A/N: Yo guys, I'm still alive! I must apologize for being away for so long, but as I said before, adult life is hard and unfortunately for me I had to put aside my hobbies in order to focus on university and work. First of all I hope that all of you had an amazing Christmas full of good memories and I wish you a happy 2017.

Despite what you guys must think, I really want to continue and finish this story, but my time is limited because of my responsibilities and unfortunately I'm now flying solo on this project - having someone to share your ideas and thoughts about these type of things really helps after all and I would love to have an extra hand to guide me through this.

WARNING: This chapter wasn't edited by a Beta Reader and I apologize for any stupid mistakes you might find.

Since I was a man of my word, I made my way to the school's parking lot, only to find out that Hiratsuka was already waiting for me inside her luxurious car. She looked in my direction, but her eyes kept dancing around my figure and without saying a word, she made a head movement that contained the following message: 'Get in or I'll punch you!'

Yeah, that was clearly the hidden message in her odd behavior, but it was also evident that she was looking somewhat agitated. Once again she wasn't acting like the fierce female teacher that would usually 'punch' me in the right direction - this was a good pun, Hachiman.

I had to contain the urge to facepalm at my failed attempt on trying to ignore this tense and awkward mood that the two of us had created. This was too much for me to handle and to be honest I was somewhat nervous. We still haven't spoken a word and it felt like I was being kidnapped by this older tigress - this sounded really perverted.

Even if I was exaggerating again, it was true that Hiratsuka was acting very weirdly. I noticed that she seemed like a different person when driving her western car, she was usually humming some type of song, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel while looking like a teenager full of life, but today it wasn't like that and that was why I was worried.

My teacher was constantly frowning and the car's radio was turned off. She also wasn't smoking and the most important detail of them all, she wasn't driving like a reckless street racer. She once told Komachi and I that driving was one of her favorite hobbies, but now seeing the same woman driving me around town with a pained expression was making me feel really guilty.

Hiratsuka let out another long sigh and that was my cue to say something, "Y-You know, I've heard that 'a woman can say more in a sigh than a man can say in a sermon', but if you don't talk to me I won't be able to understand you." [1]

I slowly looked to my left and noticed Hiratsuka flinching a little when she heard my voice. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened too, but somehow I managed to hear an almost silent chuckle coming from her – I also noticed that she was smiling softly.

That was really smooth and now that I noticed, this wasn't the first time that I acted so confidently. Perhaps it was really truth that in the past I was a people's person, because to be honest with myself, sometimes I felt like there was a part of me that really appreciated these little interactions with others.

However, despite my best effort, Hiratsuka didn't say a word and once again we fell in silence. Her mood seemed to raise a little and that was a good start.

When I paid attention to the road ahead of us, I noticed that we were already somewhere in the outskirts of Chiba, there was little to no cars on the street and the absence of red lights was also a good way to break the tension.

"Where are we going?" I asked, finally deciding to kill my curiosity.

"...Somewhere more private." Despite the delayed answer, Hiratsuka finally broken the silence.

"Hmm, I don't know if I should be scared or not by your weird phrasing teacher. It feels like I'm being kidnapped." I said half-joking.

However, her reaction wasn't what I was expecting and instead of a sarcastic retort or some type of insult, all that Hiratsuka did was glare at me with a hurtful expression, "You're being insensitive Hachiman."

"I'm sorry." I knew that she was right, this wasn't the time to joke around. Just before I could think of another way of breaking the ice, Hiratsuka parked her car in front of a nice-looking restaurant, which name was 'The noodle house'.

Once again, I was hit by a strange sense of nostalgia and I felt like I remembered this restaurant's name from somewhere.

I couldn't say that I remember visiting one of these restaurants before and I certainly didn't know where we were - I simply knew that we were some miles away from Chiba, but I guess I was too nervous to pay attention to my surroundings.

Anyways, maybe I remembered this name because I searched for places who could deliver some good food or perhaps I overheard my parents talking about a business meeting in this place.

Looking through the car's window, I was amazed when I noticed that the two-story building looked really fancy from the outside. This place transmitted a professional and yet homey feeling that would be perfect for boring meetings with the Board or maybe the sort of place to bring your girlfriend in a romantic escapade.

Just before I could analyze my surroundings a little more, a stern voice brought me back to reality, "Are you not coming? C'mon, let's go inside." Hiratsuka said as she walked through the front door. Not wanting to aggravate her unstable temper again, I followed her in a flash.

