"Ohana, don't space out. We should sit down."
Yukino Chitose hadn't expected to see this scene either, but she knew this wasn't the time for them to stand around in a daze. She hurriedly pulled Matsumae Ohana forward, and the two of them knelt on either side of Hachiman.
The girls who had come with Hachiman had all gone to other rooms to eat. Apart from the maids, there was only Hachiman in this room. Even Miss Kijou Suzuka was nowhere to be seen. It was obvious that they were being made to sit on either side of Hachiman and attend to him.
Seeing that Yukino Chitose was quite self-aware, Hayasaka Ai didn't say anything and silently knelt down beside the entrance.
"Master, we'll go take a look in the kitchen. Please wait a moment."
After Sayo and Akira finished washing Hachiman's face and wiping away the water, they fastened their buttons, picked up the towel and basin, stood up, and left the room.
Once they were out of Matsumae Ohana and the others' sight, the two of them took a deep breath at the same time, doing their best to calm their rapidly pounding hearts and make the flush on their cheeks fade.
They had stayed at the Rurikawa household for so long without leaving, and had long since mentally prepared themselves for their future.
But there were simply too many beautiful girls around Young Master Hachiman, so there had never been time for him to properly enjoy them. Every time they served Young Master Hachiman at close range, it ended after only a brief taste.
This left them both embarrassed and helpless.
Because they were stuck in this awkward state, they couldn't pretend to be proper while serving Young Master Hachiman, but neither could they devote themselves to serving him wholeheartedly like Miss Rurikawa.
"Master, I'm Yukino Chitose, the proprietress of Kinhou-rou. I'd like to come serve you together with Ohana. Is that all right?"
Seeing the two maids leave, Yukino Chitose hurriedly introduced herself to Hachiman in a careful voice.
Hayasaka Ai said nothing. She didn't know whether Hachiman would be displeased that she had followed them over without permission.
"That's right, Master. I don't have much experience, and I don't know how to serve you. Could you let Chitose accompany me while I serve you?"
Seeing this, Ohana Matsumae immediately opened her mouth and explained why Yukino Chitose had come along.
But she also didn't know how to show what made her special. She had only just arrived at her grandmother's Kissuiso. Not only was she unfamiliar with the other workers, she didn't even know what she was supposed to do or not supposed to do herself.
Especially just now…
She had personally witnessed Hachiman needing someone to serve him even when he was simply washing his face.
As a proprietress, when serving guests drinks, was she only supposed to pour the alcohol? Or did she have to do something mouth-to-mouth? Or was she supposed to feed him while washing his face like the maids?
Just thinking about it sounded completely wrong, and she seemed to lack the ample assets those two maids had. She was afraid it would just spill straight down…
"No problem. As long as you're willing to come, that's enough. Relax a little. Just chat and eat with me normally."
Seeing that both of them were flustered and embarrassed, especially with Matsumae Ohana's face unusually flushed and radiant, Hachiman smiled. He didn't tease them and directly stated what he wanted.
Just as Yukino Chitose had guessed, he mainly wanted to experience what it was like to have a hot-spring inn proprietress serve him. Otherwise, why would he need to make a special trip to a hot-spring inn? If he wanted to enjoy the service of beautiful girls, there were plenty of places he could do that.
But seeing Matsumae Ohana here had indeed surprised him a little. He had thought he might encounter some kind of hot spring thing, but he had booked out this hot-spring inn, or rather, he had acquired the hot-spring inn, so outsiders couldn't enter. Naturally, only the beautiful female staff who had originally worked here remained.
Matsumae Ohana… the heroine of Hanasaku Iroha. Although he didn't particularly like some of the plotlines in it, he really liked Matsumae Ohana as a girl who knew little about the ways of the world yet was extremely strong.
Since the Kijou Group had acquired Kissuiso, where Matsumae Ohana worked, they might as well let her work for him.
["Ding."]
["Character quest triggered, Secret Hot Spring Tour."]
["Ding."]
["Secret Hot Spring Tour character quest completed."]
["Quest reward: Special location, Hot-Spring Inn."]
[Hot-Spring Inn (Service Inn): Soaking in the hot spring and staying at the inn can beautify and nourish the skin, relieve stress, and heal the body and mind.]
(PS: The more members staying there, the better the effects of the hot spring and inn.)
