"Why is Sister Vignette acting so strange today?", Komachi looked curiously at Vignette's flustered back. The kind, gentle, and considerate Vignette often came over for meals. Komachi had interacted with her quite a bit and had easily grasped her personality.
'Most of today's ingredients were prepared by Sister Vignette, but she didn't even enter the kitchen to cook. Normally, she would be very eager to take on the task of washing dishes after the meal. Why did she leave in such a hurry?'
"Didn't she say she had something to do? Why are you overthinking it?",Hachiman rolled his eyes, completely oblivious, unlike Komachi, who was the only one kept in the dark.
At first, he thought Iris's enthusiasm would make things awkward between him and Vignette. But now, seeing Vignette clearly aware of the situation but forced to ignore it, he found himself more intrigued.
There was no romantic development between him and Vignette. Doing this wouldn't affect their friendship at all. He could even call on the honest Vignette for help when pursuing Gabriel in the future.
"Tch, Onii-chan, if you act like this, you'll lose Sister Vignette. You need to be more attentive when building relationships with girls.",Seeing Hachiman indifferent to Vignette's change in behavior, Komachi pouted in dissatisfaction.
She didn't notice the unusual blush on Iris's face as she leaned against Hachiman.
Iris, feeling a bit weak, watched Vignette flee in panic and began to ponder inwardly.
Clearly, Vignette felt their... stimulation, yet instead of heading to the kitchen to get involved, she tried hard to endure and then hurriedly left.
It seemed Vignette was a proper succubus. She wouldn't need to be so wary of Vignette in the future.
.
.
.
After dinner, having cleaned up the dining table and kitchen, Hachiman, Iris, and the others sat on the sofa to rest.
Since the girls present, except for Komachi, were all well-acquainted, Hachiman didn't need to hide anything. He directly held the petite Iris in his arms, chatting and relaxing with Aegis and Asougi Shion affectionately flanking him on either side.
This intimate atmosphere, brimming with affection, made Komachi's mouth twitch uncontrollably.
'Isn't Onii-chan and the others are being a bit too much?',Completely ignoring her presence and openly displaying affection here.
She had been worrying about this family for so long, yet now she seemed like the third wheel, sitting here alone, watching Onii-chan and Iris being lovey-dovey.
Her brother, this guy who forgets his sister when he sees pretty girls, and Shion too.
"...Komachi, don't look at me like that. Isn't this what you always wanted to see?",Asougi Shion, after delicately peeling a grape for Hachiman to taste, noticed Komachi glaring at them and couldn't help but blush slightly, speaking in a soft voice.
"Uh...",Seeing the usually aloof and shy Asougi Shion say something like this, Komachi was stunned for a moment, her lips moving but unable to utter a word.
Yeah, wasn't her original goal to have Shion move into their home, become a couple with Onii-chan, and maybe even support him financially in the future?
She had already planned out Shion's future. She couldn't exactly prevent Shion from being affectionate with Onii-chan at home, right?
But... but she hadn't expected Onii-chan to get involved with so many girls from the start.
One or two would've been fine, but now there were already three at home tonight.
Her brother was not only the caring big brother to Asougi Shion but also the supporter of these two elf princesses, Iris and Aegis. Among the group of gyarus before and the classmate who visited yesterday, none seemed to be in a romantic relationship with him. She had no idea how many girls her brother was juggling outside or how many roles he was playing.
"It's about time for a bath. Komachi, do you want to go first?",Hachiman loosened his arms around the breathless, flushed Iris and smiled at Komachi, hinting.
At this point, Komachi had lost her usual cleverness. Shouldn't she quickly excuse herself? Instead, she just kept staring at him and Iris interacting so closely.
"Hmph! I'll go first!",Komachi shot a glare at Hachiman, who had no intention of moving, and stormed off from the living room that now felt so out of place for her.
Watching Komachi leave for her bath, Hachiman held Iris's slender, silk-clad legs, adjusting her posture from leaning against his chest to straddling his lap, facing him directly,"Now, it's time to get down to business."
Just as Iris lowered her head to steady her breathing, she heard Hachiman's words and instinctively glanced at the phone placed beside him.
"Are you going to contact that politician?",She recalled what the club president had told her in the kitchen earlier—he planned to use her name to seek help from a human politician.
