Chapter 436. Love Rivals Assemble, the Peerless Priscilla
The day Hikigaya Hachiman convened the meeting with several girls was a day off.
Unlike Hachiman, who had long since earned the privilege to take leave whenever he pleased, ordinary people like Kousaka Kyousuke, ShiroganMiyuki e, and the employees of Musashino Animation found that although the world merger was a shocking, historical event, life went on. After the initial few days of societal chaos, those who had to go to school went to school, and those who had to work went to work.
For the time being, things like magic, swordsmanship, and Divine Protections had little to do with them. The only major change was that during their spare time, they could travel to the territories of the Kingdom of Lugunica to personally experience the flair of another world.
"Today's a holiday! How about it, Kei? Want to go check out the Royal Capital of Lugunica again?"
Miyuki Shirogane gestured grandly, still full of lingering excitement. Although he was dedicated to hard work and study, his interest in the other world was equally intense. Despite having visited once before, how could he possibly get tired of it without visiting at least a hundred times?
Shirogane Kei also really wanted to go. However, possessing an enthusiasm for finding a sister-in-law that wasn't much lower than Komachi's, she forcibly suppressed the urge to go to Lugunica. She looked at him coldly and asked, "Hey, big brother, haven't you forgotten something?"
"Ah, forgotten what?" Miyuki Shirogane looked bewildered. "My wallet?"
Kei slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her voice trembling with indignation at his lack of progress. "Kaguya-san, you idiot brother! It's been over two weeks. What about your promise to confess to her!?"
She appeared incredibly grieved. "Hikigaya-senpai has always been a man of his word. How is it that as a fellow older brother, you're such a promise-breaker? Can't you pull yourself together, you idiot brother!"
"That... well... you can't exactly blame me for that." Miyuki coughed unnaturally. "At school, there are too many eyes and ears. I certainly can't do it there."
Kei was relentless. "What about after school? When you're home? Can't you go to the Shinomiya estate to find Kaguya-san?"
"I tried! But... she wasn't there at the time. She went to tour the Kingdom of Lugunica and the Sacred Volachia Empire! I couldn't help it!"
"That was only once." Kei squinted at her idiot brother, her eyes filled with disdain. "In over two weeks, you went to find her exactly once, and you can still be this defensive?"
Miyuki, who had been puffing out his chest with growing self-justification, quickly crumbled under her words. He began to stutter, completely unable to rebut his sister's contempt.
"In the end, you've chickened out again, haven't you, idiot brother?"
"What else am I supposed to do!" He looked utterly aggrieved. "Being able to muster the courage even once was already quite a feat. Who told Shinomiya not to be there? Perhaps this is fate—no, wait, perhaps she's intentionally not there to give me a reality check."
"In terms of family background and looks, I'm already a poor match for Shinomiya. If I act too humble, it'll be even worse. You have to understand me, Kei."
Kei slapped the table again. "Even that arrogant woman Priscilla has the face and the guts to try and snatch Hikigaya-senpai from Sister Anna. Are you saying you're even worse than Priscilla!?"
"This is about a man's responsibility, not being humble, you idiot brother! Is it really that hard to just go and confess to Kaguya-san, like Hikigaya-senpai being honest with Yukinoshita? Ask yourself that, brother!"
No matter how Kei tried to goad him, Miyuki Shirogane shook his head like a rattle. The romantic yearning and courage to confess that had blossomed because of Hikigaya Hachiman had been deflated by the coincidental event of Shinomiya Kaguya's absence.
"It must be fate. Fate won't allow me to confess proactively; I have to wait for Shinomiya to surrender."
Having decided this, and in order to appease his menacing sister, Miyuki proposed a condition: "On the day news breaks that Hikigaya has made a choice among that group of 'genuine' girls, I'll go try again. Is that fine?"
At the same time the Shirogane siblings were negotiating, in a bedroom of the Shinomiya estate, Shinomiya Kaguya lay on her bed, listlessly clutching her phone while complaining:
"Moo~ Why hasn't the President sent a message to ask me out yet? Even though he acted so explicitly on that weekend the week before last. What gives? To wait for him to come and confess again, I've been holding back all these days, never leaving the estate after school."
"President, President, President~ Mmm~"
Ai Hayasaka, serving at her side, watched her "delirious" mistress with a cold gaze, thinking to herself: 'Is it really a mystery to you why he hasn't messaged again?'
.
.
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In a room far from the Shinomiya household, Hikigaya Hachiman—whose romantic fate was forcibly linked to that of Shirogane Miyuki and Shinomiya Kaguya—was preparing to open his meeting.
But before the meeting could even start, Yukino, who had already taken her seat, looked ashen. She glared at Priscilla and questioned Hachiman: "Why is she here!?"
If not for her good upbringing—and the fact that she couldn't win a fight—she would have rushed forward to settle old scores the second she saw her enemy.
"I can understand you calling Anastasia, Emilia, Rem, and even Crusch... but on what grounds was she invited?"
Before Hachiman could answer Yukino's accusation, Priscilla let out a scoff.
She leaned lazily against the back of her chair, her left hand propping up her face. She glanced playfully at the frigid Yukino, a dangerous, arrogant smile playing on her lips. Her eyes and tone were exceedingly overbearing.
"This mistress is also quite puzzled as to why a frustrated, incompetent barking bitch would appear here; it truly offends my eyes. If you were to lick my feet, I might consider not executing you on the spot."
She arrogantly lifted a beautiful leg that carried the scent of body wash rather than any foul odor. This condescending, "charitable" attitude incensed Yukino.
Before the conflict could escalate, Hachiman decisively stepped to the side of the disadvantaged Yukino.
"Please behave yourself, Priscilla, or I'll have to ask you to leave."
He had invited Priscilla partly to reconcile her relationship with Yukino. On the other hand, Priscilla's actions—going on a rampage to hunt down the Archbishop of Gluttony after he lost his memory—had actually increased his favorability of her significantly. It proved that Priscilla was indeed somewhat tsundere, barely falling into the category of "sharp tongue, soft heart."
Though her tongue was more like a nuclear warhead and her heart a guided missile, she more or less fit the trait of being less malicious than her words suggested.
However, if Priscilla bullied Yukino too much, the favorability he held for her would eventually be exhausted.
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