'A family should be this close-knit.'
No matter how many girls gathered around Hachiman, the fact that she and Komachi were his family would never change.
"Everyone's still here, President, so eat some breakfast first."
Held face-to-face with Hachiman, Iris's pretty face flushed as she lifted the rice ball in her hand to his lips.
"Whether people are around or not doesn't change your cuteness, Iris. Besides, everyone here gets along so well, what's there to be shy about?"
Hachiman lowered his head to bite the rice ball, his hand resting on the white over-knee socks wrapping Iris's slender legs.
Among them, Ellio was the most petite, delicate like a little animal, especially tight and cute. But of course, everyone had their differences. Hachiman liked Iris's dainty, adorable form just as much.
"Mm... President, you should praise Lala instead. This morning, she improved the Empathy Wristband again. The new Empathy Choker can charge with light energy, so we don't have to run to her every time the battery dies."
Feeling the envious stares around her, Iris's pointed ears burned. She pursed her lips, holding the rice ball to Hachiman's mouth again, then handed him her half-finished juice, saying nothing more.
It felt nice to be valued by the President. But being praised so openly for her cuteness in front of so many people was too much for her.
When receiving aid, she could be bold. She'd even push Aegis or Lumilia toward him herself. But when they were all dressed normally, she felt embarrassed being singled out for attention.
"Is that so. Then we'll have to reward Lala properly."
Hachiman chuckled, not teasing Iris further. He quickly finished the rice ball, then turned to scoop up Lala, who was sitting cross-legged beside him, stroking her silky pink hair down her back and planting a strong kiss on her smooth cheek.
After Lala had moved in following her love at first sight, many problems had been solved. With her black-tech genius and Iris's social talents, both had contributed greatly to the household. To have such pure, adorable helpers at home, Hachiman counted himself lucky.
Of course, Lala herself was also naturally good at making friends. She didn't care about status or positions, following only her sharp instincts. With Iris now handling the social side, she could enjoy life on Earth carefree, only occasionally tinkering with research when the household needed something.
"Empathy Wristbands and Chokers are just external mediators. Modifying their functions is simple, nothing difficult. What's really amazing is your Sympathy Bracelet."
Lala rubbed against Hachiman affectionately. Spotting a stray grain of rice at his lips, she opened her cherry mouth to eat it away, then giggled softly as she inhaled his pleasant scent.
"According to xenobiology theory, Sympathy Bracelets can transmit the internal neural signals of two bodies, stimulating hormone secretion. The thoughts in each person's mind should be transferable."
"But it seems the Sympathy Bracelet has hidden limits. Without reaching high-frequency empathy, it can't reach that deep level."
"It's like the telepathy twins sometimes have. But bracelets only come in pairs. Wristbands and chokers can only share, not join in empathy. I'm not sure what happens if three or more try overlapping empathy."
At this, Lala frowned a little.
The bracelets didn't just limit numbers. Entering deep empathy required very high frequency resonance. Even with their strong physiques and love for Hachiman, none of them could maintain it for long.
Researching the principle in such short bursts was difficult. Especially since she herself often got lost in the deep empathy too.
"These bracelets weren't made by me, just something I got by accident. If I come across more someday, I'll let you know."
Seeing her interest, Hachiman gave a wry smile.
The bracelet had been a task reward from Kaede and Suzu, the twin sisters. No surprise it resembled twin telepathy.
He had wanted more, but twins were rare. Iris and Aegis weren't twins. Other than Kaede and Suzu, only his never-met sisters-in-law, Momo and Nana, counted as twins.
Chances of getting another Sympathy Bracelet were slim. Even twin task rewards didn't guarantee it.
"No worries. I just wanted to study it, since the technology looks too perfect. I can make degraded remote-transmission devices, but nowhere near as good. Nothing like Sympathy Bracelets, which let two people share souls," Lala giggled, kissing the corner of his lips.
The condition, that deep empathy was needed to share thoughts, was far too strict. If not for their mutual feelings for Hachiman, they wouldn't have managed it.
What really deserved research was the instant, lossless, distance-ignoring signal transmission. Even just physical signal sharing could produce amazing devices.
"Uh... Lala, you mean you could make a similar device? Remote interference on someone?", Hachiman suddenly recalled a rather classic item from the hidden world.
"Mm. But that kind of thing isn't useful. It can only make tiny physical interferences. Range is limited. Once used, it breaks easily. No practical value in combat, and none for normal people either."
