CH. 99 - A Halloween Party

 In late October… Shiori is on her bed laying over someone. The sounds of passionate kissing fill the quiet room. Shiori lays on Hikigaya as they makeout lovingly until Shiori’s phone starts ringing. They ignore it for a moment until they part. Shiori continues though, making her way down to Hikigaya’s neck as he reaches over and grabs her phone. He sighs as he reads Lucy’s name on her screen.

 “Baby.. Lucy’s calling.” He says with a light whimper. Shiori smirks in his neck before sitting up, whipping her hair back. She slides her hand along his chest as she sits on his lap.

 “I’ll be quick. I wanna get back to what we were doing…” she says with a lustful smile, biting her lip a little as Hikigaya giggles flustered. Shiori takes her phone and answers. “Yello?” She says playfully.

 “Hey Shiori. You guys getting ready for the party?” Lucy asks with a smile, already wearing an odd outfit as Ryuji puts her hair up. Shiori’s eyes widen with shock.

 “That was tonight??” she asks.

“Uh yeah. Ms. Samuel’s only been talking about it for the past few days.” Lucy answers over the phone. Shiori quickly gets up and starts looking around frantically while answering.

 “Uhhhh… yeah! We’re totally ready. We’ll see you in a bit, bye!” Shiori shouts before hanging up. Hikigaya sits up, confused by her actions.

 “Uh.. Shiori? You okay?..” he asks. She stops with a sigh of frustration as she looks around.

 “No, not really. Lucy was just asking about our costumes.” Shiori says, thinking fast. Hikigaya looks at her confused.

 “Costumes?..” he asks.

 “Yes, but that’s the thing. I completely forgot about the Halloween party Ms. Samuel set up for us and forgot to get a costume for it. Did you get your costume ready?” She asks, still slightly frantic. Hikigaya sweats and looks away.

 “O-oh yeah! Of course I did! I prepared it right as we got home from school haha..” he says awkwardly as she stares at him.

 “You forgot too, didn’t you?” She asks. Hikigaya sighs and looks down.

 “Yes…” he says while drooping. Shiori groans and covers her face while sitting down on her bed. 

 “Ugh, what am I gonna do?..” Shiori says softly. Hikigaya looks at her for a moment with a worried look before sitting down next to her. “The party is in a couple of hours and I have no idea what to do…” she says sadly.

 “It’s okay. I don’t have a costume either. We could just go casually.” He offers softly as Shiori sighs and looks up.

 “I love you, but you’re far too dumb to understand what this means to me.” Shiori says. A vein pops on Hikigaya’s head a bit at her words, but the anger doesn’t last long as she continues to speak. “I… really don’t want to stand out anymore… I don’t want to be an outcast again. If the others are gonna dress up, then I want to join them. I want to be a part of the activities.” She says softly as Hikigaya watches her. She looks at him softly. “I finally have the chance to be a normal student, a normal friend. A part of a group bigger than just me..” she confesses. He looks back at her softly, trying to problem solve for her before an idea comes to mind.

 “Hey… what about this?” he asks with a smile. She looks at him surprised as they lean in close, Hikigaya whispering his idea in her ear. She blushes a bit with an embarrassed look before pulling away.

 “That wouldn’t be weird, or… obvious?” She asks.

“Nah, I think it’d be fun. The other students shouldn’t be able to recognize anything, anyway.” He says casually as Shiori looks down. She sweats a bit before looking at him with a softly determined look.

 “Okay, but there’s one thing I want to add.” She says with a blush and a smirk.

 Later at school, after the sun has set, the 4th year students gather in the main courtyard area, all decorated and prepared for the party. The students are all dressed up and have already begun having a good time. Ms. Samuel and Principal Ai watch the students along with a few other staff members.

 “Thanks for approving this party, Principal Ai. I’m sure it means a lot to the students.” Samuel says. Ai smiles warmly.

