Once again held in Hachiman's arms, an indescribable sense of familiarity surged through her whole body. Rurikawa Tsubaki had just wanted to tangle with whether she was actually a bad woman stealing her best friend's man, but when she heard Hachiman's words, she couldn't help but lift her head, her gaze faintly fixed on him.
She knew Kaede had always wanted Hachiman to beg for mercy, but just relying on the power of her, Kaede, and Suzu, how could that be possible? Even adding Shion, it was still completely impossible.
When staying overnight at Hachiman's house, Kaede, at certain times, had no choice but to reconcile with the somewhat conflicting Iris and the others. Rock–paper–scissors, fighting for chairs, splitting watermelons, every kind of method had been used, yet Hachiman was not influenced in the slightest. On the contrary, they themselves were endlessly tormented by their own antics.
Clearly, the number of girls was increasing. In theory, Hachiman should be getting more and more outmatched. If not to say giving up his harem, then at least reining himself in and not picking up new girls.
But the reality was that they were becoming more and more useless. The more people, the weaker they were. Just being held by Hachiman for a moment, their hearts would pound wildly, excitement overflowing nonstop.
"Heh, Tsubaki, and yet you still dare to face me alone?"
Seeing that Rurikawa Tsubaki was not without clear recognition, Hachiman couldn't help but smile. He lowered his head and gently bit her tender cheek.
Actually, it was only normal that they couldn't beat him. Not even talking about other things, just the halo of the the more devout, the more service alone was enough to strip them of the ability to resist him. Even though under the buff of that halo their strength would be greatly enhanced, in front of him it was utterly useless. Only bringing some negative debuffs.
Heavy injury recovery speed halved, armor reduction, magic resistance reduction ignoring defense.
"...", Rurikawa Tsubaki closed her eyes, shrank her head, and leaned against Hachiman's chest without speaking again.
Alone… without a doubt, she would be easily defeated by Hachiman.
But it was only the time for changing clothes. Even if Kaede and the others picked slowly, one by one putting on new outfits, at most half an hour, she should still be able to hold on.
"Heh~"
Seeing Rurikawa Tsubaki give up on sophistry and struggle, Hachiman was enjoying this noble young lady's one-day-limited maid role, when the door of the changing room was opened from outside.
"Young Lady, Master came to the changing room to change clothes. As a maid, you can't be letting the Master serve you like this~"
Shion gracefully walked in from outside. Seeing Rurikawa Tsubaki held in Hachiman's arms, she sighed softly.
Just as she thought, the Young Lady was not like them, trained from childhood as maids, only having received a bit of temporary training. Facing Hikigaya-sama, she would instantly forget what a maid should do.
"Mm...", Hearing her personal maid Shion's words, Rurikawa Tsubaki lifted her head from Hachiman's arms, sneaked a glance at the approaching Shion, her pretty face flushed all over, lips moving slightly but saying nothing.
Once embraced by Hachiman, her whole body went soft. How could she possibly have the strength to do maid work?
"Master, please bring the Young Lady here."
Shion was not surprised at her own Young Lady's useless state at all. She directly looked at Hachiman, the only one who could decide, and asked him to take Rurikawa Tsubaki to the innermost part of the room, to stand before a wall hung with a curtain.
The Young Lady's appearance and figure were top-class, her grades at school excellent, even having some business talent. But when it came to relationships between men and women, she was relatively pure, even lacking in theory. Otherwise, she would not, in front of Hikigaya-sama's lovers, her good best friend Kaede and the others whom he would support, have absolutely no thought of competing for favor.
It wasn't about asking the Young Lady to snatch people from her best friend Kaede, just making Hikigaya-sama pay a little more attention to her would be enough.
Now the Young Lady and Hikigaya-sama were in the same class yet didn't even talk. They only had some occasional intimacy after school, and even that was mostly Hachiman taking the initiative. The Young Lady herself took the initiative far too rarely. How long could this situation last?
Not to mention all the many girls around Hikigaya-sama, just the Yukinoshita heiress from the Service Club and the Ichinose heiress could already pose a threat to the Young Lady.
Even though after swallowing the Poiman family, the Rurikawa family's strength was no longer comparable to Yukinoshita or Ichinose, without doubt, either of those families was much stronger than the formerly fallen Rurikawa family.
Hikigaya-sama had raised the Rurikawa family to where it stood today; he could likewise raise Yukinoshita or Ichinose.
