Fourth [Quest]

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[-Continuation-]

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[Hachiman's POV]

"According to this boy's twisted personality, you cannot by any means call it fraud." She added her tone, dripping with disdain.

…there you go, her trademark insults at the end.

"Yukinoshita. You really know me well." I remarked, genuinely impressed with her understanding of me.

I will play along for now, but don't assume I have forgiven you, Yukinoshita.

"Your compliment doesn't fit well with me." She retorted coolly, unfazed by my comment.

As I geared up for a strong comeback… Something unexpected happened.

"Oh, it's Big Brother." A voice of a cute little girl cut through our conversation.

I turned in the direction of the voice and saw my sister, Hikigaya Komachi, clad in her middle school uniform, waving at me with a cheerful smile lighting up her face as she entered through the door.

I also happened to glaze at the figure beside her, which I ignored for now.

"Huh? Komachi?" I uttered, thrown off guard by her sudden appearance.

As she reached me, I demanded. "Komachi. What are you doing here?"

"My friend was asking for some advice." She explained, gesturing towards the figure beside her.

…..in the same middle school uniform as her.

Advice? What advice?

Hold on a second! Isn't this an odd group - a total of six people, including me-Hachiman, Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, Totsuka, Komachi, and lastly, the kid beside her.

Doesn't this setup ring a bell? Have I seen anything like this before?

And that kid. The one I initially brushed off a second ago.

Have I crossed paths with him? He seems oddly familiar, especially with that distinct silver hair.

Ah, got it! Kawasaki Saki.

"H-hello..!" The figure quickly ducked its head and bowed in my direction.

"..." I quietly eyed it, warily, from top to bottom, without thinking.

Just why was this brat only asking for help from Komachi…? Aren't there any other friends? He looks decent enough to have more friends.

Should I dispose of it?

"Hikigaya. He is a human in flesh, just like any. So stop looking at him like that." With her voice, Yukinoshita nudged me.

Welp. Not here.

"Right…" I spoke in a monotone voice as I signaled for Komichi to have a seat.

…

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"Hi there! I am Hikigaya Komachi. Thanks for looking out for my brother." Komachi greeted them with a knowing smile.

Since she was little, she has had a Unique Skill [Adaptability], that enabled her to fit right in wherever she went. It was a trait that never failed to surprise me.

"You are Hachiman's younger sister?" Totsuka chimed in politely. "Pleased to meet you. I am his classmate. My name's Totsuka Saika."

"Oh, you are so polite, how charming. And, oh my, what a cutie! Right, right, brother?" Komachi nudged me teasingly, as if wondering why I never mentioned having such a cute friend.

…well, the same ever misconception.

I grunted. "Sure. Except he is a guy."

"Oh stop. Haha! Funny joke! Hahaha, what are you saying, my big brother?" Komichi patted me back and forth playfully, assuming I was being silly.

"Er, um. I am a boy…" Totsuka spoke up timidly, blushing slightly as he turned away.

No dude. Don't say it like that. You are making it even harder for her to believe my words.

"Uh, wait, seriously?" Komachi's eyes widened in disbelief.

No surprise there, I guess.

"Oh, hello! Nice to meet you." Yuigahama introduced herself from beside. "I am Hikki's classmate, Yui. Yuigahama Yui."

"Oh, cool! Pleasure…." Komachi responded with enthusiasm, but her reaction suddenly shifted as she eyed Yuigahama with a doubtful expression.

"Huh…*stare*" It seemed like Komachi was trying to place where she had seen her before.

?..? Did she recognize Yuigahama? No, not now. I didn't prepare for that, not like I would ever have, but now is definitely not the right time.

Sensing trouble brewing, I shot a glance at Yukinoshita, who sighed in resignation through her eyes as she seemed to say, 'You're such a bother.'

But I suppose it's understandable. Yukinoshita had no idea what I was trying to achieve, except for the fact that I told her to do something or intervene.

"Are you done yet?" Nonetheless, Yukinoshita complied with my request and interjected calmly, having waited patiently for quite some time.

"Um, yeah." Komachi was startled.

It was remarkable how just the sound of her voice made Yuigahama and Komachi cease their staring match and redirect their attention to her.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Yukinoshita Yukino. Hikigaya's club mate."

I couldn't help but notice the slight improvement in her choice of words. 'Club mate' was certainly preferable to 'total stranger.'

"Yukinoshita Yukino…?" Komachi's brow furrowed, indicating that she was trying to recall the name.

Then, realization seemed to dawn on her. "Ah, you are the one who gave those cookies and recipe. Thank you! They were really delicious and helped me a lot. I will definitely make them for you one day."

"Also, you must be the President of the Service Club. Big brother spoke a lot about you." She added with a mischievous glint in her eye, causing everyone to turn their attention towards me, especially Yukinoshita.

"Idiot. Don't purposely make it sound weird." I interjected, feeling the need to clarify.

"Tehee~ Am I now?"

"Stop playing dumb."

Ignoring our banter, Yukinoshita expressed. "Komichi, right? I appreciate your words, and I am happy you found the recipe helpful."

