The first thing I felt was a soft nudge. A nudge that gradually became more insistent.
"Onii-chan, wake up," a voice chirped brightly, cutting through the fog of my thoughts.
I cracked open an eye, trying to adjust to the blinding morning light filtering through the blinds.
Komachi. Of course.
She stood at the foot of my bed, bouncing slightly on her heels, looking like she was about to burst from excitement. She didn't get why I was always so tired, always dragging myself around like a zombie. But that was fine, I guess.
"You have to wake up," she said again, now a little more demanding. "You're gonna be late if you don't hurry!"
I groaned, burying my face in the pillow, my mind a mess of fuzzy memories that I couldn't quite put together. It felt like I'd been holding my breath for an eternity, but it was all too vague now. Like it was a dream, one I couldn't quite reach.
"Yeah, yeah…" I muttered, still not ready to get up, my body a little too heavy.
But the nudge was relentless, and eventually, I managed to sit up. Blinking, I wiped my face with my hands, feeling the coolness of the morning air, the kind that always made me wish I could just crawl back into bed and sleep through the day. But no. I had to be responsible. I had to do things.
Komachi's eyes sparkled, her usual enthusiasm in full force. "Come on, hurry up! We're having breakfast together today, right?"
"Sure, I guess," I grumbled, still not entirely awake. I dragged myself to the bathroom, splashed water on my face, and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked the same as always—slightly disheveled, but at least I didn't feel like I was on the brink of death today.
Good. Progress.
I shuffled downstairs with Komachi trailing behind me, her chatter filling the space between us like it always did. There were mornings when I wished I could block it out, but today... today was different. My mind felt clearer. Like the haze from the past few days was finally starting to lift, piece by piece.
Komachi was already pulling out the cereal and plates when I walked into the kitchen. "I'm gonna be so tired by the time school's over today," she said, laughing as she set the table. "But at least we'll be together, so it won't be that bad, right?"
"Right," I muttered, grabbing the milk. I poured it into a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table, picking up a spoon and digging in. The cold, crunchy texture was somehow grounding, something simple. Something real.
Komachi sat down beside me, giving me one of those goofy grins of hers. "Onii-chan, you need to get a move on. You're gonna be so slow with that breakfast, and then I'll have to help you catch up with everything, huh?"
"Don't even start," I said, lifting my gaze to meet hers.
Yet... I couldn't deny that, in that moment, I felt... alright. I could forget the strange things happening in the back of my mind. I could forget that the chaos of the world was out there waiting for me.
For once, I didn't have to worry.
"I'll be ready soon," I said, my voice more stable now. "And, yeah, I'll make sure you get to school on time."
"Good," she said with a grin, her face lighting up like the sun. "You know, you're kind of a pain, but you're also my big brother, so I guess I'll keep you around."
I gave a half-hearted smile. "Lucky me."
But deep down, I was starting to realize that maybe... maybe I wasn't as much of a burden as I thought. Maybe things were changing, even if I didn't know exactly how.
I finished my cereal in a few more bites, wiped my mouth, and stood up.
"Alright, let's get going," I said, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder.
Komachi skipped ahead of me, humming a tune. "Let's go, let's go!"
"Yeah, yeah," I said, shaking my head. I followed her out the door, the fresh air greeting me as I stepped outside, the sun shining a little too brightly for my liking.
But it was a new day. And I'd face it. Not just because I had to, but because...
Well, because I could.
For once, I felt like I could.
I normally rode Komachi to school, as usual. It had become part of the routine—me dropping her off in the morning, no big deal. But this time, as we were heading out the door, I paused for a moment, glancing at her.
"Hey, you're not mad at me, right?" I asked, trying to sound casual but still unsure. "I know I haven't really spent a lot of time with you lately."
She stopped in her tracks, looking at me as if I'd just said something completely absurd. "What are you talking about, Onii-chan? Of course, I'm not mad at you. You're acting like you've been ignoring me or something."
I blinked, thrown off by her response. "Really?"
"Yeah, really. Don't make stuff up," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, her tone light and teasing.
I opened my mouth, but the words didn't come out. I just stood there, a little confused.
