It made it seem like they had just arrived. They had been standing there watching for so long.
"I told you, I've never had a boyfriend, and I've never gone on a date with a man, so I really don't understand this kind of thing."
Kashima Risako said this with complete confidence. Not knowing was normal, right? Everyone had things they were good at and things they weren't. She didn't normally use this kind of knowledge in her daily life, so she had never looked into it deeply.
"This isn't about whether you've had a boyfriend or not! I've never had one either, but I still know this!"
Kisaragi Miyuki really wanted to keep complaining, but looking at the clear, stupid look in Kashima Risako's eyes, she could only choose to believe that Kashima Risako truly didn't understand these things. Blushing, she whispered an explanation into Kashima Risako's ear about what Hachiman had just done.
"It's that, you know, between a man and a woman... that... oral stuff..."
"Does that count too? Shouldn't it be Hikigaya-kun... and Sakayanagi-san... See, it changed again. Why is Kurumi using her chest?"
Kashima Risako stuck half her head out again to sneak a few more peeks, feeling that something wasn't right. That wasn't how health class had explained it.
Hard to understand. Could you have a child that way?
But if it wasn't for having children, then why do something that wastes both time and physical and mental energy, leaving you listless and exhausted?
"That's called, called ple... just using the chest for that, it's called, called..."
Given how absurdly lacking Kashima Risako's knowledge was, Kisaragi Miyuki's earlobes turned red as she explained.
She had always been told by Kurumi that she lacked femininity, that she looked cold on the outside and couldn't take a joke, that she was actually slow and clumsy, and that if she didn't get a boyfriend soon, she'd end up an old leftover like Shizuka-senpai.
She never expected someone to be more clueless than her.
With a figure that full and mature, she should have understood romance topics well enough.
"It's not for having children? Then aren't they lovers with Hikigaya-kun?"
After hearing Kisaragi Miyuki's fragmented explanation, Kashima Risako covered her mouth in surprise. The moment she pulled her head back, she couldn't help but stick it out again toward the bedroom bed.
She had thought that what happened between men and women was simply hugging each other, plain and easy to understand.
She never expected today to open her eyes so wide.
It wasn't just two people facing each other while hugging; there was also back-to-back, hip-to-hip, three of them together, and even several people stacked on top of each other.
She'd take another look or two... get a little more familiar with today's youth.
However, this time when she looked over, she saw a figure blocking her entire view.
That person was looking down at her.
"You two... were sneaking a peek from here without making a sound. Did you enjoy it? Or should I take you to the bedside, where you can get a closer look?"
Kushida Kikyo put her hands on her hips and smiled brightly at Kashima Risako and Kisaragi Miyuki.
She had been wondering how to bring the group drinking in the hallway into the room.
Even though the bed was already packed, none of them were her people, so she had wanted to offer the mature, voluptuous Chabashira Sae, Kashima Risako, and the others to Hachiman.
She never expected them to deliver themselves right to her doorstep.
Now she couldn't hold back anymore.
"Kushida-san..."
Seeing the sweet, gentle smile on Kushida Kikyo's face, both Kashima Risako and Kisaragi Miyuki tensed up at once. Their expressions grew rigid, and they both instinctively tried to get up and run out.
They didn't know much about Kushida Kikyo, only that she was sociable and had quickly integrated into Sobu High after arriving, becoming friends with many students.
Even they, who weren't in charge of Kushida Kikyo, could still exchange greetings with her when they met.
But they had already secretly glimpsed just how humble and fawning Kushida Kikyo was in front of Hachiman.
Not just Kushida Kikyo, but Satou Maya, Karuizawa Kei, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Kamuro Masumi, all of them obeyed Hachiman in every way.
Now that Kushida Kikyo had caught them peeping, if they didn't run, they wouldn't be able to escape later.
Mixing in with girls like Kamuro Masumi, Sakura Airi, and Sakayanagi Arisu, that was exactly what happened to Itashiro Kurumi.
"Since you're here, don't leave. Come join us and have some fun~"
Kushida Kikyo didn't panic when she saw Kisaragi Miyuki and Kashima Risako turn to run. She calmly sidestepped to the doorway and looked at Kashima Risako and Kisaragi Miyuki, who had hurriedly stopped and tried to run back the other way. Her smile grew even brighter and more radiant.
She hadn't been a magical girl for long, and she hadn't received much development or training from Hachiman either. If she were expected to be some kind of combat maid, she definitely couldn't handle any strong opponents. At best, she could serve as a personal maid handling logistics.
But dealing with ordinary people like Kashima Risako and Kisaragi Miyuki was more than enough for her abilities.
Still, what she didn't understand was, did Kashima Risako and Kisaragi Miyuki really just come here on their own?