"Yeah, at this time, Representative Ichinose is likely attending a social gathering. It's the perfect opportunity to see how sincere he is about winning your favor."
Hachiman nodded, kneading Iris's delicate ankle wrapped in fine white silk while picking up his phone to dial Representative Ichinose's private number.
Normally, when asking for a favor, you'd call when the person is free. Calling during dinner to discuss business over the phone was quite inappropriate. But he hadn't met Representative Ichinose face-to-face, and the only visible leverage to attract him was the potential support from Iris.
Originally, the fact that Representative Ichinose had sent his heartbroken daughter, Ichinose Ayano, to the Service Club to curry favor with the elf princess Iris was valuable information. However, Ayano's status in her father's eyes didn't seem very high, making it hard for Hachiman to gauge how to approach this.
He wanted to know how much Representative Ichinose valued Iris, the elf princess—whether he'd go so far as to cancel his social engagement to secure her potential support.
Seeing Hachiman about to make the call, Asougi Shion and Aegis both quieted down.
BEEP—
"..."
After a while, Hachiman's call connected, but there was no sound from the other end.
Hearing only faint breathing from the other side, Hachiman paused for a moment, then calmly spoke, directly stating his identity,"Good evening, Mr. Ichinose. I'm the president of the Service Club, Hachiman."
"The president of the Service Club? What do you need from me?",Hearing Hachiman identify himself, Representative Ichinose couldn't help but tense up, immediately becoming alert.
"You've sent your precious daughter to my Service Club. Why ask that question? Do you think Her Highness Iris doesn't see through your intentions?"
"...Is Her Highness the Princess with you right now?"
"Her Highness Iris is not with me. I'm simply speaking to you under her instructions.",Hachiman glanced at Iris sitting on his lap, pinched her smooth, elastic cheek, and replied calmly.
"What instructions does Her Highness have?",Representative Ichinose, realizing he couldn't speak directly with the elf princess, abandoned any pretense and asked straightforwardly.
If it were the elf princess herself, he'd be more respectful. But since it was just an ordinary high school student, there was no need to be overly cautious.
"Her Highness wishes to know the current situation of the Rurikawa family and which forces are targeting them. I wonder if Representative Ichinose has the capability to provide such information.",Hachiman didn't mention the elves' desire to support a human faction but specifically emphasized Representative Ichinose's role.
"Why would Her Highness be interested in the Rurikawa family? They're just a declining family, hardly considered nobility anymore.",Representative Ichinose understood Hachiman's implication but responded with a question.
Chiba wasn't a large area, and though the Rurikawa family had declined, they were still well-known in high society. He also knew a bit about their situation.
But what connection could a declining family like the Rurikawas have with an elf princess from another world?
"That's not something you need to know. I simply want to know if Representative Ichinose has the ability to provide detailed information on the Rurikawa family's conflicts with other factions.",Hachiman didn't directly answer Representative Ichinose's question but repeated his own.
"If you can provide it, we can discuss further. If not, let's not waste each other's time."
He wasn't worried that this blunt attitude would lead to a refusal. Representative Ichinose had already sent his daughter to the Service Club, showing he cared about the elf princess's status.
Originally, Hachiman could've handled Rurikawa Tsubaki's task on his own. But he didn't want to go through the trouble of gathering information and saw this as a chance to make Representative Ichinose do some work.
If Representative Ichinose refused to be roped in under Iris's name, then he shouldn't blame Hachiman for bringing up old grievances.
The matter of Ichinose offering a mere million yen as compensation hadn't been settled yet. If he still wanted to use that million to demand more services, and refused to provide information, Hachiman would deal with him tonight.
———
"Detailed information on the Rurikawa family's conflicts with other factions...",At the Ichinose household, Representative Ichinose, still young and vigorous in his thirties, sat on the sofa, looking at his phone while flipping through information on Hachiman's school relationships, silent for a moment.
He had come home today intending to ask his daughter about her progress in the Service Club and whether she had befriended the elf princess. But he hadn't been home long before receiving a call from the princess's side.
Although the call came from the club president—a regular high school student—it was clear from the information he had that the elf princess had a good relationship with this person, often visiting his class proactively.
Was this call the act of a high school student exploiting the princess's name to obtain information, or was it truly under the princess's instructions?
