Narahashi Miki looked at Hayase Saki beside her, who was still savoring the moment, with immense envy.
The president didn't discriminate against her height, he even let her sit on his thigh and hold him, burying her face in front of him while they chatted, but she hadn't expected her height would still keep her from participating in some special activities.
Only Hanamori Kotomi remained panting and sprawled on the floor, too out of breath to care about the crimson hair that had been loosened and fallen across her shoulders. As if in another world, she stared blankly up at the unmoving Hachiman, swallowed nervously, and felt a chill run through her.
After a while, as Hikigaya stroked Hanamori's head and a faint glow lit at his fingertips, Hanamori feeling refreshed, came back to her senses.
"Ma-magic?"
Hanamori looked down at her uniform, touched her brown tights, and then lifted the slightly damp hair at her shoulders. She stared in disbelief at the dry, smooth crimson long hair in her palm.
Aside from a few creases in her clothes, it seemed as though nothing had happened.
Still, that sensation she would never forget in her life, there was no way it was a hallucination.
"Rested enough? If so, get up and eat, the food's going to get cold."
When Hikigaya told her to eat, Hanamori hurried to get up, but having stayed in that position for a while and being sandwiched between Hayase Saki and Tsukishiro Sayo, she found it hard to move her arms and legs and didn't know how to get up at first.
At that moment, Hikigaya extended the hand he had been using to stroke her head toward Hanamori, and she grabbed it automatically.
The next second, she found herself being pulled out from under the table.
Then she was held in Hikigaya's arms...
"Hikigaya-kun?", Seeing Hikigaya suddenly embrace her, Hanamori was so frightened she nearly threw up.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not going to eat you."
Hikigaya gently stroked Hanamori's head while playing with the crimson hair that fell across her chest. Looking at Hanamori, plump, mature, sweet-faced, he smiled.
"Ugh...", Hanamori's lips moved as she felt Hikigaya stroking her head like a little pet; the warmth of his palm left her speechless.
Hikigaya might not eat her, but he would make her feel so full she could hardly move.
If not for Hayase and Tsukishiro helping, she felt like she'd be soaking wet all over.
By normal physiological standards, even in death it couldn't be this exaggerated, was this something magic could do?
"Hikigaya-kun, um, don't play around... You promised me, right? When will you help me get Sakashita's suspension revoked?"
After a moment, seeing that Hikigaya wasn't doing anything else, Hanamori, suppressing her embarrassment, remembered her original purpose and asked in a small, flushed voice.
The political heiress Yukinoshita Yukino seemed unreliable; she probably wouldn't hustle about for Hanamori's sake. Besides, this matter didn't really concern Hanamori much, she was stepping up for a delinquent with a filthy record.
But she had no choice, this was the case she'd been assigned to follow up. She couldn't stand to see Sakashita treated unfairly, so she had to ask Hikigaya for help.
"Yes, I can call people right now to handle this."
Hikigaya nodded, his thumb lightly stroking Hanamori's round, firm thigh clad in brown stockings.
"But from now on you have to listen to me."
"Huh? From now on? Hayase said we only needed to use the anger-dispelling magic once."
Hearing Hikigaya's words, Hanamori turned in disbelief to Hayase Saki.
It was supposed to be just once, so why did it mean she had to obey him forever?
"I didn't mean that you must always do what we did this time. I mean from now on, if you run into anything tough, tell me first and talk it over with me before you decide."
"Unless you want me to help, I won't force you to do anything."
Though usually lazy and unwilling to take the initiative or force people, since Hanamori had used the anger-dispelling magic on him, he couldn't just watch her keep doing foolish things.
He wouldn't be a free babysitter, but agreeing to help Hanamori in return for that was fine.
He liked Hanamori's saintly heart, and since she was his new breakthrough at Sobu High, she deserved a little special treatment.
"I'm an adult educator, assigned to student guidance. How could I go to you for help whenever something comes up?", Hearing Hikigaya's slight contempt, Hanamori pouted and refused his offer without hesitation.
She admitted Hikigaya was skilled, Hiratsuka-senpai had praised him, and from Yukinoshita's words it seemed the Yukinoshita family's reach was stronger than the Service Club combined.
But normally she could handle everything herself. She didn't need Hikigaya's help.
Only because the school's handling was unfair did she feel compelled to ask him.
"Someone who sacrifices herself for a delinquent's reputation has no right to say that. Can you promise you won't sacrifice yourself for other students in the future?"
Hikigaya rolled his eyes at the oblivious Hanamori and pinched her puffed-up cheek harder.
Hanamori's kindness was unquestionable, she would sacrifice herself even when it wasn't her responsibility.
That sort of self-sacrificing saintliness impressed him.
But she lacked the ability to judge people or resist evil. A saintly heart without power would always end up harming itself in this rotten world.
"Id-idiot? You're calling me an idiot?"
Hanamori glared, pointing at herself in disbelief at Hikigaya, who'd taken advantage of her and called her an idiot.
She was capable, she'd been top of her class and was well-liked for her work. No one had ever called her an idiot.
"Mm-hmm!"
"This kind of thing isn't really your problem."
"You've already done well by talking to the school and trying to get the punishment lifted."
"I heard from Hikigaya that the delinquent might be ungrateful."
Narahashi Miki, Hayase Saki, and Tsukishiro Sayo all nodded in agreement as they looked at Hanamori, whose beautiful, voluptuous body and cute sweet face stirred desire.
