"Let me walk you to the station."

Hachiman watched her lips curl into a smile suggesting that he should be grateful that such a beautiful girl would see him off. He merely turned away from the table knowing she would follow anyway. He had just finished a conversation with Haruno Yukinoshita whose footsteps began behind him. If there was one thing that he was grateful for, it was the free coffee he was able to have from Haruno's invitation.

The bell door rang marking their exit, and on instinct, Haruno held her scarf in place as the chilly air blew past them. Hachiman dug into his coat pockets, not allowing his hands to freeze, and gave Haruno an incredulous gaze. He believed they had discussed everything that she had wanted to in the coffee shop, but here she was— smiling and waiting for him.

"Are you lost already, Hikigaya-kun?"

He scoffed, beginning a slow walk in the direction of the nearest train station. Hachiman was a little curious about her motives, but he wasn't going to prompt another conversation. However, their leisure and silent pace didn't linger long before Haruno finally spoke once they reached a stoplight.

"You know you're my favorite person to talk to, Hikigaya-kun."

His eyes drifted to the side doubtingly. "Is that a compliment?"

"Just a fact." The light changed and the signal appeared allowing them to continue their way. "Though, you should be careful not to change that."

He was close to asking how or why, but instead he decided that silence was the best course of action. He didn't know what she was doing either. Small talk was unlike her or was this actually leading somewhere?

"Things are starting to become a bore."

From her words, his best assumption was that she was dissatisfied with the lack of development with certain members of the service club and that he was to blame, but that wasn't his problem to fix. The breeze picked up again, and he noticed Haruno rub her nose. A cold?

"Should you be outside?" he asked. Even if Haruno was older than him, his brotherly instincts forced a question to leave his lips.

She turned to him with a quizzical look before laughing a little too heartily. It almost seemed earnest.

"You noticed?" A pleasant smile developed. "It's not too bad, so you don't have to act so worried."

But it'll get worse if she was still prancing around as if nothing was wrong. It wasn't really his business to tell her what to do, but he couldn't help feel a little worry creeping in concerning her health.

"But… if you are so worried, then I wouldn't mind if someone with such fishy eyes took care of me in my sickness," she teased.

"That doesn't sound like one of your better ideas," he replied, a small smile forming at her implication.

They've had talks more often recently, and while he would rather be doing something else similar to how he would rather not be doing the service club, the conversations they've had were slowly becoming refreshing. Though she's hinted at the service club, the focus on that topic has become increasingly less and surprisingly on more mundane things.

"Shouldn't you be excited that I'm inviting you into my home?"

"Is that it?"

"Am I making it sound like it's not?"

He chuckled, but he honestly couldn't tell if she was just teasing him. The wind picked up once more forcing Haruno to brace herself again, and Hachiman was almost considering seeing her home safely. Instead, he took a glance at the darkening clouds threatening them with snow.

"You should head home before it starts to snow." He didn't really know what he was doing, giving Haruno of all people advice, especially because she didn't ask, but she only smiled in return.

"That is the idea," she laughed. "Maybe you should tell me to get some rest next?"

"Maybe," he scoffed.

"I'll take it easy then." She leaned into Hachiman's shoulder pretending he was support before being gently nudged away. "You don't have to be shy, Hikigaya-kun. You should take things while they're available."

"Like what?"

"Like when things are on sale. Or maybe a limited dish at a restaurant. If you wait, you might not be able to get what you want."

"I would need to want it."

"Then tell me— what's on your 'wants' list."

He stared at her hesitantly, wondering if there was even anything on that list. He had never really thought about anything similar to what she had in mind since he was a child.

What did he want? He had wanted to not have to join the service club, but he knew that wasn't the case so much, anymore. Did he want anything more from that than just an unchanging place where he could spend the rest of his highschool life with people that knew him best? Speaking of people who knew him best... Looking at the girl next to him— it reminded Hachiman; in the same way he was able to see through her facade almost immediately, she was able to understand him just as quickly.

He wasn't too sure about answering seriously, so he ended up mumbling something about a light novel he was interested in reading. With his destination nearing, their attention to the conversation fell. Hachiman slowed his steps as they approached the train station, expecting some sort of send off from Haruno, but she merely waited. Maybe the cold was finally getting to her attitude. In their silence, Haruno idly checked her watch, a motion for Hachiman to move on.

