If she denied the seat-snatching thing, wouldn't that mean she was trying to steal someone.
Compared to just grabbing a seat first, which everyone would get a turn at later anyway, trying to steal a good friend's man was obviously much more serious.
Although she didn't understand why Karuizawa Kei said that, it was still barely acceptable. Even if it didn't really have any effect, the others wouldn't say anything.
That was how Sato Maya thought about it. Anyway, Hachiman's lectures were so effective last time that even if the effect was a bit worse this time, it would still be more than enough to raise their grades a lot.
During today's exam, she had already noticed that many questions she couldn't do before were now solved easily. When she checked the answers afterward, they were all correct.
It was just that there were some questions Hachiman hadn't covered, and for those she was completely at a loss.
However, Sato Maya's thoughts only lasted until everyone took out their books and asked Hachiman to explain the problem-solving ideas to them.
The actual situation of the lecture was completely different from what she had imagined.
"What's wrong, Maya-san? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
Sitting on the bed, Hachiman stopped what he was doing and lowered his head to look at Sato Maya in his arms, whose breathing was growing increasingly rapid, her round shoulders flushed white and red.
Should he say Sato Maya had no guard against him, or that she also had some little thoughts in her heart.
She clearly knew that he would need to sit quite close to them to tutor them, yet she still dressed so lightly.
Even if Sato Maya hadn't originally planned to sit on his thigh, once he lowered his head he could see her, and with just a slight lift of his hand, he might tug at the thin straps of her nightdress, revealing that patch of smooth white beneath her delicate collarbone.
"N-no, it's not that... I just think it's time for someone else's turn... Chiaki, you go first..."
Sato Maya's pretty face was covered in a red blush. Her already reddened earlobes felt Hachiman's breath as he spoke. She couldn't help but rub her thighs together twice, then hurriedly braced herself with her hands, forcing strength into her inexplicably softened, fair, slender legs, and quickly climbed out of Hachiman's arms.
It was just sitting in Hachiman's arms, at most letting his hands rest on her thighs. She never imagined it would result in this kind of whole-body heat and weakness, her mind spinning with a strange sensation.
Her brain was clearly absorbing new knowledge nonstop, yet her body felt like it was overheating from overload, making her whole self feel wrong.
Could this be what Kei meant by the closer and more intimate you are with Hikigaya-kun, the better the learning effect?
Last time in the library she had just been leaning over the desk listening to the lecture, without actually touching Hikigaya-kun.
Logically speaking, actually touching Hikigaya-kun shouldn't cause such a huge change. She never imagined that contact and no contact were two completely different worlds. The pleasure of knowledge being poured into her brain multiplied several times in an instant, almost making her lose the ability to think, simply passively accepting the knowledge Hachiman transmitted to her.
Although she couldn't deny that this learning effect was indeed amazing, if she kept sitting there, she felt that she would definitely create a piece of black history she would never forget for the rest of her life, right in front of everyone.
"Chiaki..."
Mori Nene, Sakura Airi, and the others were kneeling on the floor beside the bed, all seemed a bit flushed as well. Seeing Sato Maya flee from Hachiman's arms in her cool nightdress, they all turned their gazes toward Matsushita Chiaki.
Sato Maya thought she had hidden it well, but from below, they could see everything clearly.
But this kind of thing was consensual. Even Karuizawa Kei, who had the closest relationship with Hachiman, didn't say anything, so they felt even more awkward about reminding Sato Maya.
"Sorry to trouble you tonight, Hikigaya-kun. I've eaten quite a bit recently, so I hope you won't think I'm too heavy."
Matsushita Chiaki, who had outstanding looks, saw everyone looking at her. She could only take a light breath, calm herself a little, then stand up with a slightly red face and walk to Hachiman. Under everyone's gaze, she slowly sat down with her back to him.
Unlike the others, whose grades were mediocre or even a bit poor, Matsushita Chiaki's grades were actually very good. She might not rank extremely high in Sobu High, which was full of honor students, but at least she didn't need to worry about her academic performance.
It was just that back at Advanced Nurturing High School, she hadn't shown her full ability and had deliberately hidden it a bit.
However, she didn't come to the study session just for academics.
Thanks to her relatively well-off family, her focus on Hachiman was different from Sakura Airi, Karuizawa Kei, and Sato Maya's. She paid more attention to the interpersonal relationships around Hachiman, and the forces backing him.
Many wealthy and powerful groups couldn't enter Sobu High at all. She herself had been assigned to Sobu High because Advanced Nurturing High School was dissolved, not because of her family.
If family background were the criterion, she wouldn't have qualified for Sobu High at all.
Although she had many beautiful expectations and concrete plans for her life, after meeting Hachiman, those expectations and plans all seemed insignificant.
