She didn't even know what Hachiman was really worried about. Clearly, he wasn't indifferent toward her, and he even said she was cute. But even after she took the initiative like this, Hachiman kept rejecting her.
"You're a little prejudiced against the Disciplinary Committee members. There are still many kind and upright students in the Disciplinary Committee. But indeed, some obsessive ones aren't that easy to talk to," Thinking of the "shameless" disciplinary committee member Kotegawa Yui, Hachiman shook his head and muttered.
"How about this, you don't need to pay a price for my protection like Ayano, but you have to join the Service Club. It's okay if you don't participate in Service Club activities, but you need to come to the clubroom often and chat with everyone."
"Join the Service Club?", Seeing that Hachiman remained unmoved, Karuizawa Kei, who almost couldn't resist crawling into bed, was taken aback.
"Yes, join the Service Club and hang out with us regularly. As long as you spread the word and let everyone know you're part of the Service Club, those delinquent girls definitely won't dare to mess with you."
Hachiman nodded. Delinquent girls were just bad, not stupid. The Service Club had many powerful people, all of whom Karuizawa Kei knew. They would definitely be more afraid of Karuizawa Kei gossiping about them in the club and asking its members to deal with them.
Except for introverted, socially anxious, and withdrawn idiots like Hayase Saki, Bocchi-chan, and Sakurase Shino, the rest of the Service Club members were quite formidable.
Not to mention ultra-spec existences like Iris, even Ichinose Ayano or Yukinoshita Yukino could easily handle delinquent girls. They just didn't have the habit or thought of using their family backgrounds; they preferred solving things on their own.
"Just joining the Service Club can solve the problem...", Karuizawa Kei stared blankly at Hachiman, who wholeheartedly tried to help her without asking for anything in return.
She hadn't expected that she wouldn't even need to give anything up. Just by joining the Service Club, those delinquent girls wouldn't dare to pick on her.
They might really stop bothering her because of the Service Club. The club's reputation in school was quite high, and many students who wanted to join were too intimidated.
Because the Service Club members were either elf princesses or daughters of politicians. Even those with less prestigious status were extremely beautiful girls.
If she could be part of it, not only would delinquent girls avoid her, they might even try to flatter her and apologize for the earlier conflict with her class.
"You don't have to join the Service Club if you don't want to. I remember Kaede, the student council president, said the Disciplinary Committee was short-handed. Your class needs to provide at least one member. You could run for it, and when the list comes up, I'll have Kaede approve one more position."
Hachiman didn't stop at just suggesting the Service Club. He also thought of another way to help Karuizawa Kei become independent and strong.
"But after becoming a Disciplinary Committee member, you'll have regular duties. You'll need to come to school early in the morning to inspect student conduct. If you witness bullying by delinquent girls, you'll need to step up and stop it. When conflicts happen, you must not back down."
In theory, becoming a Disciplinary Committee member didn't guarantee avoiding isolation or bullying, after all, bullying wasn't limited to physical violence.
Kotegawa Yui and the former Usui Makoto weren't very sociable either. Even with great looks and abilities, they still didn't have friends.
But Karuizawa Kei herself was quite capable and knew how to disguise herself. What she lacked was the confidence to rely on someone strong and stop being afraid. With the title of Disciplinary Committee member, she could probably do well.
"...Forget about the Disciplinary Committee. If it's okay, I'll join the Service Club instead," Karuizawa Kei didn't expect that Hachiman could manipulate things to get her into the Disciplinary Committee. But after hesitating a bit, she still chose to join the Service Club over becoming a Disciplinary Committee member.
If being a member of the Disciplinary Committee could protect her from bullying, she could handle the daily duties.
But just the thought of seeing bullying from delinquent girls still made her involuntarily tremble with fear. Since she had another option, she instinctively didn't want to face them again.
If a Disciplinary Committee member got bullied too, that'd be hilarious.
She'd just join the Service Club now. Otherwise, taking advantage of Hachiman's current injury and inability to move to beg for his protection might be her only chance.
"Then come to the Service Club room in the Special Building after school today and submit your application form. I might not be there, but vice-president Yukinoshita Yukino should be around. Just tell her I approved it and hand the form directly to her."
Seeing Karuizawa Kei choose to join the Service Club, Hachiman nodded and reminded her.
"The Service Club isn't like those big sports clubs with tons of members. But having fewer people has its benefits too. You can make friends freely in the Service Club. Some members might seem hard to approach, but they're actually great people. If you sincerely befriend them, they won't let you down."
Speaking of which, he hadn't been to the Service Club much these days. He often visited with Iris during class hours, then went to the girls' swim club or home after school for club activities. He didn't even know how Yukinoshita Yukino felt about staying alone in the clubroom.