"Bye," he finally muttered.

"Later, Hikigaya-kun."

*0* *0* *0*

"You two go on ahead. Sensei wanted to talk to me after clubs, anyway."

"You sure, Hikki?"

Hachiman gave a curt nod to Yui, watching Yukino slide the keys to the club room across the table.

"Thanks," she mentioned after packing her book.

Another quiet day in the club room had passed with a short visit from Iroha earlier in the afternoon. The teacups had been cleaned and put away, and the three members of the small group had finally finished packing.

"We'll see you Monday then, Hiki."

"Mmm."

"Goodbye, Hikigaya."

Hachiman returned their wave, turning back to the door of the clubroom to lock it after the pair had left his vision. Haruno said that she was growing bored of things, and certainly, the situation with their little club was responsible. They hadn't had many requests in a while, much less relationship altering ones, so even Hachiman began finding it to be dull. There was no one to blame, but he wondered what Haruno had wanted from this.

A few students passed him in the hallway, probably on their way home. They didn't pay him much attention and neither did he. Though, the sounds of their footsteps in the otherwise silent hallway bounced around in his thoughts.

Not too long after, those sounds were replaced with a door sliding, and the curious head of a single and intrusive teacher propped up. Hiratsuka smiled and gestured for him to come closer, placing the papers she was working on to the side.

"Here's the key," he said, dropping the item onto her open hand. "Did you need me for something else?"

"Yes…" she began. "I just have a little errand for you. You can see it as a request if you want."

"Okay?"

"Can you buy some cold medicine and deliver it to Haruno?"

"What?"

"You heard me the first time."

"Why can't you? I don't even know where she lives."

"Well one of us isn't busy looking over at everyone's papers, and if someone doesn't just do what I asked of them I might be a little harder on grading theirs."

"Fine," he surrendered, putting his hands up. "Fine. Can you be a little easier instead?"

"No promises." Hiratsuka settled back into her chair, finding a piece of scrap paper and a pen. "Here's her address." He looked at the piece of paper, a trace of apprehension slowly building inside him. "Besides, she asked me to ask you, anyways. Don't ask me why. I don't know. Now take it."

She shook the paper around like bait which Hachiman reluctantly accepted.

"Sorry about this one, Hikigaya. Haruno told me she was down pretty bad with a cold, so I didn't want to tell her no."

"Yeah…" He didn't know whether to not be surprised that her condition worsened or that someone like Haruno could even get sick.

"You knew about it?"

"Sort of…"

"Right. Stay safe then," she nodded, waiting to turn back to her work once he was out of the room.

The cool air greeted Hachiman after he made his way through the school and exited the school doors. He remembered to bring gloves this time, equipping them, and quickly made his way to the nearest store.

So she wasn't joking about inviting him to her house. He glanced at the clouds, reminding him of the conversation he had with Haruno yesterday. It wasn't a desire to make sure that Haruno would get better that convinced him to accept his sensei's request. And it definitely wasn't Hiratsuka's threats that convinced him to. It was a request, but he couldn't deny he was wondering why Haruno had asked for him. He sighed half-heartedly, contemplating his decision, knowing this was more of a chore than he bargained for.

Estimating the time it would take for him to buy the medicine and how long it would take him to get to Haruno's place, he messaged Komachi that he would miss dinner. Microwaving food wasn't his main concern, however. He was hoping the trains would stay running long enough for him to get home.

Hachiman didn't spend much time in the store. He grabbed the cold medicine and something warm to eat before heading to the train station. There weren't that many people hanging around on his snowy walk to the station nor were there many in his time in the train car. It was a quiet journey and plenty of time for him to ruminate about Haruno's intention. Maybe she really did just need someone to get her some cold medicine. For why it had to be him, he'll find out when he arrives.

The apartment Haruno lived in wasn't too different from the one the younger Yukinoshita sister lived in. He double-checked the room number on the note and made his way up. After a slight struggle to find the apartment number, he hesitated to knock on the door. He hadn't thought much about what he was doing prior to his arrival. Hachiman had merely thought this to just be another request, but suddenly, he found himself rooted in place.