 “Of course. It is their last year after all. I want them to have fond memories to look back on.” She responds. Samuel smiles and nods as they stand in silence for a moment. “How are Inabi and Oshiro doing?” Principal Ai asks.

 “Great, actually. As usual, they’ve been on their best behavior and keep their grades up! I’ve even heard around that they’re dating..” She leans in and whispers playfully as Ai chuckles a bit.

 “Why am I not surprised?” She asks rhetorically. Samuel looks at her surprised.

 “Really? I am. After all the things I heard about them from you, I assumed they’d really hate each other. I mean, they fight like they do all the time, but despite that, they’re quite… pleasant.” Samuel says warmly. Principal Ai looks at her as she watches the students with a warm look.

 “I’m glad to see you’ve also become quite the teacher.” Principal Ai says. Samuel blushes a bit in embarrassment with a surprised look.

 “Me? No, I’m just doing my job.” She says with a bashful laugh.

 “I can tell these students quite enjoy your teachings. I have a feeling they won’t forget how much you’ve helped them grow anytime soon.” She says warmly as Samuel’s eyes shine. She smiles softly before looking back at her students.

 “I think they’ve helped me grow too…” she says softly.

 In the party, Chizuru looks around searching for someone, dressed as a doll.

 “Where do you think Shiori and Hikigaya are? They’re gonna miss the whole party at this rate!” Chizuru says, worried. Lucy shrugs casually, dressed in a chef costume with a red wig.

 “I dunno. Maybe they’re not coming cause their costumes are so lame since they obviously forgot.” She says with a smirk as Haru, dressed as a security guard, high fives her, laughing. Chizuru pouts as, down the hall, Shiori and Hikigaya walk with intense blushes on their faces.

 “How did I let you talk me into this?..” Shiori whispers, flustered.

 “What??. This was your idea!..” Hikigaya gasps back. They walk into the party as the main group looks their way with excited faces. Lucy then smirks, sticking her tongue out. 

 “Heh, told you, lame~” she teases.

 “What’s wrong with you?! They’re cool!” Chizuru scolds her.

 “But… what’s that?” Sugawara asks with a sweat, dressed as singing bear. They look at Shiori and Hikigaya dressed in Fullsky and Watchdog costumes, but the main thing catching their attention is the addition of a collar and leash around Watchdog’s neck. Shiori holds onto it as they walk to the group. 

 “Wow guys, couldn’t think of anything more original?” Lucy teases.

 “Yeah, well what about you and Ryuji?!” Hikigaya snaps back, blushing and angry. Lucy is dressed in chef outfit with a red wig on, as Ryuji is also dressed as a chef with a tall chef’s hat on his head and a blue wig. “You guys are just dressed as your jobs!” he shouts. Lucy shakes her head while clicking her tongue as Ryuji responds.

 “Nuh uh. Check this out.” He lifts his hat to reveal a fake rabbit toy on his head. Haru is in awe of it.

 “Woah! A bunny! What’s he doing there??” Haru says happily. Ryuji puts his hat back on as Hikigaya pouts, defeated. Suddenly, Daiki and Airi approach them.

 “Hey, sick costumes! It’s uh.. Fullsky and Watchdog, right?” Daiki asks. They nod with surprised looks. Airi leans in a little closer to Shiori.

 “I like the addition you guys added to the costumes.. Your idea, I presume?.” Airi asks with a smirk. Shiori nods softly. “Nice~” Airi says before turning to Hikigaya. “Well, be a good little Watchdog and guard her all night, ‘kay?” Airi says teasingly while patting Hikigaya’s head before turning to walk away.

 “What were you talking about?” Daiki asks.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Airi says as they walk away.

 “That was.. interesting.” Hikigaya says, surprised as he looks at Shiori. Haru then slaps him on the back enthusiastically.

 “See? Don’t sweat it! It’s a party! Let’s just have a good time!” he says happily as the others cheer.

