While feeding Rurikawa Tsubaki her favorite dishes, Shion whispered softly into her ear, "No need, this is already good enough."
Still holding Kaede's wrists, Rurikawa Tsubaki opened her mouth to take a bite of the food. Hearing Shion's words and understanding their implication, she shook her head vigorously.
Though she and Kaede had already bared everything to each other, she still felt extremely shy.
Just helping to restrain Kaede's hands was already going too far. If it weren't for Iris and the others joining in, she wouldn't have the courage to engage in a lip-and-tongue battle with Kaede in front of Shion, Suzu, or even the unfamiliar Karuizawa Kei, ending up with her mouth exhausted and her dignity in tatters.
This was enough for now. Whatever Hachiman wanted to do could wait until they were alone.
The student council office was a public space. They couldn't let Hachiman run wild here over and over again. If their activities here were ever discovered, it would be mortifying.
Hmm... She could only control herself, not Kaede. After all, if she helped Kaede, she'd be the one lying there receiving punishment right now.
Kaede and Hachiman were childhood friends, and Kaede was always stubbornly refusing to admit defeat. But Rurikawa Tsubaki couldn't muster any resistance toward Hachiman, who had helped resolve the Rurikawa family's crisis, and naturally had no defense against his intimate advances.
Especially with Kaede right beside her, Rurikawa Tsubaki felt her resistance was in the negatives, completely unable to tease Hachiman like the others did.
Lunch break wasn't very long, and she knew all too well Hachiman's capabilities. If she joined in, it would definitely trigger a chain reaction, and then the entire student council would have to take leave again.
They'd barely managed to come up with excuses for the last group absence. If it happened again, the disciplinary committee would probably come knocking next time.
"Young Mistress, you're so easily satisfied..."
Shion sighed softly as she watched her young mistress, who had already secretly given herself to Hachiman countless times, still acting so reserved. She set the lunchbox aside, then suddenly grabbed Rurikawa Tsubaki's hands and pulled her toward Hachiman.
The young mistress was traditional and conservative, lacking a strong competitive drive. After securing the Rurikawa family's future, she no longer bore the family's pressures and could leisurely enjoy her school life.
As long as Hachiman didn't abandon her, the young mistress would likely be content to remain his lover, even if she was neglected at times.
That wouldn't do. Their Rurikawa young mistress couldn't fall behind the others. If the young mistress lacked the courage to compete, then she, as her personal maid, would give her a push.
"Shion?"
Rurikawa Tsubaki never expected her maid to pull such a move. As she felt herself getting closer to Hachiman, she instinctively closed her eyes.
When her face made contact, she didn't dare open her eyes, quickly trying to push herself up to escape the intense battlefield between Hachiman, Kaede, and Karuizawa Kei.
But just as she tried to flee, she realized her ankles were bound, and worse, she felt a chilling emptiness.
Realizing the implications, Rurikawa Tsubaki turned to glare at her maid, unable to believe Shion would go this far.
She thought only Kaede had been betrayed by Suzu, but now she'd been betrayed by Shion too?
"Heh... I told you, indulging Hachiman would. Mmph! Wait! Let me finish talking!"
Kaede, catching sight of Rurikawa Tsubaki's smooth, fair thighs, was about to share her thoughts when Hachiman accelerated his "spellcasting," cutting her off.
Shion completely ignored her young mistress's flustered, pleading gaze. The moment she pushed Rurikawa Tsubaki forward, she swiftly stripped her of her defenses, using soft fabric to tightly bind her delicate, white-socked ankles to Kaede's wrists.
As for the other wrist and ankle... she could only use her own garments to bind them.
Hmm... The young mistress and the president were struggling quite forcefully... but fortunately, they weren't truly resisting. She only needed a symbolic binding, soon enough, the young mistress would submit to Hachiman's whims just like the president. The soft fabric wouldn't leave any marks on their delicate skin.
"Hachiman-sama, lunch is served. Please enjoy it to your heart's content."
After ensuring the special "ribbons" wouldn't come loose easily, Shion stood up and bowed deeply to Hachiman, her cute face wearing a meaningful smile.
"Huh?"
Noticing the new "CG" in the student council series, Suzu immediately aimed her phone at the student council president, vice president, and the new disciplinary committee member, capturing their sisterly bond, despite not being sisters.
Click! Click!
Hachiman didn't pay much attention to the backstabbing and sisterly strife unfolding in the student council. He was too busy savoring the sweet and delicious "seafood feast" his maid Shion had served him.
His original goal had just been to help Karuizawa Kei bond with Kaede and the others, and to enjoy himself in the process after all his hard work.
The experience of colluding with the student council president and getting together might have been a bit shocking for Karuizawa, but it would also give her confidence, ensuring she wouldn't be intimidated by the school's delinquent gyarus anymore.
