Chapter 14: A Busy Recovery Awaits

Hikigaya POV, Chiba General Hospital

"..." Ugh….that's very bright. Definitely not heaven, as it would be bold of anyone to assume I'd end up there after life.

My eyes met the brightness of whatever environment I was surrounded by with a less-than-welcome greeting. Once the brightness wore off, everything was still masked in a blur.

Before long, my hearing returned, revealing a steady rhythm of electronic notes.

The place was somewhat familiar - I mean it hasn't even been two years since I was sent here after saving Yuigahama's dog and being hit by a car. To think I'd be back for a situation like this….yeah definitely not ideal.

Of course, the accident involving Yuigahama's dog could not have come at a less convenient time, right at the beginning of the first year of high school. I remember thinking that it would be a time to reset the crappy relationships I had with my classmates, which I had prepared for up until that point. I outgrew that embarrassing burst of middle school syndrome, which Komachi can still bug me about at times, and even changed high schools to Sobu so I wouldn't have to associate with those people.

And yet, I just reverted to my sulking after recovering from the injuries. It did fit social logic nevertheless; the critical time to form classmate interactions is during the first few weeks of school, especially for individuals who aren't well versed in social situations. Someone like Yuigahama or Hayama would be able to make friendly interactions whether they were there from the start or transferred mid-semester.

But, I'm not Hayama. Not that I would ever have wanted to be like him, absolutely not.

Ugh, thinking about the past like this is making my head hurt, which I assume I've injured with the feeling of wrapping around my forehead. Now that my vision has regained enough clarity, I could probably start to move into a more comfortable position without doing something stupid like falling off the bed.

As I started shifting my upper body a bit, I started picking up the sounds coming from outside the room. Footsteps and electronic sounds as doctors, nurses, and equipment move around. I turned my head slightly, so I had a better view of the door.

There appears to be a nurse there about to enter, but she stopped and looked like she saw her life flash before her eyes. I mean I probably don't look like I'm in good shape at the moment but I'm still a human being here.

She must have noticed before quickly bowing her head. "Sorry, I will be with you shortly!" she replied before turning around and walking away. Her voice joined several others, and after a few moments came the sound of people dialing phone numbers.

Quite a few phone calls.

The nurse from before returned, along with another woman wearing a white coat, who I assume is an attending doctor. She was on the phone with someone, so I directed my attention to the nurse, who seemed surprised once again. How many times was my appearance going to shoot me down again?

"Sorry for rushing out earlier and leaving you here!" the nurse bowed, actually a few times to be accurate.

"Ah...it's ok. It's not like I'm going anywhere," I replied, and it looked like she realized I definitely could not have gotten out of bed if I tried. "Are y-" I stopped as I instinctively started coughing, only now feeling that my throat was extremely dry.

"Oh, let me get you some water, I forgot your throat must be really dry," the nurse quickly responded as I tried to stop coughing so much. She filled a cup of water and gave it to me, which did help calm my throat.

"Thank you," I managed to say.

"Oh, of course," the nurse replied. "I apologize for such a rough introduction - usually things aren't as frantic when a patient regains consciousness as they are now. Ah-I'm Hoshino Naoko, so in the future if you need anything I can take care of that for you. My co-worker will also be able to help, well once she is finished with her call." I looked over to see the doctor in the middle of a conversation on the phone.

"Hm, there's a lot of phone calls going on now, did something happen?"

"Yes! They're actually related to you waking up now," she stated, which took me by surprise. "They're notifying your family and friends that you are awake now, which means they'll probably come to visit you soon. And…" she paused, "...there were quite a number of people on the contact list, so this room may be a bit crowded. Of course you can ask for privacy, but just letting you know from the responses that they're all really excited to see you."

"Excited to see me," I repeated. Given they all haven't seen me for over a month….that's definitely understandable. And the fact that I'm in a hospital with Yukinoshita- "Wait, is Yukinoshita okay?"

Hoshino paused, as if she were going to say something different, then said, "Yukinoshita Yukino, yes she woke up before you did, and her physical injuries were not very severe, b-" before her pager started ringing. She checked it. "Sorry, I actually have to visit her for a check-up, but that will also give me the opportunity to share the news with her that you're awake and doing well."

"Ah, thanks," I was able to say before she bowed and started to leave.

"Oh, if you have any medical questions you can ask her, she's the resident who's been looking after you since you came here!" she said while pointing at the doct-no resident, actually.

Right, the woman on the phone was wearing a short white coat, so she was a resident. I faintly remember that arbitrary fact the last time I was here. The ones who wore the longer white coats were physicians, or Hiratsuka-sensei. Anyway, she was still on the phone, and it seemed like the conversation had shifted topics once again.