 As the night goes on, more people compliment Shiori and Hikigaya’s costume choice, ask to take pictures, or talk about who they’re dressed up as.

 “See? I wasn’t the only one who thought Fullsky and Watchdog were together!” A student says to her friend.

 “Hey, could I take a picture of you two? Maybe hit their iconic pose they do on the roofs of tall buildings?” A boy asks as he takes out his phone.

 “Uh, yeah. Sure!” Shiori says with a smile. Hikigaya crouches down in front of her as she stands up tall, and they pose like they’ve done many times before. The boy snaps a pic and smiles at them.

 “That’s so awesome. You guys look great! I’m gonna show my cosplay friends!” He says happily before rushing off. Another girl approaches Shiori with a cool look.

 “You fill out the costume nicely. Bet you had to train hard for that.” She says as another girl smirks, looking at Hikigaya.

 “Speaking of training, how much did he need to agree to this?” she asks, pointing at the collar. Feeling the compliments, Shiori gets a boost of confidence and smirks before yanking his leash, pulling him closer to her. She leans in close with a teasing gaze.

 “Not much, actually. I got this puppy wrapped around my finger.” Shiori says teasingly. Hikigaya blushes in embarrassment as a boy chuckles and opens his hand for a slap.

 “My man!” He smiles as Hikigaya reluctantly high fives his hand as the guy whoops while walking away. The girls giggle before waving and walking off themselves. Shiori then turns around and begins walking, yanking his leash once again and pulling him close behind her so his chin is basically sitting on her shoulder.

 “Come on, puppy. Let’s go for a walk.” Shiori says lovingly as Hikigaya looks flustered and upset, but does as he’s told anyway.

 Somewhere else down a hallway, as students talk and mingle happily, a shorter person walks in with slow, awkward steps. They have their head lowered as a dark shadow casts over their body, obscuring what they look like. The soft voice mumbles to themself as they approach the main courtyard area and stop. After a moment of silent mumbling, the person throws their head back, throwing her hood down, revealing Alice.

 “Ugh, how does she see with this on?..” she mumbles as she shakes her hair out and removes the eye covering from her costume, now shown to be a rather poorly built, ill fitting Fullsky costume. She then smiles as she looks around. “Nice! The party’s still in full swing! Now time to go show Shiori and Hikigaya my costume! Hehehe!” She giggles as she wanders off into the party, putting her hood back on. Behind her, down the dimly lit hall she just came from, stands a shadowed figure that snaps its head towards the rest of the party with a creepy look.

 Somewhere else along the halls of the courtyard where a few less people are around, Shiori and Hikigaya stand. Shiori adjusts Hikigaya’s collar with a smile as she speaks.

 “I’m really glad people like our costumes. I was afraid people would think it was weird.” She says as she slowly looks up at Hikigaya before smirking and yanking his leash gently, bringing him closer to her face. “Especially you, my Watchdog..” she says softly. Hikigaya sweats and smirks at her.

 “You’re really enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” He asks. Shiori lingers her gaze on him before she turns around and presses herself against him, letting out a sigh.

 “Oh yeah~” she says. Suddenly, Hikigaya wraps his arms around her waist from behind and hugs her tightly, leaning in close to her ear.

 “You’re lucky I’m enjoying this too…” he whispers. Shiori blushes and smiles, flustered.

 “Y-yeah? I can tell..” she says before rubbing herself against him, causing him to close his eyes and groan a little. “I bet you love~ being teased like this.. Did the collar awaken something inside you?.” She asks softly as to not drag attention to themselves while teasing him. She then lifts her arms and turns around, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in close. “I bet you wish you could put the collar to use, huh?. Find some place dark and secluded just for us~?” She whispers so close that Hikigaya can feel her breath on his lips. He gulps for a moment before leaning in to kiss her, but she puts a finger between their lips.