(PS: Club members can freely travel back and forth through the Service Club. Non-club members require a special invitation to enter.)
Hmm…
Without him knowing, it seemed that the Kijou Group had already cleaned up all the potential problems with the hot-spring inn, to the point that the character quest was completed immediately after being triggered.
The Service Inn had now also become an exclusive special location of the Service Club. There was no need for the Kijou Group girls to spend time setting up teleportation magic. From now on, they could simply teleport there directly.
However, the effects of this Service Inn were somewhat similar to those of the club training camp.
If he designated the Service Inn as the club's training camp, wouldn't they be able to relieve stress, improve their relationships, and increase the effectiveness of their training as soon as they checked in?
Maybe he could give it a try tonight.
"Okay, okay… Thank you, Master…"
Looking at Hachiman, who had none of the imposing, condescending air she had imagined and was instead gentle and considerate, Matsumae Ohana slowly relaxed her tense body. Calling Hachiman "Master" no longer felt quite as embarrassing.
However, even though she knew Hachiman was friendly, she still didn't really understand how to please and serve him. She could only rely on Yukino Chitose to keep the atmosphere lively, talking about the hot-spring inn's history, her training as an apprentice proprietress, how she had officially become a proprietress only to encounter the acquisition, and how she now had to work hard to buy the hot-spring inn back.
Matsumae Ohana wanted to chat as freely as Yukino Chitose and add something about herself, but whenever the words reached her lips, she hesitated.
Were those things really suitable to talk about?
What she had to say had nothing much to do with the hot-spring inn. It was either her awful mother or her own unfortunate experiences. If she brought those topics out as jokes, they probably wouldn't be very funny either.
"Preisdent, I'm very sorry. We didn't make the arrangements in advance. Several chefs just arrived at the Service Inn, and only two chefs have finished preparing dinner for now."
Before Matsumae Ohana could remain silent for long, Kijou Suzuka, who had disappeared earlier, entered the room together with Sayo and Akira, carrying dinner.
The seemingly cold and arrogant young lady of the demon clan immediately knelt down in front of Hachiman and lowered her head in apology.
"It's fine. A simple meal is enough. I can't eat that many dishes by myself anyway."
Hachiman looked at Kijou Suzuka and smiled helplessly.
He didn't know whether Kijou Suzuka wanted to establish his authority in front of Matsumae Ohana, Yukino Chitose, and the other proprietesses of the hot-spring inn.
Even though Kijou Suzuka knew exactly what kind of person he was, and had already been intimate with him together with Aoe Akane and Senga Sera in the student council office.
Now that they finally had some private space, she actually hadn't sat in his arms and used her tongue to apologize*, and still had the mind to seriously explain the matter of the chefs to him.
"Thank you for your magnanimity, Preisdent."
"These dishes were prepared by Miss Takanashi Touka, the Italian head chef who will be working at the inn in the future."
"These sushi were prepared by Miss Inui Hinako, a graduate of Totsuki Academy and the former Second Seat of the Elite Ten."
Kijou Suzuka seemed not to notice the helplessness on Hachiman's face. She remained completely serious while having Sayo and Akira arrange the dishes on the long low table.
"The other chefs who just arrived are preparing the dishes they specialize in. After you finish these, Preisdent, you may have to wait a little longer."
"However, they are still students at Totsuki Academy and haven't graduated yet, so they may still be lacking in some areas. Please understand, Preisdent. If you have time, you can also give them some pointers."
Kijou Suzuka's words seemed to be flattering Hachiman and even asking him to guide the Totsuki Academy chefs, but it wasn't as though she had never been intimate with Hachiman at close range.
Naturally, she knew that apart from awakening Magical Girls and demi-human bloodlines that made girls both love and fear him, Hachiman also possessed many other special abilities.
For example, he could clear someone's mind and temporarily increase their learning efficiency. Even if Hachiman knew absolutely nothing about cooking, he could still personally guide these Totsuki Academy students on how to make more delicious dishes.
That was also why they had brought all these Totsuki Academy students over. Otherwise, finding some female chefs suitable for working at the Service Inn would have been extremely easy for the Service Club.
"Students and graduates of Totsuki Academy, huh… Hmm, we can talk about the guidance later."
Hachiman was somewhat surprised that both Takanashi Touka and Inui Hinako had been invited over to cook, and that even more people had been brought over to serve him. But after thinking about the various supernatural characters in this world, he didn't say anything.
