'Hiss... that scene would probably be incredibly, incredibly intense.'
While playing with and punishing the tabi-wearing kimono, quiet and timid succubus Sakurase Shino, and the white-silk gym uniform gyaru Kitagawa Marin, Hachiman was already thinking about how he would deal with Shion, Asai Saki, and Kamijou Maki later, and even the upgraded ten-person stage of beautiful girls in the next round.
The maid Shion, who looked pure on the surface but was actually quite scheming, wasn't any less perverted than Asai Saki or Kamijou Maki. She just leaned toward a sadistic masochist type.
However, the more he enjoyed himself, the more he realized the limitations of the empathy bracelet.
It wasn't that the empathy bracelet was bad, but a two-person version was far from enough. He'd probably need a five-person version to properly cover all the girls surrounding him and serving him at the same time.
"Master, can I try again? I'm a maid. Failing to serve you properly is my fault."
Seeing that Hachiman would rather press another timer to play with the kimono girl Sakurase Shino than "bully" her, Hayasaka Ai took a deep breath, squeezed herself in between Kitagawa Marin and Sakurase Shino, leaned her back against the wall of the Desire Barrier, and wrapped her arms around Hachiman's neck on her own.
"Ai, you don't need to force yourself. I'm having plenty of fun right now. Take your time to get used to it."
Hachiman had just been about to move over to tease Sakurase Shino when Hayasaka Ai joined in again. Her long, smooth black-stockinged legs hooked around his waist on their own initiative, making him admire her professional dedication.
Not teasing her meant he wasn't treating her as a maid? That she hadn't done her job properly?
Clearly, Hayasaka Ai wasn't the timid kind of maid who feared being blamed. She simply wanted to fulfill her duty of serving her master.
"M-master... I can do it. Please, don't worry about me. Let me serve you properly..."
Hayasaka Ai pressed her already moist lips together. Her body was still trembling slightly, as if she hadn't fully recovered from before, but she stared straight at Hachiman, locking eyes with him, her pale arms tightening slightly around his neck.
At such a close distance, they could both feel each other's heated breath.
This time, however, Hachiman didn't refuse her again.
Perhaps to Hayasaka Ai, as an excellent maid, she should always be ready to devote herself to her master at any time.
But to him, a maid as capable, obedient, and sensible as Hayasaka Ai deserved to be cherished properly, to have her layers of disguise peeled away bit by bit, until he became her true master.
———
At the sofa where the band group was.
"Yumiko, look, Hachiman even specifically said your name."
"What does that have to do with me? He said your name too, Nijika, so why don't you mention that? He obviously guessed it was Marin right away and just said that to tease her."
Hearing Ijichi Nijika trying to speak up for Hachiman again, Miura Yumiko rolled her eyes and replied irritably.
"That guy is obviously a super playboy jerk. He just finished messing with Marin and now he's messing with that new blonde maid. Why are you speaking up for him?"
As for the others in the service club, she wasn't that familiar with them and couldn't interfere anyway.
She didn't even know how Hikigaya had managed to charm Nijika and Marin. Originally, she had been the one teaming up with Yuina and the others to "bully" him, but now his relationship with Marin and Nijika was even closer than hers.
They even let him do whatever he wanted in the classroom without resisting, blushing and half-accepting. Since they were fine with it, she couldn't really say anything alone.
Every time, the three of them would regret it together afterward. Really... she didn't even know what to say.
"Uh... I wasn't speaking up for Hachiman. We're just playing a game, right? Him saying that was probably just to remind Marin that he already figured out who she was."
Seeing that Miura Yumiko was in a bad mood, Ijichi Nijika scratched her cheek awkwardly and explained in a low voice, though she was quietly muttering to herself inside.
Yumiko was being tsundere again, wasn't she? If she really didn't want this, would she still be sitting here watching Marin get messed with by Hachiman?
Was she upset because the one being messed with wasn't her, but Marin?
Very likely. When it was her turn, she didn't want to go. But once it became Marin's turn, she started regretting it and wanted to join.
Her sister was exactly like this. Tsun, tsun, tsun all the way. A full ten-star tsundere, with nine stars going into the "tsun."
But precisely because of her sister, she had plenty of experience dealing with tsunderes. That's why she could see through Yumiko's thoughts. Otherwise, most people would probably think Yumiko didn't like Hachiman and would side with her in rejecting him.
Of course, she couldn't say any of this. Even if she did, Yumiko wouldn't admit it. All she could do was work quietly with Marin to help Yumiko open up to Hachiman instead of always putting up a front.
"It's fine. There's still a lot of time tonight. Even the most stubborn ones will end up begging."
Yamada Ryou licked an ice cream cone brought by a maid while watching Hayasaka Ai on the big screen being pressed against the wall and clinging tightly to Hachiman. She then glanced at Ijichi Nijika and Miura Yumiko, who were still in their "deep friendship" mode, and spoke calmly.
Anyone who could appear here had already accepted things to some extent. Besides, Yumiko had already been transported with them into that family restaurant and thoroughly "dealt with" by Hachiman.
