"You could call this a magic spring, brimming with mana. Just by soaking here, you can recover your magical power, and bathing in it long-term offers various other benefits."
"Did the Savior do this…"
Nina looked up again as she spoke.
Though phrased as a question, her tone was quite certain.
There was no one else who could have caused such a miraculous change to the hot spring, transforming ordinary hot spring water into a special spring with various restorative properties, other than the Savior.
She had already sensed something special about the hot spring inn when she first entered, just stepping inside had lifted her spirits, and now even the hot spring water itself turned out to be this extraordinary.
She even had a faint feeling that this mana-rich hot spring, with its particular benefits for elves, was superior to the Elf Spring that had once nurtured the Elven Mother Tree in their homeland.
Something like this, which shouldn't exist in this world, could likely only have been created by the Savior.
"I placed a spring's source into the hot spring. The special water that comes out does have some special effects, but it's not just the water that has them."
Standing upstairs, Hachiman saw the expressions on everyone's faces below, confirmed that the water from the Moon Spring also worked on others, and nodded with a smile, not denying that the hot spring's changes were his doing.
"Hmm... you can think of this hot spring now as the Servant Spring. The more elves who serve me, the more Servant Spring water will be produced."
"Nina, even if you don't soak directly in the Servant Spring, you can still get decent recovery effects just by being nearby, though this effect only works on elves."
Though it was actually the Moon Spring, calling it the Servant Spring was fine.
For now, the Servant Spring mainly relied on his serving elves to produce water, and it would likely take a while to fill the extremely large hot spring pool.
After explaining, Hachiman swept his gaze around but didn't jump down to join their playful antics. Instead, he turned and went back to find Matsumae Ohana, still hiding by the corner of the room.
He'd originally wanted to jump in and swim around a bit, the combination of the special venue, the Serving Inn, and the special item, the Moon Spring, offered extraordinary bonus effects even to non-elves, bringing not only physical and mental pleasure but also producing special spring water, so their enthusiasm for serving was surely running high.
However, there were many new faces in the hot spring pool right now, and the new members' initiation ceremony could wait until tomorrow's hot spring cosplay convention.
Just as the combined effect of the Serving Inn and the Moon Spring was remarkably impressive, the combined effect of the club's newcomers and the hot spring cosplay convention would probably be equally exhilarating.
For now... he'd go back and tease Matsumae Ohana, the inn's poster girl.
Now that the Serving Inn had several hot spring inns connected together, Yukino Chitose alone might not be able to manage it all. Matsumae Ohana could help support her only after she became one of his own.
There were still two girls staying at Ohana's inn, Kissuiso, one as a cook's apprentice and one as a waitress, and he could ask Ohana if she wanted to invite them over to build connections too.
"Only the water produced works on us? The Servant Spring's effects on the surrounding area are limited to elves..."
Watching Hachiman turn back to continue working over the poster girl in the room, Kijou Suzuka suddenly took a deep breath and dove beneath the water.
As the heiress of the Kijou Group, she'd naturally soaked in her family's hot springs before, but she never expected the President to modify the hot spring right under their noses without them noticing.
When had he placed the spring's source? Just now?
But hadn't the President just been enjoying being served by those two poster girls?
Beneath the surface, Kijou Suzuka ignored the dizzying array of pale, slender legs around her and swam toward the direction from which the mana-rich special spring water came.
Meroune, the mermaid princess; Seira, the dragonkin; and Aoe Kuon, the snow woman, also dove underwater in unison.
Yet despite searching thoroughly underwater, none of them could find where the spring's source was located.
They could only feel tendrils of Servant Spring water, distinctly different from the surrounding hot spring water, occasionally appearing out of nowhere at various spots beneath the surface.
"Our President... has brought out another good thing."
"Besides awakening magic elements and awakening magical girl abilities, there's actually something for elves..."
"Isn't this... a little biased..."
Aoe Mai, Kijou Yasha, and Senga Sally didn't dive underwater to explore the wonders of the Servant Spring like their daughters did. As they felt the slowly rising mana concentration in the hot spring water, they exchanged glances before looking thoughtfully at the elven princess Nina, who was lost in thought.
