Although the wild memories from last night had long since been etched deep into their bodies, leaving them endlessly savoring the experience, that long night was more like it had awakened their bodies' instincts.
Now, having a close conversation with Hachiman before parting, their reason had returned, leaving them satisfied and genuinely happy.
That's right. It should be like this.
Their first proper meeting with him should have been like this.
Chatting intimately in a heated atmosphere while gradually getting to know each other, that was what suited their identities.
Unfortunately, when Asakawa Touka took the initiative to seek out Hachiman back then, they had no choice but to come along and meet Hachiman as well.
With Asou Miyuri having ulterior motives, and Irisiviel and the others causing trouble, things became incredibly chaotic afterward, and their charms hadn't been shown at all.
They didn't have time to continue today. They couldn't really talk about things like the hot spring manga convention, so they might only participate a little, cheering their daughters on from the sidelines. But afterward, they really needed an opportunity to prove themselves.
"Although my Ayame and Sayuri aren't twins, they're not inferior to twins in the slightest. Older sister Ayame is in the swimming club and has an especially good figure, while younger sister Sayuri does rhythmic gymnastics and is good at housework. Please give them plenty of guidance in the club activities from now on, President Hachiman."
Having changed back into her yukata, the black-haired mature beauty Takamine Kasumi with her hair tied in a high ponytail stepped forward and hugged Hachiman. Her eyes drooped, her gaze falling onto that dazzling golden color, and her red lips parted beside Hachiman's ear.
Although many people thought twin sisters were great, she didn't think there was anything particularly good about twins.
Identical twins only had a little visual impact. They sounded good, but if they were truly exactly the same, it would definitely be easy to get tired of them.
"My Rina is good at every kind of sport. She doesn't only participate in one club sport. But her older sister Yuna is a little shy around strangers, so President, you'll have to properly guide her."
After Tsubakihara Mira tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear, she looked up at Takamine Kasumi with her suggestive remark, the smile on her face unchanged.
Twins were good. If the sisters didn't even look alike, then what was the difference from two people with no blood relation?
"What did the two of you say before coming here? 'Little brother Hachiman is only somewhat handsome and only knows how to flirt with young girls. I'll definitely never get all confused by little brother Hachiman.'"
Asou Miyuri looked speechlessly at Tsubakihara Mira and Takamine Kasumi, who had already started clashing with each other before they had even left the room, and immediately mocked them.
"And you still say you're not secretly perverted! The moment you saw little brother Hachiman, none of you could hold back, right?"
If she hadn't known just how perverted Takamine Kasumi and Tsubakihara Mira had been while wearing the empathy bracelets, with both of them wishing they could stuff all of little brother Hachiman's ** inside, she really might have thought these two were that dignified and were merely trying to secure benefits for their daughters.
"Ahem, Miyuri, you've remembered wrong. I never said that."
"Miyuri, don't forget, I ate much more than you last night. It won't be long before my strength surpasses yours. When that happens, if you keep messing around..."
Seeing Asou Miyuri dredge up the past, everyone's eyes turned toward them. Takamine Kasumi felt a little embarrassed, but Tsubakihara Mira didn't care at all, still smiling.
They really had been a little disgraceful. In the past, whenever they gathered, they had only joked around and had absolutely no desire in that regard. But once they came to Hachiman's place and faced Hachiman directly, they were captivated just by smelling his scent. They became like girls experiencing love for the first time. Even after being dragged into the water by their good friends, they had no complaints. Instead, they looked forward to Hachiman paying more attention to them.
But actually, everyone was the same. If Asou Miyuri hadn't liked Hachiman to an outrageous degree herself, how could she have tricked so many of her good friends into letting Hachiman play with them?
Although Asou Miyuri now looked like a sharp-tongued little brat, as though she only wanted to drag others into the water.
There was nothing embarrassing about admitting that they liked Hachiman.
Although they certainly couldn't compete with the young girls full of youthful energy, even if their skin was still soft and their every movement was filled with the charm of wealthy married women and gentle wives, they didn't need to compete that way.
"Hmph. You can't resist little brother Hachiman anymore. Wasn't Aoi and Kiyuki's performance last night astonishing?"
"Your strength will be very strong in the future, but you'll crave little brother Hachiman even more than Aoi and the others, and you'll become more and more powerless in front of little brother Hachiman. Let's see if you can still keep up this attitude then!"
Seeing Tsubakihara Mira remain calm and composed as she began to educate her, Asou Miyuri, whose plan had been perfectly completed, instead became rather unhappy. She had lost the pleasure of dragging her good friend into the water and making her submit before little brother Hachiman.
Although from the very beginning, she had only wanted to make her good friends addicted to little brother Hachiman. For that purpose, she had put the empathy collars on them beforehand, intending to tell them about the precautions for the empathy collars only after they had experienced their first empathy.
Her goal had been to let them taste the sweetness first, then slowly break through their limits.
But things had developed too smoothly now, so smoothly that even she felt something was wrong. She hadn't needed to help little brother Hachiman take these women down at all. These women themselves had practically wanted to swallow little brother Hachiman whole.
