"Wait… sorry, I think I misheard you."Yukinoshita Yukino frowned slightly, unsure if she had caught what Shirasaki Yuna and the others had just said.
Did she really hear that right?They're following Hikigaya Hachiman… to make him more handsome?
That was their goal?How was that any less absurd than Hayase Saki offering her "pure body" to a campus delinquent because her childhood friend stole her spot in a competition?
"U-uh… actually, yeah," Yuna said, her tone faltering under Yukino's skeptical gaze. "We were playing with this app today and realized that Hikigaya-kun has a lot of potential. So we thought we'd, um, help him become handsome."
Seeing that Yukino clearly wasn't buying it, the pink-haired gyaru hesitated, then fished out her phone and opened her photo gallery. She scrolled a bit, found the image she wanted, and held it out.
"Look—see? If Hikigaya-kun's eyes had a little more life in them, and his jawline were just a bit sharper, he'd look completely different."
"Maybe if he had a bit of muscle too, he'd be way hotter," added the blonde gyaru, Kōsaka Minami, thoughtfully.
"Minami, you just want him to take his shirt off again, don't you?"The chestnut-haired Nijō Rin shot her a look.
"Don't be gross! You can tell through clothes, you know?" Minami retorted with an exaggerated sigh. "Come on, Rin, don't you think a guy looks way better with some muscle?"
To her, it was obvious. Just like guys liked looking at girls' figures, girls could appreciate a nice male physique too. Still, for most of them, looks mattered more than build—good body, bad face, and it was all for nothing.
"I think he'd actually look better if his skin were a bit fairer," Rin said, rolling her eyes. "Muscles don't really matter."
They weren't trying to find a boyfriend anyway; they just wanted him to look good.
"But Hikigaya-kun's a guy," Yuna sighed, a hint of exasperation in her smile. "Rin-chan, you can't judge him by the same standards you'd use for a girl."
True, Hikigaya wasn't dark-skinned or anything, but compared to Rin—who was practically addicted to skincare—he did look a little less radiant. Hence her "he should be paler" comment.
"Wow… he looks so different…" murmured Hayase Saki, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer. She leaned in behind them to peek at the screen, muttering as she listened to their conversation.
And the moment she saw the image, she froze.She wasn't someone who usually cared about looks—but that edited photo of the Service Club's president made her heart skip a beat.
The face shape was almost the same as the real Hikigaya's, but the difference lay entirely in his eyes—vivid, focused, full of life. That alone transformed him.
Same features. Same face.Yet because of that one change, the entire aura flipped—from gloomy loner to radiant heart-throb.
No wonder they followed him…
She suddenly found herself understanding their motive, even if she'd never dare to do something that bold herself.
"…"In the middle of their little circle, Yukinoshita Yukino remained silent, staring at the image of Hikigaya Hachiman on the screen. Her expression was calm—but her thoughts were far from it.
She wasn't struck speechless because Hikigaya looked handsome.What unsettled her was Shirasaki Yuna, Nijō Rin, and Kōsaka Minami themselves.
Even after hearing their explanation and realizing that Hachiman—her dead-fish-eyed clubmate—was actually decently good-looking, she still couldn't quite process it.
Why were these girls so eager to help someone else look better?There was nothing in it for them.
When Yukino was in sixth grade, her looks and grades had made her popular with boys—but that same popularity turned every girl in her class against her.That was when she first saw the darkness in people's hearts.It was that experience that inspired her to create the Service Club—to "change people's weaknesses," "change the world," and "change each person, little by little."
But now… maybe the world wasn't quite as simple as she'd once thought.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya Hachiman remained quiet, simply watching the three gyarus chatting around Yukinoshita.
After the system's reminder earlier, he finally remembered who these girls were.
There were all kinds of gyarus in the world—the bullies, the hypnotists, the accidental moms—but these three?They were practically saints.Trying to make you handsome and even reward you for it?
Yeah… their logic was about as baffling as a fantasy princess asking some random guy to "help her bear an heir."
Still, since they weren't asking him to lose weight or anything extreme, he wasn't sure what exactly he was supposed to do.
How the hell do you even "train your gaze"?That sounded harder than working out. Maybe if he kept stacking those daily "system" stat points into his physique, his looks might improve on their own…?
"Wouldn't that be kinda hard?" Yuna asked, turning to Yukino. "I mean, can working out really make your eyes look more alive? Well, it'd at least help him build some muscle."
She'd only thought as far as "make him handsome," not how to do it.
"In theory, training your body can affect your eyes a little," Yukino said after a brief pause for thought. "But that's mostly an indirect result of focus training."
"If you want your gaze to be sharp and expressive, you need to train your eyes directly."
"There are many methods," she continued, slipping seamlessly into lecture mode. "Most involve three basics—fixing your gaze, shifting it, and sweeping it."
"But whatever method you use, it takes time and effort. It's not easy—eye strain and tears are normal."
"That… sounds like a lot of work."The three gyarus exchanged awkward looks.
They'd assumed it'd just be some light workouts—not some weird eye-training regimen.
"Of course, even if this request sounds strange and complicated, whether we accept it or not still depends on our club president," Yukino added, glancing at Hachiman.
"After all, the Service Club's help is always free. Whether he's willing to commit to such training depends entirely on his own will."
"Wait, your help is free?" Rin asked in surprise.
"The Service Club exists to extend a hand from those who have to those who lack," Yukino replied with a nod. "Naturally, our assistance comes without cost."
"Hmm… that doesn't feel right," Minami mused. "If it's a request, shouldn't we at least offer a reward?"
"True," Yuna agreed. "If we give him something in return, Hikigaya-kun might be more motivated to complete our request."
"The Service Club can't accept payment," Yukino reminded them gently, frowning slightly. "We're not a business. We're just a school club. Accepting money would go against our founding principles."
Even though the current Service Club wasn't technically her creation, she was sure Hachiman's beliefs were aligned with hers.
"Don't worry—it's not money," Yuna said after a brief whispered discussion with her friends. She smiled mischievously at Yukino.
"Not money?" Yukino tilted her head. "Then what do you plan to offer?"
"Something special, of course~"Minami raised her hands and made a small, suggestive gesture, grinning.
"...Special?"
Yukino blinked, confused. But then, being Yukinoshita Yukino, it took only a second for the realization to hit her.
Her flawless, porcelain-pale face flushed crimson in an instant.
She stared at the three girls in disbelief."T-this… these three… what on earth are they thinking?!"