Komachi gave me a quick, mischievous smile before hopping onto the back of the bike. "Come on, Onii-chan, stop being weird. Let's go. I'm gonna be late if you keep talking like that."
I nodded, shaking my head slightly as I wheeled the bike out of the garage. Whatever was going on in my head, it was clearly nothing worth dwelling on. We had our usual banter, the kind that always came easy to us. Even if I was a little out of sorts, Komachi had a way of making everything feel normal again.
"Let's go already, Onii-chan!" she chirped, already bouncing on her heels.
I sighed inwardly, getting on the bike and setting off toward her school, pushing aside the nagging thoughts in my head.
When I arrived at Sobu, the school seemed quieter than usual, almost as if it was waiting for something. I rolled the bike to the bike rack and locked it up, trying to shake off the strange feeling lingering in my gut.
The hallway was crowded, students milling about, but I didn't pay much attention to any of them. My thoughts were already on the day ahead—the classes, the endless social obligations, and, of course, the people I had to deal with.
As I turned the corner near the classrooms, I saw her.
Hiratsuka-sensei was standing at the end of the hallway, her usual air of confidence and authority surrounding her like a protective barrier. She caught sight of me almost immediately, and her lips curled into that half-smirk I had come to know so well.
"Ah, there you are," she said, her voice ringing out clearly over the noise. "Hikigaya, you're not going to stand there like a ghost all day, are you?"
I gave her a halfhearted wave, the same tired expression on my face as always. "Wouldn't dream of it, Sensei."
She walked toward me with that purposeful stride of hers, and I couldn't help but notice how she still managed to seem in control of everything, no matter how chaotic things around her were. It was almost impressive.
"Straighten up," she said, her tone suddenly sharper. "You're slouching again."
I raised an eyebrow, glancing at her in mild disbelief. "Really? Is this how you start your mornings, Sensei? By nagging people about their posture?"
"I'm doing it because I care," she replied, the edge to her voice softening just a little. "You'll be in for a world of back problems if you don't stop doing that."
I rolled my eyes. "I'll be fine, I'm still young."
"Not for long if you keep acting like an old man," she said with a knowing smile. "And don't make me repeat myself. Stand up straight."
I straightened up, a little reluctantly, but more out of habit than anything else. Hiratsuka-sensei didn't wait for an answer; she just gave me a short nod before walking past me and heading toward the teacher's office.
"See you in class, Hikigaya," she called over her shoulder.
I just stood there for a second, watching her walk away. Something about her presence was always a little overwhelming, even if I had grown used to it over the months. But, I had to admit... I didn't mind it as much as I used to.
I sighed, shaking my head.
Another day at Sobu. Same old, same old.
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The Service Club room was quiet, aside from the soft rustling of papers and the occasional clink of a pen. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were having their usual banter about a project for one of their classes. As usual, it was a bit of a one-sided conversation, with Yukinoshita providing the facts and Yuigahama trying to add some lightheartedness to it all.
"Honestly, if we don't finalize the theme for the festival project soon, it's going to be a mess," Yukinoshita said, her voice crisp and authoritative, her sharp eyes scanning the list of ideas she had jotted down on a piece of paper. She sighed, barely looking up. "The deadline's coming up faster than I'd like."
Yuigahama, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed by the pressure. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, Yukinon! You always do. You're like, the best at these things," she said with her signature cheerfulness, flashing a wide grin as if her words would somehow lighten the mood.
Yukinoshita just raised an eyebrow at her, the sarcasm not even necessary to make it clear that she wasn't particularly impressed by the suggestion. "Well, I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Yuigahama laughed, clearly in her own world. "Exactly! You're like, the mastermind behind everything, you know?" She then gave a hopeful shrug, as if she had a game-changing idea. "Maybe we could just do a cute, fluffy theme? You know, something really soft and pastel-colored. People love that, right?"
Yukinoshita barely acknowledged the suggestion at first, her fingers flipping the pages of her notes absentmindedly. After a brief silence, she sighed, almost theatrically. "Fluffy? You're not serious, are you?"
