First, let me preface this by saying sorry for the long wait. 10 likes and I'll get the 3rd chapter out in a week. Kidding, but I will be trying to keep weekly uploads at least until school starts in a month. Anyway, thanks for the positive(?) feedback and let's see where this fanfic takes us :). Also, one last thing... This chapter was actually going to come out much sooner, but with an entirely different direction. The anime kinda happened and it sorta messed it up lmao. Hopefully, this isn't too bad.

Feeling much more refreshed than the day before, Haruno slipped off her bed into her slippers. Her head was much clearer, and her body no longer felt like it was wading in a pool of honey. It had been many years since a cold had bedridden her, and she was just glad she was functioning at maximum capacity again. Apparently, she had missed a phone call from her parents because she had turned in unusually early, but she ignored it for now. She wasn't particularly excited about talking to them, and they would call again if the matter was something important.

She unhurriedly made her way to the door, wondering if Hachiman had already left. Yesterday wasn't preferable, but he surprisingly helped alleviate some of her struggle at his inconvenience. The warm meal was much appreciated, and she wanted to repay him.

Past the door, as she approached the living room, Haruno could hear a faint conversation. It seems Hachiman hadn't left, and she had a guess of who the extra party could be. Approaching the sounds, she found her guess to be correct.

"Good morning, you two," she greeted, causing the pair to jump. "This is a surprise."

"Hello, nee-san." She had an unwavering steel gaze, and Haruno only returned it with a smile. "You seem to be well."

She hadn't been expecting Yukino to visit in the morning or at all.

"You can thank Hikigaya-kun." She was expecting to rile up her little sister, but Yukino's composure remained steady. It seemed as if they've already discussed most if not all of what's happened.

"That seems to be the case."

"So what can I owe this visit to?"

"Mother asked me to check on you since you didn't return her call last night."

"How kind of you, Yukino-chan."

When she arrived, she was shocked and a little displeased finding Hachiman at the door instead of her sister. She didn't assume anything rash as much as she wanted to and instead, listened to his story. The one thing that bothered her was why her sister asked for Hachiman, but she didn't broach the subject. Yukino doubted she would get a satisfactory answer, anyway.

"Since you appear to be doing fine, I'll be going." There wasn't anything left for her to say or do, so she turned to finally address the third person in the room. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hikigaya."

Her goodbye gave Haruno the impression that it was a jab at her rather than a farewell to Hachiman. As if being able to see him after school everyday was something she had over her sister. Besides that, Yukino didn't seem to be too different since she had last seen her, not that she had been expecting much change in the first place.

"See you…" Hachiman mumbled.

As someone who had merely been a bystander between the sisters' short but intense back and forth, his response came out rather awkward. Both Haruno and Hachiman could see she was in a hurry to leave; though, they were sure that she wasn't thrilled to visit in the first place. Yukino removed herself from her seat and without a single glance back, the door closed softly behind her.

Haruno wasn't too worried about Yukino reporting that Hachiman had stayed over the night because that would cause issues for her, too. A simple, 'she's doing better after a long night of rest,' would be enough to satisfy their mother.

"Well, Hikigaya-kun, are you leaving, too?" Her sudden shift in tone wasn't surprising to Hachiman, but the seamless transition was still a bit intimidating.

"Should be."

"Should?"

"...I am." Hachiman wanted to head home as quickly as he could since he was certain that Komachi was worried sick for her older brother. He paused wondering whether he should say anything else and spontaneously remembered something. "Thanks for the blanket."

"Hmm..?" Haruno walked past him, heading to the kitchen before continuing. "I happened to wake up in the middle of the night." She paused for a moment, focusing on gathering things from a cupboard. "Now... how to thank you."

"Thank me later." He didn't really think making dinner was too big of a deal, and in any case, he was the one repaying her for paying for a meal or a drink whenever they coincidentally met to eat.

A small chuckle escaped Haruno at his reluctance, as she continued to rummage around the cupboards. "You at least want something warm to drink on your way back?"

"Sure."

"Coffee or tea?"

"Coffee."

"Wrong," she laughed. "It's tea."

*0* *0* *0*

Hiratsuka accepted the keys to the clubroom, as Hachiman returned his hands into his pockets waiting to be excused so he could go home. But the expression on her face told him that they weren't done. She probably wanted a follow up on the snowy friday visit to a sickly Haruno.

"So how was she?"

"She's doing better."

His teacher viewed him puzzledly, the keys jingling in her hands. "That's good to hear… The trains shutdown early on Friday if I remember, but you should have been fine right?"

"Y-yeah…" He knew he was never good at lying specifically to Hiratsuka-sensei, but did he really have to be exceptionally bad at it right then?

"What'd you do then. Did you stay the night, Hikigaya?" She had a smile plastered on her face like she was ready for some juicy gossip to leave his mouth.

