Author's notes: Hello, hello. This probably isn't an update that you want to see if you're a follower of my other stories, but to hell with that, I've always wanted to write a long one-shot like this one.

So if you feel a bit put off by the length then just take your time. I had a lot of fun writing this one, and I hope you'll have fun reading it too.

Day 1

Family. Noun. Definition: A group of people, relating to one another by blood and living under one roof. In some cases, family also includes distant relatives who aren't living with you.

In other words, it's something that I will never ever willingly create.

In this world, society judges people on their success. What better way to show your success than having a family? It basically meant that you were so rich that you can afford to feed someone else. This must be true since every outing that I've been to, people always talk about family this, family that.

But OBJECTION!

I, Hikigaya Hachiman, am doing well for myself. In fact, my monthly wages are more than enough for me to live by (Considering that I only need to support myself). So, I would confidently say that I am very successful in terms of supporting my own life.

Not only that but since I got a job as an editor (Yes, I did find it in myself to get a job), I also get the chance to review and give my honest-to-goodness opinion on how to improve the authors' work.

It's a satisfying job; since you're basically the gateway between the author and the readers, you might be able to find and introduce the next Haruki Murakami to the world.

I would say that it's only 10% of the time though.

The other 80% percent are normal writers who don't leave that much of an impression.

The remaining 10% are the Zaimokuzas of the writing industry. It's a wonder as to how they even got assigned an editor in the first place.

Ah, that statistics only apply to real novels though, not light novels.

I'd only joined this publishing company last year so I'm basically a rookie. Therefore, I only get assigned to light novels instead of 'real' novels. I don't mind it though since it's kind of fun reading the fantasies of 20-something writers.

While I say it's fun, 80% of the time, it's pathetic and wishy-washy.

Half-baked characters, a barely functional plot and the illogical harems are what filled my everyday job; and it's infuriating. Honestly, people should give editors more credit. We're basically the quality control for everything that an author churns out.

If a story is like a river, then we, the editors, are the filters that separate the crap from the water going into a serene lake.

And all we get is a mention at the end of a volume, something that even I won't read.

Seriously, we're super underappreciated.

Another problem with being an editor is people thinking that you're free all the time, even though you sit on your office chair 20 hours a day, trying to figure out why the hell this blond bimbo likes that blond dumbass.

I mostly do my work at home but even then, it's quite a busy job. Deadlines, meetings and endless phone calls had become the norm for me.

But as I said, other people don't realize that and would often call or message me even if I had told them that I had work. Whether it was for family gatherings or high school reunions or even trivial stuffs like invitation for an outing, they just couldn't wait until I'm done, could they.

It's not my fault. I even told them my schedule.

The familiar beep of my cellphone halted my train of thought, which also reminded me that I needed to prepare dinner soon. Proofreading pages upon pages of words can be really time-consuming.

I laid back into my office chair as I slid my finger across the phone.

It was a message.

A message that was from a very familiar number. After all, it was one of the rare numbers that I had in my contact. I didn't hesitate in calling her, seeing as I was done with my work for the day anyway.

Moving and stretching ever so slowly, I walked towards the windows. Chiba is still as lively as ever, huh. I wonder what those two are doing right this instance.

The beeps coming from my phone were oddly hypnotizing as it worked seamlessly together with the sight of Chiba at night. It was truly breathtaking and I wouldn't be ashamed to admit that I was stuck a tiny stupor right then and there.

Fortunately (Or unfortunately, I should say), the beeps were gone, replaced with the mature voice of a woman that I knew very well.

"Yo, Hikigaya, never thought you'd actually call," Her wise-cracking personality hasn't slowed down with age at all, "Now that I thought about it, you're never the one to call me. It's always me, right?"

"Cut to the chase already, Hiratsuka-sensei."

Indeed, it was Hiratsuka Shizuka, the once overbearing teacher that forced me to join a one person club meant to help other people.

Notice I said 'once'.

After I graduated from high school, it seemed like she mellowed out a bit. Was it due to her finally finding a soul mate? I don't know, but the chance might not be zero. Well, not that I'll ever know, since I don't have to guts to ask her whenever we had a meet-up.

"Jeez, as bitter as always, aren't you?" I grumbled slightly at her crude remarks, "Anyway, how's life as an author?"

"I'm an editor."

"Same difference; you're getting paid well, right? What's the difference?" She nonchalantly tossed aside my correction.

"One: I'm not paid as much as an author," I began listing off even though I knew it was useless, "Two: People look at a book to see their favorite authors' name, not that random editor."

"Well, that's depressing…"

I don't usually consider myself a prideful person but the way she said what she said was really ticking me off. I demand justice for editors everywhere!

"Anyway, I need a favor."

"Sorry, I'm quite busy."

There's no chance in hell that I'll be roped into one of her schemes again. The Service club was barely tolerable anyway.

"Come ooooooon."

I think I winced when she tried to replicate what a certain kouhai would do. Seriously sensei, stop trying to be younger. You're mostly fine the way you are. Mostly.

"You don't even have to do anything. That girl can take care of herself."

"A girl?"

"Exactly," I could hear something shuffling in the background, presumably her shifting on a chair, "You may not care but I'm kind of important at Sobu high now."

"You're still employed there?" I faked a shocked expression.

"Argh shut it, people like me there," She cleared her throat, "Since I'm an important person there, I have to attend meetings and such. You get me?"

"Uh-huh…"

"But unfortunately, that meant that I have to leave the girl that I'm in charge of all alone. That's a shame, isn't it?"

"A shame indeed…" I repeated after her, bored.

"That's why I want you to let her stay at your place! Just for a week!"

Any traces of boredom immediately vanished upon hearing those god-awful words. Stay at my place? A girl? Possibly a young one at that? I'm going to branded a pervert!

"No,no,no," I refused, panicking as I did so, "I'm a 20 something man. Having a younger girl around me would definitely raise eyebrows."

"It's alright. She takes care to not be seen with suspicious people anyway."

I rubbed my own head in frustration, "But that doesn't mean I can take care of her 24/7, y'know? I have to work too."

"Oh, don't worry about that. That girl can take care of herself. She's more responsible than I am!"

That's not a high standard at all…

"But sensei…"

"No buts!" Her sharp voice rang through the phone, "Besides, you call yourself a loner, she does the same thing. You'll fit together just fine."

"That's like adding oil into a fire. It doesn't make it better."

"Gah!" Her reaction towards my response made me even more nervous, "I-It won't be a problem..."

"It won't be, huh?" I asked in mild disbelief.

"She'll stay out of your way, I promise!"

I could choose to believe her, but honestly, I really couldn't. She wasn't being convincing nor was she really trying to that hard to do so.

"This girl sounds like an independent student," For some reason, I decided to divert the attention to the student instead, "Why does she need a guardian anyway?"

"She's still in high school, Hikigaya," said Hiratsuka-sensei almost wistfully, "You can't expect a high school student to support herself financially."

"Right…so do I really need to do nothing for her?"

"Other than giving her some allowances, you don't need to do anything. Ah, and I'll pay you when I get back."

How reassuring, sensei…

"I don't need to cook for her?"

"She's a pretty damn good cook so you don't need to worry."

Finally resigning myself to the inevitable fate of giving a teenager a place to live, I breathed in and out slowly and deeply, hoping to instill some sense of guilt into Hiratsuka-sensei. Heck, she might even change her mind and cancel her plan.

"So when is this student of yours coming? Or do I need to pick her up?" I asked, leaning against the wall.

"Oh, I think she's already on her way to your place. Don't worry; I gave her your address."

What.

I couldn't even begin to express the mind numbing feeling that I had at that very moment. It was as if the whole world stopped when she uttered those words.

"E-Excuse me?" I tried making some sense out of this entire conundrum.

"I said she's on her way," Hiratsuka-sensei said calmly, "She's in her third year so you don't have to worry too much."

"That's not the poin-,"

"Ah, sorry, Hikigaya," I could hear some loud, random noises in the background, "I have to catch a plane."

"A p-plane?! Where are you even going?!"

"Osaka, duh," She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I thought you had meetings."

"Yeah," I could feel her satisfied grin through the phone, "It just so happens that it's in Osaka."

Remembering that her going to Osaka wasn't' my main problem, I tried to reason with her about her student coming to my place.

"But sensei-,"

"Bye, Hikigaya! I'll buy some souvenirs for you!"

A click.

That was the last sound I heard before her obnoxious voice turned into silence.

An insurmountable amount of rage welled up in me. How could she do that?! I'm a guy in my 20s and I am in no way qualified to be babysitting a child. Or in this case, a teenager.

Then again, she did say that this student of hers is very responsible, but then again, she was probably bluffing so that I would easily accept this request of hers.

When she told me that she needed me to house someone,, I was prepared to say 'No' the moment she finished talking. But being the crafty woman that she is, she had already devised a plan to utilize one of my weak points.

The feeling of guilt.

Hiratsuka Shizuka, a teacher and woman way past her prime had just sent a teenager to a stranger's house. This couldn't sound more retarded if I tried.

The phone in my hand was currently showing Hiratsuka-sensei's contact info. My eyes twitched involuntarily as I felt a sudden urge to throw my phone.

I'm not that stupid though so I didn't, but I sure wanted to physically abuse something at that instance.

Maybe I could find something cheap and wouldn't break easily…

But before I could go on my journey to find a stress reliever, the shrill sound of the doorbell filled the entire room. I was stunned momentarily. Normally, the doorbell would be reserved for delivery men and repairman since the only one that visits me, aka. Komachi, would just barge right in.

I ordered something online, didn't I? Yeah…that must be it.

Despite that thought, one little corner of my mind knew that it wasn't the delivery man or the repairman. One could only hope that it was the author I'm in charge of but even he would give me a phone call in advance.

The door handle in front of me was like a safety hazard, all shiny and smooth. As I took deep breath to steel my nerves, the doorbell cried out again.

In one swift, decisive motion, I opened the door.

What greeted me was…rather disappointing, to say the least.

Clad in a Sobu high uniform, a rather apathetic girl stood in front of me. Her eyes were black and void of any emotion. It was as if she was a mannequin; a very lifelike mannequin.

Well, rather than no emotions, I would just say that she doesn't look like she cares about anything.

She was carrying a duffel bag, which her clothes were probably in, but I had a hard time spotting it since it was obstructed by her waist length hair. It was almost as long as Yukinoshita's. In fact, she looked like a mini-Yukinoshita.

But in my haste to analyze my to-be roommate, I failed to realize that she was still a teenage girl and as such, will be uncomfortable with a grown man staring at her from head to toes.