Yuigahama, a little too eager to explain herself, leaned forward, her hands clasped together as if she were about to deliver a great revelation. "Well, I mean, not just fluffy! We could mix cute with something a little edgy, right? Like, have some pastel colors, but maybe throw in a few darker tones, to make it look interesting? You know, catch people's attention? A little contrast could work wonders."
Yukinoshita didn't seem convinced. She set her papers down and gave Yuigahama a sidelong glance, her voice calm but cutting. "You're talking about mixing opposites like that and hoping it will look cohesive? It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, Yuigahama-san."
Yuigahama wasn't dissuaded, though. "No, no! It'll work! Think about it—a cute bunny with a gothic twist, or like, pastel flowers with... I don't know, edgy little skulls or something. It'll be adorable!"
Yukinoshita frowned slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Perhaps I should just take over completely and avoid... whatever that idea was."
Yuigahama pouted but didn't give up. "Come on, Yukinon, a little bit of fun won't hurt! We can still make it cute but with a bit of punch. You know, to make sure no one forgets it."
There was a brief silence as Yukinoshita seemed to consider it, her expression unreadable. "Perhaps..." she started slowly, clearly not fully on board yet, "but the concept would need to make sense in a broader context. And we're not here to entertain people's whims."
Yuigahama grinned and raised her hands in a mock defensive stance. "Alright, alright. I'll let you take care of the serious stuff. I'm just here for moral support and to make sure you're not too stuck in all the details!"
Her voice was light and teasing, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
I stayed quiet for a while, letting the two of them go back and forth. The way they could banter so easily about something as mundane as a school project was a bit comforting, in a strange way.
The moment hung in the air for a while before Yukinoshita finally dropped her pen with a small sigh. "Very well," she said, glancing up at the ceiling as though conceding defeat. "We'll try your... fluffy, edgy nonsense. But I don't expect you to meddle with the actual planning part. That's my domain."
Yuigahama's face lit up. "Yeah!" she cheered, raising her fists in victory. "We're going full pastel-goth vibes! I knew you'd come around!"
Yukinoshita's gaze softened just a fraction, but she remained composed. "We'll see how much of it survives my 'editing' later."
Despite her stern demeanor, there was a faint warmth in Yukinoshita's voice—an unspoken agreement that they'd figure it out together, no matter how ridiculous the idea might seem.
Suddenly, Yuigahama glanced over at me, her eyes narrowing in a mix of concern and curiosity. "Hey, Hikki," she said, her tone shifting slightly as if noticing the odd quietness that had settled around me. "You've been super quiet. Something wrong?"
Yukinoshita, too, tilted her head and looked at me, her usual composed expression replaced by a faint trace of concern. "Indeed. You've been acting... different today. You usually have something snarky to add, so this silence is unusual." She gave me a pointed look, waiting for an explanation.
I blinked, realizing they were both staring at me now, waiting for an answer. Honestly, it wasn't anything that serious. I just wasn't feeling like participating in their usual banter today. But, of course, I couldn't leave it hanging there.
"I'm fine," I replied, "Nothing's wrong. Just... feeling more refreshed today, that's all." I gave them both a half-hearted smile to try and reassure them, but it was clear they weren't fully convinced.
Yuigahama blinked, her expression lightening but still full of that curiosity. "Refreshed, huh?" she repeated as if testing the word out. Then her eyes sparkled mischievously, and she grinned. "Did you drink too much your coffee this morning or something? Got a sudden energy boost, or did you sleep like a log for once?"
I stared blankly at her, unamused, though a small part of me found it oddly funny. "Right," I said dryly, "I must have stumbled upon the whole package."
Yukinoshita, who had been quietly observing this exchange, finally placed her palm over her face with an exaggerated sigh. "You're both hopeless," she muttered, shaking her head. Her usual cold exterior remained, but there was a faint exasperation in her voice.
"Hikki is unusually... calm. Yukino, maybe he got hit in the head!"
I nodded. "Yeah, for once, it's nice to not feel like I'm carrying the world on my shoulders. Guess I'm just... taking a breather, for now."
Yuigahama tilted her head, still clearly intrigued. "Hmm... I'll believe it when I see it," she said, her eyes narrowing. "But hey, as long as you're not about to go into full 'emo Hikigaya mode,' I guess we can work with this version of you."