The Young Lady's close bond with Kaede, his childhood friend, made her not want conflict. Feeling guilty, she willingly accepted being only a lover, that was fine. But that didn't mean she couldn't compete with the other girls.
Iris, the heaven-sent elf princess type, she might not beat. Kaede, as childhood friend, she didn't want to fight. But the others couldn't compare to the Young Lady, right?
Right now, the Young Lady was Kaede's personally acknowledged lover of Hikigaya-sama, also the one chosen by Iris as humanity's representative.
Shion herself didn't believe anyone could surpass her Young Lady.
"Eh?", Held by Hachiman to the wall, Rurikawa Tsubaki was still somewhat nervous and shy, with a trace of hidden anticipation in her heart. But when the excited Shion suddenly pulled down the curtain on the wall, all her nervousness, unease, and bashful emotions instantly vanished, completely stunned.
"Shion, that dress is so cheap. Onii-chan got lucky again."
"Komachi, yours is cute too, but I feel this super-short shorts style over here would be even cuter."
"Elio, Meroune, you're both picking swimsuits? How about trying this cat set? Aegis's tiger stripes look great too~"
"Eh… is this an accessory? Mm… maybe I should just wear the swimsuit instead… it's about the same…"
"Minami, you're going bunny girl again? Today's shoot is outdoors at the estate, under the sun that won't look so good."
"This is reverse bunny girl, it's different, hehe~"
"Marin, what do you think? Can you wear it? If you can, I think it's better not to alter it. Otherwise, if you size it up too much, the stitching will pop."
"I can wear it, but it's way too tight, really uncomfortable… I'll have to trouble you, Vignette. Just let it out a little. It'll still be tight, but if it's only for Hachiman to take a few photos, with small movements it'll be fine."
"Wait! Gabriel, what are you doing?"
"Everyone's already changed. Vignette, why haven't you changed yet? Leave the alterations for later, put on something nice first for Hachiman to see."
"You haven't changed either!"
Behind the curtain was a big bright mirror set into the wall. On the other side of the mirror, all the girls' laughing and frolicking could be seen clearly from here, even their voices transmitted without any obstruction.
Rurikawa Tsubaki stared blankly at Kaede and Suzu, who had already put on the same maid uniforms, then slowly turned her head to the smiling Shion beside her.
"...Shion, when was this two-way mirror made?"
"Young Lady doesn't need to know that now. Today you only need to know that you are Master's maid."
"Watching everyone change like this isn't good, better cover the mirror."
"Among the girls here, is there anyone who doesn't have an intimate relationship with Hikigaya-sama? Even Kitagawa Marin is very close with him."
"...", Rurikawa Tsubaki was left speechless.
Shion brought over the prepared clothes, smiling brightly as she pushed Rurikawa Tsubaki in front of the mirror, inviting Hachiman to join in the maid education of this one-day-limited maid Young Lady.
"Next is time to change clothes for the Master."
"If the Young Lady worries that time is too tight, you can let Sayo, Akira, and Sakura, who are waiting outside, come in to help."
"But please note, the soundproofing of the changing room isn't very good. While changing Master's clothes, please don't make any noise."
"To improve the Young Lady's learning efficiency, I suggest Hikigaya-sama not use a soundproofing barrier."
"..."
Rurikawa Tsubaki turned her head to glance at the girls on the other side, who seemed completely unaware, especially Kaede. Then she looked back at Shion, who was already half-squatting down, demonstrating how to change Hachiman's clothes. She swallowed nervously, unease surging in her chest.
This, this maid education was far too hard to endure.
Separated from Kaede and the others, who were changing clothes, by just a two-way mirror, and she couldn't even make a sound.
———
Inside the changing room.
Iris, Elio, Lala, and the others, having put on the clothes they chose, came before the mirror, chatting and laughing while admiring each other's beautiful figures in all kinds of outfits.
"Everyone's figure is so good~ Bikinis, bunny girls… clothes like that, I don't think I can pull them off..."
"These outfits all come in many sizes, you'll definitely find one that fits. Besides, Shion, you're not bad at all, give it another year or two and you'll surpass us~"
"Uh… Shion, those shorts you picked are way too short, and that camisole is so low..."
"But it looks great~ Anyway, these photos are just for fun, not for showing others."
"..."
In the crowd, Komachi looked at Aegis in tiger stripes, Lala in the black-and-white cow outfit, Sakurase Shino in succubus gear, Yuina in black-stocking reverse bunny girl, Minami, Rin… her mood was complicated.
Compared to them, her camisole and hollow hotpants were nothing. But everywhere she looked, there were pressure monsters. Such was the unevenness of the world.