Maybe she should wait a bit longer, gather more people, and bring them all over later to serve their master together.
It wasn't like there was any room on the bed right now anyway. She might as well wait until the master finished with Kamuro Masumi, Sakayanagi Arisu, and the others. In the meantime, she could round up more people and surprise the master with a big gift.
Even though she needed to maintain her gentle, considerate persona in front of her classmates, she felt she didn't have to keep up that act when dealing with these adults who had already entered the workforce.
"Kikyo, they all came in together because I used a little magic. You can't steal my credit."
At that moment, Karuizawa Kei quietly emerged from the bedroom and blocked Kisaragi Miyuki and Kashima Risako from the front, while Kushida Kikyo blocked them from behind. She gestured for Kushida Kikyo to look at the room's entrance.
"Magic? Teleportation magic?"
Kushida Kikyo was taken aback by this. She looked down at the floor and quickly noticed something off.
Actually, Kashima Risako walking into the wrong room hadn't been because she was drunk or by accident.
The main reason was that Karuizawa Kei had set up a simple teleportation magic circle at the doorways of Kirisu Mafuyu's, Chabashira Sae's, and Hoshinomiya Chie's rooms.
Once they passed through a doorway with the teleportation magic circle, they would be directly transported to this room.
The rooms were close together, requiring little magical energy, so Karuizawa Kei didn't need to interfere much. She simply opened the door and stayed in the bedroom.
Since ordinary people had no magical power, they couldn't detect the teleportation magic. Even if they tried to open the front door from the room to leave, they would be teleported right back to the entrance.
"..."
Kushida Kikyo watched Kisaragi Miyuki and Kashima Risako try to sneak past her and escape, only to appear right in front of her again before they could even step out of the room. She fell silent once more.
This Karuizawa Kei character, her bottom line wasn't any higher than Kushida's.
To please Hachiman, Karuizawa Kei would stoop to anything.
Still... she wasn't about to lose.
Staring at the two blue-haired, busty beauties, Kashima Risako and Kisaragi Miyuki, Kushida Kikyo's figure suddenly vanished from where she stood.
"Miyuki..."
"Risako..."
Kashima Risako and Kisaragi Miyuki looked at each other when they saw Kushida Kikyo disappear, feeling powerless.
Not only were they not relieved, but they also felt that trouble was coming.
It couldn't be that they were just letting them go, could it? They had already tried and couldn't escape at all. Karuizawa Kei and Kushida Kikyo just stood there watching them run.
Of course, their premonition was right.
As Kushida Kikyo's figure reappeared, three other figures also appeared in the room.
Kashima Risako was still wondering when the teleportation magic at the doorway would wear off, so she and Kisaragi Miyuki could figure out a chance to escape.
If they didn't escape, they'd really be dragged onto the bed soon.
If they waited any longer, they might even be caught red-handed by Kirisu Mafuyu, Hoshinomiya Chie, Matsubara Miria, and the others in the hallway, whose voices were gradually dying down.
But all those thoughts vanished from her mind when she saw the three figures behind Kushida Kikyo. She was completely stunned.
Of course, among those three, Hanamori Kotomi was just as confused to see Kashima Risako in this room.
She looked at the beaming Kushida Kikyo, then at Kashima Risako, who seemed about to speak but slowly closed her mouth again. Soon, she understood the situation from Karuizawa Kei.
She hadn't intended to drag Kashima Risako into this, but because of her, Kashima Risako still ended up getting pulled in.
"Kotomi-nee, you and Risako-nee are close, so you can explain the situation to Risako. The rest of you, come with me to serve the master."
Kushida Kikyo addressed them directly by name, left Kashima Risako to Hanamori Kotomi, and then led Kisaragi Miyuki, along with Karuizawa Kei, Ebihara Urara, Mizuho Kazami, into the bedroom.
Hachiman hadn't meant for Hanamori Kotomi and the others to come over and serve him as well, since they had already taken turns serving him several times in Kirisu Mafuyu's room while she was cleaning.
But Kushida Kikyo knew that Hanamori Kotomi and the others were too embarrassed to drag people into this, and she also understood the collective mentality of following the majority.
Even if Mizuho Kazami and the others didn't need to come up and serve Hachiman themselves, and didn't need to personally pull anyone in, just providing support from the sidelines and livening up the atmosphere would significantly reduce the resistance to bringing others in.
That's how most people are, they're especially worried about being ostracized for doing something outrageous. But once they see everyone else doing the same thing, they gradually start to accept it as well.
If they're not allowed to join in, they start to worry about being the odd one out who isn't part of the group.
It's the same in class cliques, and it's the same in the workplace. Very few people can ignore everything and not fear being isolated or excluded.
Ebihara Urara, Hiratsuka Shizuka, Hanamori Kotomi, Shizumi Suzune, Mizuho Kazami, and half of Kirisu Mafuyu.
