Diary Of Service Club, Helping The Elf Princess

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The two exchanged a glance, tacitly choosing not to speak.

"Hello, hello, I'm Kaede, Hachiman's childhood friend, and this is my younger sister, Suzu. We live next door, so if there's anything you need, feel free to reach out to us."

Seeing these two people communicate silently through their gazes, Kaede's face became increasingly flushed. Hurriedly, she walked over to greet Asogi Shion, who stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room.

Komachi followed behind, muttering quietly to herself. She was saying something about Kaede being concerned about her brother. Even though she was a few years younger than Sister Kaede, she could still be considered someone who grew up trailing behind her. Now, Sister Kaede only introduced herself as her brother's childhood friend without even mentioning her at all.

"Hello, I'm Asogi Shion. Nice to meet you."

Asogi Shion looked at the enthusiastic and outgoing Kaede, as well as the quiet and reserved Suzu, and politely responded.

Childhood friend... There was actually a childhood friend living next door to her house too. Unfortunately, he had just gone abroad recently, and who knew when he would return...

"Since you have a guest at home, I won't disturb you. About that bet, I'll talk it over with Hachiman at school tomorrow."

After finishing her greeting, Kaede quickly took Suzu and made an escape. Having nearly misunderstood someone felt rather embarrassing, and with an outsider present, she needed to act a little more restrained to avoid embarrassing Hachiman in front of others. Otherwise, that guy might ignore her.

"Well, alright then. Goodbye, Sister Kaede, goodbye, Sister Suzu."

Komachi, seeing this, didn't insist on making them stay. She escorted them to the door before closing it and returning.

Although she wanted her brother to pick one between the Kaede-Suzu twins and Shion, she still worried that Sister Kaede might figure out her little schemes.

Such thrilling things as juggling multiple boats would have to wait until she became more skilled before helping her brother manage them.

Before leaving, the silent Suzu gave Komachi, who would usually insist they stay longer with Hachiman, a glance, pursed her lips, and said nothing.

———

In the bathroom.

Hikigaya had no idea he was almost misunderstood by Kaede as hiding a beauty at home. Nor did he know that his sister Komachi was preparing to dig a pit for him.

Standing under the showerhead, washing his body, Hachiman occasionally clenched his fists tightly, observing the changes in his body.

Because the abilities from the Assassin's Template, specifically Agent 47's skillset, had been integrated, his physical attributes were no longer as ordinary and frail as before. However, the template hadn't directly altered his appearance but instead hid these abilities within his body in a peculiar manner. When not exerting strength, he still appeared no different from before.

Only by clenching his fists tightly could he feel the latent power within his body.

This was quite acceptable; otherwise, he might end up walking around with Agent 47's shiny bald head.

After pondering his current physical state, Hachiman began checking his mission rewards.

Today, he had completed two missions, earning two rewards.

One was for hunting the minotaur, and the other was Hayase Saki's character mission.

He had obtained Agent 47's skill template and had also activated and tested Hayase Saki's teleportation point.

However, there was still one mission reward he hadn't checked.

That was the "Servant Collar" from Hayase Saki's mission.

As Hachiman claimed the mission reward, a delicate and attractive leather collar appeared in his hands.

[Servant Collar: Any creature that willingly wears this collar cannot refuse your orders. Creatures wearing the Servant Collar will only obey your commands, completely immune to hypnosis, illusions, charms, and other mental abilities.]

"...." Hachiman stared at the description of the Servant Collar in his hand, his mouth twitching slightly.

'This thing seems... a bit useless.'

If he could trigger events with the people on his "romance list" and arrive in time to help them, it seemed unnecessary to guard against anything.

Moreover, this item required the other party to willingly wear it to take effect, making it difficult to use even for trapping enemies.

'Forget it, might as well keep it. At the very least, it's a reward item, not something to throw away.'

'Hm? Why can't I store it?'

When Hachiman tried to place the somewhat useless Servant Collar back into the system, he found no response from the system. Frowning, he quickly realized why.

