The people who had come here this time were all human. Aoe Mai, Kijou Yasha, and the other demi-humans were still chatting in the large outdoor hot spring.
However, although Aoe Mai and the others weren't coming over, they still wanted to know what was going on over here with Hachiman.
"Understood. Master doesn't need me here for now, so I'll go over right away."
Hayasaka Ai glanced at Hachiman. Seeing that he had no intention of stopping her, she nodded and left with Kanou Saya, Oshimizu Nako, and the others after they finished setting up the venue.
However, thinking back to Irisviel's smiling expression, she felt vaguely uneasy.
Her mother was an executive of the Shinomiya Group, so theoretically she had no need to participate in this kind of thing, especially work involving serving someone.
But she also knew very well that the Shinomiya family had not risen through conscience. Or rather, no family that could become a conglomerate-level family was particularly good.
As Kaguya's personal attendant, she had already been sent over to offer herself, but if they discovered that Miss Kaguya's progress was too slow, the Shinomiya Group would definitely think of other ways.
And if the Shinomiya Group learned that Irisviel, Tohsaka Aoi, and the others were all doing whatever they could to please Hachiman, then everything would naturally fall into place…
No. For her mother's sake… she had to find a way to increase Miss Kaguya's advantage.
Those people could sell their daughters, but she couldn't sell her mother.
"Come down and soak with us. You didn't come all the way here just to stand there and watch, did you?"
After Hayasaka Ai left, Irisviel smiled at Tsubakihara Mira, Kotori Minami, and the others who were still standing there in a daze. After teasing them, she pushed herself up with both hands and jumped into the hot spring.
"Of course not. We came here especially for our club president."
Tsubakihara Mira and Takamine Kasumi exchanged a glance, then calmly changed out of their yukata. Under the cleaning magic personally controlled by Irisviel, they cleaned their bodies before stepping into the hot, warm spring, smiling as they looked at Hachiman surrounded by Tohsaka Aoi and the others.
"We'll get in later. It's too crowded right now."
Takanashi Ouka and Mizushima Marika hesitated and didn't follow Tsubakihara Mira and Takamine Kasumi into the water. Instead, they sat down on the chairs nearby first.
They weren't in such a hurry. The ones who had specifically come to find Hachiman today were other people. They had mainly been pressured and tempted by Asou Miyuri into coming, because she had threatened to go after their daughters if they didn't come and get used to this place.
They had to admit that after seeing the quality of the members in the Service House, they had absolutely no confidence that their pure and kind daughters could resist Hachiman's charm.
At least they could hold their own against Asou Miyuri, who was always plotting something.
Touma Yoko, Ogiso Akina, Kotori Minami, Nishikino Mizuki, Yukinoshita Kiyuki…
Some got into the water and squeezed in beside Hachiman, while others temporarily sat by the edge and waited. Their expressions varied, from calm to shy and flushed, but most had mentally prepared themselves. Only Ogiso Akina was different from the others.
Not only was this her first time experiencing a public outdoor mixed-gender hot spring, she wasn't even very clear about the Service House's exact circumstances.
When she saw Hachiman holding Matsumae Ohana in the hot spring, Ogiso Akina was so shocked that she covered her mouth. But when she saw that everyone else didn't seem particularly surprised, she gradually relaxed.
There was only one Hikigaya-kun who had a good relationship with Setsuna. It wasn't as if he could get involved with all of them, right? Everyone else wasn't afraid, so what did she have to be afraid of?
"Miyuri, what's with so many people coming today? What are you up to?"
Seeing so many beautiful wives come before him, Hachiman didn't hurry to deepen his relationship with them. Instead, he reached out, pinched Asou Miyuri's soft cheek, and lowered his head to bite it lightly.
Airi wasn't here now, and Kaede's social circle didn't overlap much with theirs.
Tsubakihara Mira, Takamine Kasumi, Ogiso Akina, Touma Yoko, and the others appearing here was definitely Asou Miyuri's doing.
