The Service Club.
Maybe it was because Hikigaya Hachiman had arrived earlier than usual, but the only person in the clubroom was Hayase Saki.After all, the second-year classrooms were closer to the special building.
"President! Um, th-this is my club application form!"
Standing in the middle of the room and glancing around nervously, Hayase Saki straightened the moment she noticed the door open.As soon as she saw Hachiman walk in, she frantically dug through her shoulder bag, pulled out a folded sheet of paper, and handed it to him with both hands, bowing deeply.
"Uh… you can sit down first," Hachiman said, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
Seeing her again, he honestly didn't know what to say.
Sure, he'd "enjoyed himself" a bit earlier that afternoon—but thinking back on it now, he mostly just felt… embarrassed.It hadn't been his intention to do anything with her. He'd only wanted to trigger the system's reward.
And, well, he wasn't exactly the type to trust the heroines of the Inner Dimension too easily.There weren't any countermeasures against whatever weirdness might happen, so his heart was still set on his ideal: the tall, black-haired, cool beauty archetype.
Either Yukinoshita Yukino, or that mysterious Yuki-onna who'd once saved him by chance.
That was the plan. But in the face of temptation… his so-called iron will hadn't been quite as indestructible as he liked to imagine.
Still, seeing Hayase Saki acting the same as always—quiet, shy, eyes downcast—he let out a small sigh of relief.
…Wait, no, that wasn't right. He shouldn't be relieved.He wanted her to become more confident and independent, not stay stuck as the same timid girl everyone could push around.
Hachiman glanced over the application form. Nothing looked off, so he folded it neatly and set it aside.He'd take it together with Yukinoshita's form to Hiratsuka-sensei later for approval—and maybe even try to wrangle a bit of funding while he was at it.
He'd managed to solve the "no members" problem in just three days, and they'd even had an honest-to-god club activity—beating the crap out of a Minotaur.If that didn't scream potential, what did? Surely a little budget request wouldn't be too much.
"N-no, it's fine! You should sit down, President," Hayase said quickly, waving her hands when he gestured toward the chair.
There was only one clean chair in the room—his chair—and she couldn't possibly take the president's seat.Even if she was technically his senpai, that didn't make it any less inappropriate.
"You really won't sit?" he asked.
When she shook her head again, he gave up and sat down himself.But as he did, and his gaze met hers—those hesitant, darting eyes staring up at him from beneath her bangs—he suddenly remembered what had happened at lunchtime.
Feeling oddly flustered, he stood back up again, walked over to the window, and slid it open.A soft breeze flowed in, scattering the still air of the clubroom.
"Hayase… hmm, can I call you Saki?" he asked.
"N-no problem," she murmured, blinking in surprise before shaking her head.
"Did you… tell anyone about what happened today?"
"Huh? A-about today? N-no, I didn't…"
She hesitated for a second, then shook her head again.She didn't have many friends anyway. After lunch, she'd gone straight back to class, and after school, she'd come here. She hadn't even seen her childhood friend Fukutai yet.
"Good. Then let's just pretend nothing happened today," Hachiman said firmly. "If anyone asks, you don't know a thing—no matter who it is."
He was planning to deal with Miwa tonight, once and for all.
But since he'd clashed with the guy earlier, any hint that they'd fought would immediately make him the prime suspect.He already had a plan to clear his name if things went south, but the fewer complications, the better.
"…Okay."
Saki lowered her head, thinking he wanted her to forget about what had happened in the clubroom earlier that day.
Hachiman sighed. She'd misunderstood—but trying to explain would probably just make things more awkward.
In truth, they barely knew each other.She was introverted, anxious, and soft-spoken. He wasn't exactly a social butterfly himself.Neither of them knew how to start a normal conversation, and so the air between them quickly settled into an uncomfortable silence.
Then—
Knock, knock.
"Come in," Hachiman called, startled out of his thoughts.
The door slid open—and in stepped Yukinoshita Yukino, carrying her signature shoulder bag with cool, measured grace.
The Service Club was finally complete.
The ice queen with the flat chest, the busty airhead, and the dead-eyed cynic with chronic chunibyou—all present and accounted for.
"Yukinoshita, huh? You came together?" Hachiman started to say—then paused.
Because Yukinoshita wasn't alone.
Behind her were three familiar faces.
Shirosaki Yuna, pink hair cascading past her shoulders, smiling as always.Nijo Rin, long chestnut hair and sharp, intimidating eyes.And Kousaka Minami, her wavy blonde hair tied with her jacket around her waist, radiating restless energy.
"Uh… we came because, um, there's something we wanted to talk about…" Yuna began, glancing awkwardly at Saki and Yukinoshita.
"I saw them sneaking around after you," Yukinoshita said coolly, stepping further inside. "So I brought them here."
She moved with effortless confidence, setting her bag down and taking the only chair in the room.
"Th-that's… that's the president's seat…" Saki whispered reflexively.
Japanese hierarchy was deeply ingrained, after all.If there was only one chair, it was obviously meant for the club president.
She might've been an upperclassman, but the thought of sitting there herself didn't even cross her mind.
"Since neither of you plan to use it, I will," Yukinoshita said without a hint of hesitation. "No sense letting resources go to waste."
She placed her application form neatly on the table and handed it to Hachiman.
"Now then, rather than argue over seating arrangements, shouldn't we be asking why these three were following our club president?"
"President? Wait—you mean Hikigaya-kun's your president?" Rin blurted out, blinking.
Both she and Minami stared in disbelief.
They'd followed Hachiman here to this isolated building, only to find the school's most elegant honor student, Yukinoshita Yukino, sitting beside a stunning upperclassman.And both of them seemed to treat him—the dead-eyed loner from class—as if he were their leader.
It was honestly more shocking than discovering he could look handsome in an app filter.
Yukinoshita didn't react to their stares, though Hachiman could feel her amusement radiating like a cold breeze.
He could already imagine her inner voice, mocking him.Just admit it, Hikigaya-kun. I'm the real president here.
Tch. Damn woman. She probably was doing it on purpose, letting them assume that.
But outwardly, he stayed composed.
"As you can see," he said dryly, "our club's called the Service Club. I'm the president."
"Our motto is: Born from darkness, we serve the light."
"In simpler terms, we lend a hand to anyone in need. We accept requests from other students."
"Any kind of request?" Minami asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
The three girls exchanged glances, clearly intrigued.They didn't know what the "Service Club" name meant, but "taking on requests" sounded exactly like what they'd come here for.
"Not any kind," Hachiman clarified. "Our goal isn't to solve problems for people, but to guide them to solve their own. We'll refuse unreasonable requests—but once we accept one, we see it through to the end."
Sitting in the lone chair, Yukinoshita added smoothly, "We don't help merely for the sake of helping. The purpose is growth—both for the client and for ourselves."
Her eyes flicked toward the three gyaru, cool and assessing.
"So. What is it you wanted from us?"
Yuna, Rin, and Minami looked at each other—and then, in perfect unison, turned toward Hachiman.
"If possible," Yuna began with a mischievous grin, "we want you to make him into a hottie."
Ding!
Quest triggered: "The Gyaru's Makeover Boyfriend Project."Reward: Gradual Mastery (Skill Growth +)Daily Quest Function Unlocked.Complete daily quests to gain +1 random attribute.