"These dishes look really good. Suzuka, you all sit down and eat too."
"I still have to go hurry the kitchen along. Preisdent, please enjoy your meal. Ohana, Chitose, don't hesitate to eat. There will be plenty more dishes coming later."
Kijou Suzuka raised her head and looked at the somewhat puzzled Hachiman. She smiled faintly, leaned down, and kissed Hachiman before giving Matsumae Ohana and Yukino Chitose a few instructions, then taking Sayo and Akira back to the kitchen.
The Service Game themed around a hot-spring convention truly had its battlefield in the steaming hot springs, in the sleepless late hours of the night, and at all kinds of cosplay events tomorrow.
Everyone else was currently preparing for the Service Game, so she couldn't secretly eat ahead of them. During this time spent enjoying dinner, it was enough to let these two proprietesses serve him.
The entire hot-spring inn had been provided by their Kijou Group. If they served the Preisdent well and made him satisfied, he would come here often in the future. Mother and she certainly weren't short on this little bit of time.
"Mm, this is way, way too delicious!"
"How is that Totsuki chef so amazing?"
Hearing Kijou Suzuka say this, Matsumae Ohana immediately picked up her chopsticks and started eating the sushi. She might not know how to talk, but surely she knew how to eat.
However, even though Matsumae Ohana had tried her best to imagine just how amazing a specially invited master chef could be, the instant the sushi entered her mouth, it was still so delicious that she couldn't help clenching her legs together, her tender white toes curling tightly. She took several deep breaths before finally managing to restrain herself.
Although her mother didn't care much about her, she still gave her money for groceries. After cooking for so many years, cooking was practically the only ability she had any real confidence in. But compared to this seemingly simple sushi, she could immediately feel the gap.
She felt that no matter what, she could never make sushi this deliciou
There was simply no compariso.
Fortunately, she had never planned to make cooking her career. She might as well try this Italian cuisine too.
'Hmm, what?'
'No, wait?'
After Matsumae Ohana ate several pieces of incredibly delicious sushi and was just about to switch to a fork to eat the pasta, she suddenly froze. Biting down on her chopsticks, she stared blankly at Yukino Chitose, who was sitting on the other side of Hachiman.
One hand held chopsticks and picked up sushi, while the other was held underneath. Half of her body was pressed against Hachiman, and from time to time she carefully raised a cup of roasted green tea and brought it to Hachiman's lips.
No, wasn't she told to just eat freely? Why was Chitose still only concerned with feeding Master?
Realizing that something was wrong, Matsumae Ohana hurriedly put down the fork and picked up her chopsticks again. She was just about to imitate Yukino Chitose and feed Hachiman too, but when she looked at the chopsticks she had just eaten with, she didn't know whether she should continue picking up sushi with them or stick to Hachiman like Yukino Chitose.
'This is bad, bad, bad!'
Master told her to eat, and she really had just eaten by herself.
Noticing Matsumae Ohana's incredulous gaze, Yukino Chitose's already-red cheeks grew even hotter.
But her body remained pressed tightly against Hachiman. From time to time, her cherry lips whispered softly beside Hachiman's ear as she devoted herself to serving him his dinner.
This was a man whom even Miss Kijou Suzuka of the Kijou Group had to treat with respect and even a little flattery. A single happiness or anger of his could affect the fate of both her and Kinhou-rou, so she simply didn't dare slack off in the slightest.
If she hadn't genuinely lacked the experience and been afraid of making things worse by trying too hard, she might really have imitated the female attendants at those special hot-spring inns and served Hachiman mouth-to-mouth.
"This… Master, would you like to, to try some of mine too?"
Seeing that Yukino Chitose hadn't been affected by her at all and was still completely focused on serving Hachiman, Matsumae Ohana bit her lip. Hesitantly, she reversed the ends of the chopsticks that had been touched by her saliva, picked up a piece of sushi, and carefully imitated Yukino Chitose by pressing her soft body against Hachiman's arm.
However, before she could take the next step, Hachiman pinched the sushi that had been brought in front of him and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Mmmmmm!"
Matsumae Ohana hadn't expected Hachiman not only to refuse to eat it but to put it into her mouth instead. She instinctively closed her mouth in shock, but when she felt a texture and temperature in her mouth that were clearly different from the sushi, her entire body stiffened.
