Tsukishiro Sayo thought for a moment, then explained to Hachiman.
"But actually, I also broke the rules about coming to the human world. Originally, unless I became someone's lover, I wasn't allowed to drink their blood."
"If you hadn't forgiven me, and you weren't willing to be my lover, I would've been sent back to live with my mom and the others. I wouldn't be able to stay in the human world and enjoy the fun of chasing anime and light novel updates."
Although she had always lived with her mom before, she'd only transferred here because she wanted to enjoy herself in the human world.
But now that she had tasted Hikigaya's blood, she couldn't go back to the days of drinking packaged blood with her mom anymore.
"I see... Then what about Ursula? What did she say to you when she came to find you?"
Hachiman nodded slightly, thoughtful, neither agreeing nor refusing Sayo's words, and instead asked about Ursula, who she had mentioned just now.
"Ah? Ursula didn't say much, she just wanted me to join her and those three succubi to deal with you. She said your life force was incredible and that your blood tasted really good. But at that time, I didn't know your blood was so delicious, so I wasn't interested in her suggestion at all," Tsukishiro Sayo recalled, her voice small and a little embarrassed.
Today was her first time drinking fresh blood.
Even though she'd long known that fresh blood tasted better, she never thought of biting someone just for the sake of it.
But if she had known earlier how delicious Hikigaya-kun's blood was... she might have really agreed to Ursula's proposal.
After all, just being near Hikigaya-kun made her lose control. Her body seemed to move on its own, throwing herself onto him and sinking her teeth into his neck.
She suspected that even her mother had never tasted blood this sweet and tempting. Otherwise, why would she be content to drink blood packs every day, even going so far as to convince her that fresh blood and packaged blood weren't all that different?
"So, did the Amaki triplets refuse Ursula too?"
Hachiman found that strange. Those Amaki sisters often secretly spied on him, they didn't seem like they weren't interested in him.
"Ah... them... I don't think they refused her, but they didn't agree either. They just occasionally talk with Ursula."
Tsukishiro Sayo answered uncertainly. She hadn't paid much attention to what Ursula and the others were up to. She had only come to the human world to escape boredom, not to drink human blood.
Since she transferred here, she spent most of her time in the library.
Because she wasn't allowed to bring manga or light novels to school, and to avoid trouble from the disciplinary committee, she spent all her free time reading in the library.
She even got familiar with the few student librarians who took turns managing the place every day.
"I see…", Hachiman nodded thoughtfully after hearing her explanation.
He had thought Ursula had been stalling because she was gathering more succubi to fight him.
But now it seemed Ursula must have noticed something after seeing the Amaki sisters' reactions, realizing what happens when succubi get too close to him.
What a pity. He thought Ursula would bring the Amaki triplets along to "send themselves to their doom."
Maybe he should call Ursula back.
'Nah, let her jump around a little longer and see what tricks she tries next.'
With his strength growing sharper day by day, she had no chance of winning anyway. No matter how many powerful allies she gathered, they'd all end up as his defeated conquests in bed.
"So, have you decided yet? Can you form a Blood Contract with me? I promise I'll behave! You can tell me any wish you have, and I'll do everything I can to make it come true!", Seeing that Hachiman still hadn't given her an answer after questioning her, Tsukishiro Sayo grew anxious, quickly assuring him over and over that she would be a good lover.
"I'm not rejecting you. I'm just thinking about how to handle things once you become my girlfriend," Hachiman slipped an arm around Tsukishiro Sayo's soft, slender waist, pulling the girl, who was already leaning against him, even closer.
"For now, don't tell Ursula that you've become my girlfriend. But you can mention that you feel a strong urge to drink my blood."
"When Ursula comes to find me again, have her bring you along."
"I get it, I get it! I'll act as a spy by her side, and when she plans to cause trouble for you, I'll secretly tell you her plans, right? A romance between a demon and a human, where the demon girl goes undercover for love, this is just like something out of a novel!"
Hearing his instructions, Tsukishiro Sayo nodded excitedly, her silver-white hair swaying along her shoulders.
She'd read this kind of plot before in novels.
She never thought she'd actually get to experience it in real life.
"Uh... something like that, I guess. Though I don't think that's exactly a rare plotline."
Hachiman looked down at the excited vampire girl in his arms and couldn't help sighing at her innocence.
Had she been completely brainwashed by human romance novels?
