961FLASHBACK PORTION OF THE CHAPTER!
Standing on a massive ship that is named after you that is also owned by your Father's company is a strange feeling. It may sound cool on paper, but in reality it's really weird. Especially when your first name is literally being thrown around by your classmates. Sometimes I get confused on whether they're talking about the ship or me. Even though I've been to his office building many times, I've only stepped on this ship around thrice.
"Hikio!"
"Hikki!"
A pair of feminine voices called out to me, and I could already feel the nagging before it comes.
Oh my God.
"Oi Hachiman! Are you paying attention!?" I heard my Father's voice from up ahead. He looked stern, and I saw the same eyes that I possessed in him. Hina and Yuigahama nagged at me like an annoying relative at a family gathering.
I felt a light shove from my right side, the side where my "Wife" was staying. "Hikio! Stop spacing out! Look! Tobe is about lean off the railing and fall to the sea!"
I rolled my eyes and looked behind me where I saw that my "Wife" was indeed not jesting. "TOBE GET BACK HERE OR ELSE I'LL THROW YOU OVERBOARD MYSELF!" Upon my words, he immediately listened and ran back to our group. He gave me an apologetic-look and scratched his head. Miura hit him on the head and the area where her fist impacted swelled and became all red.
I heard my Father resume talking as we followed him, he led us out to where the the cranes above where situated. "Now as you can see, this ship transports goods from all around Japan and other parts of the world. The Hachiman's previous voyage was from Shanghai, and the next one is to Singapore. As a subsidiary and secondary logistics and shipping company, it remains semi-independent but still handles its own management like ship maintenance, human resources, technical communications and on-site inspections before and after voyages. The sister ship of The Hachiman is already under construction."
"Hikki!" I felt Yuigahama tug on my sleeve and gave me an inquisitive-look. "Hikki, have you been with your Dad to the Netherlands?"
"No, and I don't want to." I reply with a bored tone. After doing a short lecture, our class went to the area where they put those big rectangular containers where his assistant did the explaining. I forgot his name, but he was really nice to me since he bought me my favourite lunch the last time we met during the school break.
"Hm? Why?" She tilted her head to the side.
"Because my betrothed is there, and I hate her since she peeked on me taking a bath once." I whisper to her since I was also listening to the lecture. My joke was a mistake because she yelled out in shock.
"WHAT?!" She exclaimed and many heads turned to our direction. Miura was quite startled and looked at us questioningly.
"Moron! That was a joke! You didn't need to scream like a banshee!" I hit lightly her on the head for her stupid antic and she apologized.
"Ouch…you didn't have to hit me that hard…" She said and rubbed the area where I hit her.
"I didn't even hit you that hard, stop overreacting." I whisper back to her.
Miura asked what we were talking about, but I put a finger on my lips and I told her to listen to the lecture. Hiratsuka-sensei was with us, and she stayed at the back of our group to keep an eye on us. Tobe only managed to slip past her since she was taking a call earlier.
We continued following my Father around while he talked about how this subsidiary company worked, how much manpower was needed and of course, how much he paid his workers. He didn't quite go into specifics and he diverted the question into the company benefits that his workers received, like insurance benefits, paid leave, day offs and other bonuses. We passed by a few interns and they shared what their experiences in working in a ship was like. The girls didn't look all that excited, but listened anyway since life at sea sounded really boring and dull. As for most of the boys, they were listening intently and some of them took notes on what the interns said. Kawasaki was included in the latter with Hina, and they stayed at the front of the group to hear my Father better.
Hoh, if things go on like this…
Some of them might even be working for my Father in the future, or perhaps even for me.
I pictured a more mature Kawasaki Saki in a corporate attire wearing a short skirt that exposed much of her long legs with black stockings. She wore glasses as she followed me around day after day and served me as my dutiful and loyal secretary. Whenever my shoulders felt a bit sore, she'll massage my back with her skillful hands. After a stressful day at work she would help me relax by seductively taking off her blazer and -
WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH!
WHERE THE HECK DID THOSE THOUGHTS COME FROM?!
KEI-CHAN, FORGIVE YOUR HAA-CHAN FOR HAVING LEWD THOUGHTS ON SAA-CHAN!
"Hikki, why is your face red?" Yuigahama said when she saw my face, Miura also turned to look when she heard her.
"Must be because of the weather, I don't know. Stop talking and pay attention." I say, they looked like they wanted to argue but turned their attention back to my Father who was currently talking about the daily operations inside the vessel. Hayama asked a question, and my Father answered him immediately.
We went to the bridge, the crew's quarters, the engine room and finally to the main deck. Everyone was surprisingly behaved for the rest of the tour, even Tobe and Yuigahama. Probably because Hiratsuka-sensei scolded us a bit earlier. We took the bus back to my Father's building where we were going to take our snacks, courtesy of my Father, Hikigaya Joshirou. We took the elevator and went to the small dining hall.
When my Father's people came and gave it to us, I was rather impressed, to say the least. It was a full package, a large pork and chicken cutlet, lots of sliced cabbages, some sliced fruit at the side, potato salad and water served with lemon and cucumber and some Japanese sweets to finish it.
This wasn't a snack anymore, this was a full blown meal.
"Uwaaaah, its so big, I can't take all of it…"
"I know, I can't handle all of this meat…"
"Yui, help me out here, I can't finish this…"
"Uncle Joshirou really went all out huh…"
Yuigahama, Miura, Hina and Kawasaki muttered to themselves as we sat at the table. "You don't have to finish it all you know…" I say when I saw their slightly troubled expressions.
"No! If we do that, it's a sign of disrespect and not being thankful for the food!" Yuigahama said and the others nodded in agreement.
"I understand what you're getting at, but still…" I reply.
