.
[-Continuation-]
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[Hachiman's POV]
"I am home." I declared stopping inside and closing the door behind me.
–*bark!*bark!*bark!
??...? A dog..? I am hearing things wrong now, why is a Kamakura(:cat) barking like a dog?
But before I could figure it out, the source of the noise came charging toward me at full speed.
What is Yuigahama's dog doing here…? And behind the dog, there was Kamakura(:cat) both running towards me.
Well, the cat is obviously-Kamakura.
What was her dog's name again?
"Kai! …Sabure! Did someone come? Is it Big Brother?" Komochi yelled out.
Right, Sabure…. And he sure remembers the ones that saved his ass, huh? At least a dog knows how to show gratitude for me in this life.
While Sabure darted around me, making full circles with his excessive energy, our Kamakura just came near me and jumped into my arm, deeming me to catch…. Jealous? Or showing off?
Whatever it was, it seemed to work as Sabure, seeing Kamakura in my hands, started licking my legs as much as he could, with increased enthusiasm, which can be determined by how fast his tail was wagging up and down.
So Yuigahama dropped by while I was out, hum…?
I do wanna ask any updates she has on Yukinoshita, but that failed, I guess.
If I ask her directly, she probably asks unnecessary questions of barrage.
But really, I wasn't informed of any guests coming over while I was going out, was I?
I should have suspected something fishy when Komichi was so keen on me returning early.
Well, I was not entirely at fault either, as I thought she was acting like that because I was in the middle of finishing her research project.
When I was on the verge of falling into a labyrinth of thought, a small, noisy barking noise could be heard.
–grrrr!
Upon looking, there was a low, growling noise afterwards. It looked like Sabure, who is near my leg, and Kamakura in my hand were engaged in a battle of intimidation.
"Big Brother…!" Komichi came to greet me.
I demanded. "So, when are you going to explain what exactly is going on in our house?"
"Heheee…" She laughed nervously.
And so the story began…
….
.
"I don't have a problem if you are okay with it, but I am in no way responsible for seeking permission from Mom."
I made my stance clear.
Yet, I have a feeling she's already mapped out her strategy.
After all, we are talking about my clever little sister here.
Chances are, she's already made arrangements with Mom. And once she wins over Mom, the only one left is our daughter-doting father.
Who will readily nod his head in approval if Komichi asks for it.
In the Hikigaya household, the oldest son had little say in decision-making. The hierarchy consisted of Mom, followed by Komachi, Dad, and lastly, me.
Oh, the highest position was occupied by the cats, okay? They only saw humans as manservants.
….
.
After that, I returned to my room upstairs, washed up, and as I dried off and checked my phone, I noticed several text messages waiting for me to read.
...and they were from Yuigahama.
=======[Message Box Of Yuigahama]=======
[Yuigahama] : "Hey, Hikki, sorry for dropping off Subaru without any heads up. I will definitely make it up to you."
[ME] : "Okay. No problem. It is between you and Komichi anyway."
I texted back.
[Yuigahama] : "Thanks… and Hikki, are you in touch with Yukinon?"
[ME] : "No, I don't even have her number."
[Yuigahama] : ".…"
Yuigahama probably didn't know what to say for that, so I changed the topic.
[ME] : "What's wrong? Is she not answering your calls?"
[Yuigahama] : "She is not, whenever I call, it goes to voicemail, and then she emails me later. And it takes her a while to respond to my emails too…"
[ME] : "She must be really busy. I am sure she will catch up with you when she has the time, so don't worry."
[Yuigahama] : "I thought so too…. But her emails seem less lively lately. Whenever I try to invite her to go out, for some reason, she's always busy…"
[ME] : "....then I will check what I can do."
[Yuigahama] : "Hikki, Yukinon, is not avoiding me, is she? But I don't remember doing anything wrong with her."
[ME] : "Don't overthink it. She's probably just busy."
[Yuigahama] : "Yeah, sorry for bothering you."
[ME] : "You should be. Goodbye then."
[Yuigahama] : "Yeah, goodbye. See you later."
===========================
That's the longest chat I have ever had with someone in my entire life - Including all genders.
But God, what should I do about this…? I don't even have her number.
And even if I do have what is going to change…
Maybe I should risk it and give a call to the newly added number to my contact book on the phone, which was by the way saved as [DANGER] - Alias - Yukinoshita Haruno .
