Although she enjoyed not being the center of attention and disliked being stared at all the time, the fact that the people in the Service Club barely paid attention to her made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Fortunately, she found an opportunity to chat with Hachiman, which allowed her to learn some useful information.
"Particularly fond of Hachiman? The kind of fondness related to lovers?", Ichinose Politician's heart stirred.
"It looks that way, but she doesn't seem to mind when Hachiman gets close to other girls. On the contrary, she watches with delight," Ichinose Ayano hesitated for a moment before answering softly.
In her view, Hachiman and the Elf Princess interacted just like a couple in love. But when she saw him being close with Hayase Saki and Sakurase Shino without any reaction from the Elf Princess, she was unsure what to think.
"Hmm... I'm not very familiar with the customs of the elves. However, since the Elf Princess doesn't mind other girls getting close to Hachiman, you can get even closer to him," Ichinose Politician mused for a moment before looking at Ichinose Ayano, "Establish a good relationship with Hachiman. If you can please him, it's fine to let him take some advantage of you."
"It's a pity you're not a man. Otherwise, you could just please the Elf Princess the way Hachiman does. The Elf Princess may be from another world, but she represents the entire elven race. Just her popularity among the public alone could give me a huge chance at becoming governor, not to mention that with their power, they could easily bring down a politician," Ichinose Politician wasn't particularly surprised that the Elf Princess favored Hachiman. What surprised him was that she wasn't jealous at all.
However, although he didn't understand the reason, this was obviously a good thing. He could let his daughter be more daring in approaching Hachiman without worrying about angering the Elf Princess, whom he truly wanted to win over.
"...", Ichinose Ayano stared blankly at her father without saying a word.
"Unwilling? You should know that if I become governor, you'll have better marriage prospects. But if you really refuse, then forget it. I'll find someone else to join the Service Club. You can just focus on studying and marrying off properly, don't cause me any more trouble," Seeing Ichinose Ayano dazedly remain silent, Ichinose Politician assumed she was still thinking about that teacher he had her trained by. He couldn't help but frown.
He had wanted this useless daughter of his to help him win over the Elf Princess's support, but judging from her attitude, she was hopeless.
"Find someone else?", Ichinose Ayano snapped out of her daze, hearing her father's words, and was completely dumbfounded.
Who else could her father find in the school to help him with this?
This wasn't something just anyone could replace.
"The Ichinose family isn't limited to just our household. It's just that most of our relatives are poor," Ichinose Politician had no intention of explaining clearly to his daughter. He merely gazed at her indifferently.
"I have a social engagement tomorrow. If you want to eat anything, tell the maids to prepare it. If you're not going to help me, just behave yourself and stop causing trouble," With that, he grabbed his coat, stood up, and left without looking back.
"...", Ichinose Ayano watched her father, who was clearly heading off to see his mistress, and stood motionless, silently contemplating who the replacement might be.
Their family didn't have many close relatives, and she was familiar with most of them. There shouldn't be anyone suitable to replace her in the Service Club. But in another branch of the family, there seemed to be a girl around her age.
Someone with the same pinkish-gold long hair and seemingly excellent grades, 'Was her name something like "Ha"...?'
She couldn't recall the details, not even the girl's exact name.
Since their extended family rarely interacted unless absolutely necessary, they all led separate lives with little contact.
However, if her father was considering replacing her with this person, then the girl's qualifications must be similar to, or even better than, hers.
At the very least, she was probably more obedient. Arranging for a transfer student to enroll at Sobu High wouldn't be a problem for a politician.
So... the situation now was that she had lost her value and had been discarded by her father.
"...", Ichinose Ayano silently walked back to her room, closed the door, and collapsed onto her soft bed, lying motionless.
Actually, she hadn't been in a daze earlier because her father was willing to let her be taken advantage of for his own gain.
She had long seen through her father's true nature. To this politician, she was nothing more than a tool for gaining benefits.
What truly left her stunned was his statement that the Elf Princess could remove politicians from office, that her popularity alone could influence the appointment of a governor.
She had never realized that the Elf Princess had such immense influence. She had assumed that while Iris was popular, she was just like other princesses from foreign countries, merely someone with a high status.
But being able to easily take down a politician, and even potentially help her father become the governor of an entire prefecture.
No wonder her strict father, who had always emphasized her chastity, was willing to let her be taken advantage of in order to please the Elf Princess.