Hmm, delinquent gyarus... He knew there were some at Sobu High, but he'd rarely encountered them. Most of the gyarus he met were good girls like Yuina, Minami, Rin, and Kitagawa Marin. The worst was probably Tachibana Mikari from the girls' swim team, who had tried to cause trouble.
But that blonde gyaru, the "female oni," had submitted easily. Maybe he could arrange for her to make peace with Kousaka Minami and the others.
Time flew when one was having fun. By the time Hachiman finished enjoying the "sisterly combo" personally served by photographer Suzu, lunch break was almost over.
"...We can't skip class again! The student council president can't keep ditching school"
Taking advantage of her best friend Rurikawa Tsubaki's suffering, Kaede struggled to her feet and checked the time. Realizing they'd be late even if they left now, she shuddered and hurriedly grabbed her uniform blouse and plaid skirt, dressing while glancing at Rurikawa Tsubaki.
"Kaede... h-help me...", Rurikawa Tsubaki, propping herself up on the carpet with her elbows, reached out weakly toward Kaede as she tried to call for aid.
"I'll approve the disciplinary committee matter. The student council office key is on the table, remember to lock up when you leave."
Seeing Rurikawa Tsubaki still reaching out for help, Kaede smirked, then grabbed Suzu and Karuizawa Kei (who wanted to keep filming) and fled Hachiman's clutches on unsteady legs.
While being fed lunch and chatting with Hachiman, she'd realized that the changes in her and Tsubaki's bodies were his doing.
But even though their physical abilities had improved significantly, she doubted Hachiman had done it out of kindness. More likely, he was planning to torment them even harder.
And maybe because the day's physical tests had worn her out, last time she'd managed to hold out until dismissal by betraying her friends, but now, despite being fully conscious, her legs were already too weak to stand.
"She just left..."
Watching her best friend Kaede stagger away without a backward glance, even taking Suzu and Karuizawa Kei with her, Rurikawa Tsubaki's outstretched hand dropped limply, on the verge of tears.
Wasn't this too cruel? All she'd done was hold Kaede's hands down.
Why couldn't Kaede take her along when fleeing?
"Aren't you happy Kaede left us some alone time?", Seeing Rurikawa Tsubaki still wanting to follow Kaede, Hachiman picked her up from the carpet and sat her in his lap, her white-socked feet perched on the soft sofa.
"Mmm... Alone time for us?", The sudden movement made Rurikawa Tsubaki's heart skip. Biting her lip, she steadied her emotions after Kaede's betrayal and slowly turned to face Hachiman, who was holding her waist, murmuring shyly.
She still couldn't face Hachiman as naturally as Kaede and the others. Even though he'd seen her in plenty of embarrassing states, she couldn't shake the feeling that her relationship with Kaede and Hachiman was abnormal, sending strange sensations through her body whenever she thought about it.
But she hadn't come up with a solution, so she could only let things continue as they were.
"Of course. Otherwise, why would she leave without you? She's not that petty. Even Suzu, who bullied her relentlessly, was dragged along. She wouldn't hold a grudge over you just holding her hands."
Hachiman kissed the eyes of the dignified young lady in his arms, chuckling at her mistaken belief that Kaede was truly angry.
Kaede only put on a tough front in front of him, her childhood friend and neighbor, refusing to admit defeat. With everyone else, she was considerate. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been entrusted with the student council presidency.
But sometimes Kaede's way of handling things was too subtle. If he weren't so familiar with her, even he might have thought she'd abandoned Tsubaki here out of spite for being restrained earlier.
In truth, Kaede knew he and Rurikawa Tsubaki hadn't had much private time since getting together and had deliberately left them alone to make up for it.
"Mmm... No wonder Kaede likes you so much...", Staring into Hachiman's smiling eyes, Rurikawa Tsubaki suddenly realized the gap between herself and Kaede.
From meeting Kaede until now, she hadn't actually spoken much with Hachiman. He didn't visit the student council often, and even though they were in the same class, their interactions were mostly official.
Still, she knew his personality and character well.
Hmm... Not because she'd secretly asked about him, but because Kaede was always talking about Hachiman in front of her.
She'd complain about his antisocial tendencies, his dead-fish eyes that ruined his looks, his delusional dreams of being a househusband... In short, outside of student council work, Kaede spent all her free time griping about Hachiman.
Back then, she hadn't felt much about Hachiman's househusband aspirations and didn't understand why Kaede kept bringing him up despite all her complaints. Like how he overslept and made her almost late.
But even if she didn't get it, she didn't oppose it. Since Kaede liked him and Hachiman had no bad habits, she'd planned to support Kaede's love life before taking leave from school, helping her get together with Hachiman.
But in the end, things had spiraled far beyond her expectations. The same Hachiman Kaede had constantly criticized had resolved the Rurikawa family's crisis, allowing her not only to avoid being forced to leave school by the Boimann family but even gaining their assets.
