The entire student council office had only the two of them left with enough presence of mind to hold the front line, so she had no choice but to push her dear little sister forward.
If not now, then when?
Wait too long and Suzu would probably be the one pushing her out there first.
"..."
Suzu said nothing. She lay at the other end of the sofa, legs facing Kaede's, and simply lifted her white-stockinged legs in silence, gently nudging aside Kaede's black-to-red gradient over-the-knee socks so her own white stockings looked even more pristine by comparison.
"Were you really that busy after school today, Kaede? Then you don't have much rest time left."
Hachiman had one hand around each of their calves, kneading out the fatigue while keeping the conversation going.
"You think I'd be this busy if it weren't for you? How can you even say that with a straight face?"
Seeing that Hachiman already had Suzu as a shield, Kaede rallied, forced herself upright, and glared daggers at this utterly depraved specimen of a human being.
In the past, plenty of humans and demihumans had wanted to get close to the Elf Princess, to get in her good graces and win her support.
But most of the transfer students and exchange students flooding the school now were absolutely here for this scumbag Hachiman, no question about it.
Compared to the modest gains of siding with the Elf Princess, the prestige, the reputation, the trickle of resources, nothing could compare to the allure of siding with Hachiman and gaining real power of your own.
Especially since Hachiman could not only awaken a magical girl's latent talent and train her strength, but he also had awakening essence that could draw out a demihuman's potential and unlock their bloodline.
"I know it's a lot, Kaede, and I'm sorry. But I'd worry with anyone else doing this. I'll have to keep relying on you."
Hachiman reached over and pulled Kaede close, pressed a gentle kiss to her soft lips, met her eyes, and lightly brushed aside her black-to-red highlighted shoulder-length hair. His palm slowly traced her smooth cheek as he murmured to her.
"Don't think a few sweet words gets you off the hook. The moment I'm swamped with work, who knows which girl you're already in bed with."
Kaede had long since lost any resistance to Hachiman, in fact she was running a deficit. His tender, affectionate touch made something tighten in her chest, and the flush that had just faded from her face crept back without warning. But she wasn't the one taking the bullet right now, so she snapped back to her senses immediately, biting down her irritation and fixing him with a withering stare.
She would admit, even to herself, that the only person truly fit for this kind of work was her.
Even if the Elf Princess Iris and the others didn't have any ill intentions toward Hachiman, the ones who had been by his side the longest, who had been with him since before he had any of the ridiculous abilities he carried now, were only her and Suzu.
Safe to say, aside from Komachi, no one in this world could be trusted by Hachiman more than the two of them. Absolutely no one.
But Hachiman had no self-control, and that was his fault. He knew full well those people were approaching him with ulterior motives and still welcomed them with open arms.
Though she had to admit, she doubted that crowd would last long. They'd probably cave soon enough and end up defecting to Hachiman's side anyway.
Even the Elf Princess, the Dragon Clan chief, the Mermaid Singer, the Succubus Princess, not one of them had managed to resist Hachiman's pull. What chance did a bunch of pampered heiresses with ordinary human constitutions stand, 'Pfft! Stop! Stop! Stop! I am supposed to condemn Hachiman, so when did I end up defending him again!'
"Kirisu-sensei came to find me after school today. There's absolutely nothing going on between me and Kirisu-sensei. Don't go reading things into it."
Hachiman responded to Kaede's teeth-grinding accusation with an immediate clarification.
"Like I don't know exactly what you are."
Kaede clicked her tongue. Just look around this room, the coffee table, the floor, the sofa, the desk, wasn't it full of girls who had barely met him?
Whether or not anything was going on was beside the point. What mattered was whether someone needed Hachiman's help. Enough sessions together and feelings followed naturally.
Iris the Elf Princess was proof of that from day one. She had thrown herself at him immediately, asked him to father her child, and even shared him with her sister Irgis right from the start.
