"No problem. Iris and I are both two people as well. La Folia, Charlotte, do your best."
Lala released Hachiman's arm, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and not only signaled for La Folia to come over but even offered some encouragement.
"Thank you, Princess Lala."
La Folia slowly made her way to Hachiman's side to take Lala's place. Seeing Lala watching her with a grin, she couldn't help but admire Lala's magnanimity.
She felt no resistance whatsoever to President Hachiman building a harem, in fact, she was quite delighted by it.
For an unmatched king, not having a harem would be the strange thing. If it were up to her, she would definitely do the same as Elf Princess Iris and help President Hachiman scout out beautiful girls from various major powers, using those offered by the powers to bring them all under President Hachiman's command.
However, she wasn't the one calling the shots in President Hachiman's harem right now, and Iris, who shared her views, wasn't here either. She couldn't act willfully.
Although the innocent and lively alien princess Lala clearly wasn't as calculating as the sweet-smiling elf princess Iris, Lala was still a powerful and talented princess of a mighty empire. Not thinking about things usually didn't mean she truly didn't understand them.
Now that she saw Lala truly bore no grudge against their "transgressions," she gradually relaxed.
"Then Charlotte and La Folia will keep Hachiman company first. Ahem! Master Hachiman, do you have any objections to this?"
Raphiel was quite satisfied with Charlotte and La Folia's proactive tactfulness. After casting an amused glance at Nina and Falma, who were exchanging looks, she blinked at Hachiman and asked for his opinion.
"You've already arranged everything, Raphiel. What more can I say?"
Hachiman glanced at Raphiel, who was deliberately stirring things up, and was about to reach out to teach her a lesson when he saw her dodge behind Momo as if she'd anticipated it. He couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.
The reason he'd initially avoided getting close to Raphiel was to keep from becoming the source of her entertainment.
Now that she'd already knelt before him, she only dared to stir trouble with Gabriel, Vignette, and the others. Otherwise, she'd easily face a united crackdown.
So he usually couldn't be bothered to interfere too much with Raphiel. Since she was already in the thick of it, her primary target was no longer him anyway.
"Heehee! You could always say no, President Hachiman."
Raphiel pushed Momo's back and blinked at Hachiman with a smile.
"..."
Momo, shoved to the front as a shield by Raphiel, felt her body tremble as Hachiman's fingers practically brushed past her chest. Her face flushed slightly, and her pink lips moved, but she didn't say anything.
Her elder sister was right beside her, what could she possibly say?
The real headache would be if her sister later told her to join the game and play with her brother-in-law.
"La Folia, Charlotte, sorry to have you go along with Raphiel's antics."
Hachiman glanced at Momo, his sensitive sister-in-law, but didn't tease her further. He withdrew his hand and looked at the two princesses beside him, La Folia and Charlotte.
"Not at all. It's our honor to be your one-day pretend fiancees, President Hachiman."
La Folia first kissed Hachiman's cheek like Lala had, then blushed slightly as she expressed her feelings.
Even if it was only for a day, they, who hadn't finished serving him completely, seemed to have surpassed the likes of Saegusa Mayumi and Shiba Miyuki, who had given themselves all at once.
She and Charlotte had come early today and waited specifically for him, her instincts had been right.
"That means a one-day couple can do anything, right? Can Charlotte and I share your bed tonight?"
Charlotte happily chimed in from the side, her soft pink lips slowly pressing against Hachiman's cheek.
For them, a one-day pretend fiancee wasn't any different from a one-day wife. They had already served Hachiman before, so they wouldn't resist taking things further.
"With you two being this enthusiastic, Charlotte and La Folia, how could I possibly refuse?"
Hachiman looked at the two silver-haired princesses pressed against him on either side, the faint scent of their hair reaching his nose, and smiled.
If La Folia's hair was a pure bright silver, Charlotte's was a pink-tinged silver, and both had ridiculously nice hair quality.
Whether it was playing with their flowing, smooth, beautiful hair or touching their soft, smooth, fair skin, it was pure pleasure.
But right now, his arms were tightly held in theirs, his elbows wrapped in their soft chests, making it hard to pull them out freely.
Fortunately, there was a magical barrier. Otherwise, going anywhere with them would draw everyone's attention.
"Speaking of which, Aunt Shizuku really likes you, President. But she's a bit shy, so I hope you'll look after her a little if you get the chance."
Feeling the fondness in Hachiman's eyes, La Folia's already flushed face grew even redder. Urges to serve him kept welling up inside her, but considering the occasion, she held back her strong impulses and tried to stay rational by bringing up other topics.
"Oh, and President, there are quite a few noble ladies from the duchies within the Aldegyr Kingdom who admire you. Would you be willing to let them come to Soubu High to study and improve alongside the students there?"
