Feeling the dampness on her calves directly, the slender feet wrapped in pure white tabi socks curled up instinctively. She couldn't help covering her flushed, smooth, delicate face with the open book in her hands, her small nose pressed against the pages as she breathed in the faint scent of ink.
Through the part not covered by the book, her clear, bright eyes stared unblinking at Leona and Melaise, the two blonde elf girls standing in flowerpots pretending to be carnivorous plants, as well as Yoshimura Eto, who had her arms hooked behind Hachiman's neck. She watched the two of them kissing, one above and one below.
Listening to the rising and falling singing from both near and far, Kiriya Fujino softly murmured lines from the bizarre novel she had written, her thoughts completely absent from the book.
As a fellow impure-blooded vampire who had not awakened her bloodline and who loved reading and writing, she actually had many topics in common with Yoshimura Eto.
Yoshimura Eto's pen name was Takatsuki Sen, a popular novelist, but she herself was also a well-known writer of strange tales. Just moments ago, the two of them had been at the bookshelf, exchanging many thoughts about their writing.
But now… she felt like she couldn't quite blend in anymore… Her master was holding Yoshimura Eto while playing with her.
Unlike her slight hesitation, Eto showed no trace of embarrassment and instead seemed to be enjoying it.
Naturally, Kiriya Fujino wasn't suddenly growing timid just because she was now directly facing Hachiman.
The situation of the Kiriya family wasn't any better than that of the ghouls. The relationship between demi-humans and humans was far from harmonious. Precisely because things weren't good, they needed the Elf Princess and the Mermaid Songstress as image ambassadors to promote coexistence. Before coming to seek refuge with the Elf Princess, they had already prepared themselves mentally.
Moreover, after arriving here, they didn't actually need to sacrifice anything.
Hachiman could not only satisfy their need to bear children to inherit the Kiriya family line, but also awaken their bloodlines, eliminate their defects, and allow them to live freely under sunlight.
No matter how you looked at it, being able to serve Hachiman and receive his favor was their honor.
It was just that, unlike Yoshimura Eto and the other ghouls who had already been favored once by him, among the Kiriya family, only their eldest sister Nadeshiko had received his favor. The other sisters, like her, had not.
Although there were too many people for the ghouls to awaken everyone's bloodline at once, their progress was already far ahead of the Kiriya family.
She had wanted to use tonight's game to secure a higher ranking for herself and her sisters, so that Hachiman would reward them more later, allowing them to awaken their bloodlines sooner and improve their family's standing to compete with other demi-human groups.
But she hadn't expected...
Kiriya Fujino bit her lower lip slightly and lowered her gaze to Hachiman, who was passionately kissing Yoshimura Eto's lips below.
She had planned to hold out a little longer, but now both she and Eto had been caught. She couldn't just watch Eto receive his favor while she slipped away quietly, could she?
According to her eldest sister Nadeshiko, Hachiman hadn't formally accepted their family's allegiance yet. If she chose to back down at a time like this, it would be difficult to win his favor even with more reward opportunities.
The number of rewards didn't directly determine whether the master would favor them.
Just look at his childhood friend Kaede and the Elf Princess. If the master truly liked someone, there was no need to worry about rewards at all.
Anyway, none of her other sisters had been caught. If she alone was eliminated, it probably wouldn't matter. With so many people in the Kiriya family and plenty of time at Sobu High, they should still find a way to make the master like them.
If nothing else worked, they could even bring Akasha True Ancestor's daughter, Akashiya Moka, and the other vampires of the Shuzen family to serve the master together.
As the shared-sensation anklet slipped onto Kiriya Fujino's slender, fair ankle, her pale face flushed a vivid red, and her eyes grew misty.
She had already been tormented for quite some time by the bell collar. As a vampire, she had little resistance to Hachiman, who possessed an alluring succubus-like constitution and awakened magical essence physique. Now, she could no longer endure.
Sitting on the bookshelf, she leaned forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his head. The golden bell ring around her long, pale neck jingled as it pressed against his hair.
Melaise and Leona, the blonde elves standing on either side of Hachiman in flowerpots, didn't even need to look up to feel it. Kiriya Fujino had lost control, just like Yoshimura Eto, indulging freely in the intimate kisses with him, one above and one below.
In truth, Kiriya Fujino had already shown remarkable restraint. As a vampire, she had managed to suppress her instinct to bite the Savior, whose life energy was overwhelmingly abundant.
If it were them, they would have long since been unable to resist serving the Savior.
But now that Kiriya Fujino had truly tasted the wonderful allure of the Savior, it would likely be very difficult for her to hold back in the future.
Tonight, Princess Nina hadn't participated in the service game. Leticia and Lady Lumaria, who had joined the barrier game, had already served the Savior together. They needed to work hard as well.
