Yesterday, Hachiman let them go watch the concert of the mermaid songstresses together with the Elf Princess, and he didn't even have to show up himself to accompany her.
Even another Elf Princess, one younger but with a much better figure, spoke of Hachiman with such admiration that she couldn't help but suspect that the Elf Princess had fallen for him, which was why she treated him so well.
As for which Elf Princess it was who liked Hachiman, she couldn't tell at all.
Iris, Lumilia, both seemed to like Hachiman quite a lot. Leticia, Melaise, and several other elves were the same. Even that stern and serious knight who served as Iris's personal guard would show a faint, hard-to-hide shyness whenever she mentioned Hachiman.
It was hard to imagine just how Hachiman managed to get along so well with so many elves.
"Mm... I'll keep that in mind."
Yukinoshita Yukino didn't reject it as she usually would. She answered softly, then slowly hung up the phone.
If it were before, she would've refused her sister's request without hesitation, she didn't want to approach Hachiman with any ulterior motive.
She could handle Service Club requests on her own. Even using her after-school rest time to help wasn't a problem. But she would never let school matters get tangled up with her family.
Yet now, both her mother and her sister were thinking about building connections with the Elf Princess and Hachiman. And over the weekend, she had seen for herself that Hachiman really was capable, he could even help Sister Touka counsel little Sister Sakura.
So even though she felt uncomfortable seeing Sister Touka and the others all circling around Hachiman, there was no way she could go against him now.
Even though she still didn't understand what Hachiman meant by asking her to handle Teacher Hanamori Kotomi's request.
Was she overthinking it? Maybe Hachiman was just too busy lately and didn't have time to come to the Service Club himself?
After hanging up the phone, Yukinoshita Yukino didn't go back right away. Her brows were still tightly furrowed as she kept wondering where Hachiman had gone.
"Yukino, what are you doing here?"
"My sister isn't here right now, so calling me 'Yukinoshita' won't confuse me with her," Hearing that familiar voice of Hachiman from behind, Yukinoshita Yukino came back to her senses and turned around expressionlessly.
But the moment she turned and saw the silver-haired girl holding onto Hachiman's arm, she froze in place.
"Hello! I'm, uh... Hikigaya-kun's friend, his really good friend, Tsukishiro Sayo. You can just call me Sayo!", Tsukishiro Sayo held onto Hachiman's arm tightly, smiling cheerfully as she watched the stunned Yukinoshita Yukino take the initiative to greet them, though she tripped up a little when introducing herself.
She wasn't good at lying. Usually, she just said whatever was on her mind. But since Hikigaya wanted to hide the fact that she was already his girlfriend, so she could act as his undercover agent when Ursula came looking for her, she had to play along.
Fortunately, Ursula had already gone to gather people. She'd probably be back soon with reinforcements to go after Hikigaya. When that happened, she could "betray" them and help Hikigaya take down Ursula in one move.
The fact that something straight out of a novel like this was happening in real life, and to her, made her feel thrilled just thinking about it.
"Hello, I'm Yukinoshita Yukino, currently still the vice president of the Service Club."
Yukinoshita's gaze fell on where Tsukishiro Sayo's arms were wrapped tightly around Hachiman's. Seeing the intimate closeness between them, she went quiet for a moment, then nodded expressionlessly.
'This guy... actually picked up another demi-human? And she seems to be a vampire, too.'
As the Service Club's vice president, who had long since memorized every class roster and knew every student in the school, Yukinoshita naturally knew who the silver-haired girl in front of her was.
The vampire girl named Tsukishiro Sayo wasn't a princess of the vampire race, nor as popular as the mermaid songstresses. But that was only because she didn't often appear in public.
Vampires were as well-known and widespread as elves and succubi. If Tsukishiro Sayo revealed her identity, her popularity would skyrocket, and she'd be adored by countless fans.
Yukinoshita had thought that Tsukishiro Sayo, who spent all her time in the library, had no connection whatsoever with Hachiman. Who would've thought that she'd end up getting involved with him so suddenly?
