Could it be that Hachiman was busy preparing for exams and had no time to come train?
He usually skips class every day, and now suddenly he's working hard?
Yukinoshita Yukino did not know whether Hachiman really did not take her seriously, or if he had decided to give up and hand over the position of Service Club president.
Hachiman was often absent from the Service Club, never seen during lunch break, and after school he went to other clubs.
You could say that Hachiman spent more time in other clubs than in the Service Club.
"Vice president Yukino, it's club time now, so call me President."
"..."
Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly felt her shoulder get tapped, and behind her a familiar, annoying voice sounded.
She did not need to turn around to know whose voice it was.
"Vice president Yukino, you were staring at the tennis club members I was in charge of just now. Why are you silent after I showed up?"
Hachiman walked up beside Yukinoshita Yukino, looking at the cold-faced, long-straight-haired profile, and smiled.
From hugging Amaki Lily, to messaging the little landlady and Gabriel and Vignette, he had been invisible sitting on the bench behind Yukinoshita Yukino.
In short, he had seen her sneak glances at him over there.
"Did you just come from the girls' competitive swimming club? Is their request not finished yet?", Yukinoshita Yukino did not answer Hachiman's teasing question and instead stared at the faint water stains on his school uniform.
She suddenly remembered the girls' competitive swimming club's request. Since Hachiman had not mentioned it, she thought it was already handled.
After all, with girls like Sakurase Shino and the others, Hachiman usually sorted them out in a day or two. Only a few needed help to relieve pressure; logically it shouldn't take that long.
"The girls' competitive swimming club request is sorted, but I still have to check in every day so they don't build up too much pressure again."
Hachiman looked down at the marks Amaki Lily left before she left, nonchalantly looked up to answer Yukinoshita Yukino while using cleaning magic to tidy up, and smiled as he asked her back.
"Is it bad that I'm busy with the swimming club's request? Or, Vice president Yukino, are you worried I'll lose to you?"
"Heh! I'm just worried you'll cheat if you lose."
Yukinoshita Yukino saw Hachiman in a teasing mood and tugged at the corner of her mouth, keeping a cold expression.
Running two club requests at the same time doubles the time and energy needed, and she didn't want Hachiman to make excuses and not fulfill the bet if he lost.
"You should think about yourself. If you don't prepare a maid outfit in advance, and after you lose you don't like the maid outfit I prepared, you'll still have to wear it."
Hachiman smiled and looked at Yukinoshita Yukino with a meaningful grin.
"Of course, Vice president Yukino, if you feel shy, I can make the maid outfit the Service Club uniform so everyone wears it with you in the future..."
Although he had already planned to make Mafuyu Kirisu wear a maid outfit, making Yukino wear it wasn't impossible either.
Putting on a maid outfit supposedly grants automatic maid skills, many of which could teach Yukino how to be a maid.
"I will not lose!"
Yukinoshita Yukino clenched her fist and glared coldly at Hachiman.
Although wearing a maid outfit alone is embarrassing, even if she only agreed to wear it in the Service Club, with only Hachiman seeing, it was the same.
If Hachiman said the maid outfit would be the club activity uniform, Gotou Hitori, Hayase Saki, Sakurase Shino, Ichinose Aayno and those who let Hachiman toy with them without complaint would probably all agree.
If everyone wore it, she wouldn't be as embarrassed.
But agreeing to Hachiman's suggestion would mean conceding to him.
No matter what, she absolutely would not bow to Hachiman.
"By the way, tonight Touka sister will bring Sakura and Rin to my house for dinner. After club activities, will you come home with me or come over later with your sister?", Hachiman looked at the fired-up Yukinoshita Yukino with satisfaction, then suddenly asked.
"....", Yukino's expression stiffened at his words.
'Going to Hachiman's house for dinner tonight?"
When was that decided? Her sister didn't tell her.
———
Tonight's dinner invited Komachi's classmates; Yukinoshita Haruno would also accompany her close friend Tohsaka Touka to come.