"Ah, you're already on your way here? Hmm, if you were this excited to go on a date I'm sure you wouldn't be sin-"

Suddenly the voice on the other end started shouting so even I could hear. I have a feeling who's on the phone and that's not good.

The resident saw that I was looking at her, and smiled. "Hey, I'm joking, but seriously if you really want to see him that bad let me just hand the phone over to him-" she walked over and handed the phone over to me, which I was still confused as to what was going on. "It's your teacher, but I'm sure you could already tell who it is."

I glanced at the screen, and to nobody's surprise it read "Shizuka." I brought the phone up to my ear, not really knowing what to respond, oh well. "Sensei?"

"Hikigaya- ah?!" she blurted, followed by the sound of tire screeches. She was totally driving at the moment. "Ah I'll talk to you once I get there, I almost got into an accident right now." She hung up shortly after.

I looked at the phone, and moments later the woman next to me started giggling, taking the phone back as I handed it over. "Well, that's new from Shizuka. But anyway, let me introduce myself. I'm Kamegawa Risako, and I'm the resident who's been looking after you since you came in two days ago. You looked like you were in pretty bad shape when you came in, but after the team cleaned you up, most of the physical injury was to your legs, and the impact to your head was mild. Not what you'd normally hear from a person falling off a building, so whatever you pulled off was quite something."

"Ah…" I replied, "...I suppose trying not to die is a good motivation."

She smirked again. "Mm, that's a good point. I can see why Shizuka is so interested in your care."

"Right, I was going to ask how'd you know Sensei?" With my question, she smiled, relaxing her pose.

"Shizuka and I go back to university, though we went to the same high school as well. I could tell she was quite like you back when we were in high school. She didn't talk very much, and when she did she had a smart mouth that got her into trouble."

Is that really me?

"She was also pretty much a loner in high school-" Wait, how was she able to diss both of us so quickly?

"What am I saying though, you have a lot of friends who'll be visiting you soon, so maybe it only applies to her," she chuckled. "Let me check your vitals real quick, it looks like Naoko didn't have a chance to finish before she left."

"Ah, Naoko-the nurse here before…" I

"Yup! She's still getting used to some things….but a lot of patients appreciate her care. She's the best when taking care of Yukinoshita-san as well, which helps a lot-"

"Huh? Is everything alright with Yukinoshita?"

"Well, what I can say so far is that she can be emotional at times, which makes it harder to provide care, so that could be why Naoko was paged…." She then turned to me. "So, you have a thing for her?"

When did this conversation change so quickly. "Eh-great question to ask someone after they regain consciousness."

"You're right," she replied. "Hm, but to think Shizuka's students could be having more romantic succe-"

"Who's success are you talking about again, Risako?" a voice came from behind Kamegawa, and from the tone it was not the most welcoming.

"Not an idea, I'm just taking care of your favorite student, right?" She quickly changed the subject.

"Hopefully that's true, else you may end up looking more like him after I'm done," Hiratsuka-sensei responded, and yes I could confirm the violent intent in her eyes.

Time to defuse the situation-

"That's a bold introduction, even for you Sensei." She turned her attention to me, and her intense glare quickly softened.

"I guess it is better if Risako is conscious to tend to you." She came closer, her lab coat following her in a flutter of motion. Kamegawa signalled that she was going to check on another patient and would be back shortly, leaving the two of us in the room. "Hikigaya, how're you feeling?"

I shifted into a sitting position, letting out a soft sigh. "Pretty sore, but considering I managed to escape death a few days ago, not horrible." I looked at Hiratsuka-sensei, who was listening intently. "That's how I physically feel, but with the events of the previous weeks….it's difficult to put together."

Difficult is a gross understatement. Trainwreck….still an understatement. Hiratsuka-sensei exhaled, seemingly in acknowledgement. "I had a very long conversation with Haruno yesterday, so I have some sense of what you two have been up to. Not that I didn't have my suspicions earlier on."

Earlier...so she figured something was up already, must be some sort of wisdom that comes with a-"

"As a suggestion for your speedy recovery you should refrain from continuing that train of thought," she interjected, "but back when I brought Yukinoshita to the office did I confirm who was in coordination with your disappearance. Starting with a key like this-" She pulled out a key from her pocket, holding it closer so I could see it in more detail. The key was identical to the one I had felt in my pocket that evening, even though I didn't take much time to look at the other key. It also contained a few engravings, including this year and two letters - S.M.