"Emo Hachiman?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow, my voice dripping with mock confusion. "What do you think I am, some angsty teenager in a band?"
Yuigahama laughed, holding up her hands in defense. "Hey, no offense! I just mean the whole brooding, 'life is meaningless' vibe you sometimes give off." She waved her hand dramatically as if that explanation would make everything clear.
I rolled my eyes but couldn't suppress a smirk. "'Emo Hachiman' is a thing now."
"Well, it could be, if you wanted it to be," Yuigahama teased, her grin widening. "Just give yourself a leather jacket, and you're set."
Yukinoshita let out an exaggerated sigh, clearly done with the conversation. "Please don't encourage him, Yuigahama-san," she muttered under her breath, rubbing her temples as if trying to stave off a headache. "We have more important matters to attend to than discussing Hikigaya-kun's potential for becoming a walking disaster."
There was a sudden knock at the door, breaking the flow of the conversation.
Yukinoshita's voice rang out, "Come in."
The door opened, and my heart nearly stopped.
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"I recently transferred. Is this the 'Service Club'? Hiratsuka-sensei sent me here when I asked her."
"Yes," Yukinoshita confirmed.
"Can I join then?"
Yuigahama jumped up, beaming with excitement. "Wait, really? We're going to have a new member?!"
Yukinoshita sighed and raised her hand, silencing Yuigahama. "Please, hold your enthusiasm, Yuigahama-san. You can join, but only if you've completed the necessary paperwork with Hiratsuka-sensei."
"Everything's already taken care of."
"Very well," Yukinoshita said. "But, what is your name if I may ask?"
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"My n̷a̴m̷e̶ ̷is...
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...Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."
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I somehow got guilt-tripped into writing an essay by Hiratsuka-sensei again. And, naturally, I decided to tell her about that—because who wouldn't want to hear about the thrilling exploits of my existence?
"Honestly, this whole situation was doomed from the start. I didn't even want to go, but she made that creepy stare at me until I folded like an old piece of paper. And now I'm here, writing about it, questioning my life choices."
"So, you're telling me that you... agreed to go out with Ayanokouji-san?" Hiratsuka-sensei's voice was flat, her eyes narrowing like she was questioning the very meaning of my existence.
I chuckled bitterly.
I crossed my arms. "It's not like I wanted to. She asked I said no, and she stared at me for two minutes without blinking. I broke. It was a battle of wills. I lost."
"Obviously."
I shrugged. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Worst-case scenario, she sacrifices me to an elder being if she isn't one already."
"Is that really the worst case?"
I thought about it. "...She could make me do karaoke."
"What the hell?"
"Hey, language," I chastised Hiratsuka.
There was a long pause as she just stared at me, her expression unreadable.
"You know," Hiratsuka-sensei said, tapping her pen against the table. "I really don't understand you sometimes."
"Yeah, I've been told that before," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.
"By me." She sighed.
Hiratsuka-sensei gave me a pointed look. "No, I mean—why don't you just... not go? I'm pretty sure Ayanokouji-san can handle rejection. She's not a delicate flower."
"I'm aware." I sighed. "But there's something about that look. It's like she knows I'll break if I don't say yes. It's not even about her anymore; it's about me losing that internal war."
"You sound like you're describing a cult leader, not a date."
"Same thing, really. Different methods of manipulation."
Hiratsuka-sensei's eyes narrowed slightly. "So, what's your plan? Are you just going to keep going on these 'dates' with her?"
I shrugged again. "I don't know. At this point, what else am I supposed to do? Get involved in something even more troublesome? I did that for a couple of months already."
"Isn't that the story of your life?"
"Touché."
Hiratsuka-sensei leaned back in her chair, looking more like a disappointed older sibling than a teacher.
Well, sorry to disappoint you but I have Komachi.
"Well, just don't get yourself killed, okay? Or end up doing something ridiculous. If you have to do karaoke, at least make sure I'm not around to witness it."
"I'll do my best," I said dryly.
"And stop this creepy smile, Hikigaya."