"Snow woman, huh…"
Hachiman turned his head to look toward the other side of the Barrier of Desire. All he could see was a certain opening, along with an occasionally extending soft pink tongue, as if it were waiting for prayers and confession.
'Forget it, bottoms up first! Better just enjoy tonight's game properly with them.'
Hachiman suddenly felt that familiar cool, soft sensation coming from the fingers of his right hand again. He slowly pulled his fingers back, no longer dwelling on who that long black-haired snow woman really was, and instead focused on assisting the mature elf in front of him, who should be Leticia's older sister, along with the socially awkward snow woman Yukino Mifuyu, and the goddess angel Yuuri Majima who devoted herself to justice.
Anyway, they'd run into each other sooner or later. Even if this long black-haired snow woman wasn't the one he met before in the countryside, he could always find another chance to go climb a snowy mountain together with everyone.
Kaede had already taken the initiative to bring those childhood friends from the countryside over. Iris probably wanted to rope in that countryside snow woman too, to keep competing with Kaede.
———
[Service Club Main Living Room, Center Area]
"Iris, you're going more and more overboard. Are you sure Hachiman will like things if you keep messing around like this?"
Gabriel looked at the big screen, where Hachiman had clearly started to suspect the identity of the long black-haired snow woman who was hiding herself, then glanced speechlessly at Iris.
Hachiman didn't know the identities of the demi-humans playing criminals and receiving punishment in the Barrier of Desire game stage, but she could see everything clearly from here.
Recently, under Marin's guidance, she had played some games herself and figured things out for a while. Suddenly, she had an epiphany and once again confirmed that the elf princess Iris was the blonde princess who was luring Hachiman into falling.
Hachiman was such a kind, gentle, considerate model student. Logically speaking, no matter who he dated or married, there was no way he should have ended up like this.
Not to mention childhood friends and companions like Kaede, Suzu, and Rurikawa Tsubaki, or classmates like Nijika, Yumiko, Marin, Honami, and Yuina.
Even girls like Ayano, Saki Asai, and Maki Kamijou, who were especially obsessed with Hachiman, wouldn't go as far as Iris. A perfectly good Service Club had turned into a Service Clubhouse, and helping people in need had turned into assisting beautiful girls to get pregnant.
Now it was even more outrageous. Vampires, succubi, elves, all kinds of sister groups had been arranged for Hachiman.
She seriously suspected that under Iris's diligent temptation, by the time she graduated, Hachiman might even be assisting people from another world instead of just at Sobu High.
No, maybe it wouldn't even take until graduation. There were already plenty of demi-humans and humans coming over from the other world. Iris would definitely find chances to bring them in and have them receive Hachiman's "assistance," turning heirs of originally opposing factions into his own people in bed, then resolving conflicts through internal group hierarchies.
This kind of peaceful evolution that left people not knowing how to even comment made Gabriel's scalp tingle.
'So this is how your elf race pursues peace? Sure, no one dies and no one gets hurt, and Hachiman isn't in any danger, but it somehow feels even more terrifying.'
"Gabriel, what part are you saying is overboard? Don't you think the club president looks very happy right now? Or do you have a better way to make him happy?"
Seeing Gabriel take issue with her approach, Iris blinked, her smile completely unchanged, still pure and adorable.
If Gabriel didn't know that Iris could maintain that same spotless, innocent smile even while licking Hachiman, she might have believed Iris really was a pure and kind noble elf.
But now, all she could do was suspect that this blonde princess was cooking up another bad idea.
"Everything about it is ridiculous, okay… forget it, I can't win an argument with you. Just remember to hold back a bit. It's already too much as it is. If you don't keep things under control, it's going to cause problems," Gabriel rolled her eyes at the deliberately clueless Iris. Since she had helped out, she also knew Iris's plan.
The long black-haired snow woman Yukari's voice was extremely similar to Komachi's. If you didn't listen carefully, you couldn't tell the difference at all, which led Iris to come up with a game that was hard to even evaluate.
If Yukari suddenly hid her identity and called Hachiman "Onii-chan" in Komachi's voice… she didn't even dare imagine that scene.
"Hehe, that's why we're letting the club president get used to it first. When it really happens, he won't suspect anything. He'll know we're just playing around with him and won't take it seriously."
Iris gave Gabriel a meaningful smile. Yukari's voice was so similar to Komachi's that it was enough to pass for the real thing.
"…"
Gabriel understood what Iris meant. But the more she understood her thinking, the harder it was to forcefully stop her.
After all, no one was getting hurt. Even Yukari was just lightly serving Hachiman through the Barrier of Desire. Any truly intimate service would have to wait for another time.
If she really tried to stop Iris's plan, someone might end up getting hurt instead.
Sigh! That was also why she hadn't stopped Iris, even though she knew this blonde princess was the root cause.
It all looked outrageous and absurd. Hachiman and everyone else were sinking deeper and deeper, almost like they were getting addicted and unable to pull themselves out. But if you thought about it carefully, no one was actually being harmed.
