As soon as he stepped inside, he stopped, eyes sweeping over the room, taking in every detail.
The room was unexpectedly decent—tidy, practical, even comfortable in a way. A bed with actual sheets, a desk, shelves, a bathroom with a working shower, and a few additional appliances and furnishings. It was simple, but clearly more luxurious than any normal high school dorm should be.
Even water and electricity were free, at least to a certain extent.
"…Free utilities too, huh?" he said, his tone low. "Seems generous on the surface… but I'm sure the real price will come later."
He placed his bags on the floor and stood still for a moment. Then, with nothing else to do, he spent a few minutes cleaning—not that it really needed it. The simple task gave him a moment to settle in, a brief pause before moving on to the next thing.
"…Right. Time to mark my territory," he muttered, letting out a small sigh as he turned to his bags and began unpacking.
He unpacked his clothes first, placing a few sets into the cupboard without much thought. It was nothing more than what was necessary.
Next, he pulled out his books. There weren't many, just a few novels, some manga, and a couple of light novels. He lined them up on the shelf, adjusting them out of habit rather than care.
Finally, from the bottom of the bag, wrapped in a layer of T-shirts, he pulled out two photo frames.
He paused and looked at it with deep eyes.
The first was a picture of him and Komachi, both wearing ridiculous straw hats. She was grinning brightly, holding up a peace sign, while he looked like he had been forced into it—which, in truth, he had. But his eyes held a rare softness.
"Komachi really needs to stop making me look like I'm being held hostage in every photo," he mumbled, though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The second was an older photo—of a little girl sitting on the shoulders of a boy in a panda suit. Her hands were in the air, and she was smiling innocently. The costume looked clumsy, but somehow that made it even better.
He looked at them for a moment longer than he meant to, then placed them on the small shelf near his bed.
Staring at the second frame, he felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.
Finally, he reached into the side pocket of his bag and pulled out a small Pan-san plushie. Clipped to its ear was a Pan-san-themed hairpin. The same one he had given her once.
That was it. He had nothing else to unpack.
The room felt a little less like a stranger now.
"Still here, huh? Looks like I dragged more of the past with me than I thought."
He set the plushie beside the pillow, exhaled slowly, and lowered himself onto the edge of the bed.
Strangely enough, the exhaustion from the day was finally catching up. He lay down, not bothering to change clothes. Usually, his insomnia wouldn't let him rest so easily.
But tonight—maybe because of the silence…
Or maybe because he was tired of thinking…
He closed his eyes. And before sleep took him, he muttered—
"…I haven't forgotten. And I don't plan to."
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Darkness.
Then, voices.
'No… Stay—stay back.'
'D-don't come near me. Your eyes… they're scary. Like… like those bad people…'
'So that's your wish, huh?'
Silence.
Then—
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
'Why… why! Why do these dangerous people know you so well?! Tell me, Hachiman!'
Silence.
Then again—
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Then, a sob—soft, fragile.
'No! No! Don't take Komachi's onii-chan away from her! Please'.
The voices start to blur. Distant & broken.
A final whisper—cold and quiet.
"…In the end, nothing has changed… or maybe—"
Hikigaya woke up suddenly, breathing fast. his chest heaving. Cold sweat clung to his skin. his chest tightening from something that didn't fully belong to the present moment.
For a second, he found himself completely disoriented. Then quickly—he turned, reaching for his phone beside the bed. His fingers trembled as he unlocked it, instinctively pressing Komachi's number.
Calling…
The line blinked.
Then failed.
Again. Failed.
"…No signal?" he muttered. His voice wavered, the words dry and weak.
"…Tch." His voice cracked. "Of course."
"…She's not here." That one truth settled over him like a weight.
Komachi always knew how to calm him down.
It had been her idea—after Hikigaya returned from his detention period—to call her whenever a nightmare woke him. She'd come to his room, no matter the hour.
Even when he tried to act fine, she always saw through it. She'd sneak in, tease him, force him to talk.