The matter had received preliminary approval from the likes of Kaede, but now that she had the chance, she still wanted to ask for Hachiman's opinion.
"Nobles from the Aldegyr Kingdom? They admire me too?"
Hachiman repeated with some confusion.
"Of course. Among those in the know, President, your reputation is even greater than the elf princess's or the mermaid diva's."
Charlotte, half-leaning against Hachiman's other side, helped explain.
"For example, Sylvia Van Hossen from the Flemish Duchy really wants to meet you. Sylvia is an excellent female knight with superb swordsmanship."
"And there's Juliet Persia from the Persia family of the West Duchy... Juliet doesn't hold a title, but her beauty rivals Princess Iris's. You'd probably like her, President."
Although Hachiman's sphere of activity wasn't that large, the people around him had tremendous influence.
When he'd first been aiding various demihumans, his fame was mostly limited to them, with many thinking he was just exceptionally gifted and favored.
Later, news of his awakened mana physique and developed magical girl talents spread. Once the intelligence was confirmed, the major powers grew restless. Even the Saegusa and Yotsuba families sent their heirs to offer themselves, enough to prove his importance.
Also, don't let the calm around Hachiman fool you. It was only because his presence was so dazzling and drew so much attention that evil forces hadn't dared to provoke him.
Against threats that could emerge at any time, many princesses and noble daughters from small countries didn't necessarily live comfortably. Their desire for strength was strong, and offering themselves collectively wasn't an unthinkable act.
After all, a nation's princess was born with the duty of political marriage. If they could receive Hachiman's protection and even gain power to safeguard their families, there would certainly be plenty of nobles willing to offer money and daughters.
Daughters could be born again, money could be earned again, but if power, status, or life itself vanished, it was gone for good.
Though Charlotte considered herself different from most, she and La Folia had served Hachiman according to their own wishes first and only told their families afterward, she had to admit many nobles thought that way.
"Hmm... no problem. Discuss the specifics with Tsubaki and the others. Let me know when they arrive, and I'll find time to meet them."
Hachiman thought for a moment, didn't refuse, and readily agreed to La Folia and Charlotte's plan to bring in reinforcements.
He hadn't really considered the situation of these minor foreign nobles, but the Service Club had many factions. La Folia and Charlotte were both from abroad, and it wouldn't be fair if they couldn't compete with the other groups. Not letting them bring in support from their kingdom would be a problem.
Besides, those names Charlotte mentioned sounded vaguely familiar, they might be heroines he'd known from his previous life's anime.
Since they were proactively helping him build his harem, he wasn't about to strongly refuse.
If one of his all-time favorite heroines got rejected by accident, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
"Thank you, President."
La Folia and Charlotte, seeing Hachiman agree after a moment's thought, joyfully embraced him and expressed their delight.
It took a while before they wiped their mouths, slightly flushed under the watchful eyes of Raphiel and Lala, and continued walking with Hachiman between them, browsing stalls and chatting.
Falma, Shafi, and Alice, a few steps behind, kept their eyes fixed on Charlotte and La Folia, observing how this "one-day pretend fiancee" thing worked. Seeing them so unashamedly affectionate and kissing Hachiman at every turn, they didn't know what to say.
They didn't know that Charlotte and La Folia had knelt to serve Hachiman on their first meeting, while Saegusa Mayumi and the others had even lain on the table. Given the relationship among Charlotte and the others, they could take things further at any moment.
After such experiences, Charlotte and La Folia were already being quite restrained by not serving Hachiman right in front of them.
But seeing the exceptionally beautiful and talented Princess La Folia and Charlotte from another nation fawn over Hachiman without a shred of pride, Falma felt her resolve deeply shaken.
It wasn't just that she lacked the firm determination to offer herself to please Lord Hikigaya, even if she did throw caution to the wind and vow never to marry just to satisfy him... she didn't think she could pull it off.
She could bleed and get hurt in sword fights, but when it came to using her chest or kisses to gain favor, she had no idea how to go about it. What if she accidentally bit Lord Hikigaya?
Her current outfit was light and practical, not exactly hugging-friendly. With her stiff leather armor, how would she even manage to make Lord Hikigaya enjoy himself?
Alice and Shafi were also shocked by the caliber of the beauties around Hachiman, but they handled it a bit better.
Unlike princess-born Falma, they understood well how Hachiman's ability to continuously grow stronger attracted ordinary people.
If nobles wanted to curry favor with him to secure power and status, commoners also wanted to change their fates through him.
The fiercer the competition around Hachiman, the more it proved his worth, and the more they should pledge their loyalty to him.