"Hello, table for two please." Hiratsuka said as she gave the female waitress a small piece of paper with something written on it.

The woman started at the said paper for a second and then, said with a polite tone, "Oh, we've been waiting for you, Miss Hiratsuka. Please follow me, I'll guide you two to your table."

As soon as she finished her trained speech, the women with a small structure looked at us somewhat weirdly, but as soon as she noticed my gaze, she covered up her rudeness by guiding us quickly towards our table.

I let out a deep sigh when I noticed why the waitress and some of the others adults were looking at us weirdly. Both Hiratsuka and I were still wearing our school outfits… An older woman taking a teenager out to a meal in a place like this really looked fishy, especially considering that she was my teacher.

Unlike me, Hiratsuka didn't look concerned about the unusual amount of attention that we were getting and so, we kept walking towards our table. As soon as we took a seat, the nosy waitress quickly got our orders and both of us ended up choosing to eat ramen.

Perhaps many would say that our choice of food wasn't the best, especially considering that we were eating in such a good restaurant, but for me ramen was certainly the greatest food of them all. In my opinion this was the best choice, but maybe that was just me taking sides because I always felt this sense of nostalgia that warmed my heart whenever I was presented with a supreme bowl of ramen.

Hiratsuka was still lost in her own world, when the waitress asked our orders she barely spoke, deciding to have whatever I had chosen. This was too weird, deep inside she was a strong-willed woman, but looking at her now, so close to breaking down in tears was starting to make me feel really guilty for my bratty attitude.

In just a few minutes, I was brought back to reality when our food was delivered to our table. Picking up my chopsticks while placing my hands together I said, "Thank you for the food."

Hearing my voice, I felt Hiratsuka recoil in surprise and copying my previous actions in a forced way, she said, "T-Thank you for the food." Despite the low tone, she was once again speaking and that was another step forward.

We both started by tasting the soup and I couldn't deny that this was indeed a marvelous recipe that was slowly curing my tired soul. "This is delicious." Hiratsuka said with a content sigh and a small smile - as I thought before, she was much prettier with a smile on her face.

I was about to bite the tasty meat in my bowl, but then I saw something that really annoyed me - there was this small red fruit floating around, clearly testing my patience.

"Damn it, I was distracted..." Hiratsuka said annoyingly, grabbing my attention. "I really hate tomatoes." She muttered like a moody child, while removing the red fruit of her bowl.

This childish behavior that Hiratsuka was showing was really cute and unfortunately, I couldn't hold a small chuckle. She looked at me with some hostility and I said, "So, you don't like tomatoes?"

"Of course not." She almost shouted with a disgusted expression, "I seriously can't believe how people enjoy eating these things along with their noodles."

"I also hate them... They have this mushy sensation and a unique smell that I can't get used to." Yes, I didn't know why, but I also couldn't enjoy the taste of this red fruit.

There was a short silence, as both of us kept searching the contents of our bowls, clearly not wanting to step on another mine. "I-I actually knew that you didn't like tomatoes." Hiratsuka said with a hesitant voice.

I looked at her and her expression was once again painted with this pained smile, like she was remembering something that was long gone. "I don't like cucumbers either, but I know that you like them in your miso soup and that's the only way you can eat them."

She was right, I wasn't a big fan of cucumbers, especially if it was served raw. I had no idea of what to say or how to react. I was a bit shocked to notice that Hiratsuka clearly knew a lot more about me, or at least my past self.

Our small conversation came to a halt and once again there was only silence. I looked at Hiratsuka and I noticed that she was spacing out while looking at her bowl of food. When she met my gaze, she gulped her drink in one go.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry, it must be awkward for you to suddenly see that a, um, a s-stranger knows a lot about you."

"Uh, you're right, it's weird that my teacher knows so much about me, but I guess that was to be expected..."

To my surprise, what I said made Hiratsuka react in an unexpected way, "D-Don't call me that! She shouted, startling me in the process. "Jeez, t-there's no point in keep treating me like your teacher while we're alone, es-espcially now..."

Now that was more like the Hiratsuka that I had met two years ago - the fierce woman that always managed to get what she wanted. However, I couldn't be more wrong. Suddenly, Hiratsuka let out a big sigh and as she supported her head with her palms. Seconds later when she removed her hands from her face, I saw a lonely tear rolling down her cheek.

