Chapter 489: Senpai, You Have to Take Responsibility for Me
Time flew by, and the student council election officially concluded.
Thanks to Hachiman's efforts, Iroha Isshiki smoothly became the new student council president. With him stepping in, neither Hayama nor Yumiko had any objections to lending their names to the cause, making the process surprisingly easy.
There were no schemes or underhanded tactics—everything went smoothly and simply.
After this little episode, Hachiman's life returned to its usual calm.
The atmosphere in the Service Club remained harmonious, especially with Christmas just around the corner. Yui and Yukino were already discussing how to spend the holiday.
"Yukinon, what are your plans for Christmas? Komachi-chan mentioned inviting us to her place," Yui said with a smile.
Yukino set down her teacup and nodded in agreement. "I saw Komachi's message as well, but I wonder if the host would be happy to have us."
As she spoke, Yukino glanced over at Hachiman, and Yui did the same.
Sensing their gazes, Hachiman shrugged. "Why wouldn't I welcome you both? I'd be glad to have you over."
"Great! Then it's decided—we'll spend Christmas at Hikki's place," Yui said happily.
Seeing her so excited, both Hachiman and Yukino couldn't help but smile indulgently.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Yukino called out.
No sooner had she spoken than the door was flung open with a loud swish, and a panicked, yet youthful voice filled the room.
"Something terrible has happened, Senpai! This is really bad!"
Iroha Isshiki, who had just become the student council president, rushed in frantically, tears welling up in her eyes as she turned to Hachiman and the others for help.
"What's wrong, Iroha-chan?" Yui asked, concerned.
"Senpai, you have to help me… sob... I don't know what to do!" Iroha cried, forcing a few tears from the corners of her eyes as she pleaded with Hachiman and the others.
Seeing her in such a state, Hachiman sighed, guessing that it was probably something related to the Christmas event.
With that in mind, he grabbed a chair and set it down next to Iroha.
"Take a seat and tell us what happened, Isshiki. We need to know the details if we're going to help."
But instead of sitting down, Iroha threw herself at Hachiman, clutching his arm as she continued to cry.
"Senpai, you have to help me! You're the one who pushed me into the student council president role, so you have to take responsibility!"
"Eh, eh, eh?"
Seeing this, the other two girls in the room couldn't remain seated any longer.
What's going on here? Are you trying to steal him right in front of us?
Yui stood up in a panic, her voice directed at Iroha.
"Iroha-chan, let go of Hikki first. What exactly happened? You need to explain clearly," Yui said, trying to defuse the situation.
Although Yukino remained silent, the atmosphere around her seemed to grow colder. Perhaps sensing the rising tension, Iroha shivered slightly and instinctively let go of Hachiman.
As soon as he was released, Hachiman returned to his seat, deep in thought. *Hmm, probably around a C…* he mused internally.
Iroha, now sitting in the chair Hachiman had brought over, wiped away a few remaining tears before speaking up.
"Well… just now, the school administrators called a meeting with the student council. They've decided to hold a Christmas event."
"A Christmas event?" Yui echoed, surprised.
"Yes," Iroha nodded. "And it's going to be a joint event with Kaihin Sougou High School. They want to organize something for the elderly and kindergarten kids."
"This wasn't your idea, was it?" Hachiman asked, a knowing smile on his face.
Iroha immediately shook her head in protest. "Of course not! How could I come up with something so ridiculous?"
"But the event is already set in stone, and we can't refuse it now. We've tried our best over the past few days, but we haven't made any progress. So I had no choice but to come to you, Senpai, and ask for help."
"Please, help me out, Senpai, Senpai!" Iroha pleaded, her expression shifting to one of helplessness, her eyes welling up with tears once again.
Seeing her like this, Yui's heart softened instantly, but Yukino remained as cold as ever.
"This is your first event as student council president, isn't it?" Yukino asked calmly.
Iroha hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Uh, yes, it is."
"In that case, you should discuss it with Shiromeguri-senpai. She should have experience with this sort of thing," Yukino suggested coolly. "Relying on outsiders like us for your first event isn't the best approach."
Yukino's intention was to encourage Iroha to develop her independence and leadership skills—definitely not because she was upset that Iroha had just clung to Hachiman.
"Uh… well…" Iroha seemed taken aback by Yukino's refusal. She shifted her gaze uncomfortably, then spoke up again after a moment of hesitation.