Had these women already been craving little brother Hachiman for a long time?
They just hadn't had the opportunity and had been waiting for her to drag them into the water, so they could openly begin their descent...
Luckily, no one could get the upper hand over little brother Hachiman. They could only be firmly controlled by little brother Hachiman. Otherwise, she really would have to worry about being bullied to death by these women.
"Mm... So your liking for President can actually be reflected through changes in strength..."
Hearing the harsh words from Asou Miyuri that contained quite a lot of information, Tsubakihara Mira's expression shifted. She slowly stood up from her half-kneeling position and straightened her waist. Looking thoughtfully at Hachiman, who was being tightly embraced by Takamine Kasumi, she suddenly turned her head toward Kinoshita Akina, who was standing together with Toma Yoko and the others with a gentle smile on her face.
Miyuri had never told them this.
They had thought that the differences in strength between the magical girls in the Service Club were merely due to differences in how much assistance they received. They hadn't expected it to also be related to how much they liked Hachiman.
Could it be that the more they liked him, the more sensitive they became?
No wonder Miyuri called them secretly perverted. They really had been a little unable to restrain themselves.
But if that was the case, then Yukinoshita Kiyuki, Irisiviel, Tohsaka Aoi, Kinoshita Akina... weren't these people even more ** than them?
Tohsaka Aoi could be said to have lost her mind, while Yukinoshita Kiyuki could be explained as doing it for the sake of her family's interests or something.
But Kinoshita Akina, who played the role of a housewife and virtuous mother in front of her daughter... the contrast was simply too great.
"..."
Kinoshita Akina, who had a faint, gentle smile on her face, noticed that Tsubakihara Mira was staring at her without even wiping the corners of her mouth. She slightly turned her body, gently touching her own cheek with one hand, embarrassed to meet Tsubakihara Mira's eyes.
There really had been a little contrast between her last night and her usual self.
Fortunately, among so many people, the country girl Asakawa Touka wasn't familiar with her. Only Tsubakihara Mira, Takamine Kasumi, and Mizushima Otoha found her behavior strange, with Asou Miyuri at most being added to the list. This made her breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Sure enough, it was better for everyone to do this together. If everyone did it together, they were accomplices. If she had been the only one, she probably could only have secretly gone looking for Hachiman.
But she didn't know what would happen on Yukina's side. That girl Yukina looked well-behaved, but she could also be stubborn sometimes. Hopefully Yukina could make some friends who could become her accomplices...
"By the way, Miyuri, are we really going to be okay? There was so much last night..."
Takamine Kasumi had also finished enjoying Hachiman's warm embrace by now and slowly released him. Seeing Asou Miyuri begin talking about their group's unspoken rules, she immediately wanted to ask about safety measures.
"You're only asking that now? Don't worry. Unless you yourselves want to and forcibly control yourselves from transforming, every bit of the results of your efforts will be converted into the strength of your magical girls."
Asou Miyuri rolled her eyes without saying anything, while Hachiman smiled and explained to Takamine Kasumi.
Effort would always bring rewards. Here, that was practically a truth of the hidden world.
The prerequisite was that they had to like him and meet the requirements for Service Devotion. Otherwise, no matter how much they served him, they couldn't receive the bonus from the Service Aura.
Although this prerequisite generally didn't exist. How could a girl who served him day and night not like him?
However, he hadn't told everyone about the Service Aura. He hadn't expected Miyuri to understand it so well.
Mm... The effect of the Service Aura was too powerful, comparable to percentage-based true damage. It really couldn't be hidden from people who frequently participated in the Service Games.
Although they didn't know the principle either, they might simply regard the effects of the Service Aura as one of the abilities he had awakened after developing a magic-element constitution and awakening as a magical girl.
"That sounds really good. Then next time, let's play a little bigger."
Takamine Kasumi raised her hand and pinched Asou Miyuri's cheek, then crouched down to dodge Asou Miyuri's counterattack.
Actually, before they had decided to come but before they had arrived, they had already been informed of the relevant "knowledge." But now that she had personally heard Hachiman confirm it, she was completely reassured.
She had even thought of a way to exploit the fact that only transforming could convert their efforts into magical-girl strength: forcibly controlling themselves not to transform, creating a kind of risky play that could easily expose them in front of their daughters.
Damn, that seemed a little perverted...
Could it be that she had been influenced by the others...
As Takamine Kasumi, both nervous and expectant, began the farewell ceremony with complicated excitement, Asakawa Touka, who had been waiting at the very back all this time, slowly walked over and came before Hachiman.
"Touka, are Suiren and Aoi at the inn right now?"
"You're only remembering them now?"
Seeing Hachiman ask about her daughters after having had his fill, Touka wanted to return to the expressionless appearance she had at the beginning of last night, but he had already seen every embarrassing side of her, so she simply couldn't stay cold, especially since she still had to complete the farewell ceremony that everyone else had done later.
"Don't worry. Suiren and Aoi are all safe and sound."
"But they both know the fact that you're extremely flirtatious now."
