Diary Of Service Club, Helping The Elf Princess

However, Kaede's determination was stronger as she directly dragged Vignette over.

"You! Are you really going to say you didn't have any inappropriate thoughts?"

Kaede absolutely didn't believe a word Hikigaya said. This guy must have come up with all sorts of ways to humiliate her. She wasn't about to let him succeed.

"Heh…"

Hikigaya smiled without saying anything, pulling out the pair of slippers he had prepared for Kaede from the shoe cabinet, tossing them on the floor for her to change into, and ruffling her hair at the same time.

The wager he had won with Kaede was supposed to be a "reasonable" request, but Kaede seemed more worried about what kind of unreasonable request he might make.

After all, the standards of what was reasonable or unreasonable were hard to define.

Or perhaps, even if he were to make an unreasonable request, Kaede would angrily comply with it, blushing while grumbling at him?

"An unreasonable request?"

Vignette, who followed behind them and finished changing into her slippers, looked blankly at Kaede and Hachiman, who were engaged in a playful tussle. She had no idea what was going on.

"I made a bet with Kaede earlier. I said my Service Club recruited some excellent members. Kaede didn't believe it, thinking no one would join my club. But I did manage to recruit some excellent members, so now Kaede has to agree to a reasonable request from me."

Realizing that Vignette had been dragged into this by Kaede, Hikigaya turned around and explained briefly.

"I see… So, you don't need me anymore, right? Then I'll head back."

Vignette suddenly understood. Although she had been used as a tool in the situation, she didn't feel particularly upset. After all, Kaede must have believed in her to act this way.

"Well, since you're already here, and it's almost dinnertime, why don't you stay and have dinner with us? You've been taking care of Kaede and Suzu a lot these past few days."

Hikigaya enthusiastically invited her, just like Kaede had done. It was time to try and build a closer relationship with Vignette. Just being classmates and friends wasn't enough for him.

"It's more like Kaede has been taking care of me. Since I transferred here, she's helped me with a lot of things."

Vignette shook her head in embarrassment.

"Well, you'd just be cooking for yourself if you went home, right? Why not eat with us instead?"

Hikigaya continued to persuade her. Of course, the "taking care" he referred to wasn't exactly the same. For him, Vignette accompanying Kaede and Suzu on the way home after school when he was unavailable already counted as taking care of them.

"This…"

Vignette was still hesitant. She felt it was inappropriate to impose on others for no reason.

"What's the big deal? What does it have to do with you if Vignette comes home with us?"

Kaede, who was being restrained under Hachiman's arm and unable to move, muttered.

Although she didn't think this lazy Hachiman had ulterior motives towards Vignette, his unusually proactive behavior still felt strange to her.

She and Suzu rarely ate at Hachiman's house, so why was he so eager to invite Vignette over?

"Of course, Kaede and Suzu, you two should also stay and eat before heading back. Your house hasn't started dinner yet, has it?"

Hikigaya said while pinching Kaede's cheek and looking over at Suzu. Inviting her and Kaede along with Vignette made it less awkward, turning it into more of a group gathering among classmates.

"…No."

The usually quiet Suzu seemed a bit surprised, her calm eyes looking at Hachiman as she slowly shook her head.

Her face looked very similar to Kaede's, but their demeanor and expressions were vastly different. One was lively and spirited, while the other was emotionless and cute in a dazed way—making them easy to tell apart.

"Dinner at Hachiman's place, huh… Vignette, you should stay too. Otherwise, I'm worried Hachiman might poison the food."

Hearing Hachiman's invitation for her and Suzu to stay as well, Kaede momentarily forgot about Hachiman's hand still messing with her face. After thinking for a moment, she extended an invitation to Vignette.

Hachiman inviting them over for dinner was just too out of character. She couldn't help but worry that he might try to drug her.

If he did, she wouldn't even be able to refuse any unreasonable requests he made afterward, right?

That was absolutely unacceptable.

"Poison? No way… If I'm staying for dinner, I should help with the cooking."

