This black collar is the same Sympathy Collar that slipped away from Hachiman's hands, but he definitely didn't give it to Ichinose Honami or Horigome China.
"I got two collars from Princess Iris. These past two days, Honami, China, and I have been staying at home playing with the Sympathy Collars. We haven't gone anywhere~"
Seeing that Hachiman had discovered her little scheme, Ichinose Ayano immediately covered her bottom and got up from his lap. She knelt on the soft bed with her fair, rosy, and plump knees, her slender, pale jade-like arms wrapping around Hachiman's neck as she grinned mischievously, seeking credit.
Marika's ingratitude meant she couldn't get her master's reward, but surely Honami and China's situation would earn her a reward from her master.
Although, punishing her and rewarding her weren't much different to her. As long as her master didn't ignore her, whether he punished her by making her sit in his lap without moving or held her and kissed her, it was all a kind of reward.
But seriously speaking, she still wanted her master to praise her while rewarding her.
"Uh... You're saying they've been wearing these collars for two days already? Ayano, you didn't force them to wear them by pinning them down, did you?", Hachiman pinched Ichinose Ayano's cheek with one hand while turning his head to look at Ichinose Honami and Horigome China, who were standing not far from the bed. They were wearing matching but differently colored spaghetti strap nightgowns, revealing their smooth, rounded shoulders and slender, pale legs beneath the hems.
Although Ichinose Honami and Horigome China were two people, Ichinose Ayano's physical fitness was already quite high under the enhancement of his Servant Aura. She just hadn't learned any combat skills and wasn't good at fighting. But dealing with ordinary girls like Ichinose Honami and Horigome China would naturally be a breeze for her.
"Master guessed wrong~"
Ichinose Ayano didn't struggle at all when her cheek was pinched. Instead, like a little kitten, she lowered her head and stuck out her small, fragrant tongue, gently licking the back of Hachiman's hand.
"Do they look willing to you in their current state? I'll punish you properly later."
Hachiman remained unmoved, shooting a blank look at Ichinose Ayano before giving her soft, fragrant cheek a firm pinch.
"Master can punish me however he wants! Ayano will be obedient!"
Hearing that Hachiman was going to punish her severely later, Ichinose Ayano wrapped her arms around herself in front of her chest, completely indifferent to the slight pain there. Instead, she looked at Hachiman with anticipation, even trembling slightly with excitement.
Hachiman gave a speechless look at Ichinose Ayano, who was now completely inseparable from him, then got up and walked over to Ichinose Honami and Horigome China, who were standing with their heads bowed.
"Honami, China, did Ayano force you to do something?"
To think they had been wearing the Sympathy Collars for two days… Keeping the sympathy function active for a long time is not good. It might seem like it can synchronize all sorts of sensations, but they are just sensations. The body doesn't actually receive the proper nourishment and instead becomes increasingly sensitive.
"No… I was willing…", Hearing Hachiman's question as he approached, Ichinose Honami, who had been keeping her head down, slowly looked up, revealing a pale face and red-rimmed eyes.
"You look nothing like you're willing. Are you worried about your identity being exposed? Don't worry, I've known for a long time that your sudden transfer to our class is definitely related to Councilor Ichinose. If I minded your identity, why would I invite you to hang out at my home?"
Looking at Ichinose Honami, who seemed on the verge of tears, Hachiman felt a bit helpless.
"You're just following Councilor Ichinose's orders to get close to me and build a good relationship, that's all. You haven't done anything to harm me. There's no need for you to be so sad and blame yourself so much."
Ichinose Honami was actually very similar to an "2D" heroine, or rather, if Ichinose Honami were in the "2D World," she would be a pure "2D" heroine.
Because Ichinose Honami had a dark history: her family was once poor, and she stole a hairpin for her sister's birthday gift. Even though the matter was resolved and the person involved had long forgiven her, this dark history still hadn't ended in her heart.
The seemingly gentle, sunny, and understanding Ichinose Honami on the surface was easily affected by this dark history, to the point where she might even agree to do things under threat.
But he hadn't done anything yet. For Ichinose Honami to become like this, Ichinose Ayano must have stirred things up and taken action.
For the formerly love-struck Ichinose Ayano to push Ichinose Honami to this point… should it be called the talent of an "2D" heroine, or is it that she'll do anything to gain his affection?
"Hikigaya-kun, I'm sorry, I deceived you…", Looking at Hachiman, who knew she had ulterior motives yet still cared for her and tried to find excuses for her, the tears welling in Ichinose Honami's eyes could no longer be controlled. They gushed from the corners of her eyes as she choked up, murmuring in a low voice.
"From the very beginning, I approached you with impure motives."
"Uncle Ichinose promised to find my mother a job with high pay and low intensity, and to get my sister into a good school."
"He told me to get close to Hikigaya-kun, become your good friend, and get you to say good things about Uncle Ichinose."