"Haruno's key would have her graduation year and the initials Y.H. engraved on it, which was found on the roof yesterday. I'm sure Shiromeguri-san won't do anything as clever as this, for many good reasons." She sighed again before continuing. "Even when I did catch on, I gave you and Haruno the benefit of the doubt, that nothing so serious would result from it. Of course," she swirls her hand for a bit of emphasis, "I was wrong to assume that."

"Quite a few events escalated unexpectedly quickly, and I shared the same assumption." I sighed. "In the end, it was because I wanted to talk to her that we ended up in the hospital - had I contacted someone beforehand, things might have gone differently."

Her expression softened. "Haruno did mention that, but whether it could've gone differently isn't that important. If you wanted me to scold you on what you should've done, then I'm sorry to disappoint you."

That's some encouraging talk, Hiratsuka-sensei.

"I guess so, something along the lines of we're both going to physically recover so that's the mindset moving forward. But from what I've noticed for the past half-an hour or so I've been awake is that everyone's tight-lipped about Yukinoshita."

Hiratsuka-sensei's gaze faltered ever so slightly. "Risako told me that even though you're the one who's more physically injured, they're more worried about her. When she regained consciousness two days ago, she assumed that her attempt failed. She denied most of her contacts from visiting, and from what I've heard isn't talking a lot -" her face fell. "She's hurt deeply…"

"..." I tried to say something, but no words came out. An image of Yukinoshita came to mind, in a room similar to the one here, with an unknown state of mind. What I was going to say to her on the rooftop….what exactly was it going to do-

"Hey, now that you're awake, I am sure the solution will come to you." Her tone was different this time. "I'm leaving Yukinoshita up to you to figure out, not that this wasn't your original intention."

"Huh," I replied. "Not something I'd think you would say."

"Nonsense," she quipped. "If anything, I have considered your perspective and what you would do going forward, and I don't disagree with it. And for Yukinoshita," she pauses, "she would want you to be the one to talk to her."

Before I could respond, the door opened and three people entered. My parents and Komachi. All of them came closer, followed by the resident Riasko, and Hiratsuka-sensei took a few steps back to allow them to have some more space. "I'll leave you to talk to your family."

"Hachiman….thank goodness…." Mom managed to say before clinging onto Dad.

"It's good to see you again," Dad spoke. "We definitely have a bunch of questions, but now it's better that you recover….and know that we missed you very much."

"Thanks Dad and Mom…." I looked at Komachi, who hasn't spoken a word yet. We made eye contact, and her eyes started to water.

"Onii-chan….you're really here...right?"

How would I respond to that question….assuming she might think I'm a ghost or astral projection. Of course I'm here, Komachi, here in the flesh….and broken bones. I might not be in perfect shape right now, but your older brother is here-but I don't blame her. Having seemingly disappeared off the face of the planet may cast some doubt when I reappear in a hospital.

Well, here goes a perfect response: "Yo, Komachi."

Her face shifted into one of slight irritation. "After being gone for so long, that's how you greet your beloved sister? Negative points-" she stopped, as tears started flowing. "So-many-negative p-points." She rushed forward and held onto my arm, which was only minorly bruised. My other arm was a different story, so luckily she didn't go for that arm. "It really is you….onii-chan."

"Yup….your onii-chan is here….and misses you a lot." I could feel her holding my arm a little tighter.

"Not as much I miss you."

"Is this a competition now?" I scoffed.

"There isn't any competition. I miss you more….and that's a fact."

"Racking up those points already I see." After my response, a round of giggles came from her.

"Of course, it's been a while!"

The next ten or so minutes went by with some conversation with Mom and Dad, all while Komachi stayed latched onto my arm. The nurses then wanted to talk to them outside over some paperwork, leaving me, Komachi, and Hiratsuka-sensei there.

But not for long, as the door opened once again. And to no surprise a literal crowd of people came in.

"Hikitan-ah- Hikigaya, you're really here!" A familiar voice shouted from the group, belonging to none other than Tobe. This was followed by Hayama, Miura, and Ebina exchanging our greetings, also reacting to seeing Hiratsuka-sensei being in the room as well.

"Are you hurt anywhere, Hikigaya-kun?" Ebina asked.

"Eh, I can't really move to check if it hurts, so for the moment no-"

"Hachiman!" This time an angelic voice met my ears, it could only be-

"Oi, Totsuka-" I called out, and Totsuka rushed forward. Seeing him teary-eyed….that's a big hit to my HP - a critical shot. "Hey, it's good to see you-"

"Mm…." he said, wiping his eyes a bit, as his mouth formed a smile. "Missed you a lot." Another critical shot!

