete opposite of me and Yukinoshita. After all, Yukinoshita and I were friendless loners.

"Alright, Yuigahama-san, I believe that's enough histrionics out of you." Yukinoshita motioned for Yuigahama to sit down.

"His..tri…o? Is that some kind of electronic device?"

"Yuigahama-san, please pick up a dictionary sometimes. I fear for your grades."

"Don't worry, Yukinon! I'm good when it comes to lunch time!"

"I was expecting you to say "crunch" time, but, ugh. Was that a pun?" I added.

"Heh, maybe." Yuigahama stuck out her tongue at me and blew a raspberry. Jeeez, Gahama-san, you're such a kiiiiiiid.

Yuigahama was giggling a bit now, and even Yukinoshita was smiling faintly. I relaxed my posture and turned towards them, laying my book on the table. To be honest, we haven't done this in a while, and ever since that incident last Christmas, it feels like this is the first time we're actually doing this: talking freely with each other.

"So what were the two of you chatting about, anyway?" I asked. "I could hear bits and pieces of your conversation, but I was wrapped up in my novel."

"So you were paying attention, Hikki?" Yuigahama replied.

"I believe the proper term is 'eavesdropping', Yuigahama-san. That is what that man is skilled at, after all: stalker behavior."

"I will have you know that I limit my eavesdropping to silently observing from the sidelines and keeping notes in my head! I don't stalk people at all!"

"Hikki, isn't that the same thing…?"

"Yuigahama-san, I know that this might be hard to process for you, but there is a marked difference between observation and stalking. Stalking is done with the express purpose of finding out more about a person, after all. One might say to stalk someone is to want to get to know him better, to arrive at a full understanding of a person. As opposed to that, what I do is mere observation. Like a watcher in the night, or a security camera. Do you hate security cameras, Yuigahama?"

Yukinoshita groaned. "At its essence, you are still describing the same thing, Hikigaya-kun. Your logic is questionable as always. The basic chain of logic is there, but the premise itself is fundamentally faulty. For starters, everything you describe falls under the definition of stalking. Your 'mere observation' included.'"

"That's where you're mistaken, Yukinoshita. Are you familiar with the writings of Jacques Derrida?" I flashed a smug grin, knowing that it was likely these two were unaware of the French name I had uttered. "He describes how words do not necessarily have a one-to-one correspondence with meaning. For example, what is a cat? In French, a cat is le chat." Upon mentioning the word cat, Yukinoshita's eyes brightened.

"Le chat is different from "the cat" – they're two fundamentally different words. But they refer to the same image: a round, tubby, hairy creature that makes noise when it's hungry and mistreats its master. By the same token, the word "cat" can have multiple meanings – different breeds of cats, or to describe a person as cat-like, or catty, or whatever."

"Where are you going with this…?" Yukinoshita said. "You're being extremely roundabout. I should not be surprised, but still."

"What I am saying is, words are fundamentally meaningless. It's a cat-and-mouse game with no endpoint in sight. What is the definition of a cat? You begin by defining everything else as "not a cat". You have a certain image, and you assign a word to describe it. Is that not the height of arbitrariness? And what's more, multiple words can refer to the same image, and a single word can refer to different definitions! What is a cat? Let's say "not a dog!" Well then, what is a dog? "Well, it isn't a table!" So on and so forth! An unending cycle! Our definition is simply another word that needs to be defined!"

By the way, I read all that from the Wikipedia article.

Yukinoshita sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, while Yuigahama looked as if her brain had shut down. "Somehow, I feel as if you sorely misunderstood what that man is saying. So, what is your conclusion? Shall we throw up our hands and admit that words are meaningless and conversation is pointless? After all, we can never truly arrive at the true meaning of words, judging from what your long-winded explanation."

Her voice trembled as she she seemed to spit out the question. Outwardly, Yukinoshita was as still as a doll, but the way she sat in her chair, rigid and unmoving, gave the illusion of trembling and unease.

After all, what I was proposing... flew in the face of the request I had made of these two.

"All I am saying is that your definition of stalking is too rigid…"

"But judging from your viewpoint, you are suggesting that we give up the pursuit of meaning altogether, no? That perhaps this conversation is pointless, in the end?" Yukinoshita's eyes tightened and glared at me.

I swallowed back a gulp. She looked at me, her eyes refusing to waver as she bore a hole through my entire consciousness with her gaze. It was as if she was trying to find something in me, as if she was trying to find some opening or weakness.

Are these conversations pointless? I didn't want to think so.

