A/N: the story is set approximately one year after the events of Volume 11/Season 2.

Alarm clocks are evil.

Our world is populated with all kinds of people who are vastly different in nature, intellectual capacity, social standing, moral values… And yet, undoubtedly, every single one of them had once experienced a lightbulb moment and realized that the Devil himself was an adorable fluffy sheep compared to the cruel mindless electronic hell spawn.

Sadly, today we have our cellphones acting as alarm clocks, and one cannot simply lash out at an innocent device. No-no, I love you too much, my dear ring-ring-box. And as long as you're ready to brighten my days with some stupid time-killing game, our future is filled with happiness and loyal devotion.

When I opened my eyes, I was initially confused as to where Totsuka in a white apron had gone, but a mere second later my eager brain gave me an answer. Well, that's to be expected. Maybe I should try that thing everybody has been talking about recently, lucid dreaming? If only I could monetize it and run a service similar to pizza delivery. Dreams delivery. Hell, that will make me a fortune and I'll be able to spend the rest of my days unemployed, successfully escaping the fate of becoming a corporate slave.

I yawned with my eyes still closed and grabbed the cellphone, sliding to right with one swift movement and cutting off the never-ending melody. 10:35. It was probably wrong to sleep for so long, but my weekends were sacred to me.

Wait, that's right. The weekend. It's Saturday morning, and what's more, I'm on winter holidays right now. Their last days, actually.

Suddenly, I snapped my eyes open. If I'd just stayed in bed, shrugging in confusion, I would have faced horrible consequences.

You see, I was supposed to be at Chiba's central station at 11 o'clock, but now it's impossible, no matter how fast I was.

Why had I set my alarm clock for 10.30 then, you may ask. Simply enough, that's because I'm a blind idiot who can't even choose the right number on the screen, or at least recheck it. Yes, children, repetition is the mother of learning!

I rushed out of my room. Paying no attention to my parents - oh, by the way, corporate slaves do have days off? - I stepped into a bathroom for a minute, got dressed promptly and left the house.

No breakfast for those who are late!

The automatic doors closed, and the train resumed its movement with a slight jerk. I glanced at my watch. Damn it, I was late after all. I should probably call in advance, but… It's only two stations left. No need to bother, I guess.

Why was I in such a hurry? Did a circus come to Chiba? Or, say, it was the last day when you could exchange a gift certificate for a year's supply of MAX coffee?

The latter was not far from the truth though, because miracles, as I knew now, do happen. Just a week ago I managed to get my hands on a whole package of the true ambrosia. God bless women's fashion magazines with raffle tickets inside, which have no other practical value apart from getting me some free MAX coffee. Amen!

Anyway, no to all of the above, but it didn't change the fact that I had some plans for today. Specifically, an appointment with the person well-known in certain circles of our school. Said person is Yukinoshita Yukino, who, by the way, had just returned from her week and a half long family trip to Hakuba.

We had arranged to meet at 11:00, but it was already 11:15. It's quite possible I had nothing to worry about, for it was a common sense that heroes and women always arrive late.

Alas, common sense rarely applied to Yukinoshita.

And what pressing business could we possibly have at such an hour, on the weekend? Ironically enough, "business" wasn't what you call it.

Yukinoshita Yukino and I are… How should I say it. According to modern society's views on relationships between two individuals of the opposite gender, implying that said individuals shared quite a curious mix of unique feelings, responsibilities and specific leisure activities, she and I were considered an established social unit which was called…

Anyway, I'd better stop. The last time I tried to properly explain this concept, Komachi threw a pillow at me. Then something else. I don't remember too well.

Well, essentially, we were dating, I suppose.

Like so.

And the current situation, to put in simple terms, was like… well… "A guy goes on a date with his girlfriend?"

The doors slowly opened, cutting off my thoughts. A woman's pleasant voice announced the name of the station. Well then, time to go. I left the train and without further delay hurried off down the road. I knew this place like the back of my hand, so didn't really need to check the map.

