A/N: I finally decided to try my hand at a Hyouka fanfic! Originally, I was going to make this a one shot, but since a majority of my fics are one shots, I also decided to make this multi-chaptered. And by multi-chaptered, I mean 2-3 chapters, otl.

000

Confused, Not Curious

Chapter One

000

Oreki Houtarou sat at his usual spot by the window, gazing outside. The weather was quite decent for autumn. He usually thought that autumn gave off some sort of ominous glow, but after watching the orange and brown leaves peacefully, and quietly falling from their branches, he had decided to change his perspective.

The days passed by at a normal pace; not too fast, and not too slow. It was strange for Houtarou to think this way. He almost always thought that the days dragged on, but for some reason, he found that time was actually living up to its purpose.

He sighed. His perspectives on many things were becoming distorted. And he knew the reason.

Chitanda Eru.

He wasted way too much energy figuring out the subjects she was curious on, no matter how pointless they were. But the moment she gazed at him with those eyes, he knew that he would never hear the end of it, and that resistance would be futile. So, he went along with whatever she needed solving. In return, she would verbally thank him, and even sometimes give him a small present, like a petite package of chocolate, or a book. He found that with each passing day, he wasn't minding it as much as he did before. It was still a pain finding a solution that would satisfy the girl, but at least it wasn't "dreadful" anymore.

And at that moment, while he was still in the midst of his thoughts of Chitanda, a small knock came from the door of the Classic's Club. Houtarou blinked once in surprise, then another in acknowledgment, before he realized that there had been a knock at the door. He frowned.

It certainly wasn't Satoshi, Ibara or Chitanda. The girls probably would knock as a short warning, before opening the door and greeting him. Of course, Satoshi would barge in with some fancy opening. He sighed. That meant it would be someone he would have to deal with and actually talk to himself. That thought itself seemed tiring enough.

"Come in," Houtarou finally spoke up. He felt the need to sit up and at least look polite, but the slouching position he was in felt so comfortable, that he just didn't want to comply with his brain. He slightly lifted his chin, deciding that that would look polite enough.

The door slid open, revealing a student of slightly-more-than-average height. He had jet black hair, which looked both messy but carefully styled at the same time, and jet black eyes. Houtarou rose an eyebrow. This student was definitely older than him, but maybe by only a year, he reasoned.

"Sempai," he greeted in a normal tone of voice. "Is there something you need?" He asked. He couldn't think of a reason as to why a student like him would be in this classroom. Unless he wanted to join the club…Houtarou resisted the urge to cringe. That was the last thing he wanted. The club was noisy enough as it was, even with their lack of members.

The black-haired teen appeared as if he was struggling with what to say. He looked like a boy who was meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time and wanted to make a good impression. He began scratching the back of his head. It made Houtarou, dare he say it, curious. He felt more confused than curious though.

"Um…well…uh…" He bit his bottom lip, as if realizing that he had already given off a not-so-good impression. But Houtarou stayed quiet. The less talk they exchanged, the better, he figured.

"Um…! I'm Sakurai Sosuke. And, well…are you part of the Classics Club?" He questioned, almost nervously.

"I am," Houtarou replied. This Sakurai guy was acting like he was intimidated, even though he was an upperclassman. Houtarou decided to keep that in mind for the time being.

"That's great! I mean…ugh, what the heck am I even saying…?" The teen sighed, crossing his arms. He probably expected Houtarou to laugh, but he certainly would not provide that type of comic relief. The atmosphere was beginning to feel more awkward, to Sosuke anyway. Yet, suddenly—

"What's your relationship with Chitanda Eru?"

That definitely caught Houtarou off guard. His eyes widened slightly at the question, and he hoped that Sosuke hadn't noticed. He narrowed his eyes slightly, wishing that Satoshi would suddenly run into the room, yelling nonsense off the top of his lungs. But no matter how much he wished, he had a feeling that the gods wouldn't bestow him with his request. He would have to deal with this himself, he realized.

"We're…" He cursed himself when he found himself trailing off, unsure of what to say. Sosuke seemed to be heavily anticipating his answer.

"…friends," he finally said, catching himself before he sighed in defeat. Sosuke nodded, looking somewhat pleased. Houtarou was finally beginning to figure out why the upperclassman was here conversing with him, and he didn't like the outcome.

"Okay, thanks for telling me. If it's alright…can I join the Classics Club?" Sosuke questioned, placing his index finger on his chest, looking eager. Fear struck Houtarou. Most of it was fear of whatever was left of his peaceful life going down the drain. But some of it was also a fear of something else.

"You're going to have to ask the president about"—

During the middle of Houtarou's sentence, the door gently slid open, and Chitanda Eru herself walked into the room. He resisted the growing urge to face palm.