Hmm... maybe not completely alone. Sakurase Shino and Bocchi-chan probably went too. But since they were either mute from being introverted or mute from social anxiety, they wouldn't talk if they didn't have to. Yukinoshita Yukino probably found their presence even more stressful, preferring solitude.
"Mm... I got it..."
After listening to Hachiman's arrangements, Karuizawa Kei lightly nodded, then let go of his hand. Blushing, she took off her indoor slippers and slowly climbed onto the bed, kneeling with her black-stockinged legs pressed against his.
Ichinose Ayano, who was busy nearby, stared wide-eyed as Karuizawa Kei completely ignored her and crawled onto the president's bed.
"Didn't you say just joining the Service Club was enough?"
Looking at Karuizawa Kei who was now on the bed right next to him, Hachiman raised an eyebrow.
"This has nothing to do with the delinquent girls now. I just... just want to fulfill my own promise and properly repay you...", Karuizawa Kei shook her head, blushing as she placed Hac himan's hands on her firm and smooth thighs.
When Hachiman said she was cute, he probably meant it. He definitely had feelings for her.
But at first, he rejected her without hesitation, telling her that the Disciplinary Committee or the student council president could help her.
It wasn't until she actively showed her sincerity that he offered the two choices, joining the Service Club or becoming a Disciplinary Committee member.
Clearly, Hachiman was a principled man who wouldn't casually accept others' requests. But he was still human and would be more partial toward those close to him.
Even among Service Club members, treatment would differ depending on closeness.
She couldn't just take Hachiman's help for granted. If she were ungrateful, being abandoned later would be only natural.
Although he didn't ask for anything in return, taking the initiative to repay him should be okay, right?
"You like girls taking the initiative, right?", Seeing Hachiman staring at her in surprise, Karuizawa Kei blushed even more but tried to stay calm and continued.
From the moment she entered, Ichinose Ayano had always taken the initiative, while Hachiman enjoyed it while still helping her.
Unless they were playing some special kind of game, it must mean Hachiman liked that, or maybe Ichinose Ayano liked being that way.
Regardless of the truth, imitating someone close to Hachiman like Ichinose Ayano had to be the right move.
"Although I might not be as beautiful and elegant as Ichinose-san, and I don't have any experience with romance, I can do what Ichinose-san does. I can learn what I can't do and do my best to make you satisfied...", Repeating her earlier words to reaffirm her determination, Karuizawa Kei took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and blushingly kissed Hachiman on the cheek.
"Hiss...", Hearing the shy voice of the girl at his ear, Hachiman, feeling like he was completely grasped by Karuizawa Kei, couldn't help but tense up and let out a long breath.
Although he knew that Karuizawa Kei wasn't a succubus and wouldn't be drawn to him by his incubus-like charm, her being so proactive now was mainly due to her lack of security.
Even though he already said he'd let her join the Service Club, she still wanted to add more chips, to make him truly become someone she could rely on.
However, the fact that Karuizawa Kei easily saw through his preference for proactive girls and even targeted that point to take action still left him a bit helpless.
He originally thought Karuizawa Kei would be easy to win over, but unexpectedly, it was he who ended up being the one captured.
["Ding~"]
["Character Mission Completed — The Pet Girl in Search of a Master."]
["Karuizawa Kei, once a central, active figure in class during elementary and junior high, later suffered inhumane bullying due to her beauty and strong-willed personality. The severity of the bullying once threatened her life, and after being discharged from the hospital, she was absent from school for a long time."]
["Now in a new high school, Karuizawa Kei wants to escape her past, seeking someone strong enough to protect her — or in other words, a host to parasitize."]
["She doesn't need youth, doesn't need friends. Even if it's a master she must obey, a host to parasitize, as long as they can protect her from bullying and let her live a normal school life."]
["After all, she is just a parasite, a weak creature unable to survive alone."]
["Mission Reward — Service Halo."]
Hearing the system's mission completion prompt in his mind, Hachiman couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He had received the notification of discovering Karuizawa Kei's character card and triggering her character mission the moment she entered the infirmary, but he hadn't expected to complete it this easily, faster even than Lala, who fell for him at first sight.
Originally, he was planning to have Karuizawa Kei commission Yukinoshita Yukino at the Service Club with a proper request, but who would've thought that upon hearing Ichinose Ayano was under his protection, she set her sights on him instead, wanting to parasitize onto him.
However, thinking of the inner voice revealed in the mission description, Hachiman could only let it go.
Karuizawa Kei had once been a very self-reliant and lively girl, but school bullying crushed her heart. Now she only wanted a strong person to rely on. Once she learned of his connections and special status in the school, it was natural she wouldn't easily let go.