The plan was to meet at some kind of coffee house. According to Yuigahama, they served a "to-o-otally delicious soufflé" there. Strictly speaking, I wanted to go to a ramen shop. Strictly speaking, though, men in relationships were truly unfortunate creatures deprived of all rights, so we were going to have a soufflé in the end. That said, I didn't really mind. I loved sweet coffee, but coffee with sweets occupied a special place in my heart as well.

And here was the place. I looked around, but Yukinoshita was nowhere to be found. That was to be expected: it was January after all, and the weather was quite chilly today.

Opening the door, I peered inside.

A relatively small dimly lit dining room made in brown tones. Comfortable looking couches, arranged in an orderly fashion. Stylish partitions. It felt kinda comfy in here. Normally you'd want to allocate one or even two hours in order to properly enjoy the atmosphere, with a good book, in blissful solitude.

Nevertheless, even though I'd never say it out loud, the fact that not solitude, but Yukinoshita Yukino was waiting for me, sitting at the far end of the café, made me even warmer than a hot bath on a cold day.

She hadn't ordered anything yet, it seems: the table was empty. She was sitting quietly with a book and seemed to be emanating a mysterious aura which always made her stood out in any setting. Her gaze, sharp and incredibly intelligent, yet soothing, was fixed on the piece of literature she was reading.

I walked to her and silently sat on the couch. Guided by intuition and experience, I decided to wait for her words.

"Twenty-five minutes."

"Yeah. Hi to you as well," I folded my hands on the table.

For a few long seconds, she was looking at me with an unblinking stare, but eventually sighed in resignation and smiled.

"Hello."

The conversation was interrupted by a quick waitress. Without looking at the menu - as if I didn't know what a typical coffee shop offers - I ordered a cappuccino. Yukinoshita, on the other hand, studied it in a thoughtful manner and decided on a lungo. Whoa.

And we also asked for a soufflé, of course. If we didn't take photos, Yuigahama wouldn't believe that we listened to her advice and will pout for a good five minutes. My pure heart will be shattered. Fight, Gahama-chan! Fight your grudge!

After giving it some thought, I added a cupcake to the order. After all, I skipped my breakfast, and other customers probably won't like the growling in my stomach.

After taking our orders, the waitress left.

"So… how was your trip?" I looked at Yukinoshita.

"I was under an impression that I'd already told you," she raised her thin eyebrows.

"Yeah, fair enough. But you know, instead of these little pieces of information, like "8.30. About to go skiing", I'd prefer a more human-like response."

"Hikigaya-kun, I probably should have been offended, but I'd rather pretend it was a simple curiosity of a lesser organism about peculiar features of human behavior patterns."

"Oh, please. If I were a germ, I wouldn't want to bother with humanity. The unicellular society would have forgiven me."

"Basically, you've just confirmed that you are a germ."

Yukinoshita sighed eloquently. Then she glanced at me, clearly hesitating.

"Still, you'd really like to know?"

"If it's without undue details."

"Undue how?"

"Did you like it?" I answered the question with a question.

"Quite so. Yes."

"That's good then. I'm glad."

I was hoping that Yukinoshita knew me well enough not to be offended by such reaction. I really wanted to know her impressions of the trip, but everything else was a white noise to me, I never liked listening to these stories. "I was there, doing this and that" - what was the point of these rumblings?

My fears proved to be unfounded. Yukinoshita just smiled softly and nodded. There was no tension at all.

"Oh, right…" she suddenly remembered something, placed her purse on her lap and pulled out some kind of package. "Here. This is for you."

She put the package in the middle of the table and pushed it slightly towards me. Curious, I picked it up and looked inside.

"Oh. A scarf?"

"Can't you see it?"

During the months we'd spent together, I had eventually started to notice some of her unconscious habits. For example, when she answered a question with a question, there was a good chance that she was, in fact, being embarrassed. Regardless, she controlled her facial expressions almost perfectly, and could probably fool any random person. I won't lie though: my own heart skipped a few beats. Hey now, Conductor-san, hold the rhythm! Your job isn't so hard, sheesh.