"Yeah, but nothing happened." Hachiman didn't think he was the only one that thought that sounded suspicious, even if it was true. "I slept in the living room and left in the morning."

"Hmm… good." At least she sounded convinced. "Thanks again for checking in on her on such short notice."

"Yeah."

"Take care, then. Oh, you did a good job on your essay. Just letting you know."

He smiled before nodding a good bye. For a second she was sounding like a mix between a concerned and overly curious parent. Though, he didn't know whether his teacher was more concerned for him or for Haruno. Even with the sleepover at Haruno's, he didn't particularly think that his weekend was exciting, but having to do some damage control when the younger Yukinoshita showed up was momentarily frightening.

She still seemed a little a bit distracted during club time, and their interactions were awkward, but it wasn't to the point that Yui would have noticed. Hachiman didn't believe so at least; however the pink haired girl might have just been apprehensive about approaching the subject. In that case, he couldn't blame her. Fortunately for them, they still had no requests. He wouldn't know how Yukino would act, otherwise.

And luckily for him, it hadn't snowed since he missed the trains, so he was able to take his bike. He released it from the bike rack, throwing a leg over to mount and sighed in loathing for his destination. Instead of the heartwrenching reunion he envisioned he'd receive from Komachi during the weekend after his extended absence, he was just enlisted to do chores that he forwent the day before, losing a considerable amount of his day off. And the cherry on top was an errand for groceries the next day after school.

His journey to a supermarket wasn't long, but the cold monotony made it feel longer than it was. The sliding doors parted ways, and a basket snuck its way into his grasp, as Hachiman made his way to the vegetables. He checked his phone once more, a list of what he needed on the screen.

Wrapping the listed produce, he moved on to different aisles. There weren't many customers mainly because it was a Monday evening, but he was glad for it. Hachiman continued at his leisure pace, slowly wishing he had picked up a small cart instead of the basket. The basket was only half full, but it was also testing his stamina.

"Hikigaya-kun?"

His head whipped to the sudden call of his name being uttered.

"Haruno-san?"

Sometimes, he thought they had a little too many coincidences, but the world didn't run on them, and she had a basket not so empty herself. Haruno was approaching him quickly, and he was frozen in place, not knowing whether to be surprised, annoyed, frightened, maybe even possibly a little relieved.

"Who would have guessed we go to the same supermarket!"

"I thought you didn't like to cook?"

"So blunt… but I said I didn't cook often. Besides, didn't you notice? There's barely enough to make anything decent. I would have gone yesterday, but I was just taking the extra day off to make sure. Don't want to make a certain Hikigaya worried again."

He didn't really know how to respond to that, and in the end, he didn't.

"So is this all you have planned for today?" she asked.

"Grocery shopping?" Haruno nodded once in response, her smile flashing a little wider for a moment. "Yeah…"

"Then how about I treat you to some food after we're done?"

"We?"

"Of course! So what do you say about continuing our little date?"

Was this her way of thanking him for taking care of her? It was hard to complain about free food, but he was still hesitant. He didn't really know why he was reluctant to accept, but there had to be more to the invitation than just repaying him. She usually treated him anyway, so he didn't understand how this would be different. At the very least, he was tempted by the food. People do say the best way to a man's heart was his stomach, after all.

"I'll bite. I'm almost done with my groceries, though…"

"Well, I'm sure you'll lead me to whatever I need, right?"

Was that right? That sounded like a lot more than just cereal and milk. Regardless, that was their plan, and that was the rest of the errand. Haruno joked about his ability to hold onto the basket, recommending they traded for the time being, but even he had some pride. Her teasing wasn't anything new, but he wasn't upset about the company.

The cashier eyed them curiously but didn't mention anything, as they took turns paying for their purchases. Haruno assured him it was fine shoving his bike in the back row of her car, but they were just lucky Haruno's tastes in cars were a bit more practical than a certain sensei. Hachiman didn't bother asking where they were eating because he would find out soon enough, but that didn't stop Haruno from starting a conversation.

Their shared words didn't lead to anywhere, nor did it last very long. A short drive around the block and a few traffic lights later, a fancy sign pointed out by Haruno marked their dinner's location. She pulled around the building to find a parking space, sticking tightly to Hachiman as they made their walk to the restaurant. It wasn't a busy day, so they were seated quickly, hanging their heavy coats on the back of their chairs, the pair sitting opposite on a small table for two.

"Can we get started on drinks?" The waitress smiled patiently, probably thinking this was a date. Hachiman couldn't really blame her for misinterpreting their situation, though.

"Coffee. A little bit of sugar please."

"I'll just have water," Haruno added. "Can we get started on the appetizers?"

"Sure thing!"

"We'll just take the sashimi then."

"Alright, I'll be back with the drinks and the appetizer as soon as it's ready."

"Thank you."

