The Yukinoshita family wasn't just trying to build a small alliance by approaching the Katsura, Tachibana, and Nakano families. They had also approached the Sawamura family, who just so happened to have a beautiful daughter.
However, the relationship between the Sawamura and Yukinoshita families wasn't particularly close. It was just ordinary, so in the end, Sawamura Sayuri didn't become an ally of Yukinoshita Kiyuki.
The pink wristband on her wrist had been left there after Yukinoshita Kiyuki asked her to try it on. She'd said it was so she could experience the Service Club's membership benefits, but in reality, once it was on, it couldn't be taken off.
Because of Yukinoshita Kiyuki's ulterior motives, Sayuri hadn't dared study the club-exclusive wristband afterward. She was afraid she'd accidentally press some dangerous switch and be unable to stop whatever happened next.
She never expected that while helping her daughter sell doujinshi, this wristband would make her notice something she was never supposed to see.
"I see. Since you know about the Service Club and you're wearing this wristband, that makes you one of the club members. There's no need to hide it from you."
After listening to Sawamura Sayuri's explanation, Lumilia nodded and included her within the magical barrier that moved along with them.
She didn't care how Sayuri had obtained the Empathy Wristband. Anyone who could wear one was basically one of their own.
Besides, Sayuri's daughter would be enrolling at Sobu High next week, so naturally she would also become a member of the Service Club.
The Service Club now had many different factions. Many of the girls hadn't yet gained control of their family conglomerates or any real influence within their households, so they naturally needed support from their elders. Aside from the few married women that Yuriko Aso, the landlady, had brought in, Yukinoshita Kiyuki, Yotsuba Maya, and the not-yet-officially-joined Sawamura Sayuri, Tachibana Kyoka, Nakano Reina, and Katsura Manami all belonged to the wives' group.
Strictly speaking, Lady Lumilia, the mother of the elf girl Leticia, and Lady Riya, the mother of the vampire Tsukishima Sayo, also counted as members of the wives' group, though they barely had any presence.
"Th-that's Princess La Folia, Princess Charlotte... and Hi... guh..."
Sawamura Sayuri had no idea Lumilia had already regarded her daughter Eriri as a future member serving Hachiman. When she saw the true culprits behind her shaking display table reveal themselves, she nearly lost it.
The chaotic scene of intertwined silver hair on the table, together with the unmistakable faces of the two foreign princesses, left her not knowing where to look.
When she had just seen Princess Lumilia disappear into thin air in front of her, she'd already guessed Hachiman was there and understood what had really been causing her table to shake.
The only person in all of Japan who could have Princess Lumilia accompany him, only for her to casually leave and go play intimately with another girl, was probably Hachiman.
But she had never imagined there wasn't just one person on the table.
It was Princess La Folia and Princess Charlotte, who were supposed to attend tonight's gathering.
There was no way she could mistake them! Even though the expressions on their faces were completely different from the elegant ones she'd seen before.
Besides the two silver-haired princesses on the table, there were also two beautiful girls in fantasy-style isekai cosplay crouching on the other side.
As for the several equally stunning girls standing nearby watching, their faces filled with embarrassment, nervousness, and anticipation, Sayuri no longer knew what to say.
No wonder the table had been shaking for so long without stopping. Were they taking turns? Which round was this already?
Her daughter was a doujin artist who even specialized in breast-expansion genres, and she'd spent so long helping sell her daughter's books. Yet she'd never imagined something like this would happen right beside her.
The Service Club run by Hachiman really played on this level...
Two princesses and a whole group of beautiful girls doing this out in the open...
This was way too exciting...
"Yukino-nee, since Sawamura-san is an ally of the Yukinoshita family, I'll leave this to you. Marin and I still need to visit the other booths."
Lumilia didn't explain anything further to the shocked and speechless Sayuri. Instead, she waved toward Yukino Yukinoshita at the back of the crowd, smiled as she gave her instructions, then continued shopping with Marin Kitagawa.
Before leaving, Lumilia glanced at Nina and Princess Falma, whose legs seemed rooted to the spot. Both had turned their heads away, and she couldn't tell whether they felt more nervous and ashamed or more resistant and uneasy. She sighed inwardly.
She and Marin had deliberately come back just now to demonstrate to Sister Nina how to serve the Savior.
Sometimes, there was no need to be so particular about who came first.
When the Savior helped Sister Iris and Sister Aegis, she often assisted from the side.
When it was her turn to receive the Savior's help, her sisters and the other elves would assist her as well.
Unfortunately, only the church saintess Alice and the elf mage Shafi had decisively stepped forward. Sister Nina and Princess Falma still didn't have the courage to serve the Savior in front of everyone.
Since Sister Nina couldn't bring herself to do it, Lumilia couldn't force her.
As the youngest elf princess who had always been doted on, she really wasn't good at this sort of thing. Even when she knew what the best course of action was, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
If it had been Sister Iris instead, she probably would have joined Sister Aegis in pinning Sister Nina down while holding her arms and legs, all the while persuading her to enjoy herself.
"Yukino? Yukino's here too?"
