Hachiman was a little surprised to see that even though Tachibana Mikari no longer had her previous arrogance, her fighting spirit was still strong. He simply took out his phone from his pants pocket on the ground and checked the time. Seeing that the club activities were almost over, he lowered his head and kissed Tachibana Mikari, then smiled and gently reassured her.
Although he had initially spent quite some time with Uenohara Ayano and Hayase Saki, and was delayed by Tsukahara Hibiki and the others, he was just holding Tachibana Mikari here, slowly letting her know his strength.
But the fact that Tachibana Mikari could hold on for so long was already quite impressive. Rurikawa Tsubaki and Kaede, Suzu hadn't lasted this long in their first times either. So far, only the elf princess and the other gifted demi-humans steadily outperformed Tachibana Mikari.
If she kept pushing herself, Tachibana Mikari could probably continue holding on too. But in that case, it would be uncertain whether she'd even be able to walk home. After all, most of the time in the past, the girls around him could take turns to rest. Now, Tachibana Mikari was all alone.
"No, no way... wouldn't that be totally humiliating!", Upon hearing Hachiman suggest she surrender and admit defeat, Tachibana Mikari shook her head fiercely.
She had already embarrassed herself in front of Hachiman just now. She definitely couldn't lose face again in front of Minami and the others, or else she'd be mercilessly mocked in the gyaru group.
After all, she had purposely come to steal someone else's friend. Now, not only did she fail, but she would also have to admit defeat and beg for mercy? No matter how she thought about it, it would be impossible to show her face again.
"Whether you surrender or not, I'm leaving soon. Yuina and the others are still waiting for me, I can't stay with you much longer," Hachiman saw that Tachibana Mikari was stubbornly refusing to admit defeat and didn't plan to linger. He picked her up and placed her on the ground, smoothed out her competition swimsuit for her, and then got dressed himself.
He had to admit, the design of the competition swimsuit was excellent. The streamlined waterproof fabric wrapped around the upper body, exposing very little skin on the back and neck, but under the swimsuit that outlined the full body curves, even just a little skin showing was very alluring.
Although it couldn't compare to bikinis and such, in his opinion, competition swimsuits were still better than the school-type swimsuits like sukumizu.
"What? You're leaving me to go find Minami and the others?"
Tachibana Mikari had originally just been reacting from wounded pride, upset that her confidence had been shattered by Hachiman so easily. But upon hearing that he was going to see Minami, she truly felt deeply humiliated.
This was her first time.
Even if she had offered herself willingly, Hachiman had clearly enjoyed it too.
And now he was just going to ditch her to hang out with Minami and the others?
Was this guy really that into those gyarus like Minami?
"Yeah, Minami and the others are probably already at my place. There are also other girls from our class today, and it's their first time visiting my house, so I can't keep them waiting too long," Hachiman pinched Tachibana Mikari's puffed-up cheeks and smiled.
Normally, he'd definitely have to head home early to accompany Minami and Miura Yumiko and the others. But he had a lot going on, and since Gabriel had also moved in next door, having a classmate like her around made things a bit less urgent.
"Other girls from your class? Kitagawa? Ijichi? Or that transfer student Gabriel?", Hearing that there were other girls going to hang out with Minami and the others, Tachibana Mikari was stunned and asked immediately.
"Aren't you a second-year, Tachibana? How come you know so much about our class?", Hachiman was even more surprised. Was this the classic 'the enemy knows you better than your friend'? Because Tachibana Mikari disliked Minami, she had been keeping a close eye on her, even knowing all about her class.
"It's not about Minami and them. Kitagawa and the others were already famous. And haven't you been getting close to the elf princess lately? She often goes to see you, and with several transfer students coming to your class recently, high-rankers have also gone to ask Kitagawa and Ijichi for information," Seeing Hachiman's expression, Tachibana Mikari knew she was misunderstood and immediately explained.
Kitagawa Marin and Ijichi Nijika were first-years, but they were well-liked even throughout the whole school, beloved by all.
Of course, she herself wasn't lacking either. She was just more straightforward, completely indifferent to people she wasn't interested in, and very confrontational toward those she disliked. So compared to fellow blonde sunshine gyaru Kitagawa Marin, her reputation was slightly worse.
"You know I'm close with the elf princess, and you still dare to approach me? Aren't you afraid she'll come after you?", Hachiman looked at Tachibana Mikari's gradually drying golden hair and gave her a firm slap.
"If a gyaru doesn't dare to pursue freedom and individuality, breaking societal norms, then what kind of gyaru is she? Besides, even Minami and the others dare to approach you, why wouldn't I?", As Hachiman smacked her thigh again, Tachibana Mikari rolled her eyes at him.
Actually, she hadn't thought there was anything special between Hachiman and the elf princess. At most, some interactions between the do-gooding Service Club and the kind, peace-loving elf princess.
But now that she understood Hachiman's "strength," she was starting to suspect there might be something improper going on between him and the elf princess, just as the rumors suggested.
Apparently, a certain dragon from the demi-human class once argued with the elf princess in class and exposed the shocking news that she wanted to kidnap the Service Club president Hachiman to another world.