As if that wasn't enough, she was looking at me weirdly.

Come on, Hachiman. Say something reassuring.

"Ah, it's alright. I'm not interested in high school girls."

I wanted to kick myself in the nuts at that instance.

Her face immediately scrunched up in disgust before she closed her eyes and bowed slightly.

"Nice to meet you too, Hachiman."

Calling me by my given name straight away? Isn't that too rude for a teenager?

Well, whatever, right? I think she deserved that after that little remark that I made.

"Same," With my composure coming back ever so slowly, I began to speak calmly, "You're Hiratsuka Shizuka's student, right?"

"I figured that much was obvious."

A mature adult shouldn't get annoyed by a kid. Much less by one half a decade younger, but somehow, some way, the tone that she used when addressing me was grinding my gears.

In an attempt to not let her get to me, I took a deep breath.

But before I could even say anything, that rude girl spoke up once more.

"So, are you going to let me in? Or didn't Hiratsuka-sensei tell you of me?"

Definitely rude. This girl is definitely rude.

I wordlessly move aside to let her slip through the door, which was tough seeing as she was carrying quite a heavy bag. I actually had to catch her from falling over when she stumbled from its weight.

All I got for my gratitude was a flustered stare.

As I walked back towards the living room, I noticed that she had taken over both the couch and the short table, with her slightly bloated bag occupying the former.

I took a seat directly in front of her.

If she was going to be my one week roommate, then I need to at least get along with her. Knowing her name might also be a good start as well.

The girl in front of me, however, wasn't that keen on interacting, based on what I've observed. The moment she met me, she was rude and condescending. And now, right in front of my very eyes, she was acting shy, sneaking glances at me every few second.

Curse you, adolescent mood swings!

It seemed like she had something to say, but she wasn't attempting to say it. Not a single word. It was kind of frustrating really. Seeing her open her mouth, only to shut it back was ticking me off. Maybe it was an act. Maybe it wasn't. Who knows? I certainly wouldn't.

"U-Umm-."

"Do you want dinner?" I cut her off, effectively doing her a favor in the process. She certainly wasn't doing well with this awkwardness, so I might as well break the ice.

Stumbling over her words, she managed to squeeze out a comprehensible response.

"Y-Yes!"

Confirming that she indeed needed some dinner (And I did as well), I lifted myself up from my comfortable position. What I didn't expect was that she had also lifted herself up, apparently preparing to go to the kitchen as well.

"You don't have to follow me, you know…"

"It's n-not that…" The girl denied quietly, "I want to cook."

"Huh?"

"It's the least I can do after being so rude to you." She half-shouted that last part out, making me recoil for a moment.

I absentmindedly nodded at her request and she nodded in return, like a soldier affirming her commander's order.

My earlier assumption of her being a disrespectful girl disappeared somewhat when she told me that she wanted to cook. Perhaps, it was just Hiratsuka-sensei rubbing off on her. I did somewhat see a resemblance towards the me of the past, but that was probably wistful thinking on my part.

And I didn't even get her name yet.

Oh well, I'll ask her later. There's plenty of time after all.

Since the kitchen was in her sight and was mere meters away from her, she quickly got up, dusted off imaginary dust and made her way towards the battlefield.

When she opened the fridge, however, I could sense the wince that she made all the way in the living room.

Let's just say that I wasn't that keen on preparing fresh meal so I didn't have any reason to stockpile fresh ingredients.

"Seriously?" I could hear the disappointment laced in with her voice. Disappointment being a careful choice of word, considering that it was a teenager, five years younger than I am, being disappointed in me.

Honestly, I really let myself go.

"Sorry about that," I told her all the way from the table I was sitting at, "I don't really have the time to cook."

From here, I could see the girl's face scrunched up in distress as she desperately tried to come up with something to cook. She was mumbling to herself every few seconds, pointing to some random objects inside the fridge. Should I go there and tell her that we could just eat in a random restaurant?

"Hachiman."

Again with the name thing, but I let it slide. She was facing this way now, a sliver of hope appearing on her face.

"Yeah?"

"Will you be fine with curry?" She asked, still peering into the emptiness that was my fridge.

Curry? Home-cooked curry at that? At this rate, I'll be fine with anything as long as it isn't instant ramen.

"Sure," I replied, but a though crept into my head, "But do you even have enough ingredients?"

The girl bit her thumb lightly as she looked into the fridge, contemplating, "I…think I can do it."

At least, I got to give her points for determination. Even Komachi isn't diligent enough to think up of innovative ways to cook curry with the barest amount of ingredients.

Wait…is the girl's name Yukihira or something? [1]

In no time at all, I could see her moving about with either plates or pots in her hands; it was basically flashes of black hair moving around in the kitchen.

It was rather boring since I had nothing to do. I didn't want to watch the TV either since…well, let's be honest, who even watches TV anymore? Aside from kids wanting to see their daily dose of Shounen anime.

But just like a nomad wandering in the desert, my oasis came in the form of a young girl carrying two plates of steaming hot rice and curry, and two spoons. I actually had to stop myself from drooling at the scent of it all.

"Here you go," She set a plate down in front of me before doing so to her own.

I gulped. This looked really appetizing, but it would be rude to just chow it down in front of an elegant girl like her, right? Maybe I should wait for the perfec-

"Let's dig in," The girl said, picking up her spoon and digging right into her dish.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

I did the same, but unlike her, I didn't immediately savor the steaming rice or curry, as delicious as it looked. My mind was still in confusion and shock. How could this girl so calmly eat a stranger's house? Was Hiratsuka-sensei's words that convincing or perhaps, it was due to her trust in me?

Speaking of which, why does she refer to me as 'Hachiman' instead of something sensible and respectful like 'Hikigaya-san'?

Hiratsuka-sensei never called me that so I don't think she picked it up from her.

Therefore, it must be from familiarity. But that meant that she had met me before…even though I can't really recall someone with a face like hers.

Her long black hair and apathetic onyx eyes reminded me of Yukinoshita, though unless she somehow reverted back to a teenager, that isn't possible. There was also the possibility of this girl being her child, but if that was the case then Yukinoshita would have to have a child during primary school.

And that just isn't possible as well.

Unless…she's Haruno's kid…

Then why am I letting that woman's child in here? Wait, does Haruno even have kids?

All these questions are really starting to hurt my brain; not to mention, my dinner was getting colder and colder by the second. I should just ask her, shouldn't I?

But before I could, a small voice called out to me.

"I-Is something wrong?" The girl in front of me asked, her tone filled with worries.

"Nah, it's nothing," I contemplated about asking for her name, even though that might offend her, but in the end, I threw caution to the wind, "I was just wondering something."

"Hmm?" I apparently caught her at a bad time as her spoon was still in her mouth.

"What's your name again?"

One second.

Three seconds.

Five seconds.

That was the total amount of time that silence enveloped the room like a blanket as we both stared at each other awkwardly.

The girl in question put down her spoon gently before wiping her mouth with a nearby napkin. Her calculated movements were deliberate, or so I thought. It was as if she was pissed off that I don't know her name, or worse, don't remember it.

She then let out a sigh.

"Do you really not remember me?" Her apathetic black eyes stared into my own as she asked that very question.

"If I do, I wouldn't be asking, would I?" I retorted with the same tired tone that she used.

"Ten years ago, Chiba village, summer camp."

I raised my eyebrows in confusion at her cryptic message. What made it more cryptic was the fact that she said it with a straight face and a monotone voice. Not to mention, how can I remember something from ten years ago?

Nevertheless, I didn't take my eyes off hers. That's a psychological trick with people; you can never let them know that you're confused.

Speaking of which, the phrase Chiba village and summer camp rang a few bells in my brain. I remember going there due to Hiratsuka-sensei's cunning plan, then we proceeded to help some kids do their activities and at the end, we did a test of courage.

Test of courage…

There was one peculiar girl who stood out above the rest. I, along with the others, 'helped' her…somewhat. Well, not really. I basically ruined her prospective primary school friendships…or did I?

I think her name was…Tsukino? No…but I'm pretty sure it starts with Tsu…Maybe Tsundere? Tsunami?

Crap, she's starting to notice my struggle.

What I do know is that her first name rhymes with her last name, therefore, going by that logic, it must be…

"If you must know," The mysterious girl let out a disappointed voice, but before she could say her name and subsequently voice her displeasure, I snapped my fingers victoriously before pointing to her.

"I know, I know. Tsukimi Kimi, right?" I stated smugly.

"It's Tsurumi Rumi." She corrected me without missing a beat.

And I was stuck there, with my finger in the air, pointing awkwardly a teenager five years younger than me. The people above just hate me, don't they?

And so, with my ego deflated, I silently lowered my finger and solemnly began to eat the curry laid in front of me. It got cold during our conversation. Just wonderful.

We ate quietly, with the occasional sounds of spoons hitting against plates. I snuck a glance every so often at Rumi, but it seemed so surreal, like a dream.

This girl, ten years ago, was more…how do you say it, quiet, sarcastic, snarky and above all, barely tolerable. Now, she was just quiet…and sarcastic, to a certain extent.

While I could certainly handle the silence that came with our dinner, I didn't think that Rumi would be able to. She might have changed in the last ten years. Perhaps, that girl had gotten herself a lot of friends, and the reason she looked so gloomy right now was the fact that her teacher forced her to spend her week at a stranger's house.

I could talk to her about random things, but then again, I was never really good at small talk. Every time a conversation was engaged during my high school years, Yuigahama was usually the one that started them.

But I'll never get better if I don't try.

It should be easy, right? Rumi's a teenager. We had a bit of history together so we're basically birds of a feather.

"So…"I began with a simple conversation starter, "Why are you here again?"

Surprised, Rumi answered, "I thought Hiratsuka-sensei told you already. She had a meeting in Osaka and had to leave, therefore leaving me behind. It seems that she doesn't trust me that much."

"No, not that," I waved off her explanation. I already knew why she was at my house from Hiratsuka-sensei anyways, "I was just wondering why is Hiratsuka-sensei in charge of you in the first place."

She didn't respond, which I found a little bit unnerving. A loner not responding to questions isn't rare. In fact, they rather wallow in their own calming silence and make up excuse as to why they didn't answer in the first place.

Source: Me.

But Rumi's silence wasn't normal. It was as if she was dreading the question itself. I felt like I was going to step on some proverbial landmines in a few seconds.

It was fine though. Though I am grown up, I still retain my 108 skills, and one of those skills is the ability to read between the lines.

If I can read between the lines, I can definitely get through the mines.