"You don't even call me big sister anymore. That really hurts."
Asou Miyuri looked at Hachiman smilingly as he pinched and bit her. Not only wasn't she afraid, she even hummed and leaned toward him on her own.
"But, Hachiman, you're really blaming me unfairly. I did think about making things more fun, but today this was something Aoi, Kiyuki, and Irisviel all agreed to."
For someone who had already become completely devoted to Hachiman, punishment was the same as a reward.
If there weren't so many newcomers tonight, she would have simply lain by the edge of the hot spring and let Hachiman punish her properly.
"Aoi, was it you who had her do this?"
Hachiman pressed both hands over Asou Miyuri's mouth, ignoring her instinctive struggle, and turned to look at Tohsaka Aoi, Yukinoshita Kiyuki, Irisviel, and the others.
"Basically everyone we brought here today has encountered some trouble and wants to ask you, Master, for your help. You have always liked helping them, haven't you?"
Tohsaka Aoi looked at Asou Miyuri in Hachiman's arms, unable to speak because her mouth was covered, her eyes wide as she reached toward her for help. She nodded lightly.
"Club President, Kiyuki failed to consider things carefully enough. Please punish me as you see fit."
Yukinoshita Kiyuki knelt on the stone slabs beside the hot spring and lowered her head slightly to admit her mistake to Hachiman.
"Hachiman, don't you like it? Would it be better to have Illya and the others come keep you company? Illya hasn't decided what character to cosplay yet. Do you think Illya should call you Daddy, Nii-chan, or maybe Hubby?"
Irisviel leaned against Tohsaka Aoi. Asakawa Touka was on the opposite side beside Hachiman. When Irisviel noticed her looking at her, she directly winked at her, then smiled at Hachiman.
"I don't object to you helping your friends. The Service House is the same as the Service Club. When someone runs into trouble, I usually help them."
Hachiman glanced at the white-haired, red-eyed beauty Irisviel, who was teasing him from every angle, and felt somewhat speechless.
She had gone from asking for help to keeping him company in just a few sentences. Who would believe she hadn't been deliberately teasing him?
Originally, he had thought Illya was a legal homunculus, but considering that Irisviel's common sense and personality were quite different from those of ordinary people, she might not care about those distinctions.
And then there was the fact that Irisviel had deliberately made him choose what Illya should call him.
Which Illya was this, exactly? Magical Girl Illya? Or Magician Illya?
"What exactly are the problems you need me to help with? Kotori, besides Otonokizaka Academy being on the verge of closure, have you run into any other problems?"
Hachiman held Asou Miyuri tightly in his arms, slowly interrogating and punishing the fearless Asou Miyuri while looking at Kotori Minami, Nishikino Mizuki, and Touma Yoko, who had also entered the hot spring and were now sitting opposite him.
Asou Miyuri had already told him that Otonokizaka Academy was facing closure because the declining birth rate had reduced the number of students, so Kotori Minami's situation was understandable.
But did she think that simply making the request in person wasn't sincere enough? Or had she run into some other problem?
"There isn't any other problem. It's still the issue with Otonokizaka Academy. The number of new students enrolling at Otonokizaka Academy has been gradually declining. There are still three classes in the third year, but there is only one class in the first year now. At this rate, next year's new students won't even be enough to make up one class."
Looking at Asou Miyuri, who had been baring her teeth and acting completely out of control toward them but was now pinned down in Hachiman's arms by all five of his fingers, Kotori Minami swallowed and quietly explained why she had come.
"I didn't come today to pressure you into helping. I just wanted to ask if you had any good solutions."
"If there isn't a particularly good solution and the only option is to force people to enroll to increase the number of new students, then I think I should just withdraw my request."
For her, Otonokizaka Academy wasn't short on money or lacking in school facilities. What Otonokizaka needed was a real supply of students.
If there weren't enough students enrolling, then even investment and sponsorship wouldn't be of much use to Otonokizaka Academy.