However, her relationship with Yumiko wasn't that close, more like a friend of a friend, so she didn't care about Yumiko's awkwardness or tsundere attitude. That was Nijika's concern.
After finishing one ice cream cone, Yamada Ryou picked up a slice of matcha cake, scooping it into her mouth as she looked around the large living room filled with clusters of beautiful girls and various small groups, quietly sighing to herself.
Even though everyone could use shared-sense collars or wristbands at home, so many people still came here. Were they trying to enjoy this kind of group excitement together? Very rock and roll.
Maybe it was because exams had just ended today. Even though the holiday wouldn't officially start until after school tomorrow, everyone was already relaxing tonight.
On top of that, with so many transfer students and demi-humans joining, tonight could be said to be the most crowded and lively night in the service club.
With so many people gathered, many small groups were secretly enjoying the stimulation. You could even faintly hear some suppressed sounds from afar. But compared to what was playing on the big screen, those sounds were nothing, so no one paid attention. Instead, more and more people boldly activated shared-sense.
Because of Yumiko and Bocchi, the atmosphere around the band group was relatively proper, but Yamada Ryou wasn't in the best mood.
She had originally planned to use the weekend to have Hachiman practice and rehearse with them again, maybe meet the band members she had lent money to, and take the opportunity to secure more investment.
But now it seemed Hachiman might not have time this weekend, so she would have to figure things out herself.
A lifelong band... it wasn't that easy.
Even for her, it was about the same. If Hachiman hadn't taken over her family's hospital, after a few more years she'd have to go back and gradually take over its management.
Unless everyone was like Bocchi, an easy-to-handle, socially anxious introvert, most people would play in a band for a few years and then return to reality, finding a stable job instead of juggling work and band life.
After all, ending up like Nijika's older sister, playing in a band until becoming an older unmarried woman, would be troublesome.
"(╥﹏╥)"
Noticing Yamada Ryou's meaningful gaze, Gotou Hitori, who was already curled up in the corner of the sofa biting her straw, suddenly trembled and shrank even further, lowering her head deeply so that her long pink bangs almost completely covered her delicate face.
'What's going on?'
She had been quietly sipping her drink in small sips, only occasionally glancing up at Marin, Hayasaka, and Shino being vigorously "handled." So why had Ryou set her sights on her again?
Without even needing Nijika to remind her, after spending time together, Gotou Hitori already knew that Yamada Ryou was incredibly unreliable.
It was one thing that she borrowed money and never repaid it. Hachiman gave her plenty of allowance, and she saved most of it in her piggy bank for the future when she'd marry him. But she had personally seen Ryou trick other girls into signing contracts while drunk.
If they couldn't repay, they'd have to sell themselves to Hachiman?
Even though it was to her best friend Hachiman, she still felt that Ryou had once again shattered her understanding of how low she could go.
Gotou Hitori's thoughts raced anxiously, worried that Ryou might come up with some bad idea targeting her.
With Hachiman around, Ryou wouldn't go too far.
But what if it was under the pretense of helping her get closer to Hachiman? Then she wouldn't be able to refuse.
When she finally felt Ryou's burning gaze leave her and shift elsewhere, Gotou Hitori let out a sigh of relief.
Although she had become familiar with her bandmates in a special way, mainly maintaining a good relationship with Nijika, she still wasn't used to Ryou's lack of restraint.
And of course, she wasn't used to such a lively environment either. So many strangers gathered together, if she couldn't leave at any time, she'd probably shut down completely.
But if those people were currently being "handled" by Hachiman, she wouldn't be afraid of them.
Once she saw Hachiman "deal with" all the girls around her, she probably wouldn't be afraid of anyone anymore.
Miura and Kita were like that. After seeing them with tears streaming down their faces, unable to speak, she suddenly felt closer to them.
Ryou was an exception. Unless she was currently occupied and couldn't pay attention, Gotou Hitori would still worry about her suddenly coming up with some bad idea… even dragging everyone into awkwardness together.
Gotou Hitori secretly glanced at Miura Yumiko, who looked hot-tempered, then looked toward Kita Ikuyo on the sofa next to them.
Sitting on the sofa beside the band group was the gyaru collective.
Originally, Kita Ikuyo had been sitting next to her, but she had been pulled over by Yuina, Minami, and Rin.
The three gyarus usually liked participating in service club activities, but today they hadn't immediately activated their shared-sense wristbands. After seeing another blonde beauty like Hayasaka Ai turn into a "puff," they instead showed a strange sense of melancholy, huddling together and whispering.
"What about Sato? I feel like she's got some interest in Hachiman and wants to join our conversations."
"She transferred from Advanced Nurturing High. Karuizawa and Kushida are probably already in contact with her."
"What about Sasaki's group?"
"Sasaki, Hamasaki, and Kurumizaka hang out together. If we want to pull them in, we'd have to bring all three at once. That's not easy."
"Then what about Nogami's group?"
"No, no, that's even worse. They're also a group of three, and their reputation is much worse than Sasaki's."
