As If It’s That Easy

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[-Continuation-]

[-Early Morning-]

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[Third Person View]

"Fu*kiNG! HELLLL!!"(Ryota)

"...G-grab him!"(Hayama)

"YAH! Hayamaaa!"(Tobi)

The room was dimly lit by the morning light, casting shadows on the three figures struggling in the center, which hilariously looked like watching a circus act gone wrong.

Hayama and Tobi were practically wrestling a grown man, Ryota, who was dead-set to attack the sleeping figure on the futon.

Despite their efforts to hold him back, Ryota kept pushing forward, totally focused on his target.

"Hey, calm down, guys…"(Totsuka)

Just a few paces away stood another tender-hearted young man, Totsuka. His worried phrase reflected his concern for all involved.

But Ryota was beyond reason.

"Leave ME, you DumBas*es! I will kill this doofus today."(Ryota)

"Don't let him escape!"(Hayama)

Just then, a voice filled with frustration and anger cuts through the chaos, demanding attention.

"Stop!"

Totsuka's angry voice cut through everything, demanding everyone's attention.

"..." - "..." - "..."

And surprisingly, it worked, freezing everyone in their tracks.

Silence falls over the room.

"...*snore."

Well, except for the snoring Hachiman on the futon.

"...."

–TRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGG!!!!!!

But just when it seems like things might calm down, the room explodes with another loud sound, shattering the silence.

It's coming from Hachiman's phone.

More precisely, it's the sound of an alarm..

"..." - "..." - "..." The three young men involved in the scuffle turned their attention to the source of the noise, discovering it emanating from the phone placed beside the still-slumbering individual.

"Arrrgghhhhh!!!!!! Now you have done it, idiot!"(Ryota)

"Not again!"(Hayama)

Suddenly, Ryota, who just now seemed to calm down, went berserk again, lunging at the sleeper with renewed fury while Hayama and Tobi desperately tried to restrain him once more.

It's clear that there is animosity and tension between the Ryota, and the intrusive alarm runs deeper than what's on the surface.

And indeed, there's truth to this…

You see, this isn't the first time the phone alarm has rudely jolted him awake from the depths of his dreams. In fact, it's already the tenth time today alone, and the worst part?

He can't seem to figure out how to silence it.

Ordinarily, silencing a phone alarm is a simple task – a few taps, and it's done.

But this particular phone? It's demanding a password before it will let him shut it up.

The other three young men in the room - Hayama, Tobi, and Totsuka - were already wide awake by the second ring, having gotten their share of rest.

But for Ryota, who was already tired from yesterday's long drive on top of being a habitual late sleeper, it's a different story altogether.

"..?Hah~" Amidst this chaos, the sleeping person-Hikigaya Hachiman-finally stirred.

Slowly waking from his deep sleep, he was roused not by the commotion around him, but by the relentless blaring of his cell phone alarm.

"Uggh…" As he gradually sat up and, with a few taps of entering the password, silenced the alarm, his actions brought the fight to a temporary halt.

"H-hachiman, you woke up…" Totsuka, from the sidelines, said softly.

"..." There was a long pause. "Morning, Totsuka." Hachiman responded with a sleepy voice.

"..." - "..." - "..." As he crawls out of bed and begins folding up his futon, the three-man wrestling match below pauses, all eyes now on him.

Hachiman then effortlessly folded his futon, grabbed mouthwash and facewash for his morning routine without saying a word, and headed towards the door, all the while not uttering a single word.

–creak!

He opened the wooden door, and sunlight flooded into the room, nearly blinding him.

But before he could step outside, he hesitated and turned back inside. Grabbing his cowboy hat from its hook beside the entrance, he placed it on his head.

Before he left, he looked back at the chaos in the room one more time. "....."

The sight of Ryota, Hayama, and Tobi tangled up in what looks like a failed group hug cracks him up.

"What on earth are you lot doing so early in the morning?" He mutters, almost slamming the door shut. ".....idiots."

And with that, he's out, leaving them to figure things out for themselves.

"Hey, if you don't hurry up, you're gonna miss breakfast!" He yelled back, his voice echoing through the closed door.

As he made his way from the small house, a sudden outburst echoed from inside, the distinct voice of Ryota piercing through the morning silence.

"THIS BARSTED!"

On the outside Hachiman walked without a care as a sleepy yawn slipped from his mouth. "They sure are lively so early in the morning." He remarked.

Continuing his stroll, unaware that the curse was actually directed at him.

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[-After Fifteen Minutes-]

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[Hachiman's POV]

As I walked towards my destination after freshening up, I couldn't help but think about the scene I witnessed early in the morning.

"They sure are lively so early in the morning."

I said as I put on my hat to shield my eyes from the bright morning sun.

"And I gotta hand it to Ryota for his social skills. It's not even a day, and he's already that close with them…" I pondered to myself, recalling the peculiar sight of them all tangled up in such an odd position at this early hour.

But what exactly are they doing?

I was so sleepy that I forgot to ask.

Anyway, it doesn't seem to be anything significant, seeing as how they didn't stop me from leaving, and if it does turn out to be important, I can always find out later.

"Ahh, before that, gosh, I am hungry." I complained.

After a while of meaningful walking, I finally arrived at my destination without getting lost.

Let me tell you, this place is like a maze to me. Every direction seems identical. At least to my eyes.

And let's not forget, when I arrived yesterday, it was already dark, so I missed out on exploring the area. Maybe that's why everything looks the same now. No wonder Yunkinoshita was worried yesterday.

Anyway, there was no longer any trace of elementary schoolers in the dining hall of the visitor house. Only Ms. Hiratsuka and the usual suspects were present.

"Good morning." I greeted her loudly, hoping to distract Ms. Hiratsuka from her newspaper.

"Mm. Morning." Ms. Hiratsuka answered as she brought down her newspaper with a loud thwack.

"Trying to impress someone?" She teased me, eyeing my hat.

"As if it's that easy." I replied, disappointment evident in my tone.

If only impressing someone were as simple as wearing a hat, there wouldn't be any singles left in this world.

"Well, don't worry, those small, small things add up." Ms. Hiratsuka encouraged me, as if she were in a better situation herself.

Did she forget she's single too? Just like someone else I know.

Guess, I shouldn't voice this if I want to make it through the day in one piece.

With that, she returned her attention to her reading.

"So, where are the others?" She inquired from behind the paper.

"On their way, I suppose." I replied dryly.

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[To be continued….]

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