Diary Of Service Club, Helping The Elf Princess

"Student guidance is your responsibility, Hiratsuka-sensei, right? Ichinose-san is your student. Why would Misaki-sensei be responsible for providing her with guidance?"

"If it's a psychological issue, it's definitely better for a fellow woman like Hiratsuka-sensei to handle it."

"If it's an academic issue, only then would Misaki-sensei be needed."

"But Misaki-sensei is a foreign language teacher, and Ichinose-san's foreign language grades have always been good. If it's merely an academic issue, there's no need to specifically use the student guidance room, right?"

"Or could it be that Misaki-sensei has something unspeakable to discuss in private?"

"…Misaki-sensei, is there something you and Ichinose-san need to discuss?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka was momentarily stunned by Hikigaya's suspicion toward Misaki-sensei. After some contemplation, she looked at Misaki.

In truth, Hikigaya's reasoning wasn't very substantial, but despite his unserious demeanor, his actions were typically quite prudent.

If it were just a normal student guidance session, Hikigaya wouldn't single out a teacher like this. Perhaps there really was an issue with this Misaki-sensei.

Considering the earlier situation where Hikigaya and Iris were in the student guidance room and she couldn't hear anything from outside, she decided it was best to remain cautious to prevent any potential harm to students.

"It's not really a big deal, just a minor academic issue. If Hikigaya-kun likes Ichinose-san so much that he doesn't want me to be alone with her, then fine."

Noticing Hiratsuka Shizuka's growing suspicion, Misaki-sensei smiled faintly, shook her head, and cast a deep gaze at Hikigaya.

"Hikigaya, was it?"

"My name doesn't matter. What matters is why you're looking for Ichinose-san from our class."

Despite Misaki's insinuation that he had feelings for Ichinose Ayano and was acting out of jealousy, Hikigaya remained unfazed, calmly staring at the faux-smiling Misaki-sensei.

Thanks to a task reminder and the current hints, he slowly recalled that this Misaki was a scumbag teacher who blackmailed female students using compromising photos he had taken of them.

To fulfill his desires, Misaki used various methods to manipulate female students, gradually breaking their boundaries and reducing them to humiliated slaves devoid of dignity.

Compared to Miwa, it was hard to say who was worse. Both viewed people as tools or livestock to be shared, but Misaki's influence was greater due to his position as a teacher. In a school, the identity of a teacher symbolized authority, making his wrongdoings particularly egregious.

"It seems Ichinose-san is quite charming, both teachers and students like you."

Even after hitting a wall with Hikigaya, Misaki-sensei remained unfazed, smiling as he glanced at Ichinose Ayano. He then bid farewell to Hiratsuka Shizuka, Hikigaya, and Sakurakai Shino before leaving.

"Since today isn't convenient, I'll find another time to discuss academic matters with Ichinose-san. I hope you'll be available then."

"Hiratsuka-sensei, Hikigaya-kun, and Sakurase-san, I'll take my leave."

Ichinose Ayano watched Misaki-sensei's smirking eyes before his departure, gripping the hem of her skirt tightly. She bit her cherry-red lips in silence.

She understood Misaki-sensei's implication: he would find another time to meet her privately. If she didn't comply, her secret with Hasegawa-sensei would be exposed, ruining his reputation and causing him to lose his job.

"Hikigaya, do you know what's going on between Misaki-sensei and Ichinose?"

After Misaki-sensei left, Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately locked the door to the student guidance room and stood in front of Hikigaya with a stern face.

She believed Hikigaya wouldn't make baseless accusations. Misaki-sensei's shift in attitude after being confronted was also suspicious. However, she needed to know the truth to decide how to proceed.

"I accidentally learned about the matter between them, but I don't have any concrete evidence, and I also don't know whether Ichinose-san wants me to tell you about it."

Hikigaya shook his head. Instead of directly telling Shizuka Hiratsuka what he knew, he looked at Ichinose Ayano, who was sitting silently to the side, her head lowered as she nervously tugged at the hem of her skirt.

In truth, if he wanted evidence of Misaki threatening Ichinose, he should have dragged Shizuka Hiratsuka to squat outside the door with him earlier. Then, at the moment when Misaki threatened Ichinose Ayano, they could have barged in and taken Misaki down. However, this thought only lasted for a brief moment before Hachiman discarded it.

Silently eavesdropping wasn't hard for him, but the real difficulty lay in stopping someone's misconduct in an instant while separated by a door, in close proximity to the individuals conversing, where an arm's reach could lead to harm.