The hidden blade and hooded robe were equipment that came with the Assassin's Template, so he could store them in the equipment slots of the template.

But the Servant Collar was a mission reward from the system, unrelated to the Assassin's Template.

Such a hassle. He had thought that even if the Assassin's Template equipment slots couldn't function as storage, at least all system-issued items could be stored.

Since it couldn't be stored, he had to find a good place to keep it... Otherwise, it would be awkward if Komachi thought he had some kind of fetish.

Hachiman stared at the delicate collar in his hand, pondering where to hide it.

After bathing and soaking in the tub for a while, Hachiman ultimately decided to adjust the collar's size and wear it on his wrist.

The name "Servant Collar" was somewhat misleading. His initial instinct was to think it was meant for others to use.

But upon reflection, there was no restriction on what kind of creature could use it. It wasn't just for others; he could use it on himself.

If he considered the forced command effect, the collar could indeed be used to control others. However, the fact that it required someone to willingly put it on made it difficult.

On the other hand, if he considered the effect of blocking mental abilities, it could be useful for protecting himself. Since there were many people he wanted to protect, a single collar wouldn't suffice anyway.

So why give it to others?

If he used it on himself, he could block others' mental abilities in the future. He just wasn't sure if it would work on him.

Hachiman looked at the delicate collar on his wrist.

Although it was a collar, worn on the wrist it was more like a bracelet or accessory. However, after adjusting it smaller, it looked a bit bulky on his wrist.

If worn on his arm, it would fit perfectly in size, but it looked more like a decorative piece girls wore around their necks, making it even less appealing for him.

"Self-command for ten minutes."

Hachiman murmured to himself, then said it out loud softly.

There was no forced self-command, no reaction from the collar, and he felt no different.

It was unclear whether the collar didn't work when worn by him or if it simply couldn't enforce commands on oneself.

Well... his own will was already his, and the idea of being unable to control himself was somewhat terrifying.

Forget it, whether it worked or not, he'd wear it for now. Just in case it turned out to be useful.

With that thought, Hachiman suddenly felt a bit worried about being hypnotized.

After all, this world was already so ridiculous; encountering hypnosis wasn't entirely out of the question.

If someone on his "romance list" fell victim to hypnosis, it would likely be part of a storyline, and the system would notify him to intervene. But if he himself got hypnotized, that would be the end.

Although his current physical state was quite impressive—with extraordinary senses, stamina, and an array of combat and assassination skills—his mental resistance wasn't necessarily foolproof.

But hypnosis was unpredictable. It wouldn't always make sense.

After leaving the bathtub, drying himself, and getting dressed, Hachiman went out to call Komachi to take a bath.

His current body felt so good that bathing almost felt unnecessary. Soaking was merely a habit, though the sensation of the breeze brushing against his skin after a bath was quite pleasant.

"Komachi, go take a bath."

"Coming, coming!"

Komachi seemed to be whispering something to Asogi Shion. Hachiman had to urge her several times before she finally left Shion's side, stuck out her tongue at him, and ran off to grab her clothes for a bath.

"Shion, Komachi didn't say anything strange to you, did she?"

Hachiman walked to the sofa and sat down two seats away from Asogi Shion. Looking at her, with her now-dried hair, he asked.

He genuinely worried Komachi might have said something to Shion that would make her want to return to her original family, which would be troublesome.

"No."

Asogi Shion shook her head.

"Then sit in the living room for a while and chat. Do you like reading manga or novels? There are many on the shelf. Feel free to read whatever you want. There are also drinks and fruits in the fridge. Help yourself to anything; no need to be shy."

Hachiman pointed to the shelf beside the living room, where he and Komachi kept their manga and novels.

Of course, everything was perfectly wholesome. Having a virtuous younger sister, he wouldn't dare to keep anything improper.

Since Asogi Shion was currently sleeping in Komachi's room, which was filled with Komachi's belongings, she might feel more comfortable in the spacious and bright living room.