With so many people, their side already accounted for nearly half of tonight's gathering. Add to that the crowd in Karuizawa Kei's room, and they held the vast majority advantage.
Kisaragi Miyuki, Kashima Risako, Chabashira Sae, Hoshinomiya Chie, Tachibana Hinata, these people were the minority.
Once they were surrounded, they'd be dragged into it and "switch sides" to become one of their own.
Hanamori Kotomi naturally understood this very well. Although she had a bit of a soft heart and was called stupid by Hachiman, she wasn't actually that foolish. How could she not see Kushida Kikyo's obvious move?
When Kushida Kikyo brought her over and gave her the chance to be alone with Risako, she immediately understood what Kushida Kikyo was thinking.
She hadn't wanted to involve Risako, but Kushida Kikyo and the others didn't see it that way.
"Kotomi, could it be that you approached Hikigaya-kun to resolve the Sakashita incident?"
Kashima Risako still didn't realize she had been targeted by Kushida Kikyo. Noticing Kushida Kikyo's attitude toward them, she looked at Hanamori Kotomi, who should have been in another room with Ebihara Urara and Mizuho Kazami, and couldn't help but voice her suspicion.
She had been suspicious before. Hanamori Kotomi and Hiratsuka Shizuka had slipped into the student guidance office, closed the door for a long time, and only opened it later, with no idea what they were up to.
But back then, she couldn't find anyone else in the student guidance office no matter how she searched. It wasn't until today, seeing Hanamori Kotomi in this room, that she dared to be sure.
Because Hanamori Kotomi and Hachiman had almost no prior connection. If there was now a special relationship between them, it was almost certainly because of the convenience store incident where Sakashita was falsely accused and took the blame.
"No, no! You've got it wrong, Risako!"
Seeing Kashima Risako start to imagine what she had been through, Hanamori Kotomi quickly interrupted, explaining awkwardly in a low voice.
"Although it's true that Hikigaya-kun helped resolve that matter... but... but..."
"How should I put it... Hikigaya-kun is a little bit bad, but my relationship with Hikigaya-kun isn't as terrible as you imagine."
To be fair, Hikigaya-kun had sort of bullied her back then, because he said she could only ask him for help from now on, but asking him meant being pulled into his arms and teased.
But now... now she couldn't bring herself to say Hikigaya-kun was bullying her.
Because she hadn't actually resisted or had any real intention to fight back. Even when she occasionally complained out loud, it sounded more like acting spoiled.
Every time she went home and replayed it in her mind, she felt like she was enjoying being teased by Hikigaya-kun.
"Kotomi, are you dating Hikigaya-kun?"
If they were dating, then it would make sense for Hachiman to help Hanamori Kotomi solve the problem.
Even though just from what she'd seen, it was enough to prove that Hachiman was a complete scumbag.
"Of course not! There's no way I'm dating Hikigaya-kun!"
Hanamori Kotomi immediately shook her head.
Who was she, and who was Hikigaya-kun?
Even if Hikigaya-kun wanted to, she wouldn't dare to think about it.
The daughter of a lawmaker, Ichinose Ayano, stayed by Hikigaya-kun's side as his pet; Even Tsubaki, the eldest daughter of the Rurikawa family, came and went from Hikigaya-kun's house as Kaede's best friend and as Hikigaya-kun's lover; the mermaid princess, who was about to offer up the many beautiful idol girls from her talent agency to Hikigaya-kun, was still only a lover. There was no way it would ever be her turn to date Hikigaya-kun.
Even though her relationship with Hikigaya-kun was already more intimate than that of a normal couple, that kind of relationship was far from enough in the Service Club.
"Kotomi... I'll go with you to see Hikigaya-kun! No matter what trouble you're in, I'll face it with you!"
Seeing Hanamori Kotomi deny the dating relationship without hesitation, Kashima Risako immediately understood the nature of their relationship and said seriously.
If they weren't lovers but had that kind of relationship, what else could it be?
She didn't think Hanamori Kotomi's personality would lead her to actively seduce Hachiman. That left only one answer: Hachiman was blackmailing Hanamori Kotomi.
At the cost of herself, she got Hachiman to resolve the convenience store incident, help amend Sakashita's disciplinary record, restore her reputation, and arrange for her to transfer to another school.
It had to be said, Hanamori Kotomi's sacrifice was indeed great. If this ever came to light, not only would there be a lot of gossip and strange looks from those around her, but it would also be hard for her to continue staying at Sobu High.
[🫠 New Fanfic—"ReZero: I Transmigrated, But My Life is Still Miserable". Add it to the collection and leave some powerstones. I really want it to reach collection and popularity ranking so I would be glad if you all helped. Have a great day~]