Vignette hesitated for a moment before making her own suggestion. She felt that she couldn't just freeload a meal; she ought to contribute.

If she had already bought groceries, she might even have gone back to her apartment to get them.

"Of course, I'd be glad to have your help."

Seeing that he had finally managed to get Vignette to stay and have dinner with them, Hachiman nodded with a smile.

Now that both the Lazy Angel and the Holy Light Demon were by his side, could the Mischief Demon and her antics be far behind?

Though that Mischief Demon wouldn't be as easy to deal with…

———

Hikigaya inviting Vignette to stay for dinner wasn't because he had any ulterior motives; he simply wanted to build a good relationship with her.

For someone as kind-hearted as Vignette, the best way to treat her was to be good to her—good without expecting anything in return, and good regardless of the cost.

But he couldn't rush things too much now. Given their current relationship, being too eager might scare Vignette away.

In any case, Gabriel was now his desk neighbor, Vignette was his neighbor, and the playful demon Raphiel would certainly appear sooner or later. As for the playful demon's own plaything, Satanichia...

Hmm, that could wait until fate decided to intervene. For now, his Service Club already had one idiot, Saki Hayase.

"Komachi, Shion, you two chat with Kaede and the others for a bit. Vignette and I will prepare dinner."

Hikigaya gently tossed Kaede, whom he had just been teasing, onto the soft sofa. After saying this to Komachi and Asougi Shion, he prepared to head to the kitchen to make dinner.

Although he didn't need to make anything particularly fancy for a home-cooked meal, preparing dinner for six people was still a fair amount of work.

"Brother, let me help too!"

Asougi Shion quickly stood up and offered.

"The kitchen doesn't have enough space. Vignette and I can handle it. Shion, you should just chat with the others. You really don't need to overthink things—this is your home too."

Seeing the hopeful look in Shion's eyes, Hachiman patted her head with a helpless smile.

He knew Shion was still sensitive about staying here. But there wasn't a quick way to help her let go of those concerns. After all, she was homeless and feeling vulnerable. He couldn't just take out a "Service Collar," put it on her, and command her to treat this place like her own home and see him as her big brother.

"Well... okay."

Hearing this, Asougi Shion hesitated but didn't insist. Instead, she looked a little disappointed as she watched Hachiman and Vignette head to the kitchen together.

She had originally planned to make a delicious meal for her brother today. Who would've thought that even such a simple wish wouldn't come true?

"Tsk..."

Komachi, meanwhile, watched her classmate's retreating figure with a subtle expression.

She had been too focused on her brother's classmates earlier to notice Shion's change in behavior. But now that she had the chance, she realized Shion's attitude toward her brother was anything but ordinary.

When had her brother managed to charm Shion?

Shion had only been here for a couple of days, and Komachi had been brainstorming ways to make her fall for her brother. Now it seemed Shion already had a crush on him.

Although she had previously wanted Shion as her sister-in-law, this situation was becoming a bit complicated.

Before, her brother's social circle had been so narrow that she worried he wouldn't ever find a girlfriend. She'd been concerned about his future.

But now that his social circle had expanded and he had built close relationships with many girls, she had a new concern.

Her brother seemed a little too flirtatious. What if he ended up with girls showing up at their door with knives someday?

Komachi glanced uneasily at Kaede, who had been tossed onto the sofa. She reached out to help her sit up.

"Kaede-senpai, are you okay? Why was Onii-chan so rough with you?"

"Your brother just takes advantage of his strength to bully me. Ugh... That jerk! How did he suddenly get so strong? I couldn't shake off his grip all the way back..."

Kaede sat up, rubbing her cheeks that were still sore from Hachiman's pinching. She looked both embarrassed and annoyed.

Hachiman's teasing of her face and hair wasn't physically harmful, but it was certainly humiliating.

Normally, she could at least throw herself at him and engage in a playful tussle. But today, she was completely at his mercy.

And she hadn't even skipped gym class today. Though her duties with the student council hadn't left her so exhausted that she couldn't fight back.