Hachiman had specifically placed the Servant Spring in the hot spring inn and connected the spaces of the various inns spread across different locations, so naturally they couldn't take the Servant Spring out; they'd just have to visit the hot spring inn often to enjoy the springs.
The real question right now was why the Servant Spring had anything to do with the elves.
And why did more elves serving Hachiman mean more Servant Spring water produced?
This world wasn't truly a magicless world. Though it had many supernatural powers and even entities like demons and ghosts, in many ways it behaved like one.
For example, the degeneration of demihuman bloodlines meant the vast majority couldn't awaken their bloodlines properly.
And there was no free mana diffused in the air to absorb.
In other worlds or different dimensions, mana was spread throughout the atmosphere, except this one.
The onmyoji priestess Origamine Ouka of the oni race, and the exorcist shrine maidens of the human race, both had ways to replenish their supernatural power, but recovery was troublesome.
Even the evil forces trying to invade this world and disrupt the peace had to rely on corrupting hearts and squeezing out a special mana called Desire Energy from humanity's various dark emotions.
Only magical girls were the exception.
With their somewhat willpower-based powers, magical girls could unleash strength beyond their own when pushed to the brink—mana depletion was never a true dead end for them.
In a "magicless world," even the most powerful invader would be brought to their knees by magical girls whose strength could spike several tiers beyond reason.
That was why this world mainly relied on magical girls to suppress evil forces across the land, and why, after Hachiman's ability to mass-awaken magical girls was exposed, some powerful organizations with their own stable supernatural training programs had sent people over one after another.
Yet here they were, merely soaking in the Servant Spring water and recovering their mana rapidly.
If you also considered the balloon-type Servant Spring water Hachiman produced, carrying some around would greatly enhance sustained combat capability.
But, since they were all club members, all demihumans, why could they only benefit from the Servant Spring's water and not its surrounding effects? Why did the President favor the elves?
He had magic element awakening for demihumans, and magical girl awakening for humans, both sides unaffected, but now the President was showing excessive fondness for the elves, and elves from another world, at that.
Right now, the Servant Spring's recovery effects only working on elves wasn't a major issue, but the trend was dangerous!
Aoe Mai, Kijou Yasha, and Senga Sally exchanged glances, broke into smiles simultaneously, and pulled along Lady Rei, mother of the vampire Tsukigase Koyoru who'd always stayed in the library, as they swam toward the corner of the hot spring occupied by Yotsuba Maya, Irisviel, Tohsaka Touka, Yukishita Yukino, and Tachibana Kyouka.
They couldn't let the elves keep this up.
Iris had briefly left to return to the Elven Forest, who knew how many more elven girls she'd bring back when she returned?
The elves, every one of them beautiful with fair skin and long legs, were certainly strong, and so many pure, innocent elven girls were also very devoted, but they were all equally loyal to the President, how could they let the elves dominate.
Elven princess Nina remained deep in thought. She wasn't concerned about the sense of crisis felt by the demihumans; she was simply realizing more deeply why Iris was the most highly regarded and beloved elven princess.
No wonder Iris was so determined to select elven girls to serve the Savior, even wanting to return and invite the Queen herself to come...
If that was the case, she truly had no reason to shirk the heavy responsibility on her shoulders.
As a fellow elven princess, Iris, Aegis, and Lumiria were all working tirelessly.
Now she didn't need to search for the Savior, she only needed to devote herself to serving him.
If she couldn't even manage that, wouldn't her resolve be lesser than that of an ordinary elf?
Right now, Leticia, Leona, Sylpha, and Melaise, who'd followed Iris back to the Elven Forest, regardless of their aptitude or whether they'd faced discrimination within their clan, were serving the Savior wholeheartedly and without complaint.
Even Shafi, the mage of the newly arrived hero's party, had submitted to the Savior without hesitation after meeting him.
At that thought, Nina finally made up her mind, turned away from the hot spring pool that had become the Servant Spring, and walked toward the room where Hachiman was.
