But they also had no choice. Even though they had arranged for Rin to guard the door, they didn't expect Gabriel to still manage to slip away.
Gabriel was very petite and cute, even smaller than Komachi from little Hikigaya's household. But they didn't expect Gabriel to escape right under their noses and completely vanish without a trace.
"At noon, Nijika, come with me to the Service Club. The guitar expert Bocchi-chan will come to the Service Club to have lunch. However, Bocchi-chan has a bit of social anxiety and may not agree, so you'll have to persuade her yourself," Hachiman spoke to Ijichi Nijika slowly only after seeing that they had simply reached a unified consensus.
Social anxiety sufferer Gotou Hitori started practicing guitar simply because she longed for the sparkling band activities, but that was only in Gotou Hitori's imagination.
In reality, Gotou Hitori was terrified of speaking with strangers. If Ijichi Nijika directly approached her to pull her in, Gotou Hitori would probably feel happy inside but desperately shake her head in refusal.
Hmm… this sort of thing wasn't easy for him to bring up either. After all, he was now a good friend of Gotou Hitori's, a subconscious source of support for her. If he pushed her out like this, she'd probably panic. Unless he went with them himself.
"Ah? Didn't you say she trusts you a lot, Hachiman? Wouldn't it be fine if I just entrusted the request to the Service Club?", Hearing Hachiman's words, Ijichi Nijika's face slightly reddened, and she looked at Hachiman coquettishly.
It wasn't that she couldn't go persuade her herself. After all, future bandmates shouldn't be forcibly pulled in.
But Hachiman's shifting words made her feel like he was playing tricks on her, wanting her to continue this kind of "bullying" behavior.
"Bocchi-chan listens to me, but she's also socially anxious…"
"President, president~", Hachiman was just about to explain upon seeing Ijichi Nijika's expression of misunderstanding when a delicate and crisp voice interrupted him from outside the door.
Turning his head, he saw three mermaids with different hair colors, pink, blue, and orange, each with translucent fins on the sides of their heads.
Elsie? Elio? Ayla?
Seeing the smiling faces of the three mermaids, Hachiman couldn't help but be surprised.
He knew it was their turn next period to go deal with idol matters. They hadn't shown up at school for several days, probably having run out of assistance energy long ago and now unable to hold back anymore.
But weren't they supposed to come during class? Why had they come during break time, and so brazenly?
"President, um, could you come out for a moment? It's about idol activities…", The timid and shy, animal-like cute blue-haired mermaid songstress Elio looked at Hachiman's strange gaze, her pretty face slightly red as she asked in a timid voice.
"Mm, Elio, wait a moment," Seeing Elio actively invite him out, Hachiman nodded and didn't ask her why, turning instead to speak to Miura Yumiko.
"Yumiko, if class starts and I'm not back yet, please help me ask the teacher for leave. Say I'm feeling unwell and went to the infirmary to see Nurse Mikado," Although he hadn't given Nurse Mikado a heads-up, she knew about Lala's identity, so she should cover for him.
If she didn't help, next time he'd bring more people to Mikado's office for health education.
"Ah? Why me? I never agreed to this!", Miura Yumiko was stunned, just about to refuse, but seeing that Hachiman didn't even look at her and was already walking out, she instantly fumed and stomped her feet angrily.
That Hikigaya didn't look sick at all, it was obvious he was going to flirt with the mermaid songstress.
She didn't expect that, in addition to the elf princess, the dragon clan leader, and the alien princess, he was also involved with the mermaid songstress.
Though when compared with the others, the mermaid songstress didn't seem particularly special anymore. She was only popular, her identity and status clearly didn't measure up to the others.
'Too awful! This guy totally deserves to be bullied to death!'
Yuina and the others didn't react much to Elio and her group's appearance.
Even Ichinose Honami, who was sent by the Ichinose senator to approach Hachiman, wasn't surprised. Whether it was the noble and elegant elf princess or the nationally famous mermaid songstress, they were both far beyond her reach, no difference to her.
Kitagawa Marin and Ijichi Nijika, however, exchanged glances, feeling that their good friend Yumiko's romance was just about doomed.
After all, the opponents were all so powerful. Even with their help, it would be hard to win. Plus, Yumiko herself wasn't very proactive. If not for that strange, shameful "bullying" connection between her and Hachiman, they'd be advising her to give up already.
———
"Elio, is there some problem with the idol activities?"
"No, President, the idol activities are going smoothly. Mainly, we have a clanswoman in this world who wishes to meet with you."
"A clanswoman in this world? Also a mermaid?"
