"Are they all people outside the school that Miss Asou, the small landlady, knows?"
Ijichi Nijika nodded thoughtfully. The small landlady, Asou Miyuri, was the apartment's former owner. After the apartment was transferred to Hachiman, it was remodeled into what was now the Service Club.
But judging from the situation now, Hachiman still gave Miss Asou very good treatment, even letting her use the place to entertain friends.
Before teleporting over, Nijika had even been wondering whether she would fall straight into a bath full of bodily fluids the moment she arrived.
After all, they came so late. The magical girl awakening ritual might have already started long ago.
She hadn't expected that Hachiman wouldn't be here tonight, with only the small landlady and several unfamiliar mature women present.
"I thought the Service Club was only students, students from Sobu High or other schools. Marin, why didn't you explain it clearly?", Miura Yumiko looked at Kitagawa Marin with some exasperation.
Playing together with students from other schools was already embarrassing enough, let alone possibly playing together with people from their mothers' generation.
Even though she felt it was ridiculous, she also didn't dare trust Hikigaya's sense of decency. After all, Nijika had already been taken, and both she and Marin knew that yet still came over.
She didn't even know what she was thinking. If it were before, she would never have believed that the three of them would progress this far with Hikigaya.
"I didn't know either. I thought at most there would be teachers here."
Kitagawa Marin looked helpless. She hadn't been in the Service Club for very long herself, and she hadn't even personally taken part in internal club activities.
Well, no, that wasn't quite right. She had watched magical girls on the big screen in the central living room with everyone for a while. But because Tohsaka Sakura, Tohsaka Rin, and the others were there, once it reached restricted content, there was nothing to watch.
As for what happened afterward, she had run off at that time. She hadn't had the nerve to deepen her relationship with Hikigaya before Yumiko did. Now that Yumiko came together with her, she wouldn't have to hesitate so much anymore. Whatever activities came up, she could just join directly.
Recently, Gabriel occasionally came to her place to play gal games, and Lumilia often discussed conventions, cosplay, and doujinshi with her. There were probably going to be several more activities at Hikigaya's place.
"Teachers too? Which teachers?", Yumiko froze, then looked at Kitagawa Marin in shock.
"Yumiko, you already assumed there's more than one. What's the point of asking? You'll find out when you see them."
Ijichi Nijika rolled her eyes. Yumiko's words had already revealed her view of Hachiman.
She herself hadn't seen many either, but it didn't seem like something worth worrying too much about.
Elf princesses and mermaid songstresses were already in the Service Club. There was even an alien princess like Lala. Would a few teachers really be that strange?
There were plenty of young female teachers at school, especially Kirisu Mafuyu-sensei, who often came to see Hachiman. Other than liking to keep a cold face, she had no flaws at all. Nijika felt a bit suspicious.
After all, Hachiman could use magic. If he could secretly do things with them in class right in front of Kirisu-sensei… then he could definitely secretly do things with Kirisu-sensei right in front of them too.
"..."
Kita Ikuyo and Gotou Hitori silently looked at Miura Yumiko, who had unconsciously spoken her inner thoughts. Yumiko herself also fell silent.
Nishikigi Chisato and Inoue Takina, seeing this, didn't know what to say either.
'You all ran straight into someone else's territory, offering yourselves up, yet you look like you know nothing?'
They said they were bringing them to take part in a magical girl development awakening ritual, but in reality, Kitagawa Marin and Miura Yumiko were both first-timers. Even Ijichi Nijika, Yamada Ryou, and Gotou Hitori had only learned some basic magic and had never truly participated in a magical girl development awakening ritual.
But since they were already here, there was no backing out or choosing teammates again.
———
After leaving the bath was the changing room. The enormous changing room was filled with clothes of various sizes and styles.
Rather than a changing room, it was more like a changing hall.
"Wow… these clothes all look really nice. Can we really wear all of them?"
"Yes. These clothes were all prepared by Miss Shion for club members. Even if they get torn, it doesn't matter. It's just that some of them are specially made. They gradually become transparent when they touch water, or even disappear entirely, so they can only be worn here."
"Uh… just how big is this Service Club?"
"It seems to use some kind of high-tech folded space."
"High-tech? Not magic?"
Rows upon rows of clothes left Nishikigi Chisato, Inoue Takina, Miura Yumiko, and the others dazzled. In the end, following Kitagawa Marin's suggestion, they all chose yukata that were relatively form-fitting and comfortable, neither too formal nor too revealing and embarrassing.