Anyway, he didn't plan on engaging in this kind of entrapment. A single misstep, and he could be the one getting beaten instead.

Moreover, even if they captured Misaki and completely destroyed the evidence he held to threaten Ichinose Ayano, it wouldn't address the root of the issue.

Ichinose Ayano's problem wasn't just being threatened by Misaki. The main issue was the taboo topic of a teacher-student relationship.

The reason "teacher-student romance" is so controversial and increasingly becomes a focal point of public opinion isn't because love itself is inherently sinful. Rather, many use love as a guise for coercion, threats, or deception—exploiting their authority for personal gain under the pretense of mutual consent.

Since there is often a power imbalance between teachers and students, teachers can manipulate grades, fail students, or grant them favors to make the relationship impure.

In cases of teacher-student romance, teachers often face expulsion or even a permanent ban from the education sector, sometimes even legal repercussions. Students also usually face disciplinary actions and education. And since Ichinose Ayano's father is a politician, the impact on her family would be even greater.

If this potential hidden danger isn't resolved, someone else with malicious intent will target her again, and Ichinose Ayano will end up in the same predicament.

"Ichinose, does Misaki have something he's using to blackmail you?"

Shizuka Hiratsuka frowned and turned to the silent Ichinose Ayano.

She didn't usually have many interactions with her, and their relationship was merely average.

Although Misaki often gave her an unpleasant feeling, he was relatively popular among female students, who liked to chat with him. So, borrowing the student guidance office from him didn't seem like a big deal—until now, when it appeared there was something more behind it.

"This..."

Ichinose Ayano glanced at Hikigaya, who somehow knew the inside story, with a complex expression. Then she looked at Teacher Hiratsuka, hesitating and unsure whether to confess her relationship with Mr. Hasekura.

She knew her romance with Mr. Hasekgawa was taboo and couldn't be openly disclosed.

Besides, even if Teacher Hiratsuka knew, what could she do?

Because the video of her confessing to Mr. Hasegawa and his acceptance was in Misaki's possession. Although the footage wasn't very clear, it was obvious that the two individuals in the video were her and Mr. Hasegawa.

If that video were submitted to the school, Mr. Hasegawa would definitely lose his job.

She had admired and liked Mr. Hasegawa enough to confess, but barely after the confession, things had taken such a turn. And now, it might cost Mr. Hasegawa his career...

"Is it that hard to talk about? I'm your guidance teacher; you can trust me."

Seeing how difficult it was for Ichinose Ayano to speak, Shizuka Hiratsuka frowned deeply.

The current situation clearly indicated there was an issue between Ichinose and Misaki, but not knowing the specifics left her feeling frustrated.

"...Thank you, Teacher Hiratsuka."

After a long silence, Ichinose Ayano bent down and bowed deeply to Shizuka Hiratsuka, forcing a smile.

After careful consideration, she decided there was no need to tell Teacher Hiratsuka. If things escalated, her and Mr. Hasegawa's situation would truly spiral out of control.

"I suggest you tell your lover about this matter and decide together."

Hikigaya, seeing that Ichinose Ayano had no intention of telling Shizuka Hiratsuka, thought for a moment and offered a suggestion.

A teacher-student relationship isn't like regular inappropriate relationships; once exposed, it leads to social death, and in severe cases, imprisonment. Even he wouldn't dare to touch this kind of issue lightly. He wasn't sure whether to call her bold or just reckless.

Initially, he had been eager to complete a new "minotaur" mission, but upon arriving here and realizing the direction of the original storyline, he found the mission more challenging than expected.

What would count as successfully completing the task?

Would taking down Misaki and destroying the evidence suffice? That wouldn't be too hard for him.

But what if the mission required him to guard her and her teacher until graduation, when they could make their relationship public?

Uh... forget it. With the time it would take to do that, he could complete countless other missions or hunt down numerous "minotaurs."

He wasn't interested in being someone's babysitter, but he also didn't want to see Ichinose Ayano fall into Misaki's hands. So, he gave her a piece of advice instead.

Actually, if the teacher Ichinose Ayano liked could take responsibility and leave the school to pursue other work, that would also be a solution.

"Decide together..."

Hearing Hikigaya's suggestion, Ichinose Ayano bit her lip and bowed her head in silence, unsure what to do.

Should she tell Mr. Hasegawa...

Would he have a solution...

She had definitely considered telling him, but she had no idea how to resolve the issue.

"Alright, Teacher Hiratsuka, let's go."

Hikigaya didn't linger any longer and walked out of the student guidance office.

