[OreGaIru : New Me!]

….

[-Continuation-]

.

[-Third Person View-]

The delivery man walked out of the door, taking the oversized doll back after carefully packing it into its box once again.

The moment of peace lingered in the air, broken only by Haruno's voice.

"Well, I am off." She said, glancing at her wristwatch like she had somewhere more interesting to be.

"Goodbye…" Yukino said, her voice calm, though there was a touch of fondness hidden beneath her words.

"Yeah, bye." Hachiman added, still sitting on the sofa. His tone was detached, but not dismissive, more like he was conserving energy.

Komachi and Yuigahama sat silently, trading glances but staying out of it. It was one of those rare moments where neither seemed to have anything to add.

Haruno, of course, wasn't done. Her eyes lingered on Hachiman, a sly look creeping into her expression as if she was sizing him up for some unspoken challenge.

Hachiman noticed this, blinking in confusion.

"…What is it? You want to take a cake pace?" He asked, his voice genuinely confused, free of any sarcasm.

Haruno's lips curled into a teasing grin as she tilted her head. "What do you mean, what little bro? Man up! How can you let a young, pretty lady walk down the stairs by herself?"

His brow furrowed as he raised an eyebrow, his voice laced with dry skepticism. "…There is literally a lift right there."

"Is there?" Haruno's grin widened, unfazed by his deadpan response.

"Do I have to?" Hachiman muttered, glancing around the room as though searching for a valid excuse.

He was sure that Haruno was up to something again.

Definitely. She is trying to single him out for an ambush.

"You have to." Haruno said with a firm nod, crossing her arms with an air of finality.

Hachiman sighed, a small, resigned sound that said everything about how he felt. He looked over at Yukino, catching her gaze for a brief second.

She didn't say anything, but there was something faint, maybe amusement, in her expression.

Understanding she wasn't going to save him, he stood up and gave her a brief nod, the gesture almost imperceptible.

"Alright, fine. Let's get this over with." Hachiman muttered, straightening up.

Yukino hesitated briefly before stepping forward, falling into step behind them. It wasn't like her to let Haruno take the lead unchecked, even if this whole scene felt like another one of her sister's calculated games.

As Haruno stepped through the doorway, she called back over her shoulder.

"See you all!" She threw in a wink for good measure.

Yukino nodded, her gaze flickering between Haruno and Hachiman, watching the two carefully as they left.

Komachi's voice rang out behind them, light and teasing as always. "Don't forget to come back alive, Big brother!"

Hachiman smirked slightly, glancing back. "No promises."

And with that, they headed for the stairs - Haruno's request, naturally.

She claimed elevators were boring, though Hachiman suspected it had more to do with the extra time she'd have to mess with him.

Haruno, ever the conversationalist, quickly struck up a casual chat with Hachiman.

It wasn't anything of real substance, just a series of small talk and polite exchanges that had become the backdrop of their interactions.

However, it didn't take long for her to zero in on the recent events, though - about the gift.

Hachiman didn't hold back either, he explained how he had called her father 'old man' and recounted the whole situation leading up to the present moment.

And that was all it took for Haruno to let out a sharp laugh, loud and genuine, her amusement echoing off the walls of the stairwell.

"So." She began, her tone carrying just a hint of mischief. "You really called him 'old man'? Our father?"

"You are unreal, Hachiman." She continued, wiping at her eyes as her laughter subsided. "Calling him that and walking out of there alive? You have got guts. I will give you that."

Her laughter continued in smaller bursts as they reached the ground floor.

Hachiman didn't reply, just kept walking alongside her, his pace steady, his hands tucked in his pockets to fend off the evening chill.

Reaching outside, Hachiman glanced up, spotting a sleek black limousine parked by the curb.

Leaning casually against the door was a woman he hadn't seen for a while.

"…Emiko?" He called out, his tone neutral but laced with surprise. "Been a while."

At the sound of her name, Emiko straightened slightly. For a brief moment, she seemed caught off guard, but her composure quickly returned as her gaze settled on him.

A small, polite smile graced her lips. "It has been a while, Sir."

Hachiman raised an eyebrow, his tone still light as he smirked. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

Emiko's smile softened, an almost sheepish look crossing her face. "I guess not."

As the exchange unfolded, Hachiman's expression shifted, as though a thought had struck him.

"Oh, right." He began, his voice carrying a casual note. "Thanks for the heads-up back then… you know, when I got caught red-handed with Yukino on the bike ride."