A sigh escaped my lips as I watched Hiratsuka trying and failing to compose herself. I was enjoying seeing this side of her - she looked fragile, cute and way more feminine than her usual self - and I knew that if this woman acted like this every day, she would have been taken a long time ago.

Trying to ignore the fact that I was enjoying this a little too much, I decided that I had to do something to make her feel better, "Ah, okay, I-I get it, so please stop crying. So what should I call you then? Hiratsuka or did I use to call you auntie or something like th-" I couldn't finish my own sentence, realizing the stupid mistake I committed - I had totally forgotten about the serious state of our encounter and without thinking, I ended up teasing Hiratsuka's weak point like I always did in our regular conversations.

I was getting mentally ready to get smacked in the face, but simply looked at me with a depressed face "Hikigaya… That kind of joke hurts right now..."

"I-I was being rude, a-again, I guess, uh, that I'm so used to our usual good-natured banter that I totally forgot that this wasn't the time to make stupid jokes." I admitted my sins.

Unexpectedly, this made Hiratsuka chuckle a little and she said, "Yeah, I know what you mean, I can't deny that I also enjoy our usual conversations… I-I'm just feeling depressed, so it's not a good time to make jokes about my age, Hikigaya."

"...Sorry."

There was another awkward silence and in the meanwhile Hiratsuka took this chance to ask for another serving of noodles and an alcoholic drink. After receiving her order and after taking a mouthful of her beer and with a satisfied look on her face, she spoke to me, "We should probably talk about that matter..."

"Right, I guess we can't avoid it forever..." I said as I focused solely on her, but I guess I should try to break the ice first, "I'm still curious though, tell me what I used to call you back then."

Hearing my question, she almost choked on her drink and turning away her head in a bashful manner, she said, "I'll tell you, but promise me that you won't laugh?" As she said that, she glared at me in a nasty way - of course I could only nod in response.

"Y-You see, when we finally started to get along as friends, I-I allowed you to started calling me by a pet name." She looked at me hesitantly and after a short break, she continued, "Shortly after meeting me, you started calling me Chizu-nee."

I looked at her for some seconds and then I realized something, "Wait, you mean Shizu as an abbreviation of Shizuka or ..."

Before I could finish my train of thoughts, Hiratsuka interrupted me and explained, "Yes and no. Since you were a brat that enjoyed to tease others, you found it funny to call me Chi-zu, which literally translates into cheese. Anyways, it wasn't like I didn't find it funny, so… I g-guess you can keep calling me that, i-if you want to, of c-course!"

The two of us locked eyes for some seconds and soon after our faces became red in embarrassment, "Ah, I was really an annoying brat, huh?" I said awkwardly, but Hiratsuka said nothing and instead she gave me the famous 'puppy eyes' look that instantly melted my heart - I knew exactly what she wanted.

Sighing in defeat, I decided to spoil her, "Okay, I get it, I'll call you Chizu-nee every now and then." After hearing that, her expression quickly changed and now she had this look of pure happiness on her face - she was finally smiling too and this smile was a special one, she looked beautiful.

If no one wanted to take her, I would be more than happy to have such a gorgeous woman by my side. Anyways I was getting sidetracked and it seemed that Hiratsuka noticed that, "Why are you smiling so creepily, Hiki-Hachiman? Seriously, stop it or I'll smack you!" Her cheeks were red, which meant that she saw through my perverted intentions. Please woman, don't say my first name so casually while looking so adorable!

Before I could defend myself after getting busted, Hiratsuka let out a long sigh, she looked at me and said tiredly,"Well, where should I start?"

"...From the beginning?" I said hesitantly after remembering that it would be better if she could give me all of the details about my forgotten past.

Hearing my response, Hiratsuka chuckled and said, "That is so cliché, Hachiman. But you're right, I guess that I should have talked with you a long time ago, but I didn't know how to interact with you now… This is going to be a long story, I may need a new drink to ease up my nerves."

She called one of the workers and asked for another beer - this woman was seriously going to end up drunk and I would have to deal with some awkward situation, I could feel it. Taking a long sip of her drink, she said with her usual enthusiasm, "All right, it's time for you to learn more about my past adventures!" This marked the start of our flashback moment.

Hiratsuka's POV

"Ahh, what should I do?" I murmured to myself in desperation, realizing that my laid-back lifestyle was about to end, even though the summer break was only one week away.