"Me too, great Hachiman!" a voice boomed - ah I know whose voice that is.

"Is that Zamikouza I hear?"

"It is I!" I couldn't not hold in a small chuckle as the chuunibyou himself appeared. How many more people will be here is up in the air for now. The two obvious people missing would be Yuigahama and Isshiki. Perhaps Kawasaki too, though most people from Class 2-F were already here…. Then there's Shiromeguri-senpai, one of the only people who was in on what was going on.

As if I were psychic, Shiromeguri-senpai walked in, waving to everyone and seeing me, did her best to keep her composure, coming closer.

"Hikigaya-kun, that's not the sort of entrance I expected, but you are back, thank goodness," she said quietly, which I reacted to with acknowledgement.

"Thanks, Shiromeguri-senpai, really-" I replied, to which she smiled. "There's so many of you here at the same time, even if I look like a mummy right now."

"Well," Hiratsuka-sensei started, "everyone here was worried about you. It's not everyday that someone you interact with on a regular basis vanishes into thin air."

"That's right, we were definitely shocked, so of course we'd want to see you!" Tobe shouted, as the rest of the group concurred. He then gave a face of deep pondering. "There should be a few more people here too. Yui and Irohasu might be running late, and Kawasaki said she'd be here once she picks up her sister-"

"Ah, sorry I'm late," yet another voice appeared. "I had to pick up Keik-"

"Haa-chan!" a little girl darted through the group, appearing and almost crashing into Komachi and Totsuka. Welp, that's Keika, and I noticed her eyes starting to water as well. Goddammit, why now of all times would the trifecta of teary-eyed faces in front of me. My heart may not survive this encounter. "Haa-chan are you okay?"

Regaining my composure, I got ready to speak. "Ah, Kei-chan, Haa-chan's doing fine. Probably stuck here for a few weeks, but feeling better." She nodded, her head bobbing with a little extra emphasis.

Kawasaki made her way to get to her sister. "Keika, be a bit more careful, he's hurt y'know." She then turned her direction from her sister in my direction. "Good to see you're back, Hikigaya," she said with a small smile.

"Thanks, Kawasaki. I can tell Keika here missed me a lot."

"Yeah, she'd ask about you at home, quite a bit." She chuckled a little. "If you go running off again like that, I swear you'll have a six-year old on your tail." I eyed Keika, who gave a look of determination in agreement with her older sister.

"Same here, onii-chan…." Komachi stared with an equally determined look.

"Heh….have I been put on house arrest for life? I know that sounds like my ideal lifestyle but I still have to go to university. Or are you going to follow me there-" I retorted, to which Komachi stuck her tongue out. "Oi, Kawasaki, I feel like your sister will be on your tail once you go to college, especially if you go live in Tokyo….huh I probably couldn't get their scholarship if I tried-"

"Huh?" she looked puzzled. "How'd you know I was thinking about going to Tokyo? I….was only considering their scholarship program a few days ago-"

For a second, what she said didn't register in my mind. We….wait, now what I said didn't really register. Tokyo? Where did that train of thought come from? It seemed so obvious just a moment ago, since….

A headache descended on my head, and I tried to stop my face from showing the pain. Crap, this is a bad headache…..

"Ah, sorry, I don't know why I said that-"

"Onii-chan...what's the meaning of this-wait are you okay?"

"Just a headache-I did hit my head, as you can see with these bandages." After that, Komachi became quiet and returned to her former state of arm-holding. Maybe that was a little blunt.

"Ah, maybe we should get going and let Hikigaya get some rest-"

"Good idea, well it was nice seeing you again Hikigaya!"

"Eh, it was nice seeing all of you too, thanks for visiting, seriously…." I replied. Everyone leaving said their goodbyes, and slowly the room emptied.

Before long, it was just Hiratsuka-sensei, resident Kamegawa, and Komachi left in the room. Honestly, it felt like I had more breathing room now, though having them as company felt surprisingly not horrible. Maybe slightly warmer on the inside if anything.

"Hey Komachi, I never asked about your entrance exam."

Her expression brightened, preparing to speak. "I got in!"

"Congratulations," I replied. We talked for a while longer.

I don't know how much time passed, as the headache is messing with my sense of time, but it must have been at least ten minutes or so before there was a knock on the door.

"Took them long enough," Hiratsuka-sensei noted. "On the plus side they'll have you to themselves now that most people left."

Them….as in Yuigahama and Isshiki.

The door opened one more time, and two girls entered: one with coral pink hair, and the other with light brown hair.

