Setsuna Ogiso felt that she had already endured all the jolting and bumping on the way here for Fumino's sake, and now that she had even taken out her own handkerchief, she really couldn't make any more sacrifices for her.
"F-fine then… Tsukishiro-san, you go out first…"
Tilting her head up to look at Setsuna, who had turned her face away, and below her, the eager eyes of Tsukishiro Sayo, whose expression clearly said "Let me wipe it, let me wipe it!", Furuhashi Fumino hesitantly picked up the pure cotton handkerchief, swallowed hard, and once Sayo left the room, began to slowly—
'No, not slowly. That would make it easier to feel through the handkerchief.'
And if she went too slow, she wouldn't be able to get it over with.
Realizing that, Fumino gritted her teeth, forcing down her embarrassment, tightly gripped the handkerchief, and began wiping quickly.
From Hachiman to Setsuna Ogiso, and then herself and Tsukimi Chifuyu, she wiped off every bit of the splattered blood that had accidentally gotten on their gym clothes.
Even though she couldn't completely clean it all, at least it wouldn't soak through any further.
"Setsuna, thank you for your handkerchief. It's soft, comfortable, and very absorbent. No wonder you always use this one. I'll give it back to you now."
Head lowered, Fumino spent a long time trying to smooth out Hikigaya's pants properly, finally folding the pure white cotton handkerchief carefully and tucking it into Setsuna's pant pocket. Only then did she speak her heartfelt words of gratitude.
"Fumino?"
Feeling something warm being stuffed into her pocket, and even a faint brushing of fingers against it, Setsuna suddenly whipped her head around, eyes wide with disbelief, staring straight at Fumino.
But Fumino quickly lowered her head, avoiding Setsuna's gaze just like Setsuna herself had earlier.
She had already wiped it, so what's wrong with brushing her fingers against the pocket to wipe her hand a little, too?
"Setsuna, since you don't want anyone else washing it for you, you should just take it home and wash it yourself."
She understood that Setsuna only wanted to help Hachiman, not let Sayo suck too much blood from him, but she was also doing this for Hachiman's sake.
She couldn't very well give it to Hachiman, could she?
If she did, and his body was already overexerted, wouldn't that only drain him further?
And considering how difficult it had been to tuck it in earlier, that was likely because Setsuna and Chifuyu had been pressed so closely against him.
If Hachiman went home holding Setsuna's handkerchief, who knows what he might do with it?
For his health, it was better to let Setsuna handle it herself.
"Got it. I'll wash it clean. And Fumino, if you ever get sweaty, you can always borrow my handkerchief again."
Setsuna was silent for a moment, then slowly gave Fumino a sweet and gentle smile.
"N-no, that's okay, you don't have to! I'll just use tissues!"
Hearing Setsuna's reply, Fumino frantically shook her head, refusing her kind offer.
But the big movement caused her to bump right into Setsuna, and she instantly realized she had humiliated herself again. Embarrassed, she froze mid-motion.
"Don't worry about it, Fumino. Aren't we good friends? Helping each other is what friends do."
Setsuna, though secretly flustered and annoyed by yet another accidental hit, still kept up her smile.
"..."
Watching the deep "friendship" between Setsuna and Fumino, Tsukimi Chifuyu trembled silently, not daring to say a word.
She was terrified that Setsuna and Fumino might notice she hadn't done anything and then make her wipe Hachiman down too, or worse, tell her to wash that white handkerchief.
Hachiman, on the other hand, was as calm as ever.
From experience, he knew that when two girls shared a secret and tripped each other up in the process, they often ended up closer than before.
Many of the "good sisters" in the Hikigaya household had gone through exactly that, these little quarrels and awkward moments only strengthened their bonds.
Since their relationship was improving rather than deteriorating, all he needed to do was stay silent and quietly enjoy the peace.
If he spoke up and drew attention to himself now, Setsuna and Fumino might stop viewing him as the "victim" and, pushing aside their embarrassment, turn their combined fury on him instead.