They had just taken a bath. Wearing a yukata was perfectly normal.
Although everyone already knew very well why they had come here, asking them to choose clothes that looked obviously indecent was still a bit too embarrassing.
Yukata were fine, and also convenient.
Nishikigi Chisato, Inoue Takina, and Ijichi Nijika walked out of the changing room wearing different styles of yukata and realized they had reached the front desk.
There were several figures in maid outfits at the front desk.
"Good evening, Miss Shion."
Seeing Shion among the figures at the front desk, Ijichi Nijika was the first to greet her.
Although Miss Shion was also a student at Sobu High like her, Shion's main role was a maid. Being a personal maid came before being a student. Miss Shion preferred others to treat her as the head maid of the Rurikawa household.
"Good evening, Miss Nijika. Are these new members recruited by Young Master Hikigaya?"
Hearing Ijichi Nijika's voice, Shion turned around, smiled, and nodded, then looked at the girls behind her.
She knew people like Miura Yumiko and Kitagawa Marin, but she didn't recognize Nishikigi Chisato or Inoue Takina.
Steady steps, strong legs. They looked physically capable.
"Hello, Miss Shion. I'm Inoue Takina. We contacted each other by phone before," Seeing this, Inoue Takina immediately stepped forward and introduced herself.
Because of the cult organization matter before, they had only contacted each other by phone or email and hadn't met in person. But hearing how Ijichi Nijika addressed her, she knew that the slender maid in front of her was Mr. Hikigaya's maid, Shion.
"Miss Inoue? Then this must be Miss Inoue's partner, Miss Nishikigi. I didn't expect you two to join us tonight as well. This is a member benefit of the Service Club. Let me put these on you."
Hearing Inoue Takina's introduction, Shion paused for a moment, then her face blossomed into a bright smile. She turned and took several wristbands from the front desk, handed some to Ijichi Nijika, and personally took two to enthusiastically put them on Inoue Takina and Nishikigi Chisato.
Lycoris. She had deliberately looked into this agent organization recently.
Lycoris like Inoue Takina and Nishikigi Chisato, who were both beautiful and outstanding, were actually quite rare. Most had very ordinary looks, making it easier to hide in crowds and suddenly eliminate dangerous targets. Being too eye-catching was inconvenient for missions.
But she didn't think this was a problem. Lycoris were spread all over Japan carrying out missions. Their intelligence capabilities were definitely very strong.
If Lycoris could be brought under their command, finding other pretty and cute girls would be much easier.
If Young Master Hikigaya allowed it, she even wanted Lycoris to only recruit beautiful girls for training in the future, train them properly, then let Young Master Hikigaya develop and awaken their magical girl talents.
No need for infiltration, no need for concealment. Groups of magical girl agents. No need to make things so complicated.
"Thank you, Miss Shion. May I ask where Mr. Hikigaya is? Is he in the Service Club right now?"
Looking at Shion, who had suddenly become extremely enthusiastic, Inoue Takina hesitated but didn't refuse her kindness. She simply asked about Hachiman.
She had come here to receive Mr. Hikigaya's training and strengthen her abilities. She didn't really care much about anything else.
"I thought you came to check out the club. Young Master Hikigaya is eating at the family restaurant right now."
After smoothly putting the empathy wristbands on Inoue Takina and Nishikigi Chisato, Shion glanced at Ijichi Nijika beside her, who was grimacing as she put an empathy wristband on Miura Yumiko. Only then did she nod in satisfaction and point out Hachiman's current location.
"Family restaurant? Eating? At this hour?"
Nishikigi Chisato felt it was a bit ridiculous. Going to a family restaurant to eat late at night?
There were so many maids here, and the place was luxuriously furnished. Even if he were hungry, he could just have the maids cook something.
"It's not an outside family restaurant, but a special facility that was just built today within the Service Club."
Shion knew that aside from Nishikigi Chisato, the others, including Ijichi Nijika, were also confused, so she explained directly.
"After I handled the private matters of the newly recruited maid, Sayo, today, Young Master Hikigaya told me about the family restaurant. Although this family restaurant isn't located here in the Service Club, only Service Club members can teleport into it. It's not freely accessible."
"Uh… then what should we do now? Can we go over to find Hachiman?"
Ijichi Nijika had a headache. She had already forced herself to overcome her embarrassment and bring Yumiko to find Hachiman.