Maybe I was exaggerating a bit, but the fact that I was already seventeen meant that it was time for me to embrace the responsibilities of becoming an adult. Argh age is a scary thing! It was true that I was always different, at least when compared to my idiotic classmates, but I also wanted to enjoy my adolescence.

I would love to spend my whole summer doing nothing. I wanted to watch and rewatch some of my favorite movies, read some manga, eat junk food and maybe even get a b-boyfriend… Get a grip Shizuka. That's not going to happen! Damn it, I was even stuttering in my own thoughts.

Another sigh escaped my lips as I remembered that unfortunately my life wasn't that amazing and I had never had the chance to experience that adolescent phase that everyone was going through - yeah, youth was nothing but a lie to me.

In a few weeks I would become a third year student in my local high school, but I still hadn't decided my career path. However, I was pretty sure that I was going to choose something related to Liberal arts, especially since I had some amazing scores in Japanese, English and all the other subjects that focused heavily on writing and interpretation skills.

Yeah, unfortunately my grades weren't the problem - my dramas would all be solved much easier just by studying a little bit more. What I was lacking was money - coins and notes, a lot of them to be honest. I always heard people saying that money didn't buy happiness, well in my case I couldn't buy anything, because I didn't have much to begin with - money was my biggest distress since young age. Pfuu, it doesn't buy happiness… How ironic, right?

My family was financially poor - crap, I meant to say my father was poor. My old man was an ex-police officer that was fired at ex-police officer that was fired in his early thirties for misconduct - in his case he was caught under the influence of alcohol while on duty. My father was an alcoholic with gambling problems and this was the origin of my financial issues.

My mother wasn't much better, no, my family was all a little screwed up in the head. When I was younger, that woman run away with a younger man and now I understood why she did so. Even if I never felt disrespected by my father, dealing his 'situation' in a daily basis was complicated and every single time I heard a knock on my door, I was hoping that it wasn't the cops reporting his death - the causes would probably be an alcohol overdose or a bullet in his brains. I knew he owed some money to shady people.

After some minutes of walking on autopilot, I reached the door of my modest residence. Imagine my surprise when I found a letter in the mailbox - this was probably another complain about my father's misbehavior or perhaps it was just a letter warning us about some unpaid expenses.

For a second I was in shock when I noticed that this letter was receiver was supposed to be me - this certainly wasn't a confession from some guy, but I was also scared that this time I would the one receiving a reprehension letter. I opened the said letter and I started reading it out loud as I stepped inside: 'Ms. Shizuka, it's our knowledge that you're soon to become a third year student on your local high school and we also know that you intend on going to university, but unfortunately your father can afford it. In fact, your father can't even afford to pay back the money he owes us and that was why we decided to give you, his daughter, a chance to pay your father's debt. We know what you must be thinking by now, but don't worry, we promise that we have no ill intentions. The Gaya group wants to offer you a job during this summer break, so that you can pay us for what is rightfully ours and at the same time you'll compensated monetarily for your services. We await a positive response from you, or else we'll have to use other means to get what we want.'

I started shaking in fear and I let myself fall on my knees, trying to register what just happened. The day had finally come, my father's problems were also my responsibility now. From this day on I was involved with a yakuza group and by the start of my graduation year I would probably be abused and then murdered, just because of some stupid debt.

Anyways, looking at this situation on a positive side, I was offered the summer job that I wanted so much - too bad that my employers were shady people, but that was just a minor detail.

Being forced to accept this odd situation, I was now 'enjoying' my train ride to a remote location in the mountainous area of Chiba, simply known as Chiba Village. The amount of horror stuff I had seen until now had me wondering what could go wrong in a remote area such as this.

As soon as I arrived the supposed train station, I was confronted with a frightening situation - there was a black European car, probably a Mercedes, illegally parked by the road.

I was frozen and it seemed that all my energy and rationality was gone - yes, I was really afraid of what was about to happen. Suddenly, the right rear door was opened from inside and then, a grumpy voice said, "Get in."

Dominated by the fear of what could happen if I did not comply, I started moving on autopilot and when I came to back to reality, I was already sitting inside the mafia-looking car. "It's a pleasure meeting you, young Shizuka. I'm glad you accepted our terms."