Being able to have such close relationships with demi-humans of noble status like the elf princess, the mermaid songstress, the dragon clan leader, the oni clan shrine maiden, and so on, no matter how you looked at it, there was no way to believe Hachiman was just an ordinary person.
Hachiman... possessed a mysterious quality that no one else had.
Matsushita Chiaki, who liked a stable life yet also pursued thrills and excitement, worked hard to adjust her breathing, trying her best to calm the inexplicably growing heat in her breath. She slightly tilted her head, her smooth light-brown long hair gently brushing across Hachiman's cheek.
Her eyes stayed fixed on Hachiman as he rapidly explained things to everyone.
"?"
Most girls were lowering their heads and listening carefully, only occasionally lifting them.
But Sato Maya knew exactly what it felt like to sit in Hachiman's arms, and she also wanted to know whether it was just her problem or whether everyone who sat there would feel the same way.
She kept staring at Matsushita Chiaki, and was shocked to see that what looked like just a head turn was actually her lips lightly brushing against Hachiman's cheek. She couldn't help but glance toward Karuizawa Kei.
No way, she can even tolerate that?
'If Kei doesn't mind this, then I won't be able to hold back either!'
Unlike what Sato Maya imagined, Karuizawa Kei, who was only paying attention to everyone's reactions and not focusing much on this particular study session, was very satisfied with Matsushita Chiaki's performance.
In her small group, aside from Sakura Airi, Matsushita Chiaki was the prettiest, and her family background also seemed quite good.
After leaving Advanced Nurturing High School and losing the monthly 100,000 yen living allowance it provided, Matsushita Chiaki's life actually became more carefree.
She really didn't expect that someone like Matsushita Chiaki would take the initiative to get close to Master without her even needing to act.
Although she knew Matsushita Chiaki definitely wasn't doing this for such a simple reason, and usually showed no signs of being lovestruck, so she wouldn't just throw herself at Master right away,
it didn't matter if she had some special purpose. Later, she would just have Master put the empathy collar on Matsushita Chiaki.
She trusted Master's strength. It was an unparalleled power that even Princess Iris and the others were utterly obsessed with, something that no one could resist even if they all went at him together.
A mere Matsushita Chiaki, no matter what she was thinking, would eventually bow her head before Master.
It was just a pity that the black empathy collar and the pink empathy wristband were the same style.
She actually felt that, as Master's pets, the empathy collars should have some special marking. Otherwise, if everyone wore the same style of collar, it would be impossible to tell them apart.
Logically speaking, people should be able to tell each other's identities just by seeing the wristband on their hand or the collar on their neck.
It was just that these collars were made by the alien princess Lala. Even though Lala seemed very lively, cheerful, and easy to talk to, she had never dared to make any requests before.
Now that she had become a magical girl and also found so many prospective pets for Master, she should be able to make a small request to Princess Lala, right.
After the pre-exam cram study session ended later, she would go to the Service Club with Master.
Being held in Master's arms to study here was just child's play. The late-night activities at the Service Club, which outsiders could never understand, were the real thing that made people unable to escape, sinking into it again and again, a joy carved into the bones.
Karuizawa Kei's gaze wandered over the remaining few people, finally landing on the blue-haired, big-chested Hasebe Haruka.
First, she would let everyone get close to Master one by one, enjoy Master's special teaching, get used to the intimate distance with Master, then wait for the right moment and go all out in one big move!
———
Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
"What's going on, why is no one in the room?"
With short golden-brown hair and a full chest stretching her home sleepwear, Kushida Kikyo maintained her usual sweet, sunny smile as she stood in front of a room door in the hallway, looking at the door in confusion after pressing the doorbell for quite a while with no response.
There was still an exam tomorrow. Originally, she should have been studying hard, aiming for a good result to maintain her honor-student image in front of everyone.
Relationships among girls were very cruel. Small groups clustered together. Good grades, bad grades, pretty, not pretty, sharing a common disliked person, and so on. They could unite for all kinds of reasons, and also hate someone for all kinds of reasons.
If her grades were bad but she went around making friends everywhere, there would definitely be many girls gossiping about her behind her back.
Good grades were different. Good grades meant you could be willful.
However, those were Kushida Kikyo's past thoughts.
After tasting the flavor of power in front of Hachiman in the student council office, she felt her former self had been too naive.
Rather than thinking all day about studying hard, getting good grades, and waiting to find a good job after graduation,.it would be better to start working for Hachiman now. Using her convenient status within the school to serve Hachiman and keep him happy would definitely be more promising than becoming a corporate slave.
If she even managed to push Shion down and become Hachiman's exclusive head maid, then the more maids she recruited for him in the future, the greater the power in her hands would be, wouldn't it?