But since Ursula and Iris didn't seem to get along, those rumors were treated as just gossip. No one really believed the pure, lovely, and noble elf princess had any improper relationship with Hachiman.
The elf princess even had a knight escort constantly guarding her with a sword at her side, how could there be any unexpected interactions with Hachiman?
On the other hand, Ursula, who did nothing but sleep through class, had more believers in the rumor that she came to the human world to find a husband.
However, Ursula's personality was far more violent than elf princess Iris's. At the slightest disagreement, she would use magic to force guys who confessed to her to read love letters in the hallway or run naked around the field. Even the disciplinary committee couldn't control her, so no one dared get close to this dragon clan leader from another world.
"You're pretty proud of yourself, huh... But yeah, it really is Kitagawa and Miura going to my house. Good guess," Hachiman shook his head helplessly. Tachibana Mikari was indeed attractive, with a great figure, so her confidence was understandable.
Maybe this was the difference between a "back-world" heroine and a "surface-world" heroine. When her brain short-circuited, she would come up with absurd, self-damaging strategies to go after Minami and the others.
Though he ended up benefiting, he still needed to correct this mindset of hers eventually.
"For real? That many people... all at your place... don't you ever get tired?", Tachibana Mikari looked down at Hachiman, still shocked by what had just happened, and felt she might have underestimated his stamina.
Kitagawa Marin, Ijichi Nijika, and Miura Yumiko were one normie clique, while Yuina, Minami, and Rin were the gyaru clique, altogether, that was six people.
And Hachiman alone... were they all sleeping at his house tonight?
Hard to believe. Kitagawa Marin and Ijichi Nijika had good reputations, didn't seem that different from her after all.
"Don't misunderstand, alright? They're just visiting my house to hang out. At most, have some dinner and then go home," Hachiman looked exasperatedly at the always-jumping-to-wrong-conclusions Tachibana Mikari. He really wanted to shut her up again so she couldn't say anything more.
The reason he wasn't in a rush was just that. Miura Yumiko had a bit of special development, but there really wasn't anything special with Ijichi and Kitagawa. Even if he went home early, it would just be to eat and chat, unlike the kind of unrestrained fun he could have with Yuina and the others.
It was just a normal visit. With Gabriel there, it was enough to go back in time for dinner.
"Fine, I alone definitely can't compete with all of them. If you're going, just go," Tachibana Mikari didn't believe Hachiman's words.
Yuina, Minami, and Rin were close with Hachiman, and clearly had that kind of relationship. Going to Hachiman's house was totally normal.
But if Kitagawa and the others weren't involved like that, why would they be hanging out at his house with Yuina and them?
They were two separate groups, not one. And it was said that Minami and Miura Yumiko didn't get along that well.
Still, since Hachiman said so, she let it go.
Rather than worrying about Kitagawa and Ijichi, she should be more concerned about herself,nshe was the one who just got worn out. Even if Kitagawa and the others also got wrecked by Hachiman, it was still six versus one, no way they'd be worse off than her.
"Don't overthink it. I really am just going home to keep them company for a bit. I'll be back tomorrow to coach you all at swim club," Seeing that Tachibana Mikari wasn't too happy, Hachiman hugged her again and comforted her for a while.
"But tomorrow I'll be coaching together with Ayano, Saki, and the others. Your training progress might not be as much as today."
"Huh? This kind of thing really boosts training results?", Tachibana Mikari froze and turned to look at Hachiman, who was right next to her.
She hadn't held out any hope of improving her training performance from this, but Hachiman actually brought it up again.
"Heh, why would I lie? Don't you feel like your body is only tired, but you're actually in great condition? Go have Manager Saki measure your performance later," Hachiman smiled, offering no further explanation. He wanted Tachibana Mikari to experience the results herself.
This kind of thing was hard to explain, better to let her fill in the blanks herself.
"If it's real, then I'll help spread the word and get Nanasaki Ai and Rihoko Sakurai to beg for your guidance."
Seeing Hachiman didn't seem to be lying, Tachibana Mikari wrapped both arms around his neck, pressed her whole body against him, planted a kiss on his cheek, and grinned.
Although she hadn't intended to improve her results, she just wanted to steal a friend from Minami and the others. In the end, she got countered and didn't even get to spend more time with Hachiman.
But if this helped her improve her performance, then at least it wasn't a total loss.
"Don't go stirring up trouble. You're making me sound like some villain with ulterior motives," Hachiman slapped Tachibana Mikari again, annoyed. Helping her improve her performance wasn't supposed to be used for that kind of thing. Stirring up drama would only ruin his reputation.
"Isn't that the case? You're the one doing whatever you want in an all-girls swim club and even dragged me into the bathroom," Tachibana Mikari laughed mischievously. Feeling that she'd recovered enough, she let go of Hachiman, unlocked the bathroom door, peeked outside, and seeing no one there, dashed out while yelling, "Manager, just you wait! I won't give up!"
"Just six normie gyarus? Our girls' swim club has way more girls, we're definitely better than them!"
