"Mm, good night, Master~"
Karuizawa Kei obediently nodded, and like Bocchi-chan, kissed him once before Hachiman left. She watched his figure disappear around the corner of the hallway before turning her head toward the nearby rooms.
Matsushita Chiaki, Satou Maya, Hasebe Haruka, Sakura Airi.
She got along better with Matsushita Chiaki and Satou Maya, but for something like this, she ought to find someone not so close to her as a witness.
And since Hasebe Haruka was more withdrawn, rarely speaking with anyone besides Kushida Kikyo, she might not be easy to approach either.
Better to pick someone weaker first. Sakura Airi was also withdrawn, but she always drooped her eyes quietly, shoulders hunched like she was curling into the corner. Her kind of shyness leaned more toward Bocchi-chan's social-anxiety type of timidness.
Ding-Dong~ Ding-Dong~
Karui pressed Sakura Airi's doorbell.
"Wh-who is it? Karuizawa-san? Wh-what do you want with me?", After a while, Sakura Airi nervously opened the door, poked her head out, and upon seeing the class gyaru, Karuizawa Kei, she couldn't help but speak cautiously.
She had been wondering who would be looking for her so late at night. Only to find it was Karuizawa from next door.
Karuizawa Kei, the leader of the gyaru group with Matsushita Chiaki... she basically had no connection with her, right? Why come this late...?
But when Karuizawa looked at Sakura Airi, who even while timid could not hide her proud figure, her eyes lit up in an instant.
Completely unlike the image in her mind of Sakura Airi as a plain country girl with glasses, long tied hair, and no makeup, at home with her hair down, Sakura Airi looked as dazzling as Ichika Ichika from Class B had once been. In fact, her figure was even more striking.
'Found you! Master's new pet!'
———
Tonight had taken a lot of time to send Bocchi-chan and Kei home, but going back to his own house only needed one teleport. Whether to the side of clever, capable Shion, or to Shino who had already moved next door, was no problem.
Still, chatting with Bocchi-chan and Kei along the way to deepen bonds wasn't wasted time. It was just that once there were more people, sending them all back one by one would become troublesome. If their homes could be marked for teleportation, it would be more convenient.
Like teleporting to Nijika's family's Livehouse STARRY, he could ask her sister for help with a fixed point, and send Nijika home safely and quickly every day.
Kei's apartment was easy to find too. As for the others, though not all of them, Kushida Kikyo, with her cheerful and approachable appearance, was definitely not simple.
Even if there wasn't a Horikita Suzune, who had once been at the same school and might know her dark history, Kushida, who made friends everywhere with her smooth social skills, would eventually explode from too much bottled-up negativity.
And among them, many were problem girls needing guidance, Kushida just happened to be one of the more severe cases.
After leaving the apartment, Hachiman looked back once at Kei's building before walking to an empty, unmonitored spot and teleporting home.
"Hikigaya? Why would he appear here?", Across the street, three mature women in pencil skirts and office wear, high heels clicking, were walking together toward the apartment. One of them, with cold features and waist-length cherry-colored hair, happened to catch sight of Hachiman's back disappearing around the corner, and instinctively narrowed her eyes.
"What's wrong, Mafuyu?"
The one in the middle, a wavy-haired woman carrying a large bag of canned beer, noticed Kirisu Mafuyu's odd reaction and glanced down the street. But by then, Hikigaya had already vanished.
"It's nothing. I just thought I saw a troublesome student. You just came recently, Hoshinomiya-sensei, so you wouldn't know him."
Kirisu Mafuyu shook her head. Maybe she saw wrong, or maybe he was just passing by.
Besides the few of them teachers, this apartment was mostly for Sobu High transfer students. Hachiman skipped class nearly every day; he probably didn't have much time to mingle with the transfers.
"Anyway, let's go to your place, Mafuyu, and drink! I bought lots of beer and snacks. We can drink straight through till morning!"
Hoshinomiya Chie brushed it aside once she heard it was only a student, then wrapped an arm around Kirisu Mafuyu's shoulders and pulled her closer, pouting half-playfully, half-grumpily.
