163 The Invisible Yumeko Smelled the Scent of a Lie?
"Five minutes are up."
Juraku Sachiko, who had been standing by watching the show, did not forget her duty as the instigator and, checking her watch, announced that the private livestock experience card had expired.
At once, Momobami Kirari, who had been engaging in a shameful swallowing action, stopped.
Without haste, she slowly spat out the finger in her mouth.
Like a queen who had just finished her meal, she elegantly wiped the corner of her mouth. Upon standing up, the first thing she did was remove the collar from her neck.
When they got a good look again, she had already regained her noble demeanor in front of others.
It was all about that perfect control of switching between abandon and dignity.
Hikigaya Hachiman regretfully withdrew his hand. As expected, Momobami Kirari was different. If it had been Miharutaki-senpai, she probably wouldn't have stopped at all, and might even have demanded more intense actions. But the woman before him was an empress simply undergoing a novel experience.
"Time's up. I should leave now."
"I'm very satisfied, Hikigaya-kun."
A scent like orchids or musk wafted from Momobami Kirari's body. With her hands clasped behind her back, she brushed past Hikigaya Hachiman and said:
"Remember~ this matter is a secret between the three of us."
"If others were to find out, it would be very troublesome for me."
"At least until Hikigaya-kun wins the final gamble against me, this matter must not be leaked."
"I understand." Hikigaya Hachiman nodded solemnly.
He wasn't the kind of brainless fool who would brag about such a conquest as some sort of trophy. Talking about such things would only make him seem tasteless. Moreover... if he let it slip, he would probably end up dead.
Momobami Kirari still needed to maintain her outward authority. Anyone who publicly challenged that authority had always ended up in hell.
After Momobami Kirari left—
Looking at Hikigaya standing beside her, lost in thought, Juraku Sachiko said:
"So? The power to make Kirari kneel before you... quite intoxicating, isn't it?"
"It's wonderful," Hikigaya nodded. The taste of power truly was intoxicating.
"But the sense of loss when it's gone... that's hard to accept."
It was impossible not to be moved.
Having a woman like Momobami Kirari kneel and serve him—this was a scene most people wouldn't even dare to dream of. During the process, there had been a moment when Hikigaya had wanted to preserve this relationship forever.
Unrestrained indulgence in the experience of power led to an unstoppable inflation of ambition.
Once the fire of ambition was lit, it could never be extinguished.
"You succeeded, senior Juraku."
Hikigaya Hachiman pushed open the door, leaned his body against the doorframe, and gazed into the distance at Momobami Kirari, who had once again ascended the stage, her every movement exuding supreme nobility.
Although it felt somewhat immoral, and he was sorry to Yumeko, Hikigaya Hachiman had to face his own desires head-on—
He wanted to become the master of Momobami.
Juraku Sachiko's eyes flickered; she couldn't help but lick her lips.
She really had nurtured an extraordinary junior; the devil within his heart had been completely unleashed.
"Well, good luck to you," Juraku shrugged, as if it had nothing to do with her.
But Hikigaya Hachiman had no intention of letting this woman—who had fanned the flames from behind the scenes for her own amusement—off so easily. He joked:
"Senior, if I do become the master of Momobami, the first thing I'll do is make you and the president serve me together."
"Heh, if you can pull that off, why not," Juraku Sachiko flipped her white hair back nonchalantly.
"The opening ceremony should be almost over. Next comes the setup of the gambling venues by each club. How's your plan coming along?"
"Some people have already died, it's just that it will take some time before they are buried."
"Very confident, huh?" Juraku Sachiko smiled softly. "Let me give you a reminder, Mibuomi's financial account has increased by 6 billion yen recently."
6 billion yen, huh...
Hikigaya greedily licked his lips. "That really is an unexpected windfall."
...
.
.
.
"Hachiman, where did you go just now? The performance was amazing, and you missed it all!"
"Sorry, Yumeko, I got caught up with something suddenly!"
Hikigaya, having wiped the scented saliva from his fingers, sat back down. However, Yumeko immediately grabbed his hand.
"Wha-what's wrong, Yumeko?"
Yumeko didn't answer but instead slightly flared her nostrils, looking at him with some confusion. "Strange, I can smell Momobami-nee's scent on you."
"And—"
"There's also the smell of a lie~"
As she said this, Yumeko suddenly leaned forward and lightly bit Hikigaya Hachiman's earlobe.
.
.
.
By the time they returned to the baseball club, it was close to the lunch break.
Because of the Great Bloom Festival, the campus was filled with a strong atmosphere. Every hallway and every classroom was decorated.
To attract gamblers, there were sexy girls in bunny girl costumes enticing lecherous men, and there were also those in women's clothing tempting people with unspeakable things.
During such a grand festival, even the most ordinary students would harbor dreams of topping the gambling rankings for the Great Bloom Festival. For this reason, groups of dreamers worked hard toward this goal.
Monsters and demons, a chaotic dance of devils.
In contrast, the baseball club's activity room remained desolate and deserted. It seemed like the club's president had completely given up—no decorations, no one to attract customers, and all the members had shrunk back into the activity room.
Saotome Mary was lying lazily on the couch. "I say, are we just going to wait like this?"
"Why the rush? Someone will come knocking soon."
"You're so confident?"
Saotome didn't understand. "This is a once-a-year festival, you know? Being so passive isn't great."
Saotome Mary was feeling restless inside. She had been planning for this day, the Great Bloom Festival, for quite some time.
There were plenty of foolish, rich people at school who, despite having no gambling skills, were still opening casinos to follow the trend. That meant that at the current Hyakkaou Academy, there was gold everywhere. As long as she was willing to bend down and pick it up, she could fill her pockets.
Unlike Hikigaya Hachiman, a fake special student, Saotome Mary didn't come from a wealthy family.
The only time her parents would give her 10,000 yen was when her rich best friend had a birthday, and she was tasked with buying a gift. This memory was deeply etched in Saotome's heart, and from then on, she became afraid of being poor.
She would go all out to seize every money-making opportunity.
Now, on a day where gold was everywhere, Hikigaya Hachiman had ordered her not to act on her own, which was even worse than being completely ignored.
She glanced around, seeing Yumeko pretending not to notice, Naoko sneaking snacks, and Miharutaki-senpai sneaking bites, and Saotome was speechless.
The only one who seemed somewhat normal, Aiura Kokoro, was sneaking glances at Hikigaya with a bright red face, probably thinking of some filthy thoughts.
'These guys...'
'What am I even doing.'
Just as Saotome Mary was about to lose patience with the lewd atmosphere in the activity room, the door was suddenly pushed open.