Then, turning her attention back to me, she asked with a hint of curiosity. "However, I am curious about what he talks about, particularly me, that is. I mean, I do believe he is conscious enough to not bring his vicious thoughts in front of his sister."

Komichi explained, clearly amused by the situation. "Ah, it's mostly about your club activities and him whining about how he could have been Vice President if it weren't for you."

My dear little sister, that was very unnecessary information.

"Well, that's pathetic, Hikigaya. Aren't you ashamed of complaining to your sister?" Yukinoshita's words were tinged with a hint of sarcasm.

I felt the need to defend myself. "Hey, don't accuse me of a false case. I never complained."

"I doubt that." Yukinoshita shot back at me.

Komachi, seemingly oblivious to the exchange, chimed in with a good-natured comment. "Hehe, I think I have a pretty good idea of the kind of relationship you two have."

"Uuh..?"

Just then, another figure entered the conversation with a polite greeting. "…um, excuse me."

He continued to get everyone's attention as he introduced himself. "I am Kawasaki Taishi. I go to the same school as Hikigaya. And like you guys, my sister goes to Soubu High. Her name is Kawasaki Saki."

…Kawasaki Saki. So I was right. Is this that event already? I wondered about realizing it.

Anyway, Kawasaki Taishi, huh?

I must say that he does have determination pouring out of him and displayed some impressive communicative powers when he introduced himself, being an NPC.

I mean, he spoke in front of Yukino.

Yuigahama expressed, right after Taishi. "Oooh. Kawasaki, right? She is kinda of scary-looking."

Not the best thing to say in front of her brother, Yuigahama.

"You're not friends?" I asked her.

"Well, I guess I have talked with her, but…" Yuigahama replied delicately.

She then shot back. "You know? You really shouldn't ask a girl that. It puts us in a hard position."

"That has nothing to do with me. I didn't care about that 'female circle' stuff." I replied bluntly. "Anyway, from the way you spoke, it didn't seem like your group had a particularly good rapport with Kawasaki."

"Hey, now…" She protested again and clearly didn't like my phrasing.

Why are you worrying now? When the damage is already done.

"In fact, I don't think I actually ever saw Kawasaki get along with anyone in the class." Totsuka made a side comment.

Komachi informed us further. "Not only that. It seems like Taishi's older sister turned into a delinquent. Like coming home late and stuff. So he brought me here for us to try and figure out how to get his sister back to normal."

"So when did you notice all this starting for her?" Suddenly, Yukinoshita asked Taishi.

He reacted with a startle. "Y-yes'm!"

That's Yukinoshita for you. He is definitely not as calm as he shows outside.

But he provided the details. "Only recently and after she got into Soubu High. She was a model student back in middle school and was always nice back then. She didn't change much even when she was in her first year of high school… she changed only very recently."

"Recently… isn't it when Hikki returned to school." Yuigahama chimed in.

Hearing her comment, everyone looked at me with suspicious eyes. Even my sister, and Yukinoshita too…

"Hey, I got nothing to do with that… And you all know that." I resorted with an annoyed look.

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…

Then Taishi went on to answer the barrage of questions from Yukinoshita and Yuigahama -

- How late does she come back?

- How often does she leave the house?

- Taishi also explained his family situation, where both his parents work while they have to take care of a younger brother and sister.

- How his sister often gets a few phone calls from an uncanny place.

…

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"Understood." After listening intently, Yukinoshita nodded as she received approximately everything she needed.

"In other words, our only option is to simultaneously treat the symptoms and eradicate the root source." She summarized, her tone determined and resolute.

….eradicate huh?

"Are you planning to do something?" I asked, curious about her intentions.

"You have something to say." She turned toward me. "Kawasaki Taishi is the younger brother of Kawasaki Saki, a student at our school. Furthermore, he is asking for help for her sake. I believe it is within the Service Club's line of work."

No, it certainly does not.

"Big brother…" Someone poked me incessantly in the back. When I turned around, Komachi was smiling broadly at me.

–thrust(:piercing my heart)

Her smile had this uncanny ability to pierce straight through my defenses, like a dagger into my heart.

It was THE Almighty -Komachi Smile.

The one she wore whenever she wanted me to do something for her.

...and, honestly, I had no way to defend against it. But that didn't mean I couldn't express my opinion.

"Yukinoshita, if you ask me, I really don't want our club to be involved in this matter. I believe Kawasaki Saki is an independent individual with every right to choose how she wants to live. We are practically strangers and have no business meddling in her affairs." I began tentatively, voicing my concerns.

"However, I know you have considered this before deciding to help her. So, as reluctant as I am, I will lend a hand… But you do know what you're getting yourself and the club caught up in, right?" I added cautiously.

"Eh, that's dumb, Hikki. If you're agreeing to help in the end, why say it?" Yuigahama commented, with her usual straightforwardness.

You foolish girl, you wouldn't understand even if I explained, so just zip it.

"Hm-hum." Yukinoshita simply nodded positively, acknowledging my confirmation.

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[To be continued…]

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