"If you want to see them, then come to the countryside to see them soon!"
Asakawa Touka didn't want to say much. After finishing, she pulled up Takamine Kasumi, who had only just crouched down, and amid Takamine Kasumi's unwilling cry, left the room together with the others who had been waiting for a long time.
Last night, she had only stayed here settling accounts with Hachiman and hadn't communicated with Suiren and Aoi. But she knew Suiren and Aoi very well and knew that they would definitely be willing to understand Hachiman's flirtatious nature.
Even if they called Hachiman "Father" or something, they would probably be willing to satisfy Hachiman.
But could she stand by and watch her own daughters suffer?
Although she didn't want to make things difficult for Hachiman, she still had to find a way to establish a home-field advantage for herself.
If she didn't find a way to bring out their countryside advantages, there was really no way to compare with these glamorous young ladies and dignified wealthy married women.
But... what advantages did the countryside have?
In the sweltering fields, there weren't nearly as many forms of entertainment as in a big city. She couldn't exactly take Hachiman to farm, could she?
Have Hachiman stay at someone else's house and experience the charm of a countryside homestay?
Or have Hachiman become a tutoring teacher and experience the fun of tutoring?
Or perhaps hold some customs and folk activities suited to local traditions to satisfy Hachiman? Supernatural phenomena? Exorcism at a shrine?
What a headache. Besides, all of these things would require the villagers' cooperation. She really didn't know whether they would be willing...
Asakawa Touka, who had never researched any of this before, suddenly realized that even if she was willing to compete by any means necessary, getting Hachiman satisfied was not an easy task.
...
"Ahhhhh!!!! Touka, you don't eat it, and you won't let me eat it either! How are you going to make it up to me!"
"Kasumi, don't get so worked up. Next time, let Ayame and Sayuri come together with her Suiren and Aoi. One for two, that's a profit."
"Is Touka worrying about how to serve President Hachiman? Maybe we can go to the countryside with you and help."
"...You don't have to use helping me as an excuse. Hiyoko and Kotori coming to the countryside is enough."
"Hehe, Maki and Kotori also experienced the empathy last night. They'll both be going to Sobu High tomorrow, right?"
"Mm, it should be the performing arts program established after Sobu High was expanded. They'll train together with those newly debuted school idols. Is the one from your family, Kazusa, going to transfer from the music program?"
"No need to worry about Kazusa. Let's first see whether she'll participate in today's hot spring manga convention event. I'm very healthy right now, so we can take it slowly."
"What is Kazusa going to dress up as? Virtuosa? Her temperament seems to suit Kazusa pretty well, but this cello prop isn't very convenient for walking around with..."
Outside the hallway, the married women's voices as they chatted about everyday matters and played around gradually faded into the distance.
Inside the room, Hachiman once again closed his eyes and lay down.
Only this time, there was no soft lap pillow.
It wasn't that he was resting here because he was tired. That little amount of assistance last night was practically a rest for him.
Irisiviel, Tohsaka Aoi, and the others looked very passionate and supple, but in reality, they collapsed at the slightest touch. Even their recovery speed couldn't keep up with their rate of consumption. In the end, they had relied entirely on the powerful will of magical girls to hold on.
He was staying in the room simply to wait for today's hot spring manga convention event to begin.
Just like the Service Games they often held late at night before, today's hot spring manga convention event would also have an event guide.
However, today's Service Game would run all day. It was divided into a Cos activity that all members of all ages could participate in, and a Play activity that required active registration.
"Big Brother, may I come in?"
"Come in."
Hearing wooden clogs approach the door, accompanied by Shiba Miyuki's gentle voice, Hachiman slowly opened his eyes.
But when he got up, he saw a slender figure kneeling before him in a light-blue kimono and pure-white tabi socks, holding a paper fan and looking at him with a smile.
Uh... Miyuki dressed like this...
"What does Big Brother think?"
"Does Miyuki suit this outfit? Isn't it a little strange..."
Shiba Miyuki, who had already prepared herself mentally, still couldn't help herself when she saw Hachiman staring directly at her. She quietly opened the paper fan in her hand and gently covered her jade-like cheeks that had flushed red.
"It suits you quite well. I didn't expect you to appear before me like this, Miyuki. Are you the one taking me to the manga convention event today?"
Hachiman looked at Shiba Miyuki's delicate face tinged with red and nodded appreciatively.
This kimono really suited Shiba Miyuki, setting off her elegant, otherworldly, cool temperament very well.
But he really hadn't expected Shiba Miyuki to go with this look. For a moment, he was so stunned that he thought he had seen it wrong.
Had he been too busy with assistance and stopped paying attention to the otaku world? This world actually had the character Kamisato Ayaka too? In other words, Genshin Impact existed as well?
However, he didn't pursue these minor details. Compared with investigating where those game characters came from, he was more curious about whether Yotsuba Maya and Yotsuba Miya had participated in this hot spring manga convention.
The commotion caused by Irisiviel, Tsubakihara Mira, and so many others wasn't small. There was no way Yotsuba Miya knew nothing about it, and even less reason for her to remain indifferent.