Chapter 1
Unfortunately, I found myself in one regrettable circumstance after another leading to one even more disastrous than the preceding ones. There was a girl sitting across from me, black, shoulder-length hair with purple highlights complimenting her deep violet eyes. Those same ones were staring at me with a smile that could draw anyone to her.
It was winter, so she was wearing a red coat with white hems and black buttons. The December wind was chilly outside, but the heat in the cafe made it tolerable enough for her to start removing it. She set it aside without breaking eye contact, and she might have meant nothing by it, but it really seemed like she was staring at me like prey.
"I never thought I'd see you here by yourself of all places!" she exclaimed, putting her hands up as a gesture for surprise.
Now this wouldn't be so bad, if it was nearly any other person, but it was Haruno Yukinoshita, the Sobu ice queen's elder sister. It wasn't that she was terrible company or that I was afraid of her- well, maybe a little. The way she so easily manipulated people using her excellent and various facades was frightening in a way, but it was her seemingly lack of concern for the people she exploited that unnerved me. I mentally sighed, already exhausted, and I hadn't even spoken a word. I was not in the mood for her antics.
"I didn't have much of a choice," I replied candidly, dropping my pencil onto the table. "My sister has friends over, so I have to study somewhere else." The faster I dealt with her the quicker I could get back to studying. It was a lose-lose situation for me, I suppose.
I had settled on a cafe because I would at least be able to eat and drink some coffee while I worked. The coffee here wasn't as good as Maxx, but the treats were definitely better than the ones at school. She took a moment too long to respond, and the longer that she sat there, the more I started to think I should have chosen a more secluded place- like the middle of a forest.
"Mmm… Then I won't bother you since you're so hard at work." Did I hear that correctly? Did some unknown god smile upon me for all my hard work and grace me with the most paramount of rewards? "In fact, I'll even help you!" And my imaginary smile immediately deflated. Maybe I should have waited until she was finished to react.
Naturally, I was inclined to decline, but seeing how she was at the top of her class and probably still is, I really shouldn't let this opportunity go. Did I want a good score on the exam, or did I want a more peaceful evening? Either way I was subjected to studying, something that I already despised, so I might as well go all in and fully succumb myself to an evening of agony. I sighed, conceding my peaceful solitude for the time being.
"That's fine…"
She seemed surprised at first- honestly I was too with how quickly I agreed to it, but a smile quickly formed on her lips before hurriedly moving over to my side of the booth. I hadn't expected this, and it made me a little flustered being in such close proximity with her. I scooted over a few inches to give myself some breathing room, and her eyes began scanning the material in front of me.
"Math? I thought you were the monster of logic. I would think logic and math would go hand in hand," she mocked, poking my forehead. I brushed her hand away, already regretting my decision, and I wished that were the case, but here I am stuck with a barely passing grade in both math and science. I had at least excellent grades in everything else.
As much as I was expecting to say she was teasing me the whole time, it wasn't nearly the case. Although, she did make plenty of jokes and remarked about my inability to grasp apparently simple concepts, she became somewhat serious once we started. I knew Haruno was amazing at everything she wanted to set her sights on, especially academics, but she was also an excellent teacher. Maybe it was the personal one on one conversations we were having that couldn't really be replicated in a classroom, but I felt like I was learning things a lot more efficiently.
She explained things clearly, added examples or analogies that she thought would help, which did, and laughed at some of my mistakes. The last one didn't really help- I was just stating the things she did. I also didn't have a clue why she was doing this. Was there any benefit for her to spend her time tutoring me? As crazy as I thought Haruno was, I didn't think she found tutoring someone an incredibly enjoyable pastime.
Despite that, it didn't last very long- less than an hour. I was planning on returning home by dinner, and we had only gone over exponential curves and derivatives. I couldn't believe I was thinking this, but I wish I could have spent a little more time with her- to study.
"Thanks, Yukinoshita-san."
"You can thank me by calling me Haruno," she teased. This wasn't the first time she had mentioned this, but maybe this time I'll indulge her for her generosity. I wasn't so wary of her to not show some gratitude.
"Thanks, Haruno," I corrected. That felt strange coming out of my mouth. It would take some getting used to.
She smiled, satisfied with the response. "You don't have to thank me." She poked my cheek, and seeing that I was a little red from the contact she continued. "Well, I guess I have to let you go for now, right Hikigaya-kun?"
I nodded, almost replying with "sorry". I don't know where that came from, but it was probably best to keep that tucked away. I didn't want to give her and myself the wrong idea. I had already finished packing my supplies, so I just had to wait until she moved.
She stood up from the booth, offering a hand. I was extremely hesitant to accept it like it was some extremely obvious prank, but before I could, I felt something vibrate in my pocket.
Friends are staying over for dinner, can you eat out? Sorry!
The message from Komachi caused me to sigh as I dishearteningly shoved my phone back into my pocket. Was I so unimportant that you would prefer friends eating at our home over your dear brother, Komachi?
"Is something wrong?" Haruno pried. She looked way too excited to learn about whatever misfortunes might have fallen on me.
"My sister's friends are staying over for dinner, so-" I paused, realizing where this could head. As if on queue, Haruno immediately confirmed my thought.
"So she asked you to eat dinner with me?" What? She was smiling, amused at my reaction. "Well, maybe not quite like that," she chuckled. "But what do you say, Hikigaya-kun? My treat!"