Just think of a conversation as a ship, Hachiman. A ship that you can expertly maneuver to benefit yourself.

"I mean, I like Hiratsuka-sensei as much as the next student, but won't your parents be worried about you being at an older guy's place?"

Again, Rumi responded as fast as I asked the question.

I wish she hadn't.

"My parents passed away a few years ago."

Of course, that conversational ship is named Titanic.

"O-Oh…shit…" I nervously rubbed the back of my head. I have little to no experience with the loss of loved ones, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-,"

"No, it's okay," Rumi gave me a pained smile. It was so superficial that I was actually hurt just from looking at it, "I got over it already. So really, I'm fine."

I looked at her incredulously. Losing loved ones is a traumatic experience. Losing two of them while being so young must be awful.

"You sure?" Guilt was the only thing that filled my brain right now, "You know, if you need anything then don't hesitate-,"

My simple words of assurance were interrupted when Rumi stood up abruptly, carrying her plate and utensils. Her eyes were as apathetic as ever but I could tell that she didn't want to talk about this subject any longer.

"It's getting late," She said ever so simply, "Can you tell me where my room is so I can unpack my bags?"

She was clearly uncomfortable staying in this room any longer.

"Yeah, it's down the hall to your right," I even pointed a finger in the general direction of said room. Just hope that she won't mistake the guest room for my own.

"Thank you," Rumi gave a small bow before depositing the plates and utensils into the sink, and subsequently headed off towards her room for the week. She had some difficulty walking due to the weight of her bag, and as much as I wanted to help her, I knew that doing so wasn't a good idea.

She needed space.

Unfortunately, this apartment room doesn't have much space.

Day one of our cohabitation, and it was already going horribly wrong.

Day 2

I woke up the next day feeling as lethargic as ever. Such occurrence should be expected since I am a working adult now…even though yesterday wasn't that hard on my body. Maybe, it was just my body's way of compensating for all the other all-nighters that I pulled.

The first thing that came to my mind was coffee.

The second thing that came to my mind was the smell of something cooking.

Wait, did I leave the oven on last night?

It was clear that this tired mind of mine was in no state to make a judgement, but it did so regardless. By instincts alone, my legs carried me towards the kitchen area, even though I should've realized that it was impossible for the oven to be burning something since:

One. The smoke detectors would give it away.

Two. I have no oven.

So, what was it that made the peculiar smell of freshly cooked meal?

Because I just woke up, my mind was still as hazy as ever and my eyes were no better.

Standing there in the kitchen area was a black spot, moving about every few seconds before returning to the same position. My initial assumption was that the black spot was Komachi, seeing as she had also cooked for me when she last visited me.

So in a true brotherly fashion, I called out to my sister.

"Komachi?"

The figure turned its head towards me before answering, "Good morning to you too, Hachiman."

Reality is a cruel mistress.

While I wished for my sister to be here, the person standing in front of me was the complete opposite.

Tsurumi Rumi, a girl who was forced to stay here by Hiratsuka-sensei. To say that she is a teenage Yukinoshita is kind of accurate to a degree. With the sarcasm and apathy to match the former Ice Queen, even I find it a bit hard to interact with her.

In hindsight, that last part might be due to what I said yesterday.

"Breakfast will be ready in a couple of minutes," Rumi said offhandedly while still cooking.

Seeing as the house wasn't in any immediate danger from the non-existent oven fire, I dragged my feet past Rumi, and searched the fridge for any remaining cans of MAX coffee.

I found none, and inwardly cursed myself for not stocking up.

With my quest for my early morning sustenance proving fruitless, I plopped down pathetically near the short table, and rest my head on its hard wooden surface. Two seconds later, I felt something metallic clashing against the wooden table.

Rumi was staring down at me, her face still as apathetic as ever, but it was what was in her hand that interested me. A yellow can with the simple yet efficient logo of 'MAX Coffee' labeled on it.

That immediately brought me back to my senses as I lifted my head up with an unknown vigor and grabbed the can right out of Rumi's hand.

"I could only find this brand at the mart. Sorry if you normally brew fresh coffee," Rumi said apologetically to me, but due to this treasure in my hand, I wasn't looking at her face.

"It's okay; I actually like this brand," To further prove my point, I even lifted it up and show it to her with a small smile.

My response was a grossed out look.

"You actually like that canned…thing?" Rumi muttered as she turned on her heels before walking back to where she was a few seconds ago.

I wanted to shout 'Apologize to every MAX coffee vendor and me!', but early morning lethargy was no joke.

To remedy this, I quickly and efficiently open up the canned goodness in my hand before gulping it down greedily.

Ah, sweet, sugary bliss.

But my joyful bliss was interrupted when a plate was placed down in front of me, and after that, a bowl filled with miso soup. I had half a mind to finish my can of MAX coffee but the dish currently in front of me looked so tempting.

Rumi did the same thing to her side of the table before sitting down.

"Let's dig in." said Rumi as she picked up her chopsticks.

"Uh, yeah," Reluctantly, I put down my can of pure happiness and began to dig into the fish dish in front of me.

Wait a minute…

"I thought my fridge was empty." I said offhandedly, but luckily, the young girl in front of me heard that.

"It was. I just bought these earlier this morning."

Earlier this morning? No wonder I didn't see any signs of bed hair on her. But it was 7:30 if my clock is to be trusted.

"Just being curious here," Rumi heard me and temporarily stopped eating, "When did you wake up?"

"5:30."

As far as I'm concerned, this girl is not ordinary. No sane person would wake up at 5:30 in the morning just to buy some grocery.

I had no retorts, only gratefulness towards this girl who risked her youthfulness for a grown man such as myself. A salute was in order, but I found myself far too tired to even raise my hand.

However, the fish that she'd cooked instantly reinvigorated me. It was a breath of fresh air from an otherwise hot summer morning. It was a far cry from the usual instant ramen that I would whip up for myself every morning.

"This is surprisingly good." I made a nonchalant comment, but Rumi was as sharp as ever.

"Surprisingly?" She asked, as if offended that I was surprised that she was good at cooking.

"You're good for a high school girl," I tried my best to rectify the situation at hand, but all I received was a questioning stare, "I mean, normally, girls your age don't really cook, y'know. Heck, when I was your age, I could barely make curry."

Finding my answer satisfying enough, Rumi accepted my answer, "Well, I live with Hiratsuka-sensei so I basically have to cook for the both of us."

"She never takes you out for dinner or anything?" Normally, if Hiratsuka-sensei takes a liking to you, she would probably treat you to something. But add to the fact that Rumi was living with her and that Hiratsuka-sensei is an adult (By age), that meant that Rumi need not to cook anything since it was her guardian's duty to basically keep her well-fed.

Then again, we are talking about the one and only Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"Once or twice a month for ramen."

"Oh."

At least, she had the decency to treat Rumi to something once in a while. Still, leaving a kid to fend for herself? Hiratsuka-sensei said that Rumi's a pretty responsible girl, but I still have my doubts.

But is Tsurumi Rumi responsible by trait or due to her circumstances?

I would like to lean towards the former, but considering the slipup that I made last night, I'm guessing that it's the latter.

Our conversation died as soon as it began. It was probably due to morning lethargy. I bet that even a diligent girl like Rumi can't escape that drowsy clutch of a summer morning. The grocery that she bought might state otherwise, but I was sure that she wanted to do nothing more than to sleep in.

Once I was finished with my meal, I deposited my dishes into the sink for later, and promptly went for my room. Even though it was a Saturday, the drafts won't proofread themselves. Besides, I only had about ten pages left so I could be done in an hour or two.

After a long, cold shower to wake myself up, I booted up my laptop and immediately searched for yesterday's draft. It was a monotonous task, but it was one that I was used to.

Normally, the moment I am seated in my office chair, I am officially in the 'Zone'. What that means is that my focus is refined and my eyes are sharper than ever; provided that there are no distractions whatsoever.

But as I sat down on my ever familiar chair, I just couldn't find it in myself to scroll through the pages of the draft.

And I clearly knew the reason why.

A pair of eyes was staring at my back, but not just any pair of eyes. They belonged to a certain teenage girl that I would love to have out of my way right now.

Unfortunately, that message won't be transferred if I don't talk to her.

Reluctantly, I turned around to the stoic face of Tsurumi Rumi. Rather than seeing a human, I felt like I was seeing a mannequin in her place. Soulless, emotionless and indifferent.

Not that it mattered though. I'm the adult in this room.

"Rumi." I turned around and called out to her, hoping that she would hear me.

Luckily, she did, "Hmm?"

"What are you doing here?"

Instead of immediately replying, she looked around the room for a while as if trying to find some sort of plausible excuse. I didn't let that happen though as I followed her line of sight every time her eyes changed direction.

Not only that, but she also walked around in my room as well before halting before my bed.

Finally, she stopped, sat on the bed, and finally formed a coherent sentence.

"I finished washing the dish." Was her simple reply.

I had to restrain myself from facepalming at her response. You would think that a logical girl like her would at least form a good lie. Years of being a student should've taught her that.

Not to mention, why was she sitting on my bed?!

"That's not a reason." I said bluntly.

One of her hands went up to her forehead, as if she suddenly had a bad case of headache. She then spoke in an obviously faked tone.

"Oh my," Her monotonous voice grinded my ears annoyingly, "It seems that you have discovered my plan to put you to sleep and take advantage of your unconditional kindness."

Silence was my only response, because, to be honest, how could anyone respond to that? The fact that she said it with such a straight face made it weird as hell.

Rumi spoke up a couple of seconds later.

"Of course, I was only joking. Hiratsuka-sensei said that you can be pretty tense at times."

Again with that monotone.

"Right…" I muttered uneasily as I turned back to my laptop, "Anyway, why are you in here? You have your own room, don't you?"

The sound of fabric ruffling notified me that she had moved, but I was too busy scanning over the word document in front of me.

"Hiratsuka-sensei also said that your room might be a bit messy, but I'd never thought that it would be this…"

"Give me a break," I sighed deeply, my eyes still focused on what was before me, "I don't have that much time, and my room isn't that messy!"

Woah, I got a little bit too passionate there. Calm down, Hachiman. She's just a kid. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Then how do you explain this?" I heard her say from behind my back.

I spun around with my office chair, coming face to face with Rumi. That's one of the rare perks of being a corporate slave. You get a free office chair; well, at least, I get a free office chair. Sucks to be the other employees in some other company though.

But my gratitude towards my job suddenly turned distress as the girl in front of me, Rumi, was holding a shirt by the tip of her fingers, as if the fabric itself was toxic or something.

I narrowed my eyes at her inconsideration of my private property.