If the Servant Spring produced enough water in the future, she might ask the Savior to let them collect some to bring back to the Elven Forest.
If the mana-rich Servant Spring water could have any effect on the nearly withered Elven Mother Tree...
Then the Elven Queen might truly have to come and serve their elven race's Savior.
"Looks like Nina has made up her mind..."
Watching Nina suddenly leave with a resolute expression, the youngest elven princess Lumiria smiled slowly.
As the youngest elven princess, she'd always believed that her older sisters were all willing to sacrifice themselves for the elves, placing the clan's honor above themselves. It was just that due to their different personalities, only Iris was best suited to be the elven princess who would one day inherit the throne.
Now, seeing that Nina, who'd nearly been married off to a human kingdom not long ago, had let go of her former hero companions and was seriously fulfilling her duty as a princess, she was happy too. She could now focus on working with Kitagawa Marin on how to give the Savior an amazing hot spring cosplay convention tomorrow.
Most of the original Serving Club members had already decided on their cosplay characters and prepared their costumes, but with so many new members tonight, they needed to custom-make suitable costumes for those who weren't prepared.
"Our President really keeps his cards close to his chest. Who knows when he'll surprise us next... Miyuki, have you decided on your role for tomorrow?"
Watching the elven, snow woman, dragonkin, and oni factions of the demihuman camp spring into action, with many newcomers still appearing at the hot spring inn, Saegusa Mayumi sighed in admiration before turning to Shiba Miyuki, who was leaning against the edge of the hot spring pool beside her.
She'd thought that with herself from the Saegusa family, plus a couple of her sisters, it'd be enough.
But now it seemed their President far exceeded their expectations.
"I have. A younger sister-type character who can use ice abilities. The hot spring inn's atmosphere fits my character's setting well too... Actually, I've always wanted an older brother..."
Shiba Miyuki nodded, looking down at the rippling water surface, her tone complex and subtle.
"A younger sister, huh... My character is a hero with superpowers, which suits my somewhat smaller frame. Maybe I'll have a fight with the President? Then get severely punished by him?"
Saegusa Mayumi said with a slight blush, talking about what might happen to her tomorrow, but glancing at the human and demihuman factions already smiling as they discussed how to jointly counter the elves, she sighed again.
"Miyuki, you and I have both gone through the President's awakening ceremony, so playing these roleplay games is no big deal. I didn't expect even Lady Maya and the others to join in."
She was actually a bit puzzled. Though the "Serving War" was escalating beyond their control, it still hadn't reached the level of involving the head of the Yotsuba family, had it?
Of course, as the head of the Yotsuba family, Yotsuba Maya was both powerful and notorious for her ruthlessness and willingness to use any means. Since she'd even sent Shiba Miyuki out to serve the President, her personally joining in didn't seem that hard to understand.
What truly surprised her was seeing Yotsuba Miya's name on the program list as well.
Yotsuba Miya, who excelled at mental interference magic, was not only Yotsuba Maya's older sister but also a forbidden existence of the Yotsuba family, feared by many clans.
Yet Miya usually kept to herself, rarely appearing in public, she hadn't expected her to join the Serving Club this time.
Was it for Miyuki's sake? Because family head Maya had sent Miyuki out to serve the President? But now that Miyuki had already given herself to the President, Miya joining the Serving Club wouldn't change Miyuki's situation...
"Brother..."
Her nose beaded with fine, glistening sweat, her cheeks growing hotter and redder, Shiba Miyuki didn't continue chatting with Saegusa Mayumi about tomorrow's serving games, ostensibly a hot spring cosplay convention but really a hot spring party. She pressed both hands to her aching chest, looked up at the figure on the second-floor balcony by the hot spring, and murmured breathlessly.
For some reason, just thinking about playing serving games with the President tomorrow in the role of some younger sister character made her body seem to cheer with joy, eagerly awaiting that moment's arrival.
The President wasn't even by her side right now, yet just thinking of him made her breathing quicken and heart race.
She was only following her aunt's orders, fulfilling her obligations as the family heir by pleasing the President, why did it feel like she was falling in love with him?