Walking out of the classroom and following Elio and the others down to the first floor, Hachiman immediately saw a pink-haired girl sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a dark gothic corset long dress with an elegant satin ribbon headband on her head.
"Greetings, Lord Hikigaya. I am Meroune Lorelei, the mermaid clan member in charge of coordinating with Lady Elio and the others. You may call me Meroune. I apologize for the sudden intrusion," The pink-haired girl sitting in the wheelchair looked expectantly at the stairway of the school building. The moment she saw Hachiman coming down with Elio and the others, her face bloomed with a sweet and gentle smile. She lightly pinched the corners of her skirt with both hands and subtly revealed the beautiful fishtail beneath, indicating her race.
"Meroune? Elio said you're a mermaid of this world, are all mermaids in this world like this?", Hachiman was stunned seeing the fishtail peeking out from under the pink-haired girl's skirt.
He'd seen Elio and the others in their mermaid forms and had even held and touched their fishtails, they were smooth and felt nice. But Elio and the others usually maintained human appearances with legs.
This beautiful mermaid named Meroune was indeed pretty, but her movement was restricted, needing a wheelchair. Clearly, she was different from the mermaids like Elio, who could freely shift forms.
No wonder Elio and the others had come to fetch him instead of bringing her up. With her in a wheelchair, she couldn't walk herself, and carrying her up would probably cause a commotion.
"Lord Hikigaya, normally, our mermaid clan can swim with fishtails in water and transform them into legs to walk on land, just like Lady Elio and the others," Hearing Hikigaya's question, Meroune's flawless, delicate face showed a trace of helplessness.
"Unfortunately, the mermaid clan of this world seems to have lost that heritage long ago. Our bloodline never awakened, we not only lack Lady Elio's enchanting singing voice but also cannot transform our tails into legs to walk on land."
"Fortunately, with the public promotion of Lady Iris and Lady Elio's activities in the human world, people are beginning to understand and accept demi-humans like us, allowing for friendly cultural exchange."
"Otherwise, our mermaid clan, and even many other demi-humans, would never dare reveal our identities in the human world."
There were actually quite a few demi-human species in this world, but most only had some physical traits without any magic or strong abilities. Only a few rare individuals possessed unique powers, and most were not suited for combat.
Mermaids were especially weak. Without their magical, hypnotic voices, and since they lived in the ocean, they couldn't even survive in the human world otherwise.
"Actually, it's not that bad. Meroune is the daughter of the mermaid queen in this world. She's the same as Lady Iris and the others, much stronger than us who can only sing."
Elio whispered a small explanation from the side. Although mermaids in this world lacked strong power, a princess was still a princess. Meroune was meant to inherit the mermaid queen's throne in the future.
The only regret was that Meroune hadn't awakened the power of her mermaid bloodline.
Still, in both this world and theirs, the mermaid clan remained weak.
In a world of powerless humans, having magic could even be a burden. It might cause complications, like how she and the others were troubled by the "mermaid transformation period."
"So that's how it is. Princess Meroune, I apologize. I haven't had many encounters with demi-human races in this world and didn't understand your situation well," After the explanation, Hachiman understood. Looking at Meroune's beautiful fishtail now hidden again under her gothic skirt, he remembered who she was.
Princess Meroune the mermaid came from Daily Life with a Monster Girl. It wasn't a hen--tai, but more like To Love-Ru, a bit l*wd and mischievous.
That anime depicted monster girls integrating into human society, and he didn't remember most of its plot clearly.
However, the mermaid princess left a strong impression on him. Meroune had grown up watching tragic love stories between mermaids and humans. She especially liked tragic operas and romantic stories.
To put it simply, she enjoyed the feeling of unfulfilled love and wanted to be the "wronged third party" who couldn't be loved.
Yeah… this mermaid princess was pretty twisted, and in terms of kink, she wasn't far off from perverted Disciplinary Committee member Asai Saki or the masochistic lady Kamijou Maki.
But considering how many weird "otherworld heroines" were already in this world, it wasn't really that surprising.
Now that the mermaid princess had shown up, would other demi-humans appear too?
In Interviews with Monster Girls, there were also vampires, snow women, succubi, those demi-humans were more human-looking, keeping only a few racial traits.
["Ding~"]
["Character Mission Triggered, Awakening of the Demi-Human."]
["This is a world where humans and yokai/demi-humans coexist. However, demi-humans have weakened bloodlines, lack the power to protect themselves, and have distinct physical traits, thus they live in shadows, unable to interact with humans normally."]