"A souvenir, huh. You know, for a second I thought it is hand-knitted."

I let it out unintentionally.

Yukinoshita's long eyelashes twitched, as if a disturbed butterfly flapped her wings. She cast her eyes down and curled up her fingers on her lap.

"And… would you like that?"

"Eh? Well, I…"

Please, Yukinoshita-san, stop torturing my young soul. It's totally uncool for a guy to blush. For some reason, girls have much more freedom in expressing their emotions. And these creatures dared to say something about so-called discrimination. And I say, revolution! Men's revolution!

"You can knit?" I finally asked.

"Of course I can. Since elementary school."

Was it my imagination, or did she sound a little hurt?

And yet this dialog was becoming sickly sweet. Dangerously sweet. I probably shouldn't do it, but…

"Well. You said it, not me. Can you hurry up with the order, then? I prefer it dark-red, by the way."

Yukinoshita raised her head and stared at me coldly.

"Glad to hear. I'm sure Komachi-san will do something about it if you kneel before her. That scene will be so disgusting though that you probably won't be able to look anyone in their eyes for the rest of your life. But surely it's not a problem, right? You had a lot of time to get accustomed to such things."

Harsh. That's way too harsh. A-and even if the whole world will look at me with disgust, my cute little sister would still love me unconditionally. Right, Komachi-chan? You wouldn't give up on your Onii-chan, would you?

"Even so, I'll probably end up in a hospital with the flu. Despite Komachi's many talents, knitting is, well…"

"Please. With your level of social life, your chances of getting in contact with the flu are pretty slim in the first place."

Such toxic words from a person whose contacts in cellphone could be easily counted using two hands.

"Maybe you're right. And I'm probably worried about nothing. Actually, my chances of surviving this winter are quite high now."

"Now?"

I silently picked up the scarf she gave me and waved it a little.

"Now, indeed. Thanks."

Yukinoshita blinked and opened her mouth, but then closed it again and giggled, looking to the side.

As I was wondering, what was so funny about my actions or words, the waitress came with our order.

Ah, a steaming cup of coffee and some pastries served in a cozy café. One of the typical weaknesses of your typical office lady. Twitter was full of such posts and selfies from flashy cafés. Well, I sort of could relate: after all, if every day of my life contained about ten hellish hours, I would do something like this too. Any change of pace would feel like a miracle.

I immediately grabbed a cupcake and took a large bite. Yukinoshita only shook her head with a sigh. I'm sorry, Yukinoshita-san, but even a well-mannered princess would surely abandon her ways of life if she were to skip her breakfast.

And damn, was it tasty. When this luscious flavor went all the way from taste buds to the brain, a thousand angels chanted in my head. It's so delicious, that I…

"Hikigaya-kun…"

"Quiet, I'm in a poetic mood."

What was I musing on? Oh right. Now my future is set in stone. It was exactly at this moment that I knew I was going to become a pastry chef. The wish, still a flimsy and brittle, was slowly forming in my head, spreading roots that will surely become something more in the future.

…Or, at least, that's what would have happened in some cheap cooking manga. The protagonist, guided purely by his emotions - seriously, how could such people survive in our society? - wouldn't even think twice about all the workload, long study sessions, nervous breakdowns, going gray-haired at the age of 30…

While I gave it a thorough thought beforehand. Hachiman - 1. Unknown Unfortunate Protagonist - 0.

I heard a coughing sound. This kind of sound was dangerous. I snapped to attention and glanced at my tea-pa… coffee-party partner. The sound, of course, belonged to none other than Yukinoshita Yukino, who was looking at me with a half-surprised, half-disgusted expression.

"Hikigaya-kun… I'm well aware of your inability to blend in with civilized society, but I would greatly appreciate if you could at least try to behave yourself adequately when you're in my company."