I was quite thankful that Hina invited Kawasaki to our small table, from my right, it was Kawasaki, Hina, Miura and Yuigahama. I felt some kind of tension when Kawasaki and Miura eyed each other, but they just smiled it off when I gave both of them questioning-looks.
Is there…some kind of rivalry between them? But I've never seen them interact much at class…
Hayama had the absolute gall to sit and eat with my Father, Tobe and some of the other boys too. After thanking for the food, we started eating. The four of them already knew me for a while, and were quite aware that I didn't like making conversation while eating. Because of that, our table was the quietest around in the entire dining hall. But that didn't mean that I can't throw in a word or two, ignoring someone when being spoken to is quite rude you know.
"Hikio, your Dad is really cool." Miura said after wiping her mouth with a tissue.
"Which part of him is cool?" I ask.
"Hmm, he's like really confident and has like authority and something, but its not intimidating." Yuigahama said with her mouth partially full.
I nudged Yuigahama's leg from under the table. "Oi, don't talk with your mouth full. You might choke."
Kawasaki observed us, her eyes darting between the girls in front of her and me. "Ah, Uncle is always like that. He's really laid back whenever I go over to your house, right Hikigaya?" She said and turned to me.
"Yes, that's ri-" I couldn't finish what I was going to say since the table had gone suddenly quiet. Not just the regular quiet, but the deathly one. The silence was made more prominent because there was chatter all around us. I saw that the three other girls were looking at Kawasaki, but their eyes were covered by their hair.
"Umm, yes he's always like that I guess…" I continue even with the sudden tension. Kawasaki made a satisfied sound and resumed eating like nothing happened, I swear I saw a tiny smirk or something akin to that.
"H-Hikio, what did she mean by that?" Miura was the first one to break the silence and turned to me with a forced smile, her eye twitching as if straining to maintain it. From the looks of her fingers, she was grasping the table so hard that I thought she was going to tear it apart.
"Yeah Hikki, what did she mean?" Yuigahama was also the same, but her small smile was obviously more forced. When she laid her eyes on me, I was terrified because they looked empty and hollow, as if I was staring right at the infinite abyss itself. She tightly gripped my uniform with her right hand which was hidden from being seen by the others. Hina said nothing, but I saw a nerve tick at her forehead and she kicked me from under the table.
"Oh, we're from the same neighborhood and our parents are friends with each other, I'm quite fond of her kid sister as well as her little brother who happens to be in the same grade as my little sister…" I say rather slowly and unsurely.
"My little sister adores him so much that she drags me every other weekend to go to their house." Kawasaki added with a small smile.
Three heads slowly nodded in unison but said nothing.
"Oh, remember that time when you cooked for us when it was just the two of us at your house? The food was great by the way. When are we eating out?" Kawasaki said as an afterthought and I just dully nodded at her. She was oblivious, or at least pretending to be since her words seemed to have added fuel to silent yet blazing fire in front of me.
What is this tension…?
Did they always have some dirt on each other or something…?
"O-Oh yeah! Hikki, my Mama wanted to meet and thank you for being such a good friend to me!" Yuigahama said and grabbed my left arm and I felt Yuigahama's "Jugs" rub themselves on me. They were soft and I almost had a seizure from the sudden contact. Why would her Mother want to meet me? Did her parents and mine make a secret promise to have the two of us get married like some cheap movie with an overused plot?
"Huh, but why? I've never even met her. And if what you say is true, then you've been telling your Mother about me?" I ask. My words made her go red, but a certain someone rose up and indirectly saved her from further embarrassment.
"Hey Yui! Get your hands off of my "Husband"! He's MINE for the time being!" Miura exclaimed with a slight blush and tried to get her off of me. Yuigahama pouted and resisted against Miura's pulls for a short while until she was forced to let to since the Blondie started tickling her. For the first time in my life, I was actually glad of the noise around us since it managed to drown out Miura's rather embarrassing statement.
And wait, haaaaah? Excuse me, dear WIFE of mine, but I don't remember being OWNED by you!
Fuahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
No woman can bind me to her will!
Ok except for my Mother, Hiratsuka-sensei and Shiromeguri-senpai of course, even I have to answer to Authority…
"How many times do I have to say this. Stop being such an impulsive brutish Gorilla, Miura. This is why people are afraid of you." I say.
"Haaaah?! Who are you calling a-"
Hina suddenly interjected. "Hmm, but Hikigaya is really bashful~. He calls me "Hina" when we're alone but he's too embarrassed to have me call him "Hachiman". He's quite shyer than he looks…Even though he's been calling me that for a while now…" Through her glasses, Hina's eyes had a playful-look to them as she put her chin on her hand and waited for my reaction.
"Oi Hina…" I say but her teasing smile only grew wider.
The three other girls looked to her for several seconds and then to me. They now sported hopeful expressions and batted their eyelashes at me.
"Hikio, that's really unfair. Call me Yumiko too…" Miura pouted, and I felt her boldly rub her leg on me from under the table.
"Hikigaya…we've known each other for a while already. Even Keika and Taishi call you by your first name…" From my right side, Kawasaki lightly nudged herself on my shoulder.
"Hikki…can you call me "Yui" from now on too, please~?" Yuigahama lightly tugged at my sleeve and looked at my with puppy-dog eyes.
Oh my God.
Being ganged up like this is unfair, I can't say no to those faces thanks to my Onii-chan instincts. Even my EX level resistance against mental attacks such as Charm have a limit in the face of these girls! Ugh, I don't care anymore. Screw this, it's not like me to get flustered over being called by my first name anyway!
"Fine you can call me Hachiman, and I'll call the four of you by your first names…" Good grief, is this what I get for being too nice? I put my hand on my temples, in an attempt to alleviate the sudden headache that came to me.
They looked quite happy with my declaration, and I almost got swayed by their smiles.
"Yumiko."
