She didn't have much interest in this prank plan of breaking into the Hikigaya household. If she could play along, she would; if not, it didn't matter. It would just save her from being scolded by her older sister afterward.
Still, she didn't want to go back to the palace and stay there either, so just like Nana, she planned to drag things out here for as long as possible.
Maybe they could even use the excuse of "inspecting big sister's fiance" to stay on Earth a little longer.
Although most of the information she and Nana had gathered came from surveillance footage from various places, and they hadn't actually met their sister's fiance in person, their sister didn't look like she had been bewitched at all. In fact, she seemed to be living happily every day.
It wasn't just their sister. Everyone else also seemed happy. No one looked unhappy. Maybe this brother-in-law of theirs really did have some merits and strengths they hadn't noticed yet.
"Huh? How did it suddenly break through?"
Momo had been thinking about how to pull all the members of the Service Club, who were clearly carrying out some kind of special activity, into the virtual world she created, when she suddenly froze.
She realized that some unknown external force had appeared and, together with her, broke through the protective program set up by her sister.
Accompanied by completely undisguised brute force, a strange image appeared on the laptop screen.
On the bed, a black twin-tailed girl was lying there.
Her hands and feet were shackled, unable to move freely, and her eyes were covered with a blindfold.
Before Momo and Nana could continue observing, they noticed the black twin-tailed girl on the bed had disappeared.
At the same time, a cheerful, light voice suddenly rang out beside them.
"I was wondering who had the guts to make a move on Hikigaya-kun's house. Turns out it's Lala's little sisters…"
"Mmm… since we've run into each other, come along too… you look like you really want to join the game."
"I'm showing this much sincerity, Hikigaya-kun can't come looking for trouble with me again, right?"
"Little Kaa, little Kaa, just keep staying with Vignette, no need to think about me anymore, hehe~"
The moment the voice sounded, both Momo and Nana immediately reached for their phones.
Their phones were teleportation devices made by Lala, capable of summoning their partners.
For example, Momo had a garden planet filled with all kinds of plants. She could dial her phone and call any plant over to her side to fight or assist.
However, they had already missed the initiative. They hadn't expected that on Earth there would be someone so decisive, and so powerful, who would act against them.
A dazzling white flash passed.
Whether it was Hachiman's bedroom or this space, everything returned to silence.
Only a few pure white feathers, symbolizing purity and holiness, drifted down onto the floor.
"Raphiel?"
"We weren't even planning to go after her, so why is she taking the initiative to come here?"
"No, it doesn't look like Raphiel is here for us."
In the Service Club's main living room, Vignette and Gabriel, who had been hiding on the ceiling playing hide-and-seek, suddenly froze. They both sensed the disturbance Raphiel caused at the Hikigaya household.
Momo and Nana weren't in the house, and the fluctuation from the clash vanished in an instant.
However, Tohsaka Rin herself had been in the Hikigaya house and suddenly disappeared, so they both noticed Raphiel's target. They exchanged glances.
'What is going on?'
'Why would Raphiel go to Hachiman's house and kidnap someone?'
If it had been Komachi or Shion, Hachiman's younger sisters, or even Naruse Mio and Naruse Maria, the new demons, they could understand.
But instead, she took Komachi's classmate. Why did Raphiel take Tohsaka Rin, the younger sister of Tohsaka Touka?
"Vigne, how about… we go take a look? And bring back the girl Raphiel took?"
Angel Gabriel looked at the demon Vignette beside her, hesitated for a moment, then suggested tentatively.
She knew Raphiel wouldn't do anything bad to Rin. Even as a demon, she wouldn't act in front of Gabriel and Vignette.
But Raphiel didn't have any special connection with Hachiman. Doing something like this all of a sudden was very likely because of the two of them.
So whether from the standpoint of being Hachiman's friends or from their own perspective, they had the responsibility to go find Raphiel and safely bring the girl back.
"Mm! No time to waste, let's go find Raphiel right away!"
The moment Vignette heard Gabriel's words, she immediately understood what Gabriel meant. She didn't want to keep enduring the commotion from the idol concert below and everything happening around it. She nodded rapidly.
The elf princess Iris didn't want to push this angel-demon pair too far. They hadn't been made to wear bell collars like the others, nor did they have synchronization collars on.
At first, it had been agreed that it was fine if they didn't go down to play, but they had to stay here with everyone until the game ended.
They had originally thought this hide-and-seek game, which was worth observing and learning from, would last until morning like the previous service games.