"Thanks," Hachiman followed. A courteous smile met them and the waitress was gone.

"The sashimi?"

"It's very good… trust me."

He hadn't really bothered to pay attention before, but the decor of the room created a pleasant atmosphere. He was comfortable. Hachiman was comfortable sitting across from Haruno.

"I recommend we just share the chicken tempura." Haruno gave the blank stare a giggle, mindlessly drawing a circle on the table with a finger. "What? You looked like you didn't know what to choose." He hadn't even opened his menu yet.

"Sure…"

"I ordered it once, and it was a lot more than I could handle myself," she laughed.

He trusted her enough to make the order for them at least. Even though she was paying for both of them, he knew Haruno wouldn't skimp on a meal. With their order already decided, he gave his menu to Haruno's outstretched hand, who stacked them together and placed it to a side of the table.

The loud smack of the laminated menu on the wooden table and quiet chatter in the background made him listless. Something about the delicate lights and the affluent and confident customers around him made him feel a bit weary. He was so used to being in the background, he was ready to join it, but he couldn't. Haruno's undivided attention was fixated on him, making it impossible. He was expecting her to say something, but he just continued waiting, staring at her soft smile.

"Haruno-sa—"

"And here's your drinks!" The giddy waitress dropped a coaster for both of them, placing a glass of water in front of Haruno, and a cup of coffee on his. "The sashimi will be done in a few minutes. Are you two ready to order?"

Haruno ordered the chicken tempura for them, and after another round of thanks from the pair, the waitress took her leave with a smile.

"Did you want to say something," Haruno proposed.

"Not really…" He didn't have anything in particular to say, but the earlier unusual bout of silence unnerved him.

"Then you don't mind if I do?"

"Shoot." Suddenly, the uneasiness he felt earlier disappeared.

"Would you like to accompany me to one of my family's parties?"

One of her family's parties? Why ask him? He didn't bother exclaiming a profound, 'What?' seeing Haruno was the one asking. She would give an explanation when she wanted to, but she wasn't going to get the answer she was looking for without one.

"But we can talk about that later… How's Yukino-chan doing?"

That was a drastic change in pace. Hachiman took a sip of coffee after dropping some sugar in it to settle himself.

"She's fine."

Haruno smiled at the strained response. "You don't seem so sure, but I suppose there's no other choice but to trust you." Her tone made it sound like she knew what was going to happen next with her little sister, which wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.

"There hasn't been anything new," he stated, trying to regain some ground.

"Well, I suppose you're right," she chuckled, telling him he was wrong. It annoyed him how easily she was able to pick up on those things. "You should be happy, no? You don't like when people stagnate, right? Or are you turning over a new leaf for that comfort?"

"I'm not…" He didn't know whether he was content with the dormant life in the clubroom because everyone seemed happy enough doing the same nothing everyday. No one had asked for them to change except for Haruno.

"Which question was that answering I wonder."

Was asking about Yukino and the family party somehow related?

"Did you invite me to dinner just to ask those questions?"

"Of course not! I wanted to go on a date with my favorite person. You weren't saying a word, so of course I had to."

The smile she gave him with her answer was dazzling. It could have made anyone around him jealous that it was being wasted on someone like him. Hachiman could almost believe it himself— that he was her 'favorite person'. Maybe he had gotten too comfortable talking so often with her.

"And why am I your favorite person?"

"You should know the answer to that, Hikigaya-kun…" Haruno's voice trailed off, and her expression almost seemed to sigh, but a neutral gaze met Hachiman instead. "But..!" The sharp change in tone caused him to tighten his grip on his cup. "If you really don't know, then you can find the answer if you accept my invitation as my plus one." Her bouncing tone made it difficult for him to understand the gravity of what she was saying, but with Haruno, it was probably best to take her words seriously.

"You're going to give me the answer if I go?"

"Hmm… I'd say you'd figure it out by yourself. Anyways, I'm getting quite hungry… Aren't you?"

Her interest in the topic seemed to be waning. He settled his cup onto the table, realizing that it was still tightly in his grasps. Was she really just trying to convince him with food? Not that he was complaining; good food is still good food. If this party was so important for him to attend, he would imagine that Haruno would think of something more contrived to convince him.

"Is this dinner just to thank me then?"

"Do I have to repeat myself, Hikigaya-kun? What would I get from repaying someone who doesn't want to be repaid? Besides, good company makes a good meal." Her eyes drifted away from his. "Looks like the sashimi is here."

The waitress delicately settled the plate of raw fish, vegetables, and sauces onto the table, asking if they wanted anything else before taking her leave once again. It was a small plate, an appetizer for one person, but Haruno did say the tempura was supposed to be big, so it shouldn't be an issue. He took his chopsticks to dip a piece in one of the sauces before bringing it to his mouth.

"So?"

"It tastes good," he replied.