"Hmph!" She tried to play it off coolly by forcing herself not to smile, but the twitching on the ends of her lips were funny to look at. Not to mention that she was twirling the ends of her hair with her fingers while she avoiding eye contact with me.
"Yui."
"Yay!" Yuiga-I mean, YUI was the only one who was openly happy when I called her, she didn't bother hiding her face like Miura. Damnit, I mean Yumiko.
"Saki."
"T-Took you long enough…" Just like Miu-I mean, YUMIKO, she looked to the side while pretending to cover her mouth with a table napkin to hide her smile. As for Hina, this evil Slaaneshi Daemonette, she looked quite satisfied while eyeing the reactions of the three other girls with an amused grin. I can already imagine her with succubus horns and a heart-shaped devil's tail swinging swinging back and forth as she watched me suffer. Someone's ear is going to get twisted later, and I'm not gonna hold back!
Lord help me, this is going to take a while to get used to…
"Come on, let's finish eating…" I say and they followed my lead. They looked quite pleased and satisfied, at least. I felt the tension dissipate from the table and the atmosphere became comfortable to breathe once again. Several minutes after we finished, the company tour continued and we took the elevators up. Our little group of four became five since Tobe went off to join Hayama, while Hina and Saki came back to us.
When we entered their main workplace, the employees immediately stood up and bowed to my Father, they even bowed to me when I walked by. I should be getting used to this by now, but I still can't
Uwaaah, please stop bowing, it's embarrassing. I'm not your boss, I'm just his loser son…
"Hmm, Hiki-H-Hachiman look, they're bowing to you…" Miu-YUMIKO whispered to my ear after pulling on my sleeve. She stuttered and is still a bit embarrassed to call me by my first name. That's understandable, even though I said that I'll do it, that doesn't mean that I'm going to suddenly get all chummy chummy with everyone.
What am I, a Riajuu?
"Thank you Captain obvious." I reply and she pinched my side for my remark.
We arrived to the Conference Hall where they prepared a short presentation on how the company started, where it stands today and what it's daily operations was. Of course, being the son of the owner, I already know everything like the back of my hand since my Father made me watch this same presentation countless times already, saying that once I graduate form college, he's immediately going to retire and give me the reins while he'll live the rest of his life on his yacht exploring the vast Pacific Ocean.
I don't know if he was being serious or not.
Me and the girls sat down on the chair provided and waited for the presentation to start. The first few scenes was my Father having a short talk while he sat on his chair in his private room, he explained much of his early life, his college days, where he worked, when he started saving and investing and how he started the company. The most embarrassing part was when I saw my baby pictures and me as a toddler when the presentation showed some scenes of our family. I'm not really boastful, but I can assure you that I was a very cute baby. In fact, I was so cute that I wrote it down on my essay back in Middle-School that I unironically wanted to clone myself in the future and raise him as my own. It didn't really go well since I got laughed at by everyone.
"WOAH! BABY HIKITANI IS SO CUTE!" Tobe screamed out like an idiot and pointed at the projector screen. Everyone laughed at him and he got hit in the head by Hayama. The two of them gave an apologetic bow to my Father, but he just looked very amused at them.
…
…
…
That's it.
I'm contacting my Father's Yakuza subordinates. Sorry Tobe, you said too much. My Father's guys will make it look like an accident…
"LOOK AT HIM HE'S SO SMALL AND CHUBBY AND CUTE!" Yui squealed out which was followed by the others, unfortunately.
God this is so embarrassing…
"AH! HE'S SMILING! HE'S ACTUALLY SMILING! HE HAS NO TEETH YET!" Hina exclaimed with a ridiculously over-the-top voice.
"LOOK! HE'S TRYING TO BITE HIS LITTLE BABY FEET! AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Yumiko screeched. The last photo was me at around 6 months old with my hair still wet from the bath, I didn't have any teeth and I was trying to bite my tiny foot. My Father held me, yet he didn't look like he aged much since that day many years ago. Is my Father actually a vampire? Am I half-vampire and half-human?
Yumiko was the loudest of the bunch, she even shook my shoulders like a madwoman for some reason when she saw that particular photo. I swear females always make exaggerated expressions. I always knew that she had the strongest maternal instincts from our time together back at the camping trip, so her reaction was kinda expected.
Saki was, surprisingly silent so I turned to her to see what she was doing. And I saw her holding her phone and…taking pictures while silently giggling to herself…
Saki, I thought you were my closest sister-in-arms? Why would you betray me like this…?(Cringe, damn you Zaimokuza. Your shitty manuscripts may have gotten in my head.)
I don't remember much on what happened after that, all I know is that the presentation ended and we were on our way back to the bus to take us back to school. That cunning Father of mine even gave each of us a miniature model of the ship, as well as other freebies as souvenirs! Is this his way of showing off?! I haven't said a single word since my mind was still numb from the embarrassment. They were enjoying this and have been teasing me nonstop, these girls! I can't stand the another hour of being in the bus with them while they poke and tease me for their amusement! I say NAY to being their boy-toy, as a thing to satisfy their carnal desires!
I refuse!
DAGA KOTOWARU!
I will use the ultimate Joestar Technique, the one that Joseph, son of Jorge, used against Kars!
Running away!
I took out my phone and sent a quick message to my Father's driver, Shikimoto-san.
I drifted to the back of our little group, until I was at the very last. They were talking with each other and Saki was sharing the photos that she took with Hina, giggling while they were at it. I was about to take a turn that would take me directly to the underground parking area but I felt a hand suddenly twist my ear.
What?! I didn't feel a presence?! Is this Presence Concealment Rank: EX?! An Assassin?!
"Hikigaya, where do you think you're going?" I heard her voice and she twisted me again until I had to turn to her.
Hiratsuka-sensei was there in all her glory, she arched a brow at me while her eyes looked at me with suspicion.
"A-Ah, Hiratsuka-sensei…" I croak out and she let go of me. I rubbed my ear to make the pain go away.