Was it the effect of the Servant Spring, which had suddenly undergone such a special change?
But even before coming to the hot spring inn, when she'd decided to roleplay as the President's younger sister, she'd already felt this way.
Especially when she thought of Aunt Maya, wearing some character's costume, appearing before her as she played the President's fake little sister, accompanying him in fun and games, Shiba Miyuki found it even harder to control herself, feeling like she might faint.
President... Brother... Master...
———
Now that the hot spring pool had become the Servant Spring, various smaller groups had begun forming alliances and plotting their strategies against the elven faction. But there were still many outside the pool who hadn't joined in yet.
They hadn't soaked in the Servant Spring, nor had they sampled the cooking of the beautiful girl chefs. Instead, they'd gathered in the central reception lounge of the Serving Inn, which connected to the other hot spring inns. Some members and prospective members were even still on their way.
As long as you were a Serving Club member, you could teleport in from anywhere. Getting to the Serving Inn was just one extra step, teleport to the Serving Club first, then go from there to the Serving Inn.
But with competition in the Serving Club fierce right now, those who hadn't rushed over to soak were mostly busy persuading prospects they'd identified, bringing new members into the Serving Club as newcomers for their own little groups.
The heiresses with deep backgrounds and wide connections could first bring in allies already tied to their families through business interests, then work out the details of cooperation later.
Serving Club members from ordinary families, though, had friends who didn't even know about the hidden world, they might have vaguely heard of elven princesses or mermaid songstresses, but they'd have to first explain basic knowledge like the hidden world and magical girls, then find ways to pull their skeptical friends and besties on board.
"Yuzuka, don't be nervous. Everyone in the club is really nice. Just remember one thing, serve the President wholeheartedly, and fulfill all his requests. That's enough."
"It's a shame Chitose is with the Ogiso group, and Kotone is with the magical girls, otherwise we could all go find the President together."
"I-it's okay, Saki-senpai, Miki-senpai! This is already good enough! I just need a bit more time to prepare mentally!"
The sports aces Hayase Saki and Nara Miki had brought members of the women's competitive swimming club and women's volleyball club with them.
But neither of them actually had many friends outside their club members. Besides them, there was a twin-tailed girl by their side who kept averting her gaze, looking nervous as she listened to their explanations while cautiously taking in the Serving Inn, the waitresses, maids, and club members coming and going around her.
Nonohara Yuzuka, a first-year student, had a plump, full figure and a cute face.
But she hunched her shoulders, was inwardly timid and insecure, friendless and withdrawn, and had just been pulled into the Social Anxiety Self-Help Group by Hayase Saki and Nara Miki. She hadn't officially met Hachiman yet.
Between Nonohara Yuzuka, the Pure White Magical Girl Sasaki Kotone they'd brought in earlier, Tsukimi Chifuyy sent by Ogiso Setsuna, and advisor teacher Mizuho Kazami, their Social Anxiety Self-Help Group was already taking shape, a small circle to experience the Serving Club's atmosphere together, making it easier for them to serve... or rather, receive counseling from Hachiman at school.
"Amazing... I didn't know your club had exclusive hot spring inn service, and you can teleport straight here..."
"Ruri, aren't you an heiress too? What's a hot spring inn trip to you? If you really want to, you could just book an entire hot spring inn for yourself, right?"
"That's completely different! Forget the value of being able to teleport to a safe place anytime, anywhere, and forget the expense of booking an entire inn just for an occasional soak, is the hot spring inn itself the point?"
"The point is what the inn represents! Any of those financial group heiresses in the Serving Club could easily book several inns! But right now, they're all gathered here playing games with Hikigaya-kun."
"And us, if we weren't studying at Sobu High, we probably wouldn't even qualify to get close to Hikigaya-kun.'
Though Reina and Yuna might not pay much attention, the gap between heiresses can be huge too."
"Well... I've always known Hachiman was amazing, but hearing it from you, Ruri, it feels like my understanding of him has been completely refreshed..."
The gal trio, Yuina, Rin, and Minami, had also brought people along, inviting Reina, Yukina, and Ruri from their gal circle to come soak.
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