"Hikki…."

"Senpai…."

I feel like I'm in danger.

Nonsense Hachiman. It's just Yuigahama and Isshiki.

Oi, what do you mean, nonsense? Did you forget what happened when you first left? And then when you were outside Yukinohsita's apartment?

Gah….

"Ah, Yuigahama, Isshiki-"

"Yui-san, Iroha-san!" Komachi exclaimed. The two of them fidgeted a bit, as if trying to say something.

"Komachi-chan….Hikki…." Yuigahama started, looking like she was trying to summon some energy source. Then, in an unexpected turn, she smiled. "Yahallo!"

Even Isshiki was taken off-guard. "Oi, Yui-senpai, what's with the normal introduction-"

"Sorry I got excited-" Yuigahama quickly replied. Oh, Yuigahama. They closed the distance, and with a closer look I saw Yuigahama exhibiting a range of emotions. But, none of them seemed to be a mask, just a display of real feelings. "Hikki….welcome back!"

"Eh-good to be back…." was all I could say at the moment. Say something, idiot, Hachmian! "It's been too long, though you two look like you've been getting along."

"True, Yui-senpai and I have been hanging out more often," Isshiki replied, "making up for all the time senpai's not been here.

"Is that so." I looked at Komachi, who seemed to be lost in thought. "Komachi, I want to talk to Yuigahama and Isshiki about some things-"

" 'Kay, I'll go see where Mom and Dad are," she said, getting up to leave. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Thanks, Komachi."

"I'll leave you three then to talk things out, let's continue this conversation outside Risako," Hiratsuka-sensei responded. And with that, the three of us were the only ones in the room.

"So, senpai, what's this thing you want to tell us about?" Isshiki asked, a cunning smile forming on her face. "Is it related to Yukino-senpai, eh? Something like that?"

"Iroha!" Yuigahma reacted with a slight blush.

I sighed. "Partially, but also you two as well. It's….a complicated story, but you two deserve to know what happened." This is going to be rough.

I explained the whole debacle with Haruno, living hours away in a mansion, and, most importantly, the cursed camera on Yukinoshita's uniform.

"So….I've been able to see what's happened as Haruno's form of karma…." I admitted.

Both of them were surprised, as if a million questions were being thought of in the minds right now. One of them I was expecting right off the bat.

"S-so, when did this start?"

"From the moment Yukinoshita found out."

"O-oh….so you know…." Isshiki blurted. Her face faltered a bit, biting her lower lip. Yuigahama also glanced between her and I with discomfort.

I knew I was the lowest of the low, rightfully the scum of the earth for participating in such an activity. "Y-yeah."

Immediately expecting the worst, I prepared a laundry list of self-deprecating statements that would ease the situation. "I know, that sounds like the most inappropriate way to be watching others like that, especially when personal matters are revealed, and I felt like a garbage disposal in doing so, or worse. To be so useless in avoiding issues as a loner up to the point where things have to be shown to me on a screen for me to actually acknowledge it, disgusting right? Of course, you two already knew that about me from the start-"

"Stop, senpai-" Isshiki interrupted. "Stop putting yourself down."

"Huh?"

"Iroha's right, Hikki. If you keep pushing yourself to the floor, you can't see that we often look up to you, more than you think." Wait, when did Yuigahama learn to speak so eloquently? That statement has so much meaning to it I can't believe she just came up with that. "Hikki! I totally thought of that myself. Even I can have eloq-uent words! Mou…"

"Sorry, Yui-senpai, even I was surprised by that."

"Ahhh! Anyway, everyone who was here earlier should be enough to show you that we were worried about you….and it goes beyond those types of feelings. Though, feeling that way might make it more obvious."

So I've come to realize, albeit very slowly.

"Mhm….wait Yuigahama, when'd you hear about Isshiki's feelings?"

"Ah...we had a talk after that….night with Yukinon crying."

"Oh….yeah."

Isshiki signalled she had something to say. "Yui-senpai's got it spot-on. Though I want to add…." Isshiki paused. "Senpai, you remember the night Yukino-senpai was crying outside the apartment."

"You….weren't just watching from a screen then….right?"

This time Yuighama was shocked. "Iroha, what do you mean?"

I looked at Isshiki, who gave a look of genuine inquisition. "So you did recognize me," I exhaled, "don't you have sharp eyes."

"Wait, are you talking about that creepy dude standing outside Yukinon's apartment that nigh-"

"Yes….oi I know I might've looked more creepy than usual then….Isshiki, continue."

