Diary Of Service Club, Helping The Elf Princess

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"Alright, I'll go take a bath first."

Hikigaya nodded indifferently.

They had eaten dinner not too long ago, so it was natural for Komachi and the others not to want to bathe right away. However, he had a fast metabolism and didn't need to worry about that.

It was good to bathe early and go to bed early today since he had used up a lot of energy and needed to recover properly.

He went upstairs, grabbed his clothes, and entered the bathroom. Just as he took off his clothes, he suddenly heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Brother... do you need me to... scrub your back for you..."

——

Inside the bathroom, Hikigaya had just taken off his clothes when he heard Shion's voice from outside the door.

With a thought, he immediately understood the meaning behind the subtle glance exchanged earlier between Komachi and Shion.

"Those two troublemakers..."

Hikigaya pondered for a moment, then walked over and opened the bathroom door without saying a word.

Shion Asougi, who hadn't heard a response from inside, felt a bit disappointed. Suddenly, she noticed the bathroom door being opened from inside, and Komachi's brother appeared in front of her.

"B-Brother..."

Shion instinctively called out, but noticing that Hikigaya was already undressed, she quickly looked down, embarrassed and flustered.

However, doing so only made the situation even more awkward.

For a moment, she didn't know where to look. All she could do was lower her flushed face, not daring to look at Hikigaya.

Although she had envisioned this scene countless times over the past two days, she still couldn't face it calmly when it actually happened. Just seeing the upper half of Komachi's brother made her feel shy.

"Shion, I don't recall asking you for anything like this. Why do you want to help me scrub my back? Where's Komachi?"

Hikigaya looked down at Shion, who was wrapped in a white towel, her jet-black hair cascading over her snow-white shoulders. He wasn't surprised but was somewhat helpless as he gazed at her flushed, pretty face.

'What is with this act?'

Admittedly, Shion Asougi was indeed very attractive. Her jet-black, slightly violet-tinted waterfall-like hair, cold demeanor, and delicate features, coupled with her difficult family situation and tragic fate in the original story, made him feel a lot of sympathy for her as a fan of cool, black-haired characters.

But ever since Shion Asougi started living at their house, he hadn't harbored any inappropriate thoughts about her.

After all, Sobu High had plenty of beautiful girls, and he didn't believe every pretty girl had to end up with him.

Besides, he was currently busy with the Service Club. Regarding Shion, he really just treated her as Komachi's classmate.

Privately inquiring about Vignette's apartment situation and helping the homeless Shion Asougi rent a place to live was primarily for the mission rewards.

He hadn't even mentioned this to Shion Asougi yet.

He never expected Shion to knock on his bathroom door, wanting to scrub his back.

Everyone knew that given his relationship with Shion, they weren't at a stage where scrubbing his back would seem appropriate. She clearly had other thoughts in mind.

"I wanted to scrub your back... It wasn't Komachi's idea; I wanted to do it myself."

Hearing Hikigaya's somewhat misunderstanding tone, Shion Asougi slowly raised her head. Her cold face carried a hint of redness as she bit her lip and gazed firmly at Hikigaya.

She wasn't lacking in intelligence or emotional understanding; she just wasn't very good at—or rather, didn't enjoy—interacting with unfamiliar people.

When Komachi invited her to stay over, she hadn't realized Komachi's intentions. She had agreed simply because she had nowhere else to go and decided to give staying at Komachi's house a try.

But once she moved in, seeing Komachi's brother Hachiman being so kind and caring towards her, and hearing Komachi constantly praise her brother, it was clear what Komachi had in mind.

To her surprise, she didn't strongly object to Komachi's intentions.

Her once-happy family had long since broken apart. Her childhood friend had moved abroad with his family, with no clear return date. She had few friends and no one to turn to.

If not for Komachi's kindness, she wouldn't have considered staying at a classmate's house, let alone a home with a brother who treated her like family.

Now, offering to scrub Hachiman's back wasn't Komachi's idea but her own decision after seeing the growing number of girls around Hachiman.