It wasn't like I had a choice - that was what I wanted to say, but I decided not to open my mouth. I was so nervous that my eyes were still glued to the window next to me. The figure sitting next to me decided to speak again, making me flinch in anticipation, "You don't need to be so nervous, believe me when I say that nothing will happen to you."

I shook my head and scoffed lightly at this, "That doesn't sound comforting, you know? That's a cheesy thing that most villains say before killing someone..." As soon as I said that, I regretted for not holding back my snarky remarks.

At this point, I was just getting mentally ready to get punched in the face for being such a brat, but instead of that, the man sitting next to me started laughing loudly, "Ha-ha-ha! This one has a strong attitude, I like it! You are just like my wife when she was younger."

Not expecting this type of reaction, I felt that I was calmer and summoning all the courage I had, I finally faced the man who was probably my employer. The elderly man sitting next to me had long spiky hair with a mustache and a beard. His eyes were really freaky and scary. His grey eyes seemed to have vertical pupils, giving him a very intense and intimidating look that could rival a wild beast. Despite his age, this man seemed to be incredibly fit and muscular - he had the perfect profile of a badass grandpa.

Just before the situation turned into an awkward silence, a new person joined our conversation, "Stop acting like that jiji, you're scaring the girl." From what I could tell, the voice belonged to a young boy.

The old man laughed once again and said, "Oh, I see! You are already warming up to your new 'babysitter'... I mean, you are already defending the girl." Wait… So that means that I have to take care of this brat?

The kid sitting on the passenger seat sighed in annoyance and said, "I'm already seven years old jiji, I don't need you to hire someone to take care of me and we also have the twins. Pfuu, I know this place like the back of my hand, you don't need to worry." For someone so young, I had to say that this kid had a really strong personality - well, he was a brat born in the Yakuza, I guess a little attitude was expectable.

"Yeah, right, we have the twins, but only Haruki does what he's told... You've already turned the girl to your side - she has a soft spot for you and that's why we need another pair of hands." I was pretty sure that he was talking about me.

"Tch, do whatever you want. If I could deal with Haruka, I'm pretty sure that Chizu-nee over here won't be a problem, right?" As the brat said that, his head turned around to the back of the car and he was now facing me with a playful grin.

I was stunned for a second, this kid really was a little bit too 'developed' for his age. As I took a closer look at him, I noticed the evident resemblance in the eyes of these two, but unlike his grandfather, the kid didn't look intimidating, no, his grey eyes were cute and it made him look like a feline.

"Wait... What did you just call me?" I finally said, after examining the kid.

"You've heard it right." The brat said teasingly with a chuckle, "I called you Chizu-nee, 'cuz your name is Shizuka, right? It's a pet name because of the 'cheesy' thing you said."

I was about to scold and teach this kid some manners for acting so chummy with me, but unfortunately, I was interrupted by his grandfather, "Just like I told you Hachiman, you guys are going to get along just fine. Now I'll just have to explain your nee-chan over here what her job will be." And just like this, my shady summer job started.

A few days later, I was still alive and leaving aside my sarcastic and cynical opinions about what was happening to me, I found myself having fun even if I was surrounded by scary business men and their young brats.

My job in this so called 'summer camp' (for rich people) was fairly simple, all I had to do was babysit six spoiled brats and help preparing the food - of course there were also other teens who had been hired to help, thank god.

The fact that these kids' parents were all important people it meant that they were all raised to be proper and polite brats. However, there was only three big problems: Hachiman Hikigaya also known as the Devil's grandson and his loyal servants, simply known as the Demonic twins.

Perhaps I was exaggerating, but that kid was impossible to tame. I had never seen a seven years old brat with so much personality. He was too smart for his age, he had a fiery personality with a sense of confidence that makes him rebellious towards any type of 'authority' and in this case, I was his number one enemy.

The other brats were all well-behaved, considering their young age, but this Hachiman kid was a little deviant, a ball of unending energy that would usually lead others during the playtime and the only ones who could get through him was his grandfather, his younger and cute sister and occasionally Haruki, the male twin.

Today, the older Hikigaya asked for my help personally, giving me task to clean the small room that would serve as a meeting office to some guests that were to arrive in a couple of hours. I sighed as I started to think that I was slowly becoming a maid to this family.

It wasn't like I had many plans for my summer break and I would probably end up feeling lonely as usual, but at least I would be able to be a lazy slob if I wanted to.