Well, maybe not entirely. Ursula and Sayo weren't close, they were just in the same demi-human class. Ursula probably thought Sayo could also draw on his immense life force, nothing more.
But Ursula definitely wouldn't expect that he'd already won Sayo over, and now, Sayo was his spy.
"Hehehe! That means we're officially a couple now! From now on, drinking Hikigaya-kun's blood won't count as breaking the rules anymore."
Sayo hugged Hikigaya and kissed his face several times, her cheeks glowing with excitement.
"Oh right, Hikigaya-kun, should we go have lunch together now?"
Though she was already full, the rich life force still warming her body pleasantly, she still wanted to experience the feeling of having a meal together with her lover, something she'd never done before.
"It's about lunchtime, yeah. But I can't eat with you alone, I need to go to the Service Club room in the Special Building. There's a request for us this afternoon."
Hachiman shook his head, a little regretful.
Having a meal alone with Sayo wasn't a big deal, but earlier, he'd asked Teacher Hanamori Kotomi to visit the Service Club and give Yukinoshita Yukino a request.
Now that it was noon, it was time to see how Yukinoshita handled it.
At first, he had been planning to deal with Raphiel's mischief instead, but considering how little Raphiel followed the rules... maybe he should wait and bring Gabriel and Vignette along to handle her together later. Otherwise, who knew what kind of trick Raphiel would pull again.
Hmm… If possible, he should also invite some of Raphiel's "victims," like Setsuna Ogiso and the others, to watch the mischievous angel get punished.
"No problem! I often hang out with Iris and the others in class, but we've never had lunch together. We can go together next time~"
Tsukishiro Sayo didn't mind.
There would always be another time to go on a date; no need to rush.
"But before we go, can I introduce you to my good friends from the library?"
"Friends from the library? You mean the student librarians over there?"
Hikigaya pointed toward the two black-haired girls behind the check-in desk.
The school library was managed by the Library Committee, which consisted of student librarians from various classes.
If they were good friends with Sayo, who practically lived there, they were probably committee members too.
"Yeah! They all love reading. Even though they don't read the same books I do, when I lend them some novels, they talk about the story with me afterwards."
Sayo nodded eagerly, like a child sharing a secret, and pulled Hikigaya toward the counter to make introductions with shining eyes.
"Hikigaya-kun, this is Fumika Sagisawa and Yukiha Serizawa. They're my best friends since I came to the human world!"
"Fumika, Yukiha, this is my lover, Hikigaya-kun!"
"Eh? Lover?"
Fumika Sagisawa, who had just come back with bread and milk to have lunch with Yukiha Serizawa, froze for a moment when she saw Sayo running over with excitement.
Then, noticing that Sayo was holding hands with an unfamiliar boy, she instinctively shrank back behind Yukiha and lowered her head, avoiding eye contact.
"Sayo, you know the school doesn't allow inappropriate relationships between male and female students, right?", Yukiha Serizawa looked around nervously, lowering her voice when she saw no one paying attention to them.
It wasn't forbidden to have boyfriends or girlfriends, strictly speaking, only "inappropriate" relationships were prohibited, but the Disciplinary Committee was strict.
Even childhood friends who were dating kept things low-key at school to avoid being misunderstood.
"Uh, right, we're not lovers yet, we're just good friends for now."
Sayo immediately corrected herself when she felt Hikigaya's subtle squeeze on her hand.
"Of course, even if we were lovers, it should be fine. I'm a vampire, human school rules probably only apply to humans."
"Uh... well, just be careful. Hikigaya-kun, you're the Service Club president that the Disciplinary Committee keeps an eye on, right? Don't get caught."
Yukiha Serizawa blushed as she noticed Hikigaya lightly touching Sayo's hand even in front of them. Still, thinking of her friend's sake, she whispered a warning to both of them.
"Thanks for the warning, Serizawa-san. By the way... do you know someone named Serizawa Asahi?"
Hachiman looked at the warm-smiling, full-figured Yukiha Serizawa and the shy black-haired girl beside her whose bangs hid her eyes, and suddenly asked.
"Hmm? You know Asahi? She's my cousin. Did something happen between you two?"
Yukiha looked at him doubtfully, a hint of worry in her eyes.
Had her cousin offended him somehow?
