Logically speaking, Mizuho Kazami didn't usually have much contact with Hachiman. It was only this time, after making a bet with him together with her, that she put on the maid outfit and showed another side of herself in front of him.
But now… it was hard for her to believe there wasn't anything special between Mizuho Kazami and Hachiman.
If she were being forced, she should be angry, right? Not like now, flustered and shy, trying to cover it up.
Even though nothing was actually covered up at all, everything was plainly displayed. It was just that, aside from her, no one else seemed to care.
No… it wasn't that they didn't care. They were already used to it.
Kirisu Mafuyu didn't know that Mizuho Kazami had once "seduced" Hachiman right in front of her, under her very nose. She still thought Mizuho might have just lost her head for a moment. Could it be that while she was in the kitchen cooking, Hachiman had promised her something that made her allow his reckless behavior?
After all, Kushida and the others were maids recruited for Hachiman by the Rurikawa family. From what she "knew," the Rurikawa family was extremely wealthy, and the maids' salary were excellent. Even part-time maids earned more than she and Mizuho Kazami.
It wasn't that hard to understand if Mizuho Kazami had been dazzled by money and, in a moment of impulse, let Hachiman lay hands on her.
But how was she supposed to stop him now? If she exposed what he was doing, would Mizuho Kazami accept it?
And if, because she exposed him, Mizuho ended up being subjected to even bolder, more excessive actions right in front of her, would she be able to stop it?
After asking herself these three questions, Kirisu Mafuyu suddenly realized she could do nothing. All she could do was watch as Mizuho Kazami pretended everything was fine right in front of her.
'This guy Hikigaya… were Ichinose Honami, Kushida Kikyo, and Karuizawa Kei all dragged into bed by him like this?'
Kirisu Mafuyu felt like she had uncovered the truth. She unconsciously bit down on her chopsticks, her gaze fixed on the table, as if it pierced through the dishes and wood, seeing Mizuho Kazami's white-stockinged foot trapped in Hachiman's grasp with nowhere to escape. Her breathing grew uneven, her cheeks hotter and hotter.
"…"
Hachiman gently stroked the white stockings on Mizuho Kazami's leg, feeling the unique texture of the material that turned transparent upon contact with water. Seeing Kirisu Mafuyu notice Mizuho's unusual state, he had originally planned to let go of her foot, or simply use magic to fool Mafuyu's vision and hearing.
But he didn't expect Kirisu Mafuyu to endure without lowering her head to look, only staring straight at him.
He remembered that the maid outfit didn't have the ability to control people. Only the service collar, which had to be worn voluntarily, had the power to forcibly make someone obey.
Since the maid skills gained from the outfit would disappear after taking it off, and because those who had worn it before were mostly girls close to him, even as the owner of the maid outfit, Hachiman didn't fully understand just how powerful it was.
The maid skills they gained weren't controlled by the outfit. They could adjust them according to their own thoughts. It was just that once the outfit was removed, the skills disappeared.
To master so many skills in such a short time, even surpassing his teaching aura in some ways, would inevitably affect them.
Cooking, tea ceremony, housework, financial management, driving, those skills were manageable. With enough knowledge, they were just a matter of familiarity.
But the most important maid skill, serving the master, involved behavior itself. Every word and action had to make the master feel comfortable and satisfied.
The "experience videos" of previous wearers looped endlessly in her mind, constantly reminding her of the best ways to serve the master. From theory to practice, it was as if those experiences were being carved into her instincts, turning her into a perfect maid who satisfied the master the most.
The fact that Kirisu Mafuyu could restrain this instinct right now, not getting up and walking behind Hachiman to join Kushida and the others… already showed incredible self-control.
Part of it was also because she had never had a boyfriend and lacked that kind of experience. Kirisu Mafuyu only felt that she should be furious at Hachiman's absurd behavior. Her body trembled with anger, but for Mizuho and the others' sake, she couldn't explode on the spot and could only endure it.
If, because she forcibly stood up for them, Mizuho and the others ended up being blamed by Hachiman, wouldn't her good intentions backfire?
After dinner, once today's maid training ended and she took off this outfit, she would have to properly ask Mizuho and the others what they really thought.
And right now, with those videos constantly playing in her mind, she couldn't calm down at all.
"Master~"
Ichinose Honami, while sneaking glances at Kirisu Mafuyu and Mizuho Kazami across the table, continued serving Hachiman. Seeing him naturally open his mouth and eat the food she fed him, without any intention of kissing her after each bite, she quietly let out a breath of relief.
With Mafuyu and Mizuho here today, Hachiman probably didn't need her to feed him mouth-to-mouth.