She truly couldn't understand it, why was making friends with demi-humans as easy as breathing for Hachiman?
"Didn't Sakura call you her sister? And since she calls me 'Father,' I haven't made you call me 'Uncle,' have I? So what's wrong with calling you Yukino?"
Once Tsukishiro Sayo finished greeting her, Hachiman continued his earlier teasing of Yukinoshita Yukino.
"If you're not calling me 'Uncle,' then remember to call me 'President.'"
"President, you're being too much," Yukinoshita glared at the smug Hikigaya, her face cold as she reluctantly forced out the title that made her so annoyed.
No matter what, there was no way she'd ever call this guy "Uncle." Even if she had to call him "President" every day for the rest of her life, she would never call him "Uncle."
Hikigaya himself felt a little regretful, though. The Ichinose family had so many side branches spread across both the inner and outer worlds, yet the Yukinoshita family seemed to only have Yukinoshita Haruno and Yukinoshita Yukino.
If only there were a Yukinoshita Sakura who called him "Father," he could have been a generation above Yukino and used seniority alone to suppress her completely.
"Alright, enough teasing. Has Hanamori-sensei arrived yet? Any leads on how to handle her case?", Hikigaya stopped while he was ahead, turning the conversation toward Hanamori Kotomi.
He didn't remember the original story's details too clearly, just that Hanamori Kotomi's stockings were particularly amazing.
In the original, the convenience store incident involved a student council president getting into trouble, and the school made a delinquent take the fall to protect its image. But now, the president was Kaede, and Kaede would never mess up. Even if she did, she'd come to him for help.
Since this incident had nothing to do with Kaede, that meant Hanamori Kotomi's convenience store issue must have been caused by something else, something that again led to a delinquent being scapegoated.
So, he figured he'd have Hanamori Kotomi come to Yukinoshita for help, and then Yukinoshita could take the request and have her family pull some strings.
If that worked, he'd reap the rewards effortlessly and gain the Yukinoshita family's support.
If it didn't, he could take over and help Hanamori personally, either way, he wouldn't lose.
"She came. I've heard the situation and just finished calling my sister. Handling this matter by myself will be difficult," Yukinoshita, ignoring Hikigaya's deliberate teasing, spoke curtly, then turned and walked past him back into the Service Club's clubroom.
But as soon as she stepped in, Yukinoshita was surprised to find that two people were missing.
"Where's Hanamori-sensei? And Hayase?"
She frowned, scanning the room where only Narahashi Miki, Sakurase Shino, and Yuigahama Yui were still seated.
She had only gone out briefly to make a phone call. How had the client, Hanamori-sensei, disappeared? And Hayase Saki was gone too?
"Hanamori-sensei seemed to have something urgent. She got a call and suddenly left. Saki went with her to help."
Seeing Yukinoshita cross her arms and demand to know her best friend's whereabouts with that intimidating aura of hers, Narahashi Miki shrank back nervously and explained in a small voice.
"Saki too? What could she possibly help with?"
Yukinoshita's gaze swept over the desk Hayase Saki had been using, her lunchbox and chopsticks were still sitting there, not even cleaned up.
Where did Hayase Saki and Hanamori Kotomi go?
It made sense that Hanamori would leave if something urgent came up. The request could wait, and they could talk again later.
But Saki going along to "help"? Yukinoshita found that deeply suspicious.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Hayase Saki, it was just that Hayase's personality made her unsuited for doing things she wasn't good at.
Aside from swimming, what else was Hayase Saki good at? What could Hanamori-sensei possibly need her help for?
"Um… um…", Narahashi Miki's eyes darted about in panic. Introverted and socially anxious as she was, she couldn't handle Yukinoshita's intense questioning. She quickly turned her gaze toward Hachiman, who had just entered holding Tsukishiro Sayo's hand.
