If Miura Yumiko found out they had all been lying to her earlier, and exposed the truth about the "bullying" on the spot and flew into a rage, what would they do?
Now this was truly troublesome.
"Will we be disturbing you if we come along?", Ijichi Nijika observed the expressions of Yuina and the girls beside her, Minami and Rin. She noticed that when they heard she and the others might also go to Hikigaya's house to hang out, their expressions were a little complicated, so she tactfully asked.
To her, whether to go or not was fine; it mainly depended on what Yumiko and Marin thought.
She hadn't had any deep conversations with Hikigaya, so suddenly going to his house to play did feel a bit intrusive.
"Uh… it won't be a bother, not at all. Mainly just didn't expect you guys would come too. Usually don't see you talking much with Little Hikki, so I thought you didn't like him."
Yuina was secretly distressed in her heart, but she didn't dare stop them openly. Instead, she showed a very happy face and expressed welcome.
They had already invited Miura Yumiko before. If they suddenly said no now when Kitagawa Marin and Ijichi Nijika also wanted to come, it would clearly look suspicious.
They could only agree for now and then discuss a countermeasure later.
Worst case, they could endure it for today, deal with Ijichi Nijika and Kitagawa Marin, and after they left, continue their hidden activities with Little Hikki. If it got too late, they could just spend the night in Shion's room.
"You guys didn't seem that close with Hikigaya before, huh? If we hang out more, maybe we'll become friends. What time does Hikigaya finish his club activities today? Want us to wait and go home together?"
Kitagawa Marin raised her hand and gave Hachiman's shoulder a hard pat. Looking down at him seated, she asked with a grin.
She had already suspected Yumiko's constant attention toward Hikigaya meant she had a crush. That's why when she ran into him in the hallway, she took the initiative to greet him.
Now seeing Yumiko actively pulling them along to go to Hikigaya's house, there was no way she'd refuse, and she immediately said she would go too.
Yumiko said she just wanted to treat Hikigaya like an errand boy? Just wanted him to do favors?
Did she think she'd actually believe that?
Even if Yumiko wanted someone to run errands, what did that have to do with going to his house? And there were other boys in the class. If she really just wanted any guy, she could easily pick another.
Yumiko usually just had a bit of a temper and was blunt when talking, very forward. But that didn't mean she'd randomly pick on an easy-to-bully boy.
She definitely had reason to suspect Yumiko's special treatment of Hikigaya wasn't that simple.
"Yeah, none of us are in any clubs. Only Hikigaya is. Should we wait for you at school, or go wander outside and you can call us when you're done? Of course, if you're really busy today, we can go another time."
Ijichi Nijika blinked as she looked toward Hachiman, seeking his opinion after Kitagawa Marin agreed to visit his house too.
Among the three of them, Yumiko had been a tennis club member in middle school, but probably because training was too tough, she didn't want to join now and just wanted to enjoy herself, so no club for her, only needing to think about where to hang out each day.
Marin was a gyaru and an otaku. With her hobbies of buying manga, figures, doing cosplay, and sometimes modeling gigs for magazines, she was free lately after finishing her work.
And though Nijika had formed a band with childhood friends, their guitarist kept making excuses not to show up. Even the one from the music department didn't work out, leaving her as idle as Yumiko.
Yuina and her group were even more laid-back, only taking part-time jobs when they needed allowance money, and spending it all having fun afterward.
The only one who had to consider availability was Hachiman, the club member.
As the Service Club president, he probably couldn't just skip sessions at will.
"Uh… the Service Club isn't that busy… If you guys really want to come to my house, I can finish up early today…", Seeing the girls wrap up their discussion quickly, Hikigaya thought for a moment and slowly nodded.
Actually, the girls' swim team wasn't urgent. He'd already taken care of Uenohara Ayano on his first day. If he handled Tachibana Mikari today, that'd be enough. Even if not, focusing on Ayano and Saki was fine, they'd improve, and Mikari would naturally become interested once she saw their progress.
The real issue was with Kaede.
She had said she'd come check on the club today and warned him not to get caught by the morals committee.
Helping out at the girls' swim team was fine since it was a proper Service Club request.
But if he ended club early and ran home, it might look shady.
"You, me, and Nijika are going to your house, and you're not happy about it?", Seeing Hikigaya hesitant and reluctant, Miura Yumiko was displeased and glared at him.
She was taking a risk being misunderstood by her friends just to stop Minami and Rin from bullying him, and this guy didn't even show gratitude, was even unwilling?
If she really didn't go, this guy might be bullied by those gyarus to tears.
If that really happened, even if Hikigaya knelt at her feet begging, she wouldn't take him as a little brother anymore.
"You've got it wrong, Yumiko. It's not that I'm unwilling. It's just… my house isn't that big, and I have two little sisters. It might get a bit crowded, hope you don't mind," Hikigaya knew this queen-type blonde's bark was worse than her bite. He didn't take her tone personally.
Fine, he'd just end club early and go home. Kaede wouldn't send the morals committee to arrest him there.
And if she understood his situation, maybe she'd be more sincere and stop acting so prideful.
After Iris confronted him yesterday, Kaede's attitude had softened. She couldn't use violence to cover embarrassment anymore and had to show her feelings like a normal girl.
He believed once Kaede realized he could actually build a harem, she wouldn't keep playing tsundere.
"We're not exactly rich, you know, so how could we mind something like that? I'm sure Yumiko wouldn't mind either."
Kitagawa Marin sneakily watched Yumiko's reactions. Seeing how emotionally affected she got by everything related to Hikigaya, Marin began forming a plan. With a bright smile, she winked at Yumiko.
"Hmph! Don't call me by name. We're not that close yet. So your house is small, so what? We're just going to hang out."