Girls could be shy, until they grouped together. Then, caught up in the mood, they often grew bolder.
Still, he was a little surprised that the otherworldly heroine Tsukimi Chifuyu had played only a background role this time, while Setsuna and Fumino seemed closer to him than before.
But thinking about it, that was just like Nijika and Yumiko, they were all willing to make small sacrifices for their friends.
"Um… may I become Hikigaya-kun's lover?", Having been waiting for a chance to speak all this time, Tsukishiro Sayo finally found her moment when the others seemed to forget about her. She carefully voiced her request.
"Huh? Become Hikigaya-kun's lover?"
The three, Setsuna, Fumino, and Chifuyu froze, staring at Sayo, who was crouched behind Hachiman.
"Yes. I know my request is very rude. I've just offended your Hikigaya-kun, and only apologized verbally, I haven't made up for it in action."
Seeing their shocked expressions, Sayo hastily explained, afraid her fragile hope would be crushed.
"But I can't help it. Hikigaya-kun's blood tastes too good."
"If I hadn't just eaten, I probably wouldn't even be able to stop myself right now at this distance."
"I know it's wrong, but please think about it. If you'd just let me drink his blood every day, I'd do anything."
If she'd never tasted Hikigaya's blood, maybe she could've just stayed away from him.
But now that she had feasted on it, how could she possibly forget?
If she never got to drink it again, she felt she might actually starve to death.
"Wait… why are you asking us for permission to become his lover?", Seeing Sayo's submissive tone, so unlike her earlier assertive one, Setsuna realized something was off and quickly stopped her.
"Yeah, and why did you say 'our Hikigaya-kun'? You're not misunderstanding something, are you?", Fumino also caught on. Even though she and Setsuna had both seen Sayo's messy feeding firsthand, neither would ever agree to Hachiman dating a vampire.
But they weren't the ones who could decide that.
It should be up to Hachiman himself, so why was Sayo asking them?
"Huh? Aren't you all Hikigaya-kun's lovers?", Sayo blinked, puzzled that they were questioning her instead of answering.
Of course she knew she needed the man's consent. After all, the one she wanted to drink from was Hikigaya himself.
But in her eyes, Hikigaya had shown no resistance when she drank his blood, he'd even seemed to enjoy it, while these three girls were the only ones who disapproved.
So she had thought it proper to apologize to them first before asking Hikigaya to seal the Blood Pact.
"No, who told you we're his lovers? We're not!"
Fumino and Setsuna suddenly realized the misunderstanding, Sayo had assumed all three of them were Hachiman's girlfriends.
'Unbelievable! She actually thought it is normal for Hachiman to have multiple girlfriends at once?'
"You're not lovers, but you still helped him—"
"That was cleaning! We had to clean him up! Don't you dare say it, or I'll never forgive you!", Realizing that Sayo might blurt out something forbidden, Fumino cut her off in panic.
"But… you've been hugging him this whole time. From the moment I came in, you've all been holding onto him…", Watching Fumino's flustered, blushing denial, Sayo grew confused.
'Are human customs really this strange?'
'Even vampires don't cling to their lovers like that, and these girls aren't even his lovers?'
"Uh… that's because of an accident. Some magic bound us together, so we had no choice but to stay like this."
Setsuna glanced at Fumino, who looked ready to die of shame, and sighed with relief as she spoke up to help explain.
Good thing she'd made Fumino handle the cleaning—otherwise she would be the one embarrassed now.
"Binding magic? I didn't see any sign of that. And you don't look bound at all, your arms and legs can move."
Sayo widened her eyes, scanning the three girls pressed against Hachiman, seeing no trace of enchantment.
"It's just our arms and legs. Our bodies are—"
Setsuna instinctively raised her hand to demonstrate her current predicament, only to realize that her hand had separated from Hachiman's arm. Her entire upper body was now free.
"It's… undone? When did that happen?"
Fumino blinked in surprise, suddenly realizing that instead of lying against Hachiman's chest, she was now standing beside him, face-to-face—
"Hikigaya-kun, goodbye!"