"Ohana, if you want to eat, just eat. You don't need to worry about me blaming you. Having Chitose serve me is enough."
Looking at Matsumae Ohana, whose face was flushed and whose entire body had stiffened, Hachiman smiled and pulled his finger out, pinching her cheek.
Although Matsumae Ohana had very delicate features, and her shoulder-length naturally curly hair made her look even cuter, she was clearly finding it difficult to serve him the way Yukino Chitose did.
When Yukino Chitose leaned over, she wrapped herself around him. When Matsumae Ohana leaned over, she really was just pressing herself against him.
Matsumae Ohana had no experience serving anyone and hadn't prepared herself mentally, so she couldn't relax. Pressing herself against him like this without any transition only made her whole body uncomfortable, leaving her unable to focus on serving him his meal.
"Mm…"
Matsumae Ohana struggled to swallow the tuna sushi she had originally wanted to feed Hachiman. At the same time, she looked at him in confusion, completely unable to understand why Hachiman had refused her.
"Chitose, you should try this Totsuki Academy graduate's cooking too. Of course, if you want me to feed you like Ohana, that's fine too."
Hachiman didn't continue explaining things to Matsumae Ohana. Instead, he turned toward Yukino Chitose, who was still holding her chopsticks in the same position, half her body leaning against him, and teased her with a smile.
Yukino Chitose had started training as an apprentice proprietress from a young age. Now she was a full-fledged proprietress who could handle things on her own. In many ways, she was more proper than Matsumae Ohana, who had been thrown into the role without preparation. Even when she had never done something before, she knew how it should be done and could endure her embarrassment and try her best to satisfy him.
However, he hoped the cautious and respectful Yukino Chitose could loosen up a little and serve him more naturally.
If one of the two proprietesses was shy while the other was lively, and they could tease and joke with each other from time to time while serving him, even taking the initiative to tempt him openly or subtly, that would feel pretty good.
But if both proprietesses were shy, then he would end up taking care of the proprietesses instead.
That couldn't be helped. He couldn't exactly expect an innocent girl who had never experienced such things to have enough experience and skill to seduce him expertly.
Even the female protagonists of the supernatural world who were naturally perverted would need to go through a process of starting shallowly and gradually progressing deeper.
Hmm… There wasn't really a problem. The Service Inn was already the Service Club's territory. Once he came here often in the future, Yukino Chitose and the others would soon learn how to serve him through constant exposure.
"Thank you, Master. I'll do it myself."
Yukino Chitose didn't dare let Hachiman feed her. But looking at the chopsticks in her hand, she slightly opened her mouth and, with her face flushed red, slowly put the sushi into her own mouth.
It wasn't that she didn't care about an indirect kiss or anything. It was just that she couldn't exactly change chopsticks, and reversing the ends of the chopsticks like Matsumae Ohana had done would be even more inappropriate.
Not wanting to let the master use chopsticks she had used herself could be said to show respect for the master. Not wanting to use chopsticks the master had used would mean she was showing disgust toward the master.
"Mmm…"
Yukino Chitose, who was still thinking about the indirect kiss, suddenly widened her eyes. She hurriedly covered her little mouth to suppress the exclamation that had instinctively escaped, then slowly savored the exceptionally delicious sushi with the tip of her tongue.
Just now, when she heard Matsumae Ohana making those strange little sounds, she had thought Ohana was simply inexperienced with the world and was exclaiming just because she had tasted some delicious food.
She hadn't expected…
It really was this delicious…
It seemed that the one who was inexperienced with the world was actually herself.
This kind of cooking absolutely wasn't something a rural hot-spring inn like theirs could produce. No wonder Miss Kijou Suzuka had specifically invited chefs over to cook for the master…
"Master, have some more. But you'll still be soaking in the hot spring later, so you shouldn't eat too much."
After a while, Yukino Chitose came back to her senses. She took a deep breath, pushed the chaotic thoughts out of her mind, and nestled against Hachiman's chest with her face flushed red, focusing on serving him.
Forget about indirect kisses.
She had already been assigned by Miss Kijou Suzuka to serve at the master's side. It was possible that tonight she would have to serve the master for the entire night.
She had heard that certain special types of hot-spring inns would have their female attendants receive guests, and that the proprietess in particular had the duty of attracting guests by any means necessary.
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