[OreGaIru : New Me!]

….

[-Continuation-]

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[-Hachiman's POV-]

Ah, I missed the timing to introduce myself.

…that's what I thought.

But nope.

Haruno's smile stretched just a little too wide, her eyes glinting with that familiar, almost too-knowing look.

"Ah… Mother, this is Hachiman Hikigaya, Yukino's boyfriend."

Oh, damn it. My mind froze as I mentally facepalmed.

I could already feel the weight of the awkwardness thickening in the air.

My body tensed, as though preparing for impact, and I quickly shot Haruno a glare so venomous it could've peeled paint off the walls.

Why? Why did she have to bring that up?

There was absolutely no reason for her to do that. None.

Sure, I was planning on introducing myself eventually, but of course, Haruno couldn't let anything go at its own pace.

She had to make it her own show.

Yukino's mother turned her gaze toward me, her expression unreadable, as though my very presence was a mystery she had to decode. Her eyes were like polished stone, and I could practically feel the temperature in the room drop a few degrees.

"Hikigaya, was it?" She asked, her tone polite yet carrying an undercurrent of scrutiny that made my skin prickle.

Great. Let's get this over with.

I sighed, shifting in my chair, trying to look as casual as possible despite the growing tension. I rose slightly, bowing stiffly toward her and her husband.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Yukinoshita. As Haruno mentioned, I am Hachiman Hikigaya… Yukino's boyfriend."

There. I said it.

I waited for the inevitable reaction.

For a split second, silence enveloped the table.

I couldn't quite place it - whether it was approval, disapproval, or simple shock - but whatever it was, it hung in the air, an awkward weight I couldn't shake.

I glanced at Komachi across from me. If I could just get some kind of reaction, anything, to break this silence.

Her hands were neatly folded in her lap, but she was holding up a sneaky victory sign, her lips curled into a barely-contained smirk.

Of course. My bratty little sister was loving every second of this.

I forced myself to look away, glancing at Yukino out of the corner of my eye.

To see how she was handling this.

And of course, her face was red. The faintest pink tinge spread across her cheeks, her lips pressed tightly together.

Yukino's mother, however, offered only the slightest curve of her lips. It was so subtle, I almost wondered if I imagined it. But I didn't miss the way her gaze flicked briefly toward Yukino before returning to me.

"I see…" She said simply, her voice smooth but laced with something that made me feel like I was being thoroughly examined.

Yukino stiffened beside me, the faintest furrow appearing between her brows.

"Mother." She began, her voice sharper than usual. "I trust you won't turn this into something unnecessary."

I couldn't help but wonder if I was supposed to understand what she meant by that, but the subtext was thick enough to choke on.

"Of course, Yukino." Yukino's mother smiled again, though it was far from reassuring. "I am simply acquainting myself with the young boy. After all, it's important to know the people my daughter chooses to spend her time with."

There it was - polite, almost too polite - but the underlying message was sharp enough to make anyone squirm.

"Oh, come now, Yukino," Haruno chimed in, her grin spreading even wider, as if savoring the moment. "Better now than later. After all, Hachiman is part of the family now, isn't he?"

I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to say something that would only escalate things further.

Haruno never could resist.

This wasn't just throwing me under the bus - this was her driving the bus straight at my face, reversing, and running me over again for good measure.

Hayama cleared his throat, uncomfortably shifting in his seat, but he said nothing. His ever-present smile was nowhere to be found, and for once, I couldn't help but appreciate the rare moment when the golden boy was speechless.

I glanced at Yuigahama, who was practically melting into her seat beside me. She looked like she was on the verge of disappearing entirely, her face twisted in a mix of horror and secondhand embarrassment.

Her expression was enough to make me feel slightly better, though.

She was more nervous than I was, and that was saying something.

I glanced sideways at Yukino once again, and it was clear.

She had reached her limit… though her composure remained intact - on the surface, at least.

Her hands, folded neatly in her lap, betrayed her true feelings as her knuckles turned white from the pressure.

"Haruno." She said, her voice like ice cracking over a frozen lake. "That's enough. You didn't need to intervene in this matter anymore."

Haruno, ever the provocateur, only smiled wider, her eyes glinting with mischievous satisfaction. "Sure, dear sister."

I, meanwhile, sat - or rather, stood frozen - caught in the crossfire.

A deer in headlights, or maybe more accurately, a hapless bystander in a battlefield I didn't sign up for.

Should I say something? Or stay quiet and hope this tension dissolves into something less terrifying?

Across the table, Komachi was visibly struggling to contain her laughter, her shoulders shaking with barely suppressed amusement.

Thanks for the support, little sis. Really.

Yukino's father, who had remained silent for most of the exchange, finally cleared his throat, cutting through the oppressive atmosphere.

"I believe we have all heard quite a bit about one another." He said, his gaze unwavering. "But it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Hikigaya."

I nodded stiffly, my mouth suddenly dry.

What was the appropriate response in this situation? No clue.

My mind raced, but all I could muster was. "Uh, likewise, sir."

My voice felt awkward, small even. I wasn't sure if it even reached him, but at least I said something.

That had to count for something, right?

Just as the silence began to stretch into something unbearable, Komachi, ever the opportunist, rose from her chair with an air of practiced poise. She gave a polite bow, her voice bright and confident.

"I am Komachi Hikigaya, the only daughter of the Hikigaya household. It's very nice to meet you." She announced, her words wrapped in an almost exaggerated politeness that somehow came off as entirely genuine.

And, of course, it worked like a charm.

The effect was immediate. Yukino's father's gaze softened ever so slightly, his lips curving into a faint but genuine smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Komachi."

Straightening, Komachi beamed, clearly pleased with herself. Her charm was as precise as a well-placed arrow - lethal, but in the best way possible.

Meanwhile, I could only marvel at how she had effortlessly diffused a situation that had been teetering on the edge of disaster.

My little sister, the social genius.

Yukino's mother, however, was not so easily swayed. Her gaze shifted between Komachi and me, as if recalculating her approach.

"It seems your family places great importance on manners." She remarked, her tone neutral, though there was an undercurrent of something I couldn't quite place.

"Oh, absolutely!" Komachi chirped, clasping her hands together with an almost theatrical sincerity. "Big brother might look a bit rough around the edges, but he is actually super polite and considerate. Right, Big Brother?"

I froze, my throat catching on a response. Komachi's innocent smile was anything but - it was the smile of a sibling who knew exactly how to push buttons.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yukino suppressing what looked suspiciously like a smirk.

"Uh, yeah." I muttered, scratching the back of my neck in an attempt to appear nonchalant. "Polite and considerate. That's me."

As I scanned the room, my thoughts churned with a mix of impatience and confusion.

When were they leaving again? Shouldn't they be leaving now?

I glanced at the clock on the wall, the ticking sound suddenly louder than it had any right to be.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go. In my mind, this meeting was supposed to be brief and procedural.

Yukino's mother would deliver her cold greetings, everyone would exchange pleasantries, and then the group - Haruno, Hayama, and Yukino - would leave.

But here I was, stuck in the middle of what felt like an extended family interrogation.

And worst of all, I hadn't even prepared for this.

As I tried to collect my thoughts, Yukino's father muttered under his breath, his gaze drifting back to me.

"Hum… that's bad." He said, his tone low and contemplative.

What's bad?

Me?

The situation? His dinner plans?

Before I could hazard a guess, Haruno seized the opportunity to probe further.

"What's bad, Father?" She asked, her voice dripping with sudden curiosity.

.

….

[To be continued…]

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