Were JKs nowadays really developing this well?
Was she falling behind, or did she still have untapped potential?
Komachi couldn't help but avert her gaze, then looked toward Elio in a cute, seductive kitty set and Iris in a puppy set. Staring at their slender petite bodies, she felt slightly comforted.
So, not everyone had such good figures. It was just that among this group, those with great figures were a bit more common.
And there were still Gabriel and Vignette, who hadn't changed clothes yet.
Counting it all, the ratio wasn't so bad, it wasn't only her who wasn't up to par.
"Elio, let's make a heart together~"
Noticing Komachi sneak peeking at her, Iris secretly laughed but didn't show it on her face. She just pulled Elio to pose cutely before the mirror.
"Mm… nya~"
Elio touched the blue cat tail sprouting behind her, cheeks crimson, lifting her hands into cat-paw shape. Like a kitten, she stuck out her tongue and licked the back of her hand, blushing hard at the sight of her reflection in even less than a swimsuit.
Ordinary people might not know about the mirror's secret, but how could they not?
Even if at first they didn't notice, with nothing to conceal it, anyone with sharper senses realized quickly.
Gently pressing the cool smooth surface, she even felt an illusion. A if the dense life force of the Club President was leaking through.
"Mm, do I look cute~?", Iris also posed cutely at the mirror, smiling meaningfully before urging everyone to come try their outfits one by one.
"Elio, let's try swimsuits again, together with Elusi and the others, see if they fit."
"After changing, come here first to check in the mirror if the clothes fit. Later the President will be the photographer, taking outdoor shots of everyone, so do your best~"
"Since Sylpha and the others haven't arrived yet, when they do we'll change into elven costumes for the shoot."
Most people picked several outfits they liked for later. Even the mermaid princess Meroune, following Elusi, Ayla, and the other mermaid idols, changed into a new swimsuit.
Only Kitagawa Marin was the exception. Not only not changing clothes for the mirror check, but not even picking an outfit.
She stood beside Vignette, watching as the Kuroe Shizuku cosplay costume became more fitted to her body under Vignette's skillful hands, her face brimming with excitement and expectation.
"Great! I can finally become Shizuku."
Though there were still many beautiful cosplays waiting, she was already impatient to wear Shizuku's.
She wanted to become Shizuku the moment Vignette finished the alterations.
"Want to become Shizuku? Who's Shizuku?", Vignette, having just resewn the loosened chest seam of the Kuroe Shizuku cosplay, was curious at Marin's irrepressible joy.
She had already thought Marin's excitement was unusual. Everyone else was just picking nice clothes, but Marin wasn't simply doing that.
So many pretty outfits, with similar styles too, yet Marin seemed fixated on just this one.
"Shizuku is the second heroine, Kuroe Shizuku, from 'Saint ♡ Slippery's Academy for Girls - The Young Ladies of the Humiliation Club: Debauched Miracle Life 2'."
Hearing Vignette's question, Kitagawa Marin instantly entered preaching mode.
"Vignette, want to try playing it? I can lend it to you. If you like it, you can buy it later. It's a super amazing bishoujo game!"
"Bishoujo game?", Vignette was stunned, her needlework slowing.
Beside her, Gabriel, holding a skimpy swimsuit trying to get Vignette to change at the mirror, also looked up at Marin.
"Yeah yeah! And it's even a harem type! The basic plot is, the male protagonist, grandson of the principal, enters a girls' high school, joins the Club of Shame, and encounters all kinds of heroines."
Marin, seeing Vignette and Gabriel interested, eagerly explained this bishoujo game she adored.
"Though it's the classic harem type, the character design and art are amazing, and the story has lots of tearjerker moments. It was definitely last year's number one!"
"Not sure if you guys like humiliation-type, sl*ve-type stuff, but in this one, most heroines willingly become sl*ves for love. For you, it probably won't be a turn-off."
"Like Shizuku, at first she never smiles, super cold, her words and actions always raising your blood pressure. But as the story goes, and emotions deepen, you realize Shizuku is actually suuuper cute."
"As I got more and more obsessed with Shizuku, before I knew it, I couldn't escape. From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to become Shizuku."
"Can you understand that feeling?"
"…No."
Looking at Marin's sudden question, Vignette and Gabriel glanced at each other, both awkward.
They had never realized Marin's tastes were this unique.
They had thought she only liked dressing as anime and game characters.
But "Club of Shame"? "Becoming a sl*ve for love"…
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.