"That is a shirt." I enunciated every word of that sentence to make a point to her. Rumi, on the other hand, merely gave me an incredulous glance.

"I can see that, Hachiman. I am not a kid."

"Well, you are though…" I mumbled that more to myself than anyone.

I held my breath as I felt Rumi's gaze travel from my head to my toe like a scanner. Jeez, an adult shouldn't get flustered like this. It's unbecoming of me.

"…I'll put this into the basket, okay?"

Surprisingly, Rumi dropped the subject, much to my relief. Having a younger and less experienced girl berate me would be the ultimate humiliation. Not to mention, if Hiratsuka-sensei catches wind of that, she'll never let me live it down.

"Sure."

I turned back quietly to my work as Rumi began her quest to collect every piece of dirty, unwashed clothes in my room. A strange sense of guilt worked its way up to my brain, eventually distracting me from my work at hand.

My emotional side told me to make small talks.

My logical side told me that she'll be fine. She's a realist, a loner, just like me.

Even though my fingers hovered over the keyboard, they weren't making any strokes. It was extremely uncomfortable; hearing the sound of a teenage girl cleaning your room while you sit on a comfortable office chair.

Eventually, my emotional side won the battle.

"Say, Rumi," With half my attention on my work, I called out softly to her, "Don't you have anything else to do?"

"Like what?" She replied, still moving through the room.

I momentarily stopped my hands to think of a response. What does a loner usually do on her day off anyway?

Using myself as a basis, on a typical summer day, I would either laze around and play games or laze around and watch TV.

Sometimes, I would even do a combination of both.

Clearly, using myself as a reference wouldn't do Rumi any justice. Perhaps, she might have a few friends. A couple of close ones and a couple of acquaintances. Heck, she might even have a boyfriend for all I know.

But of course, I decided to go with the safe option.

"Don't you have school or anything?" I distinctly remembered her wearing a Sobu high uniform yesterday. Ergo, she must be attending my former high school.

"It's summer, and not to mention, it's Saturday."

I checked the bottom of my laptop. As she had said, it was indeed Saturday. But one small thing still bugged me.

"Then how do you explain your uniform then, huh?" I asked her triumphantly.

"It was for my make-up tests." Rumi shut me down with no hesitation.

How b-brutal…

Amongst those words, there was three that caught my attention.

"Wait, make-up tests?"

"…" Silence was the only reply that Rumi gave me.

"What subjects did you fail in?" I was genuinely curious at her predicament. Rumi seems like a smart girl.

It took a while, but eventually, Rumi managed to squeeze out an actual sentence.

"…it was literature and history."

Some might call it insensitive, others might say that it's a normal human reaction, but nevertheless, I, Hikigaya Hachiman, had to hold back a laugh as Rumi revealed to me what she failed in.

Who could blame me though? History and literature was a breeze for me back in high school.

But, as expected, Rumi gave me a sharp glare, as if daring me to laugh again.

As the adult that I am, I composed myself with little to no difficulty before I faced her head on, like an adult should when dealing with kids.

"My bad," I immediately used the safe card in dealing with children: Make them think you're sorry, "It's just that I find it hard to believe that a smart looking girl like you could fail a test, much less two."

"I was sick that day…" Rumi muttered softly.

"Not to mention, Hiratsuka-sensei must've liked you for something, right? She's a literature teacher so-,"

"I was sick that day!"

I held my hands up in case she tried to pounce on me, because it sure sounded like she was going to assault me. 'Assault' sounded way too strong and too illegal though…

Never have I ever seen Rumi this flustered before. Perhaps she isn't such an emotionless husk after all. Well, it must be the teenage hormones acting up again. It'll subside in time…hopefully.

After a feeling like dozens of minutes have passed, even though it was only a couple of seconds, Rumi resumed her quest of gathering up my unwashed clothes. I, on the other hand, took this as a sign that she wanted no more discussion on her academic life, and promptly turned back to my laptop.

"Then what about hanging out with your friends?"

I opened up my big mouth without thinking again. Years of working as a corporate slave had conditioned me to make small talks, but not to the level of Yuigahama, mind you, it was just enough to pass the time spent alone with another colleague.

Rumi stopped in her tracks before looking back at me slowly, as if contemplating whether I was really the one asking it.

"Define friends."

Oh god, we're starting from there.

"So you don't have any, huh?" I asked.

In response, Rumi crossed her arms haughtily. If she had whipped her hair backward, then she'll be the spitting image of a certain haughty Ice Queen.

"That's why I told you to define friends," Rumi replied, "There are different kinds of friends. For example…"

Despite the strong start, Rumi droned off at the end, becoming quieter until I could no longer hear her. She had focused her eyes elsewhere so she couldn't really tell the exasperated look on my face.

"Surely, there must be at least one person at school that you consider an acquaintance, right?"

Her only response was silence. It stands to reason that Rumi is a loner, to some degree, but to the point of not having an acquaintance? It was currently summer, and it was for a fact that she couldn't have spent the first quarter of this school year alone in solitary confinement.

"Well…" Her small voice forced me to pay attention, "There is one girl…"

"And?" I waited for Rumi's response.

Then, as if smelling something rotting, her face scrunched up in a way that was so unfit for a girl her age.

"She's too nice." Rumi spat out.

"Don't fault her for that," At this point, I had completely abandoned my work in favor of giving advice to teenagers about their social life.

Oh, the irony is rich.

"Besides, you should never refuse free friendship. It's like refusing free food."

"You with your old man logic…" She muttered, in hopes that I wouldn't hear it, which I did so clearly, by the way. 108 skills of Hachiman for the win!

"Look, at least, get someone you can fall back on. Even if she's too nice, as you say she is, she might prove to be useful in the future."

"In what regards?" Rumi asked.

"Sharing lunch."

A scowl formed on the young girl's face.

"Sharing homework?"

That scowl got deeper.

"…money?"

"I'm not so low as to use my friends as pocket change," Rumi replied, her face in a deep scowl.

"I'm kidding," But not really though…, "So, what is this girl like?"

"I told you; she's too nice."

"No, not that," I waved aside Rumi's answer, "I mean, what does she look like or is she in the same year as you."

Rumi stared at me with disgust, like, if she was staring a sidewalk gum that got stuck to her shoes.

"…pervert."

"Not that!" I refuted her claim loudly, "I was just wondering if you'd even remembered her."

"And why would you think that I don't remember her? I'm not you, Hachiman."

I racked my brain for a retort, but none came. She got a good point there. I seriously should stop using myself as reference when referring to Rumi's social life.

"Fine," I reluctantly gave in before asking again, "So what did she do that turn you away?"

"She tried to force me to go to a mixer once."

"So what?"

Rumi's deep scowl returned, "With a bunch of college guys."

"And? It's not like they bite, y'know."

"I guess you wouldn't understand." Rumi responded, her voice a bit low.

"I guess I wouldn't." I repeated after her blankly.

"She also tried to celebrate my birthday," She added after a few seconds.

My attention was immediately hooked as Rumi let me in on this little tidbit. Someone actually trying to celebrate her birthday? That calls for a celebration in and of itself. It's rare to actually encounter someone who would willingly go out of their way to have a merry time with a loner.

Source: My father's sister's nephew.

"That's good, isn't it?" I beamed at her slightly, "It means that she actually cares about you."

The teenager in front of me simply snickered in response.

"Yeah, sure," She looked off to the side, "It's not like she missed my birthday by a month or two or anything…"

My mouth instinctively opened as no thoughts could be formed. Jeez, how sad can this girl be?

"What about Hiratsuka-sensei? Does she celebrate your birthday?" I asked.

Rumi looked at me in surprise before composing herself, "W-Well, not really. She's really busy so…I understand why."

"When did you even start living with Hiratsuka-sensei?" I foolishly asked, only to realize seconds later the implication of my inquiry, "I-I mean, if you don't mind telling me…"

I waited for her reactions, but no extreme one came out. In fact, what she did in response was rather tame.

Rumi just gave me sad smile in return.

"It's okay, y'know. I already told you that I am over it."

"Right…"

I was still uncertain about this whole situation. Apathetic as she may be, I still had to carefully choose my words.

"And for your information," Rumi spoke up once again, a familiar confident tone arising, "I started living with Hiratsuka-sensei about 3 years ago."

"So about when you started high school?"

Rumi nodded.

Damn, she was in a bigger dilemma than I previously thought. Normally, a girl around her age would enter their 'springtime of youth' whenever they start high school.

Rumi could've been a normal girl, but fate decided to be a bitch.

All these confusing feelings entered my mind. Is she really over it? Should I really be feeling pity towards someone who I barely knew about? It felt as if I was invading her privacy doing so. Not to mention, it would be pretty insensitive of me to do so when she doesn't want any pity from me.

What to do, what to do…

A thought popped into my head.

"Rumi, what do you want to do for lunch?" I asked, hoping to divert the topic towards a lighter one.

Just as expected, Rumi was rather surprised for a moment before giving me an answer.

"I guess I could cook," She said that, but a doubtful look immediately appeared on her face, "Although, I don't think we have enough ingredients…"

Unbeknownst to even myself, a smile crept its way up to my face, "Then how about this?"

Rumi looked at me, her eyes waiting for me.

"Why don't we just eat out? Sounds good, right?"

"You sure?" She said, a bit of uncertainty in her voice.

"Pretty sure."

"But…what I don't think I have enough money for-,"

"Jeez, I am the adult here," I interrupted her in exasperation, "It would be a blow to my reputation if I let a younger girl pay for her own meal."

"I see…thanks…"

I decided to ignore that last part of her statement. It seemed like I wasn't meant to hear it or something. Not that I mind though.

"So with that in mind, where do you want to go?"

Her eyes lit up instantly as Rumi beamed with happiness, something totally different from her usual demeanor.

"I-I can pick? Really?"

"You can pick. Really."

Her expression wasn't unlike that of someone hearing that they won a lottery, or a child going on her first trip to Destinyland. Honestly, it was refreshing. Even the sides of my face morphed into a half smile.

Rumi put a hand to her chin, contemplating. Her eyes were unnaturally focused. She was pretty damn serious about picking a place to eat at. Did Hiratsuka-sensei really never take her out?

At least, have some responsibility, sensei.

"Umm…"

I turned to Rumi, who was fidgeting. The way she looked right now made me feel like a dad who had to give permission to his kids.

Expertly, I hid my discomfort, opting to ask Rumi instead.

"Made up your mind yet?"

"Well…" She trailed off, looking to the side.

Perhaps, she picked a high end restaurant. Of course, it would put a dent in my wallet, but I'm an adult after all, so I should be able to splurge once in a while.

