But Sakura calling him "Father" this was the first time in his normal life he'd heard anyone call him that.
Hmm... did Sakura, who lost her father when she was little, feel from him a kind of safety called "paternal love"?
———
Knowing he had a dependence affinity, Hachiman was a bit stunned by that cry of "Father."
Tohsaka Touka and the others even suspected they'd misheard.
Did Sakura just call Hachiman... father? Father?
Does Hachiman look a lot like Touka's father?
Yukinoshita Haruno felt her brain short-circuit a little.
Touka's father died long ago; her memories of him were already blurry. All she really knew was the image of his towering figure. A very great, very capable man. Touka, Rin, and Sakura had all admired their father.
She never expected the usually quiet Sakura to treat a man she met for the first time as her father. So was Sakura's long-standing withdrawal really just from lacking a father's love?
"Sakura? Why are you suddenly yelling 'Father'? Let go of Hikigaya-san."
Tohsaka Touka had just been worried that Hachiman reaching out abruptly might provoke Sakura to hurt herself, but seeing her sister not only call Hachiman father but actually hug the crouching Hikigaya, she didn't bother thinking about why Sakura said "Father" and hurried forward to pull them apart.
But as soon as she tried, she found her sister holding onto Hachiman tightly; it was hard to pry her off without force, and pulling hard could injure Sakura's thin, fragile arm.
"Sakura, can you let go first? Hugging Hikigaya-san like this is a bit rude."
Touka watched Sakura press Hachiman's head against her chest, anxiety written on her face; not knowing how to proceed, she could only plead from the side.
Not only was this treatment a little rude to Hikigaya-san, but Sakura was not a small child anymore. Publicly clinging to a boy like this wouldn't look good.
Yet Sakura ignored her sister's pleading, keeping her head down and staring unblinking at Hachiman's face. Her slender, frail arms clung tightly to his head pressed against her front, silently soaking in the warmth that made her feel so safe.
"Onii-chan?"
"Sakura, what's wrong?"
"What's going on now?"
Tohsaka Rin and Komachi, Shion, seeing that Touka's interjection hadn't stopped Sakura, hurried over to look at the strange hug.
Still, Sakura remained unmoved and didn't respond to anyone around her.
"...Sakura, can you loosen your grip? I won't go anywhere. If there's something, we can talk after I stand up. Look, your sister and the others are all standing here worried."
In his awkward position, Hachiman slowly lifted his head, reached up to lift Sakura's bangs that hid her eyes, and, meeting her gaze, quietly soothed her.
He could have simply pried Sakura's arms apart without hurting her, but given that in Sakura's eyes he was "the father who makes her feel most safe," he thought it better to patiently coax her into letting go on her own.
"Mm."
Sakura stared at Hachiman; her usually vacant eyes seemed to regain a little life. She slowly nodded and released the tight hold on his head.
But before he could move away from her midsection, she wrapped her arms tightly around his forearm, ducked behind him, and watched Touka with a wary expression as Touka reached toward her.
Touka, who'd wanted to take that chance to pull Sakura back, felt awkward and helpless, withdrew her hand, and looked at Hachiman, who'd calmly soothed Sakura, with a very complicated tone, "I didn't expect Hikigaya-san to click with Sakura so well. I rarely see Sakura be so close to a stranger."
Strictly speaking, since their father died, Sakura was barely that close to even their mother. At home, Sakura was passive. She'd quietly accept what they suggested, but she would never proactively cling like this.
To call Hikigaya-san "Father" had she seen something of their father's demeanor in him?
Now Touka didn't know if it was really some trait in Hikigaya-san resembling their father that made long-deprived Sakura have that illusion. She only thought Hikigaya-san looked agreeable and didn't overthink it. She never expected the always-quiet, almost autistic-seeming Sakura to jump straight to thinking of him as a father.
"Maybe because I often deal with girls with social anxiety and autism, Sakura sensed a similar kind of aura and trusted me more."
Hachiman stood up from the ground, helpless, and glanced at Sakura holding his arm close, her fragile body pressed against a boy she'd only just met, yet hiding behind him with a wary look toward her sister.