"Seeing Yukino-senpai like that - I thought to myself that there wasn't any competition. She needs you, more than any of us could probably comprehend." Wait, what's with the mood in here….

"Same here….Hikki, our feelings aside, we're fine if you go to Yukinon. Actually….it's a request. To be there for Yukinon. Something we couldn't do then, but you can do going forward."

That….sounded like a resolution. The puzzle piece put in to solve the picture.

To be there for Yukinoshtia - the words almost fit in perfectly. Wasn't that the reason why I decided to talk to her myself….to help her, save her, support her.

The two of them are in agreement, virtually granting permission to do so.

A request. The path of least resistance is to accept it….

But that path is just veiled in superficial concessions.

"I think that counts as a request. Senpai, if it's Yukino-senpai, don't worry about us-"

"Oi, that's enough!" I didn't realize my voice was raised, but the two of them stopped immediately. "If that's your resolve, to sacrifice your emotions like that, then I cannot go through with your request."

Yuigahama is a nice girl, and Isshiki is a smart girl.

It would be beyond stupid to ignore their feelings, yet it didn't feel right to have them seal them away either. But, in the end, their solution is for them to figure out….and the same goes for what I should do.

"I know I shouldn't be telling you what you should do with your feelings….but I also should be struggling with mine….on my own."

Once more, I opened a rift. Similar to when we were at the aquarium, Yuighama, Yukinoshita and I. When Yuigahama wanted things to stay the same, and Yukinoshita would agree….and I couldn't stand for it.

Her problems were for her to solve. As it should be for Yuigahama, for Isshiki, and for me.

"Didn't expect anything else from you, Senpai. You know….when you said you had seen me with Yukino-senpai at the cafe that time, I felt like I could talk about it again. I might never have brought it up ever, but of course you come in and stir the pot like you usually do." She looked earnestly at Yuigahama. "Sorry, I won't go by that request….and what I say now is my own decision."

Isshiki directed her attention to me now, her eyes glistening in the now late afternoon light. "Senpai, you can be such a pain, and yet every time it feels like you make a decision that makes my life harder, I feel better. I realized a lot about myself….going between student council and the service club, and whenever you're helping on the side. Your twisted logic changed me, but I wouldn't say it was for the worse." She hesitated for a moment, enough time for me to glance at Yuigahama, who was in full blush mode.

"As I said to Yukino-senpai then, after Destinyland, I started to realize my feelings. I had a crush on Hayato, that I can't deny. What I thought was love for him didn't compare to another feeling I had, that was stronger. This feeling made me feel a wider range of emotions, and they weren't for Hayato." She shifted forward, at this point almost leaning in, but stopping just shy of that.

"I came to realize that this is love. Not just some infatuation. And this love….is for you, Senpai."

"..." No words came out of my mouth.

"I-Iroha…" Yuigahama stammered.

"Hm, Yui-senpai, are you jealous?" Isshiki mused.

"N-no, that was just very unexpected…." Yuigahama replied. "But maybe I am a little envious how straightforward you can be….ne, Hikki…."

"Y-yeah, Yuigahama?"

"You already knew that I liked you for a long time, and I really appreciate the times we were together in the service club."

"Ah….you were the first one to say you had feelings for me then….sorry Isshiki that she beat you to it."

Isshiki's expression changed to the slightest of irritation, to which Yuigahama giggled to. "Not so smug now, Iroha? Anyhow, if she's being honest with her feelings, I'll do the same."

" I….I love you, Hikki." Now, Yuigahama is heavily blushing, while Isshiki continues to grin. "So, if you have an answer to our confessions-ahh of course you don't have to make that decision right now! We're just letting you know now….mou…."

"..." I obviously have a blush on my cheeks….having not one, but two girls confess.

Well, you did pretty much put this on yourself when you wanted them to go a different way than their previous request. And I did note that Isshiki is a smart girl.

"...Eh…." I started, fumbling through words. "T-thanks for feeling that way-" Ugh this is harder than I thought. "Uh…."

When in the world did I become a damn riajuu? Nevermind that, there's two girls waiting for you to answer their feelings.

Well, it would be easier first if you answered your feelings first.

"Yuigahama, you've been a source of brightness, from all the service club requests to Class 2F and more. Bubbly, pretty airheaded, but you seemed to know how to make people happier, and that cheerfulness was really welcome when we were in the clubroom. That….is something I'm grateful for."

"And Isshiki….you're quite the character, foxy but also straightforward, as Yuigahama said. There are definitely times where you're the pain, but, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the company. For having such a lousy senpai, you've done well. And that too I'm grateful for."