"It's a matter of priorities. No decent human being will accuse of bad manners a dying of thirst man who finally found a water source in the desert. So why am I being blamed?" I was chewing on the last piece of the cupcake.

Yukinoshita sighed and placed her hand on her temple.

"I can't stop wondering just how is it possible for your points to make sense yet be absolutely inapplicable in the same time…"

"Was it a complement?"

"More like an insult, I'd say."

"Ah, got it," I nodded in understanding.

With this concluded, we took our cups at the same moment. I had always thought that drinking such a hot beverage is similar to masochism, but during long months of Service Club's activities I learned to cope with it. With hot things, I mean.

I brought the black patterned cup to my lips and sipped a little. Hm. Not bad. Not bad at all. Maybe this place deserved a mental note on my map.

Then I looked at Yukinoshita. Her face… how should I say it. Have you ever seen stoic expressions of Greek statues? No? Then have a look at Yukinoshita right now. No, she wasn't repulsed, nor did she make a face. But this stony, stiff expression…

"…Is it tasty?" I finally decided to ask.

"Q…quite," trying to act casual, she sipped her coffee again.

I sighed loudly.

"It's lungo. Don't tell me you chose at random."

"Not really. I've heard about it, but had never had it before. I knew the taste was supposed to be rich, but…"

Hey, woman. Any middle schooler knows that one should be very careful around stuff labeled as "rich", "refined", "exquisite". It's either an overpriced crap or something plainly odd.

"Moreover, I usually prefer tea, so I'm not accustomed yet to such a strong taste…"

Yukinoshita put her cup back on the table and stared at it. She was probably trying to estimate the number of gulps she'll have to take in order to get rid of this thing.

I sighed again, this time a little bit more forcefully.

"Here."

I pushed my cup to her and snatched her lungo before she had a chance to react.

"H-hey…"

"Cappuccino is pretty good. Try it."

"Hikigaya-kun, that's unnecessary. I was the one who ordered this drink, so it's…"

But I had already added two portions of sugar to the cup. I knew her long enough to learn how to counter her stubborn behavior.

"…it's now my responsibility to drink it. Are you listening?"

" Mm-hmm," I sipped the coffee.

Argh. Bitter, so freaking bitter! But bearable with sugar. I was sure that Yukinoshita, who rarely had coffee, would be in much more trouble than me. It was a simple logic.

"I don't need self-sacrifices," the Ice Queen narrowed her eyes.

Oh. I flinched. It sure brought back some unpleasant memories.

"Don't call it self-sacrifice. It was simply the most efficient strategy in the current situation."

"Nothing, but sophistry yet again…"

Yukinoshita traced the rim of her cup. Then she sighed slightly and took it in her hands. She peeked at me.

"Thanks."

She brought the cup to her lips and… And there it is. That's how your face is supposed to look like when you're having a cup of coffee.

"So?" I sipped more of my sweetly bitter brew.

"It's good. Yes, much better now. A bit too sweet for my taste though."

I just nodded silently.

After that, we started on the soufflé. Yukinoshita took her spoon, but suddenly remembered something and pulled out her cell phone.

"Yuigahama-san asked us for a picture…"

That was Yukinoshita for you. I had already forgotten all about it.

She tried a few different angles and finally clicked a button. Then she checked the result, nodded in satisfaction and fidgeted with her phone some more, most likely sending the picture to Yuigahama.

Having finished our meal at the same time, we continued with coffee in a comfortable silence.

From time to time I took little peeks at Yukinoshita.

Now, when she had already calmed down after a bad experience with coffee and finished her "business", Yukinoshita looked so… serene. Gentle winter sun, seeping through the window, cast a weak shadow over her features. Her face, soft and peaceful, reminded me of a painting. This sight was undoubtedly dazzling. I knew her for quite some time already, but such moments were rare and, without any doubt, very special.

And that's why I continued observing her. My gut feeling told me that I had to be careful, just like with a cat sleeping in the lap.