"President, you're here? Saki went to help Hanamori-sensei. Would you like to sit next to me and eat together?", She hurriedly pulled out the chair that Saki had just vacated and invited him to sit.
"Sure. Miki, Shino, share a bit of your lunch with me. Let's eat together," Hikigaya, without hesitation, led Tsukishiro Sayo around Yukinoshita and sat beside Narahashi Miki, taking the seat Saki had just occupied.
The Service Club had received a lot of funding lately, especially with the addition of the elf princess Iris and her companions. The clubroom had been transformed into a cozy and well-equipped space, with bookshelves, teaware, utensils, and even a long dining table covered in a tablecloth.
It was completely different from how it had started, with just a few old desks and chairs.
Still, it couldn't quite compare to the student council office's soft sofas, the infirmary's comfortable beds, or even the gym's exercise mats.
But Yukinoshita Yukino, sitting alone by the window, aloof and untouchable, was like an elegant flower on a high peak.
The club could do without anything else, but not without Yukinoshita Yukino. Only with her was it truly the Service Club.
"Ugh…", Yuigahama Yui, Yukinoshita's only ally, looked at Hikigaya sitting between Narahashi Miki and Tsukishiro Sayo, then at Yukinoshita walking back to her seat. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, and then stayed silent.
"What's wrong? Our dear President is quite busy, you know. You should sit down and eat while we talk," After sitting down, Yukinoshita noticed Yuigahama still standing there. As she unpacked her lunch, she glanced at Hikigaya, who was comfortably leaning back, being fed by Narahashi Miki and Tsukishiro Sayo on either side of him.
Listening to the request had delayed her, and the phone call had taken even more time.
If Hanamori-sensei hadn't left suddenly, she probably wouldn't even have had time for lunch.
"N-no… nothing…", Still unaware that Hanamori and Hayase hadn't actually left, Yuigahama blushed and shook her head, pulling a table beside Yukinoshita's and sitting down.
Even though she couldn't see Hanamori or Hayase, Yukinoshita's side still held the upper hand. There was no way she could reveal the Service Club's secret to little Yuki.
As Yuigahama picked up her chopsticks, her gaze darted between Hikigaya, surrounded by Miki, Sayo, and Shino, and the others' faces.
She noticed that aside from Tsukishiro Sayo's brief surprise and excitement, no one else seemed nervous. Hikigaya himself looked completely calm, eating Hayase Saki's lunch like nothing unusual was happening.
Yuigahama's eyes flickered toward the edge of the long tablecloth hanging in front of Hikigaya's desk, gently swaying on the floor.
Her burning gaze felt as though it could pierce through that thin fabric, through to the flicker of crimson hair swaying beneath.
It was just a tablecloth, right? How could two people possibly fit under there?
Or maybe, it wasn't what she thought? Maybe they were just playing a joke on her.
If she were to lift that thin cloth... Yuigahama jerked her head, forcing the thought away. She couldn't let her imagination go there.
Absolutely not. If she really did lift it and saw something bad, she'd never be able to face Hanamori-sensei's sweet, innocent smile again.
———
[Inner Service Club]
A world separated from the surface one by just a thin tablecloth.
"Mmph…"
Hanamori Kotomi, sitting duck-style on the floor with her long, slender legs wrapped in coffee-colored stockings and short brown lace-up boots pressed flat against the floor, covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide and trembling as she stared at Hayase Saki beside her.
After Hikigaya had sat down, Saki had opened the lunchbox with practiced ease, picked up her chopsticks, and silently mouthed for Hanamori to come eat with her.
But Hanamori couldn't accept this situation at all. Seeing Saki try to pull her closer, she shook her head frantically in refusal.
Still, she couldn't help staring at Saki, watching as she and the others above clasped their hands together and started eating.
So this was what it was?
Were Hayase and Hikigaya really that kind of relationship?
Then all those things Saki had said earlier, had they been lies to trick her into doing something like this?
At first, Hanamori had thought Saki's "anger-dispelling magic" sounded ridiculous, probably fake.