Having her in the living room also made communication easier. Shion, being a quiet and cool girl, probably wasn't good at talking with strangers.

But given her current emotionally fragile and sensitive state, leaving her alone wasn't an option either.

"...Okay, brother."

Looking at Hachiman, who was so caring toward her, Asogi Shion bit her lip, not knowing what to say. She could only follow Komachi's earlier advice and nodded lightly.

She stood up, looked at the bookshelf, selected a manga with decent art style, and returned to the sofa, sitting at the other end, pretending to read.

However, her attention wasn't on the manga in her hands. She was merely pretending to read while thinking about her own issues. Occasionally, she'd glance up to sneak a look at Hachiman.

Being secretly observed by Shion, Hachiman's heightened senses easily detected her gaze.

Yet, he said nothing, acting as if he hadn't noticed her glances.

Shion wasn't deliberately trying to act aloof. Her movements and expressions showed she was making an effort to speak, but her lack of social skills, compounded by her bad mood, prevented her from responding warmly.

Forget it; no point dwelling on it. She could stay here for now. If she was willing to accept help, he'd help her. If not, he wouldn't force it.

Compared to Shion, who had already taken refuge at his house, Hachiman felt he should be more concerned about tomorrow's situation.

That afternoon, Hiratsuka Shizuka had called to say she'd be bringing an elf princess to the Service Club. Chances were she'd bring her tomorrow.

If this elf princess really was the one he had in mind, someone who needed help...

Then, while he hadn't yet completed Yukinoshita Yukino's and the others' boyfriend-raising requests, he might have to take on yet another one.

Just the physical training rewards had already earned him Yukinoshita Yukino's cold glares. If he really had to take on a support request... who knew how Yukinoshita Yukino would react.

After Komachi finished her bath, Hachiman sat in the living room a while longer before going to wash up and head to bed.

Asogi Shion returned to Komachi's room with her.

Komachi had a very privileged position in the family, spoiled from top to bottom. Her room was spacious, and her bed was large enough for the tall and slender Shion and the petite and adorable Komachi to share without issue.

"Goodnight, Shion~"

"Mm, goodnight, Komachi."

After turning off the lights, Komachi quickly climbed into bed and fell into a deep sleep. Shion, lying beside her, couldn't fully fall asleep until well into the night.

In the pitch-black bedroom, her bright eyes silently stared at the ceiling.

Shion was an only child, without any siblings. Now, with her family in turmoil and her usual aloofness preventing her from confiding in anyone, she had no one to share her feelings with.

Though Komachi had reached out to help, staying here was merely a temporary escape. Eventually, she'd have to face her family problems.

At her age, finding suitable work was difficult, let alone earning enough to support herself while still studying.

Alternatively, she could accept that she no longer had parents to rely on and choose to go to a welfare institution.

Lost, anxious, uneasy, and despairing...

Turning to look at Komachi, who was sleeping soundly beside her, Shion's eyes grew warm, her vision blurring.

Could she really consider this place her home... Unfortunately, this was only Komachi's home.

Komachi's brother is also just Komachi's brother...

———

The next morning.

Hikigaya got up on time, put on the Sobu High School uniform, and went downstairs to make breakfast.

Usually, he was the one who made breakfast, but occasionally, when there was no need to prepare bento, he would laze around in bed and let Komachi make breakfast.

However, today, there was an unfamiliar figure in the kitchen.

"Shion, good morning? Did you wake up so early?"

Hikigaya walked into the kitchen and saw a busy figure with long black straight hair.

"Brother, good morning... I couldn't sleep very well, so I thought I'd get up and help make breakfast and bento."

Asogi Shion turned around, looking at Hikigaya, and greeted him somewhat awkwardly.

Hikigaya noticed the faint dark circles on her delicate, cold, and beautiful face. Her energy seemed somewhat listless, causing him to furrow his brows slightly.

"Shion, didn't you sleep well last night? I'll take care of the rest now; you go lie down on the sofa and get some rest. I'll call you when breakfast is ready."

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