No. Nope. Never.
W-what am I even thinking of? It is no less than suicide. That too, in the hands of two beautiful sisters. There is no escape.
No matter how hard life has been on me recently, I shouldn't give up on it that easily.
I should learn to cherish what I have. Especially on second chances.
…yeh, I-i should get rid of that id—
Fu*k, I don't care….. l-let's do this!
–*Ring!*Ring!*Ring!*Ring!*Ring!*Ring!
–*tut!
The call was attended exactly after six rings, not long to be categorised as unimportant, but that also does not mean it holds much significance.
Yeah, I am just bullshitting because I was too nervous to keep my mind blank…
You know, simply keep my mind occupied with -Nonsense.
"....."
[Haruno] : "....."
Silence on both sides.
Damn, I forgot to greet her.
"Hello…" I greeted her hesitantly.
Does she have my number? She is not going to act like she doesn't know now, is she?
[Haruno] : "Hikigaya! It's you~"
The sweet voice of Yukinoshita Haruno filled the line.
Calm down now. See, she recognizes my voice. She is also not someone who does such bothersome things…
"Right, it's me…" I confirmed.
[Haruno] : "Haaha! Hikkigaya, you've never spoken with a girl on the phone before? That's such an adorably awkward way to greet a woman."
…..and I was once again caught by one of the Yukinoshita.
"Actually, I have." I quickly denied.
Do female call agents count as one?
[Haruno] : "Hahaha! Not accepting, are you? That is sooo Yukino's thing!" She pointed out.
[Haruno] : "Seems like some of her characteristics have rubbed off on you. Well, that's common when you spend a lot of time with someone, I guess." She added suggestively.
….great, she brought up the Yukinoshita name herself. It was the only positive thought I could muster up within me while listening to her comments.
Honestly, I was banging my head to find a way to bring it up without sounding awkward… or worse, a creep.
"Yukinoshita. How is she…?" I blurted out without much thought.
Shoot, what's up with my 'think before you talk' motto?
"...*ahem, I-i mean Yuigahama informed me that she wasn't able to get in touch with her, and 'she' seems really worried." I tried reasoning and could already imagine the amused expression the other party wore.
[Haruno] : Surprisingly, though, she responded. "Yukino kinda retired home after a long time. So, she is really busy with family matters. I feel really sorry for her, seeing how hard she is working. I wish I could help her, but you know…"
Nope, I actually don't know. Moreover, what is she going on and on about? She's indirectly proving that since she herself can do nothing about this, I should also stop pursuing it.
"She is working there too." I spoke knowingly. "But Yukinoshta is having trouble managing things? That is difficult to imagine. Well, I guess managing personal life is harder than professional life for anyone."
"....at least from now on, I can stop blaming my incompetence in that regard, I guess." I stated, having my own problems to deal with my family without dustring anything.
[Haruno] : "Heehhhaa…! You are such a funny guy, Hikigaya! You seem more confident in Yukinoshita than yourself." She laughed again.
Why does this woman find everything I say funny? Am I actually a funny guy?
[Haruno] : Added. "Don't you think so too, Yukino?"
Wait!! Yukino…? Y-yukinoshita was hearing!!???
Not giving me a chance to wrap my head around it, another bombshell was dropped.
[Haruno] : "Haruno, who is that…?"
A voice of an unfamiliar woman interjected, the tone strong and commanding, feeling like it could reach me even through the phone line.
[Haruno] : "It's a friend, Mom." She replied smoothly, staying on the phone.
Danm. I hoped she didn't put the call on speaker. Her whole family seemed to be there now. What a great time I have picked to call.
[Haruno] : "It is not time for personal matters." The same voice chided firmly.
[Haruno] : "Yeah, Mom…"
[Haruno] : "Hikigaya, I need to go now, so ta-ta for now!"
"Wait! …Yukinoshita. Is she doing okay?" I asked in a hurry.
[Haruno] : "Oh, she's absolutely peachy, don't you worry that pretty little head of yours."
"Peachy…huh? Well, call me back later."
[Haruno] : "Of course, sorry for now. Talk to you later, lil bro!"
Is she feeling after saying I could call her whenever I want and couldn't keep it up. Well, she is more conscious than I had expected.
"Yeah, no worries."
–tut!
.
[To be continued….]
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