As Yukino was Touka's and Haruno's sister, and also vice president of the Service Club and his capable assistant, she should logically go too.
But judging by Yukino's expression, she didn't know about this.
"Did Haruno-nee forget to tell you about dinner tonight? Then come back with me after practice."
Hachiman looked at Yukino with some sympathy.
The Yukinoshita family had not given up contact with the elf princess. The reason they didn't invite Yukino to dinner at his house might be because they didn't count on her.
Of course, it could also be that Haruno wanted to protect Yukino.
Hachiman didn't hide his close relationships with many girls at school. With invisibility magic and the love-life mode, he hadn't done anything openly inappropriate for others to see.
But Haruno surely knew the situation. Even without asking Hiratsuka Shizuka, at the celebration after the band performance he hadn't hidden his closeness with Bocchi-chan and Nijika, to the point that the sister-complex Ijichi Seika was wary of him.
"I'll contact my sister first. If I need to go, I'll go by myself. No need to trouble you."
Yukino looked at the smile on Hachiman's face and said with a dark look.
If her sister wanted her to come, she would have told her earlier.
It was already after school and her sister hadn't contacted her; most likely her sister went to Hachiman's house behind her back.
Why hide it from her?
Thinking that Touka might sacrifice herself for the family, fulfill an engagement and marry someone she didn't like, and that the Rurikawa family had once been threatened before their elf-princess backing, nearly being forced to become someone else's maid, Yukino couldn't help imagining the worst.
If her sister really planned that... she had to stop her.
"Are you sure you'll come for dinner? Then I'll give you a... treatment your sister doesn't have."
Hachiman, seeing Yukino might come over, thought for a moment and suddenly added her name to the Secret Club member list.
"Huh? Secret Club?"
Yukino froze when she heard Hachiman's odd words, about to ask what he meant.
She suddenly had a strange thought: it seemed that if she wanted, she could leave and go to a place called the Secret Club.
"The Secret Club is actually the apartment next to my place. Dinner tonight should be there. If you don't want to come back with me, after club practice you can use the Secret Club access to go there directly. Haruno-nee and the others probably won't be faster than you."
Hachiman smiled and explained to the surprised Yukino.
Although Yukino didn't have a deep relationship with him, as vice president of the Service Club she should have some privileges.
After all, when he wasn't at the Service Club, Yukino was the one managing it. She had put in effort even without credit.
The apartment where the Secret Club is located was originally intended as an off-campus activity spot for the Service Club. Most members would go to the Secret Club to hang out, so Yukino's presence there wouldn't be odd.
"You can leave and return anytime, is this magic?"
Yukino felt this so-called Secret Club permission and found the information sparse.
This permission was just a key to the Secret Club, activating the key let you go to the Secret Club anytime, and you could return to your original place afterward.
A point-to-point teleportation magic that needed no learning or talent?
Although it was only for the Secret Club, Hachiman could let her master it immediately, how did he do that?
"You can think of it as magic, but it's just a small convenience spell for gatherings."
Hachiman nodded and smiled. The magic explanation was too handy. With another world and the elf princess backing him, any unreasonable thing could be labeled as magic.
"What exactly is this Secret Club for? You say my sister doesn't have this privilege? Why give it to me then?", Yukino stared at Hachiman, eyes full of doubt.
Although she didn't know how many girls he'd secretly gotten close to or how many girls stood with him, she wasn't stupid. In the Service Club she could clearly feel the small group's exclusion led by Hayase Saki, Sakurase Shino, and Ichinose Aayno against her.
She didn't care, but she wasn't unaware.
Now this obviously private club granting her instant access?
"You can treat the Secret Club as an off-campus version of the Service Club. You're my vice president, so having this permission is normal."
Hachiman didn't go into detail and reminded Yukino with a smile that the Secret Club was currently just a madam club and the requests it received were mostly madams' troubles.
"When you're at school you manage the Service Club. Off-campus, you can stay in the Secret Club and help receive its members."