They couldn't waste this opportunity given by Princess Iris.
Melaise and Leona exchanged glances and instantly understood each other.
Back in the village, Melaise hadn't been well-liked by the other elves. Now that she had received equal favor from the Savior, she wanted nothing more than to serve him wholeheartedly.
Leona, on the other hand, had never experienced discrimination. Even her slightly dark, wheat-colored skin, reminiscent of a dark elf, was something she had created with magic herself. Her personality was more cheerful and lively than Melaise, and she acted according to her own preferences.
However, as Leticia's close friend, she naturally refused to be outdone by her in this matter. If she had someone like Lady Lumaria as an "older sister," she would have already tried to bring her along, letting the Savior play with two pairs of elf "sisters" at once.
But before Melaise and Leona could continue their act as not-so-carnivorous carnivorous plants, two chaotic bell sounds suddenly rang out beside them.
Jingle~ Jingle~
Jingle~ Jingle~
'Two more?'
'Isn't the Savior supposed to go catch them?'
One after another, they couldn't hold back and came out on their own, asking to be caught?
Melaise and Leona lowered their heads and saw the long black-haired girl Yotsuya Miko and the orange-haired, energetic glutton Yurikawa Hana stumbling into the space between them. They intercepted the kiss that had just ended between Yoshimura Eto and Hachiman, leaving the two elves somewhat helpless.
This bell collar that couldn't be turned off was far more complicated than it appeared.
For elves like them who had served the Savior many times, it was manageable. Even Yotsuya Miko and the others weren't the worst off. The truly unfortunate ones were those with no experience at all.
As for Yoshimura Eto and Kiriya Fujino, two vampires whose bloodlines hadn't fully awakened and who were wearing the shared-sensation anklets, no matter whose sensations they chose to share, they would be immersed in an overwhelming, uncontrollable experience.
It was easy to imagine.
No warm-up needed. Just a few seconds, and they would collapse and fall completely.
———
In the large bath, hot water flowed continuously, steam filling the air.
The concert in the living room was projected onto the ceiling.
"How did this happen?"
"Help... help..."
"This hide… hide-and-seek game… seems… different from what we thought…"
Shinomiya Kaguya, Shijo Maki, Fujiwara Chika, Charlotte, and La Folia had no mind to watch the concert. Their upper bodies leaned over the edge of the bath, their fair, delicate faces already flushed red from the steam.
Their wet hair clung tightly to their pale, smooth backs, outlining graceful curves, faintly visible through the water.
At the edge of the bath, these young ladies from different families and princesses from different countries chatted in fragments, taking half a minute to complete a single sentence.
Normally, they would either be discussing alliances or arguing, but now, immersed in the hot bath, their slightly parted lips could only produce soft bubbling sounds.
Saegusa Mayumi was also leaning at the edge, in no mood to speak. Her usual smiling expression couldn't be maintained. Her slightly curled, smooth black hair stuck damply to her body, her petite, delicate figure flushed an unusual red.
When others spoke, she would occasionally make a faint sound just to show she was still conscious and hadn't fainted.
She was a "magician" with magical talent, ranking among the top in combat strength even among many magicians at special schools. Her strength far exceeded that of Shinomiya Kaguya and the others.
But that was only in combat. In terms of physical constitution, she wasn't much better than an ordinary person, and her stamina was even inferior to athletes like Saki Hayase and Naramachi Miki.
Now, facing this experience that felt like both sinking and overflowing, she truly felt like she was about to collapse.
They had been careless. They should have realized it earlier.
If simply hiding could earn high rankings and many rewards, why would the dignified Elf Princess allow them to participate so freely? Previously, she had guarded against them tightly, not even letting them enter the school directly.
It turned out the bell collar they had to wear for the game was the biggest trap, it completely prevented turning off the shared sensation.
With their ordinary human bodies, they couldn't endure for long before breaking down.
But at a time like this, it wasn't easy to withdraw either.
Because this shared sensation couldn't be dismissed as a dream or anything similar. Their bodies were gradually becoming accustomed to Hachiman.
Once or twice, they might endure. A few more times, and when they truly touched him for the first time, they would likely feel no resistance at all, just like the others.
Although their original goal was to become magical girls, at this moment, having personally experienced the loss of control over their own bodies, they finally understood why the Elf Princess Iris had no concern about them approaching Hachiman, and even allowed them to form small groups to probe his mysterious power.
Once they got onto his bed, it might not be something they could simply climb down from.
At that point, they might instead actively protect him and the small groups around him.
And those like the Elf Princess, who had already taken the initiative and built deep bonds with him, would undoubtedly be the core among these groups.