She knew all too well how peculiar Asahi could be, adorable and innocent-looking, but mischievous and unpredictable, often doing strange things without caring what others thought. Honestly, kind of airheaded.
"No, nothing like that. Don't worry, Serizawa-san. I just know of your cousin, she probably doesn't even know me."
Hikigaya smiled and shook his head.
"Serizawa" wasn't a common surname, and he hadn't encountered many people with it.
Still, seeing Sagisawa Fumika and Serizawa Yukiha together reminded him of Serizawa Asahi.
In his memory, Sagisawa Fumika and Serizawa Asahi were idols from The Idolmaster franchise, not in the same group or even the same subseries, but part of the same world.
That meant if Fumika existed here, maybe the other Idolmaster characters did too, including Serizawa Asahi.
Like the stoic, black-stockinged beauty Madoka Higuchi, or the cool long-haired Shibuya Rin, or the tsundere twin-tailed Yuki Himekawa.
Hmm... maybe he should discuss the idol agency business with Princess Mermaid Meroune later.
He wasn't particularly interested in ordinary idols, but the Idolmaster girls were a different story.
"I see... Then, Hikigaya-kun, if you don't mind, you can just call me Yukiha like Sayo does. Otherwise, if you're ever with me and Asahi at the same time, you won't know who to call."
Relieved, Yukiha Serizawa smiled warmly again.
"Sure thing, Yukiha-san. Sayo and I are heading to lunch now, bye! You too, Fumika-san."
"See you later, Yukiha, Fumika~ I'm going to lunch with Hikigaya-kun~"
Hikigaya smiled and waved, then left with the cheerful Tsukishiro Sayo.
So the library had someone like Fumika Sagisawa working as a librarian, and someone like Yukiha Serizawa too. Maybe there were even more beautiful girls he hadn't noticed yet. Perhaps he should start visiting the library more often.
He wondered if the Library Committee counted as an official club. If club divisions had training bonuses, maybe spending time there could count as practice too.
"Didn't think Sayo, who's always hiding in the library reading novels, would get herself a boyfriend first. Too bad we can't just ignore the Disciplinary Committee like she can. Otherwise, I'd like to try dating too," Yukiha Serizawa sighed, watching Sayo hop along happily beside Hikigaya, hand in hand.
Sayo could date freely as a demi-human; the Committee wouldn't dare intervene.
But if an ordinary human student held hands with her boyfriend on campus, she'd probably get a warning.
"Mm…"
Fumika Sagisawa, unused to eye contact, had lowered her head when Hikigaya greeted her earlier.
But once he was gone, she lifted her face slightly, her clear, shining eyes visible under her bangs, and quietly watched his back.
'That boy… He didn't seem so scary after all.'
She just wasn't used to responding... she should've said something back.
———
[Service Club Activity Room]
Unlike the usual quiet lunch break, today the Service Club received a new in-person request.
However, this particular request completely caught Vice President Yukinoshita Yukino off guard.
"Hanamori-sensei... you're saying Hikigaya, the president, told you to come to me with this request?"
Sitting behind her desk by the window, Yukinoshita Yukino looked across at the young female teacher, long crimson hair tied into a high ponytail, face cute and obedient-looking, body tall and voluptuous, Hanamori Kotomi.
Her lips tightened slightly as she confirmed again with a cold expression.
Just over the weekend, she'd already been through the band performance, aquarium trip, and mermaid concert.
She thought Hachiman would finally take a break after completing Iijichi's request, but no, now he'd even sent a teacher to her with another "request."
And it was one made in her name, too, claiming that if a teacher at school had trouble, they could come to her for help.
Hachiman hadn't told her any of this.
Yukinoshita's eyes scanned the others in the room.
Hayase Saki, Narahashi Miki, and Sakurase Shino were quietly eating their lunches in a corner.
Yuigahama Yui smiled awkwardly at Yukino, then ducked her head too, pretending to eat.
None of the demi-human members were here today.
Ichinose Ayano rarely came, and Gotoh Hitori had been dragged off by Nijika Ijichi to help the band's vocalist Kita Ikuyo. So only a few of them were present in the clubroom.
Among this group of shy, quiet, or cold girls, all poor at small talk, Yuigahama Yui felt her "air-reading" skills were completely useless.
She could read the atmosphere, sure... but that didn't mean she could read minds.
"Mm. Hikigaya-kun said you could handle this matter, and that I should come to you during lunch or after school."