Lala nodded. What good was interfering with a regular person remotely? Facing regular humans didn't need such trouble.
And against strong opponents, close-range-only tools were worthless. A strong one would instantly notice, and once detected, you'd face their pursuit.
Compared with bracelets, which could affect the mind, influence joy, even treat depression, this had almost no value.
"Uh..."
Hachiman wanted to say those weren't really meant for combat anyway, but decided not to explain to pure, innocent Lala.
He didn't need such things anyway. What he really wanted were powers like time-stop.
He had no worries about his body now. The only problem was time. Even under his Service Aura, they couldn't last long. But there were so many of them, each one could recover and rotate in. He truly couldn't keep up.
"By the way, what about Gabriel and Vignette? Haven't seen them today. And Ursula's missing too?"
Holding Lala and Iris, Hachiman glanced around the living room. Other than Kaede and Suzu, and Tsubaki with her maid Shion, no one else was here. Gabriel and Vignette from next door were also absent.
Kaede and Suzu still had parents, so they couldn't spend every day here. Tsubaki and Shion had Rurikawa family business, too. They'd gone home after breakfast.
But for Gabriel and Vignette not to show up? That was a bit much.
He hadn't even punished them last night. And now, at noon, still not here? Hiding in bed spying on him again?
"Ursula said she went to gather people to deal with you. I did call Vignette and Gabriel, but they said they were working part-time."
Lala rested her head on his shoulder, glancing at Iris and little Komachi behind her, and blinked mischievously.
She liked making friends, and with kind people like Vignette and Gabriel, she had become friends quickly.
"Working? Vignette should have plenty of allowance. Gabriel might be broke, but her allowance should be coming soon. Why suddenly work?"
Hachiman sighed at the flimsy excuse. A fallen angel and a demon, telling such see-through lies just to avoid reality. How degenerate.
"Onii-chan, you didn't do something bad to them, did you? How come these last two days, Vignette and Gabriel haven't come for meals?", Komachi leaned against Shion, glaring at her brother feeding Iris and Lala affection. She lifted her pale little foot and stepped on his thigh.
Until recently, Vignette and Gabriel had been practically living here. Shopping and cooking every day, eating dinner like they'd married into the family.
They'd been no different from Shion. Except she slept in Onii-chan's room, and they returned home at night.
They'd been so close, so intimate. And now, suddenly, they weren't coming? There had to be a reason.
"Maybe it's just that the house is too crowded, and they feel awkward. I'll tell them not to mind."
No way Hachiman was going to say it was because he held too many parties at home, scaring them off. He grabbed Komachi's restless foot, smoothly changing the subject.
"Anyway, let's head to Tsubaki's place later. Tonight we're going to the underground band concert, but it's still only noon. Ellio and the others want to shoot some photo sessions before that, swimsuits, maid outfits, stuff like that."
"I called Tsubaki when I woke up, had Shion prepare outfits for us. We'll play until afternoon, then I'll check Bocchi and the others' rehearsal."
Sure, they could shoot at home. There was a giant room Lala had set up upstairs.
But the point wasn't the photos themselves. It was the process. So he figured the Rurikawa mansion was a better stage.
Now, Rurikawa family managed plenty of his industries. Ever since he'd taken down the Poiman clan and handed their businesses over. Tsubaki, having earned Kaede's recognition, now handled them fully. Household expenses came from her side. He didn't interfere.
"Photo shoot? Savior-sama, can I invite Marin to join?", Lumilia, full from last night and sitting with Aegis and Sinon, raised her hand with a hopeful look.
"Marin? She's my friend too. If she wants to join, sure. If Yumiko wants to come, invite her too. But weren't you planning elf cosplay? Are the outfits ready?", Hachiman looked surprised, then nodded.
Unlike sociable Iris or silent knightly Aegis, the youngest Lumilia was into otaku culture. She'd clicked instantly with cosplayer Kitagawa Marin, who wanted to try elf cosplay. They even had lunch together, discussing cosplay plans.
He wouldn't stop her making friends. Marin cosplayed not for fame or money, but because she genuinely loved embodying characters. He liked that kind of pure hobby.
"Mm-hm! We can just lend her our elf clothes. But since it's a rare chance, she can also bring her own cosplay outfits for us to shoot together~", Overjoyed at his approval, Lumilia pulled out her phone to message Marin.
She wanted to try the cos outfits Marin had talked about, while lending Marin some elf attire that didn't suit her.