"I never dared to call you by your first names, even when you called me by mine and told me to use yours, I didn't dare."
"Someone as dirty as me… doesn't deserve the friendship of Hikigaya-kun and Tenma-san…"
"Hikigaya-kun…"
After thinking deeply for a long time, Ichinose Honami decided to confess the bad things she had done to Hachiman.
She wasn't begging for Hikigaya-kun's forgiveness; someone as kind-hearted as Hikigaya-kun probably never blamed her in the first place.
This apology and confession now were just for her own peace of mind.
From start to finish, she was so selfish. Even her apology was for herself.
"Didn't I already say it? I knew your purpose for transferring from the very beginning. I don't blame you, so why are you still blaming yourself? Is crying fun?"
Hachiman looked at Ichinose Honami, who was crying harder and harder but still wanted to continue listing her sins. He reached out, embraced her, held her close, and gently comforted her.
"Ayano just wanted to scare you; you don't need to worry so much."
"Look how good my relationship with Ayano is now. At first, she also wanted to get close to Iris to curry favor with her."
"If you're worried about your mother and your sister, I can help you solve their problems too. I can also help transfer your sister to my little sister Komachi's school, so you can look after your sister normally."
"This time, without Councilor Ichinose's interference, let's start over as friends."
Although he hadn't personally intervened in Ichinose Honami's dark history, what Ichinose Ayano did was no different from what he would have done himself.
Because Ichinose Ayano was now his pet. When a pet causes trouble, the owner has to take responsibility. Moreover, the reason Ichinose Ayano did this was to gain his affection.
"Hi-Hikigaya-kun…"
Listening to Hachiman's warm words, which completely ignored the issues she was anxious about and focused solely on considering her, Ichinose Honami opened her mouth, wanting to offer a sincere apology once more and properly thank Hachiman.
But before she could speak, the feeling of being held in Hikigaya-kun's arms now… felt exactly the same as the sensations transmitted by the collar around her neck these past two days.
She-she seemed to be losing control of herself.
———
'How could this be?'
'How did Honami, who was just crying, end up… embracing him like this… '
Ichinose Marika widened her eyes, staring at Ichinose Honami, who had suddenly pushed Hachiman onto the bed. Her eyes were full of confusion, doubt, and shock.
Just a moment ago, Honami was crying in this boy's arms, confessing that she seemed to have done something bad to him following Uncle Ichinose's orders.
How did they suddenly end up together like this?
In Ichinose Marika's impression, Honami's family was very poor, but her upbringing was even stricter than her own.
Forget the countryside; within the Ichinose family in the city, their generation basically had her, Honami, and Ayano standing out, and coincidentally, they were all girls.
Her family's financial situation was average among the Ichinose family, neither the best nor the worst.
Her mother often used Honami as an example, telling her not to slack off, that she had such good conditions but didn't know how to cherish them, and used Ayano as an example to urge her to work hard and improve.
And now, her usual objects of comparison, Honami and Ayano, were both being so intimate with the same boy right in front of her.
Her mother always told her to learn from Honami, learn from Ayano, and not fall behind.
But this current situation… should she, should she follow along and learn too?
Ichinose Marika watched silently as Honami, with her back to her, acted as if no one else was there, and as Ayano, lying beside Hachiman, looked at Honami with envy and jealousy, her small mouth slightly agape, utterly shocked.
"I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun… I, I didn't mean to, I couldn't help it…", Ichinose Honami, who had just finished crying, looked down at Hachiman lying on the bed, unable to hold back another stream of tears of remorse and shame.
Hikigaya-kun was so good to her, wholeheartedly helping her solve her problems, even considering her sister's school transfer, yet she couldn't control her own desires and was treating Hikigaya-kun like this.
"Uh… It's fine, it's fine, Honami, you really don't need to mind. I'm used to it by now."
Hachiman looked at Ichinose Honami's guilt-ridden, yet flushed face, unable to stop her actions. Instead, he actively comforted her, telling her not to worry.
He understood why Ichinose Honami had become like this. It was purely Ichinose Ayano's fault for letting Ichinose Honami use the Sympathy Collar too frequently, causing her to be unable to restrain her inner surging desires once she came into contact with him.
After all, the girls he had "aided" were all enhanced by the Servant Aura. Their physical fitness was higher, one after another, yet they were all "weaker" than the last. So many people couldn't withstand him.
In this situation, the completely inexperienced Ichinose Honami had been syncing sensations with Iris, Lala, Sakurase, Elio, Kaede, Shion, and the others for two whole days. She absolutely couldn't hold out.
In this state, resting alone could only recover physical stamina and energy; the emptiness within the body couldn't be filled.
It was fine if she didn't come into contact with him, but once she made physical contact and received stimulation, Ichinose Honami's body, having experienced prolonged syncing, would naturally produce uncontrollable desires, making her unable to control her own body.