You know, I admit that I'm a bit of a sadist. In my games, I laugh when my opponent is on the ground with 1hp left, but instead of ending them right there, I let them live for a little while as I toy with them for my amusement and wait in the corner while I eliminate their teammate that was supposed to revive them. When I'm chasing them with my plane, I deliberately hit their fuel tanks so they can burn alive from the inside.
But being punished like this by a very beautiful single older woman like Hiratsuka-sensei might make me into an M. If that happens, I'll have Hiratsuka-sensei take responsibility for making me feel that way!
"I-I was on my way to the restroom…"
"Oh really? But the restroom isn't in that direction…?" She narrowed her eyes and she leaned in closer to my face.
"I was going to take a call…"
"But why did you have to hide?"
"I have an sudden appointment so I'm going to have my Father's driver take me there…"
"Oh? Without my permission?"
"Nothing like that Sensei, h-hahahaha. In fact, I was hoping for this to happen." I say and she then told me to explain myself
"Well, you see Sensei. I'm feeling rather drained and tired today, so I decided to go home on my own. Of course, I was going to ask for your permission." I say with my most convincing voice.
"Is that it?"
I nod. "Yes."
She scratched her head with a conflicted face, and I turned around and saw that the rest of the group was already a small distance away. "I guess you can go, knowing you, you must have already told your Dad about it…"
"Thank you Sensei. If you'll excuse me…" I gave her a grateful bow, but before I could turn away from her, she took hold of my shoulder.
"Hikigaya?"
"Yes, Sensei?" I turn to her once again, eager to hear what she was going to say.
She was quiet for a bit, as if deciding if she should come out and say it. "Hikigaya, please fix things up with Yukinoshita…" Hiratsuka-sensei walked away before I could react.
I watched her go for several seconds then just shrugged at her words, not really thinking deeply about it and made my way to the underground parking area. I saw my Father's pitch black automobile blinking its lights, as if making its position aware for me. The driver's door opened and out stepped out Shikimoto-san, he bowed and opened the door for me. He was a few years younger than my Father, and worked as his Driver and Secretary. I got acquainted with him when I traveled around with my Father back during the school break. He was a quiet and very mild-mannered man, some might get intimidated by him but he was very kind and hardworking.
He closed the door when I sat comfortably at the passenger's seat. "Thank you, Shikimoto-san." I say. He nodded at me from the mirror and put on his seatbelt.
"No worries, Hikigaya-kun. Did your class enjoy the tour?" He asked as he started the engine.
"Yes, your co-workers did great, please send them my thanks and regards. My class enjoyed the tour very much." I reply. We got out of the underground parking area and I had to blink and momentarily shield my eyes when we got out under the Sun.
"So Hikigaya-kun, where do you want to go?" He said when the automobile went on the main road. I wanted to him to drive me home so badly, but I didn't want to bother Shikimoto-san too much. He only came here at my request after all.
"To the closest station that would directly take me back to Chiba, you will..."
I hate malls, too many people and the crowds make it difficult for me to breathe. Not to mention potential long lines that you have to wait before you can pay for your purchase. I much rather prefer shopping online as my first choice. But today was a special case.
I bought Yuigahama's gift, which was a nice cooking set that I found online. I chose the items and purchased it through my credit card, but I have to personally come her to inspect it and bring it home with me. It's also my way of thanking her for making my days a bit less boring.
Wait, that last part sounded really wrong…like a line coming from a villain before I execute a companion of the Hero or something…
Unfortunately, I find myself being dragged around the mall. She was holding my hand which prevents me from going for any chance of escape. She was wearing pretty clothes today, as always. A cute simple blouse that showed off her shoulders while she wore skinny jeans. She found me just as I was about to go home, and by found, I mean by jumping on my back and putting her arms around me. Startling and almost causing a shriek of terror from me. At first I thought it was Komachi who sneaked out and followed me, but then I remembered that Komachi's chests weren't fully developed yet.
And the ones that I felt on my back earlier were big.
In fact, if memory serves me right, I have indirectly felt them a few times before. The most recent one was when we parted at the parking lot of Angel Ladder.
"Haruno."
"Hm~?"
"Can you please let go of my hand?"
"Noooo can do~~." I felt her tighten its hold upon my words.
"Haruno-nee-san."
"Nope~!"
"Nee-san."
"Nuh uh~! If you call me like that, Yukino-chan might get jealous~~…"
"Haruno-nee-sama…?"
"Noooo~!"
"Onee-sama…?"
She turned to me this time with an amused smile. "Hmm, being called like that sounds nice! Still no though~!" She stuck out her tongue at me.
I sighed.
Why did I have to run into her today…
"Seriously Hikigaya-kun, you're dressed quite nicely today, and your perfume is really nice too~. Did I somehow steal you from the lucky girl that asked you out~?" She teased and winked at me as we walked hand-in-hand.
"Nothing of that sort, I've just decided to update my wardrobe a bit." I say.
I went on a shopping spree with my Mother and Komachi last weekend(My Father drank too much on the night before and had a massive headache in the morning so he couldn't come with us.) and they took it upon themselves to choose my clothes for me. They literally had to drag me to the card since I just felt like lazying around at home. My Mother even bought me a golden necklace that she said would look great on me, which I was wearing right now under my shirt. I'm still not used to it, and I woke up at 3am this morning because I felt that I was literally being choked. It took us the entire day, and they bought me so much clothes that it was worth two shopping carts.
Right now, I was wearing a white semi-formal long-sleeved shirt and light-brown khaki pants. My trusty watch was with me of course, and I raised my sleeves since it was getting a bit hot. I finally took it upon myself to properly learn how to do my hair, in the event that neither my Mother or Komachi weren't present to do it.
"I know! Come with me while I look for some new clothes too!" She exclaimed a bit too loudly since it caused some heads around to turn to our direction.