"Shiromeguri-senpai is about to start her graduation exams, so we don't want to burden her with this. Right now, the only people I can rely on are you, Senpai, and your friends."
"Ugh…" Yukino clicked her tongue softly in annoyance.
Sensing Yukino's growing displeasure, Iroha quickly turned her gaze back to Hachiman, hoping for a different response.
Facing Hachiman, Iroha fully leveraged her youth and began to act coquettishly. She believed that no one could resist her charm; after all, most of the boys she had encountered were easily swayed by a bit of pleading.
"Hikigaya-senpai, please help me out. Even if it's just you alone helping, that would be enough."
"And besides, it's because of your suggestion that I became the student council president, so you have to take responsibility for that."
"..."
Seriously, is this okay?
Hearing Iroha shift all the responsibility onto him, Hachiman couldn't help but tug at the corner of his mouth. In reality, she had been lured by the perks of the position, even if he had sweetened the deal.
Seeing that Hachiman wasn't reacting, Iroha doubled down on her efforts.
"Hikigaya-senpai, you're the best! Please, just help me out, I'm begging you."
To be honest, with that innocent voice and those pleading eyes, most guys would probably crumble. Unfortunately for her, Hachiman was no ordinary guy. Compared to the more mature and alluring voices he had encountered with Saeko, Utaha, and others, this was nothing.
However, Hachiman wasn't the type to abandon someone in need, especially since Iroha's rise to student council president was largely due to his influence. A sly smile crept onto his face.
"I can help you, but I have one condition."
"Condition?"
Iroha blinked in surprise before seemingly realizing something. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest, her face flushed with panic as she shook her head vigorously.
"No way, I can't agree to that! I won't sell my body, not even for you, Senpai!"
Hachiman's mouth twitched." Where did your mind just go? Even if I were that type of person, there are others ahead of you in line", he thought, glancing at the two girls nearby.
Just as he was about to clarify, he felt two pairs of piercing eyes lock onto him.
Great, here comes the jealousy, he realized.
"Hikki, what's this all about?" Yui asked in a slightly accusatory tone.
Though Yukino remained silent, the chill emanating from her made it clear she was equally displeased.
"What do you take me for? Do you really think I'm that kind of guy?" Hachiman replied, exasperated.
He was a man of principle—if he truly wanted to go down that road, Saeko, Kotonoha, Utaha, Alice, and even Shizuka would be far more enticing prospects. While he didn't see himself as a saint, he certainly wasn't a lecherous scoundrel who jumped at every opportunity.
Plus, let's not forget that he had received plenty of love letters in the past, some of which even included intimate items tucked inside the envelope.
The meaning behind this was clear—if Hachiman had truly wanted to indulge in these temptations, he wouldn't have waited until now.
"So, what's the condition you're asking for, Senpai?" Iroha asked timidly, while the other two girls also turned their attention to him.
"Iroha, if I remember correctly, the student council is responsible for club budgets, right?" Hachiman replied with a sly smile.
"Club budgets…?" Iroha paused, then quickly caught on. "You mean…?"
"That's right. If you want our help, you'll need to offer up some of the event budget as compensation," Hachiman said, grinning.
"Eh, that's not fair!" Iroha pouted, clearly unhappy with his demand. "Senpai, this is extortion!"
"It's not extortion; it's just us earning a fair reward for our efforts," Hachiman shrugged. "You can't expect us to work for free, can you?"
"Uh… well…" Iroha hesitated, embarrassed, because deep down, she had indeed been thinking of them as free labor.
Before she could say anything further, Hachiman continued, "And besides, I'm doing this for your own good. Running to us for every little problem isn't a good habit. I'm helping you become more independent. Don't you agree?"
He glanced over at the other two girls for support.
"That's right," Yukino said coldly. "We're already in our second year. If you develop a habit of relying on us, who will you turn to after we graduate? Learning to solve problems on your own is the most effective way to grow."
Even Yui nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Iroha-chan, everyone needs to grow up at some point."
Seeing the three of them united against her, Iroha was taken aback. "You… you're all ganging up on me… Waaaah!" she pretended to cry.
But her fake tears had no effect on Hachiman, who continued smiling. "So, Iroha, do you still want our help or not?"
With a pout and a defeated expression, Iroha finally conceded, "I do…"
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