And now Hachiman wasn't even in the Service Club?
If this kept up, Yumiko might not be able to hold back and would go home.
"You just need to register here. When the dishes are served, you'll be teleported over."
Shion smiled and nodded, handing a brand-new menu registration book from the front desk to Ijichi Nijika.
"Make sure you register personally. Registering for someone else won't work."
"That's so amazing? Well… maybe not that amazing."
Ijichi Nijika and Nishikigi Chisato exchanged looks, both feeling a headache over this strange 'serving dishes' ritual.
Still, one by one, they wrote their names in the menu registration book, which only had half a page filled.
They knew family restaurants. They were usually casual places, popular with families or students gathering to eat.
But the family restaurant in the Service Club made them very curious about what kind of food it served.
Judging by what Shion said, it clearly didn't require them to pay. So why call it a family restaurant? Wouldn't just calling it a restaurant be fine?
"Kita, your turn."
"Oh, thanks."
After Yamada Ryou finished writing her name, she handed the menu registration book and pen to Kita Ikuyo, quietly looking forward to a future without worries about food and clothing.
Thinking about it carefully, the Service Club was amazing. Free clothes to wear, free food to eat. In the future, when she ran out of allowance and had nothing to eat, she wouldn't need to ask Nijika for money to mooch meals anymore. She could just come here to eat, right?
"Miss Nijika, Miss Nishikigi, you can go rest in the central living room for now. When the dishes are served and you're teleported over, you'll see Young Master Hikigaya."
After Miura Yumiko, Kitagawa Marin, Nishikigi Chisato, and Inoue Takina all finished writing their names in the menu registration book, Shion smiled with satisfaction, calmly put the book away, and kindly reminded everyone to rest.
"Thanks. Actually, you don't need to be so poli— huh? Eh?"
Nishikigi Chisato waved her hand cheerfully, about to get closer to Shion, when she suddenly felt the surroundings change.
She found herself lying directly on a table. The yukata she had been wearing had vanished, replaced by the red Japanese-style uniform she wore at the café.
Inoue Takina, who had been teleported together with her, lay beside her, changed into a blue Japanese-style uniform.
The Hachiman they were looking for sat at the table without speaking, quietly watching them being placed onto the dining table.
'W-wait… Miss Shion just said we will be teleported to the family restaurant when the dishes are served?'
'So this 'serving dishes' meant them?'
"Mr. Hikigaya, is this the ritual to awaken magical girl talent?"
Inoue Takina, who was also lying on the table with her hands bound, wasn't panicked by the situation. She simply looked at Hachiman with some confusion.
She had come prepared to pay a price in exchange for magical girl abilities. Even if he hadn't teleported her here and bound her hands and feet, she wouldn't have resisted or rejected Hachiman.
If it were Hachiman's request, she would even try to learn how to serve him properly. There was no need to go through all this trouble.
"Takina, this isn't a necessary ritual for developing magical girl talent. I'm just testing the family restaurant's function. You just happened to arrive at the right time."
Hachiman smiled and shook his head, his gaze lingering on Nishikigi Chisato and Inoue Takina on the table, bound like rice dumplings.
Thin red cords were tightly wrapped around their fitted Japanese-style uniforms, outlining and emphasizing their alluring, beautiful body curves.
Shion had gone in the afternoon to deal with Sayo's parents' debts. Although those debts involved yakuza organizations, they were nothing for the current Rurikawa family. When the debts were resolved, he received a system notification.
["Character quest — Special menu of the family restaurant completed."]
["Quest reward obtained: Special scene, Family Restaurant."]
[Family Restaurant: A seemingly ordinary family restaurant hides an unknown special menu]
[Special Menu: None] (PS: As long as you sign your name on the special menu, when you need it, delicious food that suits your wishes will be prepared according to the names on the menu.)
After finishing tutoring Sato Maya, Hasebe Haruka, and the others in Karuizawa Kei's room, Hachiman returned to test the family restaurant.
This family restaurant could also be used for normal dining.
However, only he could use the family restaurant's special menu. When he came to the family restaurant to order, he could choose between the special menu or the normal menu.
After choosing the special menu, he would be separated from other Service Club members dining normally and would savor the special dishes served to him alone.
Of course, this family restaurant's special menu wasn't grotesque in nature, but adult-oriented.
So what lay before Hachiman now were two beautiful girls tied up.
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