'Iris and Hachiman are so close, whatever Hachiman says, Iris will probably take it to heart, right?'
Images of her father respectfully responding over the phone, presumably to Hachiman, flashed through Ichinose Ayano's mind. Suddenly, she had a bold idea.
If she could win Hachiman's favor, would the Elf Princess Iris support her and help her break free from her father's control over her life...?
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Noticing the vibration of her phone by the bedside, Ichinose Ayano reached over, grabbed it, and flipped onto her back to check the screen.
In the Service Club's group chat, someone had been repeatedly tagging her.
[Hayase Saki: @Ichinose Ayano, want to come over to my house tomorrow?]
[Hayase Saki: @Ichinose Ayano, want to come over to my house tomorrow?]
[Hayase Saki: @Ichinose Ayano, want to come over to my house tomorrow?]
"Huh?"
Ichinose Ayano wasn't sure why Hayase Saki suddenly invited her over. She hesitated and scrolled up to check the chat history. After a while, she finally understood the context.
It turned out that Hayase Saki and Sakurase Shino had been discussing where to train Sakurase Shino tomorrow.
Since Yukinoshita Yukino, Iris, and Aegis were unavailable, and Gabriel was accompanying a friend to a part-time job, their large group had suddenly shrunk by half. So, Hayase Saki volunteered to host everyone at her place.
That meant the only remaining Service Club members were Hayase Saki, Sakurase Shino, Ichinose Ayano, and Hachiman, a total of four people.
Hachiman was going to Hayase Saki's house to "train" Sakurase Shino.
So now, she was the only one who hadn't confirmed if she was going.
Ichinose Ayano stared at the chat history, bit her lip, and tapped her response onto the screen with her slender fingers.
[Ichinose Ayano: Hmm... I'll go tomorrow too.]
———
"Oh yeah! Success!", Lying on her bed, Hayase Saki had been staring at her phone. The moment she saw Ichinose Ayano's reply, she jumped up in excitement, unable to hide her joy.
At first, she wasn't sure if she could get everyone to come over to her house to play. Now that she had received everyone's agreement, she suddenly felt like tomorrow would be amazing.
"Yukinoshita is busy, Iris and Gabriel are also unavailable. This time, I can finally wear the white silk cat-eared maid outfit for the president. And then there's the swimsuit, the gymnastics uniform. The president should like it a lot. Hehehe..."
Hayase Saki got out of bed and walked barefoot to her wardrobe. She opened it and stared at the various outfits inside, the ones she knew would definitely pique the president's interest. The corners of her mouth curled up as she chuckled uncontrollably.
In the Service Club, there were two people she feared the most: the fierce and intimidating Yukinoshita Yukino and the sweet-smiling yet somewhat devious Iris. The former was ice-cold and terrifying, while the latter had a hidden cunningness. Although Iris hadn't done anything bad to her, she still found her a bit scary.
But since neither of them would be coming tomorrow, that meant this would be Hayase Saki's home turf.
Sakuarse Shino was socially withdrawn and needed the president's guidance. Ichinose Ayano had just joined the Service Club and wasn't familiar with the president yet. No matter what they thought, they couldn't compare to her relationship with the president.
Tomorrow, she could fully assume the role of their senior, enjoy the privileges of being an upperclassman in the Service Club, and let Ichinose Ayano and the others properly learn from her and the president.
"Oh, right! I still need to notify Miki and have her come over tomorrow too," Hayase Saki suddenly realized she had forgotten someone. She quickly dialed the number of her meal companion, Narahashi Miki.
The white silk cat-eared maid outfit wasn't meant for Sakuarse Shino or Ichinose Ayano, it had to be worn by her good friend Narahashi Miki to fit perfectly.
["Hello? Saki? It's so late, what's the matter?"], Narahashi Miki's timid voice came through the phone's receiver.
Despite being the ace of the volleyball team, with a pure appearance, a voluptuous figure, and excellent athletic ability, her towering height of 182 cm subjected her to judgmental gazes from those around her. This made her very self-conscious and socially withdrawn.
Fortunately, she met Hayase Saki. Though Hayase Saki wasn't quite as tall as her, she also had a similarly curvy figure and shared the same insecurities. This common ground gave them a connection.
"Miki! I need you!"
["Huh???"]