"And also, Mafuyu, why won't you just call me by name? You're colder than even Sae."
"No need. I still need to organize next week's home-visit materials. There are plenty of problem students at school, their family situations may well be the cause."
Mafuyu shifted uncomfortably, politely refusing.
It wasn't the first time Hoshinomiya treated her like this, but that overwhelming enthusiasm was always too much for her.
If only that enthusiasm were put into work instead.
"Come on, it's the weekend! You should relax instead of worrying about school stuff. Your world history class is easy, yet you're always so busy."
"I'll head up first."
Looking at Mafuyu, whose pretty face contrasted with her harsh tone, living as though her only joy was teaching, Hoshinomiya wanted to keep pressing her to enjoy drinking together. But on the other side, the cooler, one-ponytailed woman downed her beer in silence, tossed the empty can, swiped her card at the elevator, and walked in with a detached remark.
"Sae, wait! Mafuyu won't drink, but you will, right? Drinking alone isn't any fun!"
Seeing her "best friend" Chabashira Sae escaping, Hoshinomiya hurriedly ran to catch the elevator.
"Whew...", Seeing Hoshinomiya now focused on pestering Sae instead, Mafuyu let out a long breath and followed into the elevator.
On the second floor, the three exited together. Hoshinomiya, smiling despite Sae's cold glare, squeezed into her room with snacks and beer, kicked off her heels, and dragged her into a grown-up's night drinking. Mafuyu, meanwhile, returned to her own rented room alone.
The dorm arranged for transfer students like Karuizawa Kei happened to be the same apartment Mafuyu lived in.
At first, she hadn't cared much. She didn't teach them, so they rarely interacted. But when she learned Hoshinomiya and Sae were also placed here, even on the same floor, it gave her headaches.
Hoshinomiya's bright and warm personality meant she loved drinking with others, but Mafuyu wasn't good with alcohol. The bigger problem was her constant barging in, dragging Sae for drinking sessions.
Of course, Mafuyu could go to their rooms, but she couldn't let them into hers.
Inside her room, Mafuyu flicked on the light, ignored the garbage bags by the door, carefully stepped over the scattered lingerie and papers, pulled out her most comfortable tracksuit from atop the pile of books on the bed, and changed. Sweeping her eyes across the still-not-too-messy room, she knelt at her desk and silently took out a stack of student files.
Forget it. She'd clean up in a few days. For now, better to review these files and see which problem students. Besides, Hikigaya needed solving sooner.
———
At the Hikigaya household, the kitchen brimmed with fragrance.
"Today it's you cooking again, Shion?", The moment he felt her warm, familiar aura wrap him from behind, Shion froze slightly. She set down the knife, washed her hands, and turned to wrap her arms around his neck. With her cheeks faintly red, she tilted her face up and softly answered.
"Mm. Welcome home, Onii-chan."
Even if it wasn't the first time being hugged, each sudden embrace in front of everyone made her a little shy.
Thankfully, the atmosphere at home was good, and all the others who liked Onii-chan weren't jealous. Otherwise, she might've panicked and broken free.
"And why's Tsubaki cooking today?", After rewarding Shion's growing maturity with a little affection, Hachiman glanced at the other girl in the kitchen, peeking at him and Shion, Rurikawa Tsubaki. He pulled her into his arms too, kissed her, and asked with a smile.
The living room was already packed: Shino, Ursula, Elio, and even the mermaids who had moved in were seated.
But with Maid Shion around, it wasn't supposed to be Tsubaki, a noble lady, doing the cooking. She rarely cooked at all.
"I-I learned a few dishes from Shion... I wanted to practice...", Black-haired, black-eyed, dignified Rurikawa Tsubaki was more flustered than Shion. Lowering her eyes, face bright red, she whispered breathlessly, unable to look at him.
As the daughter of a fallen noble house, she had always held herself with calm and reason, striving to uphold the Rurikawa name. With the Poiman clan's blood, her family was flourishing again, and she was adept at handling big events. Even school delinquents who tried to stir up trouble were handed over to her by Hachiman without worry.