Now that Raphiel had shown up to stir trouble, they had a legitimate excuse to slip away, and naturally wanted to leave this place immediately. A place that could easily turn an angel's halo from sacred gold into something fallen and glaringly pale.
Under the influence of Iris, Lala, Kaede, and the others, both Gabriel and Vignette had clearly begun to feel something was off about themselves.
But they didn't know how to stop the various "assistance" behaviors happening around Hachiman, nor could they ignore the obvious signs of something wrong with his gradual fall.
Slowly, even though they knew they shouldn't indulge Hachiman or turn a blind eye to Iris and the others' actions, they still did so.
They had even started to sink into it a little themselves.
For now, the only comfort they could give themselves was that they were still holding onto their bottom line. They hadn't had any truly intimate contact with Hachiman, nor had they let things deepen further between them.
If they really couldn't hold out anymore, wasn't there still Raphiel? They could just drag her in to take the hit.
If they had ended up like this, Raphiel definitely bore responsibility. If anyone had to suffer first, it had to be her.
However, just as they were about to leave the Service Club to go settle things with Raphiel, they suddenly sensed that Tohsaka Rin, the one Raphiel had taken, had appeared inside the Service Club.
Aside from Tohsaka Sakura's presence, there were even two unfamiliar presences in the space.
"???"
"???"
Gabriel and Vignette stared at each other, their expressions stiffening as they suddenly realized Raphiel's real intention.
Raphiel… was indeed targeting them.
They had already witnessed countless times how people dragged others into this "competition," and they knew those girls hadn't fallen. On the contrary, they had become more proactive and positive. Except when it came to liking Hachiman, where they were completely unable to pull themselves out.
Hachiman only had so much time and couldn't accompany so many people often. Only during the nightly small-group service games could he treat everyone equally and try to satisfy them.
So the members of the Service Club became extremely competitive when it came to pulling others into their group.
The more people in a group, the more time they could enjoy.
So the more competitive the group became, the more people it had; and the more people it had, the more competitive it became.
This pyramid-scheme-like behavior of recruiting people made them uneasy. But since Hachiman had been the one giving from start to finish, and those receiving help weren't being forced into anything. In fact, they had resolved many of their troubles after joining. The two of them had no way to stop Iris and the others from supporting this intense "assistance" behavior.
But Raphiel didn't have that kind of relationship with Hachiman. She didn't need to sacrifice other girls to gain more favor.
There was no doubt, Raphiel dragging people in was aimed directly at them.
This was her counterattack after learning they were planning to join forces with Iris and the others to deal with her.
———
[Family Restaurant]
Many small groups had gathered there, sitting at different tables. While eating the delicious food laid out, they played around and endured the vivid sensations brought by their bell collars as they waited for Hachiman.
Some wore bell collars, some wore synchronization collars, and some even wore the newer synchronization ribbons.
Everyone present was experienced. They already understood Iris's intentions.
Since one would only be eliminated after being marked three times, it was better for everyone to gather in the restaurant and wait until Hachiman arrived. Then they could rely on their own abilities and push weaker members into his arms first to eliminate them.
Although the elf faction was powerful, the dragon and human factions weren't weak either. The elf faction wouldn't win every time.
Every large influx of new members was a chance for them to recruit and turn the situation around.
At this moment, however, everyone's attention was fixed on a table in the center that suddenly had three additional girls.
"Momo? Nana? What's going on with you two? Why are you tied up?"
Lala blinked, looking curiously at Momo and Nana, whose hands and feet were bound behind them, their mouths sealed so they couldn't speak.
She had just noticed the protective system around Hachiman's house being breached and had informed Iris. She was about to check it out when she saw Momo and Nana appear in front of her.
The moment she saw them, she understood who had broken through her defenses. Only someone like Momo, who was extremely familiar with her operating habits, could do it without her noticing immediately.
But precisely because she knew it was Momo, she was even more confused.
Since both Momo and Nana were here, did they break in just to come into the Service Club and tie themselves up on a table?
Lala knew there were many strange people in this world. The Service Club alone had plenty with unusual preferences, liking tragic love, hovering at the edge of exposure, being treated a certain way by Hachiman, sharing things with close sisters, and so on.
But when did Momo and Nana develop this kind of interest?
Although she herself had thought about similar things after seeing so many people bringing their sisters along, Momo and Nana hadn't even met Hachiman before.
'Or is it… like me, love at first sight?'
Still, the way they tied themselves up surprised even her.