"Don't worry. The Secret Club members are all women, and aside from Service Club members, they need internal member recommendation to get in."
"Of course, since you're going to wear a maid outfit later, you can make all Secret Club members wear maid outfits too, so new members won't embarrass you."
"Impossible. Give up! Even if I lose, I will only wear the maid outfit in the club activity room!"
Yukino immediately refused when Hachiman suggested she do unpaid reception at the Secret Club.
She had only agreed to wear a maid outfit in the Service Club activity room if she lost. Now Hachiman wanted to expand the bet? No way!
A Secret Club based in some apartment didn't sound legitimate. Him wanting her to be reception? If she agreed, she'd be foolish. Unless it was a special case today, she would never use that teleport permission to go to the Secret Club. If acquaintances saw her doing reception at a private club, her mother would be furious.
"If you won't, fine. I'll go train my tennis club members. Later you can use the permission to go."
Seeing Yukino so uncooperative, Hachiman could only look regretful, shake his head, smile, and turn to find Sairenji Haruna and Kitamura Chika.
Although the Secret Club hadn't opened yet, in the future various madams, heiresses, and strong businesswomen would come there with requests. If Yukino became the person in charge, she could, before graduation, build connections and gain influence in the Yukinoshita household.
But the Yukinoshita family wasn't like the Ichinose family. Since Yukino had no such intention, it was fine.
He wouldn't always be at the Secret Club; it needed someone to manage it.
Choosing that manager wasn't urgent. He hadn't even met Minami Hiyoko and that batch of madams yet, so a permanent manager wasn't necessary for now.
When Hachiman left, Yukino took out her phone, looked at her sister's name in the contacts, hesitated, but did not call.
She'd go at dinner time and see what her sister thought.
For now, she would focus on winning this bet. She wouldn't take part in the off-campus Secret Club, but she would not give up being Service Club president.
Yukino gathered her spirit again, watching Saeki Ai and Sugiyama Mio's slender forms, thinking how to quickly improve their abilities.
———
"Finally here! Hachiman-kun, I missed you!"
"Hikigaya-kun, what did you just say to Yukinoshita? She didn't look very happy."
As soon as Hachiman arrived at the neighboring tennis court, Kitamura Chika, who had been waiting so eagerly, excitedly leapt onto him. Golden-curled gal Momioka Risa eagerly grabbed him and whispered.
They had been waiting for Hachiman to train them. Seeing him go chat with Yukino instead of coming over made Risa feel pressured.
In looks alone, Haruna was not much worse than Yukino, and in figure Haruna had a notable advantage.
But in terms of family background, Haruna couldn't compare to Yukino, and many in the gyaru group couldn't compare to Yukino at all.
"Risa... what you're doing will bother Hikigaya-kun..."
Sairenji Haruna blushed and tugged at Risa's sleeve, whispering shyly when she saw her friend stick close and press her chest against Hachiman's arm.
"Haruna, why do you mention me but not Chika-senpai?"
Risa pouted at Haruna's overly innocent behavior and nudged Kitamura Chika, who also had Hachiman's arm around her.
Risa only lightly leaned against his arm, while Kitamura Chika hugged his arm tightly as if she wanted his hand inside her clothes.
By intimacy, Kitamura Chika was definitely more excessive, yet Haruna only scolded Risa and not Chika.
"Um...", Haruna looked at Kitamura Chika practically hanging on Hachiman, cheeks flushed, lips trembling, too shy to speak.
That said, Chika was a second-year senpai, and Haruna wasn't so close to her, so she felt embarrassed to say anything.
"Don't worry. I won't fight you for Hikigaya-kun. I just need him to help me relieve some pressure."
Seeing Haruna's small jealousy over her and Risa's closeness, Kitamura Chika immediately grinned and reassured her.
[T/N: I have started doing another fanfic— "Frieren: A Journey of the Demon King". It is a quite relaxing and humorous read, give it a go. Have a great read~]