Chiba Prefecture: Outside the Hikigaya Residence
Hachiman Hikigaya pushed open his front door. The slightly glaring afternoon light made everything look blurry and washed out.
Bang!
The sound of a door slamming shut rang out loudly across the street.
Turning his head, he saw Mr. Yamamoto, a neighbor who usually took great care of his family. He was a rather materialistic middle-aged man who had always been completely won over by Komachi's cuteness. Now, however, he was avoiding the Hikigaya family as if they carried a lethal plague, violently shutting his door at the mere sight of Hachiman.
It wasn't just Mr. Yamamoto; most of the friends and neighbors near the Hikigaya residence seemed to be keeping their doors tightly closed. Even those who happened to bump into Hachiman leaving simply lowered their heads and hurried away without a single word of greeting.
'This is truly the way of the world…' Hachiman thought, his expression remaining perfectly calm.
It was an inevitable result. His family seemed to have offended a "very powerful figure" in the police force, to the point that their entire livelihood could be destroyed at any moment. So why would ordinary, vulnerable people show any kindness and risk getting caught in the crossfire? The kind-hearted ones simply pretended not to see. The malicious ones gossiped and spread rumors behind their backs.
'If Komachi saw this situation, she'd probably cry…'
Of course, Hachiman knew he couldn't rightfully blame them. Seeking refuge and self-preservation was basic human nature. If it weren't his family suffering, but one of these neighbors, Hachiman himself would probably have acted even more thoroughly to avoid the trouble.
His hand unconsciously tightened inside his jacket pocket, gripping the carved Yaksha statue.
'The Visible God Cult...'
Sobu High School
Komachi Hikigaya was adorable. Her innate cuteness was so potent that she was practically a local heartthrob, universally admired by everyone, young and old. This girl would most likely grow up to be a stunningly good woman.
Therefore, Komachi's unusual, heavy worry recently had attracted many concerned questions and suggestions from her friends and classmates. Perhaps they didn't know exactly what Komachi was worried about. But since Komachi didn't want to talk about the details, they tried to offer solutions.
"You could try going to Yukinoshita-senpai."
"Yeah, yeah! Yukino Yukinoshita, a senior in the high school section. She's really amazing, and she even founded the Service Club, supposedly to help the helpless."
"Really? That sounds pretty good."
Komachi easily extracted the useful information from the chattering words of her friends.
'Yukinoshita-senpai... the Service Club…'
She knew of this person. Because her junior high school was directly affiliated with Sobu High School, Yukino Yukinoshita was quite famous even in the junior division. She was said to be a wealthy, brilliant young lady from a highly prominent political family. This gave Komachi a sudden sense of relief, as if she had finally grasped a sturdy lifeline, and her dull eyes seemed to brighten.
In fact, Komachi possessed a mind no less sharp than her brother Hachiman's. What Hachiman could see, how could she not know? She simply didn't want her brother to worry about her, nor did she want her parents, who had been repeatedly taken away for questioning, to feel any more heartache.
Taking advantage of the afternoon after school, when extracurricular activities were in full swing, Komachi ran headlong towards the high school section without hesitation. With her exceptional social skills, she quickly found the secluded location of the Service Club.
Inside the clubroom, Yukino listened to the young girl's desperate plea.
"Ayanokouji?" Yukino was slightly surprised, her eyes narrowing.
This specific surname reminded her of two very dangerous people: a former powerful minister, and a disgraced cop currently working for the Metropolitan Police Department. Noticing the sheer eagerness and desperate expectation of this junior schoolmate, Yukino felt a heavy sense of unease, even if she didn't show it on her pristine face.
'This is troublesome…' Yukino thought.
She couldn't easily help with this. Not because of a lack of limited ability, but because she couldn't act rashly right now. She could help with minor high school problems, but when it came to the cutthroat, life-and-death world of secular politics, she had to strictly consider her family's standing. She was no longer the impulsive and ignorant girl she once was.
The Kamiyama Incident and the Suginami Ward Incident—she had paid an extremely heavy, physical price to buy others a chance to survive. She could say she'd done right by her conscience back then.