Miura Yumiko didn't get what her friend Marin meant, but still snorted disdainfully at Hikigaya, clearly upset by his lack of appreciation.
She should've stomped on him last time, he trusted Minami and them who treated him so badly, but not her when she tried to be nice?
"Hikigaya, you have two sisters?", Hearing that, Ijichi Nijika suddenly grew interested.
But her focus wasn't the house, it was those two sisters.
She wasn't an only child either, she had an older sister, but she was always treated like a kid at home. She really wanted to have a little sister.
"Yeah, one biological and one adopted, but we're all really close."
Hikigaya smiled and nodded, giving them a heads-up about Shion so they wouldn't question her family name later and bring up sensitive topics.
"Adopted, huh…", Ijichi Nijika blinked and didn't press further.
If a family was happy and complete, why would anyone need to adopt siblings? Likely one of them was an orphan or from a broken family.
No matter what, it wasn't an easy situation. They'd have to be careful when visiting his home.
"Right. I still have club activities and can't take you right after school. But you can go to my house with Gabriel first."
Hikigaya suddenly noticed Gabriel and Ichinose Honami at the next table watching them, and got a good idea.
Gabriel and Vignette could take care of Miura, Kitagawa, and the others. He could return home later and have dinner with them too.
"Huh? Wait, isn't Tenma-san a transfer student? Didn't you just meet recently? Why is she staying at your house?", Ijichi Nijika was shocked and covered her mouth, staring at the smaller and cute angelic Gabriel.
She had gone to greet Gabriel after she transferred, knowing she didn't know anyone, how did she end up living with Hikigaya?
Kitagawa Marin was also stunned. No way, was Yumiko's love already doomed before it began?
"She's not living in my house. She's in the apartment next door," Hikigaya, seeing their misunderstanding, shook his head and explained.
"Originally, a student from Sobu High lived next door. Gabriel knew her. Now she moved into that apartment and goes to and from school with me."
"Yeah… that's right. I just moved next to Hachiman's place. But I recently spent all my living expenses due to some accident, so I'm doing housework at his place in exchange for meals…", Gabriel had to explain once she became the topic. But just saying that made her face flush.
She was supposed to save Hachiman, keep him from falling, but now she was the one eating his food instead.
If she didn't know her true intentions, she'd think she had truly fallen.
A proper angel relying on food from the lost lamb she was meant to save.
"???", Next to Gabriel, Ichinose Honami was dumbfounded, staring at her in disbelief.
'You live next door to Hikigaya, eat at his house every day, and are that close, but you told me, the new transfer, to be his girlfriend instead?'
Gabriel looked like an angel, but what a sneaky mind.
Yuina and Minami were surprised and excited.
'Little Hikki for the win! Quietly getting this far with Gabriel?'
Wait, if they brought Yumiko and the others over now, would they ruin Hikigaya's big moment?
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Quiet! Didn't you hear the bell? Class has started! How long are you going to keep chatting?", Before Yuina and the others could react to Gabriel and Hikigaya's relationship, a sharp rebuke from the podium made them freeze and quickly return to their seats.
"Hikigaya, come to the student guidance room after class."
"Uh…"
Hikigaya looked at the stern, icy gaze of the pink-haired dragon, Mafuyu Kirisu, on the podium, feeling a bit helpless.
He didn't mind being lectured, since he wouldn't change anyway, but could they do it somewhere else?
At this rate, the guidance room was basically becoming his clubhouse.
———
"Kirisu-sensei is calling you to the Student Guidance Room? We were being noisy too, why only call Hikigaya-kun?"
"Yesterday little Hiki skipped almost the whole day of class. Now little Mafuyu is definitely going to give little Hiki trouble."
"Don't worry, Kirisu-sensei is just a bit strict. As long as you lower your head and admit your mistake properly, she'll let you come back."
"Little Hiki, good luck!"
After class, Mafuyu Kirisu stepped out of the classroom in high heels, her face cold, sweeping a glance at Hachiman in the last row.
Only then did Kitagawa Marin and Yuina gather around to show concern for Hachiman, comforting him not to mind being called out for tea again.
But Hachiman wasn't too worried either. He stood up, waved to them, and walked out of the classroom with a smile.
"Thanks for your concern, everyone. I know Kirisu-sensei is a good teacher. She definitely won't do anything unreasonable to me."
What more could Mafuyu Kirisu do to make things difficult for him? It's not like she would physically punish students. At most, she just wanted to educate him.
But he had only chatted a bit loudly before Mafuyu Kirisu entered the classroom. That little thing wasn't enough for her to really come down on him.
The only thing he felt bad about was that he had to go to the Student Guidance Room again and be disliked by Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Although he hadn't gone there the past two days, it was clear that the impression he and Ai Iris left on Hiratsuka Shizuka before hadn't faded so easily.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Hachiman walked to the entrance of the Student Guidance Room and knocked on the wide-open door.
"Come in," A familiar reply immediately came from inside the Student Guidance Room.
Hachiman walked in, closed the door casually, and sat down in front of the sofa.
Undoubtedly, sitting across from him were two outwardly glamorous female teachers.
The long, straight pink-haired ice beauty, Mafuyu Kirisu.
The long, straight black-haired, older single woman, Hiratsuka Shizuka.
One was responsible for education, preventing students from engaging in improper relationships with the opposite sex.
The other was responsible for supervision, preventing the two from having an improper teacher-student relationship.
"Hikigaya, what did you do wrong this time?", Hiratsuka Shizuka saw Hachiman calmly sit down in front of the sofa, looking at them without any of the restraint a student should have when being educated by teachers, and he didn't even intend to speak first. She couldn't help but feel a little helpless and had no choice but to speak up.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y