Hearing Lumilia's words, Sayuri immediately searched through the crowd. It didn't take long before she spotted Yukino Yukinoshita standing at the very back, looking especially slender among the many voluptuous beauties.
"Excuse me, Aunt Sayuri. We're out today with the club president. I didn't expect to run into you here."
Yukino took a deep breath and walked over with Yuigahama Yui and Asagami Fujino, standing between Sayuri and the table. Out of courtesy, she blocked Sayuri's uncontrollable gaze from drifting toward La Folia and Charlotte.
She hadn't expected Hachiman to randomly pick a booth that just happened to belong to a family the Yukinoshitas had failed to recruit as allies.
And of all places, he was helping Charlotte and La Folia awaken their magical girl talents right there on the sold-out display table.
She didn't suspect Hachiman had done it on purpose.
After all, he didn't even know Sawamura Sayuri.
All she could say was that the timing was unbelievably unfortunate.
So unfortunate that she wanted to drag her mother over to ease the atmosphere.
What were they supposed to do now?
If only Princess Lumilia hadn't directly brought Sayuri into the magical barrier, she never would have witnessed such an awkward scene.
Yukino Yukinoshita and Sawamura Sayuri looked at each other in silence.
Beside them, Asagami Fujino remained expressionless, while Yuigahama Yui hardly dared breathe, awkwardly watching as Sayuri's face grew redder and redder.
Even though Yukino, Yui, and Fujino were blocking Sayuri's line of sight, preventing her from directly seeing La Folia and Charlotte being held up by Hachiman, they could block her view.
They couldn't block the sounds.
After entering the magical barrier, the sounds ringing in Sayuri's ears never stopped for even a moment.
She was already starting to regret it.
If she'd known this would happen, she never would have called out to Princess Lumilia.
She had only wanted to learn more about the legendary Service Club president, Hachiman, before her daughter officially transferred schools.
She never expected things to start off this intensely.
Since they knew she'd see such an embarrassing scene, couldn't they at least show a little restraint?
Yukino herself felt just as embarrassed. She wanted to bury herself underground.
But after thinking about it carefully, Hachiman really didn't need to care about something like this. As long as he confirmed Sayuri was one of their own, that was enough.
Previously, she'd been the one lying on the table.
Now it was La Folia and Charlotte.
In the future, it would be Sayuri's daughter Eriri and the other girls.
Everyone in the Service Club was the same. There was nothing to be embarrassed or shy about.
The sooner newcomers understood what the Service Club was really like, the easier it would be to remove any reservations they had about the club's various "service games" by using the older members as examples.
If Sayuri herself could help Eriri accept it, that would be ideal.
If not, there would be plenty of groups within the Service Club to guide newcomers.
"Aunt Sayuri, were the works you're selling here created by you or by Eriri?"
After a moment of silence, Yukino deliberately avoided mentioning the "one-day engaged couple game" still going on behind them and instead turned the conversation to the booth.
"In the next couple of days, the club is planning to hold a private comic convention. Everyone will do some cosplay, but we still don't have many booths selling original works. If you don't mind, would you and Eriri like to participate?"
Princess Lumilia, having come from another world, didn't know much about this world's customs, so she hadn't paid attention to why Sayuri was here.
But Yukino knew the Sawamura family's circumstances.
They didn't need to earn money by setting up a booth.
If someone ran a doujin circle, then if it wasn't for money, it was for passion.
It just so happened that Lumilia, Marin Kitagawa, and the others were planning a private comic convention, making it the perfect opportunity to invite Sayuri and Eriri.
The Sawamura family hadn't allied with the Yukinoshitas, but that didn't mean they never would.
Eriri would be entering Sobu High next week. If Yukino invited her to join them now, then even if Eriri didn't end up joining her faction, she'd still have a favorable impression of her.
Besides, Yukino didn't know much about otaku culture herself. Yui had mostly watched TV dramas before. If Eriri, who understood otaku culture, helped out, she'd probably be able to support Haruno.
The mermaid princess Melo and the others had already seized the initiative in the idol industry. Several major idol agencies now belonged to the merfolk and the Rurikawa family. Although Haruno had come up with the idea of overtaking them through an idol training academy, Yukino wasn't very optimistic.
The major idol agencies already had mature training systems.
They had countless established idols, aspiring idols, and idol group projects.
It would be very difficult for the Yukinoshita family to compete with nothing more than an idol academy.
However, the casual private comic convention that Princess Lumilia and Marin Kitagawa were putting together showed her a genuine opportunity to overtake them through a different path.
"A private comic convention..."
'A real private comic convention...'
'Not a private... party?'
Sayuri's expression became incredibly strange. She wanted to politely decline, but when she thought about Eriri, she couldn't bring herself to say no.
If even the Yukinoshita family's daughter and the two foreign princesses attending tonight's banquet had all ended up like this...
Her family probably wouldn't be able to resist either.
Besides, the Service Club's otaku culture seemed surprisingly strong. They attended comic conventions and even organized their own.
So many noble young ladies and princesses read doujinshi, played games, and cosplayed together.
Maybe Eriri wouldn't have to keep hiding her hobbies like she had since childhood. She could openly enjoy them and fit into the circle of these noble young ladies...