The Rurikawa family had gone from the brink of ruin to surpassing even major conglomerates in power.
Ignoring high-status demi-humans like Iris, the Rurikawa family was likely the wealthiest and most influential at Sobu High. More so than the Yukinoshita or Ichinose families. The only issue was their lack of connections, and with her returning to school, she had no time to expand the family's influence.
Hmm... Though the price paid for the Rurikawa family's resurgence left her uneasy, and every time she saw Hachiman, she was tormented by guilt over betraying her best friend that night.
Fortunately, that torment hadn't lasted long before everything came to light. Kaede hadn't blamed her. In fact, she'd accepted her. The process had been rocky, and she'd been tricked by Iris the elf princess a few times, but the ending had been happy.
Both Hachiman and Kaede were so understanding, so considerate of others' feelings.
She was starting to see why Kaede and Hachiman were so right for each other. She was the third wheel who'd barged in midway. But now that everyone was happy together, she didn't want to change anything.
"Heh, Kaede does like me, but it's fine if you say it in front of me. If you say it in front of her, she'll probably still act disgusted."
Seeing the complicated look on Rurikawa Tsubaki's face, Hachiman knew she was overthinking again. He gripped her slender waist, turning her to face him directly, then lightly nibbled her lower lip, their breaths mingling.
"Tsubaki, do you still want to talk about Kaede? Can't we talk about you instead?"
"Class has already started. Even if you rush over, you'll be late. Why not enjoy the alone time Kaede left for us?"
"Ah... I-I don't know what to talk about..."
The sudden adjustment made Rurikawa Tsubaki gasp, biting her lip hard.
After settling in for a moment, she panted softly, lowering her eyes and wrapping her arms around Hachiman. Her rounded chin rested on his shoulder, her disheveled black hair and ragged breath brushing his ear as her gaze involuntarily flicked toward Shion.
They called it alone time, but Shion was still here.
If it were truly just the two of them, she definitely wouldn't be this tense.
For some reason, Hachiman's every move tugged at her nerves, keeping her constantly on edge, while he remained perfectly calm, seemingly just enjoying their closeness.
Shion, standing nearby, noticed Rurikawa Tsubaki's glance but pretended not to see, staying as still as a delicate doll, continuing to watch over her young mistress and the future family head.
As a personal maid raised in the Rurikawa household, how could she not attend to her young mistress and Hachiman-sama? If the young mistress ran out of stamina, it was her duty to ensure they both had their fill of fun.
As for whether the young mistress would be embarrassed by her presence?
Hachiman-sama had plenty of girls around him. The young mistress would eventually face many rivals, not all as friendly as Iris or Kaede. She couldn't afford to be shy even under her maid's gaze.
She hadn't even pulled out a camera like Suzu to document the process of nurturing the next family heir.
Only once the young mistress grew accustomed to her presence and could naturally bond with Hachiman-sama could she rest easy and focus on her maid duties.
"There's nothing we can't talk about between us. Hmm... How about we talk about Shion?"
Hachiman gently stroked Rurikawa Tsubaki's tense back, then suddenly glanced at the silver-haired maid standing nearby.
"Shion?"
Rurikawa Tsubaki blinked, confused, then looked at her personal maid.
"Talk about me?"
Shion, who had been planning to keep playing the role of a wooden doll watching her young mistress's embarrassment, was stunned by the sudden shift in topic.
"Mm. If you don't know what to talk about, it's just because you're not familiar with each other's interests. So let's pick a topic we can both discuss, like Shion. She's your personal maid and a student council member. Talking about her should work, right?"
Hachiman smiled. If Tsubaki was still shy, they could redirect the conversation to someone familiar, Shion.
"Speaking of which, among the student council members, Kaede and Suzu are my neighbors and childhood friends, and Tsubaki is my classmate. Only Shion, I haven't gotten to know her properly yet."
"Soon, the student council will have a new vice president, Origamine Sakura. After that, it'll be harder to learn about Shion."
Shion had been observing them on the sidelines many times, always acting like an outsider.
That didn't fit his "leave no one behind" philosophy. If Rurikawa Tsubaki was already soft and pliant in his arms, her personal maid couldn't just feed him and call it a day.
"Hachiman-sama, I'm just the young mistress's personal maid. My days are filled with maid work, there's nothing interesting to learn about."
Hearing Hachiman redirect the focus to her, Shion shook her head firmly, politely declining.
As a personal maid, she had no interest in getting involved in messy affairs. Serving her young mistress and Hachiman-sama was enough.
"That's not for you to decide, Shion. Shouldn't you be listening to Tsubaki?"
Hachiman chuckled, leaning back on the sofa with Rurikawa Tsubaki sprawled on his chest. As he played with the soft flesh at her waist, he glanced at Shion.
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