Tsukahara Hibiki the captain, Hayase Saki the vice-captain, Orizuka Momoka the other vice-captain, plus Uenohara Ayano, Nanasaki Ai, Rihoko Sakurai, and herself, already seven people. Not to mention all the other pretty girls in the club and the new transfer students.
With that many in the girls' swim club, there was no way they could lose to Minami, Kitagawa, and those few gyarus.
[The Excellent Manager of the Girls' Swim Club, task progress 3/?]
Currently, the girls' swim club had seven excellent members including Hayase Saki and captain Tsukahara Hibiki.
According to the mission description, he only needed to help the excellent members relieve training stress and improve performance. He had already handled the stress for Hayase Saki, Uenohara Ayano, and Tachibana Mikari, so the progress should be 3/7. One per day, he could clear it in a week and make the girls' swim club a sub-division of the Service Club.
However, Hachiman wasn't sure what would happen if one of the excellent members left the club during the mission. Would it change to 3/6 or count as a failure?
While calculating, Hachiman recalled the recently triggered mission "After-school Guidance for Girls" which introduced Rihoko Sakurai. He originally planned to relieve Tsukahara Hibiki's pressure while also discussing Rihoko Sakurai's situation, but since Yuina, Miura Yumiko, and the others had already been waiting at his house for a long time, further delay wouldn't be good.
He'd better head home first and talk with Tsukahara Hibiki tomorrow.
If there were any developments with Rihoko Sakurai, the Love List would notify him. He just needed to keep an eye on it and didn't have to worry too much.
Still, although he had cleared quite a few missions lately, several were piling up unfinished. He couldn't wait until danger arose to handle them, he had to clear a few short-term ones first to avoid getting overwhelmed.
Missions like aiding the Elf Princess and the top angel of Heaven's fall couldn't be finished quickly or weren't actionable at all. So now, he'd have to consider the Tohsaka family business.
Yukinoshita Haruno, the older sister of Yukinoshita Yukino, seemed to have a good relationship with Tohsaka Rin and Sakura's elder sister, Tohsaka Touka. She also seemed concerned about Tohsaka Touka's situation.
Perhaps he could talk to Yukinoshita Haruno. Yukinoshita Haruno, as a mature member of society, shouldn't be as troublesome as Yukino.
After finishing his thoughts, Hachiman tidied up his outfit a bit, and sent a message to his good little sister at home, cold outside but warm inside, clever and capable, Asougi Shion, asking her to use the excuse of buying drinks to go to the rental apartment next door.
After a while, when Hachiman saw the location on the love list for Asougi Shion change, his figure disappeared from where he stood.
———
[Inside the Apartment Room]
"Shion is really obedient, coming over so quickly. I'll reward you."
"Hachiman-oniichan, w-wait a moment, Vignette Onee-san is still outside," Asougi Shion stood at the entrance, looking at Hachiman, who had suddenly appeared in front of her and pulled her into his arms. The familiar and pleasant scent at the tip of her nose made her fair face instantly blush red, and she hurriedly spoke.
She had long known that the Hachiman she recognized was very amazing. At night in bed, he could do transformation tricks like magic and even turn over those girls from Sobu High like Hayase Saki. So it wasn't surprising at all that Hachiman suddenly appeared in front of her now.
As soon as she saw Hachiman's message, she knew that he wanted her to come out and bring him back.
"Vignette? Is she going with you to buy drinks?", Hachiman was slightly stunned, let go of Asougi Shion's well-developed soft body, gently stroked her jet-black, smooth long hair, and asked in confusion.
"Mm, Komachi and Gabriel Onee-san are at home chatting with the senpai from Sobu High, so Vignette Onee-san wasn't at ease with me going out alone. She also thought I couldn't carry that many drinks, so she came out with me to buy them," Asougi Shion lightly nodded, and then blushingly explained in a soft voice.
"Right now, I said I accidentally dirtied my clothes a little and needed to come back to change. Vignette Onee-san is waiting for me outside."
Originally, she was pretending to go out to buy drinks, planning to pretend to run into Hachiman later and then go buy drinks together and bring them back. But now that Vignette came along, she had to find another excuse to cover it up.
"I see… Actually, Shion, you don't have to make up any reason. Vignette wouldn't mind that much," Hachiman looked at the slightly shy and embarrassed Asougi Shion. Of course, he knew what her excuse was for. Smiling, he reached out and pinched her round and smooth cheek, then pulled her along to open the door and go out.
Standing outside the door was a purple short-haired figure wearing Sobu High's school uniform. Two simple hair clips were fastened to her hair ends, and beneath the hem of her red plaid skirt were smooth, fair, rounded thighs and calves wrapped in black mid-length socks.
From her appearance alone, Vignette showed not even a trace of a devil's demeanor, just an ordinary cute female high school student.
"Hachiman? Why are you in Shion's room?"
Seeing Hachiman and Asougi Shion walk out of the room together, Vignette blinked in confusion, a bit surprised.
Why did Hachiman suddenly pop out?
She had just been wondering when Hachiman would come back. If they were to prepare dinner for so many people, they'd have to get started early; otherwise, it might not be in time.
"I just felt like there were a lot of girls at home, so I wanted to check in with Shion about the situation first."
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