Because of the delay caused by Ichinose Ayano's matter, he had to hurry to the Service Club.

Although he didn't think there would be any issues with Kaede and Saki Hayase meeting Iris, he still felt uneasy not being there.

"So many problem children, one more troublesome than the next."

Shizuka Hiratsuka looked at Ichinose Ayano, who still wouldn't reveal the truth, sighed heavily, and followed Hikigaya, planning to press him for the full story.

Meanwhile, Sakurase, who had been silently observing everything, simply trailed behind them, quietly watching Hikigaya's back.

———

[Service Club Activity Room]

Hayase Saki hurriedly packed her things after class and rushed to the activity room to see if there would be any new club activities today.

However, she thought she was already fast, but someone was even faster.

As soon as she opened the door to the activity room, Hayase Saki saw a slender, cold figure sitting at a table by the window, sipping hot tea while gazing outside.

"Sit down. I've cleaned out new desks and chairs."

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Yukinoshita Yukino turned her head to glance at Hayase Saki and said faintly.

"Th-thank you ...Uh? Yukinoshita-san, did you come here by yourself to eat lunch earlier today?"

Hayase Saki instinctively followed Yukinoshita Yukino's words, walked to an empty chair, and sat down. However, after sitting down, she immediately realized something.

Originally, there was only one set of desks and chairs in the activity room. Now, including the set she was sitting on, there were three sets of desks and chairs, but Yukinoshita Yukino's set was set apart, not grouped together with the others.

It wasn't long after school had ended. There was no way Yukinoshita Yukino hurriedly brought a bunch of tea sets over, tidied up the desk, and then pretended to drink tea, right?

She thought Yukinoshita Yukino wasn't the type to do such a thing. But she also didn't expect Yukinoshita Yukino to come here at noon to eat lunch. There's nothing in this room—did Yukinoshita Yukino not have any friends to eat lunch with?

If it weren't for the girls' swimming club training delaying her today, she herself would have invited her classmates for lunch.

Although the reason she couldn't have lunch with her classmates today wasn't entirely because of the training...

"...It's just that it's quieter here. Since all the club activities and request handling will take place here in the future, I specifically brought a set of tea utensils."

Seeing the slightly odd look in Hayase Saki's eyes, Yukinoshita Yukino, who understood her meaning, suddenly felt her good mood ruined.

She indeed ate lunch here alone at noon. She neither liked the noisy cafeteria nor wanted to face the strange gazes in her class. This place was just right.

And because the previous desk and chair were tidied up by Hikigaya, she couldn't monopolize it. She could only organize another set for herself, and the extra one was naturally for Hayase Saki.

If she hadn't prepared an additional set, Hikigaya definitely wouldn't have let Hayase Saki use his spot. If the two of them were seated while Hayase Saki stood, it would feel like bullying.

However, she didn't expect to be looked at with such a sympathetic gaze by Hayase Saki.

'This person...'

"Uh, yeah, it's really quiet here. Not many people come over."

Hayase Saki noticed Yukinoshita Yukino's gaze wasn't quite right, shrank her neck, and quickly nodded to agree with Yukinoshita Yukino's words.

It seemed she had said the wrong thing again just now.

How could Yukinoshita Yukino not have friends? She probably just didn't want to make friends.

'Don't get angry, don't get angry. This person is just well-endowed but brainless, not intentionally provoking.'

Yukinoshita Yukino's flat chest slightly heaved as she took a deep breath, suppressed her irritation, and continued to look at the restless Hayase Saki. [T/N: 😆]

"Have you heard? Yesterday, something happened to Miwa from the swimming club."

"Huh? Miwa? I heard about it. The police even asked Keita for a statement. Oh, right, Keita was a witness at the scene and was even bumped into by Miwa at the time."

Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly mentioned Miwa's incident, causing Hayase Saki to instinctively freeze before quickly replying.

"A witness... Have you ever suspected that your childhood friend might be the culprit and then framed a non-existent person? It's said that besides your childhood friend, there were only two other witnesses at the scene. The other girl hardly spoke; only your childhood friend was answering questions."

Yukinoshita Yukino stared straight at Hayase Saki.

"Keita? No way. He was just bullied by Miwa and his group the day before yesterday."

Hayase Saki shook her head in denial. If it weren't for the president dealing with Miwa and his group, Keita would definitely have been beaten again yesterday.

"But regardless of who did it, Miwa's death is a good thing, isn't it? If Keita works a bit harder, he might even take Miwa's vacated spot."

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