I'd seen many different "Yukinoshitas" already, but this particular sight was my secret weakness. Coincidentally, I was greeted with it when I first stepped in the room of Service Club. Quite possibly, it had been already imbedded in my mind since then, but I was grateful that now I had more and more chances of seeing it.

So strange. It was a hard road. Both she and me, other people, and our club, of course… Hard choices were made, we encountered many difficulties and misunderstandings, but everything worked out somehow in the end. I still remembered clearly how I'd clumsily taken her hand for the first time, and suddenly something clicked, like a puzzle was finally put together. The feeling was strange, almost mystical, exciting and… right. Yes. I'm not sure how to express it in any other words. It was so right that it was almost scary.

"Hikigaya-kun…?"

"Hm? Ah, I mean, what?"

Suddenly I realized, that for the past minute I wasn't sneaking peeks, but basically stared at her. Yukinoshita, whose face looked a little red - maybe because of hot coffee, or maybe of something else - was looking to the side. Her hands were on her lap. Her coffee cup was already empty, but mine still had some left.

"Y-you're… Erm… Your coffee is going to get cold…"

"Oh. Yeah, right."

I hurriedly took my cup and gulped down what was left in it.

Bitter, so bitter. But most of the sugar stayed in the bottom, so…

Very sweet indeed as well.

The next couple of hours were largely uneventful. We spent some more time in the café, but the mood was kind of weird after that incident, and what we needed now was a change of pace.

Yukinoshita wanted to stop by a shopping mall, and I had no other particular ideas, so there was no reason to refuse. I got a feeling that lately I became a frequent visitor to such places. It was neither good nor bad, just a statement of fact.

By the way, for some reason these large malls were a popular dating spot for couples. In our case, though, Yukinoshita was acting out of pure logic. She wanted to get a new coat, and the mall was not far from here, and that's it.

She found what she was looking for rather quickly. After trying it on, she asked for my opinion, ("Well, duh, looks fine") and we walked to the cashier. That was great. That was totally wonderful! A chill ran down my spine when I remembered the last request to Service Club from Isshiki. Cheeky as she was, she asked us to help her get some new clothes.

Actually, I seriously doubt that our club was obliged to accept requests such as this one, but sadly this thought came to me only about five hours later. What a great way to spend your free time. Isshiki and Yuigahama looked like they were really having fun though, and were constantly chatting about fashion, clothes and other incomprehensible topics so important for girls for some reason.

But wait a second, it was quite possible that they were discussing problems of third world countries as well. Or were having a philosophical debate. I mean, I stopped listening about 20 minutes in, so I couldn't say for sure.

That's why I was grateful that Yukinoshita's brain functioned differently from your typical high school girl.

Hey, I can actually go further and say that malls can be kinda fun!

N-not like I like you or anything, Shopping Mall-senpai…

We checked some more shops and left the mall soon after.

Yukinoshita breathed deeply with a satisfied look. I can relate to it. Chiba's air was crystal clear even in the center of the city, and no amount of exhaust fumes and carbon dioxide could make it bad! Who knows, maybe someone in the future will figure it out and start selling bottled ChibAir. Two birds with one stone, as they say: save the planet's ecology, glorify Chiba.

Win-win! Preach it!

I didn't dare to share my sentiments with the certain girl.

Yukinoshita raised her head, then looked at me and said:

"It's getting dark already."

"Hm…"

She was right. Street lights were still off, but the dark was surely enveloping the city. It seems that we were out for a long time already.

"I guess we should call it a day. Nee-san is staying at my place today, and the sooner I come home," Yukinoshita sighed in an irritated manner, "the sooner she will satisfy her curiosity."

"Huh, is it really so bad?"

"You wouldn't believe," she shook her head with a downcast appearance.

Well, if we were talking about Haruno-san, I could understand what Yukinoshita was saying. I felt something akin to pity. I wonder, if we were to take a poison cause her older sister was kinda annoying, would anyone write a book about us? "For never was a story of more absurd…"

"Let's go then. I'll walk you," I shrugged.