'Onii-chan, you're worrying too much.'
'It's just a dream, dummy. Go back to sleep.'
'Hmph, I'll stay here until you stop being weird about it.'
He could almost hear her voice, the way she'd laugh softly, tell him he was being silly.
But it wasn't real.
And now?
She wasn't coming.
And he had promised her—promised her he'd try to be happy here. That he would give it a shot.
His grip on the phone tightened.
"…How?" he whispered, almost angry. "How am I supposed to do that without you, Komachi?"
Hikigaya sat still for a long moment, staring at the screen before finally placing his phone down.
That was when the thought struck him—had he made a mistake coming here?
He had always wanted to watch over Komachi, make sure she was okay, make sure she had someone to rely on.
He thought he was doing the right thing—taking responsibility for himself, stepping into a new chapter, becoming the kind of person Komachi wouldn't have to worry about anymore.
He clenched the bedsheet in his fist.
"I came here to move forward. But maybe… maybe I left something behind."
He could have stayed there watching over her, helped her study sometimes, picked up groceries together. They could have laughed at dumb dramas, shared quiet moments on bad days. He could have just… been there.
Maybe this was a mistake. They'd be apart for nearly three years—that's enough time to change anything. He was living proof of that.
But now, he wasn't so sure because of that.
The thing about siblings—especially when you're close—is that time doesn't warn you before it starts taking pieces away.
You grow up together, share meals, argue over dumb things, tease each other until one cries, then make up over snacks and awkward apologies. But then... things start to change. Not all at once, just in small, invisible ways.
School gets harder. Social circles expand. Phones get more important than late-night talks. And slowly, what was once an unshakable part of your everyday life becomes a memory you only revisit when you're lonely or nostalgic.
Komachi would grow up. Of course she would. Maybe she'd meet someone, fall in love, get busy with college applications and part-time jobs, internships, friends. She'd laugh more with people who weren't him. She'd start building a life of her own—one that didn't always include her older brother.
And him?
Where would he be in that world?
An occasional call? A yearly New Year's photo? A sibling she used to be close with?
And that was okay. That was completely normal.
But that didn't make it hurt any less.
And it was a simple truth. sibling relationships change over time. It wasn't intentional or something either person wanted.
People gain new priorities as they get older—new responsibilities, new attachments. And slowly, without even realizing it, things begin to shift.
But before that future arrived, he wanted to make just a few more memories. The kind that would anchor their relationship—even if distance or time tried to pull it apart.
Maybe, by coming here, he'd already started that process. Maybe these three years would steal more than just time.
And when he graduates from this place… will he still be the same brother to her? Or just someone who used to be important?
That thought scared him more than the nightmare.
He clenched his fists slightly, the edge of determination flickering in his chest.
"Six months," he whispered into the quiet. "I'll give it everything I have for six months. I'll make sure we don't drift apart… I'll find a way to keep that connection."
His voice was low but firm, carrying no hesitation.
"I don't care what I have to do. I'll figure it out. Even if this school tries to stop me, even if their stupid system makes it impossible, even if I have to fight the rules just to keep a damn connection open—"
He clenched his teeth, his voice breaking into a snarl.
"I don't care. I'll make it work."
Then—he exhaled.
"And if I can't figure it out in the next six months… then I'm done. I'll just simply drop out of this place."
After making up his mind, a sense of relief appeared on his face — the kind that had been missing since he left Chiba.
He lay back down slowly again, his eyes wide open, fixed on the ceiling, as sleep avoided him once again.
His eyes darkened, turning cold in an instant and with a calm yet firm voice, he said it.
"I'm sure Komachi will understand."
He paused, looking down a little, as if thinking it over again.
"No," he said, more certain this time.
"She'll have to."
Whatever happens, one thing is certain—he'll prove, without a doubt, that the sibling bond of Chiba transcends distance, time, and even a few questionable life choices. So Komachi won't be getting rid of him that easily.