"Kazusa doesn't have many friends, right? She can become friends with Yukino."
Unlike Irisviel and Asou Miyuri, who were secretly comparing who looked younger, Touma Youko and Ogiso Akina each held onto one of Hachiman's arms. The two quietly leaned against Hachiman's chest, looking at each other's beautiful, flushed faces with complicated expressions.
Just as Touma Youko was about to ask something, Ogiso Akina smiled and nodded.
Actually, Yukino didn't have many friends either, and she cared a lot about her friends. If Yukino could become close friends with Setsuna, that would be ideal.
"Hachiman… Is Iori?"
Takanashi Ouka, who was lying by the edge of the hot spring, couldn't help turning her head toward Hachiman after hearing Touma Youko and Ogiso Akina's conversation.
Everyone's daughters were already at Sobu High, so her daughter Iori should be going to Sobu High too.
"Yeah, no problem. Ouka, if you want your daughter to come over, or if any of her friends want to come over, that's fine too."
Hachiman nodded. He pulled both arms out from Touma Youko and Ogiso Akina's embrace, drew Takanashi Ouka, who was lying in front of him, into his arms, gently loosened the beautiful hair she had only just put up, then lowered his head to her neck.
Actually, just like Tsubakihara Mira, Takamine Kasumi, and the others on the shore, he was also puzzled.
He wanted to say, why had the heroines of the outer world and the underworld switched places? Minami Hiyoko, Nishikino Maki, Touma Youko, and Ogiso Akina were all so enthusiastic toward him, while Asakawa Touka, Tsubakihara Mira, and the others had instead gone to the shore.
But Takanashi Ouka from the underworld was still clinging to him, while it was hard to say whether Tohsaka Aoi and Irisviel belonged to the underworld or the outer world.
Forget it. There was no need to dwell on it so much. Inner-world heroines, outer-world heroines, every one of them was his.
All he needed to do was keep enjoying himself.
"Mm… Iori… She should understand…"
Seeing that Hachiman seemed to want to continue, Takanashi Ouka hesitated, but in the end she said nothing and could only look at Hachiman with her face flushed as he picked her up again.
She felt that something seemed wrong with her, but she didn't know exactly what was wrong.
Could it be because she had become a magical girl at her age?
Let Iori be the magical girl instead. She wasn't going to do it anymore.
Seeing that Takanashi Ouka, who had originally only been watching, was completely unable to resist Hachiman, going limp at the slightest touch and showing no will to resist at all, Minami Hiyoko and Nishikino Maki smiled and exchanged a knowing look with Tohsaka Aoi.
"Aoi, are Kotori and Maki also transferring to Sobu High? Or should they stay where they are?"
"They don't need to transfer. Just have Kiyuki's daughter Haruno arrange a few more exchange-student slots for Otonokizaka Academy."
Tohsaka Aoi shook her head. She wasn't good at these things, so she indicated that Yukinoshita Kiyuki should handle it.
"No problem. I remember Kotori and Maki are working on school idols, right?"
Yukinoshita Kiyuki nodded with a smile.
"All the age-appropriate girl idols from the idol agencies have already been assigned to Sobu High. The Hatsuboshi Academy that Haruno went to negotiate with will also be incorporated into Sobu High."
"Once Sobu High is expanded, it will have plenty of training rooms, making it convenient for Club President Hachiman to go over and coach the idols. Hiyoko, you can have them come over and improve their idol skills."
Although there were many things they didn't need to worry about, there were also many things they still needed to compete for.
There were so many little groups within the Servant Club that Sobu High would be extremely lively in the future.
"Okay. I'll arrange for them to come over and study for a while. Including Kotori and Maki, leave nine exchange-student slots for me."
Minami Hiyoko pondered for a moment before nodding. Although Hachiman was there, so there was no need to worry about Otonokizaka Academy being shut down, the efforts Kotori and the others had made were still worth recognizing.
Let Kotori, Maki, and their companions continue working hard together. Many school idols and professional idols would soon be transferred into Sobu High, giving Kotori and the others a chance to compete on the same stage.
"Irisviel, you should get some rest. Don't tire out Club President Hachiman."
"Miyuri, let's have a good talk. Didn't you want to lower yourself in seniority? Come on, why don't you call us Mom?"
After finishing their casual conversation, Minami Hiyoko, Tohsaka Aoi, Ogiso Akina, Touma Youko, and Yukinoshita Kiyuki looked at the expressions on one another's faces, which still seemed to have unfinished business, and couldn't help laughing softly. They turned to look at Irisviel, who was clinging to Hachiman, and Asou Miyuri, who had always wanted to torment them.
For now, they didn't have too many thoughts. In the future, they would still have to rely on their daughters.
Compared with Nakano Rena, Tachibana Kyoka, Katsura Manami, and Sawamura Sayuri, there was no doubt that they had gotten the head start, and their advantage was huge.
So what if Rena had five daughters?
At a time like this, it was actually a disadvantage.