Shafi and Alice exchanged glances, reading each other's thoughts.
As elves, looking up to the elf princesses who led by example and seeking to aid the savior was only natural.
And a church saint... a saint could also devote herself to the savior for world peace.
Actually, among those present who hadn't truly served Hachiman, Elf Princess Nina knew his situation best of all.
Everything about Soubu High, the Service Club, intelligence on the major powers of this world, forces that might have crossed over, and the concept of the Service Kingdom, Iris had shared all the data she'd gathered with Nina.
But even though Nina was perfectly aware of Hachiman's preferences and knew that not throwing herself at him enthusiastically right now wouldn't make him dislike her, she couldn't bring herself to lower the bar that Charlotte and La Folia had already set.
At the end of the day, the youngest and most beloved Lumilia, the knight princess Eiliege who guarded Iris, and the elf princess Iris herself, destined to inherit the elven throne, had all already served Hachiman and obeyed his every whim, to the point where they might as well have declared the savior Hachiman their elven master.
And she, an elf princess who'd nearly succeeded in a political marriage to a human kingdom, needed even less explanation.
If she'd already gone through with that marriage, they naturally wouldn't have sent her to serve the savior.
But since she'd been recalled before the marriage went through and had been brought here leading this group, her mission was clear, to serve Hachiman with all her might and spread the glory of the elven savior throughout the Elven Forest and beyond.
Iris's return to the Elven Forest this time probably wasn't just to bring another batch of talented elf beauties, but also to bring the goddess-reincarnated Celestine and Queen Myste...
If both the current elf queen and the next queen were to bow their heads before the savior...
Thinking of that scene, one that left her unsure what expression to make, Nina gazed distantly at Hachiman, sandwiched between Charlotte and La Folia with their sweet laughter.
She didn't know if Iris's decision was influenced by personal feelings, but Iris had always been recognized as the most outstanding elf princess, and the savior Hachiman she'd found was indeed astonishingly powerful. Nina could only follow in their footsteps and devote herself wholeheartedly to serving the savior.
Compared to a world where wars flared every few centuries, where humans, demons, and demihumans fought in inexplicable race wars, and species went extinct one after another.
If their world really became the Service Kingdom that Iris envisioned...
Unified in the most peaceful way, with everyone single-mindedly serving the savior... it wasn't unacceptable...
Nina stared at Hachiman, whose life-energy aura was so overwhelmingly dense it took her breath away and made her heart pound violently. Her fair, flawless pink cheeks gradually flushed.
Being of the succubus race, Elf Princess Nina could barely control herself just looking at him. And as alien succubi from the Chammuan race, Momo and Nana were even more troubled.
They already felt they had issues and didn't dare get close to Hachiman, afraid they'd lose control and throw themselves at him.
Now their elder sister had come from his side to theirs, cheerfully whispering in their ears about how wonderful he was.
"Momo, Nana, have you made up your minds?"
"Since there are two of you competing now, it's perfect,nyou can both join this one-day pretend fiancee game."
"I've told you several times already, Hachiman is incredible. Once you experience it yourself, you'll absolutely, completely fall for him!"
"Nee-san..."
Momo and Nana looked at Lala, whose face beamed with innocent, lively smiles, then at Hachiman ahead, cheek-to-cheek with Charlotte and La Folia, growing closer by the moment, practically being carried along as they hung off him. Their feelings were immeasurably complicated.
The way their elder sister was urging them now... was exactly how their mother had set her up on blind dates.
'No, this is even worse than mother!'
Their mother only arranged blind dates for their sister and didn't push too hard on who she chose.
But their sister, on day one, had them lying on their brother-in-law's dining table, subjected to his "attentions." And now she'd escalated, telling them, his sisters-in-law, to play a one-day pretend fiancee game with him.
If it weren't for the fact that their sister still acted exactly as they remembered around everyone except their brother-in-law, they'd have thought she was an impostor.
Though they'd grown up in the palace surrounded by maids and their mother, and had never actually seen their sister interact with boys before, but still... right in front of their sister... playing such a taboo game with their brother-in-law.
Just thinking about it made Momo feel like her brain was overheating to the point of breaking.
Logically, Nana was tsundere and easy to fool, and their sister was innocent and lively, she was the scheming one among the three sisters.
Even if she really had fallen for their brother-in-law, she should have been the one manipulating her sister into it. How had it turned into her sister urging her to serve him properly instead...
"Haah... Haah..."
Right now, Nana was much like Momo, who was biting her finger and staying silent, both hands clutching her burning, flushed face, her breathing growing heavier.
She tried to look away from Hachiman but kept glancing back, her head turning this way and that while her gaze stayed fixed on him.
This odd behavior did nothing to hide her intentions.