"As for your feelings….I…." Another headache pierced my mind, so I needed a bit of time to recover. But in a blurry daze, images started floating around like a dreamscape.

A lot of settings, like Destinyland, the school clubroom, the aquarium….a lot of familiar locations. It's like watching many screens of events that occurred-which sounds way too familiar.

As if on cue, Yukinoshita appeared-I must be going crazy seeing this many Yukinoshitas. There's us on the log ride, at the aquarium….in the nurse's office. No, I must be going insane. And yet, as the images fade away, the blush on my cheeks increased past the level they were before.

Ah, so that's how it is…."I….cannot return them. There's….someone else…." The hell did I just say? Wasn't I going to end it at' I can't return them'?! There wasn't a point in justifying it….and still…

The words just came out.

Both Yuigahama and Isshiki had surprised looks on their faces, as I would have expected. But then they smiled, both teary eyed.

"Thanks, H-Hikki…."

"Senpai….you really know how to make a girl c-cry-"

They were close enough where their tears were dropping on the side of the bed, as they were holding each other. But even through the tears, they didn't seem sad, more like they were relieved.

My heart strings have been through so much in the past….hour or so.

I sighed, letting myself relax as well, the tension in the room dissipating as the rays of sunlight gave the atmosphere a warmer feel.

Some tranquility is nice for a chang- wait a minute. At the door, which was left slightly ajar.

There's a damn ahoge I can see.

"Oi….how long are you all planning to stand out there?"

"Sniff….h-Huh?' Yui reacted.

"All of you behind the door….we can see you!"

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing five suspects, consisting of Hiratsuka-sensei, Kamegawa-san, Mom, Dad, and the one caught red-handed, my own little sister.

"Ahaha….how'd you figure out we were here?" Komachi giggled.

"Genetics-" I replied, pulling on my own ahoge with my hand, to which she instinctively put her hands on her head.

"Huhh how did my son become such a player?" Mom questioned, staring at me with a smug look before turning to Dad. "Must be genetic as well-"

"O-oi," Dad said. "Why're you looking at me like that?"

"Hm, just reminded me of high school a bit….you were totally turning the brigade into a harem at one point-"

"As if!"

While they started an argument about their past, Hiratsuka-sensei, Kamegawa-san, and Komachi approached the three of us. Komachi proceeded to give the two of them a hug, which they gladly accepted.

"Look at you, turning down two pretty girls at the same time," Hiratsuka-sensei hummed.

"Sensei, I'd appreciate eff you werrnt pinchhng my cheeek," I managed to say while she was pinching my cheek.

"Oh Shizuka," Kamegawa-san giggled. "It might be better to give him some time to rest-"

"Sounds good…." I yawned. The pressure was lifted from my cheek, but instead I felt my hair being ruffled. "Oi-"

"Alright, go ahead and rest," Hiratsuka-sensei concluded. "You'll be hearing a lot more from me about all the work you missed….but I'll figure something out for that."

"Komachi, we're going to head home, we'll visit tomorrow as well so say goodbye to your brother-"

"Ok, onii-chan!" Komachi broke from the hug and blitzed my side. Luckily, it didn't hurt as I imagined, but it did knock a little breath out of my lungs.

"Are you trying to keep me here forever?" I retorted, which was met with Komachi's signature pout face.

"Sorry, but you earned that for hurting Yui-san and Iroha-san. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow," she ended with a soft hug.

"Mou….let me hug Hikki as well!" Yuigahama said, following her words and doing the same thing Komachi did, albeit in a gentler fashion.

And, as expected, Isshiki would do the same once the other two got up. Then, in a very Isshiki-like way, she quietly whispered into my ear, "Ne, make sure to take responsibility for her-"

Scary! Even if expected, she can be too smart for her own good!

They got their belongings and left the room, and nurse Hoshino came back, turning the situation right back to when I just regained consciousness.

"Heh….so it is Yukinoshita-san," Kamegawa covered her smile with her hand. Back to that conversation!?

"Huh? What about Yukinoshita-san?" Hoshino asked. Not her too!

I would interject, but the energy I had before was exhausted, and it was much more attractive to just go back to sleep. Perhaps a nap is what I need at the moment.

"...Hikigaya-san…."

"..Nnn…." I slowly opened my eyes, seeing that it was much later in the day now. "Yes?"

"Ah, sorry to interrupt your sleep, but dinner is ready for you." Nurse Hoshino brought into view a tray with several plates - salmon with rice, vegetables, fruit, tea, and miso soup. My stomach started growling, and I instantly thought of how I haven't eaten solid food for days now.