'Now? Mother would probably break my legs if I brought trouble to our doorstep for charity…'
If Yukino were still the undisputed primary mistress of Seiran's house, she wouldn't even need to ask anyone behind her; a simple, casual call to the Metropolitan Police Department would be enough for them to investigate Fumimaro Ayanokouji thoroughly and crush him.
But not now. Yukino was currently in a delicate period of "recovery."
So, Yukino remained silent, her eyes cast downward. Komachi, initially eager and hopeful, gradually became disappointed, the light fading from her eyes.
"Ahaha... I'm sorry, Yukinoshita-senpai," Komachi forced a painful smile, bowing her head. "I was being too demanding of a stranger. Please pretend you didn't hear me."
"...Actually, this isn't completely hopeless," Yukino suddenly spoke up, biting her lower lip.
There's... there's still hope?
Yukino awkwardly avoided the younger girl's eager, wide-eyed gaze. Yes. There was still hope. But the method of salvation was a little shameless.
Of course, the shamelessness was very real, but the resulting protection and status would be incredibly comfortable later. This was Yukino's own personal experience. It was just that sometimes the physical toll was a little hard to bear... something like... being too incredibly happy?
Yukino couldn't quite describe it with her refined vocabulary. Only a few vulgar words occasionally uttered by Eriri and Sayuri in the aftermath resonated deeply with her. She was almost ruined...
"I can introduce you to someone incredibly powerful," Yukino said softly, her cheeks flushing slightly. "But you need to think carefully. The price... perhaps this isn't what you want."
"What method? What is the price?" Komachi asked bravely.
Yukino made a subtle, extremely embarrassed gesture, her face turning crimson.
Komachi was a smart girl; she immediately realized what the older girl meant.
'So that's it,' Komachi thought, her heart pounding. 'It's about offering myself... Wait! Offering... offering my body!?'
Instantly, Komachi's face flushed a deep, boiling red, and her fair legs tensed together. After a long, agonizing silence in the clubroom, Komachi silently raised her right hand, her voice trembling.
"Can... can we use protection...?"
"Unfortunately, no," Yukino sighed, looking away. "That man prefers no barriers..."
Perhaps knowing exactly what Komachi was most terrified of, Yukino couldn't help but sigh again and offer a strange comfort. "Don't worry too much. You probably won't get pregnant right away..."
The Yukinoshita Estate
At the same time, Mrs. Yukinoshita, upon receiving the encrypted message from her daughter outlining the situation, instinctively frowned.
'Could it be that Yukino's "old problem" of reckless charity has resurfaced...?'
After carefully examining the details of the message, she relaxed her brows, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up into a graceful, calculating smile.
'Finally, she's come to her senses...'
Mrs. Yukinoshita knew that relying solely on Seiran's past gratitude wasn't a long-term solution; randomly saving people would only drag the currently "recovering" Yukinoshita family down even further. But deliberately bringing a cute, entirely dependent little girl into the fold as a subordinate was different. This was actively increasing Yukino's resources and building her own faction within the house.
'The girl's name is... Komachi Hikigaya?' Mrs. Yukinoshita mused. 'Interesting. Hopefully, our little man will like this new little kitten...'
Just as she was about to pick up the phone to call her contacts at the Metropolitan Police Department and resolve the Ayanokouji problem as a grand gesture, someone sent a highly classified, conciliatory message to her private inbox.
This is...
Mrs. Yukinoshita was somewhat stunned.
'Quite bold...' she thought, her eyes narrowing. 'Someone is actively daring to steal the MPD's job.'
This instantly turned the "backbone" that Mrs. Yukinoshita had been so confident in into a political hot potato. If someone else in the occult or political underworld was already making a move on Fumimaro Ayanokouji, interfering now would cross invisible lines.
'This is bad... Our Yukinoshita family cannot touch this specific matter.'
Offering a little favor to a schoolgirl was already enough. Doing anything more would likely be counterproductive and draw unwanted attention to their recovering family. She calmly put down her phone, no longer bothering with the intricate political webs outside her immediate control.
As always, she had to prioritize survival. The Yukinoshita family was already too politically weak to withstand any more turmoil right now. Let the unseen factions fight it out if they wanted.
After all, what was that ancient historical saying again?
The empress dowager must not interfere in outside politics…
.....
.....
.....
Give me powerstones.
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter