Under the pressure of death, Hachiman directly unlocked his phone.
As expected, inside the phone were a bunch of photos and chat logs that could be used to blackm*il girls.
So many of them... It was obvious this guy had harmed more than a few girls.
"How should we kill him? Burn him to death or use a knife to slowly slice off his flesh?", Ursula looked at Hachiman, whose expression was becoming colder, and asked with a cheerful smile.
Although she was being controlled by Hachiman and couldn't do anything to him, she could still vent some of her frustration from being ignored on this guy in front of her.
"Let me see... I don't feel like wasting time here, let's just burn him to death, let him slowly experience the feeling of life slipping away."
Hachiman glanced at the slightly frightened Miyamoto Madoka and Hayasaka Yuuko beside him, waved for them to go outside first, and told them to bring all the oil from the store.
He bound up the begging scumbag, gagged him, and hung him above the oil.
Then he used materials from the store to create a simple cooking apparatus.
"Hehe~ Then let him enjoy it properly~", Seeing this, Ursula also used magic to keep the guy fixed in place to prevent the rope from burning and allowing him to escape, then cast a spell that was originally meant to improve casting efficiency to keep him awake.
Then she cast a small, high-temperature fireball to ignite the fuel beneath his feet.
As time passed, the oil beneath him would slowly overflow to reach his head.
From feet to head, his whole body would get to enjoy the warm taste of flames.
"Mmm? UGH! UGH! UGH!"
Sssssss...
Watching the nameless middle-aged manager of the fast food shop stand his final post and quietly burn himself out in dedication to this establishment's cause, Hachiman left in a satisfied mood, walking with Ursula to where Hayasaka Yuuko and Miyamoto Madoka were waiting, and dialed Ichinose Ayano's number.
"Ayano, is your father home tonight?"
Dealing with the minotaur was simple, but he needed someone to take the blame. It just so happened that Congressman Ichinose hadn't presented any new offerings recently.
———
[Ichinose Residence]
Congressman Ichinose sat in the living room, looking over recently gathered information while pondering how to climb even higher.
He was in his prime now, with time not yet pressing, but he lacked deep connections, and his branch of the Ichinose family was the only one to make a name for itself. The position of congressman was nearly the peak he could reach.
However, now, an opportunity had appeared in Chiba.
When the elf princess from another world and the mermaid idol, as well as the dragon clan leader, chose a school for study and cultural exchange, they didn't choose Tokyo or Kyoto, instead, they chose Chiba.
While others didn't dare approach these powerful beings from another world, fearing accidental death over cultural misunderstandings, his daughter Ichinose Ayano successfully joined the Service Club and became a clubmate of the elf princess, spending time with her daily.
Even the distant relative Ichinose Honami had been maneuvered into Hachiman's class with his help, hoping to win favor with the elf princess through someone she liked.
Among all the Chiba representatives, only their Ichinose family had taken the initiative.
According to Ayano, the Yukinoshita family daughter, Yukinoshita Yukino, who was also in the club, hadn't managed to become close with the elf princess and hadn't won her favor.
With the current situation, if he publicized what happened with the Rurikawa and Poiman families and revealed how close his daughter was with the elf princess, he could not only become the Governor of Chiba, but maybe even enter the House of Councillors.
The elf princess wouldn't even need to openly endorse him. As more and more elves showed up in this world, all the Ichinose family needed was to maintain a good relationship with her.
"Father, the Club President needs to speak with you."
While Congressman Ichinose was envisioning the future, his daughter Ichinose Ayano appeared in front of him, directly handing him her phone.
"President? Oh! Hikigaya, is it?"
Hearing how his daughter addressed the caller, Ichinose paused for a moment before realizing it was the elf princess's beloved, Hachiman. He immediately reached out to take the phone.
["Good evening, Congressman Ichinose. Sorry if I disturbed your rest at this late hour, but I have a rather urgent matter and need your help."]
Hachiman's calm voice came through the speaker and reached Congressman Ichinose's ears.
"Please speak, Lord Hikigaya. I will do everything I can to help."
Upon hearing Hikigaya's request, Congressman Ichinose knew this was his chance, and he replied firmly.
He had been worried that his daughter's friendship with the elf princess would be difficult to leverage for political gain. But now that Hachiman had come to him for help, a strong connection could be formed. If Hachiman put in a good word for him with the elf princess, his future was bright.
Hmm... Though he wasn't sure why the elf princess liked Hachiman, all his collected data showed they were extremely close, so close she even lived at his house.
Looking from the outside, one could tell how many rooms were in the Hikigaya house. If the elf princess lived there, where would she even sleep?
Even if it was a bit over-the-top that the elf princess Iris, Princess Lumilia, and the guard Aegis all slept in Hachiman's room, there was likely no space left on that bed.
["It's not a complicated matter. A college student from Chiba University named Hayasaka Yuuko, who lives in the apartment next to mine, went to work part-time at a burger fast food joint with her high school junior tonight. Unfortunately, the manager of that shop turned out to be a habitual mol*ster and rap*st, and tried to assault them after closing."]
Hearing Congressman Ichinose's response, Hachiman continued without surprise.
["They've escaped now. The manager is currently committing self-immolation out of guilt in the shop. He'll be completely dead in about two hours."]
'Self-immolation out of guilt...', Upon hearing Hikigaya's words, Congressman Ichinose instantly broke out in a cold sweat and cursed inwardly.
'What self-immolation? Clearly, you burned him alive.'
'You're even managing your neighbors now? If any random student from Sobu High gets into trouble, do they all come to you?"
But... that wasn't the main issue.
The message behind Hikigaya's words was very clear: he wanted the congressman to handle the situation, make the murder look like a suicide.
But he was just a congressman, not a yakuza boss.
How could he dare to tamper with such obvious evidence? If it had just been a disappearance, that'd be one thing. But this was clearly a case of self-immolation. If he took responsibility for this, it'd be a nightmare.
["I'm not sure about the exact details, but all the criminal evidence should be on the phone at the counter. I hope the victims can receive appropriate compensation, and that any accomplices meet their deserved ends in prison. The Rurikawa family will assist you."]
Hachiman ignored the congressman's thoughts and continued giving instructions.
It was too troublesome to deal with each criminal individually, so it was better to have Ichinose and the Rurikawa family clean it up together.
"The Rurikawa family will assist as well? Understood. I'll contact my trusted officers at Chiba Police Headquarters immediately and organize the arrest of the fugitive criminals," Hearing that even the evidence was ready and that it wasn't just some random framing, plus the Rurikawa family would help, Ichinose sighed in relief and readily agreed. He was already thinking of which reliable officers he could assign this credit to.
Compared to his Ichinose family, which had not yet benefited materially despite having his daughter befriend the elf princess, the Rurikawa family had already skyrocketed thanks to the elf princess's backing.
Even though the head of the Rurikawa family, Tsubaki, was still a student, various factions were lining up to offer cooperation projects. All she had to do was review the reports her maids handed her and sign contracts.
But Ichinose understood, what truly saved the Rurikawa family from ruin was Hachiman, or rather, the elf princess beside him.
That's why he didn't mind putting aside his pride to curry favor with a high schooler like Hachiman. One Ichinose Ayano wasn't enough, he needed to add Ichinose Honami too. He even began considering what other talents in their family could transfer to Sobu High.
Last time it was the Poiman family that enriched the Rurikawa clan. Next time, it might be their turn.
Congressman Ichinose exchanged a few pleasantries with Hachiman, scribbled down notes with a pen, and by the time they hung up, he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
However, since his daughter was still nearby, he did his best to stay serious and stern. Handing back her phone, he praised:
"Looks like you've done very well recently, Ayano. For Lord Hikigaya to personally call you, you must maintain good relations with him. But don't get too close, wouldn't want to cause a misunderstanding with the elf princess."
At first, he thought Hikigaya just wanted to use him as a scapegoat, but it turned out to be an opportunity instead.
Even though that rap*st obviously didn't kill himself out of guilt, Ichinose didn't care anymore. As long as he could build ties with Hikigaya and the elf princess, it was all worth it.
Everyone successful has skeletons in their closet, it's just a matter of degree.
Besides, if he played this right, it wouldn't even be a skeleton. People would just see the Ichinose family as endorsed by Hikigaya, and by extension, the elf princess.
"Mm...", Ichinose Ayano looked at her excited father, then silently stared at the chat icon of Hachiman on her phone and nodded without saying anything.
There would be no misunderstandings, the elf princess already knew everything between her and the president. She simply didn't care that she had been instructed by her father to approach him.
However, her father wasn't wrong. By pleasing the president, she was also pleasing Iris. In fact, Iris had said her efforts weren't enough and told her to properly study how to make the president happy...
"By the way, Ayano, do you remember Ruihi? Even though she doesn't go to Sobu High, she's still in Chiba. You can invite her over to study with you and Honami. You may not be sisters, but you're the same age, so keep in close contact."
[T/N: 'Ruihi' is not the accurate name, I am waiting for her character description so that I can match it to any know character then use that name. So I will correct it later.]
As Ayano silently turned to leave, Congressman Ichinose suddenly remembered something, gave a few instructions, and picked up his phone to begin arranging what Hikigaya had asked for.
He had previously looked down on his poorer relatives and rarely interacted with them.
But now, he had come around. Even if they were poor, they were still family.
He could manage for now, but once he entered the House of Councillors, the Ichinose household would need more hands.
Bringing in poor relatives like Ichinose Honami would help curry favor with the elf princess and contribute to the family's growth.
From congressman to governor, then to councillor. If the elf princess publicly supported him, maybe he could even become the majority party leader and serve a few terms as prime minister.
Just thinking about it got him excited. The Ichinose name might truly rise to glory under his leadership.
Hearing her father's instructions, Ichinose Ayano's steps paused briefly, then she continued walking.
'Ruihi?'
The name wasn't unfamiliar. Compared to the distant Ichinose Honami, she used to be in occasional contact with Ruihi in Chiba.
However, Ruihi had failed her exams due to illness and couldn't enroll at Sobu High with her, so they hadn't spoken much in the past month.
Still, was her father really just asking her to invite Ruihi to study?
Was he hinting for her to invite the president over as well?
Ichinose Ayano thought of the real reason Honami transferred to Sobu High.
Honami didn't seem to have any real relationship with the president yet, just happened to sit in the back of the class and got invited to dinner with Shirasaki Yuina and Kitagawa Marin.
But if her father was pushing for more contact, and the elf princess Iris was involved... Honami likely wouldn't stay "pure" for long.
The president interacted more with Honami during class. What if he started liking her more?
Ichinose Ayano went upstairs, slowly walked to Ichinose Honami's room, silently stared at the closed door, and gently knocked.
"Honami? Are you asleep?"
———
"Alright, everything's arranged. Let me take you two home."
After calling Congressman Ichinose and notifying Rurikawa Tsubaki to arrange things with him, Hachiman turned and smiled at Hayasaka Yuuko and Miyamoto Madoka, who had been waiting.
"Gulp..."
Hearing the crackling and seeing the flames from the changing room, then looking at Hachiman's calm smile, both girls swallowed nervously, unsure what to say.
From his phone call, they could tell that the sleazy store manager hadn't just taken disgusting hidden photos, he had likely used them to blackm*il female staff or outright r*pe them, forc*ng them to earn money with their bo*ies.
That manager was a sinner deserving death. No punishment could ease the victims' pain.
If Hikigaya hadn't come, they probably wouldn't have had the courage to resist and might have become victims themselves.
But seeing Hikigaya so calmly make two calls to have the man who tried to viol*te them killed, they couldn't help but feel scared.
They feared that if they ever angered him, they too might "commit suicide from guilt."
"Don't worry. You won't need to show up. The phone with evidence will be left at the store. As for any accomplices, they'll enjoy prison for a while and then... die in accidents," Seeing the unease on their faces, Hikigaya kept smiling and calmly explained the outcome to ease their fears.
They weren't familiar with him, it was natural to be scared.
If he hadn't known Hayasaka Yuuko was a girl from the hidden world and vulnerable, he wouldn't have asked her to exchange contact info.
Of course, contact info or not, she was already on his romance list. The moment danger triggered a quest, he'd arrive.
Without contact, she'd probably be even more terrified.
"Th-thank you... Thank you very much, Mr. Hikigaya. I really don't know how to thank you..."
Seeing that Hikigaya hadn't minded their fear and had even comforted them patiently, Hayasaka Yuuko relaxed a lot, bit her lip, and whispered her thanks.
She knew this matter had nothing to do with Hikigaya. He helped her purely out of kindness.
Meeting him was truly her luck.
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