Those seeking help solved their problems and lived very happily. Even Hachiman, who contributed the most, didn't feel any physical discomfort. On the contrary, he was doing better and better.
"Um, Iris… when can Gab and I leave…"
Seeing Gabriel fall silent, Vignette, who was sitting restlessly and didn't dare look at the big screen, finally asked softly.
She didn't really feel anything about all this. Hachiman was definitely a good person, and he wouldn't force her anyway.
But just sitting here was honestly awkward.
Everyone around them was eagerly wanting to participate in the Service game, while she and Gab stuck out completely.
"You'll be let go before dawn. No need to rush."
"Before dawn…", Hearing Iris's answer, Vignette felt tortured.
It would've been fine if only Gab stayed here. She wasn't even playing, so why did she have to come along too?
Gabriel said nothing when she saw that. There was no way she'd let Vignette slip away alone. If they were going to suffer, they'd suffer together. If it was awkward, it would be awkward together.
If she were the only one left here, who knew what kind of tricks Iris might try on her. She might not be able to handle it alone, but with Vignette here, she could push her out first if something happened.
Whether Vignette would fall together with Iris and tempt Hachiman, or stand firm with her to protect him, all she had to do was test Vignette and she'd know.
"If you can't hold back, when the blindfold game segment starts later, you can go up and try it yourselves. I promise I won't tell the club president."
Looking at the angel-demon duo who were tugging at each other and refusing to let go, Iris smiled unhurriedly.
"Actually, Lumilia recently wanted to hold a private anime convention with Marin. She's already prepared a lot of outfits for different characters."
"If you're shy, you can play other roles and have a Service game with the club president."
"Lumilia said there are roles that suit you and Shiraha-san quite well. Since we're planning to bring Shiraha-san over, how about letting her try a roleplay punishment game first?"
They had been planning to capture Raphiel for a while. Now that they had so many people helping, they could just bring her back directly.
"Right, you and Shiraha-san fit the character settings really well. There's just a tiny bit that doesn't match, but with a little padding it should be fine."
The youngest elf princess, Lumilia, quickly nodded in agreement when she heard people talking about her hobby.
"If that still doesn't work, we can ask Lala. She seems to have some special temporary items."
"Roleplay Service game? Roleplay punishment game?"
"What difference is that from just going straight at it?"
Hearing Iris and Lumilia's explanation, Vignette rejected the suggestion without hesitation.
The reason she and Gab didn't want to fully blend into Iris's group wasn't just because they were shy.
Gabriel, who had been silent, suddenly had her eyes light up. This time it didn't involve her, did it? Didn't that mean she wouldn't have to go?
Perfect. She had been wondering how to punish Raphiel, who had been running around outside all this time, watching her and Vignette suffer without doing anything.
Let Raphiel have a taste of Hachiman's "hardship" too.
———
"That elf princess rotten to the core… her pure and innocent appearance is way too deceptive. One after another, they've all been fooled by her."
Not far from Iris and the others, the tanned, silver-haired, red-eyed dragon clan leader rested her long legs crossed on the table.
Ursula turned her head toward Iris, who was once again tempting Gabriel and Vignette into falling and getting them to drag their own friends down with them. She couldn't help clicking her tongue.
She knew from day one that Iris wasn't simple.
Among so many outstanding and beautiful elf princesses, to become the Elf King's daughter and the next heir to the Elf Queen, Iris was naturally not as simple and cute as she appeared.
If she were really just as gentle, cute, and pretty as the public believed, she wouldn't have become the Elf King's daughter at all. At best, she'd have become a knight escort like Aegis, or a pampered mascot princess like Lumilia.
However, she had no interest in playing those schemes and tricks.
The dragon race wasn't as weak as the elves. She became clan leader by sweeping aside other dragons and taking the position through strength.
She would defeat the elf princess head-on! And take Hachiman!
"Miime, is everything arranged? The snow woman clan is ready. Do those newly joined ghouls know they're going to face the Kiriya family vampires?"
"They've got five of them plus the Tsuki family vampires. In numbers they already exceed the six sisters of the Kiriya family. They can't lose."
Ursula watched the big screen. Hachiman was clearly enjoying himself more and more, operating Yuuri Majima and Leticia with both hands. In front of him wasn't just Suzune Rione, behind him, Hayasaka Ai was also assisting.
She suddenly thought of something and instructed Miime, the dragonkin noble lady sitting upright beside her.
The Barrier of Desire game was just a warm-up. It mainly served as a demonstration for newcomers, letting those newly arrived humans and demi-humans get used to the atmosphere in the Service Club.
The real game tonight was the blindfold segment.
When Hachiman couldn't tell who was who around him, he could discard subjective bias and prove through skill and ability which side could satisfy him the most.