The memory wasn't one he cherished - it was firmly lodged in the mental file labeled Days I would Rather Forget.

That fateful moment when both Haruno and Ryota, in perfect synchronization, broke the news that someone had seen and heard too much.

Emiko's eyes widened for a moment before she let out a soft chuckle. "It was no problem."

Before the conversation could drift further, her attention shifted to Haruno. Emiko's tone grew cautious as she asked. "Miss Haruno, how did things go?"

Her gaze briefly flicked toward the building, where the delivery man had recently taken back the oversized doll.

Clearly, something unusual had happened.

She wondered if there had been some kind of disagreement between Haruno and Yukino.

Haruno, ever unflappable, offered a casual shrug paired with a light smile.

"Oh, it went just fine." She said, her voice calm but deliberately vague, as if to brush off any concerns.

Hachiman wasn't convinced, though.

Turning to Haruno, he asked with his usual mix of sarcasm and suspicion. "So, what's the deal this time, Big Sis? Some grand plan? Or are you just here to keep me on my toes?"

He fully expected a template response from Haruno, something like -

You wound me, little bro!

How can you think of me like that? Do I look like an evil witch to you?

But what he got instead was something he couldn't have anticipated, even in the most twisted corners of his imagination.

"Well…" She began, her tone light but edged with mischief. "I just wanted to stop by and say hi… to one of Japan's youngest millionaires."

"..." - "..."

Silence.

The words hung in the air, absurd and impossible.

Hachiman froze, staring blankly at her casual announcement.

Besides Haruno, Emiko's reaction was even more pronounced. Her gaze snapped to him, her eyes wide with shock, struggling to process the absurdity of Haruno's statement.

This casual-looking high schooler?

A millionaire?

It made no sense.

Never in her wildest dreams had she associated him with that level of wealth. His family, as far as she knew, were ordinary corporate employees.

So unless...

"No," Hachiman interjected, his voice deadpan as he shot Emiko a sidelong glance. "I didn't rob a bank. But if I did, I wouldn't settle for just a few million."

Emiko blinked, momentarily thrown off by his sharpness before a faint smile crept onto her lips. Amusement flickered in her expression, mixed with something bordering on admiration.

Too sharp for his own good, she mused.

Meanwhile, Hachiman's eyes shifted back to Haruno, his expression skeptical but resigned.

He knew better than to take her at face value, yet the possibility nagged at him. A single question loomed in his mind - How the hell did she find out?

Ten million yen.

That was the amount he had earned after his little mobile game project 'Candy Crush' - of course they are still on assets and nothing in cash.

….nonetheless, she is true. And, as a matter of fact, the revenue was still climbing steadily.

He decided not to bother asking. With Haruno, questions like that rarely led anywhere productive.

Haruno, sensing his unspoken acceptance, simply smirked. The slight flicker of acknowledgment in his eyes was enough for her.

What Hachiman didn't realize, and likely never would, was that no one had told her anything about his financial success.

She had figured it out herself, piecing things together with her usual knack for observation and inference.

The game's popularity, combined with some rough estimates and her innate talent for connecting dots, had led her to this conclusion.

And, of course, Haruno's guesses had a knack for being scarily accurate.

"Well, I will be leaving now." Haruno announced, giving him an exaggerated wave as she turned toward the car, her heels clicking softly against the pavement.

"Later." Hachiman replied, his tone dismissive but not unfriendly.

Emiko hesitated for a moment before following, her steps slower as though her brain were still trying to catch up with everything that had transpired.

Before stepping into the car, Haruno paused and turned back, her expression shifting into a teasing grin. "Oh, and Hachiman?"

"What now?"

"Don't forget. Money doesn't buy class."

Hachiman rolled his eyes, his voice dry as he muttered. "Should I be thankful for the unsolicited wisdom, now?"

Haruno's laughter escalated, her eyes sparkling with genuine amusement. "God, you are a riot, Hachiman. I honestly don't know if I should be impressed or horrified by your lack of filter."

"It's a fine line." He said with a shrug. "But I manage."

Still chuckling, Haruno stepped into the car, the door closing with a soft click. Moments later, the limousine purred to life and glided smoothly down the street, leaving Hachiman alone in the cool evening air.

He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he stared after the car.

"One of Japan's youngest millionaires, huh? Maybe I should have charged her a consultation fee for wasting my time."

.

….

[To be continued…]

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