"No, thanks."
She pouted playfully, then crossed her arms like I had just taken away a toy from a child, who's name was Haruno. It was kind of cute. Even if she was just feigning being upset, her expression was authentically childish.
"Hmph," she finally retorted after a few awkward seconds of silence. "Then I won't help you study anymore."
"I… didn't ask."
"But it seemed to me you actually need my help, Hikigaya-kun."
That may be true, but you didn't have to say it. I did not want to find myself indebted to Haruno Yukinoshita of all people.
"Come now, Hikigaya-kun. I'll help you, and all you have to do is eat."
The way she phrased it was appetizing, but the person the phrase was coming from was not. She was beautiful and generously proportioned, but I wasn't looking forward to being entertainment for Haruno. Maybe I was just overthinking things, Komachi did say I did that often, but I had to keep my guard up against Haruno's onslaught of- teasing.
Before, Haruno was fixated on trying to mold me and Yukinoshita's relationship, but she hasn't even mentioned anything related to her or the service club today. Has she found a new direction for me that didn't involve Yukinoshita? Was I to be involved in some evil scheme of hers? Or was this scheme directed towards ruining my existence? All of this paranoia was getting in the way of my actually finding an excuse to refuse her, so I stopped.
"Fine," I answered. If she acted anywhere near as tolerable as she did while she was tutoring me during dinner, then I would regret this decision less. I could only hope that would be the case.
She smiled from my answer. "I'm delighted, Hikigaya-kun."
After a brief one sided conversation, Haruno decided on a moderately priced restaurant a few blocks from the cafe. She made the walk as awkward as possible, clinging to my arm and capturing the attention of a few jealous bystanders. The restaurant itself was nice and cozy with a much more lavish atmosphere than the people it catered to. We were directed to a small table near a window, and I caught a weird glance from the waiter as he placed menus in front of us.
I started with ordering coffee and water, while Haruno asked for their lightest sake. I knew she was paying for the meal, and I knew her family was very well off, but I still wanted to find something cheap. I flipped through the menu, going through my options. After a few minutes of searching I ended up choosing a yakitori dish and promptly closed the menu. I peaked a glance at her, only to be met with her deep purple orbs.
Her expression was completely neutral until she noticed me staring.
"Already picked something?"
I nodded. Her expression returned to her usual cheery facade. It was weird, but I couldn't really make anything out of it. I turned to the window, the golden razes of the setting sun hindering my view. It was still a bit early, which was indicative of the season, but the sky near the horizon had already begun to shade red. Some of the street lights had even turned on in preparation.
"Aren't you even going to pay attention to your date, Hikigaya-kun?"
"It's not a date."
"Oh? Why not? Is this not a social maybe even romantic meeting between two people?" She put heavy emphasis on romantic, hoping to glimpse a reaction, but I remained indifferent.
"Because I don't consider it one."
Her smile widened, unnerving me a little, but it looked like I had won this small trade. Of course she didn't care, and continued the conversation. She asked me a few random unrelated questions, which seemed harmless to answer. She asked about my free time, my sister, and the last thing I read, yet there was still no mention of Yukinoshita. If she had really given up on trying to bring us together, what was her goal?
I thought about it for a little while indulging Haruno's curiosities until the waiter returned, but I was still coming up empty. Haruno and I placed our order, forgoing an appetizer.
"Why are you so willing to help me?" This time I asked a question. Even if what she was doing seemed harmless, I needed an answer.
"Well…" She placed her index finger and thumb around her chin pretending to be in deep thought. "I get to spend more time with my favorite person! After all, you're very interesting, Hikigaya-kun."
Although, I didn't doubt she would spend time with me for something as petty as entertainment, something felt missing from her response. The longer I stared into her abysmal eyes for answers, the more I became lost. They weren't giving me a clue to her rationale. With nothing perceivable, my eyes were drawn to her smile. To many people it was what lit up a room, but it couldn't deceive my dead fish eyes. It felt empty and aimless, like it was left on her face because she didn't want even herself to discover what was underneath it. However, right now her whole expression had a different feeling than usual, devoid of her usual fake and uncomfortable cheeriness. It was difficult to place exactly what I was seeing. She was a vortex of morphed emotions, constantly hiding behind her cards.
I knew I was staring for too long, but it was better than trying to make conversation. I didn't pride myself on it anyways, and prolonged discussions with her only exhausted my already fatigued brain.
Eventually, she did get bored of the staring contest and began talking again. It didn't seem like she was putting much effort behind her words, so it was bearable. I guess even demons get tired. Our conversation centered on nothing, but it continued until our food arrived.
From that point on, we ate in relative peace with Haruno occasionally making small talk. She complimented my surprisingly passable dinner etiquette, and it was strangely refreshing from the constant influx of insults I received from everyone else, especially from the younger Yukinoshita sister.
After an extremely long and taxing day, I deserved at least this relaxing and non-conversational dinner. I still couldn't place Haruno's reasoning for doing anything she did, and a part of me didn't want to find out. Whatever the case was, I wasn't going to find out today, so I didn't dwell on it much longer.
We finished eating, and Haruno paid as she said. She smiled and told me she would message me the next time she had free time. I didn't bother telling her I didn't have her contact information because I'm sure she's already aware and because she's Haruno Yukinoshita. She'll find a way.