Just look at Shion. Today, after getting a nod from Hachiman, she was able to directly go handle the parents' debts of that clueless Sayo.
A loan company that dared to openly sell the bodily organs of debtors was more or less connected to yakuza organizations, or might even be a yakuza company itself.
If Hachiman hadn't had a sudden burst of kindness and been willing to front the money for Sayo first, letting her work for decades to slowly pay it back without rushing, the Sayo who couldn't repay her debts would probably have already been taken away by the yakuza.
However, she didn't care at all about Sayo's life or death. She only cared about whether she could become the head maid, second only to one person and above everyone else.
To become head maid, the first step was to pull in enough people on her side.
Of course, it seemed she had already run into a problem at the very first step.
"Sato isn't here... Matsushita isn't here either..."
Kushida Kikyo looked at the silent door and secretly pondered where they had all gone.
She wanted to pry at the corner of Karuizawa Kei's small group, pull over everyone who hadn't yet been eaten by Hachiman, and only afterward send everyone in her own group, like Shiina Hiyori, Ibuki Mio, Wang Meiyu, Shiranami Chihiro, and Himeno Yuki, onto Hachiman's bed.
The quality of Karuizawa Kei's group was quite good, and Karuizawa Kei herself wasn't as hard to deal with as class leader Sakayanagi Arisu.
Even if Karuizawa Kei discovered her poaching, she could still maneuver around it.
However, Kushida Kikyo never imagined that she wouldn't even find anyone.
At a time like this, if Sato Maya and the others weren't in their rooms studying, where could they have gone?
This extremely abnormal situation immediately made her sense that something was wrong.
Ding-dong~
After thinking for a moment, Kushida Kikyo stopped looking for Karuizawa Kei's group members and instead came to the door of a girl who didn't belong to any group and pressed the doorbell.
There was no response from the room.
After quite a while, when Kushida Kikyo pressed the doorbell again, the door finally slowly opened a crack.
"What do you want?"
A pair of narrow, fox-like eyes with slightly upturned corners appeared in the gap as the door opened.
At the same time, a cold voice sounded.
"I want to discuss something with you. Horikita-san, could you let me in so we can talk in detail?"
Seeing that Horikita Suzune, who always acted alone in class, didn't even fully open the door and was peering through the crack with a security chain on, Kushida Kikyo suppressed her inner annoyance and plastered a gentle, sweet smile on her face.
Luckily, this person was still in her room. From this, it seemed that everyone not in their room belonged to Karuizawa Kei's small group.
"If there's nothing important, don't disturb my studying."
Hearing Kushida Kikyo speak evasively without saying her purpose directly, Horikita Suzune immediately prepared to close the door.
"Wait! I have a very well-paid... household part-time job here. It seems your cooking skills are pretty good, Horikita. Do you want to give it a try?"
Already knowing that Horikita Suzune lacked empathy in dealing with people, Kushida Kikyo directly blocked the door with her hand. Forgetting about going inside to talk privately, she immediately stated her purpose.
Based on her earlier probing, Horikita Suzune, who looked like an absolute beauty, seemed to come from an ordinary family.
Now that Advanced Nurturing High School was no longer covering living expenses, relying only on academic scholarships to live on her own outside would be a bit difficult. If her family didn't provide some support, it might still be insufficient.
Rather than letting Horikita Suzune work elsewhere and be exploited by others, she might as well exploit Horikita Suzune herself.
She had previously worried that Horikita Suzune, who attended the same middle school as her, might reveal her dark past. But if she let Horikita Suzune work under her, then she wouldn't need to worry about Horikita Suzune exposing what happened back in middle school, right?
"A household part-time job? With very high pay?"
Hearing Kushida Kikyo say the pay was very generous, the expressionless Horikita Suzune's eyes shifted slightly, and she slowly stopped closing the door.
Actually, just living expenses alone were covered by scholarships. She didn't pursue cosmetics or other food, drink, and entertainment, and cooking for herself was even cheaper.
But she also had an older brother who was already in his third year and would continue on to higher education. If she considered university tuition, and the fact that she herself would need to continue her studies in a few years, the financial pressure on her family would be very heavy.
Japanese universities are divided into private and public ones. Public universities have low tuition and strong faculty, with educational conditions that can be said to completely crush private universities. If you can get into a public university, there's basically no economic pressure at all.
But unfortunately, there are too few public universities, and most people who continue their studies go to private universities.
Private university tuition is very expensive, and good private universities are outrageously expensive.
Although Horikita Suzune and her brother are both top-tier students, when placed across all of Japan, their excellent grades don't stand out that much.
If there isn't a 100 percent guarantee of getting into a good public university, then naturally they have to find a way to prepare the tuition for a private university.
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