Saki had claimed that if Hanamori wanted to save the delinquent in her request, it would be easy to make Hikigaya angry. So she had to use the "Shadow Kneel Strategy" to get rid of his displeasure in advance.
This "give the reward before the job" method was outrageous.
But seeing what was happening right now… Hanamori started to waver.
Thanks to the tablecloth, Yukinoshita outside couldn't see them, unaware that she and Saki hadn't actually left.
But what about Sakurase? What about Narahashi?
How could they just sit there calmly, pretending nothing was happening, quietly eating their meals, while Narahashi, who sat next to Hikigaya, even leaned against him to feed him bites, her foot nearly touching Hanamori herself?
And when Tsukishiro had come in, she'd looked down, spotted them, and after a brief shock, just smiled excitedly and hugged Hikigaya's arm tighter, like she wanted to crawl under too.
Above the table, Narahashi Miki, too tall to fit under there, looked down with some regret at Hanamori, who was still covering her mouth in stunned silence.
Saki was being way too hasty, hearing Hikigaya's voice outside and immediately dragging Hanamori under the table to "cast the spell" together.
This "anger-dispelling magic" wasn't something you could just do on impulse! Didn't Saki realize what Hanamori's personality was like?
Hanamori was kind and gentle, yes. But not like them, not withdrawn or socially anxious. Even if she wanted to save that delinquent, she wouldn't do something like this on the spot. Saki really didn't have the persuasive skills for this.
Still, Miki understood Saki's impatience. Hikigaya didn't come to the Service Club often these days, who knew when he'd show up again?
If something happened in the meantime and Hanamori went to him alone, they wouldn't get any credit.
If they could pull Hanamori into their "mutual aid group," maybe she could even find socially anxious girls in the art club for them, so Hikigaya could "guide" them too, and they could earn more rewards.
The Service Club's members had grown fast. Iris now had her sisters and even four other elves joining, leaving less time for them.
Ichinose Ayano always looked down on them, being in Hikigaya's class and best friends with Ichinose Honami.
Goto Hitori had formed a band with Hikigaya's classmate Ijichi Nijika, full of cute girls.
Sakurase Shino had even moved next door to Hikigaya and could visit him anytime.
Without realizing it, only she and Saki hadn't progressed at all among the active members.
Sure, they had great physical ability, stars in swimming and volleyball, but those skills were only useful in sports clubs, not where Hikigaya would normally go.
Unless she, too, could invite him to the volleyball club as a temporary manager or coach, or expand their "mutual aid group" further.
Miki understood now: without something to make them stand out, timid girls like them needed many allies to raise their status in the club and make Hikigaya seek them out more often.
Of course, any new members had to be like them, shy, meek, and not competitive.
Someone like Hanamori Kotomi was perfect, kind, gentle, a little slow, and not too clever. Otherwise, their "mutual aid group" would lose its meaning.
Thinking that, Miki felt reassured seeing Saki successfully pull Hanamori under the table.
She didn't need to face Hanamori herself, just keep chatting with the president.
"President, about Hanamori-sensei's request, how are we handling it? Will the vice president take charge, or will you?"
Miki lifted a piece of grilled meat from her lunchbox and held it to Hikigaya's lips, her other hand poised subtly under the table, as she asked softly.
"Hanamori-sensei, huh… I was planning to have Yukino handle it first. If she can't solve it, then I'll step in."
Hikigaya, gently running his fingers through Saki's black hair as it fell across her shoulders, swallowed Miki's offering, then nodded toward Tsukishiro Sayo to start eating on her own before glancing at Yukinoshita by the window.
"I heard the student in question, Sakashita, has a bad reputation. I'm still debating whether to help. A suspension doesn't mean much to a delinquent who doesn't care about school anyway. Even if we help, he might not appreciate it."
Sakashita Yoshiyuki was innocent this time, but his usual behavior, and the thugs he'd beaten up before, weren't much different.