"Can we go to Saize?"

Saize

Saize

Saize

That single word rang through my ears several times. It was like a bell chime. A symphony of harmony. Two syllables coming together to create a miracle. A miracle that is Saize.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to me that Rumi knows Saize. After all, we have pretty similar lifestyle. But even so, I had to do a double take the moment I heard the glorious restaurant's name.

Was she being considerate? Knowing her, she might be trying to be frugal with my money. I appreciate the sentiment but honestly, who does she think I am?

"You can pick a more expensive restaurant, y'know," I gritted my teeth as I spat out those words. In truth, Saize would be the optimal choice. Affordable and delicious, that's what every restaurant's goal should be.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm saying that you don't have to think too much about my money. Besides, I owe you this much for cooking me up a great dinner last night."

Even if it was just curry.

"Oh…thanks, but it's okay. We can eat at Saize."

"You don't have to be so reserved. Come on, tell me where you really want to go."

Rumi pouted slightly as if annoyed that I'm not believing in her.

"I'm telling you it's okay. Besides, I like the food at Saize."

I like the food at Saize.

Like the food at Saize.

Like Saize.

After her shocking revelation, I spun around in my office chair to face my laptop. She must be confused at all this, but I had to do so in order to not let her see this proud, most likely non-existent, tear that ran down my face.

For the first time in forever, someone actually outright admitted that Saize's foods are awesome.

I felt a calmness deep inside, unlike any other. It was soothing, like a sweet can of MAX coffee after an exhausting day at work.

If Saize is heaven, then I'm sure that Rumi must be the angel leading me there.

"Hachiman?" Rumi worriedly called out to me.

I let out a sigh before turning around and placing my hand on the young girls' shoulder. With the proudest tone that I could muster, I told her.

"Rumi, you have good taste."

"Uhh, thanks?"

In hindsight, this was an awkward position. Imagine someone like my sister barging in and seeing this scene. I can't even imagine the meltdown she'd be having.

"Now," I hastily removed my hand from Rumi, "Go and get ready. I'll finish up this draft and we'll head out in an hour or two."

"Okay!" Rumi exclaimed excitedly before running off to her own room, but not before taking the laundry basket with her.

And then, there was one.

Man, dealing with an adolescent really took a toll on me. It was fortunate that Rumi isn't the typical teenager; otherwise, I won't even have enough energy to head out for lunch.

The draft that I opened up hadn't been touched. I supposed the next hour or two should be enough for me to fill my quota. I also had a meeting with the author, and another one with the other editors later in the evening.

Even if I can't finish it right now, I could always do it at Saize.

Now, there was only one question on my mind.

Is Rumi a delicate eater or does she eat for the calories?

As I stepped out of my humble abode, the harsh sunlight wasted no time in assaulting me. It felt as if I've just entered the Sahara. It was no secret that Chiba is a heavily industrialized prefecture, but the amount of heat through the air was ludicrous.

At this rate, I'll melt like a popsicle.

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, I should say, Rumi was already out there waiting for me. I knew that the girl wasn't waiting in her room as she wasn't there when I went to call her. She wasn't in the kitchen either so the only logical conclusion was that she was waiting for me outside.

Honestly, at this rate, she'll have a heatstroke.

I couldn't help but wonder if she was waiting for me after she got dressed up. Rumi can be weird like that, like earlier today when she woke up at a time that is considered unhealthy even for an adult. Her waiting outside at this skin melting temperature was also unhealthy, not to mention, awkward.

Could you imagine the stares that she had gotten from the neighbors? If you really think about it, those neighbors might accuse me of soliciting a high school girl for shady purposes as well.

Rumi, you fool!

"Hachiman," Rumi's voice brought me back to the slightly less harsh reality, "Shall we go?"

"Sure." I replied.

Now that I've gotten a better look at her outfit, she really went all out. Not that I would know anything about it though, considering that I seldom go out with other people, particularly women. But something, an instinct, if you will, alerted me of Rumi's state of dress.

It was, for the lack of a better word, cute…and fluffy.

Not Komachi-cute or Kamakura-cute, but it was just plain cute...and fluffy.

I shouldn't be thinking about a younger girl this way. Hachiman, you nincompoop.

Rumi led the way to our destination, something that I trusted her in since she must know the way to Saize if she's a fan of it.

Sure enough, after roughly five minutes of walking underneath the sweltering sun, we have found our safe haven in the Saize logo.

That was another thing that I like about Saize: the short distance between my home and the restaurant. For other restaurants, you might have to actually spend time travelling. Not for good old Saize though.

As soon as I opened the door, cool air began assaulting my face. It should be expected from a classy establishment like Saize though. They know how to keep their customers happy.

We both wasted no time walking into the cold paradise that is Saize and was immediately greeted by a waitress that I know all too well.

"Ah, Hikigaya-san, so good to see you again." The waitress said with a pitch perfect business smile on her face.

I don't think that this will come as a surprise to anyone, but I am a regular at Saize. Therefore, I know some of the servers there by name, or nickname to be exact.

Case in point, this particular waitress: Ai-chan.

It was a name that she insisted me to call her by. Don't get the wrong ideas, damn it.

"So will it be a table for one?" Ai-chan asked with that smile still on her face.

"Two, actually." I corrected her.

Ai-chan scooted a bit to the side before her face lit up in glee, for some odd reason.

"Ah, for you and your…"

I knew where she was looking and what she was assuming. Nine of out ten times that I've eaten here, it has always been me and me alone. So every time I had a companion, Ai-chan would be excited.

And that's using the term very loosely.

"She's my teacher's student." I intervened before she could let her mouth loose. It already happened with Komachi once so I don't want that sort of misunderstanding to happen again.

"Oh my, is that so?"

"It is so."

"Alright then, if you please come this way," Ai-chan led us to a medium-sized wooden table with two seats opposing each other. Couldn't she have taken us to a booth or something? It's always more comfortable there.

Rumi followed behind closely and carefully, trying to not be seen by Ai-chan. If I were her, I would do the same thing. That waitress gives off a shady vibe.

"Here you go," She handed both of us a menu each, "I'll be back when you're ready to order."

With that, she left us swiftly.

I quietly turned my attention to the menu. I already knew what to order, but I was going to spend a bit more cash today and let Rumi enjoy herself. Think of it as a repayment for all the things Hiratsuka-sensei did.

Or rather, the things that she didn't do.

On the other side of the table was Rumi, who was focusing intensely on the menu. She looked like a kid in a candy store. Well, technically, she is a kid, but let's not dwell on that.

Rumi continued flipping the menu several times, sometimes, even backtracking to the previous page as if to not miss anything important. It was rather sad seeing her like this. This isn't the first time that she's in here…right?

I could only thank the mystical force running this world for not allowing Hiratsuka-sensei to get married and have kids. The poor things those kids have to go through if she was their mother. A chill ran through my spine just thinking about it.

"Are you ready to order?" said Ai-chan as she sauntered over to our table, a notepad rather in her hand.

I closed the menu and told her of my order: a simple seafood pasta. She wrote it down with a giggle, presumably because I always order that particular dish. Her logic was skewed but whatever.

"Any drinks?"

"Coffee."

"Black?"

"With milk, please."

With my orders finished, I closed the menu and looked over to Rumi, who was still scanning the menu like a reading comprehension test.

"And for you, miss?" Ai-chan asked gingerly.

"A-Ah, this, please." Rumi pointed towards something in the menu, but with the way she was holding it, I couldn't get a clear look at what she wants.

"Any drinks?"

Rumi looked at the menu hesitantly before answering.

"Just water is fine."

"Alrighty then."

What a good, conservative girl. If I had a medal for cash saving, I would've given it to her right then and there. But I reminded myself that as an adult, I should let a teenager enjoy her youth, even if it will be at the expense of my wallet.

"Ai-chan," I called out to the waitress as she began walking away.

"Yes?"

I gestured her to come closer so that Rumi couldn't hear what I was about to tell her. She complied and I whispered as softly as I could into the waitress' ear.

"Get a milkshake as well."

"Flavor?" She spoke softly in return.

"Strawberry."

There was a pause in Ai-chan's action when she took the time to look over to Rumi, who was resting her chin on her hand and staring at the wall for some undiscernible reason.

"Understood." She giggled and was on her merry way to the kitchen.

Slightly slouching in my seat, I contemplated whether I should finish up my work right here. Even though the table is too small to fit a laptop and two plates, I doubted that it would take me that long to finish this particular draft while the meals are being prepared.

But before I could pull out my laptop from its confinement, a small yet mocking voice rang through my ears.

"Ai-chan, eh?"

Rumi's voice was a strange mix of apathy and contempt. Though her question wasn't that much of a question, I still understood her inquiry.

"Don't misunderstand, that's just what she wants me to call her."

"Suuuuuuuure."

My eyebrows twitched a bit. This kid really knows how to push someone's button. She's a loner like me, so she should understand when a misunderstanding's occurring, right? I thought we were two birds of a feather, comrades even!

"Just so you know, it's only because I'm a regular here and she insists on it." A misunderstanding is like a cockroach. It should be squashed immediately as to not let it multiply any further.

With her chin still on her hand, Rumi glanced at me blankly before turning back to the wall.

"But really, 'Ai-chan'? That's something only a weirdo would call someone."

"If you want to really know, why don't we just ask her?" I retorted, annoyed.

"That's a good idea." She replied with a hint of underlying sarcasm.

While it may seemed like a bad idea and a waste of everyone's time, calling Ai-chan over to ask what her name is would definitely keep this kid quiet for a long time to come.

The waitress in question was walking by as we spoke about her.

"Ai-chan." I didn't have to shout that much, considering that she was mere meters away.

"Hmm? Do you want to order something else?" She asked with her note already taken out. How horrifyingly efficient of her.

"Nah," I waved off her question, "That girl there."

"…I have a name, y'know…" I heard Rumi muttering, but decided that it was for the best to ignore her.

"She wants to know what to call you. She likes the food here, you see, so she might be a regular soon."

What a perfect excuse. Seriously, could anyone think up of a more natural excuse? Nope, none whatsoever.

"Ah, I see," Ai-chan said gleefully as she looked over to Rumi. The latter straightened her posture and sported a curious look on her face.

A girl's acting ability is scary. Way too scary!

"Well, if you want something to call me by then call me Aikawa."

I froze upon hearing the two syllables after 'Ai'. What did she mean by Aikawa?! You don't just betray a regular at your restaurant. That bi-!

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Aikawa-san." Rumi smiled as she responded.