This was what I had asked of these two, what I had desired.

But had I also not dismissed this talk as superficial?

Yukinoshita and I deemed small talk useless. People danced around topics, nobody wanted to get straight to the matter. Instead, there were social niceties to be made. Ice breakers to get the conversation flowing. Ways to leave the conversation when things become awkward. Things you couldn't discuss in public, things that could not be verbalized except through vague hints, body language, discrete letters, eye contact, riddles.

I had prided myself on being able to see through the underlying thought process behind small talk; as an outsider, I could listen to their conversations and deduce what it is they really meant.

"Hey, did you watch that TV show yesterday?"
Let's begin a conversation.

"Oh, I did! I really liked it when he kissed her!"
Alright, I'll bite.

"So, what do you want to get for lunch?"
What kind of person are you? What you eat should reveal that.

"Um, I don't know, I haven't decided yet."
I'm not sure I'm ready to reveal everything about me to you yet.

If that were the case, why couldn't they just come out and say what it is that they want to say?

That was why I believed Yukinoshita and I hated small talk.

…

So does that mean this conversation is pointless?

"Um…"

Yuigahama interjected.

"I… I think you guys are overthinking a little…you know? Um, that is, how should I explain it, ah…"

Yuigahama played with her fingers a little. Simultaneously, Yukinoshita and I looked at her. Yuigahama, realizing our gaze, blushed.

"I honestly don't get half of what Hikki said…actually, make that 90% of what Hikki said." Yuigahama started. "And I've never bothered thinking too deeply about what words mean. We just know it, don't we?"

"Yes, but how do we know we know it?" Yukinoshita replied. Her voice quivered a little – I think she was restraining herself, for Yuigahama's sake. If it were me, she probably would have raised her voice a little.

"I-I don't know h-h-how to put it into words," Yuigahama replied. She was getting scared of Yukinoshita's icy stare. "But, like, when you don't get something, you ask the person you're talking to, right?"

But, I thought, words are unreliable in the first place. Even the person saying them is unsure what he means.

"Plus! Even if the person himself doesn't know what he's saying, he probably always asks himself what he means by it, right…? I mean, that's what I, um, like about you two…"

Where did Yuigahama get that from? Yukinoshita seemed startled, as she slightly averted her gaze away from Yuigahama. She seemed like she was blushing.

"Like… like when you two talk, it always feels like you're asking each other to clarify what the other person is saying. Like, "make yourself clearer". You don't just brush aside what Hikki is saying, you seem like you're earnestly trying to understand what he's saying." Yuigahama looked at me. "And Hikki does the same. You respond to what she's saying, you try to get to know her better. What she means with what she says."

"Plus…" Yuigahama's voice lowered. "If you're unsure of what your words mean, you spend a lot of time thinking about it. Like you're asking yourself what you mean. If…if that makes any sense, y'know?"

She looked away, embarrassed at the torrent of words.

Yuigahama clearly put a lot of thought into what she said, as if she had been thinking about it for the longest time.

It was not clearly articulated, and what she said was, logically speaking, senseless.

The question was whether or not there was meaning in the first place.

Yuigahama skirted around the issue, and optimistically pronounced that we can arrive at the true meaning of our words if we continue talking.

But, the problem was the possibility of words having meaning in the first place. Logically speaking, it doesn't make sense. No matter how hard you tried to convey your feelings towards another person, it would be jumbled up by words.

But…

When Yuigahama said it, I felt as if I understood what she was getting at. It was true that maybe conversation was useless, if both parties never bothered trying to understand what they were talking about.

What Yuigahama suggested was different from just talking. What Yuigahama suggested, I thought, was far more than just chatting about the latest television show or asking about what to get for lunch.

What Yuigahama suggested was a continuous, never-ending process. There might not be a conclusion in sight. We could talk in circles, over and over, and the possibility was high that we would never get anywhere.

But the people involved in the conversation sought a deeper understanding of the other person involved. They wanted to know that person more, and so continued to ask, to grope, to find the right words, hoping desperately that they could transmit the right emotions.

Was it possible? Or was it a fairy tale?

Like a light novel that evokes assumptions from its readers, words come with baggage and expectations. And yet sometimes these expectations can mislead. One only needs to look at the name 'Service Club', or look at Yukinoshita Yukino or Yuigahama Yui. Yukinoshita, who was a perfect beauty, and yet was a friendless loner, who was abrasive to most people, who despised small talk. Yuigahama, who looked like a happy-go-lucky, airheaded ditz, and yet she sought for something more than shallow understanding and was unusually perceptive.