Of course, the one in the worst position was still Sayuri. She was clearly in the same situation as them, yet she had still failed to seize the initiative.
Manami, on the other hand, had some schemes of her own. She had quietly raised Kotonoha so well that she would probably figure things out very soon.
"Who's going to call you Mom? Just you wait! You actually dare to act so smug after I put those collars on your daughters that let you share their senses!"
Hearing that these people had started again, Asou Miyuri secretly swore to herself.
She would definitely make these people regret it.
As Minami Hiyoko, Tohsaka Aoi, Yukinoshita Kiyuki, Ogiso Akina, and Irisviel left the hot spring with Hachiman and surrounded Takanashi Ouka, laughing and playing as they returned to the room to begin the second half, Tsubakihara Mira, Mizushima Otoha, Takamine Kasumi, and Asakawa Touka looked at one another, then slowly got up and returned to the room as well.
They had been drugged too, but they were clearly different from Minami Hiyoko, Irisviel, and the others, who had suddenly become obsessed with Hachiman and were getting along extremely well with him.
Still, they had nothing to say about it. They had already done what they needed to do, and there was no longer any point in comparing who was better. They might as well think carefully about how to overtake the others by taking a shortcut.
Unlike their daughters, who had been brought here by them in a daze, they all knew exactly how many competitors there were tonight.
Besides them, many others had also been brought in by friends they knew well.
To say nothing of Yotsuba Maya and Yotsuba Miya, who would definitely use every means at their disposal against Hachiman, there were also the demi-humans such as Aoe Mai, Kijou Yasha, and Senga Sally. They needed no explanation.
The reason they hadn't appeared here was probably simply that they considered themselves higher in status than these women and didn't want to squeeze in with them.
In the future, even their tea parties might have to be held at the Servant Club or organized through the Servant Club. Those who hadn't brought their daughters into the Servant Club would no longer be qualified to play with them.
Of course, if they insisted on joining, sitting at the same table as Asou Miyuri wasn't impossible.
Miyuri was good in every way and was very suitable for being their caring sweetheart.
"?"
The landlady Asou Miyuri suddenly looked left and right. She felt that whether it was Tsubakihara Mira's group or Minami Hiyoko's group, all of them were looking at her with nothing but ill intent.
She had even kept giving these people chances to choose, letting them take their time and think things over so they wouldn't regret it later.
She wasn't going to give these people any more chances.
———
While Hachiman stayed up all night and couldn't sleep, it was still daytime in the other world.
[Elven Forest, Elven Royal Capital, Imperial Palace Study]
"Your Majesty, regarding accompanying me to the other world to receive the aid of Lord Savior, have you made your decision?"
After Iris finished bowing, she looked at Elf Queen Lyutillis, who remained calm behind the desk and still hadn't given her a definite answer. She couldn't help showing a trace of helplessness.
"If you're worried that something might happen in the Elven Forest, you can return immediately after receiving aid for the first time. After that, you only need to travel back and forth once a week."
"We have a teleportation passage, and Lord Savior will also replenish our magic power. You don't need to worry about being in poor condition from crossing over too frequently or being unable to deal with an unexpected situation in time."
"As long as Your Majesty maintains a good relationship with Lord Savior, whenever Lord Savior provides aid, he will prioritize our elven race."
"Or perhaps… do you hate humans?"
By the end, Iris couldn't help hesitating.
It was perfectly normal for elves to hate humans. It was practically common knowledge among the races in their world, and Elf Queen Lyutillis especially hated the human race.
During the previous racial war, when the human kingdoms betrayed the elves and stabbed them in the back, Lyutillis had still been an elven princess.
However, humans were not all the same, and Lord Savior was even more different.
Aegis didn't like humans very much either, but disliking humans didn't prevent them from liking Lord Savior or serving Lord Savior.
Although what she was doing could be considered selling out her race, she had not only brought other elven princesses and many outstanding elves to serve Lord Savior, but was also asking the Elf Queen to go with them to receive aid, she was genuinely saying all this for the sake of the elven race.
They had seized the initiative through the prophecy before Lord Savior had revealed his true abilities. Now that Lord Savior's existence was known to many factions, if they didn't do everything they could to maintain their lead, they would simply be giving others an advantage for nothing.
However, for some reason, Elf Queen Lyutillis had remained noncommittal. She had never truly stated whether she would go to another world to serve Lord Savior.
She had clearly demonstrated all the results of the aid she had received after returning.
Not only had her and Aegis's strength undergone earth-shaking changes from receiving aid day and night, but even Leticia, Leona, and Sylpha, who hadn't served Lord Savior very much, had also made very significant improvements in strength.
Even Lady Lumilia, whose strength had been stagnant for many years, had gained a great deal from the serving game. Only Melaise, who was relatively weak to begin with and not good at fighting, still wasn't very capable in battle.
But even now, despite being in another world, their strength was slowly increasing. Lord Savior's power was far beyond what they had imagined.
"Iris, I understand that Lord Savior is different from the human race."