That was at least to be expected in a place as extravagant as this. He watched Haruno try a piece as well, savoring the taste. Whether the food was calming the increasingly tense mood or the meal was softening him, Hachiman couldn't help but grow a little curious about the party.

"Mmm…" she mused. "That it? This is probably the best sashimi you'll find in Chiba."

"Well, I haven't had the option to try many others."

"Maybe I'll take you to the others next time," she gleamed.

Her sparkling smile and choice of words made it sound like she knew exactly what was in store for their future. He slipped another piece into his mouth, imitating Haruno, as if he really was going to compare the sashimi in every restaurant.

"The offer to go with me will still be up, Hikigaya-kun. It's not for a month, anyway, so you have plenty of time to think about it."

"And if I decide to go? What happens then?"

"Speculating? Does that mean you've already decided to go?"

"No."

"Aw…" Haruno tried another slice, leaving just a few left before answering. "Well, first we need to get you some nice clothes. I'm sure you have something, but when I say nice, I do mean it."

"That's it?"

"So far."

"Are you going to tell me what the party is for?"

"Me."

"Your… birthday?"

"No, silly. My birthday isn't until July 7." A month before his… If it wasn't for her birthday, then what was it for? "Say do you have time on the weekend?"

"Why?"

"There's a new place that just opened that I wanted to try."

"And why do I need to come?"

"You don't need to, Hikigaya-kun. I'm merely asking." She took one more sashimi slice, leaving the last one for him. "So what'll it be?"

He had never been asked to go eat somewhere preemptively before. With Haruno, it was generally coincidences or some convenient timing like today that they ate out together. And for a certain kouhai, she always assured him they were just practicing.

"I have time…"

A small, pleasant expression appeared on her face for a brief moment, disappearing quickly. Not long after that, the waitress returned with a large plate. Haruno wasn't kidding about the chicken tempura dish being huge.

A small thank you for the food, and the pair began digging in. They didn't exchange as many words during the meal, focusing more on filling their stomachs than filling the air with words. Hachiman asked for water after running out of coffee, finding it by his empty cup not too long after.

With the two of them working, the chicken was eventually all gone. Haruno paid for the meal, much to the waitress' surprise and Hachiman's awkward manner. He knew it was customary for the guy to pay, but they really weren't on a date. Even if they were, he imagined Haruno would let him split the bill at most. Haruno lacked tact at times, but she was courteous and well aware of their families' financial situations.

The cool air greeted them, as they exited the restaurant. The dark winter sky made it easy for them to see their own breaths, as the two walked closely back to Haruno's car. It was a pensive atmosphere, neither one wanting to break the tender silence between them. The slamming of the car doors and the roar of the engine starting eventually broke the mood, and the warmth and color returned to their cheeks.

"I'll drive you home?"

"Sure."

At this point, it would be rude to decline, and he wasn't really in the mood to bike home in the cold. He gave her his address, and she inputted it into the GPS. They managed to miss the rush hour of office workers returning to their homes, so the streets weren't nearly as packed. Neither of them really dabbled in small talk, and all of their topics were already exhausted, but Hachiman still felt like he needed to say something.

"Thanks… for driving me home."

"Hmm?" She stole a glance at the passenger seat, catching Hachiman staring stiffly ahead. "You did accept my date."

"Why do you keep calling it that?"

"Isn't that what this was?" she mulled. "Two friendly friends eating out for dinner."

"Right…"

He couldn't really confirm whether they were friends or not.

"Is it bothering you that much?"

Was she showing some consideration? "Not really."

"Good, because what else would you want me to call it?" she laughed. "Our semi-weekly restaurant adventures?"

"I'd rather you not call it that." He couldn't help but let a smile escape him.

"What would you call it then?" What would he call it…? He couldn't really think of a better word. "Your silence is telling, Hikigaya-kun."

Anything he said would probably tell her, too. "We're almost there," he said after a while in an effort to change subjects.

"Excited to finally be free of me?"

She laughed again at his lack of words. It really was a calming night. The clouds were small and light in color, and the low rumble of her car created a consistent soothing rhythm. But it was sooner when the front lights marking Hachiman's house made itself clear. Haruno parked on the side of the street, and Hachiman stepped out to pull his bike and groceries from the back seats.

"I'll see you then," Hachiman nodded from the back.

"Mhm… Goodbye, Hikigaya-kun."

The car door closed behind him, and Haruno watched him reach the door before finally putting the car in drive. Hachiman fumbled with his keys, as his eyes followed Haruno's car slowly growing smaller from the distance. Before even finding the right key, he heard the lock undo, turning around to find the light from inside brighten the porch. His younger sister was also there, he thought to brighten his mood before noticing her grim expression.

"Oh! Sorry! I forgot to tell you I was eating dinner outside." He rubbed the back of his head again, hoping this didn't end up as another lecture from his little sister.