"Thanks. Just… not all the way, okay?" she said with a tone of apology.

"You really think she is constantly looking out of the window just for that? Isn't she one of those, you know, overly-active college girls, who come home only at evenings?"

"She is truly unpredictable as of late."

I chuckled, slightly lowering my head. Even more unpredictable? Seriously, that's too absurd…

Yukinoshita expression softened and she giggled too. Her clear soothing laughter filled the air.

"I'm sorry, I'm probably overthinking this. We can go all the way to my apartment if you want."

"Either way is fine with me, don't worry too much."

She nodded.

"Well then… shall we?" she tightened her scarf. "Do you want to take a train or just walk? It's pretty far from my place, but I won't mind…"

You simply couldn't respond with "Dunno, I'd take a train, I guess" in such situations. Even a completely socially disabled person knew it, and no, I wasn't talking about myself.

"Why not? I'm not in a hurry."

Yukinoshita nodded with a soft smile, and we started walking.

Some time passed. We were largely silent. As we walked, it was becoming darker and darker, and street lights were already on. All of a sudden I caught myself wishing for some snow, and this wish was quite rare for me. I got an inexplicable feeling that it would have matched the mood nicely. Of course, snow was a rare occurrence in Chiba, and the heavens weren't about to pander to my whims.

It was fine as it was, though. With my hands in the pockets, I was looking around absentmindedly. The rhythmic sound of our footsteps was somewhat calming, like a lullaby. It had become completely dark already, but illuminated streets seemed all the prettier now.

"Hikigaya-kun," the nearby voice brought me to reality.

"Hm?" without stopping, I looked to the side.

But Yukinoshita was standing still. She was fiddling with the strap on her purse with a hard-to-read expression on her face.

I stopped as well. I wasn't really sure how to react.

"I know all too well that you often fail to properly convey your thoughts and tend to leave the other party at a loss…"

Wait, who, me? What else? Maybe it was me who was obsessed with the certain stuffed panda?

"…but still, some questions need to be answered as fast as possible, or else all kinds of misunderstandings could arise."

"Yukinoshita. What the hell are you talking about?"

She swung to left and right with her hands behind her back. Then she closed her eyes for a second, opened them again and looked straight at me.

"Do you want a scarf from me or not?"

Oh. Hit. Hikigaya Hachiman is confused. Critical damage.

I'd forgotten all about that conversation… She hadn't, apparently.

"Well?" there was a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Huh… Erm, yes. Of course I want. Very much so, actually."

It seemed like Yukinoshita was pleased with my answer. She nodded slightly, staring away.

"Okay then. I'll see what I can do. Dark-red, was it?"

"Y-yeah, it would be nice. Brown will do, too… I'm a fan of many colors, you could say..."

"Got it," Yukinoshita nodded seriously and was about to resume her walk, when suddenly jerked up her head with a rather girlish smile. "I accept your request."

"Ha... Service Club is a cotton mill now?" I was unable to hold a chuckle.

"We're diversifying our services," she was still smiling.

"It's just a monopsony, though…"

It seemed that I was once again about to fall prey to this curious and undoubtedly dangerous feeling. The symptoms were similar to fever, but at least, fever could be treated. This particular illness was much trickier.

"Let's go? We are almost there," she said in a soft voice and started walking down the street.

But I didn't.

"Yukinoshita."

"Hmm?" she turned around.

Clad in a white coat, she was standing under the two street lights. The light, dancing in the air, outlined her curves, creating an illusion of glowing.

Waiting for my answer, she blinked.

I reached into the pocket of my jacket and pulled out a small box.

"It's kinda late, and I already texted you this a few days ago, but… Happy Birthday."

"Ah…"

I stepped forward and extended my arm. Yukinoshita flinched, as if in fear.

"Y-yes, thank you…"

She carefully took the box from my hands, stared at it for a moment and then raised her head, silently asking me with her eyes: "May I"? "O'course you may, I just gave it to you, literally," I answered with my eyes as well.