"Oh, thank you." This food looked appetizing. "Itadakimasu-"

"Ah, sorry! Let me know if you need any help, since you only have one hand. Actually, I'll cut the salmon if you're having the soup first," she replied.

Wow, she is very considerate. I can see where Kamegawa's praise comes from.

"Thanks," I said, starting with the miso soup. I continued to eat, realizing how hungry I was. "The food is good."

"Ah, thank you," she replied. "We try to make the food here for the patients as if they were home."

"In that case it's working," I commented, taking another bite. "Is Kamegawa still around?"

"Yes, she's with a patient down the hall. Oh, I apologize if she was joking around earlier, right around when you fell asleep." She sighed. "Risako likes to tease some of the younger patients, and when she found out you were her friend's student, she can start saying a lot of things."

"Mm, I could tell."

"Ah, so I won't take anything she said about you and Yukinoshita-san seriously, don't worry about that. Although…." she paused, "it does seem you care a lot about her, which I'm glad for."

"Hm?"

"Yukinoshita-san hasn't been talking very much to us lately, and some of the team is worried about her. I need to check later if she's had dinner yet, since she hasn't eaten much either, and the other nurses would complain that sometimes she barely touches it."

Yukinoshita….

"She's also….still under the impression that she was the only one in the incident." What? "I tried to let her know you were here, but she ignored it."

"Yukinoshita…." I said, looking down at my empty tray.

"Oh, let me clear that for you," she took the tray away and handd me a cup of tea, which I drank. "Well, at least I know you're doing well enough to finish the entire meal….not a lot of patients do that, but I'm glad."

"O-oh, thanks. Hoshino-san…." She looked up, slightly surprised.

"Yes?"

"I feel like I should….visit Yukinoshita."

"Eh? Visit her?" she asked, visibly surprised now. "I mean, that may be possible, but you still have two broken legs and a broken arm, so you definitely can't walk to her room. She also is highly unlikely to venture out of her own room in her condition….I haven't seen her get out of bed in a while, unfortunately even though her legs were surprisingly not hurt."

"Even if it's not plausible," I interjected, my heart beating a little quicker. "I….still want to talk to her."

Damn, I'm getting flustered again.

Nurse Hoshino blinked and also seemed to blush, probably to seeing me being an awkward fool. She shook it off, entering a state of thinking. "Well….the latest scans of you are better than we projected…."

"Hm?"

"Oh, your x-ray scans. We still don't want to move your limbs too much as they recover, but if we were to bring you a wheelchair, at least temporarily, that should be fine for your body. And then I can wheel you into her room for a visit." She nodded her head and gave a quick smile. "That sounds like a good plan, right?"

A wheelchair….I'll definitely look like an idiot from Yukinoshita's point of view, wrapped in bandages and all.

But, it was worth a shot. I wanted to talk to her, to tell her the things I wasn't able to say on the roof.

"Alright."

Yukinoshita POV

"Yukinoshita-san…." a voice rang from behind the door. Another person wanting to come into this room. I opened my eyes, looking out the window, rays of red and orange spilling in. But they carried little warmth. The room felt cold nevertheless.

Perhaps it was a nurse with food….but someone already brought food. I wasn't hungry anyway. One of the nurses noted if I wanted to see any visitors….the names she read off the list sounded familiar, but I declined. Nobody wanted to see me in this condition.

"Yukinoshita-san….I brought you another dinner, so I'll be coming in…."

Right, I didn't touch the food they brought earlier. I might eat some of the food, so they wouldn't come again and waste more food.

"Actually, there's also someone who wants to see you-"

Oh. Someone's here….even after I told them to not come. Even if they come in I won't talk….and they'll leave me be. That's….for the best.

The sound of the door opening met my ears, and I flinched a little. My hands held onto the thin sheets a bit more.

A moment of silence. Then a slight creak, as if a wheel was turning.

Then a voice. My lungs stopped mid-breath, and my eyes widened.

"Y-Yo….Yukinoshita."

A/N: Welcome back, and hope you're all doing well in these times! Next chapter, we reach what many have been waiting for, the fated meeting between Hachiman and Yukino! Stay tuned to see what happens next chapter and beyond. Thank you all for your support, getting this story to be one of the most followed Oregairu fics (I think we're almost at 1k). Also, very unfortunate that Season 3 of the anime has been delayed, but hopefully it will come back in the near future. In the meantime, hope you enjoy this story and feel free to comment. Oh, in terms of a new fic, there's a hint in this chapter (it might be obvious) over who it'll feature. That's all I'll say, see you soon!