Would I have gotten to know them better had I simply continued believing my assumptions? Didn't I know more about them by staying in this club and doing my best to get to know them better? Isn't it true that, after all these months, I think I have a better understanding of them as people now?

Yukinoshita sighed as she looked at me, as if she could read the words running in my head. She turned to Yuigahama, who was busy mumbling "Ah...um..."

"While I feel your argument has holes in it," Yukinoshita coolly began, "I find myself agreeing with you. And in the first place, this entire conversation began from that guy's worthless musings. It probably means little, in the first place." She looked at me.

I was expecting her to glare, but her smile had a hint of warmness.

"Heh… that's true. It's pretty rare to hear something profound from Yuigahama-san, so perhaps I'll concede that she's right." I rubbed the back of my neck in embarassment.

"R-Really? Wait, wait, I think you just insulted me!"

I let out a small chuckle as Yuigahama came over to my side and started hitting me on the shoulder. "Hikki…! Why're you so meaaaaan! You too, Yukinon! You always team up to bully me! Ah, ah, waaaaah…"

Yukinon began to comfort Yuigahama-san, coaxing her back to her seat. She took the teacups sitting at the corner of the room, wiped them clean with a towel, and begun pouring tea. With practiced ease, she brought our teacups to our table. I took my Pan-san teacup and begun blowing on it gently. Hey, I have a cat's tongue, you know?

"Now, now, Yuigahama-san. I believe we can leave it at that. The topic Hikigaya-kun brought up in the first place seems ill-advised, considering his understanding of it is sorely lacking." Great, Yukinoshita was admonishing me now. "But I admire your efforts at keeping up with our inane conversation."

She let out a sigh and smiled. "I would like to apologize, too. Perhaps I was making too much fun of you. Your words do ring of truth, and I was wrong to demean that."

She turned her eyes at me and continued. "Perhaps you deserve an apology too, Hikigaya-kun. I feel I was being too aggressive on you earlier."

"Er, ah, um, it's nothing. I was just bullshitting anyway, or something…" my words trailed off near the end. "Sorry, too, Yukinoshita. For bringing up something so worthless in the first place. You too, Yuigahama. I probably went overboard with the teasing."

Yukinoshita smiled. "Then that's that. Although, I believe it isn't as worthless as you believe it is, Hikigaya-kun. Your arguments provoked interesting comments and thoughts, after all. I may have to meditate on it later." What, are you going to research it online?

"Wouldn't you rather spend your time looking up cat videos instead?" I asked.

Yukinoshita blushed, looked away, and stammered. "I, I, I will have you know that I do not spend all my time watching cat videos, Hikigaya-kun. I hope you remove this twisted notion you have of me and cat videos…"

"No, if anything, it's your fault for propagating that image, you know…? I bet when you and Yurigahama, er, Yuigahama, spend the night together you force her to watch cat DVDs."

By this time Yuigahama had stopped crying and looked at the two of us arguing. She had wiped away her tears, following the ping pong ball of our conversation, looking for an appropriate entrance, the right way to integrate herself into our conversation. "That's not true, Hikki! Yukinon also has Pan-san videos!"

"Yuigahama-san…!" Yukino let out a high-pitched squeal. "I-If you insist on revealing such matters, I will be forced never to invite you to my home again!"

"Waaaaaah? Yukinooooon, doon't! I want to sleep with you again!"

"Hey, hey, Yurigahama, stop triggering Yukinoshita's flags!" I added. "Also, don't say stuff like that, people will misunderstand!"

And so, the day passed, without incident. No client came today, which was actually normal. After all, we weren't a club full of supernatural warriors, dealing with earth-shattering threats. We were just a bunch of high school students – even if two of us were terrible loners.

I like to think that, compared to a few months ago, the coldness in this room had vanished. Instead, the warm scent of tea permeated every corner of the room.

I wondered, how different are these conversations from those conversations I hated?

I believed, from the bottom of my heart, that we were arriving at something, even if all we did was talk in circles.

When the two of them had said that they were still fulfilling my request, was this what meant?

Even I had no idea what I had meant by then.

Even so, days like this, where we could just talk to each other freely, felt as if they were the most important memories in the world…

And so, as we cleaned up the room and prepared to leave, leaving the warmth and safety of the club room to brave the cold, outside world, I thought, maybe I can stand the cold. I'm with the two of them, after all.

So I turned around them, mustering my most sincere smile, and said, from the bottom my heart:

"See you tomorrow."
I had fun today.