Since struggling to escape was too late and I didn't really have any other appointments today, I sighed in defeat. "Fine."
She giggled at my reply and led us to an expensive-looking boutique. She finally let go of my hand so she can inspect the clothes that caught her eye and I held her purse for her. With the basket in my hand, I just followed her around the store, sometimes she would ask my opinions on the one that she took interest in and put it in the basket. A slave, that's what I am right now…
I went on full autopilot, emptying my mind and followed her around like a robot, only coming to my senses when she spoke to me. I have no idea how much time it took us, all I know is that my legs were aching. I felt my phone ring, the specific tone that I assigned to Komachi's number and excused myself after giving Haruno the basket. Once I was outside, I got it from my pocket and put it to my ear.
"Yes?"
"Haa-chan!" I heard a little girl's voice, one that was too young to be Komachi's from the other end of the call.
"Oh! Kei-chan!" I smiled when I recognized her voice.
"Haa-chan! Haa-chan! Where are you?" Even though I can't see her, I'm sure she's jumping up and down from excitement.
"I'm at the mall right now. Are you at our house?"
"Yup!" I could already see the girl vigorously nodding her head. "You see! Mom and Auntie and Me were in the community meeting thingy! So Auntie invited us for tea after!"
"Are you being a good girl?"
"Yes! I'm the goodest girl during the meeting! Auntie said so!" I heard Komachi laugh in the background at the word "goodest".
Ah! She's so cute and precious! This call alone is going to give me diabeetus. When I have a daughter some day, I hope she will be as sweet as Kei-chan!
"Haa-chan! Can you come back so we can play now?" She asked with a hopeful voice.
I felt my chest tighten and cause pain within me. "Well, Haa-chan is doing something right now, and I might come home late. But we'll play tomorrow, ok? Keep it a secret from Saa-chan, bring Taishi instead."
"Ok Haa-chan! See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah." The call ended and left me feeling really warm inside. Uwaah, Kei-chan is so cute, too much cuteness is bad for my hollow heart!
I went back inside the store to find my "Onee-sama" looking for me. "Hikigaya-kun! I thought you ran away from me! Tell me how this dress looks on me~." She took hold of my hand and we went to the changing rooms. There were other women around giving us amused-looks and I waited and crossed my legs outside the changing room for her to finish. I heard some rustling inside, the sounds of clothing being taken off. I discarded lewd thoughts by thinking about my shitty gacha game.
Tch, now I'm pissed off! Stupid gacha game with stupid rate-ups! Rate-ups are a lie!
After a short while the covers slid to the right revealing Haruno in a simple white free-flowing dress. It had short sleeves and the skirt ended at her ankles. She gave me a cute twirl while grinning to let me see the entire thing.
"It looks great. Are you going to the beach or something?" I think this was called a sun dress. Women typically wear this during the summer seasons or at the beach. When worn at the latter, they usually wear their swimwear underneath. Or something like that, I'm not well versed in feminine articles of clothing.
"Heeh~…Are you imagining me in a swimsuit~…?" She gave me the typical haughty ojou-sama-look and giggled.
"Maybe…" I say with an impassive face, not really in the mood for her antics.
"Oh my~! I guess I'll go look for one then, and I'll have you pick one for me~. One that suits your…preferences. Hehehehe~…" She gave me a flirty wink before closing the covers of the changing room.
Needless to say, I was left blushing and speechless because of her statement. I do admit that I was caught off guard. Good grief, I let my guard down just this once and this immediately happens…
Haruno - 1
Hachiman - 0
I overheard the salesladies nearby whisper to themselves.
"Oh my, how daring of her…!"
"Look at those two, keep an eye on them! They might do something funny inside the changing rooms…!"
"Yes Maam!"
Without even needing to turn around, I heard one of them stay closer to us and started pretending to be busy doing something. Uwaah, that last part was something straight out of hentai doujin…
The covers opened again, and this time, Haruno was wearing a light-blue blouse with floral patterns that had frills at the end of her sleeves. It fitted her nicely, though I bit too nicely at the area around her chest.
"How about this~?"
"Yeah, looks good on you." I gave her a lazy nod.
"I know right? Wait till you see the back~!"
But then she turned around with a grin and I nearly had a heart attack.
It was a backless blouse, and exposed much of the skin at her back obviously. I saw her bra, it was black. My Onii-chan instincts activated without warning and I sprang right next to her and covered her.
"Too revealing! Too revealing! WAY TOO REVEALING! Go back inside and change right now!" I grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back inside with her facing me of course and quickly closed the covers in front of me. She laughed at my reaction but listened to me anyway.
"Stupid blouse. Why does that thing even exist, it's a blasphemy to all blouses everywhere." I mutter to myself as I sat down once more. Haruno must have heard me since I heard her giggling from the inside.
"Onee-sama," I say louder to make sure that everyone heard me, "please don't get that. You will get in trouble if Mother finds out."
From the inside of the changing room, I heard her reply. "Hai hai~~…"
Once again, I heard the voices from the salesladies.
"Oh, so they were siblings."
"They're so cute and so close together too. I wish I was still that close to my little brother, he just started puberty right now and he ignores me! I think it's because he's starting to notice girls, that's why he's so self-conscious and fidgeting when he's around me!"
"Don't you think that they're a bit…too close?"
It's either they don't know that their voices are actually audible for me, or maybe it's just that my sense of hearing is really sensitive. As a proud siscon, I'm getting brocon vibes from the second voice not gonna lie.
Thankfully, Haruno didn't pull any pranks on me after that, and she tried on a few more before we were done. She soon got out with the clothes in the basket, looking very much satisfied with herself. "I'm getting these~…" I waited for her to pay for her stuff and we got out of the boutique together.
