Honestly, there wasn't much to see in a clubroom like the Service Club's—just one small room with practically nothing inside.
Hiratsuka Shizuka felt the same way as Hikigaya Hachiman.
But the point wasn't that she wanted to visit. It was that the elf princess Ailith by her side did.
When Hiratsuka had been giving Ailith and her knightly escort Aigis a casual tour around the school, they'd passed by the special building that housed the Service Club. She'd only mentioned offhand that there wasn't much to see in there—that it was mostly used for storage—and that a small volunteer club had just been established a few days ago.
That casual remark, however, immediately piqued Princess Ailith's interest.
"Those blessed with abundance share their gifts with those in need... You call such people volunteers, yes?""A club activity where you lend a helping hand to those facing hardship…""Two students with no prior connection, founding such a club merely a day apart… How poetic.""Could it be... a fated encounter?"
Because Ailith had taken an interest in this so-called Service Club that resembled a volunteer organization, Hiratsuka had no choice but to bring her there.
Who could've guessed that Hikigaya Hachiman and Yukinoshita Yukino wouldn't even be in the clubroom? They'd actually gone off-campus to handle a request.
For a moment, Hiratsuka couldn't help but suspect that those two were just making excuses to slack off.
What kind of "request" required going off school grounds?They were a two-person club—who would even come to them for help?Were they just using "club activities" as an excuse to go on a date?
"My apologies. They happened to accept a request that required them to leave school to help someone."
While she kept her face composed, Hiratsuka was mentally sighing and cursing those two under her breath. Outwardly, she forced a polite smile toward Princess Ailith.
"They even offer aid outside the school grounds?" Ailith blinked in surprise, then smiled sweetly.
"Please don't let it trouble you, Hiratsuka-sensei. If anything, their absence only proves their dedication to helping others."
"And for you to serve as their advisor—you must be quite the compassionate teacher yourself."
"Ahahaha, you flatter me, truly. Anyway—why don't we go see the kendo club next?"
Faced with Ailith's earnest gaze, Hiratsuka didn't have the heart to admit that she'd been dragged into being the club's advisor against her will, and that she was basically just a name on paper. She quickly turned around and led Ailith and Aigis out of the Service Club.
"The Service Club… perhaps we could seek help from them…"
As Hiratsuka walked ahead, explaining the layout of the school, Princess Ailith exchanged a quiet glance with her knight Aigis. A single look was enough for them to understand each other.
Their transfer to this world—and this school—hadn't been by chance. They had their reasons, though it wasn't something they could explain publicly.
Tomorrow, they'd return to the Service Club and use magic to examine it. If the place met their conditions… then their troubles might finally be over.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town—Hikigaya Hachiman, having just hung up the phone, had brought the group back to his house.
Now, in his living room, he sat with Yukinoshita Yukino, Hayase Saki, and Shirosaki Yuna, trying to figure out how to "train their gaze."
Of course, calling it a group effort was generous. In truth, Yukinoshita was the only one actually focused on the training. Even timid Hayase Saki had joined Kousaka Minami and the others in wandering around the room, poking curiously at things like they were searching for hidden treasure—probably hoping to uncover some dark, embarrassing secret of Hachiman's.
Unfortunately for them, there was nothing to find. After all, a man blessed with a diligent little sister like Komachi would never leave anything… indecent lying around.
"The training methods I mentioned before fall into three categories: fixed gaze, shifting gaze, and sweeping gaze," Yukinoshita began calmly.
"For fixed gaze, you focus both eyes on a single point—the smaller, the better—and don't blink, no matter what."
"For shifting gaze, your head stays still while your eyes move within the sockets—up, down, left, right—to the limits of your vision."
"And sweeping gaze means moving your eyes like a broom—slowly or quickly—but ensuring you clearly see everything along your line of sight."
Yukinoshita wasted no time. While the others were still admiring the house décor or looking for a spot to rest, she had already taken out her notes on gaze training and pushed Hachiman to start immediately.
"Does this really work? My eyes are already getting sore," Hachiman muttered.
He had started with the fixed gaze drill, staring at a small figurine on the cabinet. But after only a few minutes, his eyes began to sting. It didn't seem so hard at first—just staring at something—but the longer he tried not to blink, the more impossible it became.
"That's normal. Hold it for ten minutes, then rest," Yukinoshita replied, unmoved. "Just like physical exercise, it takes consistent effort. There's no instant result. Training your gaze is no different."
Ever since Hachiman had accepted Shirosaki Yuna's request, Yukinoshita hadn't given him a single friendly look.
Of course, her default expression—cute to a criminal degree—was already a frosty poker face.
But Hachiman had no choice. The mission rewards from those gyaru girls were just too tempting. So he pushed on.
The fixed gaze drill was dull, but Yukinoshita didn't expect him to master it overnight. She just wanted him to try all three methods so she could figure out which suited him best before refining the plan.
The shifting gaze exercise—rolling his eyes around—wasn't much more exciting.
But when he moved on to sweeping gaze, Hachiman realized this one actually suited him.
Even though he couldn't move his head, his eyes could slowly scan the entire field of view.
Unlike before, there was plenty to look at now.
Because he had to clearly observe everything in sight, Hachiman's gaze drifted slowly across the living room—carefully taking in every detail of the five beautiful girls around him.
Nijou Rin, the foul-mouthed delinquent type, actually had surprisingly fair skin—the palest among the three gyaru.
Kousaka Minami, the energetic one who was always shouting about something, wasn't as fair, but her healthy, tanned thighs had an irresistibly smooth sheen.
Shirosaki Yuna, gentle and considerate, had both good skin and a graceful figure. Unlike the other two, she wore neat white-trimmed mid-length socks that hugged her slender calves perfectly.
Hayase Saki, shy, soft-spoken, and easily flustered, somehow had the most stunning figure of all—though Hachiman couldn't understand how someone that… buoyant could possibly swim fast enough to become the ace of the girls' swim team.
And lastly—Yukinoshita Yukino.
Yeah. Still exceptional. Out of all of them, she stood out the most… in several ways.
"When you're done with the exercise, close your eyes and rest. And control that impolite gaze of yours," Yukinoshita said, setting her teacup down as her icy blue eyes flicked toward him.
"Is today's training over? Then… maybe it's time for your reward," Shirosaki Yuna chimed in, smiling mischievously. She walked over to Hachiman and extended her slender, fair hands toward him.
"You worked hard today. Let me give you a little reward~"
"..."
Yukinoshita silently turned away, refusing to look at whatever was about to happen.
Wait. They were actually serious about this "reward"?In the middle of the living room?!
Unbelievable.Completely incomprehensible!