Hachiman slumped on the sofa in agony, his face pale as if he'd just gone through something harrowing.
Komachi paced anxiously beside him.
"Onii-chan, what's wrong? Did you eat something bad? Is it food poisoning?"
"I've already taken anti-diarrheal meds."
"I should be fine soon. How was I supposed to know that cookie was lethal? I feel like my soul is about to leave my body."
"Eh? Cookie? Don't tell me the person who gave it to you was a girl? No way~ Could it be? Onii-chan, did you seriously land a girlfriend already? Are you one of those guys who pretend to be brooding just to win girls over?"
"What the hell are you imagining? I just helped a classmate with something, and she gave me that as a thank-you."
"But why does it feel more like she's taking revenge for being rejected?"
"Huh? You think I turned down her confession and now she's getting back at me out of spite?"
Komachi looked sheepish at her brother's question.
"I mean, why else would you say that...?"
"I just feel like the cookie was more about an apology than gratitude," Hachiman muttered, rubbing his chin and recalling the look on Yui's face when she gave it to him.
"Hmm, now that you mention it... there was this older girl with pink hair who came to the hospital while you were admitted. She brought snacks, but I accidentally ate them all."
"Ehehe... you're not mad, right?"
"So the culprit who put me in the hospital for three weeks right at the start of high school... really was her."
Because of that accident, Hachiman missed the first three weeks of school. By the time he returned, the social circles had already formed. Never one to charm or fit in with others, he remained alone well into his second year.
As memories of his life up to now swirled in his mind, Hachiman closed his eyes, the pain almost physical.
Rubbing his temples in exhaustion, he sighed. Just then, Komachi walked behind him and gently placed her soft hands on his temples, massaging them slowly.
"Onii-chan, it's okay. Even if you don't have any friends... you've still got me, your little sister. I'll always be by your side."
"I guess this is fine. My current life isn't so bad. No need to stir up old trouble."
Breathing in the faint scent of his sister's hair while enjoying the massage, Hachiman decided to let the past stay buried.
…
Thanks to last night's bout of food poisoning, Hachiman still looked worse for wear the next morning.
His usual aloof and distant aura seemed even more unapproachable now.
Shouldering his backpack and heading to the Service Club room, he rounded a corner and was greeted by a bizarre sight.
Two energetic schoolgirls were crouched at the classroom door, their shapely backsides pointed directly at him, inadvertently accentuating the already dangerously short skirts of Sōbu High's uniform. Their movements had caused the skirts to ride up, revealing a glimpse of Yukino's white cotton underwear, while from Yui's angle, only her smooth pale thighs were visible.
Momentarily stunned by the scene, Hachiman quickly snapped out of it and walked over, giving Yukino's pert backside a light tap on instinct.
"What are you two doing here? Why not just go in?"
"Ah!"
The startled girls, who had been peeking into the room, hadn't noticed his approach and both let out small squeals.
Yukino quickly turned, covering her backside with a faint blush on her cheeks, glaring at Hachiman.
"You scared me! What do you think you're doing sneaking up like that?"
Her voice, usually cold and composed, now sounded oddly flustered like a girlfriend caught off guard by her boyfriend's cheeky antics.
Yui clutched her chest, still catching her breath, causing a visible ripple that drew the eyes of the other two.
"Jeez, Hikki, you scared me half to death!"
Looking at the girl who had inadvertently changed the course of his entire high school life, Hachiman observed her warm expression and the tone that held no hint of blame if anything, it sounded more like a gentle tease. He silently pushed down the emotions bubbling within.
"What exactly are you two looking at?"
"There's someone... weird inside. You'll understand if you look for yourself."
Yui pulled Yukino aside to let Hachiman pass.
Suspicious of their odd behavior, he pushed the door open fully. What he saw inside left him speechless.
Since Sōbu High was a seaside school, opening the windows usually let in a fresh breeze. Yet standing there, sweating bullets in the early summer heat while wearing a heavy coat and fingerless gloves, was a bizarre sight.
"Ah! Hachiman, my comrade! What an incredible twist of fate, to meet again in such a place!"
The wave of middle-school edginess that accompanied this declaration nearly knocked Hachiman off balance.
"A friend of yours, Hikki? He's just as weird as you. Gross."
Yukino's disgusted tone hit like a blade, visibly wounding the self-proclaimed "comrade," who clutched his chest like a tragic actor.
"Haha... remind me again. Who are you?"
"How could you forget our glorious days of standing side by side in battle?"
"It was just one gym class. Don't make it sound like a damn war epic."
"Very well. Allow me to reintroduce myself, in honor of the master-servant bond we share!"
"No way in hell I'm in a master-servant relationship with a nutjob like you."
"I am the legendary swordsman general, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru! A hero who battled the rebel forces for hours before falling in noble defeat!"
"Is your friend mentally stable?" Yukino tilted her head.
"I'd rather be alone forever than have this guy as a friend."
And why does she look so damn cute tilting her head like that?
"So what are you doing here?" Hachiman quickly looked away before he could get lost in Yukino's accidental cuteness.
"Following the guidance of Miss Hiratsuka, I have come to the place where dreams are realized the Service Club! Hachiman, my friend, let us join forces once more and bring the world to its knees!"
"Someone... please come save me from this delusional warlord," thought Hachiman grimly.