"Where do you want to go next?" She asked and took my hand once more. It feels rather strange doing something so lewd as hand-holding in public. The Anti-Lewdness Police might be watching us right now! I felt her sway our hands in sync with our walking and she looked at me with childish glee. I didn't really feel like ruining her fun, so I just let her do as she pleased.
I was about to say that I wanted to check out the gunpla that they sold here, but I already promised Hina that I'd go with her, so that pretty much cancels my gunpla hunting out.
"Hmmm…" I hummed in thought as we walked since we weren't really in a hurry.
She was happy to just wait for me to answer, until we saw an arcade that instantly drew our attention. We both looked at each other at the same time with the same intent, it was a bit silly that I had to chuckle at the coincidence. The place was packed, as expected, and the air inside was filled with the sounds of games and chatter. Haruno looked at the long line to the exchange booth with slight disdain. "Uwaaah, it's so long…"
I never thought that I would ever come to use this with her. I only used this several times with Shiromeguri-senpai after work and I literally had to drag her away from the arcade last time.
She let go of my hand when I told her that I was going to get something from my wallet. After looking through my debit and credit cards, I finally found it and gave one to Haruno.
"Hm? What's this Hikigaya-kun…?" She looked at the very shiny platinum card with curiosity. It glinted brightly when it caught some of the lights above.
"Well, the marketing campaign and anniversary event of this arcade chain included giving very generous tokens and gifts to some of the children of its long-time investors. It's a lifetime membership with infinite credits. I got this from my Father."
She looked at the seemingly small card with surprise and amazement. "Infinite?! Wow, and you got two?"
"We kept this a secret from my little sister since she might…go astray, if you catch my meaning. She sometimes gets easily distracted." I say. My Father and I agreed that this was the best course of action to take seeing that Komachi was still a child after all. Giving this to her right now might cause problems in the future.
"Come on, let's go." I say and led her to one of the gaming areas. I had a day off today since Boss Yuuka had some new part-timers and my shifts have significantly changed. As is customary when going to arcades, I went to those fighting games, eager to show off my skills to my companion. I've played this game since I was in Middle-School and all its new releases that followed. I even have this in Vita-chan. When we went there, a frustrated-looking girl got up from the seat and walked away with her friends. The one who beat her laughed victoriously but still had to decency to shake hands with his enemy.
"GG."
"GG."
I stepped from the small crowd and said that I wanted to play with him. Since the seat was big enough for two people, Haruno sat beside me and watched the screen curiously as I swiped my card. Everyone was drawn to her beauty, even the girl that was beaten just moments before.
"Hikigaya-kun, what are you doing? Are you choosing a character?"
"Yup." I say with my mind full of concentration. The game lasted for three rounds until the victor is decided. You can get beat up twice in a row but can still win. The annoying mechanic in this game is that you can't see your opponent's chosen character until the very last second, so you can't pick a character that can counter him effectively.
Only twenty seconds left and I still couldn't decide my character, so I turned to Haruno. "Pick a character for me."
"Hmm, ok. Lets see..."
Her eyes drifted to one of the strong-looking characters, the ones with ridiculously huge muscles or with weapons like swords and guns. Next she took an interest in the ones that practiced martial arts based on what they were wearing.
"What about this guy, he reminds me of you since you!" She picked one that was wearing a gi, the uniforms that were worn by people who practiced Taekwondo. Huh, I have one like this at home, no make that three actually. The character's hair covered his eyes, and aside from his uniform, he didn't have any uniqueness to his design.
In fact, he looked like a hentai protagonist.
Did Haruno indirectly imply that I look like a hentai protagonist? Meh, probably not, she doesn't look the type to know this kind of stuff. The only persons that come to mind are Hina and Zaimokuza.
I don't know if being called that I resemble a hentai protagonist is a complement or an insult…
"Fantastic choice. Quick and hard kicks, fast footwork but little weak on his punches." I say and she looked rather proud of herself and puffed out her chest.
The game started and my opponent choice one of the most annoying characters in the game. The one that he picked was notorious for spamming hits from all directions at point blank range.
For the first few seconds, we were testing each other sometimes lunging and feinting, but never fully committing. He was being very careful, as was I. He must be a skilled player. He struck on the last ten seconds, getting several hits but I managed to block and land a hard blow which knocked him off of his feet.
The round ended with neither of us getting our health bars depleted, but he got the score since his health was higher than mine.
He immediately ran towards me just as the second round started. Hitting me hard and fast with combos, not giving me time to recover and block. It was his victory and I heard some disappointed comments from the spectators. It seems that they expected a more longer engagement.
Haruno poked my shoulder and said words of encouragement. I took at peek at my enemy and he was looking very full of himself and thinking that he had one.
The third round started just like the second, and he ran towards me at full speed.
Instead of blocking or dodging.
I jumped.
And landed a devastating critical hit to his head that stunned him on the ground for two seconds.
Which was more than enough time to initiate combo after combo.
"HOLY SHIT!" I heard him exclaim in utter shock.
The round ended at the eight second mark.
Haruno was a bit confused on what happened since it was too fast, but the spectators cheered and voiced out their amazement at the speed of the match.
I ignored them and continued with the game. I beat him again just like that for the 2nd time and on the last round, he was very aggressive and unpredictable that even I had to be careful. In the end, he made the mistake of jumping backwards, probably thinking that I was going to give him a close-quarters uppercut. Unfortunately for him, that was a feint and that left him just in range of my finisher combo.
I won just like that, and Haruno looked quite entertained to say the least.
I went up to my opponent and shook his hand. "Good game."
"GG man. That was sick bro!" He grinned and patted my shoulder.
Huh, and here I was thinking that he was angry and going to pick a fight with me, since he looked a bit delinquent-ish. I was already mentally preparing myself too…
I should seriously stop over-thinking things and judging people at face value…
A newcomer said that he wanted to play with me, but I retired and gave my seat to him instead. As we were walking, I saw from the corner of my eye that he picked the same character that I picked. And everyone around was saying that they're gonna try it out too. Hoh, did I just started a new meta?