That's right, it was Iris, that golden-haired princess. She was the one who had thoroughly corrupted Hachiman, who back then was still innocent enough that the boldest he ever got was sneaking a touch during their roughhousing.
"Anyway, Kirisu-sensei? Did your skipping the exam make her angry again? I've told you before, stop giving Kirisu-sensei headache. She's been stretched thin lately coaching Furuhashi Fumino, who has that terrible grade imbalance, and Touma Kazusa, the music specialist who doesn't study at all. She's probably at her wit's end already."
"No, Kirisu-sensei wasn't calling me in for a talk this time. She's planning to guide me in household skills as part of my future career as a stay-at-home husband."
Hachiman shook his head, his gaze drifting past Kaede to somewhere behind her.
"But right now, Kaede, you might want to worry about yourself."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Kaede blinked, confused, and followed his gaze to look behind her.
But before she could even turn her head, her vision went black as something soft, stretchy, and white dropped over her face and blocked her sight entirely.
At the same moment, a familiar scent reached her through the fabric.
"Mmph... nn..."
"SUZU! YOU ARE SO DEAD!"
———
["Hikigaya-kun, where are you right now? The exam is almost over. I'll take you home first."]
Shortly before the end of school, Kirisu Mafuyu called Hachiman, intending to leave early.
She didn't want anyone seeing Hachiman getting into her car, so she figured she'd slip away before the bell and avoid the after-school crowd entirely.
Besides, since Hachiman had missed his exam, taking him back with her would at least give her the chance to have a proper word with him about it.
"Right now? I'm still in the student council office. I'm hosting a few transfer students who'll be joining Sobu High, so it might run a bit late before I wrap up."
Hachiman wasn't especially surprised to hear from her. What else would Kirisu Mafuyu be calling him for? The problem was he couldn't get away right now.
Right now, Suzu had been tied up by Kaede working together with Tsubaki, and Kaede refused to let him leave until he helped her thoroughly punish Suzu.
On top of that, Yoshimura Eto, Yasuhisa Nashiro, Yasuhisa Kurona and the rest weren't few in number, their bloodlines hadn't fully awakened yet, and now that they'd recovered their strength they had come pressing back in.
["You're hosting transfer students?"]
Kirisu Mafuyu heard him and felt like she was being taken for a ride.
"Yeah. Didn't you know? Student Council President Kaede and Secretary Suzu are my childhood friends. Vice President Tsubaki is a close friend too. They're all tied up with the exam right now, so I'm the one filling in to welcome the new demihuman students."
Hachiman looked over at Rurikawa Tsubaki, who was holding his phone for him. He patted the head of a bound and gagged Suzu, a black cloth stuffed in her mouth, arms and legs tied. Meanwhile he leaned forward into Origamine Ouka's chest to help neutralize the miasma building in her body. Behind him, Yasuhisa Nashiro, Yasuhisa Kurona, Kirishima Touka, and Yoshimura Eto were taking turns pressing forward to work out the muscles across his back. The whole picture was one of extraordinary busyness.
"..."
Kirisu Mafuyu wasn't sure whether Hachiman was acting on his own initiative or had been authorized by the student council members.
He must have had their permission, she supposed. It was widely known that Hachiman was close to the Elf Princess, even she had heard that much. Having him stand in for the council members to welcome the demihuman students was a perfectly reasonable arrangement.
It gave her some small insight into what he was actually doing all those times he skipped class and wandered around school.
Still not an excuse for skipping exams and missing classes. A student should behave like a student. But at least he was doing something real rather than just slacking off and rotting.
With that context in mind, Kirisu Mafuyu's impression of him shifted, fractionally, in a warmer direction.
When Hachiman actually wanted to do well on a test, he would put in the effort and pull it off. He just didn't bother most of the time.
Maybe she needed to find a way to get his other teachers to spark some genuine interest in the subjects.