But in love, she was a complete novice. And worse, Hachiman was her good friend's boyfriend, her good friend's fiancé.
This forbidden, intensifying feeling, she still wasn't used to it.
She had once thought of quitting school, even considered pairing Hachiman with Kaede, his childhood friend. But in the end... she herself had crossed the line, before Kaede even cared.
"No need to force yourself to learn cooking. Just treat this as your home. Kaede never cooked here, and I never thought that was a problem," Hachiman held her delicate hands, sighed with a smile.
"If you really want to help, just do the dishes after."
It wasn't that Shion was expected to cook while Tsubaki should sit idle. With so many at home who could cook, and with Shion wanting to contribute, there was no need for Tsubaki to force herself.
At this rate, he, the "househusband," had no room to showcase his own cooking anymore.
"See? I told you Onii-chan wouldn't mind. You should just rest in the living room, but you still insisted on helping," Shion, still snuggled in his arms, nodded firmly, happily breathing in his scent.
"Then I guess disobedient Tsubaki needs punishment," Tilting her chin, Hachiman grinned at her reddened face.
"Mmh..." Tsubaki, embarrassed by Shion's "complaint," closed her eyes to accept her punishment.
Absurd that she was punished just for wanting to help. Yet here she was, in her good friend's fiancé's home, before her very eyes, absurd indeed.
"So late home, and the first thing you do is bully Shion and Tsubaki. And badmouthing me too? I help plenty! I just don't cook alone," From the sofa, Kaede rolled her eyes at Hachiman teasing Tsubaki and Shion.
She wanted to bite him. So many girls already, and still he hunted beauties outside.
But she couldn't do anything. He was too strong. Even the elf princesses admitted his talent wasn't from them, but innate.
"This just proves how much the President likes you two. Even surrounded, he still thinks of you twin childhood friends."
Iris, the elf princess, smiled sweetly, looking around at the humans, mermaids, dragons, aliens, and elf sisters in the room.
It wasn't just his vitality she liked, his attitude, too. Truly their destined savior.
"He's got other childhood friends too, sisters from his countryside hometown. I'm not his only one. But yes, I've been with him longest with Suzu. Otherwise, he'd never get to have a harem," Kaede pouted. She had never doubted his feelings, but she still didn't approve of his "househusband harem dream."
But somehow, he'd really made it come true.
Even Tsubaki, a noble lady, had become his lover and even offered to cover their expenses.
He even liked "black straight hair" types. Kaede could almost see Tsubaki growing hers out just for him.
"Still unconvinced, huh? Then let's deepen our bond again. Suzu, come over," Before Kaede could retort, Hachiman appeared on the sofa, swept her into his arms, and ignored her yelp. He punished her right there, calling over her sister Suzu.
"Mm. I'll protect Onee-chan."
Expressionless, Suzu sat down, curled her black-stockinged legs, and placed Kaede's head on her lap, so she could watch herself be punished.
"What kind of protection is that? What sister does this?"
Kaede wanted to smack her sister's head. Was she waterlogged? Helping the playboy torment her instead of helping.
But she had no choice. She could barely handle Hachiman herself, how could she deal with her little traitor sister too?
"Guess dinner will be later again."
Iris smiled, urging the others to get some pre-dinner sweets.
"Tomorrow's no school, so tonight we can stay up late~"
Lala giggled, pulling Ursula, Shino, and others along.
The newly moved-in mermaid idols exchanged glances full of expectation and followed.
Moving here was definitely the right choice. At school they only had a few classes' worth of his "aid." At home, it was endless.
Hidden among them, Princess Meroune covered her eyes, peeking through her fingers with nervous excitement.
And when Hachiman returned to the kitchen, seeing Shion and Tsubaki cooking, it gave him a warm feeling, like coming home from overtime to a whole family waiting with dinner ready.
But in reality, as the "househusband," he had long since been too busy to even cook anymore.
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