"Haruno, where do you want to go?"
"Let's play one of the crane games!" She said and led me to them. I thought we were going to those usual crane game that had stuffed animals inside, but she was very interested in the crane game that had desserts inside instead of toys. Uwaah, I wish there was a crane game out there that had gunpla in them, I'd totally use my card to get every single box.
We went to the biggest one that we could find, and she immediately went to try it out while U read its instructions. "Hikigaya-kun, it's not working." She said after trying the card several times with no success.
"No, you have to do it slower. Otherwise the machine can't read the card." I said and held her hand to teach her. She didn't mind the contact, and I saw a small smile on her face when I did it. We swiped it together and the machine blinked its lights to life.
"Oh! So that's how you do it!" She said and went to the controls. Eyeing a vanilla flavoured ice-cream sandwich. The crane's claws closed around it, and Haruno's eyes narrowed. The claw had it in its grasp until it fell from the recoil of it being withdrawn upwards.
Haruno made a frustrated sound, and swiped again, and again, and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.
Despite trying to look calm, Haruno was very much infuriated, that much I can tell. I can already feel her Madness Enhancement passive skill increase with every failed attempt. "Haruno, why don't you let me have a go…" I call out to her softly and touched her hand since she was grasping the controls so strongly that I was afraid that she'd rip the poor thing off. Her eye was twitching with barely controlled rage. She turned to me without warning and she covered her mouth and yelled in frustration on my chest, not to mention stomping her foot. Some people gave us strange looks and I patted her head in an attempt to cheer her up.
"There there…" She calmed down from my touch after a little while and separated from me. Her expression had returned to normal but turned sour when she turned to the dreaded machine. "Stupid thing…" she said and gave it a kick. I just laughed it off.
I swiped my own card and played with the controls a little, feeling the speed of the claws, its reaction time and how much it swayed when it carried nothing. Once I was satisfied, I decided to try getting the one that Haruno had been trying to catch earlier without much success. The claws descended, caught the ice-cream sandwich with ease, rose, traveled to the hole and dropped it.
"WHAT THE-?! YOU GOT IT ON THE FIRST TRY?!" Haruno loudly exclaimed as I calmly knelt down and got my prize. I wordlessly gave it to her.
"Huh? But you were the one who…?"
I shrugged. "I did it for you. I wanted something else anyway." I say and turn my attention to the machine and swiped with my card. I got my mochi ice-cream on the first try, just like before. Haruno was speechless, and looked at me incredulously, thinking as if I was messing with her. After getting mine, we decided to sit down on the benches inside as we ate our prizes. She still couldn't get over the crane game.
"How did you do that?"
"Do what?" I arch a brow at her, feigning ignorance.
"Get them on the first try? Is there a secret? Do you need to make combinations with the controls earlier, that's why you played with it around first? Does the card increase its success rate when you're using it?" She nagged and gripped my sleeve.
I rolled my eyes at her. "Nothing like that."
"Then how? HOW?" She inched her face closer to mine, desperate to get an answer from me, but I was unfazed. In fact, I gave her a small grin.
"You can say that I've been building up my luck stats for some time, and I could use them to make instantly make certain situations go my way…" I reply.
She tilted her head to the side, not sure what to make of my words. Obviously confused since she didn't quite get the reference. Good grief, what a normie. "So…luck?"
I nod.
"Just luck?"
I nod again.
"You do know the probability of success in crane games is really low right?"
"Don't blame me, I just happened to be lucky twice in a row."
She sighed and pouted, looking quite dissatisfied by me reply. "Meanie…" I felt her head on my shoulder and rub herself on it. I didn't mind that she was leaning on me and I did the same to her. Her shampoo smelled nice, but I couldn't quite tell the scent since I was too busy eating. I didn't care if some people were giving us looks of slight annoyance at how... openly affectionate we were with each other.
"Mind if I take picture?" She asked and tapped my hand with her finger.
"Go ahead…"
Without another word, she took out her phone and snapped photo, the two of us not moving an inch from our current positions. When she showed it to me, I was resting my cheek on top of her head and she did the same to my shoulder while we were both making very relaxed expressions.
"Smile for me this time, Hikigaya-kun."
She snapped again, she had a bright smile on her face while I just had a small one. I thought I looked a bit awkward, but then she said that I looked "charming" and "cheeky", to which I kind of agreed. We continued eating silence while watching different people walk by, some with their prizes in their hands while some looked very angry and frustrated.
"By the way." I say boredly and rubbed my cheek on her head to get her attention since I was already done eating.
"Hmm?" She looked up at me, some bits of ice-cream on her lips.
"Your perfume, where did you get it?"
"Which one? Right now?" She asked inquisitively from my question.
"The one you had on when we were at Angel Ladder."
"Ah, I think I got that in Tokyo…"
"Ugh, why does it have to be so far away…" I sighed. Why does everything good have to be in Tokyo, Chiba matters too!
"Tokyo isn't really far you know. It's only a train ride away. Why, did you liked it?"
I nodded. "Yes, I think my Mother would love it."
She looked like she thought of an idea, and I can already guess what she's going to say next.
Your next line, is "Then do you want to go there together?"!
"Then do you want to go there together?" When she said that, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. She looked at me in wonder, trying to figure out what was funny.
"Maybe some other time..." I reply and finished my dessert. I disposed of our garbage at the nearby trash bin and went back to her. "That was good, but I want a proper lunch now…" She said.
Since she was leaning on my left side, I found it quite difficult to take a peek at my watch without moving her. Instead, I took out my phone and saw that it was half-past 11:00, and I was starting to get hungry too.