"No problem. I hope to see you around more."

She walked off to her previous destination, leaving me and Rumi all alone again, except for this time, Rumi got an impossibly large smirk plastered on her face.

"So Ai-chan, eh?" Rumi scoffed as she stared straight into my eyes.

"Shut it."

Deciding that completing my work would be the best and most efficient course of action, I pulled out my laptop from its bag and began working. Though I said that, it took time for this hunk of plastic and metal to turn on.

Not that I hate this hunk of metal and plastic though. My life quite literally depends on it.

Despite being able to load up the text document containing the draft, the time it took was so long that Ai-cha-I mean, Aikawa was able to bring food to our table.

I sighed and begrudgingly closed my laptop as she set down our orders.

However, the plate full of pasta and the steaming coffee instantly perked me right back up. Ah, these two were the only remaining things in Saize that won't betray me.

Before digging in, I glanced over to Rumi, who had apparently ordered Chinese fried rice. I lightly snickered, hoping that neither of them noticed my amusement in Rumi's childish choice in food.

Then again, Rumi is a kid so I guess choosing those kinds of meal is a given for her.

But that wasn't the end of it. As Rumi was about to dig in, Aikawa placed a glass of strawberry milkshake right next to Rumi's plate, surprising the young girl in the process.

"Wait, I didn't order this." Rumi said while looking at Aikawa for answers.

I held back my snicker. That was a totally cool move on my part, wasn't it? I mean, it was obvious that Rumi was trying to be frugal about my money, since she is such a considerate person after all.

However, since I'm an adult and has the perception of an elite military general, I was able to pinpoint Rumi's desire by simply following her line of sight. Those outings that Komachi forced me to go on weren't just time wasters, y'know!

Besides, everyone loves milkshake. Combined that with the unique flavor of strawberry, how can a girl like Rumi refuse such a delicacy?

Also, it's free.

Everything's better when it's free.

"Ah, Hikigaya-san ordered that for you," Aikawa explained to Rumi as she gestured towards me.

I actually had to hide my smile as to not fluster Rumi any further. Ah jeez, my altruistic nature was showing again. I'm way too cool for this world.

Well, with that settled, it was time to eat.

Or so I thought until a glass that was filled with pink liquid, covered with whipped cream and had a straw bent into a weird shape landed in front of me. Well, it didn't exactly land in front of me; it was more like someone placed it there.

And who else could've done that besides our waitress herself?

I immediately turned to her, my eyes already signaling for an answer.

"Wait, I didn't order this."

A harsh scoff was sounded in front of me. As if it wasn't obvious enough, Rumi also gave away that it was her by hiding her mouth and looking off to the side.

It couldn't be…

Could it be in my pursuit to be the kindest of gentlemen, I didn't notice what was in front of me? Rumi ordered that drink just to spite me and my wallet, didn't she?

My mental rant was stopped short when Aikawa giggled softly.

"This one's a freebie. We're having a promotion, you see." She explained as her eyes directed towards the little plastic thing that advertise whatever promotion a restaurant is having. What do we call those things anyway? Mini popup ads?

"Well then, enjoy your meal," Aikawa added as she bowed and left us to our own accord.

But my attention was directly squarely on the mini popup ad thing. Due to my superior observational skills, I was able to quickly skim through its content before one single word caught my eyes.

Wasting no time, I spun the blasted thing around so that that abomination of a word couldn't be seen by me or Rumi any longer. Especially Rumi.

Speaking of Rumi, she was curiously staring at the drink; perhaps wondering what it tastes like or what I looked like up close.

I was doing the same thing, except instead of being curious about the properties of the mostly pink drink; I was wondering if Rumi noticed why this drink was free in the first place. Not only that, but I finally noticed what strange shape the straw was bent into.

Being the perceptive adult that I am, I noticed Rumi's immediate craving for the presumably sweet drink. As such, I coughed to get her attention and promptly pushed the glass filled with sweetness and youthful joy towards her.

"Here. You should be the one to drink this." I simply told Rumi.

As a response, she pushed it back to me, "No no no, you drink it. After all, I already have this, see?"

She pointed towards the milkshake that I ordered for her. Ungrateful kids these days. Don't even know when they're being given free things.

"You're a growing girl, aren't you?" I pushed it back, "You should drink it."

"Ah, but you should have some sweetness to go alongside your coffee," Rumi gritted her teeth as she smiled and pushed it back, "You drink it."

"There's already milk in this coffee so it should be sweet enough already. Besides, why are you refusing free calories?"

"I'm a girl. I have to watch my figure."

"I'm an adult," I mocked her response, "I have to watch my glucose level."

Rumi clicked her tongue, "Tch, old man."

"Brat."

Resigning to her fate, Rumi's shoulders drooped in defeat as she proposed an ultimatum.

"Fine, if you're going to be stubborn,"

"You're the stubborn kid here." I interrupted her, but she pretended as if I didn't say a thing.

"Why don't we both drink it? I can see at least two straws in there." Rumi said nonchalantly.

I almost grimaced at how she didn't notice the straw's actual shape. Speaking of which, why were they even doing this promotion anyway? It's way past February.

And was Rumi doing this to me on purpose? Nah, she isn't someone to play jokes like that. The best she could do is saying creepy things followed by 'Just kidding.'

At this rate, it would be better if I take the plunge for the both of us.

"Fine, fine, I'll drink the damn thing," I said, frustrated.

The glass was cool to the touch as I pulled it towards myself. I found it a bit awkward to drink out of this peculiar straw, but somehow, someway, I managed. It was as sweet as MAX coffee, if not, even sweeter.

However, when I was almost halfway through this conglomerate of sweetness, a cry was sounded.

"Hey, can I have my turn now?" Rumi beckoned me as she outstretched her hand towards the glass.

Because of the surprise, I actually had to take a few seconds to take in the fact that Rumi also wanted a taste of this blend of sweetness. Was she that curious about the taste?

I was reluctant at first, but I happily pushed the glass towards her anyway, but Rumi didn't respond in kind. She looked off to the side with the only thing alerting her of the glass being her outstretched hand.

The moment she clasped the drink, she pulled it towards herself and began drinking with her eyes still off to the side.

The problem was that there were indeed two straws bent around each other. Since Rumi wasn't looking when she took the straw to her mouth, she got the straw that she shouldn't be drinking from.

"Uh, Rumi…" I tried my best to salvage the situation, but it was too late as Rumi almost finished the whole drink.

But, in her defense, she did hear me and turned her attention towards what I was about to say.

"Hmm?" Her eyes questioned me as she still had that straw in her mouth.

I tried my best to find words that could describe her dilemma, but ultimately, I decided to follow the philosophy 'Brevity is the soul of wit'

With a sigh, I told the poor girl, "Rumi…that's my straw."

There was a delayed reaction, akin to that of a laptop freezing up. However, Rumi's face was anything, but frozen up. In a matter of mere seconds, her face matched the color of the drink in front of her.

She slowly and meticulously took the straw out, wiped her mouth with a paper napkin before standing up and outright dashed towards the general direction of the bathroom.

I watched her with dread before coming to terms that I should probably eat my own meal, which got cold during our banter.

This is why I live alone.

After finishing our uneventful lunch, Rumi and I made a silent pact to never speak about that incident again, whether it'd be to outsiders or between us. In fact, I don't even know what incident she was talking about. All I remembered was going to Saize and having a nice meal, consisting of seafood pasta and coffee.

I gave Rumi the apartment's spare key and promptly told her to go home, while I caught a train to meet up with the author. Instead of meeting at a normal, plain restaurant, he had decided to meet up at a rather fancy café.

What's with the obsession with cafés these days?

With no choice but to comply with his demands, I braced my wallet for what was about to be another battle. After all, it's usually the editors that pay for the drinks.

The meeting went fairly well…NOT. Not only did he not finish his draft, he also injured his hand from what he claimed to be a freak accident. I grimaced at all the negotiations that I would need to do to keep both our jobs afloat.

Well, mostly his.

He did give me a doctor's note, however, so maybe, I could use that to my advantage…

Who am I kidding? Well, time to brush up on my dogeza pose again.

The meeting with the other editors was the only thing that didn't go wrong. Partly, because I didn't talk much. But it didn't really matter at the end as the meeting wasn't anything important. After all, it wasn't arranged by our head honcho himself. Just a bunch of editors wanting to get together.

Unfortunately though, since our boss wasn't here to control these buffoons, they decided to have an impromptu outing to a sushi bar. I couldn't refuse since it was customary for a junior to go along with his senior whenever an outing such as this one occurs.

Curse you, Japanese workplace customs!

Now this may come as a shock, but I hate alcoholic drinks, especially beer. Ergo, I hate outings with colleagues such mine as all they would do is get drunk, vomit on the side of the street and pass out on a couch in their home…sometimes, even on a park bench.

Not wanting to be part of that experience, I nimbly and cautiously used an age old skill that helped me escape stupid social situations like this a dozen times.

With Stealth Hikki being activated, I snuck away under the guise of going to the bathroom. Those people would never notice me because of two simple reasons.

One. I do not have that big of a presence at the table

Two. They will get drunk. Every single one of them.

Summer might be warm, but its night air is undoubtedly cold. I shivered horribly as I walked through the streets without a jacket. Ah, now would be a really good time for someone to come pick me up…like Hiratsuka-sensei sometimes does when she's on her late night drive.

Oh wait, she's not in Chiba right now.

I sighed and continued my painful trek towards home. Within a few grueling minutes, I finally reached the front of the apartment complex.

As I reached the front door of my apartment, I could see light emanating from underneath. Of course, I expected this since I gave Rumi the spare key and all.

I fumbled in my pocket for a moment before fishing out a key and inserting it into the lock, producing an audible click in the process. Hopefully, it didn't wake Rumi up, if she was sleeping that is.

But my assumption was immediately proven false as Rumi emerged out of the bath, drying her hair and already adorning her pajamas. What time was it anyway? Going out with people really takes away your sense of time.

"Ah, Hachiman, welcome back," Rumi greeted me as she continued drying her hair with a towel.

"Ah, yeah," I looked around and saw that the room was spotless, shining even, "Did you clean this room?"

She looked at me as if I was the biggest dunce in existence, "Of course. Who else could've done it? A ghost?"

"I was just asking…" I mumbled before noticing, once again, that she was in her pajamas, "Wait, you're already going to sleep?"

"Uh, yeah."

If she was going to sleep, that meant that she had already had dinner. Which meant that I couldn't make my own dinner unless I want to ruin someone's sleep patterns.

"Ah, dammit," I pinched my temple, exhausted from today's events, "I knew I shouldn't have gone with them."

