"Horikita, has anyone ever told you that short hair suits you better?"
"!!!"
Horikita Suzune's pupils trembled, and her thoughts quickly drifted to the past.
She had always worn short hair as a child. It wasn't about preference — she just thought it was more practical and easier to manage.
One day, her brother mentioned that he liked girls with long hair. From that moment, Suzune began growing hers out.
Though it was troublesome, she endured it, believing that if she changed herself, she might win back the attention of her brother — the one who had long since distanced himself from her.
But reality was cruel. No matter how much she changed, her brother never looked her way.
"Have you… seen me with short hair?"
Suzune snapped back to reality, her eyes uncertain as she stared at Hikigaya.
He had seen it — though only in a dream.
The short-haired Suzune in his dreams radiated simplicity, confidence, and independence — a refreshing strength that drew people in. She was the kind of woman who didn't need anyone's approval to shine.
Hikigaya sometimes thought, half-jokingly, that he'd be fine marrying someone like that — even if it meant being the one "kept" in the relationship.
By comparison, the long-haired Suzune standing before him now seemed outwardly cold and composed, yet beneath that surface hid a fragile heart — a girl endlessly chasing after her "perfect" brother.
But longing, Hikigaya thought, was the greatest distance from understanding.
"Hmm… I haven't seen it," he denied smoothly. "It just suddenly came to mind."
Dreams weren't something to be taken seriously anyway.
"…"
Suzune's lips pressed together, her brows faintly furrowed in quiet confusion.
After a long pause, she finally whispered, "Can you… let go of my hair?"
"Uh—oh, right!"
Hikigaya realized in horror that he was still holding onto her hair. He quickly released it and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry! I got carried away."
He half-expected her to scold him, but to his surprise, Suzune didn't seem angry at all.
"That's enough for today."
She brushed her hair lightly, picked up the first aid kit, and turned toward the door. "I'm leaving."
"Take care."
Hikigaya walked her to the elevator. After confirming no one was around, he exhaled in relief. The last thing he wanted was another misunderstanding spreading around the dorms.
He stretched a little. "Guess I'll head back to sleep—"
***
"Hachiman."
Huh? A dream again?
"Hachiman."
This time, it was a man's voice.
Finally, a serious dream for once. Not that dreaming about his future wife was bad, but even Hikigaya knew there was a fine line between dreams and reality.
"Hachiman, what are you daydreaming about?"
"…Huh?"
He blinked and found himself standing inside a martial arts gym.
In front of him was a tall, well-built man wearing glasses.
"Horikita… Manabu-senpai?!"
Though his face looked more mature than before, his presence was unmistakable — the dignified president of the Advanced Nurturing High School Student Council.
"I'm no longer your senpai," Manabu corrected calmly. "But the title of 'brother-in-law' will only be yours after you defeat me."
"…Excuse me?"
Brother-in-law? What kind of nightmare logic was this?
Before he could process it, Hikigaya realized he was also wearing a martial arts gi, standing on the same sparring mat.
"Well? Aren't you going to attack?" Manabu asked, raising an eyebrow.
Attack? Why would I pick a fight with Horikita Manabu of all people?!
Just then, a familiar voice called out from the stands.
"Hachiman, do your best!"
The short-haired Suzune was cheering for him — her voice gentle, her eyes soft with encouragement.
Wait, what?! Aren't you supposed to be his sister?! You're cheering for the wrong team!!
Manabu's expression twisted into something unreadable. His gaze darkened — and then, his voice thundered:
"Wake up, Hikigaya Hachiman!!!"
"Ding-ling-ling~"
The shrill alarm clock dragged Hikigaya out of his nightmare.
"Haah… haah…" He sat up, drenched in cold sweat. "Thank God… it was just a dream."
"That damned four-eyed sister complex," he muttered. "Does he really have to haunt me even in my sleep?"
And to make it worse, the harder Suzune cheered in that dream, the harder her brother tried to kill him.
Absurd, right?
He looked at his reflection in the mirror after changing. Not thin, but definitely not strong either.
For the first time in his life, Hikigaya seriously considered exercising.
"It's still early. Might as well go for a run."
At 7:20 a.m., most of the students at Advanced Nurturing High School were still asleep. Being a fully enclosed boarding school, there wasn't much reason to wake up early — classes were just a short walk away.
On the track field, maybe ten students were jogging. Two girls in particular seemed to be racing each other out of sheer competitiveness.
After a quick warm-up, Hikigaya took the outermost lane and started jogging at his own slow pace.
"Give it up, Ibuki! I was on the track team back in middle school."
"Stop talking, Kinoshita! We'll see who wins!"
The two sprinted past him, leaving a faint trail of perfume in their wake. The brown-haired girl with a side ponytail stayed slightly ahead, while the blue-haired girl — Ibuki — chased closely behind, her stubbornness written all over her face.
Ah, youth. What a beautiful waste of energy.
Hikigaya sighed quietly and kept jogging.
"Come again!"
"No matter how many times you try, the result won't change. Sorry, I've got breakfast plans with Manabe and the others."
As Kinoshita jogged off triumphantly, Ibuki gritted her teeth. Her pride refused to accept defeat, and she immediately doubled down on her training.
Not long after, she overtook Hikigaya again — lapping him twice.
As she passed, she shot him a sideways glare full of disdain, as if to say, You're hopelessly slow.
Hikigaya rolled his eyes. He wasn't competing with anyone. Fast or slow didn't matter — he was only here to move his body a little.
By the fifth lap, Ibuki's earlier sprinting started to take its toll. Her breathing grew heavy, her steps faltered.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya's steady, unhurried pace paid off. His endurance — one of the few things he could actually take pride in — began to show.
By the sixth lap, he caught up to her by one.
By the eighth, they were running side by side.
Seriously, where did this stubborn girl come from?
According to the school's PE standards, girls were only required to run eight laps, while boys ran ten. But Ibuki clearly had no intention of stopping.
In the ninth lap, they were still neck and neck.
To Ibuki, losing to Kinoshita from the track team was one thing. But losing to this guy — this slow, dead-eyed loner — was unacceptable.
By the tenth and final lap, her legs were trembling. Her vision blurred.
"I… I won…" she gasped, staggering across the finish line with a faint smile of relief—
—and fell forward.
But before she could hit the ground, she felt herself land softly in someone's arms.
A warm, steady embrace.
***
Last update for today…im a bit burnt out