Representative Ichinose noticed from the files that Rurikawa Tsubaki, the eldest daughter of the Rurikawa family, was in the same class as Hachiman and also a friend of his childhood friend Kaede in the student council. This made him even more conflicted.
Providing some information wasn't an issue. He happened to have data on the Rurikawa family and the forces attacking them. But if he provided this information and the elf princess later turned to cooperate with the Rurikawa family, he'd suffer a loss.
The Rurikawa family might be in decline, but their noble status was a fact. The elf race seemed to value noble traditions, and if they wanted to support a human faction as a spokesperson, the Rurikawa family, in its current predicament, was indeed suitable.
"If this is too difficult for Representative Ichinose, then forget it.",Hearing no response from the other side, Hachiman prepared to hang up.
"Wait! ...Wait! I'll send the information via email. Please extend my greetings to Her Highness. Also, if possible, could Her Highness spare some time to meet with me? I have something important to discuss with her.",Hearing that Hachiman wasn't planning to wait any longer, Representative Ichinose hurriedly stopped him.
"Her Highness Iris is very busy and not convenient to meet with you. If there's anything unsuitable to discuss over the phone, you can have Miss Ichinose relay the message to Her Highness."
"Understood. I'll make sure Ayano delivers the message properly.",Representative Ichinose stared at his phone's screen showing the call had ended, pondering the real story behind this inquiry about the Rurikawa family.
This Hachiman seemed to be throwing his weight around, likely due to the princess's favor.
But it wasn't a total loss for him.
The reason he agreed so readily to provide information on the Rurikawa family and their rival, the Poiman family, was partly his desire to curry favor with the elf princess.
Few people from other worlds had publicly appeared before the masses, but there was always a strong desire among the public for more interworld residents to live and interact here.
And among them, the elf race—almost entirely composed of beauties—had the highest appeal, second only to the legendary succubi, who feed on human essence, and dream demons who can craft custom dreams.
If the elf princess endorsed him, even with just a few words of praise in public, attracting public attention, he wouldn't have to worry about votes anymore.
On the other hand, he had a bit of a grudge against the Poiman family, who were targeting the Rurikawas.
The Poiman family wielded great power in both political and business circles. The current head of the Poiman family was young and extremely domineering, having once humiliated him, a mere county councilor.
He had endured because he couldn't fight back, but now that the elf princess was targeting the Poiman family, he'd gladly expose some information.
A princess from an otherworldly elf race, confidently attending school here with only one bodyguard, wasn't relying on local security but on their own formidable strength.
These beings with supernatural powers from another world wouldn't hesitate to deal with the Poiman family directly.
If the elf princess mishandled things and exposure became an issue, he could stand by her side, guiding public opinion and leveraging the public's admiration for the elf race to discredit the Poiman family.
With this connection, he could secure strong support from the elves.
In the future, becoming a governor or even the prime minister would be a breeze.
Thinking this, Representative Ichinose was in high spirits. He pressed the bell for the maid to summon his daughter, Ichinose Ayano, who had just returned home.
"Father...",Ichinose Ayano, still in her Soubu High uniform, walked up to Representative Ichinose and greeted him, then stood silently, looking at him.
"Did you notice anything unusual in the Service Club today?"
Representative Ichinose asked.
"No... The club president does have a very close relationship with the elf princess...",Ichinose Ayano hesitated for a moment, then quietly responded, lowering her head.
"As long as there's no problem.",Representative Ichinose nodded in satisfaction. Even if that guy tricked him into giving up information today, it wasn't a big loss. Since the guy had a good relationship with the elf princess, he'd definitely seek her supernatural help to deal with the Rurikawa family's issues.
"Um... Is Sensei okay?",Ichinose Ayano, seeing her father only concerned about the elf princess, couldn't help but softly ask.
"Why bring him up again? Remember, you're a politician's daughter. You can't associate with those commoners. If you're going to date, it should be with heirs of major corporations or noble families.",Representative Ichinose shot a glance at his disappointing daughter. Just mentioning that worthless teacher irritated him. He had raised his daughter for so many years, and in a moment of carelessness, she had almost been defiled.
His daughter was so beautiful and outstanding. Even if she didn't date someone of high status, at least it should be someone of equal standing. He wouldn't allow anyone to use his family as a stepping stone.
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