He'd expected close contact with the Tohsaka sisters when he triggered the Tohsaka family task. But he never thought Sakura would take him for a father. What was that about?
Although he'd liked motherly roles, characters like Illya's mother Irisviel, Irene's mother Vitorio, Futari Mina's mother Tohsaka in dating sims, he'd never actually imagined he'd become an accidental dad.
"I didn't expect Sakura to like Hikigaya-kun so much. It seems you two are quite fated. I wonder if Hikigaya-kun and Yukino could accept our request to guide Sakura a bit, so her personality won't be so withdrawn and gloomy?"
Seeing Hachiman soothe Sakura, who seemed starved for fatherly affection, Yukinoshita Haruno stopped dithering and, while speaking, subtly hinted madly to her good friend Touka.
This was a great opportunity to get closer. They could have Sakura accept Hachiman's guidance while Touka herself drew nearer to Hachiman. Once the two were closer, Touka wouldn't be able to refuse Hachiman's help against the Takamine old man's encroachment.
"If Hikigaya-san has time and doesn't mind Sakura, I'd really like you to help her. But Sakura seems to have taken Hikigaya-san for her father...", Touka worried about Sakura's state and didn't notice her friend's hinting; she looked at Hachiman, who was hesitating while being tightly relied upon by Sakura. From how much Sakura trusted him, Hachiman seemed fit to guide her, but the way Sakura's trust manifested was odd and inappropriate.
Although she had accepted their father's passing and wasn't saddened whenever others mentioned it now, as a child she had admired their father as someone almost omnipotent in her eyes. Now Sakura called Hikigaya-san "Father"; she couldn't very well start calling him that too.
Even if she wouldn't mind calling him "Father" to change her sister's gloom, her mother was still around, what would their mother think if they all called Hikigaya-san that? [T/N: 😏]
"Right, Komachi's brother is still so young. Calling him 'Father' isn't appropriate. Sakura, how about calling him "Onii-chan" instead? Then Shion, Komachi, and we'd all be Onii-chan's sisters, and on holidays we could often go to his house to play~"
Seeing Hachiman holding Sakura's hand, Tohsaka Rin blinked and immediately came up with an idea. Calling a stranger you just met "Father" was a no-go; even if you were curious before, she wouldn't do that. But calling him "Onii-chan" was acceptable.
Even standoffish Shion had been gently treated by Komachi's brother before, surely she and Sakura wouldn't be exceptions.
"Call him brother like me?"
Shion, hearing Rin's suggestion, looked at Hachiman, whose face was now visible, and Sakura who peered at them with caution, and felt a strange emotion well up. Rin had once also called Hachiman "Onii-chan," but that was more a general term for older boys. Now she wanted to be one of his "little sisters" like Rin.
At first, she couldn't empathize with Komachi. An outsider suddenly intruding into a family would be uncomfortable no matter how magnanimous the brother. But faced with Rin and Sakura wanting to claim him as brother, Shion felt her older-brother share being cut away.
Actually, when Hachiman first showed care for her, she'd felt a similar fatherly sensation. She hadn't been as decisive as Sakura back then.
"*Stare—*"
Komachi didn't speak; she just looked at Hachiman with a long, intent gaze.
She'd even brought Shion back with her. Now her brother had gone and pulled a little sister out from under her nose. Hachiman, have you been spoiled by Iris and the others too much lately? You're getting out of hand.
"You're staring at me like that. This was Rin's idea, not me wanting Sakura or Rin to call me that."
Hachiman looked at the two girls who'd suddenly grown jealous, Komachi and Shion, and was speechless. He'd never seen them jealous like this; their little-sister positions were being threatened and they were instantly possessive.
"But compared to 'Father,' 'Onii-chan' does seem more appropriate. Sakura, do you want to be my little sister?"
Komachi, eyeing Sakura who had snatched the brother she wanted, hesitated and leaned in to quietly probe.
"Father."
Sakura looked at Komachi, who'd always tried to befriend her, shook her head, then raised her head and called Hachiman "Father" again, perhaps afraid others would steal her dad away. She hugged his arms even tighter.
"Looks like Sakura doesn't want a brother, she wants a dad."