This was also why she kept asking for his protection even after he rejected her several times, and why she insisted on offering herself to repay him even after he agreed to let her join the Service Club to avoid bullying.
The bullying she experienced in the past likely made her lose trust in others' promises. The more he didn't ask for anything in return, the more she feared being abandoned later.
"Don't... don't like it? Or do you think I'm not as pretty as Ichinose-san...", Seeing Hachiman slow down, seemingly zoning out, Karuizawa Kei couldn't help but softly speak with a bit of disappointment.
She had already tried so hard, but she really had no experience. Even when copying Ichinose Ayano's moves just now, she didn't know how to make Hachiman more satisfied, more fond of her.
"Of course not. Let me say it again, you really are very cute and beautiful. You're no worse than Ayano," Looking at Karuizawa Kei, who had taken the initiative to hug his neck yet showed uneasiness on her face, Hachiman reached out to pinch her impossibly cute cheeks, then gave her a peck to show his affection before softly comforting her.
"Then why do you seem like you're spacing out...", Seeing that Hachiman wasn't annoyed but instead comforting her, Karuizawa Kei pursed her lips, looked down at the resting Ichinose Ayano beside them, who was silently staring at her.
Earlier, when Ichinose Ayano was being proactive, Hachiman also chatted with her while being distracted. But now that no one else was drawing his attention, why was he still distracted?
She didn't think she was so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes off her.
But her charm wasn't that low either, right? Even in this situation, he was still spacing out?
"I was just thinking about you, so I wouldn't say I was zoning out. My heart is still thinking about you," Seeing Karuizawa Kei being so sensitive and nervous about his reaction, Hachiman smiled helplessly, hugged her soft body tightly, and leaned down to gently nibble her.
"Uhm... th-thinking about me?", Karuizawa Kei's face turned crimson red as she stared dumbfounded at Hachiman.
She really was a bit sensitive, being completely inexperienced and not knowing what to do in this situation.
"Yeah, I was thinking about whether I should still have you run for Disciplinary Committee member," Hachiman knew Karuizawa Kei didn't understand these things, so he didn't force anything. While feeling her clumsy initiative, he also explained and comforted her.
"Didn't you say I should join the Service Club?", Karuizawa Kei bit her lip, looking even more lost. She even felt like she hadn't served Hachiman well, and that she was being kicked out before she could formally join the Service Club.
"Joining the Service Club doesn't mean you can't also be a Disciplinary Committee member," Hachiman looked helplessly at Karuizawa Kei, who looked like she was about to cry.
"Don't worry, it's not that I don't like you and want to drive you away."
"I've already said you're cute and I like you a lot. Stop always thinking I'm not satisfied with you, okay?"
"Earlier I gave you two choices to pick from, but now that you're mine, naturally you can choose both."
"Maybe your previous school's Disciplinary Committee didn't do much when you were bullied, which gave you a bad impression of them. But most of the Disciplinary Committee members at Sobu High are quite responsible. If you join them, they'll always stand by you and help you whenever something happens."
"I initially wanted you to run for the Disciplinary Committee because of that. Once you have that identity, even without relying on my name, no delinquents would dare openly bother you."
"If they do openly break the rules and come after you, just team up with the Disciplinary Committee and deal with them together. And you don't need to worry about them retaliating outside school. If you're in danger, I'll show up right away."
"I can't exactly demonstrate that to you right now, but I still hope you can believe in me. I can use magic, after all."
Hachiman once again used the excuse of magic.
Though to be fair, the alert system tied to the Love Live list was more magical than magic, it could give him preemptive warnings before danger even happened and teleport him over instantly.
"..."
Seeing Hachiman stop at such a moment to chatter and comfort her, Karuizawa Kei stared blankly at the increasingly handsome face in front of her.
Could she be dreaming?
She hadn't thought that far ahead. She had only wanted to find someone strong enough to protect her, even if that person wasn't good-looking, even if they were a bad person, even if they didn't care about her and only wanted her body.
But now that she had made up her mind to do anything to protect herself, the first host she encountered might actually be a super decent person.
She didn't think Hachiman was lying to her, because she had nothing worth deceiving.
Hachiman was someone closely connected with many wealthy ladies, national idols, and even princesses from other worlds. Just within the student council, he had relationships far beyond her reach.
Honestly, if not for Advanced Nurturing High School being disbanded and her stumbling upon his "incident" in the infirmary today, she would never have had the chance to meet someone this incredible.
If she could parasitize someone like that, even if she didn't have much value or wasn't given much attention, probably no one would dare to bully her anymore.
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