It wasn't like she had never done that before, but doing it in front of Mafuyu and the others was still a bit embarrassing.
Unless Mafuyu and Mizuho fully joined them and everyone was in the same position, she would still feel shy under her friends' gazes.
Ichinose Honami secretly glanced under the table at Mizuho Kazami, who had already stretched out her other white-stockinged foot, and at Kirisu Mafuyu beside her, who was still trying hard to stay composed. She felt a little regret.
It was a pity she couldn't personally witness Mizuho and Mafuyu joining them, but she wouldn't actively drag others in.
She wasn't Ayano. She wouldn't go around pulling people in like that.
"Mm, no need to rush eating. Let's chat while we eat. After all, there's not much housework left here. After dinner and a short rest, we'll be leaving."
Hachiman held Ichinose Honami and Kushida Kikyo in his arms, enjoying the soft, full curves of their bodies. Kushida helped press down Mizuho Kazami's foot, while Karuizawa Kei, sitting a bit farther away, occasionally leaned in to feed him. He looked completely at ease.
Actually, Karuizawa Kei was even more loyal than Kushida Kikyo. But in terms of figure, she wasn't as soft and full as Kushida.
And having the "angel" Ichinose Honami and the "dark angel" Kushida Kikyo on either side, pressed against him, felt even better.
After eating, he'd give Kei a little extra attention, and also check on Sakura Airi.
As his most obedient and adorable pet, he especially liked Kei's high ponytail. But Airi's twin pink tails were nice too, he could go see how Kei's "results" were.
"Mafuyu, you've already seen my ability in this exam. From now on, when I skip class, you won't make things difficult for me anymore, right?"
Hachiman looked at Mizuho Kazami, who was pretending nothing was wrong but whose eyes were panicked and earlobes completely red. Smiling, he shifted his gaze to Kirisu Mafuyu beside her.
Even if Mafuyu kept making trouble for him, it wouldn't matter. Teachers, the student council, the disciplinary committee, ordinary students, he had people everywhere. The school couldn't punish him for skipping class.
But being called to the office every day for tea wasn't a great look either.
Those who knew him understood he was just playing elsewhere. But those who didn't might think Mafuyu and the others were being troublesome, and try to curry favor with him by targeting them. That would be a headache.
"Ability… I admit you did well this time. But you only took two subjects. You skipped all the others."
Even under the influence of the maid outfit, Kirisu Mafuyu couldn't stay calm, but when it came to her professional field, she still straightened up. After swallowing her food, she set down her chopsticks, her expression stern as she looked at him.
"You don't need to say that, Mafuyu. I just didn't want to waste time. You don't actually think I can only score in those two subjects and fail the rest, do you?"
Hachiman calmly swallowed the food Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei fed him, lightly feeling the soft touch of Kushida Kikyo's slender fingers.
"Besides, I'm not just good at exams. Compared to that, I'm better at teaching."
"Teaching? You mean you can tutor others?"
Kirisu Mafuyu froze. She didn't expect that answer. Being able to learn and being able to teach were completely different things.
Some people were excellent at studying, but when it came to teaching others, they couldn't understand why the other person didn't get it.
Like knowing one plus one equals two, but how do you explain why one plus one equals two?
"Mm… you could say that. In this exam, there will be many full scores in the school. Quite a few of them usually don't have good grades."
Hachiman smiled and nodded.
"Of course, it's not because they cheated or got the exam questions in advance. It's because they went through my pre-exam crash course."
"Crash course? Full scores?"
Hearing that, Kirisu Mafuyu's eyes filled with doubt.
She knew he had no reason to lie. With his relationship with the elf princess, if he didn't want to attend class, he could simply not come to school at all.
And he had always been reasonable, with a good reputation among teachers and students. That was why, even after seeing Karuizawa and Kushida lying on the table together, she hadn't screamed, and even after noticing Mizuho stretching her leg toward him, she hadn't immediately stopped it.
Those things were likely voluntary. Saying anything would only make things awkward without changing anything.
But while she trusted his character, she couldn't believe a crash course could produce full scores.
"Don't believe it, Mafuyu? I'll activate teaching mode now. Experience my tutoring ability for yourself and see whether this kind of crash course can really produce full scores."
Seeing her doubt, Hachiman smiled and activated his teaching aura.
With the increase in teachers, his aura's range was no longer limited to close contact.
Even across a table, it could significantly boost learning efficiency, and the effect had even improved.
"Th-this feeling…"
Kirisu Mafuyu froze. Her mind, which had been overheated and muddled by the maid outfit, suddenly became extremely active. Her thoughts were crystal clear.
This wasn't necessarily a good thing. She didn't have any study materials in hand. The only "materials" were the various maid skills and practical experience videos in her mind.