Even Sakurase Shino silently nodded.
Sacrificing yourself for something irrelevant to you, what else could that be but stupid?
If the student had been a top student or someone very close to her, the sacrifice might be understandable.
But when she had no relation to the delinquent and made such a sacrifice with no real change afterward, the suspended delinquent simply became an unmotivated truancer, what was the point?
Although Hayase Saki had done similar foolish things before, that didn't stop her from thinking Hanamori was an idiot.
If Hanamori weren't foolish, they wouldn't dare let her into their mutual aid group, because aside from being a bit slow, Hanamori was stronger than the two of them who might not find work after graduation.
If Hanamori were smarter, their mutual aid group might turn into Hanamori's mutual aid group.
"Th-this, this...", Faced with everyone ganging up on her, Hanamori clutched the hem of her uniform skirt, frustrated and aggrieved, but on reflection she couldn't argue.
Everyone really thought she was an idiot.
Despite not wanting to admit it, Hanamori truly was an easy target.
After being called an idiot, she got angry, just a little.
She didn't even consider revenge like biting Hikigaya.
"Don't worry. Even if you're an idiot I won't dislike you. In fact, I quite like idiots, being dumb is cute. But from now on you must listen to me."
Hikigaya pinched Hanamori, soft and squishy like cotton, stroking her head like he was petting a small animal, running his hand over her thick, smooth crimson hair.
"I'll take care of Sakashita's punishment by phone now, and I'll have him sent away. You won't see him anymore."
As he spoke, Hikigaya took out his phone, still holding Hanamori's plush, appealing body and resting his chin on her shoulder as he dialed.
"Dumb is cute...", Hearing Hikigaya's words, Hanamori puffed up and glared at him resting on her shoulder.
Though she didn't dare interrupt while he was on the phone, she kept shooting him angry looks. After all, he'd called her an idiot and now said he didn't dislike her for it, as if that would make her happy. She wasn't that stupid.
Still, Hikigaya kept his promise and didn't let her sacrifice be in vain. She had worried he might go back on his word, which would have left her unsure how to help Sakashita.
She didn't understand what Hikigaya meant by "sending him away," but she had no strong reaction; she even thought his arrangement sounded fine.
She didn't know Sakashita well anyway; she helped solely because she couldn't stand to see an innocent student treated unfairly.
Even if Sakashita's suspension got lifted, it would leave a mark. Being sent away from Sobu High might be better for him.
"Councilor Ichinose, do you have a moment? There's something at the school I'd like your help with."
Dialing Councilor Ichinose, Hikigaya got straight to the point.
["Please speak, Mr. Hikigaya."]
Hearing Hikigaya's voice, Councilor Ichinose responded respectfully.
"There was a convenience store incident recently involving students from the soccer club doing questionable things off-campus, which left a delinquent at the scene taking the blame."
Hikigaya briefly summarized the situation.
"Those who escaped punishment should receive fair sanctions."
"As for the student who took the fall, to prevent lingering negative influence on Sobu High, send him away like that teacher who tried to threaten Ayano."
"If you need, contact the Rurikawa family to handle it, or try the Yukinoshita family. The second young miss of the Yukinoshita family mentioned this to her sister."
Normally, Rurikawa Tsubaki would deal with this, her status as family head and vice-president of the school would make handling it easier.
But since she was still a student, it would be nice to let her enjoy campus life rather than always handle adult matters.
The Rurikawa family lacked a strong figure at present; even with his and Iris's help things moved faster, but many issues still needed Rurikawa Tsubaki's personal involvement.
["A teacher threatening Ayano? Understood. I'll handle it properly."]
Hearing that the delinquent should be dealt with the same way as those two teachers, Councilor Ichinose immediately understood Hikigaya's intent.
He wasn't like that demure Yukinoshitas, he'd do whatever it took to climb higher.
Now backed by the elf princess's influence and being Hikigaya's most useful human ally, sometimes he had to do the dirty work.
That suited him fine: the more he was entrusted, the more it proved his value. True politicians never fear being used; only worry about whether they are worth using.
"Also, Councilor Ichinose, do you know Lycoris?"
["That... I know a little. You mean the female assassination unit, the red spider lilies, right?"]
Councilor Ichinose, thinking Hikigaya's call was only about this matter, paused briefly at the sudden question.
Regarding supernatural forces and demi-humans, at his level he wouldn't normally encounter them, so his knowledge of demi-humans was limited, much like the public's.
But he did know of this special operative organization, separate from police and public security.
Lycoris were not as scarce as demi-humans; they operated widely, like the male counterpart Lilybell, active nationwide, agents from such groups appeared everywhere.
They even had some official backing; although Lycoris were said to be independent of the government and brazen in style, these days they couldn't be as arrogant, Lycoris could handle ordinary people, but they weren't always adequate against demi-humans with powers.
That's why he wanted to curry favor with Hikigaya and the elf princess, supernatural power would be mainstream in the future, and the elf princess liked peace, so doing dirty work for her wouldn't be that dirty.
Handling delinquent students was simpler than dealing with teachers trying to climb up and threaten his political standing.
From start to finish, he didn't need to know the full details of the convenience store incident or what the delinquent had done to offend Hikigaya.
He only needed to know that, among the elf princess's human allies, he was the most useful, he didn't have to investigate students' backgrounds like Yukinoshita Haruno did before acting.