"What's wrong?" Surprisingly, Rumi asked in a concerned voice.

I tried my best to cover up my fatigue, but…

"It's nothing really," I waved off her worries, "It's just that I couldn't eat at this restaurant because of my co-workers. Honestly, it's ruining my eating habits."

That statement was meant to be a light hearted one, but apparently, Rumi took it the wrong away as her face had shock written all over it.

"Do you want me to wait for you for dinner next time?" She asked earnestly, which quite frankly, creeped me out.

"N-No, I was just rambling on, that's all…"

"If this keeps up then your health will deteriorate."

From a few nights of not eating?

"It's fine. Besides, how did you even come to that conclusion anyway?"

Bashfully, she answered, "It's just that…Hiratsuka-sensei comes home late at night most of the times, so I almost always eat dinner alone, since that's what she wanted me to do."

That woman…

"And so," Rumi continued, her youthful vigor showing, "I was thinking that you might have a different…approach when it comes to having dinner…y'know…"

"I don't know." I piped in sarcastically.

Rumi, however, continued as if she didn't hear me.

"I'm saying that you might like having dinner with company…do you?" She asked sheepishly, looking at me with upturned eyes.

I was about to retort, stating that while I live alone, it didn't mean that I am lonely. In fact, I'm happier than ever, so it was naïve of her to presume that I would prefer having dinner with someone else.

But then, I realized that this wasn't a request for my sake. Underneath that concerned tone was a request for her own sake. Despite one part of my mind telling me not to be presumptuous, the other part reasoned that a girl with her circumstances needs company more than anyone else.

Was I wrong in assuming that notion? Perhaps, but it was better than not doing anything.

And so, I looked into Rumi eyes and told her without any hesitation.

"Fine, you can wait for me," I even tried to smile to reassure her, "What time do you usually eat?"

"Umm…about 6:30."

"Ah, I see," I lifted my hand and put it on her head, rubbing her hair gently, "Don't worry. I'll come home around that time too so you don't starve yourself to death. Sounds good?"

Rumi's face turned into one of embarrassment.

"Sounds good, but can you stop patting my head? I'm not a kid." She complained. I even noticed a small pout. Jeez, what a kid.

"Whatever you say, kid," I made sure to emphasize that last part as a joke. I'm sure she can handle a few banters. After all, she is Hiratsuka-sensei's student.

She growled lightly like a cat as I walked towards my room. A few seconds later, a loud growl was heard throughout the room.

It didn't come from Rumi, nor a cat (The landlord doesn't allow pets), but it certainly flustered me to the point that I was silent for a good ten seconds or so.

I turned around slowly, not wanting to look directly at Rumi, but I knew deep in my conscience that she had that familiar smirk adorned on her face.

"Rumi…"

"Yeah?" Rumi's sickeningly sweet reply almost sent me over the edge. I could just settle for cup ramen, but I don't think I have any left. Rumi made sure of that since, according to her, Hiratsuka-sensei told her to get rid of my junk food stash.

"…can you make me dinner?" I muttered, rather than ask.

In response, the younger girl just smile at me, pretending to be oblivious to me request. I knew what she wanted me to say. It was the same with all these stuck up princesses, and I had the pleasure of dealing with one in high school.

So, I knew what she expected from me, but I wasn't going to give it to her…at least, that was what I promised myself until I felt a growl emanating from my stomach once more.

Which ultimately caused me to succumb to the materialistic needs of my body.

"...please?" I added somberly.

Rumi could barely hold back her snicker as she walked towards the kitchen area. Donning an apron, she asked me with an impeccable smile on her face.

"Is stir fried chicken with vegetables good enough?"

"…yes…"

With a twist and a satisfied hum, Rumi started preparing dinner. In her mind, she was probably feeding a stray cat that had nothing to eat for days.

I let out an exasperated sigh.

I miss living alone…

Day 3

I hate my workplace.

But I don't think that sentence got my message across so let me reiterate.

I absolutely DESPISE my workplace.

Why, you ask.

The answer is quite simple. So simple yet the person hired to design my workplace was so incompetent that they didn't even notice this 'simple' reason as to why I hate my workplace so much.

There is no privacy.

Normally, you would imagine an office as a large room with many cabinets in which employees sit in and do their job. The cabinet is designed in such a way that one could focus while in the comfort of their own privacy.

My boss obviously never heard of that concept.

Privacy never once crossed his mind as he rambled on and on about creativity, citing that we, the employees, need to be able to see how one another work to gain experience.

But there lies an inherent problem.

Those that do walk around, often do so under the pretense of wanting to see how others work, even though we all know that they are just lazy.

For example: This particular man in front of me.

"So, Hikigaya, how's work?" He asked.

"Shitty."

"Don't be like that, man. Life's too short for you to be too tense; ya get what I'm saying?"

I don't; now leave me alone.

Despite my fervent wish, I didn't think that he would leave. Reason: We were currently having a lunch break right now, and most of the other employees left, leaving behind those that have their own lunch.

I, as of this moment, belonged to the latter group due to a certain teenage girl.

"When you have to explain to the higher ups why one of their authors is way past the deadline, and why he can't write for two whole weeks, then you can talk to me about being tense." I spat out bitterly.

The apologies that I had to give out that morning were so much that the word 'Sorry' had lost its meaning to me. However, that only resulted in them giving 'consideration' towards the deadline extension.

Tch, I knew I should've done a dogeza.

Despite his injury, the author still managed to barely produce a couple of chapters for me to proofread and pick out the inconsistencies, which there were many of.

"How many volumes?"

"Huh?" I raised my eyebrow at his out-of-nowhere question.

"I mean his light novel. You'd know how many volumes have already been published, right?"

Taking a few seconds to think, I responded, "Eleven, I think. We're working on his twelfth volume right now."

I turned my focus back to the word document that was currently displayed on the monitor. There were many words, each one of them looking like worms crawling on top of a blank white canvas, but I've seen this sight way too many times to be unnerved by it.

Not that it mattered since all my focus was for naught as something impacted against my shoulder.

"Why are you even worried?! He has eleven fricking volumes already so there's no way that they're gonna cancel his twelfth one, right?"

It was common knowledge that higher ups have a higher tolerance towards any product that can generate them mad amount of cash. Therefore, any authors that can garner enough attention for their novel to get more than five chapters are certainly a big asset towards the company.

That said…

"I wouldn't be worried if he isn't tweeting out that he's 'working' on it every week towards hopeless fans that can't seem to get a clue that these things take time!"

My voice was a bit loud at the end there, but there was no one here except me and…this guy.

What's his name again?

"Jeez, you're really stressed, huh?"

Despite his nonchalant tone at my conundrum, I found myself agreeing with him. I was extremely stressed. From the tension of dealing with the board of directors and the frustration of dealing with an incompetent yet talented writer.

There's also Rumi at home, but at least, she was doing something to ease my stress.

"Here, have a drink, best buddy."

A can of coffee was placed on my desk as he said that. Despite his weird choice of nickname of me, I found myself grateful at his gesture. It wasn't MAX coffee but it was coffee nonetheless.

He then pulled a chair from out of nowhere and sat next to me, peering over my shoulder and onto the laptop's monitor. I take it back; he probably gave me that just so that he'll have an excuse to invade my privacy once more.

But he did give me a free drink though…

"So…I guess you must be into high school girls now, huh?"

My mouth stopped just mere millimeters in front of the canned coffee. He was behind me so I couldn't see his facial expressions, meaning I couldn't read his motives at all.

Who told him about Rumi?

More importantly, how did he know about Rumi? Was going to jeopardize my job by reporting me to the MP? No, he wouldn't go that far, would he? But I see that guy's face every day; it's far too happy for a normal person.

"Hikigaya?"

Steeling my nerves, I let out a sigh small enough that he won't notice before turning to him, my face contorted into the best smile that I could muster.

"What are you even talking about?"

My voice was calm, and so was my demeanor. However, my emotions were anything but calm. He looked surprise before giving me a grin.

"I'm just thinking that eleven volumes is a lot, y'know. So it's possible that you're into high school girls now, right? Since you have to proof read a romantic comedy every single day."

"O-Oh, so that's what you mean."

"Of course, I am. What else would I be talking about?"

I breathed a sigh of relief before taking another sip of coffee. My monitor displayed the time as 12:30pm, which was way past my normal lunch time. So, I brought out my lunch box, something that I hadn't held for years, considering that I was too lazy to cook.

Rumi was the one that volunteered to do it, citing that it was, once again, Hiratsuka-sensei who requested her to do so. Well, I did give her some spending money so she could buy something for herself in case she was hungry, but I still felt guilty about having a younger girl doing this for me.

"Man, must be nice to have a younger girl cook for you, eh?"

My eyes widened as my hands stopped short of taking the lid of the lunch box. He was playing with me, wasn't he? He knew about it all yet decided to lead me into a false sense of security just so he could strike me down when my defense is lowered. This couldn't be about money. We're basically the same as far as ranking goes.

Don't tell me I did something horrible in the past to him.

Before I got to question him, however, he began talking again.

"I miss the days when my sister used to cook for me. You told me that you had a sister, right? Did she come to visit you again?"

"W-Well no. This is just a store bought bento."

So he didn't know about Rumi after all. Jeez, years of being a corporate slave really messed with my nerves. I should just stay calm like I always do. A calm Hachiman is the best Hachiman.

"It looks too delicious for a store bought bento though…"

He muttered suspiciously as he took a long hard look at the assortment of dishes in the box. He is smarter than I give him credits for. If this keeps up, he would easily find out why it looked so good despite my claims.

"That bento must be one of those premium ones, right?!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah."

Thank god, he's a dumbass.

But as I was about to dig into the delicacies that Rumi prepared for me, fate decided to play a cruel trick on me as another person entered into this two man comedy act.

"Yo, Hikigaya."

It was the voice of a senpai that had shown me the ropes ever since I've gotten a job here. She's the only one besides…what'shisname to talk to me; not that I have a choice though.

"Sup." Was my simple greeting.

She was when she saw me, but as I followed her eyes towards the man behind me, I could feel her gaze sharpened.

"Hey there," She greeted him without any hint of warmth or camaraderie, "The hell are you doing here for?"

Her words were harsh enough that even I felt the venomous sting behind them, despite the target not being me. Despite the display of hostility, the rambunctious man behind me didn't flinch. In fact, he stood up without any hesitation to confront my senpai.

"Long time no see, Nanao. Why are you here?"

Nanao tried as hard as she could to keep her resentment in. So much so that I could almost feel the tension between those two.