"Strong? All I've noticed is that Onii-chan has gotten more handsome recently."

Komachi tilted her head in confusion. She had thought Kaede and her brother were just playing around again, not realizing her senpai had been genuinely overpowered.

Her brother had spent a long time playing with his female classmates earlier. Could that really have tired out Kaede-senpai so much that she couldn't resist his teasing?

"Well, he has gotten a bit more handsome... Wait a minute, Komachi, didn't you recently change your perfume?"

Kaede suddenly leaned closer to Komachi and sniffed her.

She had noticed a faint scent of women's perfume on Hachiman earlier. Initially, she thought it was from Komachi, but now something seemed off.

The fragrance on Hachiman was a stronger floral scent, while Komachi's was a light fruity one.

"Uh... I've tried out a few new perfumes recently, but none felt right, so I went back to my old one. Kaede-senpai, do you have any good recommendations?"

Realizing the potential danger, Komachi quickly thought on her feet, pretending not to notice Kaede's suspicions and instead changing the subject.

"Well, you're planning to go to Sobu High eventually, right? At Sobu, it's best not to use perfumes that are too strong. Your current light fragrance is fine. No need to keep changing it."

Kaede shook her head, her suspicions easing slightly. Sobu High didn't have strict rules about perfume, but overly strong scents could bother others. Komachi's subtle fruity fragrance was just right.

"Oh, then I won't change it. By the way, Kaede-senpai, how's your friend Vignette's cooking?"

Komachi nodded nonchalantly and redirected the conversation.

"It should be pretty good. Vignette often cooks at home, or so she says."

Kaede glanced toward the semi-open kitchen where Hachiman and Vignette were busy.

She wasn't too familiar with Vignette's cooking skills. But if someone was confident enough to help out in someone else's kitchen, they were probably competent.

As for Hachiman, as her childhood friend, Kaede knew well about his goal to become a househusband. She had teased him mercilessly for it in the past, though she couldn't deny his cooking was delicious.

Tonight's dinner might actually be worth looking forward to.

Komachi noticed that Kaede seemed to have stopped dwelling on the perfume issue and quietly let out a sigh of relief. She truly was working hard to keep this family together. Once Kaede and the others left, she would demand a proper reward from her brother.

Suddenly, Komachi felt a gaze on her. She turned to see Kaede-senpai's younger sister, Suzu, quietly watching her.

———

In the semi-open kitchen, Hikigaya had no idea that Komachi had helped him cover up the scent issue with Kaede, though not with Suzu. Suzu simply chose not to speak up, sparing him an immediate confrontation.

He was focused on preparing ingredients with Vignette while whispering about something.

"Vignette, I wanted to ask about the apartments in your building. Do you know much about them?"

"Are you planning to move out, Hachiman?"

Vignette paused in her chopping and looked at him, surprised.

"No, I'm thinking about renting a room for Komachi's classmate Shion. Her family situation is quite complicated. Her mother disappeared after taking all the family's money, and her father is mentally unstable, addicted to gambling, drinking, and being abusive. Shion can't go back home anytime soon."

To avoid being overheard by Shion in the nearby living room, Hachiman leaned closer to Vignette and explained in a low voice.

"While having one more person for meals isn't a big deal, Shion is a teenage girl who needs her own personal space. Sharing a room with Komachi long-term might make her feel insecure."

His reason for inviting Vignette to dinner wasn't just to get closer to her or take advantage of her in the kitchen. He genuinely wanted to see if Shion could move into an apartment nearby. Having no private room at his house wasn't ideal for Shion. Being too kind to her without giving her space might only add to her discomfort.

"So it's for Shion? I see..."

Vignette immediately understood why Hachiman had invited her for dinner—it was to discuss this matter in private.

Hachiman had previously mentioned the reason for Shion's stay briefly, but he hadn't gone into detail. She hadn't expected Shion's family situation to be so terrible. It wasn't just a case of parents arguing and divorcing.

Her home was practically uninhabitable now.

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