The instant her eyes met his, Fumino's mind cleared.
She jumped up from his legs, stumbled backward across the floor, steadied herself, and bolted straight out of the library.
"Hikigaya-kun, I'll be going too!"
Setsuna didn't hesitate either. She stood up even faster than Fumino, her slim legs wrapped in track pants moving swiftly as she sprinted ahead.
"I-I'll go too!"
Chifuyu stared at the two fleeing girls, then hurriedly stood, muttered a quick goodbye to Hachiman, and chased after them with heavy steps.
"Wait-wait for me!"
At the library desk, the librarian who'd been quietly reading looked up in confusion as three girls in gym clothes suddenly dashed past her.
"Fumika, were those girls coming from PE class? They didn't even change their clothes before running in to read?"
Her coworker, who'd just arrived for her shift and set a bento on the table, sat down beside her.
"When did they even come in?"
"I'm not sure… they just kind of appeared out of nowhere. And they didn't borrow any books, either…"
The librarian, black-haired, wearing a headband, with half her eyes hidden by her fringe when she looked down, trailed off mid-sentence, glancing at the bright, confident woman beside her.
"Yukiha? Weren't you off today? I thought Ihara-san was on shift?"
"Ihara-san said she joined a nearly-defunct club and is trying to recruit members, so I'm covering her shift for now."
The new librarian had equally beautiful black hair and an even more voluptuous figure, but carried herself with self-assurance and a gentle, warm smile.
"Fumika, go have lunch first. When you're done, we can talk about Ihara-san's situation."
———
"So… none of those girls are actually your girlfriends?", In the library's reading room, after Setsuna, Fumino, and Chifuyu had realized the spell was broken and fled, Tsukishiro Sayo blinked.
Seeing that she was now the only one left beside Hachiman, she quickly sat down where Fumino had been, grinning as she hugged him from behind, leaning close to his neck and breathing in that irresistible scent that made any vampire lose control. Her eyes sparkled with longing.
"Then… can I be your girlfriend?"
"They're not my girlfriends, but I actually already have quite a few. Even if you became one, it wouldn't be as easy to drink my blood as it was today," Hearing her request, Hachiman shook his head and smiled.
Sayo's goal was blood. She'd become obsessed only because she'd tasted his, and now wanted to be his lover just to drink more freely.
But he couldn't promise her that.
Helping someone was one thing; letting a vampire feed on him regularly was another. Even if he wasn't afraid of being drained dry, he didn't plan to make a habit of it.
This time, he'd simply been curious about what it felt like to be bitten by a vampire girl.
And yes, it had felt amazing, his body had practically melted in her mouth, but the sensations Iris and the others gave him weren't any less satisfying. There was no reason to start daily bloodletting just for Sayo.
"I know, I know, you're talking about Princess Iris and the others, right? Ursula told me that the elves and mermaids in your class have the same kind of relationship with you."
But Hachiman's words didn't discourage her. Hearing the mention of his other girlfriends, Sayo nodded eagerly, her eyes fixed on his neck, swallowing hard as she promised herself to stay calm.
"Don't worry, I don't need to drink every day. I can eat normal food too."
"Of course, if you'd agree to form a Blood Contract with me, I'd take full responsibility. In exchange for your blood, a vampire will serve you with all her heart and do her best to fulfill your wishes." [T/N: Fair deal 🤝]
Even though he'd just said no, her determination didn't waver in the slightest.
If she could become his lover, then someday she could drink his blood again. Surely he wouldn't just let her suffer, right?
Giving up now would mean losing all hope forever.
"Vampires… are that well-behaved? I thought you guys usually took in thralls to serve you?", Hearing her explanation, Hachiman blinked.
Was she really a vampire? If all it took was letting her drink from you, and then she'd work tirelessly to grant your wishes.
"Well, I guess there are different clans," Sayo said, thinking for a moment, "Some vampires like keeping thralls, but our kind follows strict rules. We believe in equal exchange."