Hearing her best friend Hayase Saki's excited outburst, Narabashi Miki was stunned for a long moment before she could react.
Lately, hasn't Saki changed a lot?
———
Hachiman had no idea that his little pet, Hayase Saki, was currently pulling her best friend into the same trap.
He originally planned to comfort Shion before going to find Kaede and Suzu. But considering that dealing with the Kaede-Suzu sisters might take until late at night, he first called Representative Ichinose to have him investigate the Tohsaka family's situation.
In the group chat, Hayase Saki and the others were discussing where to train Sakuarse Shino tomorrow. Naturally, he saw through Hayase Saki's little scheme.
Lately, this greedy dumpling hadn't had enough to eat, so it was normal for her to seek more opportunities to get close to him.
After all, she wasn't like Iris, who could cling to him all the time. She wasn't even in the same class as him and could only wait eagerly for Service Club activities.
So after some consideration, he agreed to Hayase Saki's suggestion, setting the location for tomorrow's Service Club activity at her house.
For him, training Sakuarse Shino could be done anywhere. She was already so obedient to him. As long as he followed the plan, gradually stimulating her from the outside in, she would be able to untangle her own emotional knots and stop tormenting herself over self-imposed guilt.
Originally, he had intended to take a more direct approach to break through Sakuarse Shino's mental barriers in one go and make Yukinoshita Yukino completely submit.
But true strength never fears challenges. Training at Hayase Saki's house could be just as exciting.
Since only Hayase Saki, Sakuarse Shino, and Ichinose Ayano would be present, he could unleash his full techniques and clear Sakuarse Shino's emotional block in just one day.
———
"Phew! Looks like he won't be coming tonight," Kaede opened the window and looked out at the dark, silent street. Seeing no movement, she closed the window, drew the curtains, and returned to bed, hugging her pillow.
She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.
Tonight, she had agreed to reward Hachiman once he returned from escorting Makoto-chan home.
Ever since she received the message that Makoto-chan had safely arrived, she had been anxiously waiting, unsure if Hachiman had been joking or if he really intended to come over despite her parents being home.
But now, it was already bedtime. He probably wasn't coming.
She felt conflicted, both hoping he would come and hoping he wouldn't.
Their relationship had already reached this point, so it wouldn't matter if he took a bit more advantage of her.
But earlier at Hachiman's house, he had already pushed things quite far. If he came to her house now, wouldn't that mean taking the final step?
Although her parents didn't strongly oppose her relationship with Hachiman, in fact, they sometimes teased her about it, even asking whether she or Suzu would end up marrying him.
She didn't exactly object either. They had been childhood friends for so many years, and if she didn't believe they were meant to be together, she wouldn't have insisted on keeping him by her side through everything.
But recently, Hachiman had changed so much. Not only did he want to be a househusband, but he was also getting greedy, he actually wanted a harem.
'Damn it… Is Hachiman really popular?'
His flirting skills weren't this refined before… Today, he even dared to tease her in the hallway by the entrance. Could he be doing the same thing with Suzu behind her back?
Kaede squeezed the pillow in her arms tightly with one hand, burying her flushed, overheated face into it.
She was 100% confident in her bet, Hachiman couldn't possibly win over all those noble girls and get them to accept each other.
But this supposedly foolproof bet seemed to have trapped her as well. After all, she hadn't put any restrictions on Hachiman. Whether he won or lost, she would still have to become his woman, which meant that if he acted more assertively with her now, she couldn't really refuse.
'Hachiman…'
'ARGHHH!!!'
'Hachiman, you bastard!!!'
After a long bout of overthinking, Kaede weakly let go of the pillow and collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as she took a deep breath, preparing to rest for a bit before going to wash up and sleep.
But just as she calmed herself down, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed someone crouching beside her bed, staring at her.
"Who?"
Kaede instinctively tried to get up from the bed but froze mid-motion when she recognized the figure.
It was Hachiman.
She immediately let out a sigh of relief.
"You scared me to death! How did you even get in here?"
Still sitting up, Kaede looked at the bedroom door, then at the closed curtains over the window, before turning back to Hachiman in complete confusion.
[T/N: Hey everyone!😆 I have published another fanfic named 'Naruto: Transmigrated With AFK System!'. I'd love your support on that one too—check it out, drop some power stones, and let me know what you think! Your feedback keeps me motivated to keep writing. Thanks for being awesome!😘]
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