Fortunately… she herself didn't have any ulterior motives. Seeking benefits for her family could be considered within a normal range.
Thinking of her two younger sisters, Saegusa Izumi and Saegusa Kasumi, who had been sent to Komachi's school, she felt somewhat relieved.
She didn't know how others sent there would act, but Izumi and Kasumi were simply going with goodwill to befriend Komachi, without forcing anything.
She just wondered whether there were any questionable arrangements on Miyuki's side.
Resting her head sideways on her slender arm, Saegusa Mayumi gazed at Shinomiya Kaguya and Shijo Maki, her thoughts drifting to Shiba Miyuki, another exceptionally talented magician who hadn't participated in tonight's game.
Although known as Shiba Miyuki, she was actually the daughter of the Yotsuba family and its future heir.
Her mother, Shiba Maya, and the current head of the Yotsuba family, Maya Yotsuba, were twin sisters. Since Maya Yotsuba had no children, both the Yotsuba and Shiba family authority would eventually fall into Miyuki's hands.
She had thought Miyuki would be her greatest rival this time, but now it seemed the Elf Princess from another world was not to be underestimated. She would have to join forces with Miyuki.
As Saegusa Mayumi looked toward Shinomiya Kaguya and the others, someone at the other end of the bath was secretly watching them through the mist.
"These rich girls are about to lose it, right? We can barely hold on ourselves."
"Yeah, looks like they're all collapsed."
"Wait, they're not actually out of strength, are they?"
"Even if they are, they have to crawl over. Otherwise, just lie there and wait for Hikigaya-kun to catch them?"
"Compared to that, I think they'll just sink into the bath."
Marin, Yumiko, Nijika, and the members of Kessoku Band, Hitori, Kita, and Ryou, were also soaking in the bath. However, their condition was better, and they could still lean comfortably at the edge while chatting.
They didn't understand the schemes of the Elf Princess or the wealthy young ladies, nor did they need to get involved.
But putting themselves in others' shoes, even as magical girls, they could barely endure such intense, repeated kissing. How could Shinomiya Kaguya and the others handle it?
Logically, those who had experienced it should find it harder to endure, but in reality, their physical constitution was far stronger than Shinomiya Kaguya and Saegusa Mayumi. If anyone were to collapse first, it would be them.
Kitagawa Marin looked up at the concert projected on the ceiling, blurred by thick steam, and took a deep breath. Seeing that the shared-sensation bracelet had switched to Yotsuya Miko, whose constitution wasn't as sensitive, she let out a long sigh of relief.
"Nijika, hasn't your Kessoku Band been practicing a lot lately? Aren't you going up to perform?"
"You call that wanting me to perform? You clearly want to see me embarrass myself!"
Ijichi Nijika rolled her eyes at Marin.
Those background performers hadn't worn bell collars, so they weren't caught by Hachiman. If she and Bocchi, Kita, and Ryou dared to go on stage, they would definitely be pinned down and marked by him.
But the next moment, she stared at the idol group appearing on stage and muttered softly.
"B-Komachi… I think this underground idol group performed at my sister's shop before. Didn't expect the club activity would bring them here."
Having seen mermaid songstresses and noble ladies, she wasn't surprised at all by the presence of popular idols or beautiful singers.
Instead, she felt that even A-RISE didn't seem like professional idols. They were probably only here because the mermaid princess Melo wanted to please Hachiman. As for B-Komachi, with their modest fame, they seemed even less qualified to appear.
Well… saying that sounded a bit harsh, but she didn't mean to look down on underground idols.
She was just thinking that even B-Komachi, who already had a fanbase, seemed out of place on this stage. Kessoku Band had even less right to perform.
If they really had to go on stage, the only advantage Kessoku Band might have over other idol groups was that they could last longer.
Thinking of this, Ijichi Nijika's mood became complicated.
Ryou had even suggested gathering more beautiful girl rock bands to form some kind of rock idol group.
Did that mean competing under Hachiman's direction to see which band could last longer?
Although having Hachiman conduct from the center could indeed improve the band's coordination and make their performance smoother, everyone, even the late-joining Ikuyo Kita, knew the cost of that.
The shared-sensation anklets and bracelets were very useful, not just for service games. But once worn for too long, they could never be taken off again.
Anyway… Ijichi Nijika didn't dare let Hachiman interfere with Kessoku Band's performances anymore, nor did she dare let Ryou's fantasy of a rock idol group come true.
Splitting a rock band into different small groups wasn't a big issue. After all, every band was already a small group, and clubs were full of them.
The most important thing was that, in the future, whenever people mentioned rock music or performances, the first thing they thought of would be Hachiman sitting among them conducting.
At that point, it would truly be over.
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