Attending class as usual, how did the world seem to change in an instant?
Had she not rested well last night, dozing off in the classroom from exhaustion, and was now dreaming?
But that couldn't be right. Even if she felt she harbored ulterior motives toward Hikigaya and wanted to make it up to him in her dreams, shouldn't she be the one compensating him, not some unfamiliar dragonkin girl?
Should she step up now, tell the dragonkin to leave, and take over the compensation herself?
No, no, this wasn't about who should compensate him. This dream felt absurd yet eerily real.
Ichinose Honami stared at the overwhelmingly fierce Hachiman, her cheeks flushed, feeling dizzy from how real it all seemed...
"What did you say? I can't hear you," Gabriel glanced at Ichinose, who seemed to want to speak but couldn't help stealing glances at Hachiman, then covered her ears with her small hands, her slender elbows propped on the desk, continuing to stare straight at Hiratsuka-sensei without distraction.
At this moment, Gabriel's thirst for knowledge reached its peak, her determination to focus on class and ignore everything else stronger than ever.
"...", Ichinose withdrew her gaze from Hachiman and silently stared at Gabriel, the only one still diligently studying.
She desperately wished this unbearably real scene was a dream, but judging by Gabriel's reaction, the chances seemed slim.
"Why is no one talking? Weren't you all enjoying yourselves just now? It's soundproofed here now, so you don't have to worry about being heard," Lala looked around at the mostly silent group, puzzled.
Their reactions weren't quite what she expected. If they were at home playing with Iris and the others, Shion and the rest would've already joined in eagerly.
"That's right, there's still plenty of time, let's keep enjoying ourselves," Yuina, seeing Lala speak up, immediately chimed in, winking at her friends Minami and Rin.
"Come on, let me activate the Sympathy Wristbands for you. You'll get to experience just how amazing little Hachiman really is," Minami stood up, spreading her arms with a grin as she approached Ijichi Nijika and Kitagawa Marin.
Who would've thought they could play such a thrilling game right in the middle of class?
Activate the Sympathy Wristbands?
Ijichi Nijika and Kitagawa Marin were startled and immediately tried to flee.
The last time they experienced Sympathy, they couldn't handle it and had to shut it off quickly. Now, with Hachiman and Ursula doing something so intense, if the bracelets were activated, what would become of them?
But before they could run, Rin had already blocked the classroom's back door.
"Nijika, Marin, Yumiko, just let us activate them, okay~?"
Yuina and Minami smiled as they slowly closed in on Ijichi Nijika, Kitagawa Marin, and Miura Yumiko, pointing to the area around the back of the classroom.
"Right now, everyone else is in class and can't hear us. But if you leave this area, the magic concealment will disappear. If we activate the Sympathy Wristbands then, it won't be pretty~"
———
"Gulp..."
"Yumiko..."
Ijichi Nijika and Kitagawa Marin, watching the two gyarus approach step by step, couldn't help but retreat, hiding behind Miura Yumiko.
While the rest of the class was oblivious to their antics, it was clear that only their little corner was shielded. If they stepped outside, they'd be exposed.
Being forced to activate the Sympathy Wristbands in front of the whole class would be social suicide.
But staying here and letting Yuina and the others activate the bracelets didn't seem much better.
Over there, Ursula, supposedly the dragon clan's leader, was sprawled over a desk, utterly powerless.
If even a magic-wielding dragon leader from another world was in such a state, how could they, ordinary high school girls with zero romantic experience, handle something even she couldn't endure?
"Weren't we supposed to 'bully-correct' this guy after school? It's just happening a bit earlier, why are you so scared?"
Miura Yumiko, watching Minami and Yuina approach with mischief in their eyes, wasn't worried at all. Instead, she scowled at the two hiding behind her and snapped.
Though she was also shocked by Hachiman and the others' audacity. Doing something like this in the middle of class? Using otherworldly magic, something people dreamed of, for 'this'?
But maybe because she already knew Hachiman was a masochist, her shock quickly faded. It just felt like this level of depravity was exactly what she'd expect from him.
Still, with so many of them, why fear Hachiman alone?
He should be the one afraid.
"Huh? Yumiko, you mean we should start now?"
Ijichi Nijika was stunned by Miura's calmness, stealing a glance at Hachiman before asking in a hushed, blushing voice.
Even the idea of going to Hachiman's place after school made her shy. She'd only agreed to join Miura in "bullying" him to help him abandon his unrealistic fetish through painful stimuli.
But she hadn't even tried something so embarrassing at his house yet, how could they suddenly switch to doing it in the classroom?
"Classroom play?", Kitagawa Marin also gaped at Miura's unflinching expression.
Was she still dreaming? This was too outrageous, even the adult manga she read didn't have plots this wild.
During class, in front of everyone, she and Miura, Nijika, and the others were supposed to "bully" Hachiman...
Well, not everyone. Most of the class was oblivious, acting as background characters, with only Ichinose and a few others watching.
But how could they just treat this as background noise and ignore it?
The dragon leader Ursula's moans were loud, but they couldn't drown out Hiratsuka-sensei's lecture.
The students sitting in front of them were real people. Even if they weren't as close as she was with Miura and Nijika, they still exchanged greetings regularly. How could they just pretend nothing was happening?
As Ijichi Nijika and Kitagawa Marin wrestled with their thoughts, Ursula's dragon magic finally reached completion.
"Rooooar!"
Ursula's dragon magic was fully unleashed, aimed mercilessly at Hachiman without regard for anyone else.
Restrained by the servant collar and unable to resist physically, Ursula could only counterattack with the full force of her magic, like a tidal wave crashing onto Hachiman.