Throwing money at the problem to keep the school alive wasn't a long-term solution either. If that was all they could do, it would be better to accept reality early.
"A declining birth rate causing a shortage of students… If there are rural students willing to join your school, would you be willing to accept them?"
At this point, Asakawa Touka suddenly spoke.
"Rural students? Otonokizaka Academy is a girls' school, so we'd probably only be able to accept girls. Do you have that many girls over there willing to transfer?"
Kotori Minami was startled. She looked at Asakawa Touka, who had arrived in front of Hachiman before them, somewhat puzzled.
She only knew that the woman's name was Asakawa Touka and that she had some unusual relationship with Service House president Hachiman. She really didn't know the specifics.
But the declining birth rate wasn't simply a regional problem. It should be quite serious in rural areas too.
Did this Asakawa Touka mean that a rural school should merge with Otonokizaka Academy?
"Backup students…"
Asakawa Touka fell silent again and simply looked at Hachiman.
"Touka, are there a lot of students on your side? Can you tell me roughly what the situation is?"
Seeing this, Hachiman could only take the initiative and ask.
"There are indeed quite a few girls who want to go to the big cities, as well as some girls who aren't attending school. If you can sort things out with the schools in the other villages and towns, that much potential enrollment could at least keep Otonokizaka Academy going for another five years. But you'll need to talk to them yourself."
Asakawa Touka stared straight at Hachiman and slowly explained.
"Then, Touka, please make the arrangements. I'll go take a look in the countryside when I have time. If this works, they won't have to worry about their tuition at Otonokizaka Academy. The scholarships will be more than enough."
Although Asakawa Touka's intention was extremely obvious, she wanted to lure him to the countryside and compete with them there. Hachiman simply pretended not to notice.
Actually, Kaede had already been considering recruiting rural students. Doing this now could be said to be exactly what Kaede wanted.
Having all the rural newcomers join Sobu High wasn't very realistic. After all, Sobu High was still the top-ranked municipal school in Chiba, and turning it into an all-girls school would probably cause some problems.
But the rural newcomers could simply go to other schools. A girls' school like Otonokizaka Academy, which was desperately short of students, was a good fit.
As long as the conglomerates in the Service House provided some sponsorship and Sobu High gave these schools more exchange-student slots each year, it would solve both the members' requests and the problem of finding new members for the Service House in the future.
"Will I go to the countryside with you to investigate later, Club President Hachiman? Or should I… have my daughter Kotori come along with us?"
Seeing how Hachiman and Asakawa Touka had worked out a solution in just a few sentences, Kotori Minami hesitated.
She definitely had to participate in this matter. She couldn't just sit back and benefit from it.
After all, the current supply of students couldn't solve the real problem. Even transferring in a large number of students now wouldn't be enough.
If they could cooperate with rural schools and spread the word, then new students from the countryside could directly attend Otonokizaka Academy in the future, and she wouldn't have to keep worrying about it.
But she was also worried that she was too old and would have a generation gap with Hachiman. Forcing a conversation and making things awkward would be even worse. It might be better to have her daughter Kotori come along and chat with Hachiman.
Although she couldn't possibly let her daughter Kotori go to the countryside alone with Hachiman to negotiate student transfers. She would have to accompany them either way.
"If your daughter Kotori has time, bring her along. Touka's daughter is about the same age as yours, so they can keep each other company and have a good chat too."
Hachiman thought for a moment before speaking.
The famous LL series and its nine-member Muse group had once been quite popular. He was rather interested in Kotori Minami, also known as Kotori Minami, so this would be a good opportunity to get to know her.
Although in this world, he felt that the Muse group might have a hard time creating a miracle. The idol industry in this world was far too competitive.
"Then we'll discuss it again later. Ms. Touka, I hope we have a pleasant cooperation."
Seeing that Hachiman had chosen the mother-and-daughter plan without hesitation, Kotori Minami was somewhat worried and a little embarrassed, but she still happily looked toward Asakawa Touka.