'Aren't Momo and Nana supposed to have just arrived? How do they already know about the master-servant games Kaede and Suzu often play with Hachiman?'
"Lala, this should be a gift Miss Shiraha sent over after learning we're playing a game."
Iris looked at Momo and Nana, as well as Tohsaka Rin beside them, whose limbs were also bound and whose eyes were covered with a black blindfold, and smiled faintly. She reached out and removed Rin's blindfold.
Seeing Rin's delicate face flushed red with panic, her slender legs wrapped in black over-the-knee stockings sweating constantly, and the bell collar on her long neck ringing softly, Iris extended a faintly glowing finger.
Under Tohsaka Sakura's shocked and embarrassed gaze, she cast a cleansing spell to relieve Rin's discomfort.
The Service Club was a special space that couldn't be detected. Aside from members with access who could freely teleport in, only those brought in through the main entrance could enter.
There were very few members who could act without her noticing. Gabriel and Vignette avoided these matters and wouldn't drag others in, even if they endured things themselves.
So there was only one possibility, the angel who hadn't yet participated in the Service Club's activities: Shiraha Raphiel.
Raphiel could observe what was happening inside the Service Club because Iris had asked the club leader to add her to the member list, granting her free access.
In simple terms, Raphiel was part of their plan, a reserve member who could be pulled in when needed, someone who could monitor Gabriel and Vignette's relationship progress with the leader and stimulate them at key moments.
Either to push Gabriel and Vignette closer to the leader, or to have them drag Raphiel into it.
"Hmm… Iris, just call me Raphiel. No need to be so formal. Since you've figured it out, I won't beat around the bush. Instead of working with Gabriel and Vignette to deal with me, how about cooperating with me? That way, you can take both of them down."
Hearing Iris's calm reaction, as if she had expected her to appear, Raphiel, who was currently hidden somewhere, using clairvoyance to watch the Service Club from afar, grew a bit wary. But after thinking it over, she still spoke up and explained her purpose tonight.
She didn't know she had already been added to the Service Club's member list. She only knew that Iris had already discussed with Gabriel and Vignette how to deal with her.
Even Setsuna Ogiso, Furuhashi Fumino, and Tsukimi Chifuyu were planning to come after her because she had pushed them toward Hachiman.
If she didn't make preparations now, her outcome would be miserable.
At that point, she would be the one kneeling in front of Hachiman.
She couldn't truly act in the human world. Gabriel was even stronger than her, being the top graduate, and there were so many helpers.
If it came to a real confrontation and she got pinned down by Gabriel and Vignette and dragged in front of Hachiman for punishment, just imagining it made her go blank.
She liked having fun, and watching Gabriel and Vignette's embarrassed expressions as they were fed bite by bite by Hachiman was amusing, but she absolutely didn't want that happening to herself.
"Hehe~ Raphiel, you're wrong. Do you not understand the relationship between Gabriel, Vignette, and the leader? If I cooperate with them, that's three people. But if I cooperate with you, it's only Gabriel and Vignette."
Hearing Raphiel's voice coming from nowhere, Iris laughed softly.
"With such an obvious difference, what do you think I'll choose?"
"A smart, kind, and beautiful angel like you, I'm sure the leader would like you very much too."
Unlike Gabriel and Vignette, Raphiel hadn't spent time with the leader. She had no real emotional connection, she had only watched from afar.
But feelings could be developed. If she didn't spend time with him, how could anything grow?
Iris wasn't entirely sure whether angels and humans could truly be together. Logically, it shouldn't be strictly forbidden, otherwise Gabriel and Vignette wouldn't act this way.
But since angels rarely appeared in either world and were even considered myths, there had to be some limitations.
Based on that, Iris felt it was best to gather all descended angels together.
Not just Gabriel and Vignette, Raphiel should join them as well. If any problems arose, they could cover for each other.
After all, the leader had already helped so many humans and demi-humans. Helping angels and demons too was only natural.
"Smart, kind, and beautiful…"
Hearing Iris's perfunctory praise, Raphiel felt speechless.
She had heard far better and more sincere compliments countless times, so she wouldn't be moved by something like this. But in this situation, Iris saying it clearly meant she had her sights on her…
She would rather Iris disliked her than end up kneeling in front of Hachiman praying alongside Gabriel and Vignette.
"Iris, you said cooperating with me only gets you two, right? Then I'll capture more angels or demons. After that, don't cooperate with Gabriel and Vignette."
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