She looked startled at the sight of the upperclassman. Her eyes were large, and she looked curious enough. "Hello. I'm the president of the Classics Club," she said kindly, extending out a hand.

Sosuke merely stared at her hand and Houtarou noticed that the teen's face had reddened considerably. His hypothesis had been correct. This guy had a crush on Chitanda.

"Um! Yeah, hi! I'm Sakurai Sosuke, and I was wondering if I could join the Classic's Club," he informed, gulping before stiffly shaking her hand. At that, Chitanda's eyes widened even more, until they were basically brimming with happiness.

"Really?" She demanded excitedly, bouncing up onto her toes and nearly pressing her face into his, like how she usually would when saying "I'm curious!" to Houtarou, who was now silently watching the scene from his seat.

Sosuke blushed even more, if possible. "Yes! I would be very honored if I could join!"

And just like that, Sakurai Sosuke became a part of the Classics Club and began attending their meetings. It was the beginning of Houtarou's nightmare, although he wasn't fully aware of it yet.

000

"I know right? I've read that book five times through!" Sosuke exclaimed, currently engaged in a heated conversation with Chitanda, who looked just as involved in the topic. She pressed her hands together, beaming.

"It's a wonderful book! Every time I read it, I figure out something new that I hadn't noticed before," she replied back. Houtarou finally managed to tune them out, and continued gazing out the window, like he usually did.

At the present, Mayaka was arguing with Satoshi, but that wasn't a surprise. If Sosuke hadn't become a member of the club, Chitanda would be telling Houtarou about an event that had recently happened to her, and then proceed to ask him to solve her mysteries for her. Obviously, that wasn't the case anymore.

Reluctantly, and stealthily, the brown-haired teen glanced over at the two sitting beside him. Chitanda's face was becoming closer and closer to Sosuke's, who fully seemed to notice that fact, judging by the steadily growing blush on his cheeks.

Houtarou stubbornly snapped his gaze away. He didn't want to admit it, but they had become fast friends. They even looked compatible together.

"Hou-ta-rou," an all too familiar voice spoke. His green eyes landed on Satoshi, who was giving him an all knowing look, along with a gleeful smile. Damn him.

"You look more annoyed than usual. If you keep that up, Chitanda-san will be demanding answers from you," he leaned in and whispered. But even if he had said it in his normal voice, Chitanda probably wouldn't have noticed. She looked too absorbed in her conversation with Sosuke.

"I'm going home," Houtarou finally announced, picking up his bag and swinging it over his shoulder. Satoshi backed up, slightly surprised at his friend's abrupt decision.

"Already?" Mayaka questioned, looking annoyed, yet concerned. Most likely, she didn't know the specific reason for his sudden need to leave, but she could still sense that something was wrong.

"Yeah. I feel…sick," he said, and he wasn't exactly lying. He was sick of watching Chitanda and Sosuke animatedly talking beside him, and he wasn't even sure why.

"Oh, um, Oreki-san! Please don't forget about the club picnic tomorrow. I really hope you can go," Chitanda spoke up, finally standing up from her seat. He quickly glanced at her before turning back towards the door.

"Mm," he acknowledged as he walked out of the classroom. Satoshi smiled lightly before shaking his head. His friend still had a long way to go.

000

Houtarou took his time walking back home. He used it to contemplate. He was even gripping the ends of his bangs. So far, he had realized a total of two things.

Firstly, he realized that he was beginning to hate the black-haired upperclassman.

And secondly, he himself, as in Oreki Houtarou, had developed a crush on Chitanda Eru. Somewhere along the way of solving her persistent problems and dealing with her oblivious attitude, he had fallen for her.

He wasn't dense at all. After solving all those countless mysteries, there was no way that he wouldn't be able to solve his own. He was a critical thinker. He wasn't perfect at what he did, but he knew he had some talent, at the very least. As for whether or not he would take action was a completely different story though.

He let out an irritated groan. This wasn't the best time to realize his feelings for the overly-curious girl. It was simply painful for him to sit through meetings lately without the need to bash his head on the table. Chitanda and Sosuke could start up topics within seconds, and their conversations could probably last for hours. He didn't want to admit it, but it stung at him to see them talking together so happily.

And Satoshi, that almost-good-for-nothing bastard was amused with the turn of events. He knew that he wouldn't dare to tell Mayaka though, and he mentally thanked him for that. However, that was possibly the least of his worries.

Houtarou was strictly against exerting effort for anyone, but for Chitanda…

He groaned again. All he wanted was a peaceful, easy going life.

He didn't know what to do. He was stuck in his thoughts, and hadn't even realized that he had passed by his own house five minutes ago.

A/N: Initially, I was going to have Houtarou realize his feelings later on, but knowing him, he could probably figure it out pretty quickly. Probably.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please look forward to the next one? :)