The six Kiriya vampire sisters, whose vampire blood hadn't fully awakened, would face off against five ghouls. Similarly, there would be matches between other races like oni, snow women, succubi, and so on, though no other race had as many participants as the vampires.
"Lady Ursula… everything is arranged…"
The silver-haired, purple-eyed dragonkin noble lady Miime looked at the confident Ursula, hesitated, then lowered her head.
Even though she knew Lady Ursula was very strong, considering that the elf princess Iris's side had far more people than theirs, she truly didn't think they could win.
No matter how strong Ursula was, she couldn't fight ten elves alone.
Maybe in a proper battle, sure. But in bed? No way. That was the elf race. Normally elves were very pure, and most wouldn't indulge in such things. But these elves were in their breeding period and needed large amounts of frequent "assistance" to conceive…
And the elf princess's faction didn't just have elves and the Kiriya vampire sisters, they also had the merfolk.
Just the three world-famous idol mermaid singers were already troublesome enough. The mermaid princess Meroune had awakened her bloodline and even gone to an idol agency to help Hikigaya choose appealing idols. Who knew if she'd bring people tonight.
Then there was the human faction led by Hikigaya's childhood friend Hoshizuki Kaede. It mostly consisted of girls from school clubs and family forces, and now they had all become magical girls.
Even though the magical girls weren't that strong yet, they had only just awakened and their growth was already terrifying. Their combined strength couldn't be underestimated.
If the elf and human factions were on bad terms, it would be one thing. But clearly, their relationship was much better than Ursula's dragon faction.
With Ursula being so arrogant and dismissive of both factions, they could easily join forces and target the dragon faction.
In that situation, how could Ursula's side possibly win? Recruit those newly joined family forces?
Those daughters of great families and conglomerates had a clear goal: to become Hikigaya's magical girls and gain his favor. Why would they join the dragon faction and take on thankless work?
Miime wanted to persuade Ursula, but she just couldn't say it.
Her words carried no weight. If she said it wouldn't work or suggested reconsidering, Ursula might even suspect she was making excuses to avoid doing her part.
Given Ursula's willfulness, only Hikigaya could make her listen. But why would Hikigaya persuade her?
Whether the dragon faction won or the elf and human factions won, everyone would still be serving Hikigaya.
After going through it all in her head, Miime could only sigh inwardly and walk off to relay instructions to Eto Yoshimura and the others.
What else could she do? She felt utterly helpless, but even knowing they'd lose badly under Ursula, she had to grit her teeth and follow through.
Because if she didn't, Ursula would tear up her brother's engagement with his fiancée Sera and bring Sera here to serve Hikigaya.
That kind of domineering attitude left her unable to resist at all.
The dragon race respected strength above all. The dragonkin were the same. Moreover, her brother and Sera didn't have any feelings for each other.
Perhaps due to a lack of magic power, the physically strong dragonkin actually didn't enjoy such activities like other demi-humans did. They even felt nothing toward them.
So from birth, dragonkin would have marriages arranged for them, binding contracts that required them to fulfill their engagements after coming of age and produce offspring, regardless of feelings, to prevent their population from declining.
In theory, under the order, nor rather, force, of the dragon clan leader Ursula, it wouldn't be difficult to bring over many already-engaged dragonkin girls to serve Hikigaya.
That was also why Miime had come along with Ursula. She believed that sacrificing herself in exchange for preserving her brother's engagement was acceptable. Her family's status among the dragonkin was similar to the Matou family among the oni clan, where shrine maiden Matou Sakura belonged. If her brother's engagement were forcibly broken, how would others view him?
But judging by Ursula's domineering personality and Hikigaya's overwhelming strength, she probably wouldn't last long here.
Not to mention Sera might soon be dragged here to serve Hikigaya, if things went poorly for the dragon faction, other dragonkin might be pulled into the "battle" as well.
Ursula glanced at Miime's worried figure as she left, completely unconcerned as she picked up a chilled drink and downed it in one gulp, her long legs still crossed on the table.
It wasn't that she didn't understand anything. She simply disdained using schemes.
She naturally knew what Miime was thinking.
But as the dragon clan leader, her word was absolute. Miime couldn't oppose her and could only obey, so she didn't bother explaining anything.
If Hikigaya hadn't refused to force others and forbidden her from acting recklessly, she would have long since brought over a bunch of dragonkin girls in one go. Why go through all the trouble of finding demi-humans?
It had taken her a long time just to locate ghouls hiding in the dark corners of the city, let alone creatures like snow women hiding deep in the mountains.
At first, she had even considered using the demi-human alliance to find people. If even Iris, an elf princess, could hold such status, then as the dragon clan leader, she should be able to openly gather demi-humans to serve Hikigaya and accept their protection.
But it seemed the alliance knew her personality. When she approached them, she couldn't even meet those council leaders, and she barely found any suitable demi-human girls.
Now that Hikigaya possessed awakened magical essence, the demi-human alliance that once avoided him would probably take the initiative to send people over.
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