Now she could analyze Hachiman's habits and preferences from those videos.
How to clean step by step, how to arrange things neatly to please his eyes.
When driving, what speed and rhythm to maintain. Even turning and stopping had to consider the comfort of Hachiman in the back seat.
When cooking, from handling ingredients to eating to washing dishes, every step had to fully satisfy him, all to maximize his enjoyment.
'Th-this kind of thing can be analyzed?'
'Did he just enhance my knowledge by that much?'
'Using such an outrageous ability for teaching is absurd! And why is everything about serving Hachiman?'
"W-wait! I believe you! I believe it! Master, stop, don't continue!"
Kirisu Mafuyu suddenly realized her thoughts were going in strange directions. Her expression changed, and she hurriedly pressed her hands on the table to stop him.
"Mafuyu?"
Mizuho Kazami looked at her in confusion. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly felt even more force applied to her legs, as if urging her to try harder.
This time, not just her arches and toes, but even her knees and thighs were being pressed.
'Wait! My knees and thighs are touching?'
Realizing this, Mizuho Kazami couldn't help turning to look at Kirisu Mafuyu.
She saw Mafuyu leaning forward, hands pressed on the table, face flushed red, biting her lips tightly, her expression a mix of embarrassment and panic, as if glaring at Hachiman, yet also pleading with him.
'That is really Mafuyu?'
'Mafuyu is serving the master together with me?'
Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei had both experienced the power of the teaching aura. They knew how intense it felt when knowledge flooded the mind, so Kirisu Mafuyu's sudden behavior didn't surprise them much.
Kushida Kikyo, however, was experiencing it for the first time. At first she was a bit confused, but with the effect of the aura, and since she wasn't stupid, she quickly understood just by observing the surroundings and people's reactions.
Now she fully understood why, back in the library, Karuizawa Kei, Maya Sato, and Sakura Airi had gathered around Hachiman, lying on the table while he tutored them alone.
So Kei had already been getting private tutoring from him back then.
And when he said students with poor grades could get full marks, he meant Sato and Sakura?
'This is outrageous!'
Just thinking about someone like Sakura Airi, whose grades were terrible, being in Kei's group and surpassing her made Kushida Kikyo furious.
'And I only found out about this now!'
'I worked so hard to serve Hachiman! I even went out of her way to bring people in to please him!'
Thinking of that made her even angrier.
'Next time, I will have to bring Hiyori and Ibuki to get tutoring from him too! I can't let Kei and the others have it all to themselves!'
Realizing that Hachiman possessed such an outrageous, almost magical ability to boost learning talent on a wide scale, Kushida Kikyo's mind filled with ideas.
Simply throwing money at people wasn't as effective as improving their grades.
Not every student had financial problems. Not everyone needed money like she did. But every student faced exams and academic struggles.
If their grades soared after being tutored by him, the sense of achievement would far surpass money. Something money couldn't replace.
After all, many students only liked money vaguely. Once the amount got large enough, they lost a clear sense of its value.
But grades were different. As long as they were in school, the attention from teachers, classmates, and family made grades more important than money.
Take Ibuki Mio from Class C, good athletic ability, skilled physically, but average grades. That weakness alone would be enough to hook her.
Even Suzune Horikita, who always studied alone diligently, would likely approach Hachiman on her own, not just for money, but for this.
Even Kamuro Masumi, who stayed by Sakayanagi Arisu's side, might be poached to become one of her "dogs".
Although this ability ultimately depended on Hachiman, and she couldn't guarantee those people would stay loyal to her, as long as she made him like her and acknowledge her contributions, that was enough.
Once she replaced Shion as head maid, these student maids wouldn't matter as much. She could recruit from outside school.
There must be many like Kanzaki Sayaka and Ebihara Urara elsewhere.
As Kushida Kikyo excitedly imagined a future where she stood above everyone except one, she pressed down Kirisu Mafuyu's fidgeting feet, making Mafuyu and Mizuho's legs cross and restrain each other so they wouldn't suddenly pull back.
Watching Kushida go further and further down the path of pleasing Hachiman, Ichinose Honami hesitated, feeling that Kushida might end up harming herself.
After all, competing in pleasing Hachiman was far too intense. Even Iris and Feng were competing, how could Kushida compare?
But now Mafuyu had stretched her leg out herself. How could she persuade Kushida to stop?
In a way, Kushida and Ayano were the same, willing to do anything to please Hachiman.
The difference was that Kushida did it for power and money, wanting to rise above others, driven by ambition.
Ayano, on the other hand, simply wanted more of Hachiman's affection. Even willing to drag her close friends in as sacrifices, just to keep his attention on her a little longer.
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