As the discussion went deeper, Minami, Rin, and Yuina looked at each other. Realizing how difficult recruitment was, they all helplessly lay back on the sofa, watching Hachiman clearing the game on the big screen, and couldn't help but activate their shared-sense wristbands to relax.
How had their relationship with Hachiman developed to this point?
At first, they just felt Sobu High had too many girls and not enough good-looking guys. After noticing Hachiman had potential, they wanted to raise him into a handsome boyfriend themselves. Later, when they saw he liked Gabriel, they even wanted to help him win her over.
But reality always changed faster than their plans.
Before long, Hachiman became dazzling, and now he was so radiant that countless beautiful girls surrounded him.
Of course, they hadn't misjudged him. Even now, Hachiman still spent the most time with them.
In class, even with girls like Ichinose Honami, Nijika, Marin, and Yumiko around him, he still hung out with them the most.
It was just that recently, Hachiman spent less time attending class, so they couldn't gather around his desk after lessons like before.
Now everyone in the service club was competing internally, so they naturally wanted to contribute as well. They couldn't just rely on being early members and do nothing, especially when Princess Iris was constantly recruiting.
Normally, a group of three was enough, but in the service club, three people were too few. There weren't even substitutes if someone collapsed. Without teaming up with other groups, they wouldn't be able to satisfy Hachiman even if given the chance.
If they could recruit new members to strengthen their gyaru group, they could both justify spending more intimate time with Hachiman and avoid him growing tired of them.
Even if Hachiman wouldn't abandon old for new, compared to so many noble girls who were just as proactive, passionate, and superior in looks, figure, and demeanor, the three of them really lacked confidence.
Although Sobu High had many beautiful girls, there were also many small groups. Randomly recruiting could easily intrude on another group's territory.
In the end, they realized the gyaru circle was the most familiar to them and had the least overlap with other groups.
But after going through the gyaru circle, they found it was still difficult to recruit.
Most gyarus were ordinary people. Outstanding ones like Marin had already been "taken." The remaining approachable ones either already had their own groups or had decent looks but poor reputations.
"Let's just ask. It's not like Hachiman would dislike us. If we go from three to six, we'd have more combinations to play with him. Hamasaki's group seems pretty good. I've only heard some bad rumors from the boys, but they seem fine in daily interactions."
"Actually, I think Nogami's group could work too. It's not like we have to stick to pure romance. Those girls who like bullying others should get bullied properly once."
After a long silence, Minami and Rin looked at each other, slowly bringing their legs together, and spoke at the same time.
Although every gyaru group was a trio, making it hard to merge, recruiting others seemed even harder.
If they didn't look within the gyaru circle, where else could they find new members?
The student council, disciplinary committee, sports clubs, all already included most students. After excluding clubs like tea ceremony, gaming, and art, there weren't many ordinary students left. And approaching strangers with such topics would definitely be rejected.
"Wait, let's put Hamasaki aside for now. Rin, you mean... let Nogami's group accept Hachiman's 'training'?"
Yuina understood they didn't have many choices either, unless they snatched targeted newcomers ahead of others. But hearing Rin say they didn't need pure romance and wanted to "bully" Nogami's group left her speechless.
Before, they were only misunderstood as bullies. Now were they actually going to play a bullying game?
"What's the problem? Yumiko and the others can join too."
Usually, Minami would argue with Rin, but this time, hearing her idea, she became excited.
"Yumiko, Marin, Nijika, plus us makes six."
"In the future, if Hamasaki and Nogami loosen up, we can play six-versus-six bullying games together."
"Three per team, two teams compete, the other two teams rotate as substitutes. Losers take the penalty, winners continue. That way everyone gets to play," Rin added. "But first we need to train Nogami's group properly, thoroughly turn them into Hachiman's s!aves."
"Anyway, the service club accepts requests. Educating problematic students can count as club activity experience."
"We're not as strong as demi-humans, nor as noble as those rich girls and princesses, so we need numbers to gain an advantage in future activities."
"Yeah, Rin's right. That actually sounds pretty good… Our class only has Kotegawa left now. We really should start figuring out how to recruit gyarus from other classes."
Yuina nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly turned to Kita Ikuyo, who had been pulled over from the band group.
"Kita, what do you think? Who should we recruit first, Nogami's group or Hamasaki's?"
Hmm... Kita Ikuyo was also a gyaru, but unlike their tight-knit group, she was more like Marin, popular, outgoing, and good at socializing, always energizing the class.
If Hachiman hadn't already gotten to her first, they probably would have tried to recruit her too. Even though her figure wasn't outstanding, her cheerful personality made her just as popular as Marin.
But without them doing anything, Hachiman had already "taken care of" Kita Ikuyo, Marin, and Nijika. It made them sigh, he really was the Hachiman they liked.
Although they weren't bad-looking themselves and even had better figures than Kita Ikuyo, in Sobu High they seemed average. Compared to girls like Marin, Kita, Nijika, and Yumiko, they were indeed a bit lacking.
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