["Demi-humans and demi-human hybrids all long to awaken their blood and become special-powered beings."]
["Please help Mermaid Princess Meroune awaken her bloodline."]
["Mission Reward: Awakening Essence."]
"???"
Just as Hachiman was pondering demi-humans, the system prompt startled him.
A mission was one thing, he'd triggered plenty before. But what kind of mission was this?
He knew what the Awakening Essence was, it was from the visual novel game Love×Holic, a legendary elixir among demi-humans.
But why was the reward the elixir, after he helped the mermaid princess awaken her bloodline?
Couldn't the system give him the reward first?
"What's wrong, Lord Hikigaya? Did I do something wrong? Or is there a problem with my attire?", Seeing Hikigaya staring at her, Meroune looked down at her gothic lolita dress. Finding nothing wrong, she lifted her gaze and asked curiously.
"It's not about you. I was just thinking if there's a way to help awaken your bloodline. Though you look beautiful now, Meroune, without legs, it must be quite inconvenient in the human world," When Meroune asked, Hikigaya thought for a bit and decided to directly share the task he had just triggered.
If the Awakening Essence were already in hand, there'd be no problem. But now that he didn't have it and still had to help awaken her bloodline, it was a bit troublesome.
He needed to ask Meroune if she knew of a method. Otherwise, he might have to ask Lala to research it.
"Thank you for your kind words, Lord Hikigaya. You are very considerate. We mermaids have tried many methods without success. It may be necessary to find a solution from Lady Elio's world," Meroune slightly bowed her head in respect to Hikigaya, then smiled warmly and gently.
"Of course, I personally am not overly concerned with such things. After all, high magic like Lady Elio's can also be a burden. I do not wish to become a male mermaid," She did wish to have legs, to walk and run freely, no longer confined to water.
However, awakening the mermaid bloodline had pros and cons. The downside was the high likelihood of suffering the "mermaid transformation period" in this low- or no-magic world, just like Elio, Ayla, and Elsie.
"Alright then, let's get to the main point. Princess Meroune, you probably didn't come just to visit me, did you? Also, what's with calling me 'lord'?", Seeing Meroune tactfully avoid the topic, Hachiman didn't push further and instead asked about her intentions.
Even if he had the Magic Essence to awaken demi-humans, it wasn't something that could be spoken lightly. Especially since in the original work, the "Awakening Essence" was also a euphemism for a special bodily fluid.
Not to mention that he didn't currently have a method to awaken anyone. Better to ask Lala and find a solution before worrying about that.
"Actually, I came partly because I wanted to meet you personally, Lord. On one hand, I wanted to discuss idol activities. Lady Elio and the others have a concert this weekend and will need your support," Meroune smiled and explained softly when Hikigaya asked.
"On the other hand, I also wish to be like Lady Iris. Spending time with you day and night, and, yes, assisting in cultural exchange between demi-humans and humans alongside Lady Elio and the others."
"Elio, you all want to move into my house too?", Hachiman nodded thoughtfully and looked at the three mermaids beside him.
He'd already prepared for idol activities. He could skip class to help with the concert and even bring others along. What surprised him was that Meroune and the others wanted to move into his house.
But it wasn't too unexpected. They really did need his support, and many things were more convenient at home than at school.
"Mm… we heard that Princess Iris is already living at the president's house, so we want to too…", Embarrassed that Meroune had so frankly voiced their thoughts, Elio's face flushed. She lowered her head and shyly mumbled.
They were a bit jealous of the elf princess moving in, but not really. They just felt living with the president would help him assist them more effectively.
The president was busy and couldn't always accompany them to idol events. But if they lived with him, it'd be easier.
Whether it was school or idol activities, they'd return home daily and receive his help, without fear of becoming male.
"President, is that okay? We'll be very obedient~"
"We want to sing to you every night, president~"
The cute pink-haired mermaid Elsie and the blonde gyaru mermaid Ayla finally spoke, each clinging tightly to one of Hachiman's arms, pleading in sweet voices.
In their idol unit, Elio was the most popular, but she was too timid. They always had to drag her along.
The idea of moving into the president's house was theirs. Coincidentally, the mermaid princess of this world, Meroune, shared their wish. The three of them immediately joined forces and brought Elio to talk to the president.
Compared to the elf princess and the dragon clan leader, their idol identities were weaker. Even Meroune's princess status was somewhat lacking. But they knew the president had a soft heart,.he wouldn't be able to resist their plea.
"I never said no… But do you really need to go this far? Aren't you worried other students will take pictures and post them online, affecting your popularity?"
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