"Would it be alright if you went home first, Kirisu-sensei? I could make my own way over a bit later. My end probably won't clear up until after school."
Hachiman asked. He was stuck here for now, but it wasn't as if he didn't know where Kirisu Mafuyu's apartment was. Once things settled down, he could transfer straight to Yuigahama Yui's side and go from there.
["Today is the only day I can guide you in household skills. Whether or not you show up today, this whole arrangement will be out of park. You are not allowed to bring it back up. If you need to say something to Mizuho Kagami-sensei, you can tell her I backed out."]
Kirisu Mafuyu was quiet for a moment, then finally conceded. But she had to make one thing clear. This was a one-time offer. Miss it and there wouldn't be a second chance.
It wasn't that she was breaking her promise. He was the one choosing not to come.
"Of course. I'll handle things with Mizuho-sensei myself."
———
"One more thing. When you come over, avoid the other residents in the building. Don't let any of the other students see you coming to my place."
Kirisu Mafuyu finished her instructions and ended the call. She sat alone in the car for a long, quiet moment.
Even though things were settled with Hachiman, she felt drained.
She had planned to quietly bring him back to the apartment before the final bell, then slip him back out later without a fuss.
If anyone spotted him she could have him pretend he'd come to visit one of the other girls in the building. Easy enough to pass off.
She hadn't expected that a man who skipped class and dodged exams without a second thought would somehow be too busy attending to transfer students to be on time for a maid-outfit housekeeping lesson she had invited him to.
So what exactly had she spent her entire afternoon rushing back for? Why had she come home early and called a cleaning service to get the apartment in order?
Kirisu Mafuyu realized Hachiman wasn't taking this arrangement very seriously. She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or annoyed.
Maybe he had only said it offhandedly to begin with. Maybe she was the only one who'd taken it to heart, fretted over her dignity as a teacher, and tied herself in knots over it.
Not that it was a complete waste. The cleaning service today had done a thorough job. She could scatter a few things around tonight to make it look lived-in, and it would be in perfect shape for the gathering with the other female teachers tomorrow.
After this, Hoshinomiya-sensei would hopefully stop trying to wriggle into her room every five minutes to satisfy her nosiness.
At that thought, Kirisu Mafuyu's mood lifted considerably. She started the car and slowly pulled out of the school.
By the time she drove back to the apartment building, parked, went upstairs, and stepped into her room, she stood looking at the neatly made, plush bed, the wardrobe opened to reveal a tidy stack of clothes, and the balcony lined with hanging garments. A sense of pride welled up inside her that had no business being there.
But... The household guidance session required her to wear a maid outfit.
Looking at the wardrobe and the clothes hanging out to dry on the balcony, Kirisu Mafuyu suddenly remembered a condition she had somehow pushed to the back of her mind.
For the actual housekeeping guidance she could manage on theory alone. Hachiman's career goal was to become a stay-at-home husband, so he presumably already had some basic domestic skills. Her apartment was so clean there wasn't even anything for him to practice on.
As long as she didn't have to get her own hands dirty and just offered a few pointers, she could probably muddle her way through.
But the maid outfit. How was she supposed to muddle her way out of that?
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
"Hm? That fast? I only just got back. It can't be Hikigaya. Then who? The other students should still be in their exams..."
The sound of the doorbell and a knock pulled her out of her thoughts. She checked the time, puzzled, and walked to the entryway to open the door.
Standing outside was a mature woman in a white coat, orange hair, green eyes, and an impressively generous build.
"Mikado-sensei? What are you doing here?"
Kirisu Mafuyu stared at school nurse Mikado Ryoko in total disbelief, completely at a loss for why she was standing at her door.
The floors in this building housed a mix of students and teachers, but Mikado Ryoko shouldn't be living here. Kirisu Mafuyu knew the handful of teachers who did.
Unless Mikado Ryoko was moving in? The building did function as a kind of unofficial off-campus dormitory given how many students and teachers were here. Having a school nurse in residence wasn't entirely implausible.