But against a Hachiman who grew stronger day by day, this was the extent of what she could do.
Hachiman wasn't new to Ursula's antics. Even without the collar, he wouldn't have to worry about her turning the tables.
"Ursula, have you surrendered yet?"
After a while, Hachiman stood firm, weathering the full force of her magic, then gently grabbed her slender tail as it hung limply in the air. He looked down at the panting Ursula and smiled.
This round's power was even stronger than last night's. She probably wouldn't be able to muster another dragon roar anytime soon.
"N-no... way...", At his teasing, Ursula, her gaze unfocused on the ceiling, stubbornly refused to admit defeat.
She felt like she'd nearly roared herself hoarse, yet Hachiman seemed completely unfazed.
'Damn it! I have grown stronger these past few days, so why am I faring worse against him than before?'
Iris wasn't even here to cast amplification magic on her, yet her reactions felt even more intense than when amplified. If amplification magic were added, she didn't dare imagine the consequences.
Even if the collar were removed, she'd probably have to avoid Hachiman.
"The only hard part of you is that mouth of yours, huh?", Hachiman sighed, watching the girl who, despite calling him "master," still refused to fully submit. He gave her tail a firm squeeze before letting go.
"Hey! That's too much! I'm already like this, and you're still?", Ursula jolted, nearly leaping off the desk.
She'd rather endure worse treatment than have her tail played with, yet Hachiman loved teasing her while fondling it.
How infuriating! He knew how sensitive the base of her tail was.
"You brought this on yourself. If you don't want me bullying you, behave," Hachiman pinched her puffed-up, soft cheeks before turning to the blushing faces around him. Ijichi Nijika, Kitagawa Marin, Miura Yumiko, Ichinose Honami, and the others.
He hadn't planned to reveal things so abruptly in class, but after Ursula's stunt, he decided not to stop it.
So what if they found out? He'd never intended to hide it, this was just a bit earlier than planned.
Now that the cat was out of the bag, he wouldn't have to sneak out during class to aid Iris and the others. He could stay in the classroom as a model student, free from Kozue Hitou's nagging.
"Little Hachiman, should we start playing now? They don't want to activate the Sympathy Wristbands, they'd rather join the 'bullying.'"
Yuina, seeing Hachiman's gaze, quickly sought his opinion.
She wanted to drag Ijichi and the others into this, turning the back of the classroom into their playground where they could indulge like this every day.
But given the time constraints, without activating the Sympathy Wristbands, her plan might not work.
During class, only Hiratsuka-sensei might walk over, but once break time hit, students would be moving around. Even with a concealment barrier, the back of the classroom wouldn't be safe enough.
"Wait! I never said I wanted to play along here!"
Ijichi Nijika, hearing Yuina unilaterally decide they'd play the "bullying" game, panicked.
"Then would you rather we catch you and activate the Sympathy Wristbands, letting you 'enjoy' things like Ursula? I'm sure little Hachiman wouldn't mind working a bit harder, but I wonder if you'd like it~"
Yuina grinned, making a grabbing motion toward Ijichi and the others.
A game of tag in the classroom could be fun, confined to their little circle.
But much of the class had already passed. They had to hurry, or Ijichi and the others might bolt when break arrived, making it harder to reel them back in.
"Uh... let's not."
Ijichi glanced at the still-recovering Ursula, shrank back, and forced an awkward smile at Yuina.
Compared to ending up limp and helpless like the dragon leader, the "bullying" game seemed far less humiliating.
At least 'that' wouldn't leave her as embarrassed as Ursula.
"Are we really doing this now? They haven't been worn long, and we haven't had P.E., but I think they should be washed first...", Kitagawa Marin, too embarrassed to look at "little Hachiman," mumbled shyly.
In manga, they'd just take off their shoes and go, but in reality, hygiene mattered.
She kept herself clean and had no health issues, but for her first time, she wanted to leave a good impression. What if there was a smell? That'd be mortifying.
"No need. Just sit on the desk or chairs. I can use cleaning magic to freshen you up, you won't have to worry about dirtying your clothes later, either," Seeing their tacit agreement, Hachiman waved it off. He moved Miura and Kitagawa's desks by the window together, then sat on Miura's chair, facing the window.
"Sit on the desk? Wait! Hachiman-kun! I can do it myself!", Kitagawa Marin stared blankly as Hachiman arranged the furniture, then yelped when he reached for her, lifting her onto the desk and even trying to remove her shoes.
Flustered, she stopped him, quickly kicking off her indoor shoes herself to reveal her slender feet in black knee-high socks.
Why was Hachiman trying to undre*s her?
This was too embarrassing.
Before she could relax, she suddenly felt weightless, as if an invisible hand had brushed over her entire uniform.
"This is cleaning magic? It can clean clothes directly? That's amazing!"
Marin looked down at her spotless uniform, even the pencil smudges on her hands were gone. Then stared wide-eyed at Hachiman, who'd lifted Ijichi onto the desk beside her.
Magic was so convenient.
Did this mean they wouldn't even need to bathe?
"Yeah, magic is pretty incredible."
Hachiman smiled, his fingertips glowing as he cast cleaning magic on Ijichi, who'd hurriedly removed her shoes, revealing her纯白短袜-clad feet.
Cleaning magic was incredibly handy, no more sticky messes after playtime.
But he still loved bathing with Iris and the others. That kind of relaxation was irreplaceable, magic just saved time.
"Hachiman-kun, you learned magic from Princess Iris, right? Um... is there any chance we could learn it too? Or do you need magical aptitude?", Kitagawa Marin leaned forward, hands on her knees, staring at Hachiman with hopeful anticipation.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y