Why don't you two just get a room already?

"I'm here to see my beloved junior; who I'm sure is starving from overworking himself."

"I'm actually fine…" I muttered, more to myself rather than to anyone since those two like to hear themselves talk rather than listen to someone else.

"Well, I'm here to spend precious time with my friend," The annoying guy countered stupidly before sharply turning to me, "Hey, Hikigaya, we're friends right?"

"…sure?"

"The best!"

His proclamation of our friendship was loud and stupid. It was a good thing that everyone was out for lunch. I couldn't bear to be announced as this guy's best buddy.

"You're best friends with him, huh?" Nanao crossed her arms, "Then tell me. Does he even know your name?"

"Alright then! Hikigaya, what's my name?"

I smiled dumbly as he asked me that very question. To my sides, I could see Nanao's victorious smirk and to my front, I could see…that guy's passionate gaze, but as time went on, those eyes lost the fire inside.

"Ta…"

He was mouthing his name to me. Unfortunately, I had never been good at lip-reading so I couldn't tell what he was trying to say. The 'Ta' was just a lucky guess as his face lit up the moment I said it.

"Tana…?"

His grin widened as he ushered me to go on. Tana-what? Tana…Tana…

"Tanaka?"

Nanao laughed as I evidently got Tana-something's name wrong. The look on the poor guy's face as I said that. I almost feel sorry for him.

"It's Tanahashi! How could you forget? I thought we were best buddies!" The now named Tanahashi whined as he hung his head in disappointment.

Life lesson for today, Tanahashi: Don't expect anything from anyone, especially from someone such as myself.

"Gahahaha!"

Nanao's grating laugh echoed throughout the room. It was fortunate that no one was here to hear her besides me and Tanahashi.

She soon grabbed a chair, just like Tanahashi did and took a seat next to me.

"Oh, yeah, Hikigaya."

"Hmm?"

"Suzuki-san wants to see you before you're done for the day. Just swing by his office before you head home, alright?"

I nodded drearily as a sense of trepidation washed over me.

Please don't cancel. Please don't cancel. Please don't cancel.

"Man, what does the boss want with you?" Tanahashi asked, "He almost never meet anyone one on one like that."

I was too busy to reply since I was chewing, but a strong arm wrapped itself around my neck, almost choking me in the process. I glared at the perpetrator but she was too busy doing her own thing.

"Well, obviously, it's to reward Hikigaya here for being such a good employee. Probably even rookie of the year!"

"We don't even have any awards…" I mumbled, but somehow, she was able to catch it.

"Not with that attitude!"

Nanao laughed while I just grumbled in discomfort. Why do women have to use perfumes that choke you out? She smelled nice due to her perfume, but just like everything else, too much of something can be detrimental.

"Oh, and by the way," Nanao removed her arm off me, something that I was very grateful for, "What's with the high school girl?"

The egg roll that was in my mouth almost plunged down my trachea as I recoiled in shock at what Nanao said.

"W-What are you even talking about, Nanao?"

"Are you talking about his newly acquired fetish?" Tanahashi chimed in.

I glared at the young adult, but Nanao's voice brought me back to reality.

A cruel, harsh reality that I'd rather not live in anymore.

"Of course not, though that would be interesting…" I decided to ignore that last part, but Nanao kept on talking, "I'm talking about his date with a high school girl at Saize."

My eyes widened, arms stiffened and postured straightened. From the way she spooke, she wasn't confusing me for someone else. After all, there are only a handful of people who would eat out at Saize. I am one of those people.

It's a sad day when supporting your favorite restaurant becomes your undoing.

"…"

"So…who is she?" Nanao nudged me gently as she gave a sly smile, "Don't keep me waiting. I'm fine with losing to a younger girl, y'know."

"Do you really have to know?" I asked, exasperated.

"Yes, yes I do." She nodded smugly as she replied.

I turned to the other side, hoping that Tanahashi would back me up in any capacity, but instead of a dumb, cheery face, all I got was a sneer from the man who I thought was my comrade.

His mouth moved slightly and I could barely make out the word 'Traitor'. There was no way that he was jealous of me eating with Rumi, right? Well, he is a boy in a grown man's body.

Speaking of Rumi…

"How did you know about our lunch at Saize, huh?" I turned back to Nanao swiftly, "Do you have a tracking device on me or something? Are you a stalker? I swear, no one in this company have any sense of privacy. Seriousl-,"

A hand was placed mere millimeters in front of my face, stopping my impromptu rant altogether. Nanao sighed as she brought it back down, seeing that I stopped talking.

"Kid, you're not the only one who eats at Saize, y'know."

"…fine…"

I finally relented, causing those two to come closer to me. We were already close enough physically so why did they have to invade my privacy bubble?!

"She's my former teacher's student." I explained.

Nanao had this confused look on her face, and judging by the lack of sound from either of them, I assumed Tanahashi had the same face as well.

Within a few seconds, Nanao spoke up.

"But why were you guys on a date though?"

"It's not a date," I retorted, earning a suspicious look from her, "She is just living with me for a while."

"Aaaand why?"

I was about to tell her about Rumi living with Hiratsuka-sensei, but I decided against it. Doing so would mean that I have to explain why she was living with her teacher in the first place. Unfortunately, there was enough guilt in me to point me to the other way.

"Her guardian is busy. She had to go to this important meeting in another prefecture."

"Huh…is that so?"

"It is so."

Nanao found my answer satisfying, as evident by her turning away to eat her own lunch. All this talking really wasted my lunch break. This was the second day in the row that I had cold lunch.

But as I soon found out, fate is a really cruel mistress.

"So…you're a lolicon now, huh?"

A voice whispered over my shoulder, sending chills over my body. I turned to said voice, and found Tanahashi with a very judgmental look.

I gave him a sharp glare before responding.

"What are you even talking about?"

"A date with a high school girl? Doesn't that make you a lolicon now?"

"No, it doesn't. Besides, that girl can't be even classified as an actual loli-," I stopped myself short of conituing, "What are you making me say…"

"Or so you say!"

Tanahashi pointed a finger at me dramatically, like something straight out of a mystery anime. There was awkwardness in the air as Nanao and I didn't utter a single word.

"What if you were lying to us, huh? How could we know that you're not participating in compensated dating?"

I looked at him incredulously before speaking up against his…'accusations'.

"I don't care if you believe me or not," I told him bluntly, "Besides, why would I do compensated dating anyway?"

Tanahashi wasted no time in responding.

"Because you have horrible social skills, especially with women so you can't get a companion on your own without promising materialistic things?"

"W-Wha…"

"And also because you have anti-social tendencies that tend to give people wrong impressions about you?" Nanao chimed innocently.

"I hate you both."

The first half of my afternoon that day was spent on stuffing myself with the now cold lunch that Rumi had prepared, courtesy of both Nanao and Tanahashi. The second half of it was spent doing work while being surrounded by various distractions, both major and minor.

For example: Nanao bringing me sweets every 10 minutes or so. It didn't heavily impact my words as I only spared 1 second talking to her.

There was even one woman who announced that she was finally engaged. Of course, I stopped my work for exactly 5 seconds to clap for her. She deserved her happiness, but what kind of woman thinks that it's a good idea to announce your engagement to your co-workers? Honestly…

I persevered and I succeeded. I was like the firm, unmoving rock in a river of disturbances. I didn't budge from my seat, not even once, except for bathroom breaks, but that aside, I stayed in front of my desk all afternoon long

Even in front of Suzuki-san, who is my boss, I remained steadfast and confident. I thought that perhaps it would influence him in whatever he was about to do. Fortunately, I hit the jackpot that day as he told me that our deadline would be extended by two more weeks.

I made sure to thank him professionally before taking my leave.

The moment I stepped outside, my legs instantly turned into noodle as the nervousness finally set in. Perhaps, I wasn't as unmoving as I thought I was.

However, what happened next confused me to no end.

In one second, Nanao and Tanahashi stood in front of me, a grin plastered on their face. The next second, I was in a taxi with both of them as they explained to me why we were in there in the first place.

I didn't get to listen as they rambled on, but in the next next second, we were seated in a yakiniku place, our table filled with various meats.

Before I could even begin to comprehend everything, a bottle of sake was shoved into my mouth. I knew it was sake as the moment the liquid inside hit the back of my throat, I felt it burning.

It was uncomfortable, but the taste was so familiar…and somehow delicious. My eyes began to droop as I felt a strange sense of drowsiness enveloping my body.

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I, Hikigaya Hachiman, am a lightweight when it comes to alcohol.

I could hear both of them spouting off that we needed to celebrate since I got a promotion. Even through my drunken haze, I was still able to tell facts from fiction. Unfortunately though, I wasn't in any shape to correct them on that.

More sake bottles came in, and like the fool that I was, I downed them in a drunken haze. I am a quiet drunk, or so I heard, so I didn't jump around wildly or shout loudly whatsoever.

The night ended with Tanahashi asleep on Nanao's shoulder while us three were outside of the restaurant. It was already night and other people were also beginning to leave the restaurant as well.

"'ikigaya, ya sure you'll be okay?" Nanao slurred as she attempted to carry Tanahashi, "Tana and I live in the same neighborhood, but you live far away, don't cha?"

I assured her with the most sober tone that I could muster.

"It's fine. I lived nearby an'way…"

She nodded and bade me farewell as I responded in kind. Even in drunken stupor, I was still able to navigate Chiba with ease. I knew where the train stations are and more importantly, the location of my current home.

When I arrived in front of the apartment complex, I reached into my pocket for a key, just so that the door won't be a hassle when I finally reached it. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. I immediately thought of who could've done such a thing.

I opened the door carefully, careful to not alert any to be robbers. Even though I was drunk, I still remember the golden rule of self-defense.

Kick them in that place. Or just run.

But something else surprised me. The dining area's lights were turned on, indicating that either someone was already in there, or we got a very dumb and hungry robber on our hand.

However, it was something worse.

The moment I stepped inside the dining room, my half-lidded eyes were immediately open, and I could feel myself getting a bit sober.

In the middle of that room was a table that I would normally use to eat dinner on. Right now, it was occupied by myriads of dish, delicious enough to make anyone drool.

But what caught my eyes was who was sleeping on that table. Her hair draped down her back as she rested her head on the hard wooden surface.

A sense of regret came over me as Rumi stirred due to my presence. She lifted her head up slowly yet surely before landing that apathetic gaze onto me.

I couldn't tell what she was feeling, either due to my drunken state or her emotionless stare, but one thing was for certain.

She wasn't happy.

I took a quick look at the clock, and my eyes widened