"Someone else? Saeki and Sugiyama?"
Momioka Risa and Haruna Sairenji froze for a moment, looking in surprise at Saeki Ai and Sugiyama Mio on the next tennis court.
Originally Risa only wanted to urge Haruna to be more proactive, and Haruna only wanted to talk a little more with Hachiman as friends, nothing more.
But there's no denying that once you compare them, the psychological pressure appears.
Unlike Haruna, who plays tennis as a hobby, and Risa, who treats it casually, Saeki Ai and Sugiyama Mio really play tennis often, even from childhood.
If they found out how amazing Hachiman is, they might actually accept his special training.
"Hikigaya-kun, why aren't you saying anything? Do you want to train Saeki and Sugiyama or train me and Haruna?"
Risa suddenly turned to Hachiman, hugging his arm tightly to her chest and smiling as she demanded an answer.
Hikigaya-kun had been silent and watching them since a moment ago, probably enjoying himself alone.
"Risa, what are you talking about? Saeki and Sugiyama are being trained by Yukinoshita. If I went over and said I'd help train them, do you think she'd agree?"
Hachiman rolled his eyes at Risa, finding her question a little funny.
It's not something he can train at will.
If there were no bet involved, Yukinoshita Yukino might gladly let him handle things alone.
But with a bet in place, Yukinoshita would definitely not want him near Saeki and Sugiyama to avoid any sneaky mischief.
"Uh, I guess that's true. It seems you split up training because of differences."
Risa blinked and suddenly felt bored.
If Saeki and Sugiyama aren't a threat for now, then her relationship with Hachiman and Haruna goes back to square one.
Haruna refuses to take the initiative, and Chika-senpai is eyeing him like a hawk.
She can't fend off Chika-senpai alone, let alone the many competitors from other clubs.
At this rate, Haruna's romance will probably be completely hopeless.
"Risa, yesterday you were just helping pick up balls and didn't experience being trained by Hikigaya-kun, right?"
Seeing Risa and Haruna still not crossing the line, Kitamura Chika blinked, then pushed the struggling Risa into Hachiman's arms and smiled at him.
"Then today Hikigaya-kun should let her feel what Haruna felt yesterday. After she experiences it, we can consider whether to do further body-strengthening training."
"Ah? Don't train me. I'm not planning on joining any tournaments. Hikigaya-kun, just train Haruna."
Risa hadn't expected Chika to trick even her and scrambled to get up.
But at this point it wasn't up to her.
"Risa, don't you want to know if my training really works? Why not try it yourself?"
Hachiman looked down and smiled into the slightly panicked eyes of golden, softly curled-haired gyaru Risa.
Although Risa seems proactive and enthusiastic around him, that sexy, naughty appearance is just on the surface. Risa's heart is actually very innocent.
"Don't get worked up. Risa, you're just going to feel the same as Haruna did yesterday. Hikigaya-kun isn't really going to do anything excessive to you," Kitamura Chika held Risa's struggling hands down and winked at her.
While pure technical instruction isn't as thrilling as hands-on, practical training, for inexperienced Risa it should be enough to savor.
You can't convince Risa to truly join without letting her personally experience it.
The tennis club can't keep relying on just her anymore.
"Haruna, Haruna, save me! You don't want Hikigaya-kun to be so close to me right in front of you, do you?", Hearing Chika's words, Risa shivered and immediately pleaded with Haruna at her side.
She'd seen how Hikigaya-kun trained Haruna yesterday. It didn't go too far, but the thigh and calf kneading was definitely not rare.
Haruna liking Hikigaya-kun doesn't mean Risa can accept it.
"I don't mind, Risa. You really should experience Hikigaya-kun's training."
Haruna Sairenji saw Risa, who always liked to stir trouble but had finally been put in her place by Hachiman. Haruna breathed a sigh of relief. Her flushed little face regained a smile as she stood in front of Risa and clenched her fair little fists to encourage her.
"Come on, Risa! I believe you can do it! Show Hikigaya-kun and Chika-senpai that you're the best!"
Seeing Haruna cheer her on like that, Risa felt annoyed at her own clumsiness.
Who has she been doing all this for?
Why does Haruna look so happy when Hachiman trains her up close?
But soon Risa realized something was off.
'Weird?'
'What is this feeling?'
Her body felt tingly, and knowledge seemed to rush into her brain.
Risa stared blankly at Hachiman, who had slipped a racket into her hand and was adjusting her movements stroke by stroke, her head buzzing.
"Relax, relax. I'm just telling you the key points of the motion and correcting your posture."
Hachiman was used to Risa's reactions by now, and while manipulating her body he reminded her.
It's normal to react strangely when you first come into contact with a teaching aura.
If you already have strong learning ability it's one thing, but if you're someone with poor learning skills and you get a temporary super-learning buff, you absolutely cannot resist the temptation.
Learning really does make you happy.
However, that happiness is addictive. That's why Kaede restrained herself from the teaching aura's temptation. Normally she studies on her own; only magic learning requires Hachiman's special instruction.
"Ohhh!"
As if feeling knowledge flow from Hachiman's fingers, Risa's tense body instinctively relaxed and let him move her to correct her posture for the tennis swing.
She finally understood why Haruna had that expression yesterday. It wasn't that shy Haruna was secretly lecherous; it was Hachiman's teaching effect that was too strong.
Just verbal instruction and close posture adjustment, without actual hands-on combat training, were already that extreme.
No wonder Chika-senpai said the girls swim team, the track and field club, and even other sports clubs would come to snatch people away.