Their reply, sweet as MAX coffee, was followed up with smiles as bright as the sun. Even if the smiles came from the coldest Yuki-onna and the most airheaded sprite I had ever known, they filled me with warmth.

"See ya tomorrow, Hikki!"
I want to do this again tomorrow!

"See you tomorrow, Hikigaya-kun."
Today was enjoyable as well.

As far as romantic comedy situations go, this wasn't half-bad.

-0-

Extra Conversation

"Yukinoshita, what's that you're reading?"

"This? Oh, The Catcher in the Rye. I feel it gives me more insight into a certain someone."

"Oi, oi, are you making fun of me? I'll have you know I hate the protagonist there. Whiny little kid."

"Hikigaya-kun, I wish you would have more self-awareness…"

"Eh? Catch, za, lie? Someone who detects lies?"

"Yuigahama-san, I feel like you have to brush up in your English, although you're eerily close…"

My Cute Classmate Can't Be This Dumb (text message, 21:00-21:14)

From: Yui
Title: nontitle

hey hikki, wots d title of d novel u & yukinon were talking abt earlier? (*￣m￣)

From: Hachiman
Title: Re

The Catcher in the Rye. Why, are you interested? The language might be a little off-putting to you.

From: Yui
Title: Re2

yah! yukinon sed it myt help me understnd ur rants better（＞д＜）

iz it a jpnese novel? (｀・ω・´)"

From: Hachiman
Title: Re3

…no. I said the title in English, didn't I? Although I read the Japanese translation. I bet Yukinoshita read it in English, since she's arrogant like that. And what the hell does Yukinoshita mean by "understand my rants better?"

Anyway, I can lend you my copy if you want. Just make sure you don't mess it up.

From: Yui
Title: Re4

im sure she means well, Hikki! thx too! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

-0-

A/N: So did you like it? Leave a review!

Also, I'll use this part as a manifesto: we need more happy Oregairu stories. What I find distressing is that one of the best fanfics in this fandom, frog-kun's The End of the Affair, is relentlessly depressing. As the translator of volumes 1-4 of the novel, I'm not surprised; the development in those novels certainly lead somebody to the impression that what frog-kun wrote is plausible. (Thanks for translating the novels, by the way)

But, with the current available material to us, and considering just how much the Service Club's suffered dramatically, we're sorely lacking in cooldown stories, stuff that just shows the Service Club interacting normally. The ending of volume 9 is perfect in this regard; their relationship is the strongest it's ever been. I'd like to imagine that the conversation I depict in my fanfic is possible only because of the fallout of that volume, that they can only talk this way now that they've made the decision to be more open to each other, or at least try to.

So that's that. My goal is to write more slice of life, fluffy (Shiromeguri-senpai~), slightly happier stories for the Service Club and their friends. Of course, you can't remove drama from the equation, and if I find the energy, I'll write out an arc and everything depicting the growing relationship between these three lovable idiots. But I assure you, dear readers, that everything here will end up happily. Because, at its core, I believe Oregairu is an optimistic story, despite all the unhappiness and loneliness that surrounds its characters.

Also, if you have any characters you wish to be depicted, or scenarios you want to see (like Komachi and Iroha interacting, for example), feel free to suggest in your reviews. I'd just like to preemptively warn everyone that I have a hard time writing Zaimokuza and Totsuka, the former because he honestly has no purpose in the narrative now except as a butt for jokes, and volume 10 Totsuka's pretty much the perfect note to leave him on. (In that regard, I should probably exclude those two other guys in Hayama's clique that isn't Tobe, huh?)

So if you want to see more of characters like Hayama, Tobe, Kawasomething-san, Miura, Ebina, Rumi, or whoever else, feel free to leave a comment in the review section. If not, I'll just keep churning out more stuff in this vein, with the occasional 'problem of the arc'.

[1] A Japanese slang term which roughly translates to "Middle School 2nd Year Syndrome". People with chuunibyou either act like a know-it-all adult and look down on real ones, or believe they have special powers unlike others.

Examples include this one guy I know. Zai-kun? Zaimos? Zaimokuzaki? Um, dear me, I seem to have forgotten (lol). In any case, they're basically people who are ostracized from the rest of normalfag society because they want to believe they're special and flaunt it in front of normalfags everywhere.

[2] Some fanservice series where a ton of women fall in love with the protagonist. I think there's something about a key and childhood friend promises or something? I just read the entry on Wikipedia.

[3] I'd give a name, but I don't want to infringe on copyrights. Bakemo…