"In that case, I'll also call Sylpha and the other elf girls to join the shoot."
Iris smiled, lifting her phone to notify the elves who had already come to this world.
So today's theme would be elf girls. Perfect time for Sylpha and the rest to make their debut.
Hopefully, they could all receive the President's aid successfully. After all, they had the qualifications to birth high elves.
Though some elves, like Aegis, didn't fit the mainstream elf aesthetics, from a human point of view the President should like them plenty.
———
[Rurikawa Household]
In the mansion's fountain garden, head maid Shion stood before a line of young maids. Each wore black-and-white maid dresses with white ribbon headbands, and long over-knee socks.
"Soon, Master Hikigaya will arrive. For all of you, including the newcomers, this will be your first time meeting him."
"You must obey Master Hikigaya's orders unconditionally. Treat him as the master of the Rurikawa family, as your future lord."
"Even if he orders you to strip, you will obey immediately."
"Of course, Master Hikigaya isn't that kind of man. He has plenty of outstanding, beautiful girls at his side. But you understand what I mean."
"If anything happens where you don't know how to respond, even if Lady Tsubaki and I are present, listen to Master Hikigaya first. Do not hesitate."
"That's all. If you understand, dismiss. Sayo, Akira, stay. The rest of you, check costumes, the photo studio, the room arrangements again. No mistakes."
After stressing the proper attitude, Shion dismissed the girls to their tasks.
Though his visit today was sudden, she had already considered the possibility of Master Hikigaya coming to strengthen ties with Lady Tsubaki. Preparations were mostly done, just a few extra costumes to rush. But everything had to be checked again, no errors.
Her only real concern was the new hires.
When the family had been struggling, they hadn't had enough maids to even clean the mansion. It was only a slightly nicer living condition than ordinary people, nothing like the rich.
Now, after Hikigaya had absorbed the Poiman family's industries, their wealth had multiplied. The Rurikawa family could finally staff its massive mansion properly.
But now, recruiting maids wasn't just about housework. These were to be lifelong maids of the Rurikawa family.
Lady Tsubaki, gentle and kind, would never mistreat her own pay, holidays, all fair. But they had to be carefully selected.
Young, pretty, capable were only basics. Temperament mattered most, whether they could truly stay long-term.
But young, pretty, talented women rarely settled for being maids. Truly excellent ones were hard to hire.
Shion set aside her thoughts, focusing on the two she had held back.
The lively, pink-haired maid was Hazaya Sayo. The short-haired, taciturn blue-haired maid was Midorikawa Akira. [T/N: Midorikawa Akira is from 'Maid Bride'. I don't know about Hazaya Sayo]
Sayo had been recruited while Lady Tsubaki inspected company properties, rescued from a harassing boss while working as a secretary, then taken in as maid.
Akira had been found dragging luggage, unable to pay rent at her shabby apartment. Just after leaving Master Hikigaya's house, Lady Tsubaki's kind heart had given her the job.
Shion had already assessed them. Sayo, with her secretary background, was decent at housework, but unlucky. Every company she worked at collapsed. By that logic, was the Poiman clan's downfall her fault? Nonsense, it was Master Hikigaya who crushed them.
Akira, meanwhile, had no such rumor. She was clumsy at chores, fitting her poverty perfectly.
In short: neither was very skilled. But both had good looks and figures, enough to serve as warm-bed maids for Master Hikigaya when Lady Tsubaki was unwell.
Still, they hadn't been here long. Unlike maids raised from childhood, they weren't loyal enough to sacrifice for the family.
"Sayo, Akira, you two stick with me. Master Hikigaya won't force you into what you don't want. But you must keep everything you see secret. Of course... if you manage to win his favor and climb into his bed, that's fine too."
Shion patiently instructed, eyeing their fine looks and full figures.
Lady Tsubaki, guilty toward Kaede and Suzu, had accepted becoming Hachiman's lover alongside them. But Shion couldn't let her mistress settle for being a dispensable lover.
The princesses had their royal aura, Kaede and Suzu had their twin childhood bond, Iris and her sisters had otherworldly titles. Lady Tsubaki stood alone. Even adding Shion herself as a maid, their group had little competitive edge.
But if more lovely maids like Sayo and Akira could form a maid squad to accompany Master Hikigaya, that might just work.
As long as he liked them enough to keep visiting, even living at the Rurikawa household often, that would be enough.
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