Chapter 384: Fighting a Hard Battle!
Returning to the room.
He saw Sakura Airi waiting for him, sitting perfectly upright.
Upon hearing the sound of Hikigaya entering the door, she kept her head lowered the entire time, not daring to look directly at his eyes.
This posture of sitting and waiting for the inevitable, like a lamb to the slaughter, really made one... want to tease her a bit more!
Hikigaya couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl up. He spoke with feigned seriousness: "Airi, it's still early. How about we do a few sets of practice problems?"
"Ah—?!"
Hearing this, Sakura Airi was stunned. She raised her eyes and stared at him blankly.
"Don't daze off. Why haven't you come over to do the problems yet?"
Hikigaya frowned and, with a great sense of ceremony, pulled out the desk chair, signaling for her to sit down.
"..."
Sakura Airi, in a daze, instinctively obeyed his words and sat down at the desk.
Hikigaya casually picked up an English exercise book and stuffed it into her hands.
"Hachiman-kun, this..."
Sakura Airi looked at him with a face full of disbelief.
Are you joking?
At a time like this, instead of doing "serious business," you want to do actual serious business? This is too abnormal!
Hikigaya placed his hands on Airi's shoulders and began to knead them naturally. "Sitting for a long time causes soreness. Let me help Airi relax a bit."
"Mmm~"
A soft moan escaped from Sakura Airi's throat, and a flush of crimson quickly climbed onto her cheeks.
"Be serious."
Hikigaya's hands shifted positions, climbing up the "Mount Fujis."
"Read. The oral model essay."
"Online... learning is... convenient. We can study..."
Sakura Airi practiced her speaking, her voice trembling.
Outside the door, Hikigaya Komachi stood on her tiptoes, her small body pressed tight against the door panel. Her large, clear eyes were wide open, and her little face was written all over with confusion.
"What's going on?
Why is Airi-san... reading English?
That idiot Onii-chan, he couldn't actually be studying, could he!"
Komachi couldn't help but feel caught between laughter and tears. She pursed her lips helplessly and whispered a complaint: "But Airi-san's English pronunciation is way too strange."
She pressed her ear to the door to eavesdrop, but after a long while, she couldn't hear any interesting movements.
Komachi couldn't help but yawn.
"How boring...
Forget it, I'm going back to sleep."
Having lost interest, Komachi had no choice but to get up and leave.
At that moment, Hikigaya's ears twitched. He keenly judged from the faint sound of footsteps that his sister had left.
The things that would follow were far too stimulating for a middle schooler.
However, now that there were no more lingering concerns.
Hikigaya could finally let loose!
"Airi, is it okay?"
Hikigaya leaned in gently from behind, his arms tenderly encircling the girl in front of him.
"..."
Sakura Airi gave a soft, lazy hum of affirmation and nodded gently.
Through sufficient preliminary exploration, her heart was already surging like a tide.
She was already prepared to fight a hard battle!
.
.
.
Early the next morning.
Hikigaya got up early to tidy the room.
He threw the used "combat equipment" into a trash bag and tied it tight.
After going downstairs, Hikigaya found that his parents had already left early for work. On the dining table, breakfast was laid out under plastic wrap, along with a small note left by his mother.
It reminded him to handle the aftermath properly and to be careful with his "driving safety."
"Waaa~
Onii-chan, good morning."
Hikigaya Komachi rubbed her bleary eyes and walked out of her room yawning, her voice soft and husky. "Where's Airi-san?"
"She didn't sleep well last night, so let her sleep a bit longer," Hikigaya explained flatly.
"Hmph! It's all idiot Onii-chan's fault!
Insisting that she practice some English oral speaking!"
Komachi glared at him huffily. "You really are a man who doesn't understand romance!"
"Komachi, you don't understand."
Hikigaya reached out and patted his sister's head, a meaningful, faint smile flickering in the depths of his eyes.
"Eww~ Onii-chan's expression right now is so gross!"
Komachi wrinkled her small nose and dodged his hand with a face full of disgust.
"Hurry up and eat breakfast. I'll take you to school in a bit," Hikigaya instructed.
"Who asked you to take me? Stop treating people like children!"
Even though she said that, the little crescents in her eyes betrayed her inner joy.
The warm and peaceful siblings' breakfast ended quietly amidst their petty bickering.
Once the two were ready, they walked out the door side-by-side.
"Onii-chan, why are you wearing glasses today?"
Komachi turned her head, looking at him curiously.
"Isn't it for Komachi's sake?
So you can show off to your classmates that you have such a handsome brother."
Hikigaya reached up to adjust his glasses, striking a professional pose he had learned from the Photography Club.
"Tch! Onii-chan is way too thick-skinned!"
While Komachi voiced her disdain, her gaze uncontrollably lingered on him for a few extra seconds. She muttered under her breath: "Dammit... and I can't even argue back. Arrogant hottie."
"Haha!"
Hikigaya looked absolutely smug.
Along the way, he garnered quite a bit of attention from middle school girls; the rate of heads turning was extremely high.
"Komachi-chan, good morning!"
"Machi-machi, who is this hunk next to you?"
Several middle school girls walked toward them, greeting them with smiles.
"I am Hikigaya Hachiman, Komachi's most respected elder brother."
Hikigaya nodded slightly, his tone composed and humorous.
"Hey! Don't talk nonsense in front of my classmates, you idiot, trash, Hachiman!"
Komachi looked embarrassed and annoyed, stomping her foot lightly in frustration.
"Pffft~ Hachiman-onii-san is really funny."
A girl with flaxen long hair and a well-behaved, delicate face smiled.
She behaved elegantly and bowed slightly in a polite greeting: "My name is Doma Umaru, Komachi's deskmate and friend. Hachiman-onii-san can just call me Umaru."
"Hello, Umaru-kouhai."
Hikigaya gave a gentle smile and raised his hand in a polite gesture.
"This smooth handling... it's hard to imagine this is Onii-chan's doing."
Watching this scene, Komachi felt a mix of emotions in her heart.
Once upon a time, this solitary and taciturn brother, who never took the initiative to interact with girls and preferred being alone, had now become composed, generous, and an excellent man full of attraction for the opposite sex.
Sigh, and here she had already made up her mind that if Onii-chan was unwanted in the future, she would reluctantly take him in for the rest of her life.
Hmph!
Big liar Onii-chan!
Hikigaya escorted his sister to the school gate and waved goodbye reluctantly. "Komachi, bye-bye. When you miss your brother, you can call Chabashira-sensei's phone, and I'll find a way to call back."
"I won't~ Onii-chan has so many beautiful senpais around him, where is there room for Komachi?"
Komachi turned her head away, playing the temperamental sister.
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