"I'm helping a friend move in. She starts at Sobu High officially next week, and she heard you all have a welcome gathering here tomorrow, so I thought I'd bring her over early so she can make it."
Seeing Kirisu Mafuyu's confusion, Mikado Ryoko smiled and stepped to the side to reveal a woman not far behind her, standing in front of her door with her head down, searching through her keys. She was blonde, bespectacled, and strikingly voluptuous.
"Hello! Hello! I'm Tearju Lunatique, soon to be on staff at Sobu High. Pleased to meet you!"
Noticing Mikado Ryoko was making introductions, the glasses-wearing blonde teacher Tearju quickly stopped what she was doing and bowed to Kirisu Mafuyu in greeting.
"Hello. I'm Kirisu Mafuyu. Pleased to meet you as well."
Kirisu Mafuyu wasn't sure what to make of it, but she returned the bow first. She waited until Tearju had unlocked her door and dragged her luggage inside before turning back to Mikado Ryoko.
"Mikado-sensei, has the final hiring list for new teachers been confirmed already?"
She knew about the teacher recruitment. With the incoming wave of transfer students, it was no secret, and the student council had even put out a call for recommendations for capable young female teachers, making clear that the higher the number of recommendations, the better the end-of-year bonus. Add to that Sobu High's already generous compensation, which was only getting better, and plenty of people were happy to recommend old friends or high-achieving classmates to join the faculty.
Still, bringing in that many teachers in a short time wasn't easy. Most of the candidates they were targeting would already be employed, and any teacher good enough to be recruited by Sobu High was unlikely to be sitting between jobs.
She had assumed, at minimum, that after reaching out to prospective hires there would still need to be at least a weekend for the incoming teachers to coordinate their exit from their current schools and sort out their schedules, before officially joining along with the transfer students the following week.
With all the high-profile wealthy young ladies at Sobu High, it made sense for the government to funnel resources toward the school, and even irregular moves like pulling teachers from their current posts would probably get the rubber stamp from the Ministry of Education and the local board of education.
Still, she thought she was already imagining an outlandish pace. Reality had blown past even that. The decision to recruit had been made this week, the week wasn't even over yet, and the new teacher had already shown up?
"The list isn't final yet. But I'm close with Princess Lala, and Princess Lala is on good terms with Student Council President Kaede since they live next door to each other. A word from her and Tearju's name gets added, easy as that."
Mikado Ryoko folded her arms across her chest, gave an appraising nod at Kirisu Mafuyu's figure and bearing, and offered that explanation with an easy smile.
For people like them, slotting a teacher into Sobu High was just a matter of saying so. The school was already expanding its staff anyway. One more teacher made no real difference when there was an entire row of conglomerates bankrolling the place.
Given how Student Council President Kaede had been treating transfer students and new teaching hires lately, she'd sooner welcome them with open arms than turn anyone away.
"..."
Kirisu Mafuyu wasn't privy to the behind-the-scenes details, but hearing Mikado Ryoko put it that way, she suddenly saw the road ahead looking very dark indeed.
Sobu High was being hollowed out by power and money. Connections had seeped into every corner.
Hachiman going to receive demihuman transfer students without even being on the student council was one thing. No one in the school could honestly match him when it came to dealing with demihumans.
But connections were now running straight through the teaching staff as well? The futures of these students were looking increasingly fragile.
"Don't look so grim, Kirisu-sensei. Tearju doesn't have formal teaching experience, but she is an expert in biology. She could teach that. And if biology has enough coverage already, she could start out as a student guidance teacher and help take some of the load off Hiratsuka-sensei in the guidance office."
Seeing that Kirisu Mafuyu genuinely thought Tearju was a no-ability hire who got in through connections, Mikado Ryoko quickly moved to correct that impression, and in doing so arrived at the real reason she had sought Kirisu Mafuyu out.
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