"A pleasant cooperation."
Asakawa Touka looked at Kotori Minami, who was soaking in the mixed-gender hot spring with Hachiman just like her, and didn't know what to say.
No wonder Hachiman didn't want to return to the countryside. Sometimes, women from the big cities really were more open.
Kotori Minami noticed Asakawa Touka's strange look but didn't pay much attention to it. She was still very excited.
Tonight, her willingness to be so open with Hachiman had been influenced to some extent by hints and encouragement from her bad friend Asou Miyuri, but she also had to take responsibility herself.
Asou Miyuri had been constantly talking about those things around them, which was the direct cause. But merely seeing the photos of Hachiman that Asou Miyuri showed them had already stirred feelings that had been dormant for years, and she had half-heartedly gone along with Asou Miyuri dragging them into this.
As long as Kotori and Hachiman didn't object, she actually felt that it was fine.
Ideally, she could sacrifice herself to save Otonokizaka Academy. That way, she could use herself to protect Kotori, allowing Kotori to enjoy the Service House's protection while still retaining a certain amount of freedom.
She hadn't expected to find such an easy solution. There hadn't even been any need for her to make a sacrifice.
The "sacrifice" she'd prepared herself for was unnecessary.
Noticing Kotori Minami's occasional glances at her, unsure whether they were regretful or disappointed, Asou Miyuri, who was still being held in Hachiman's arms and punished from both sides, was also unable to say anything and could only feel helpless.
She was speechless too. What she had said was that they should slowly work on Hachiman and gradually increase their stakes.
Who would have thought that Asakawa Touka, seeing how much of a disadvantage they were at, would surrender immediately, or rather, instead of surrendering, she had wanted to disrupt their plans and directly lure Hachiman to the countryside with the temptation of her extensive connections there.
Although using the information gap to trick her friends and letting Hachiman, the middleman, profit from the difference wasn't exactly honorable, she felt her approach was the proper one.
Without using the excuse of asking Hachiman to complete a request and seeking his help as a way to serve him, simply serving him wouldn't let her compete with the others.
Kotori's idea was quite nice, sacrificing herself to protect her daughter.
Otonokizaka Academy really was facing closure because of the declining birth rate. In reality, there was no great need for Kotori to remain the school's principal. It wasn't necessary for her to make such a huge sacrifice for the school. Only for her daughter could Kotori give up some of her boundaries.
But Kotori Minami wasn't even a magical girl. What good would protecting her like this do? Would she have to rely on other people for protection in the future? Who could watch her every day? What if something unexpected happened and no one could get there in time? Becoming a magical girl herself would be a better way to protect herself.
This Kotori had the entire resource network of Otonokizaka Academy at her disposal and wasn't making good use of it. What a waste! Right now, who knew how many schools wanted to establish a connection with Sobu High? There weren't even enough exchange-student slots for all of them!
Once the rural students had been recruited… once the school's closure crisis had been resolved, she absolutely had to properly teach… teach Kotori a lesson, ahhhh!
["Character quest triggered. The Academy Idol Master, Starting with Saving the School."]
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
"Kotori's request has a lead for now. What about everyone else?"
Feeling Asou Miyuri's increasingly weak struggle in his arms, gradually losing strength, Hachiman slowly released Asou Miyuri after she had finished receiving her punishment and looked toward the others who had come with Kotori Minami.
It was understandable that Kotori Minami had come because of Otonokizaka Academy's closure problem. Even if her true purpose might have been for her daughter, Kotori Minami, she at least had a legitimate reason to hide behind.
But what about everyone else?
Nishikino Mizuki, Touma Yoko, Tsubakihara Mira, and the others hadn't encountered any problems. Surely they hadn't come to ask him for help for no reason?
[🙇🏻 You Can Support the Story Through P@tr3on—AmbitiousTranslator. It also has 40+ Chapters of all the novels and fanfics. Thanks for reading~]