No. It should be these noble young ladies fitting into Eriri's circle!
Within this group, Eriri's vast experience with doujinshi gave her a much greater advantage than all those ordinary noble daughters.
———
When Yukinoshita Kiyuki had invited Sawamura Sayuri to join the Service Club and form an alliance with the Yukinoshita family, she'd already explained the kinds of things that might happen inside the club.
At the time, Sayuri had politely declined and decided to wait and see.
The Sawamura family wasn't like the other powerful families.
She didn't have high expectations for her daughter and had no intention of forcing Eriri into the struggles between these major factions.
But now, after seeing how harmoniously the Service Club members got along, and how things like cosplay and comic conventions perfectly matched Eriri's hobbies, even knowing that the club's so-called "assistance" wasn't much different from the plots in doujinshi, Sayuri found it difficult to refuse.
Eriri was a doujin artist.
Granted, she specialized in breast-expansion content, but perhaps she'd enjoy these club activities too.
There were so many members competing within the Service Club. Even if Eriri really didn't like Hachiman, she wouldn't have to worry about him forcing her.
And if she did fall for him, she could simply rely on the experience she'd gained as a doujin artist to compete.
With that thought, Sayuri stopped hesitating and gave Yukino a gentle smile.
"Yukino, let's properly discuss this alliance."
The Service Club was different from other upper-class organizations. It didn't even require sponsorship, so there wasn't much she could do to help Eriri directly.
In that case, it was very important to build a good relationship with the Yukinoshita sisters, who served as vice presidents of the Service Club.
"I'm sure Mother will be very happy to hear that you've agreed to the alliance, Aunt Sayuri."
Yukino nodded and led Sayuri aside to talk quietly, putting a little distance between themselves and the distracting sounds coming from the table.
The Sawamura family alone wasn't especially powerful.
But behind them stood the Spencer family, and even the British royal family.
If there were Princesses La Folia and Charlotte...
What about princesses from other countries?
Since princesses from another world had already appeared in this world, it was practically certain that princesses from other nations would appear too.
Watching the slender figures of Yukino and Sayuri walk away, Yuigahama Yui hesitated for a moment but didn't follow. Instead, she remained where she was with Asagami Fujino.
Fujino paid no attention to Yui's conflicted expression. Since there was no longer any need for her to block anyone's view, she silently turned to watch Hachiman and La Folia, Charlotte, Shafi, and Alice moving up and down before him.
The strange expressions on their faces...
Were they happy?
Or were they suffering?
Would she have to serve Mr. Hikigaya like that someday?
Should she kneel on the floor...
Or lie on the table?
For Asagami Fujino, who suffered from congenital analgesia, what she had lost wasn't merely her sense of pain.
She had even been deprived of her sense of touch.
She couldn't feel pain.
She couldn't feel warmth.
She couldn't even feel what it meant to be alive.
Because of that, when her stepfather, acting on behalf of the Asagami family, sent her here to undergo the magical girl awakening ceremony, she felt no resistance whatsoever.
Her heart remained perfectly calm.
This was simply the responsibility and duty expected of the eldest daughter of the Asagami family.
Therefore, as that eldest daughter, she needed to do it.
"Mmm..."
Feeling Fujino staring fixedly at them, Shafi and Alice, who were kneeling on the floor, both became slightly wary.
However, after realizing that Fujino was only watching and had no intention of doing anything else, they gradually relaxed and continued savoring the rich life energy radiating from Hachiman.
This girl's strength wasn't particularly great.
If she really posed any danger, anyone present could stop her with ease.
Compared to the strange black-haired girl nearby, serving the Savior was far more important.
Out of the corner of her eye, Alice looked at Shafi, who was serving Hachiman alongside her. She slowly swallowed, unable to hide the sincere infatuation in her eyes as she looked up at him.
Actually, after Princess Lumilia and Marin Kitagawa had finished demonstrating how to serve him, only the elf mage Shafi had immediately stepped forward.
Alice was a church saintess.
Even if she was only a saintess from a single nation's church with little real authority, and her status wasn't especially high compared to everyone else present, she still felt she shouldn't humble herself so much by kneeling before Hachiman only shortly after meeting him.
The elves' Savior wasn't the Savior of humanity.
Showing him sufficient respect should have been enough.
But after personally witnessing Shafi, whose strength was similar to hers, undergo such an obvious increase in power after only briefly serving Hachiman...
Alice couldn't resist.
She crouched down and decided to try just a little.
That single taste became impossible to stop.
She finally understood why the elves revered a human man from another world as their Savior.
Setting aside the fact that his life energy was unimaginably abundant, enough to help all those elves, who were even more alluring than succubi, give birth to high elves, the benefits gained from serving him alone were enough to make anyone addicted.
She had only taken a few tastes, yet it felt as though she'd slain countless monsters and gained an enormous amount of experience. Her strength continued rising without pause.
She had never imagined leveling up could be so easy and enjoyable.
All she had to do was move her mouth...
"Alright. Now you've all become magical girls."
"Magical girls? The legendary warriors?"
[T/N: Consider joining P@treon to keep the stories going. Enjoy~]