"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Let's go then." We got up and started walking to the exit of the arcade. Honestly, the loud sounds here are starting to give me a headache, and Haruno's suggestion was just at the right time.
"Where are we gonna eat?"
"Let's just decide as we walk around. I'm unfamiliar with this place and I'm sure that we'll come across a nice place to eat."
She took out her phone again after putting her bags down and snapped a selfie of us. Her arm was around mine, and even though it wasn't shown that we were holding hands, it was enough to give an impression of it. Now that I take a good look at myself, I actually don't look half-bad as I thought I was. So Haruno wasn't joking around when she said that huh...
I wordlessly carried her bags for her and slowly took her hand, interlocking her fingers with mine, unlike before where we were just hand-holding. They were small, soft and warm. I wonder how my hands felt to her. I stepped closer to her until our shoulders were touching. She was pleasantly surprised at my act, and turned to me with a small shy smile while her cheeks had a small blush.
"O-Oh my, what's this, H-Hachiman?" She said and played with my fingers, trying to play it off coolly despite the pinkish tinge on her cheeks.
Hoooooooh, using the First-Name Card, are we…
I gave her a small grin, completely ignoring the small blush that I felt on my pale face too. If I fail now, then I will literally pass out from the embarrassment. "W-Weren't you making sure that I won't run away? And I don't really know much about this area, I might get lost." I reply in a relaxed manner while looking forward.
"Ah, and this is your way of…binding yourself to me…?"
I shrugged. "Too late to run away anyway. This is my way of returning the favour that I owed you. Rejoice and be merry, for I will allow you to be in my presence." I gave her an arrogant smirk and she playfully hit my shoulder.
She fluttered her eyes at me, and the coy smile that she had turned into a flirty one.
"Hmm~, has the great Hikigaya Hachiman finally given up~?"
"If by "giving up" means that I've decided to stick with you for the rest of the day, then yes. I have given up. Plus, I rarely get to be in the presence with a high-class girl like you."
Her blush slightly deepened at my last statement, yet she was still able to maintain her composure. "But you are actually "high-class" too, y-you knooooow~. Are you sure that you are not going to run off if I take my eyes off you~?"
"No."
"Reeeeeeeeeaalllyyyy~?"
"Yes, really."
"Prove it then~..."
I wordlessly held up our hands together for her to see. That was an answer enough for her since she looked very much amused at my act.
Her eyes had a certain glint to them when I replied, and she nodded while looking very satisfied with herself. "So you're enjoying this then?"
"Of course I am. Any time spent with you is never boring."
She giggled, that cute pleasant sound of hers, and playfully pinched my side. "Hehehehe~. Oh my, such daring words~. You make me feel a bit flustered, Hachiman~. But aren't you embarrassed to be seen in public like this by someone you know from school?" She asked and cutely tilted her head to the side.
"Why on Earth would I be embarrassed to be seen together with a gorgeous girl such as you? In fact, I'm flaunting you off to everyone around us right now. Let them know and realize that right now, I am the luckiest man in the world." I reply with a small grin.
For the first time ever since I met her, I made Yukinoshita Haruno blush profusely and at a loss for words.
Haruno - 1
Hachiman - 1
Our scores were tied.
She tried to say something but her voice failed her and looked down, trying to hide her face from me. Her hand gripped me tighter and I saw that her shoulders slightly shook. I couldn't help but laugh and poke fun of her because of her rather cute reaction.
"Hmm, have I made my oh so sweet Onee-sama flustered to the point that she's speechless?" I poked her cheek and she cutely turned away. I kept on teasing and poking her until she puffed out her cheeks and pouted at me.
"T-That was unfair H-Hachiman…" She said and pinched my side.
"You were never fair since the start too you know…" I laughed in response and she tugged me closer to her as she rested her head on my shoulder.
"H-Hmph, f-fair enough..." She said and hummed in satisfaction as he played with my fingers and I returned her touches.
For the first time in a while, I was actually actually enjoying myself. My mind wasn't burdened with my responsibilities at school or at work. I feel relaxed, as if the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders.
I can't remember the last time I felt like this;
Happy, free from my responsibilities and not having to worry about my image.
Haruno is right, I should unwind and relax every now and then.
Hello again!
How is everyone with the quarantine? Doing ok? Having fun? A bit dull? Speaking to their stuffed animals? Looking for shadows that weren't there at first? Going insane? Having hallucinations from the lack of social contact with another human being? Seeing their faces contort into twisted and grotesque monstrosities every time you look in the mirror?
Well here you go, a tiny comfort to at least temporarily uplift your spirits!
This chapter was really fun to write doe and I 'm really satisfied with it. The second part was supposed to be from Haruno's POV, but I decided against it. As for Hachiman, he's getting a bit assertive and bold huh, even Haruno was surprised! Hmm, but how would the young Yukinoshita react if she saw her older sister fooling around with Hachiman in the mall. How would she feel, I wonder, seeing him being touchy-feely with her OWN sister? That is IF, of course assuming that she saw them, right? Hahahaha...
Unless...?
Ah, but who knows? Maybe she ran back home heartbroken and crying when she saw them together? Maybe she wasn't there in the first place? Maybe She-who-must-not-be-named saw them from afar? Maybe I'm going to stop teasing all of you at some point?
But I won't, because it is quite fun! FUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Aight, imma stop teasing you lot lmao.
Reply time!
Imperial Gilgamesh: Just an OC
Integral Calculus: She's gonna show up soon!
ClassUlysses: Same
EiNyx: She's not gonna be a major character doe, and just made smut chapter since I was bored.
Oh, I'm posting and checking the OneShot as we speak, try seeing the page again in an hour or two! Oh yeah, and try checking out the titles of the chapters, it's a bit of a hint. :)
REVIEW, LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE(lol), FOLLOW, FAVOURITE, PM, IDK BLAH BLAH BLAH
See you!