Komachi shrugged and grinned at Hachiman, Rin, and Touka. She didn't mind not competing for the little-sister spot, but a brother being called "Father" by Sakura... did she automatically ascend in rank and become Rin's elder?
Shion watched Komachi smile and said nothing, simply continued observing Sakura clinging to Hachiman. Only slightly younger than Hachiman yet insisting on calling him "Father" She could do that too.
"...", Touka.
"...", Rin.
To be honest, neither of them really insisted Hachiman be Sakura's brother. But it was clear the little sister had decided: Hachiman was the father she'd already lost. If they could get her to call him brother, that'd be ideal. Otherwise, how would they address him?
If it turned out like this, they wouldn't dare let Hachiman meet their mother. Imagine their mother hearing Sakura call Hachiman "Father." They didn't even want to picture that.
"All right, I'll accept the request to guide Sakura. As for my relationship with her...", Hachiman, seeing everyone made awkward by Sakura's stubbornness, thought a moment and made a decision.
"Whether she recognizes me as her brother later doesn't matter. Right now she may just be mistaking me for her father because she's been long deprived of paternal affection."
"Once I guide her, she should realize I'm not her father. Then we can decide whether she wants to call me brother."
"But considering Sakura currently treats me as a father, it's inconvenient for me to go to your home to guide her. Miss Tohsaka, you'll need to often bring Sakura to my house, that will be more troublesome."
"Sakura is my sister; no trouble is too much. I can come to Hikigaya-san's house anytime. But will that bother Hikigaya-san? After all, I don't know what I can offer you as payment..."
Touka bit her lip, looking at Hachiman who hadn't asked for anything, hesitant. The gap between their statuses was huge; she hadn't expected him to be so considerate and even willing to let her often bring her sister to his house.
"Komachi and Shion are Sakura's friends. As a brother, helping a sister's friends with some psychological issues doesn't need payment."
Hachiman shook his head, stroked Sakura's hair, and smiled as he watched her unconsciously relax and lower her guard.
"Besides, Sakura's so cute. If she hadn't suddenly called me 'Father,' I'd want to adopt her as my sister."
"Do you, would you like that, Touka-nee?"
"Touka? Um... Hikigaya-san, if this is troublesome for you, please tell me..."
Seeing Hachiman gently stroking Sakura's head while suddenly looking toward her, Touka felt as if she'd seen her own father's kind hand holding hers. Her fair face flushed, she looked away in slight embarrassment. If Hikigaya-san became Sakura's brother, then Hikigaya-san would naturally be her little brother, much better than "Father."
Yet being called "Touka-nee" was still a novel experience. She had few friends; usually people either called her sister like Rin did or called her by name like her mother and Haruno.
"You still call me 'Hikigaya-san'? So I can call you Touka-nee, can't I?"
Hachiman held Sakura's hand and, seeing Touka's cold, removed facade replaced by shy maiden blush, teased her with a smile. It seemed these aloof long-haired ladies weren't very good at socializing. Relying on a distant exterior and unapproachable air to keep others away, only to be thrown off when someone closed in quickly.
Although being made an accidental dad by Sakura's "Father" caught him off guard, with Sakura's help he probably wouldn't need to try too hard to complete the Tohsaka family task.
"Then... can I call you Hikigaya-kun like Haruno and I do? Or... Hachiman-kun?"
Seeing Hachiman let her change how she addressed him, Touka was a little conflicted and mumbled. She was good at turning people down, but it was clear she couldn't reject Hachiman, who might become Sakura's "father" and later her little brother.
"Touka, you might as well call him 'little brother-kun' straight away, so you won't have to change it later when you get closer."
Yukinoshita Haruno rolled her eyes at Touka and said helplessly. She wanted to matchmake Touka and Hachiman. How did they end up like siblings? Still, sister-brother romance wasn't impossible. From what she knew, Hachiman's social circle was mostly peers. An older-sister type like Touka would be something Hachiman probably hadn't experienced much; with the status boost of being Sakura's sister, Touka's chances were pretty good.
Haruno sighed over her friend's inability to seize the chance, while Yukinoshita Yukino was even more speechless about how things had developed.
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