 “Maybe in a bit. I think I want to make you suffer a little more.” She teases before pulling away and stepping back. “I’m gonna hangout with the group for a bit. Feel free to join me~” she says with an alluring voice before walking off. Hikigaya stands there with a steaming look on his face before his shoulders and head drop. He stands there for a while, staring at the ground, trying to cool off. After a bit, Alice sees him and smiles, skipping his way. She giggles as she hops in front of him.

 “Hey-” before she can really get any words out, Hikigaya suddenly grabs her throat in a firm but not painful nor threatening way at all. Alice sweats with wide eyes as Hikigaya drags her close and whispers in her ear.

 “Back already?. Changed your mind?.” he says with a deep, husky voice. The words in her ears cause Alice to shudder with a dumb look on her face before she feels Hikigaya wrap his arms around her and lift her off the ground. He then walks away to some place dark and away from others. Alice looks shocked and confused, stunned by the sudden action.

 “Wha- I- uh-“ she voices but the sharp noises fall on deaf ears. In this dark hall corner, away from others, Hikigaya slams Alice against the wall, not hard enough to hurt but enough to cause her to gasp sharply. He holds her by her shoulders off the ground before suddenly kissing her. Alice is shocked as Hikigaya presses deeper, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

 ‘What’s happening?? Why is he doing this?? His grip kinda hurts and I don’t think I could stop him even if I tried. This is… Watchdog. His strength is so great, he could break me on accident!’ Alice thinks before the thought runs across her mind again. ‘He could break me…’ she thinks as her eyes turn to hearts and she almost melts in his grasp. Hikigaya then pulls away as their spit connects their mouths for a moment. He then leans in again and starts biting her neck. Alice gasps again as her feet twitch and her legs kick ever so slightly. As this happens, Shiori walks down the hall their way but suddenly stops seeing this. Alice looks at her with longing eyes.

 “Help.. me..” she says softly.

 “Hikigaya!” Shiori shouts. Hikigaya suddenly stops and looks at her. His eyes grow wide as he looks back at Alice and gently puts her down. Hikigaya stutters as Alice goes to take a step toward Shiori.

 “Thank you-” she suddenly almost collapses as Shiori quickly dashes next to her and catches her. Hikigaya watches in shock as Shiori looks at them.

 “I didn’t- I thought..” Hikigaya says as Shiori looks at Alice. She stares at her for a moment, examining the little details of her pleasure filled face and the costume she's wearing, before she smiles a little.

 “Hikigaya.” She says before grabbing Alice’s face and forcing her to look at Hikigaya too. “Did you think she was me?” Shiori asks. Hikigaya sweats as he nods.

 “I really didn’t think at all. I should’ve-” he says when suddenly Shiori, still holding Alice by the face, presses her lips against hers. She forces her tongue into her mouth, kissing her passionately for a moment before pulling apart. Shiori then presses their cheeks together with a smile as spit drips from their mouths.

 “Well, I think it’s only fair you share our favorite fan if you’re gonna do that.” Shiori says as Alice’s eyes roll back and she melts out of her arms. Hikigaya is too stunned to speak as Shiori crouches down next to Alice. “Aw, she passed out. Maybe next time.” She says, smirking at Alice.

 “No.. not next time.. I’m good, now..” Alice mumbles as Shiori giggles. She then lifts her hand and makes it glow with a silver color before tapping Alice on the chest. The energy then disperses through her body, causing her to sit up with wide eyes.

 “Woah! That felt good! What’d you do to me??” Alice asks with an excited smile. Shiori smiles back while standing up.

 “Come on. Let’s go meet up with the rest of the group.” She says as Alice quickly gets up and latches onto her arm.

 “Anything for you!” She shouts as she nuzzles her. Hikigaya follows behind them before Shiori yanks his leash hard, causing him to stumble forward. He looks at her close as she speaks.

 “You’re lucky it was Alice.” She says, keeping her gaze forward. Hikigaya understands and nods before following her lead, literally.