"However, me going to Lord Savior's side and having relations with Lord Savior has a profound impact, so I still need to consider it carefully."
Behind the desk, the golden-haired, green-eyed Elf Queen wore a white gauze dress. A jeweled pendant rested on her snow-white forehead, while her slender fingers held a delicate teacup. She gently sipped the milk tea with strands of milk Iris had brought back. Upon hearing this, she put down the cup and shook her head.
Like Iris, the Elf Queen Lyutillis, who was nominally Iris's mother, was also especially slender and delicate.
However, Elf Queen Lyutillis was not as petite as the elven princess Iris, and her face also lacked Iris's sweet, warm smile that made people instinctively want to get close to her.
"The candidates for this batch of aid recipients who will be sent to Lord Savior's side have already been chosen. I'll have someone notify their representatives to come and meet you."
Elf Queen Lyutillis gazed at the cup that was already empty, with only a thin layer of sparkling tea remaining, and spoke calmly.
"However, the people outside the forest have sent another message. Because the concentration of Mana has declined, a hidden elven tribe was unable to maintain its barrier and was discovered by humans."
"After receiving their request for help, I had Sylpha and the others take some elves to assist them. Once this elven tribe has been rescued and settled, you can see whether there are any elves who want to go with you to another world to receive Lord Savior's aid."
"Iris, you don't need to be anxious. With Sylpha and the others' current strength, these minor troubles will be resolved quickly. They won't delay you from taking them back to serve Lord Savior."
"I'm not that anxious… I'm just worried that Nina won't be able to handle it. Before I came back, people from a human kingdom had already appeared in that world…"
Iris had originally wanted to ask a few more questions, but after hearing Lyutillis say this, her fair, pretty face flushed slightly, and she was too embarrassed to continue asking.
She knew what Lyutillis was talking about.
The elven race had always been famous for its beauty. Even the most ordinary elf would count as a beauty among humans, and elven adventurers who traveled outside often attracted the covetous attention of humans.
In the past, the elves didn't want to deal with endless harassment, so they could only have their people avoid appearing outside the Elven Forest as much as possible. Elven tribes that were too far from the Elven Forest to retreat there in time also activated barriers to hide themselves.
But things were different now. They had Lord Savior to back them up, so naturally they had to resolve these problems forcefully.
With Lord Savior's tremendous abilities, middle-level fighters could quickly become high-level fighters after receiving aid, while high-level fighters could quickly become top-level fighters after receiving aid.
Combined with awakening Mana, as long as they had enough time, it wasn't impossible for the entire elven race to become high elves. Every elf who had been left outside the forest was a potential recipient of Lord Savior's aid, and each one had the possibility of advancing into a high elf.
At present, Forest Guardian Sylpha had taken Leona and some elves to gather the elven tribes that had failed to evacuate in time back then, scattered outside, and been forced to hide themselves with barriers.
But they had been talking about serious matters just now, so why had the topic suddenly shifted to her serving Lord Savior?
That change of subject was far too abrupt…
Lyutillis quietly looked at the embarrassed Iris without saying anything.
Blushing, Iris didn't want to discuss whether she was hoping for Lord Savior's favor anymore.
They could be bolder when serving Lord Savior. If they didn't boldly show Lord Savior their elves' pure and passionate feelings, how could they make Lord Savior like them?
But discussing such things under Lyutillis's gaze, the Elf Queen who was nominally her mother, still inevitably made her feel a little awkward.
Unless she participated in the serving game with Lady Lumilia and Leticia, it was difficult for her to stop seeing the dignified Elf Queen Lyutillis in such a way.
The Elf Queen and the elven princess silently looked at each other, and the study fell silent for a while.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in."
Before long, two golden-haired elves arrived at the study door and lightly knocked on the open door.
After receiving Elf Queen Lyutillis's permission, the two golden-haired elves entered the study and came to Iris's side, one on each side.
A tall golden-haired elf with an older-sister-like appearance, wearing a wreath of green grass and a kind expression, gave Elf Queen Lyutillis a slight bow.
The golden-haired elf wearing light armor, with a solemn expression, knelt on one knee before Elf Queen Lyutillis.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Queen, Your Highness the Princess."
"No need for such formalities. Seras, you are a high elf. Even before me, you do not need to kneel. Just do as Celestine did."
Looking at Seras, who was kneeling on one knee in greeting unlike Celestine beside her, Elf Queen Lyutillis couldn't help frowning slightly.
How had a dignified high elf learned such bad habits in the human kingdom?
Even if it was only kneeling on one knee, as noble and pure elves, they should only kneel before Lord Savior.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The armored golden-haired elf Seras slowly stood up and once again gave Lyutillis a serious, respectful bow.
Actually, aside from when she had been appointed as a Guardian Knight, she hadn't needed to kneel even in the human kingdom.
Kneeling on one knee had only been her way of expressing the elves' respect and apology for taking in someone like her, a major problem who could attract enemies at any moment. She hadn't expected it to offend the Elf Queen's sensibilities instead.