A quick nod of confidence and his knuckles made two resounding knocks on the door. He pulled out the bag with the medicine from his backpack and continued waiting. He knocked again and nervously tapped his thigh. Hachiman had a tighter first ready to knock again before the door opened slightly with a violet pupil staring at him back.

"I brought this," he said softly, holding up the bag.

"Hikigaya-kun." A small smile managed to escape her sickly expression which almost made Hachiman wince.

"Was there no one else for you to ask for besides me?"

She opened the door wider, retreating into the room and presumably inviting him in. He was uncertain about the whole situation, but Haruno was very clearly not at one hundred percent. He decided there wasn't too much harm in spending a minute or two inside and followed her in, closing the door behind him.

Looking around her apartment, it felt rather empty. It was decorated, but it didn't feel like somewhere where Haruno Yukinoshita would live— not that he would know what that would be like in the first place.

"To be honest," Haruno began, attracting Hachiman's attention from the decor. "I vaguely remembered calling Shizuka-chan this morning, and only remembered what the call was about when I was wondering who was knocking loudly on my door. But I suppose I owe you a thanks."

She didn't answer his question, but it was not the best time to press her about it.

"Do you want something to eat before you leave?"

"No thanks." It was best that she just got some rest, and for him to leave.

He turned around, wondering why she even bothered to bring him inside. His way back to the door gave him a clear view of the kitchen and it seemed as if nothing had been touched. It reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything besides the snack he bought with the cold medicine, but more importantly, a question escaped his lips.

"Have you not eaten anything?" he asked, turning back to face her.

"What?" She glanced back wearing a weary expression. "No…"

"You should—" he paused, realizing his brotherly and admittedly overbearing instincts were taking over despite Haruno being the person in front of him instead of Komachi.

He mentally scoffed at the idea that popped up in his head, but the fact that he wasn't out in the hallway already meant that something was wrong. He was contemplating making some food for Haruno Yukinoshita before he left, and he was not as against the idea as he thought he would be.

"I should what?"

"Eat something warm. It might help."

"Thanks, but I don't have the energy to make anything right now, so if…" Her voice faded like she had come to a realization. "Are you asking if you can make dinner for me?"

"You said yourself, that you don't have the energy." Somehow, he was able to maintain his composure despite how direct and quickly she managed to figure him out.

"Yeah. Go ahead." She waved her hand, granting him permission. "I'm not in the right headspace to say anything else."

He nodded in silence and began an awkward walk to the kitchen. He heard a door close behind him, glancing back to see Haruno gone. She must have just gone back to her room to rest while she waited.

He found an apron, securing it around him, and rolled up his sleeves. There weren't a lot of things he could make, so he quickly decided to stick with his tried and true classic cuisine— rice and curry. As Hachiman rummaged around the kitchen, he found that it was quite lacking in ingredients. He found a few vegetables he could include in the dish, but besides that there were barely enough else to make the most basic of curry.

Komachi does most of the cooking for both of them nowadays, but before, because of their parents' busy work life he had to learn how to cook. He had a somewhat slow start after starting the rice, especially working in an unfamiliar kitchen, but it didn't take long for him to recoup his curry crafting prowess.

A long and busy moment passed before Hachiman heard anything besides the sound of his cooking, but a door opened, announcing Haruno's arrival. She didn't say anything, but situated herself at the dining table.

"It's just about done," he announced expecting no response.

Hachiman grabbed two plates, fixing them with rice. He added curry to the plates, the smell of his creation giving him some amount of confidence to share it. Maybe Hiratsuka might actually go a little easy on grading because of his extra efforts. The grinch's heart didn't grow any larger that day, so Hachiman continuously questioned why he offered to make her food. Was it a feeling of pity? It was hard to believe that his brotherly instincts reserved for his own cute little sister was enough to help anyone else. He gave Haruno a plate and seated himself across the table with his own meal.

A quiet, "Thank you for the food," from both of them, and Haruno eagerly took the first bite. In spite of her condition, she was eating like she hadn't had a proper meal all day, which on second thought was probably the case.