Yukinoshita opened the box and took out a smallish blue hair clip. She opened her mouth, but I was quicker.

"Sorry, I still have absolutely no idea which presents are considered good… But I think it'll suit you."

"Thanks… You didn't have to, really…"

"Oh come on, out with courtesy. Even I have enough common sense to prepare birthday gifts for people. Especially, well… for people close to me."

I bet it would have sounded fine, even somewhat cool perhaps, if I didn't practically mutter the last part.

"Y-yeah… I'll… try it on later, okay? It's too dark here, and my mirror is rather small…"

"Of course. No problem."

We both fall silent. An awkward pause lingered between the two of us. Although "awkward" probably isn't the right word, but I couldn't really describe it too well.

"Well now… Let's go?"

"Yes. No, wait," Yukinoshita shook her head. Her long hair danced about. "I can make the rest of the way on my own. Thank you for walking me, Hikigaya-kun."

"Oh… sure."

I was confused, but I had no particular reason to insist. I turned around and waved my hand.

"Bye, then."

"Yes. See you later."

I nodded and began to walk in the opposite direction. That scene was probably a strange one, foolish even, yet I had a feeling that it suited us. We were, after all, quite a nonsensical couple, there was no denying it.

I continued walking up the street. Truth to be told, the desire to turn once more and look at her was almost unbearable, but I managed to get a hold of myself. After all, it was an unreasonable thing to do.

I shouldn't, right?

And suddenly I heard fast moving steps. Eh-h, what? Huh? I was about to turn around, but…

Something bumped into my back so hard that I almost lost my balance. In shock, I tried turning my head. For the first time in my life I was envious of owls, who could rotate their necks 270 degrees. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Yukinoshita's figure, nestled against my back.

Hey. Hey! That's too much. Yukinoshita-san, just to let you know, I'm a veteran of a number of emotional wars, I was severely injured and hardened in the past. I will not fall for such a cheap trick. My breath will surely remain steady. My mind is an impregnable fortress. Steel is my body. I'm unphased.

"I… missed you," her voice, muffled by my jacket, was the only sound on the quiet street.

I give up.

I awkwardly raised my hand and placed it on Yukinoshita's cold palms resting on my chest.

"Yeah, I… missed you too."

For the last few days I reeeally wanted to take my phone and call her number. But I didn't, not even on her birthday. It just felt so cheesy for some reason… although I knew that this line of thought was probably even more lame.

The moment passed rather quickly. After a few seconds, Yukinoshita released her embrace.

I looked directly into her eyes.

"Goodbye then, Hikigaya-kun."

Her voice returned to normal already. Her usual composed demeanor was here as well. For a moment I thought that all of it was just my fantasy. Nothing indicated that this girl behaved herself so irrationally just a few seconds ago.

Almost nothing. Her long eyelashes were twitching. Her lips were pursed slightly more than usual.

You know, you really suck at pretending.

Smiling to myself, I nodded.

"See you."

Yukinoshita turned around and walked in the direction of her apartment without looking back. She was tightly gripping a little box in her hand.

This time I watched her until she disappeared from my view.

Oh boy.

I put my hands into my pockets and stared in the night sky.

My heart was pounding loudly. Pumping blood to every part of my body, it was warming me up from inside. I couldn't think of what to think about. Damn, that sounded stupid, awfully stupid.

Well then, it was time to go home. Thankfully, the station was close by.

I started to walk once again. It was January, that's for certain, and yet for a moment it felt like an early spring visited Chiba all of a sudden.

End Note:

Thank you for reading this story. Truth to be told, it's the first fic I've ever posted. Just so you know, it's an incredible feeling.

Aaaanyway, sorry for possible mistakes, English is not my native language. I wrote it in one language, then had to translate to another... what a pain. Next time I'll just start writing in English from the beginning.

I will GREATLY appreciate any feedback on grammar, vocabulary and anything else that feels unnatural or out of place. Well, and contents, of course.