"Is Hikigaya not coming to school tomorrow either?"
On the other end of the phone, Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice carried both helplessness and a hint of concern.
"Uh... probably?" Hikigaya Komachi held the phone, sounding unsure, guilt creeping into her tone.
"What do you mean, 'probably'?" Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice unconsciously rose.
"...I mean, the thing he's dealing with might not be finished by tomorrow." Komachi broke into a cold sweat.
"So, what exactly is that brat up to?" Hiratsuka Shizuka pressed further.
"Uh..." Komachi was now sweating buckets.
Realizing she wouldn't get a clear answer, Hiratsuka Shizuka let out a resigned sigh. "Sigh... Whenever that brat gets back, tell him to call me."
"Got it. Sorry for the trouble," Komachi apologized sheepishly.
After hanging up, the girl, dressed in casual homewear, set her phone aside and flopped onto the couch, lying on her side against the soft cushions.
She instinctively curled up her legs, her gaze drifting toward the silent entrance.
"...Komachi is really worried too. When are you coming home, idiot big bro?" Her quiet murmur echoed clearly in the stillness of the living room.
Her brother had said he would take just one day off for the mission. But when she returned home after school the next day and found the house shrouded in darkness, her heart sank.
She could only guess that something unexpected had happened, which was why her brother hadn't made it back on time. Yet, she also hesitated to call him, afraid it might cause trouble. So instead, she anxiously waited at home, trying to suppress her growing unease.
But two days had passed, and there was still no word from Hikigaya Hachiman.
Not daring to call her brother directly, Komachi settled for the next best option—contacting Ijichi-san for information. But to her horror, she received a response she never expected: her brother was missing.
At that moment, it felt like the sky had collapsed around her.
Yet, deep in her heart, the small girl held onto a sliver of hope. After all, Ijichi-san had said "missing," not "dead."
That meant there was still a chance he would come back.
While trying to calm herself down, she had also been dealing with Hiratsuka-sensei at school on her brother's behalf. Three days had passed like this.
Click.
The sound of the door unlocking echoed through the quiet room.
Hikigaya Komachi froze for a moment. Had she been so worried that her hearing was starting to play tricks on her? Was she imagining things?
"I'm back."
A slightly guilty voice came along with the sound of the door closing.
Komachi was stunned for a moment before she suddenly shot up from the couch and turned toward the entrance.
It was a figure she knew better than anyone.
Seeing his sister frozen in place, Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't help but let a small smile form at the corner of his lips.
But the next second, he saw her frown, and that faint smile of his immediately stiffened.
Komachi didn't even bother putting on her slippers. She ran straight toward her dead-fish-eyed brother, her bare feet thudding against the floor. She stopped in front of him and glared at him fiercely.
"Uh, I…"
Hachiman instinctively wanted to explain himself, but when he saw her slightly red eyes, the words got stuck in his throat.
He had been out of contact for almost three days. The moment he thought about his little sister waiting at home alone, he rushed back the second he was treated at Jujutsu High.
He had even turned down Miss Ieiri's advice to stay and rest for a day.
As for why he hadn't called to let her know he was safe—his phone had been smashed to pieces in the fight against that gargoyle curse.
And after being rescued, he had been so focused on getting home that he completely forgot to borrow someone else's phone to call her.
Which led to this situation now.
The two siblings stood in silence for a moment. Then, Komachi suddenly threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
Feeling his shirt slowly getting damp, Hachiman parted his lips and finally managed to say something.
"…Sorry for making you worry."
"…Mm!"
She had been really worried.
So worried that she couldn't focus in class, that she accidentally cut her finger while cooking, that she couldn't even sleep properly at night.
But it was okay now.
Because he was back.
All that worrying had been worth it.
She couldn't greet a hero who had fought so hard with blame or scolding.
Komachi let go and stepped back two steps. Her eyes were still a little red, but a relieved smile appeared on her face.
"Welcome home, Onii-chan!"
"Yeah… I'm home."
Hachiman couldn't help but be moved.
"Hiratsuka-sensei said to call her once you're done with everything."
Komachi added.
"…"
That moment of warmth instantly turned into something much more complicated.
"Can you not say something like that at such a touching moment?"
"Nope! If I stay here any longer, I might actually start crying."
Komachi stuck out her tongue playfully.
"I'm going to bed. Good luck, Onii-chan!"
With that, she ran back to her room, shutting the door behind her, leaving Hachiman alone in the living room.
He let out a helpless sigh.
"Even if I wanted to call her, I don't have a phone…"
Tomorrow, he wouldn't just have to deal with an absolutely furious Hiratsuka Shizuka.
He would also have to face the mountain of student council work piling up from his three-day absence.
Hopefully, he would survive the day.
…
The next morning, Hikigaya Hachiman quietly slipped into the classroom through the back door, trying to avoid the sharp gaze of a certain iron-fisted teacher.
Eyes scanning in all directions, ears on high alert.
After making sure that Hiratsuka Shizuka wasn't in the classroom, Hikigaya Hachiman sneaked back to his seat like a thief.
Little did he know, every move he made had already been caught by a certain pink-haired, bun-headed girl.
Yuigahama Yui's eyes lit up with excitement. She was about to get up and say something, but then she seemed to sense some lurking danger and reluctantly sat back down.
Just as the dead-eyed boy managed to settle safely into his seat and let out a quiet sigh of relief, a chilling whisper reached his ears.
"Hiki—gaya."
Hikigaya Hachiman shuddered all over. His head turned toward the hallway with stiff, puppet-like movements.
A black-haired specter was staring at him with empty eyes. Her long, dark hair swayed as if caught in an invisible breeze, almost like Medusa's writhing snakes.
Hiratsuka Shizuka stood in the corridor, glaring at the guilty-looking, dead-eyed student through the window.
"You'd better have a good explanation," the iron-fisted teacher said in a low voice, raising her pale fist.
Hikigaya Hachiman swallowed instinctively.
At this moment, the pressure from Hiratsuka Shizuka was stronger than any Special Grade threat—second only to Hayashizaki himself.
…
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