But of course that I couldn't have what I wanted, this was the cruel life that I, the ultimate loner, chose. Thinking about a way to stop this forced situation, I realized that I didn't even know how much money my father owed this people. I would probably have to sell my body and soul to this family so that they could forget about the damned debt.

As I proceeded to complete my task of fixing this room, curiosity took control of my body and I found myself drawn to the numerous stacks of paper that were on of a wooden desk. If I remembered correctly, I was told specifically to avoid touching anything that was laying on top of this same desk, but since the old man made a huge deal out of this and the fact that I still had my doubts about how shady these businessmen were, I went through some of the old newspapers and paper sheets, reading the bold letters.

'Kim Ji-woo, the female CEO of the Chiba Bank was arrested for fraud, bribery and corruption.'

'The head of the family Hikigaya was the first to expose Kim Ji-woo's crimes.'

'Chiba most influential families: Yukinoshita, Hayama and Hikigaya - they all have connections to the Chiba Bank. Are they involved in this scandal?'

The rest of the paper sheets were filled with numbers and I presumed that they were the financial reports of the said bank, or something like that. I had finally understood why all these rich people had decide to use their summer vacation to spend some in these isolated mountains… This was like a strategic retreat of someone who had some bad stuff to hide - this all reunion thing made sense now and I probably should leave this stuff alone.

Suddenly, I hear the door behind me close loudly. Reacting purely on instinct and a little bit of fear, I gasped loudly, letting some of the paper sheets fall on the ground - I was totally busted.

As I kept my back turned towards the person who entered the room, I waited to be greeted with the old and raspy voice of the older Hikigaya, but I was surprised when all that I heard was a joyful giggle that has been haunting me for the past few days.

"My family always says that curiosity killed the cat, you know?" The little imp said in mocking tone.

I sighed, finally turning around and facing the troublemaker, Hachiman, "I-I don't know you are talking about, brat. I w-was simply cleaning the room, as your grandfather told me to."

"Mhmm, we both know you're lying, Chizu-nee." He said with a sweet, but yet very scary grin. "You better clean those papers." Despite this kid being ten years younger than me, I found myself doing as he said (commanded) without thinking twice.

This kid was truly intimidating, maybe it was because he was so smart and confident and perhaps it was because he was raised to be like these… criminals. I knew that I had messed up and now this kid could truly ruin my life - I might even need to beg for mercy.

Being lost in thought and too busy picking up the dozen of papers that were fallen on the red carpet beneath my feet, I didn't noticed that Hachiman was now standing next to me, handing some papers, "Tell me, nee-chan, what did you learn from those papers?"

Once again I felt myself shivering unconsciously, fearing the outcome of this conversation, "I told you bra-I mean, Hachiman, it isn't what it looks like. I would never look through your granddad's things without his permission." I was once again lying to this kid, hoping to be able to save my skin.

The brat sighed in annoyance and he gave me a serious look, with those intimidating catlike eyes and I knew that he understood that I was lying, "You're lying again… Tell me, are you afraid of me, Shizuka?"

"I'm afraid of what you might say to your grandfather, after this… I fear what your family might do to a sad teen like me." I finally decided to reveal my honest feelings.

"The old man always tells that if I can't win someone's respect, I should make them fear me instead." As he explained this, it felt like he was reciting a teaching that was implanted on his brain. "Sometimes he says some creepy stuff that I don't understand, but I think that this is one of my grandfather's tests."

"A t-test!? What do you mean?"

"The old man always says that one day I'll become the head of the family, the boss of our company and because of that I'll need people that I can trust besides me." He said vaguely and I assumed that maybe not even the kid knew what was going on.

"I think your grandpa knows that I don't trust you guys." I said, trying to make sense of this mess. "He seems like a person that would do anything to make his family happy and maybe he brought me here because he knew how lonely I was. I almost have no family, no friends..."

Hearing my twisted thoughts put into words, Hachiman took a sit on the red carpet, listening closely to what I had to say. For a moment, it felt like I was giving this kid some type of important lecture about the hardships of (my) life and his warm gaze was starting to make me feel like he was actually just a kind brat.

I sighed, before continuing my train of thoughts, "The other workers here were talking about the twins' past, they were similar to me, they had nothing and your grandfather took them as if they were family and gave them a purpose. I think he's trying to do the same with me and today he was trying to see if we could get along or not."