What she's feeling now is probably not even Hachiman's full strength. Once he goes all out, the sporty girls from those clubs definitely won't be able to resist him.
"Haruna, I have something today, so let's end training here. We'll continue tomorrow."
After an unusually intense training session, Hachiman helped the limp Momioka Risa to Haruna Sairenji's side and smiled.
Had it been normal times, he might have given Risa a proper lesson, or seriously talked to Haruna, who clearly had special feelings for him.
But he was busy today; there were a lot of guests at his house and he couldn't stay long.
"It's fine, it's fine. Hikigaya-kun, go take care of your things. You've already taught us a lot, and our skills improved a lot!"
Haruna hastily took the flushed, breathing-heavy Risa and urged Hachiman to go. What she wanted wasn't much. For now, having some contact with him during tennis club activities was enough to satisfy her.
Neither Risa's nor Chika-senpai's more aggressive ideas suited her. She couldn't be that passionate and proactive.
"Just ending like that. Recently there haven't been disciplinary actions. Have other public morals committee members been in contact with Hikigaya-kun?"
Haruna didn't mind Hachiman leaving early, but Kitamura Chika looked sulky and unwilling, watching him go.
Just leaving like that? Just leaving?
Not sticking around to sweat a little with Risa and Haruna on this tennis court?
Even if Risa and Haruna are more innocent and not so proactive, she could at least demonstrate a bit.
At this rate, the tennis club definitely won't keep Hachiman.
"Amamiya-san and the others have contacted me once or twice. Maybe the teachers contact me more. The public morals committee hasn't been bothering me much lately."
Hachiman could see what Kitamura Chika was thinking, but he only smiled and explained.
"If you want to know specifics, Chika, you can ask Amamiya-san. She's close with Kaede and knows things."
A lot of the time he used invisibility magic or relationship mode, so the public morals committee couldn't find him to punish him.
Still, Kitamura Chika's needs had to be considered. He should find time to call Asai Saki, Sakura Akika, Kitamura Chika and get them to the student council office to dig into the school's discipline situation properly.
"Makoto? Okay, I'll ask her then."
Kitamura Chika blinked and suddenly understood Hachiman's meaning.
Makoto is Kaede's good friend, and Kaede is also Hachiman's childhood friend.
When Kaede can't hold it, Makoto will definitely back her up.
Makoto is one of the public morals committee members executing the disciplinary plan. Dealing with Hachiman is her duty.
Maybe she should find Makoto and ask her to back her up. If needed, Makoto could cover for her.
As for the tennis club... next time she'd ask if she could get a few sympathetic collars.
Kitamura Chika glanced at Haruna and Risa sitting on the bench resting, then looked at Saeki Ai and Sugiyama Mio still working hard on the neighboring court, and went to find her cousin Kitamura Kaede.
Haruna and Risa weren't as close to her, so forcing them in wasn't convenient. It was better to recruit Kaede, who she was closer to and who had national tournament ambitions.
As vice-captain, Kaede together with captain Nishi Hayakawa as her partner, could bring Kaede and Nishi in and give the tennis club a real chance to compete with the girls swim team and track and field.
After Hachiman left, he didn't go to the track and field club or even say goodbye to Yukinoshita on the neighboring court.
Club life is just a garnish for life, not something you have to visit one by one like completing tasks. If there's something to do, naturally you don't need to go anymore.
Besides, there's now a secret club. When needed, he can add them to the secret club member list, and anyone can come when they have time.
'Hmm! Time...'
Too bad Sobu High is too much in the spotlight, with so many extraordinary big shots. Don't mention things like time-stop scenarios, he hasn't even encountered hypnotism.
If he ever met a time-stop plot, he wonders if he could resist it, or if he could get a time-based mission reward.
What he lacks now is time. If not for his steadily improving skills that keep his body from collapsing, plus the hidden effect of the service aura: the more someone likes him, the stronger their abilities become, and the more helpless they are against him.
He's probably been so busy he hasn't set foot on his bed in days.
After all, the household's elves, alien succubi, mermaids all need help for a long time, not to mention student council reviews, public morals committee disciplinary activities, and helping the girls swim team train.
"Secret club."
This time when Hachiman went home he didn't teleport to Sakurase like usual but used the secret club's teleport function.
As soon as he teleported to the secret club, his eyes met a large bath filled with steam.
"Hi–Hikigaya-kun?"
Soaked in the warm, steamy water, Hachiman looked at Yotsuya Miko, her face flushed and hands folded in front of her, and Yurikawa Hana, who had a bun in her mouth and eyes wide. He felt a little speechless.
Well... coming straight into the bath seems to be part of the club's features.
"Miko, Hana, keep soaking, don't mind me. I'll check how the apartment remodeling is going and see if anything needs fixing."
Hachiman waved to Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana, excused himself, and walked out of the big bath.
Only Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana were left, staring at each other.
So awkward...
Although it wasn't the first time it had been this awkward. Urinary incontinence before had been even more embarrassing, this kind of awkwardness seemed likely to happen often in the future. She wondered if she had to get used to it.
Yotsuya Miko kept half her head under the water, eyes fixed on Hachiman's departing figure, both embarrassed and troubled.
Because most of the spare clothes Hikigaya's family stocked were for special purposes and were very embarrassing to put on.
So she and Hana always brought clothes after school to leave here, so if they ever ran into a ghost and got scared, they'd have clothes to wear.
But who knew that after she tried the secret club teleport function in her head and soaked in that big bath for a short while, Hachiman would suddenly appear in front of her.
If this keeps happening, she's probably never going to get married...
[🎉 Shoutout to Kaustup, Gonzalo, Tiago and Roger for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]