Hachiman watched her eat. While he couldn't entirely blame Yukino for hating her, did she not even bother to check up on her sister? Though, the first question was whether Yukino was even aware of Haruno's condition. And her parents didn't bother either? He assumed they were busy people as the prestige of their surnames would suggest, but they couldn't send anyone? He was always there, when his sister got sick, and she had returned the favor everytime. Although, Haruno was not the type to ask for help, especially for something like a cold.

"I didn't know you could cook, Hikigaya-kun," she said idly, disrupting his thoughts.

"Just curry." He paused, remembering the lack of ingredients in her kitchen. If anyone could cook, it would be her, so he was wondering. "Do you not like cooking?"

"Hmm..?"

"There's not a lot of ingredients here."

She took another bite before answering, taking her time to chew and swallow before answering.

"You have a younger sister too if I recall?" He nodded. "Would you be cooking if she wasn't around?"

If Komachi wasn't around, he probably wouldn't have even bothered to learn how to cook. He'd just eat some store-bought bento or leftovers, which was a lot less healthy. He could imagine that making food just for yourself would end up tiring if not a bit lonely, too.

"I usually eat out for dinner, anway," she continued. "And before you continue… my nap gave me a headache, so you can ask questions later."

He was about to apologize but realized she would appreciate silence more right now. He stared at his curry, a little prideful with how it had turned out, especially since it has been a while since he cooked.

Hachiman recognized he would be a lot more anxious in his situation if he hadn't already encountered Haruno many times whenever he decided to eat out. Besides the fact that Haruno was too under the weather to even hold a conversation, or that he had made their meals, or even that they were at Haruno's home, it was almost like they were just having another friendly meeting. He was amused by the idea, suppressing a small smile between chewing.

A vibration in his pockets alerted him, and checking his phone, he found a message from Komachi.

You almost home? Trains are closing soon.

"Something wrong?" Haruno asked before taking another bite.

Hachiman quickly checked the train lines and found that the last train was in 15 minutes, which he wouldn't make if he left immediately.

"Trains are closed." he replied, more gloomily than usual.

"Want me to drive you?"

"Huh?"

With her cold, is she—

"I'm kidding. You can stay here for the night… on the couch and take a train in the morning."

He ignored the momentary pause because Hachiman couldn't think of a better solution to his predicament, so he gave a curt, "thanks," and they returned to their food in silence. The pair eventually finished with Haruno acknowledging the taste.

"You can just put the plates in the sink for now," she added. Hachiman quietly followed her advice, not bothering to do anymore than what was said. "I'm going to try and get some more rest."

"Sure."

"And Hikigaya-kun… If you need me— don't."

"Right."

"Good night."

"Yeah."

The door to her room closed with an expressive thud, leaving him in the living room with plenty of hours of the evening left. He thought of doing homework, but tomorrow was a day off and it could wait. His light novel would only last him an hour at best, and he didn't really play video games on his phone.

Hachiman stared at the black television screen. He hadn't really thought much about the significance of his being in Haruno's apartment since he got here, but at this point it didn't feel significant at all. He was just lucky that the following day was a day off from school.

At least, he was able to see something he'd never thought he'd see. Haruno with a cold almost seemed like a normal person. He replied to Komachi, stating that he would be staying over at someone else's place and nothing more. He was sure that she would be obnoxiously curious as to whose when he returned.

He finally grabbed his book from his backpack and began reading, and as he predicted the hour was its swift limit before he stubbornly began working on his weekend homework. The hours passed by unhurriedly in silence until it was eventually time for him to also call it a night. He couldn't complain about his sleeping situation, as he settled on the couch as he was told and drifted off.

There was ringing. The sound repeated a second time to which Hachiman lazily opened his eyes. It was morning, and someone was at the door. He removed the blanket on top of him, dragging himself sluggishly to the front door. Who the hell was visiting this early in the morning? He stretched his back in an effort to look a little more alive; though, he was sure his eyes couldn't convince a blind man that he was.

The cold metal of the door knob made him more tense as his grip turned, opening the door. Hachiman wasn't sure who to expect to be visiting Haruno, and he wasn't sure if that was a depressing thought or more of an enigmatic one. Either way, he wasn't expecting her.

"Hikigaya—"

The shock on his face probably matched her, and he was definitely awake now.

"Yukinoshita?"

The younger sister stood at the other side of the door, a puzzled look quickly turning sour.