Chapter 14: Morning
The next morning, when Hachiman Hikigaya pushed open the door and stepped out of his room, Komachi just happened to be yawning as she came out of her own room.
"Eh, Oniichan?!"
Originally still a bit sleepy, Komachi's eyes instantly widened and she snapped fully awake when she saw her older brother.
She wondered if the severe scolding from their parents last night had knocked some sense into him—because how else could Hachiman have gotten up at 6:50 in the morning?
"Is it really necessary to be so surprised just because I got up early once?"
Seeing Komachi standing before him wearing only a nightgown that barely covered her hips and continuously staring him over, Hachiman felt a bit embarrassed.
He scratched his cheek and turned his head away.
"It's very necessary!"
Komachi nodded seriously.
Then, holding her head with a troubled expression, she said, "If it weren't like this, wouldn't my established image as the cute little sister who takes care of her useless older brother be ruined?"
"Hey, hey, if you say that about the old me, I might just cry. Like, bawl my eyes out kind of crying!"
"Hehe..."
Hearing Hachiman's complaint, Komachi, who was frowning just moments ago, suddenly smiled cheerfully.
She squinted her eyes and showed a small fang at the corner of her mouth...
"No malicious cuteness allowed!"
Hachiman crossed his arms in front of his chest, indicating that Komachi's cute attack was ineffective.
"Hmph, what you just said actually rates pretty low in Komachi's book!"
After saying that, Komachi snorted a couple of times, then walked past Hachiman and went downstairs to wash up.
Soon, about ten minutes passed.
When Hachiman came out of the bathroom after washing up, Komachi was already sitting at the dining table, having prepared breakfast.
"I'm starting!"
After silently praying with his hands clasped over the two-tone breakfast in front of him, Hachiman took a bite of the sandwich filled with his sister's affection.
Hmm, today's breakfast has a bit too much salt.
It seemed even Komachi occasionally made mistakes when cooking.
But even so, Hachiman ate the entire sandwich without changing his expression.
"Huh?"
Komachi, who was secretly laughing beside him, looked at Hachiman's unchanging face with confusion.
She thought: There was definitely a lot of salt—why didn't Oniichan react at all?
Could it be that he was really dazed from being scolded last night?
"What are you doing?"
Hachiman picked up the milk beside him and drank it all at once. Just after setting the cup down, he saw Komachi staring at him with teary eyes.
Could this girl have put salt in both sandwiches just to prank him?
"Oniichan, are you sure your brain is okay?"
But just as Hachiman worried deeply about Komachi, she asked him with a quivering voice as if on the verge of tears.
Hachiman: .....
"No problem..."
Hachiman's mouth twitched as he answered her question.
"Really?"
"Really..."
"You're not lying?"
"Why would I lie?"
"Then, what is one plus one?"
"....."
.
.
.
After a lot of effort, Hachiman finally convinced Komachi that his brain hadn't been damaged by the combined scolding from their parents.
"Well then, Komachi worried for nothing..."
After confirming Hachiman was okay, Komachi immediately returned to her usual lively self.
"Yes, yes. It is very disrespectful of me to have worried so much for Onii-chan..."
While cleaning up the dishes on the table, Hachiman's eyes followed Komachi's swinging thighs on the sofa as he half-heartedly replied to his sister.
Speaking of which, wasn't Komachi a little too lightly dressed at home? Or did she simply not see him as a man at all?
By some instinct, Hachiman felt it best not to dwell too deeply on the question.
After all, the answer might depress him into shutting himself off on the spot.
After putting away the cleaned dishes, when Hachiman grabbed his backpack and opened the front door, Komachi was already seated on the back rack of his bicycle.
"Hikigaya Hachiman Express, departure!"
Seeing Hachiman come out, Komachi quickly shouted the slogan.
But Hachiman had long seen through her true intention—not wanting to walk.
He gestured for Komachi to get off the bike first.
Once everything was ready, he got on the bike and tilted his head, signaling Komachi to get on.
"Wow, Oniichan, did you know? That head tilt you just did was unexpectedly cool!"
Jumping onto the bike, Komachi wrapped her arms around Hachiman's waist, chatting and admiring the scenery as they rode.
"Oh right, that sentence just now scored very high with Komachi!"
"Is that so?"
Hachiman just smiled at Komachi's words.
With his permanently deadpan eyes? There was no way he could be considered cool.
So he dismissed Komachi's praise as just comforting her childish heart.
Soon, they arrived at their respective forks in the road.
"Well then, Onii-chan, see you this afternoon!"
Komachi quickly jumped off the bike, waved at Hachiman, and walked slowly towards her school.
Hachiman waved back, then continued riding towards Sobu High School.
Passing through a residential area intersection, a yellow puppy suddenly dashed out from another street.
Following that was a panicked female voice: "Ah, Sabre!"
The bicycle tires squeaked sharply on the ground as Hachiman braked.
After stopping, he sighed in relief.
He had really almost hit that little dog...
Suddenly, Hachiman felt something tugging at his pant leg.
Looking down, it was the same little dog, now lying against his leg, tongue out, wagging its tail.
"You kind of look familiar..."
Hachiman picked up the little guy from his leg and held him up in front of his face to examine closely.
The more he looked, the more familiar the dog seemed.
"Ah..."
Just as he was about to remember something, a girl with her hair tied up in a bun, wearing pajamas and holding a dog leash, came running over.
"Is this your dog?"
Looking at the leash in the girl's hand and then at the little guy in his own, Hachiman handed the dog over and asked.
"Yeah, thanks..."
The girl blushed as she took back her dog.
However, as she put the puppy down and tried to reattach the leash, the little dog ran back to Hachiman's side again.
"This little guy seems to like me a bit..."
Watching the clingy little dog, Hachiman looked helplessly at the girl in pajamas.