Of course, this situation wasn't a rare experience for him. There were many "2D" heroines around him, and quite a few would pounce on him at the drop of a hat. Back then, Karuizawa Kei also pounced into his arms in the infirmary.
Hmm… seems quite similar to the current situation. That time with Karuizawa Kei, Ichinose Ayano was also nearby.
The only slight difference was that he hadn't interfered much with Ichinose Honami. He hadn't included Ichinose Honami when playing those "bullying games" in the classroom with Miura Yumeko, Ijichi Natsuka, and Kitagawa Umaru.
But now, she had been frightened by Ichinose Ayano and subjected to two full days of syncing…
Before, just one night of syncing nearly landed Ichinose Ayano in the hospital. Now, Ichinose Honami and the others could turn off their Sympathy Collars, but he guessed Ichinose Ayano wouldn't let them turn off the syncing until they reached their limit.
"I'm, I'm sorry…"
Ichinose Honami desperately restrained the m*ans of pain threatening to escape her throat, breathing rapidly as she tightly gripped Hachiman's hands, her own hands crossed and held firmly by him.
She had to do this. If she didn't let Hikigaya-kun hold her hands tightly, restricting her movements, she felt she might even melt onto Hikigaya-kun, embracing him and kissing him while.
If it were only Hikigaya-kun alone, it might be fine. She could kneel and beg for his forgiveness, willing to accept anything he did to her.
But right now, it wasn't just Hikigaya-kun in the room. Ayano, Marika, Horigome-san… they were all here watching.
Although she also knew that whether she kissed Hikigaya-kun or not probably didn't make much difference anymore.
If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't faint, she would have wanted to pass out completely, so she wouldn't have to face the gazes of Ayano, Marika, and the others.
"Forget about that, are you still calling me 'Hikigaya-kun'? We're friends, you can just call me 'Hachiman' uh… Okay, I understand. You can call me that later. Don't be so nervous, take it slow."
Hachiman wanted to tell Ichinose Honami not to blame herself so much, but before he could finish, he noticed her gradually weakening hands suddenly gripping him tightly again.
In this situation, he could only immediately change his tune and slowly comfort the overreacting Ichinose Honami.
What's done is done. At a time like this, he shouldn't push too hard and continue to stimulate Ichinose Honami. It was better to let Ichinose Honami slowly and gradually display her talent.
"Master…", Watching Ichinose Honami, whom she had prepared to offer to Hachiman, enjoying his affection all by herself, Ichinose Ayano, who was lying nearby burning with envy, bit down hard on the sheet, feeling indignant.
She had held back for two days, hadn't even enjoyed it herself yet, so how did Honami get to enjoy it first?
She finally offered Honami to her master, and now Honami was throwing herself into his arms. Her master was happy, so how could she disturb his mood?
Her master hadn't pushed Honami away, so how dare she push Honami away.
But how long would she have to wait just watching? Honami had rested for so long today; it wouldn't be over for a while.
Thinking this, Ichinose Ayano let go of the sheet she was biting, turned to look at Horigome China, who was still standing there breathing rapidly with unease, face flushed but dazed, rooted to the spot, got up, and pushed her onto Hachiman.
When it was only Honami, she didn't dare rashly go up and interrupt.
But if everyone was playing together? If both Honami and China were involved, then her joining in wouldn't count as interrupting, right?
Her sisters from the family, her sisters from school, she had offered them all to her master.
Her master would definitely reward her severely.
"China, what about you? Were you willing too?"
Hachiman, while holding Ichinose Honami's trembling, soft hands, turned his head to look at Horigome China, who had been pushed onto his chest.
Regarding this Horigome China, whom her stepfather had demanded have a child, Ichinose Ayano had actually reported to him when she took China in, but she hadn't mentioned putting the Sympathy Collar on her too.
Now, Ichinose Honami had become like this after two days with the Sympathy Collar. It was hard to imagine that Horigome China wasn't affected.
After all, Horigome China was the genuine "2D" heroine. If Ichinose Honami had become like this, it was a miracle China's brain hadn't been completely fried.
"I, I don't know if I was willing or not…", Horigome China buried her face in Hachiman's neck, took a deep breath, and felt this scent that was both familiar and unfamiliar. Her body, which had finally managed to calm down after a whole day of rest, began to grow restless again, unable to be suppressed.
It was familiar because she had often smelled this scent these past two days while staying in Ayano's room.
It wasn't just this scent; even Hikigaya-kun's hands, Hikigaya-kun's body temperature, Hikigaya-kun's…
Over these two days, she had gradually grown accustomed to them, even intensely yearned for them.
And the unfamiliar part was that this was her first time actually making physical contact with Hikigaya-kun.
She hadn't even experienced her first kiss, and she usually didn't think about those things. Yet now, just smelling Hikigaya-kun's scent made her want to f*ck Hikigaya-kun.
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