Hachiman let out a cute giggle and he said, "Ahh! Now I understand it, nee-chan. You are cute and really smart too." Flashing me a toothy grin, the kid actually managed to make me blush with the sudden praise. "So, if I tell my granddad what we were doing we fail the test, but if we become friends and cover for each other it's great for both of us."

I nodded in agreement, the kid was truly smart, "Now that you say it like that, yes, it's probably as you say it. If you tell him what I did, my debt will probably double and I might even lose my head, but you if you cover for me, we both end up becoming liars and you gain nothing from this."

"I also want to know what those papers are. This is a trap from the old man, he's teasing me about this important meeting, but he won't tell me what's going on. He says that I'm too young for this and that makes me mad. I guess that we both got caught on his games." He finished his sentence with an angry pout, which made him look somewhat adorable.

Before I could even say anything, Hachiman got up and extended his right hand towards me, "Are we friends now, Chizu-nee?"

Surprised by his actions, I answered somewhat lamely, "I told not to call me that, brat! W-Well, I really don't have many friends and I don't really know how this whole friendship thing works, but we can be allies. Y-Yes, allies, because we share the same goal and enemy."

Hearing my awkward proposal, the little brat frowned and took my right hand by force, shaking it anyways, "Don't say sad stuff like that, nee-chan. You're the older person here you're supposed to give me the good examples. We're F-R-I-E-N-D-S!" And just like that, the toothy grin and his kind words slowly melted my frozen heart and when I came to my senses I was smiling like a riajuu idiot.

As I forcibly let go of his hand, the ball of energy decided to initiate conversation again, but this time, he had a sad look on his face and his voice was devoid of any confidence, "Tell me, Chizu-nee, my family, are they truly bad? I love everyone in my family, but everyone around me looks at us like we are some type of criminals and because of this I don't have a normal life. I know that I'm not a normal kid, I have no friends and I'm being raised like a fragile flower. I have a personal maid and a bodyguard a couple years younger than you, I have a home tutor and I rarely go to school."

As his gray eyes started to lose their usual sharpness, I saw some tears roll down his face and oddly enough, I acted on my maternal instincts, grabbing his trembling figure in my arms, I hugged the brat and patted his back softly.

"Shh, shh..." I whispered, wiping of his tears. "C'mon Hachiman, don't cry, you are strong boy, right?" Hearing my awkward attempt to make him feel better, the kid stopped sobbing, looking at me directly.

"Look, to be honest, I don't know your family well enough to give you the answer that you're looking for… From what I've seen I can tell you that your family really cares for you - you have your grandad that treats you as his own son, your sister that idolizes you and the twins that probably care more about you than they care about themselves."

Hearing my words, the brat wiped his eyes with his sleeve and let out a cute giggle, "You're right, thank you Chizu-nee - you're really kind."

"Hehe, you're the first boy to praise me twice in just a couple of minutes. If you keep being this sweet we might become really good friends." I said sheepishly, feeling genuinely happy for being able to make him smile again.

"Nee-chan, promise me something, okay?" I was about to tell him that my answer would depend on his request, but seeing his kitty-cat eyes, I simply nodded. "Will you help me find out more about my family?"

"Well, we are friends, aren't we? I'll always be there to help you, brat." I said, sighing in defeat. Just as I was about to say something more, the room's door opened again and this time it was the older Hikigaya staring at us with a stupid grin on his face.

"Oh god, this is really embarrassing." I said as I covered my face with my hands, feeling too ashamed to look my teacher directly in the eye.

Suddenly, I heard a loud noise as Hiratsuka banged her fist against the dinner table. "I-It's not embawassin!" She said, hiccuping through tears, her face turning really red for some reason.

"Hey stop crying, people will misunderstand. W-Wait, are you drunk?" Reaching this conclusion, I extended my arm, removing the bottle of wine that she was trying to grab clumsy.

"I'm not d-dlunk, not at all! Gimme' that!"

I sighed, hiding the bottle of wine under the table, far from her reach, "I think it's time for us to go home… I'm afraid that you'll fall on the ground unconsciously at any minute."

Resting her head on the table, Hiratsuka said softly, "I'll take you home, Hachi..." She wasn't able to finish her sentence, because she fell asleep and the story that she was telling me was also postponed for later.

She deserved a good rest after all this emotional stress. I decided to call Haruki and ask for his help.

[1] – A quote by Arnold Haultain.