Even the timid and soft-spoken Hayase Saki didn't forget to message her childhood friend before heading home early. Naturally, Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't just leave without informing his own childhood friend, either.
It just so happened that today was Vignette's first day as a transfer student. Usually, new students would be guided around the campus and its various clubs by a teacher or classmates before heading home.
And since Kaede and Shizuku from the student council were available, they'd likely go home together with Vignette.
...Wait. Didn't that mean he'd just missed a perfect chance to tag along with Gabriel and strengthen their connection?
Given how friendly she'd been earlier today, there was a good chance Gabriel would've joined the tour too.
Oh well. They sat next to each other now, and since Vignette lived next door, it wasn't like his opportunities were running out. He didn't have to rush things.
As Hachiman mulled over whether he'd been taking this whole "corrupting Gabriel" mission seriously enough, he led Yukinoshita Yukino, Hayase Saki, and the three gyaru—Shirosaki Yuna, Nijou Rin, and Kousaka Minami—out of the school gates toward the train station.
He completely failed to notice the Disciplinary Committee member, Amasui Makoto, who'd been standing near the gate, about to greet him.
Her gaze followed him quietly instead.
When she saw Hachiman walking beside the three gyaru—girls who immediately loosened their collars, tied their blazers around their waists, and started chatting and laughing with him the second they passed inspection—Makoto's brows furrowed slightly.
Since when did Hikigaya stop waiting for Kaede and the others to go home together? And why was he hanging out with that kind of crowd?
Did Kaede even know about this?
Though she hadn't known Hachiman and Kaede for long, Amasui Makoto had quickly grown close to Kaede after becoming her seatmate—and after Kaede introduced her to the Disciplinary Committee.
She knew full well how much her friend Kaede liked her childhood neighbor Hikigaya Hachiman—even if Kaede had never confessed.
So seeing that same childhood friend now walking off with a group of girls with... questionable reputations, Makoto couldn't help but feel indignant on her friend's behalf.
Unfortunately, she was still on duty as a Disciplinary Committee member. She couldn't just storm off and question him now.
Whether Kaede knew about this or not, Makoto didn't want to see her friend hurt.
Before transferring to Sōbu High, Amasui Makoto had been the type of overly serious, rule-abiding student that everyone found annoying. Her classmates had always kept their distance—she didn't have a single friend.
But things changed after coming to Sōbu High. She ended up seated next to Kaede, who was cheerful, considerate, and easy to talk to. The two had quickly become close—commuting together by train, spending weekends shopping or watching movies.
And when Kaede was chosen by Shirakawa Meguri-senpai to be the next student council president, she'd immediately recommended Makoto for the Disciplinary Committee.
Thanks to that, Makoto met many new people—some of whom she genuinely liked.
Still, in Makoto's heart, Kaede would always be her number one.
(Illustration: Amasui Makoto and Kotegawa Yui in Disciplinary Committee armbands)
"Makoto? What's wrong? You don't look well—are you feeling sick?"
"It's nothing. Thank you for worrying, Kotegawa."
Makoto turned to the tall girl beside her—Kotegawa Yui, a fellow Disciplinary Committee member with long, straight black hair—and offered a faint smile. Then, as if something occurred to her, she leaned in and whispered, "Hey, Kotegawa, you're from Class 1-F, right?"
"Yes, I am. Why?" Kotegawa Yui blinked in confusion at Makoto's sudden, secretive tone.
"I need a favor. There's someone in your class—Hikigaya..."
Makoto murmured something into Kotegawa's ear. As the words sank in, Kotegawa's expression shifted from puzzled to furious.
"What—!? An impure relationship between male and female students?!"
"How shameless!"
(Illustration: Yui's shocked, angry reaction)
Seeing Kotegawa Yui—normally the picture of calm discipline—burst out in outrage, Makoto quickly grabbed her arm before she could storm off.
"Yui, calm down! Don't get worked up yet. I'm not sure—it's just a suspicion."
"I just want you to quietly observe him for now. If you notice anything, come to me first so we can figure out the truth together. I don't want us accusing the wrong person."
"So it's just a suspicion..." Yui's stern expression softened a little. "Alright. I'll watch him during class breaks."
As a Disciplinary Committee member, she could not—would not—allow such behavior to exist on campus. But if this was merely Makoto's hunch, she could at least keep her cool until there was proof.
"Thank you, Kotegawa. I appreciate it."
When Makoto saw her colleague calm down, she quietly exhaled in relief.
She didn't ask why Kotegawa specified "during breaks."
Everyone in school knew Kotegawa Yui was even stricter than Makoto—sometimes insufferably so. She never tolerated anyone breaking school rules and would even conduct full bag searches or random inspections if needed.
But Kotegawa held herself to the same standard. During class, she focused entirely on the lesson, never distracted for a second.
To her, that was simply the proper way to be a student.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya Hachiman had no idea that, even though he'd already left campus for "club activities," he'd somehow landed himself under surveillance by the Disciplinary Committee.
Right now, leading a group of girls home for the first time in his life, he couldn't deny he felt... a little nervous.
Especially since he already knew what kind of "reward" those three gyaru had in mind.
A club activity that required bringing everyone back to his house—yeah, that hadn't been in the original plan.
He'd meant to shift club meetings there after he took care of that minotaur incident.
Was this how the Service Club was going to end up... turning into the "Service Club" in the most literal sense?
Suppressing a sigh, Hachiman grumbled inwardly as he led Yukinoshita and Shirosaki's group to the front of his house. Just as he pulled out his keys, his phone started vibrating in his pocket.
"...Hiratsuka-sensei?"
The caller ID made Hachiman pause. He hesitated a second, then picked up. The girls behind him waited quietly.
"Hikigaya! Where the hell are you right now?!"
The moment the call connected, Hiratsuka Shizuka's booming voice nearly blew out his eardrums.
"I brought the Elf Princess here to visit your Service Club—and there's no one here! Not a single soul!"
"Uh... well, the Service Club received a request today, so we went off-campus to handle it," Hachiman stammered.
Great. Just great. The one time he actually wanted to meet the Elf Princess, and she shows up the moment he's gone?
"What kind of request needs you to leave school grounds?! Ugh, whatever. If you're not here, I'll just take the princess to see some other clubs."
Click.
"..."
Hachiman stared blankly at his phone after Hiratsuka hung up.
She wasn't seriously messing with him, right? Did she actually take the Elf Princess to the Service Club room?
There wasn't even anything worth showing off in there—it was just a half-cleaned, abandoned classroom. What could possibly be interesting about that?