By doing this, she hoped to truly integrate herself into this family.

"If this is your choice, Shion, and you want to thank me, then come in and help me scrub my back. Just don't do anything unnecessary."

Seeing Shion's determined expression, Hikigaya fell silent for a moment, sighed, and turned back into the bathroom.

He had underestimated the impact of a broken family on Shion.

He had thought moving quickly—arranging housing within two days—would help her, but it seemed the warmth of his family only intensified her inner struggles.

Hikigaya thought for a moment and decided to mention the idea of renting an apartment,"Shion, you don't need to worry about your family situation. It's okay if you can't return home. I've spoken with Vignette's landlord next door and plan to rent you a place there. That way, you'll have personal space while still being able to eat and bathe here with us."

"Of course, this isn't about kicking you out. We just feel you should have your own personal space."

"There aren't enough rooms here, but you can come here to eat and bathe. I think having three people eating together is livelier. Then, you can return to your apartment next door to sleep."

"If you're not satisfied with this arrangement or have other thoughts, you can tell me, and I'll do my best to help."

Hikigaya used as gentle words as possible to ensure Shion Asougi didn't misunderstand his intentions.

Originally, he had planned to wait until he confirmed a suitable room was available before telling Shion Asougi. This way, he wouldn't risk giving her false hope.

But now, it seemed hard to reassure her without saying anything.

The more introverted someone is, the more sensitive they are to the things around them.

In the eyes of others, Shion Asougi appeared cold and distant, but that didn't mean her thoughts were any less abundant. Especially now, with her family undergoing dramatic changes, her mind was likely filled with endless concerns.

If he didn't clarify things beforehand, Hikigaya feared Shion Asougi might feel unworthy of staying and run back to her family's home to face danger.

As ridiculous as this might sound, he felt such an outcome was entirely possible with these mentally unstable girls.

Even though he had the Love List's guidance to help him bring misguided girls back on track, it would still be a hassle if something like that actually happened. It was better to nip the issue in the bud.

"Brother..."

Shion Asougi stared blankly at Hikigaya in front of her. The motion of applying shampoo in her hand came to a slow halt. Countless words of gratitude welled up in her throat, but she didn't know how to say them.

So that's why Hachiman and Vignette didn't let her help in the kitchen earlier—they were discussing how to help her.

Hachiman had already considered her situation and had been thinking of her all along.

Yet, all she could think about was how Hachiman wasn't truly her brother. Komachi was his real sister, and she kept fixating on whether she belonged in this family...

After all, she was just Komachi's classmate temporarily staying in Hachiman's home. Whatever happened to her had nothing to do with him...

"Shion, why aren't you saying anything? Uh..."

Not hearing a response from Shion Asougi, Hikigaya turned to check on her, only to find her extending her slender, jade-like arms and tightly embracing him from behind.

The girl's delicate figure pressed tightly against him.

"Hachiman... Onii-san... You're too kind to me... Why are you so good to me... I don't even know how to repay you..."

Shion Asougi wrapped her arms tightly around Hikigaya's waist, pressing her cheek against his back as she murmured softly.

If Hachiman wanted her body, she wouldn't be surprised. Despite not having many friends, she knew some boys at school admired her.

But she could clearly tell that wasn't the case here. Hachiman didn't lack female attention.

If he only cared about having a girl's body, he wouldn't need to spend so much money on her.

Today alone, the four girls who visited his house were enough to outshine her. Not to mention the twin childhood friends next door or the Service Club girls Komachi had mentioned.

It made her both happy and sad.

Happy because Hachiman was genuinely good to her.

Sad because, aside from her body, she felt like she had nothing else to offer.

"Uh..."

Hikigaya remained silent, unsure how to respond to Shion Asougi. After all, it wasn't entirely true that he expected nothing in return.

It was just that the kind of return he wanted wasn't something Shion could directly offer.

His expectations weren't high—he just wanted the system to reward him with another Servant Collar or something similar.

Another collar wouldn't hurt. The current one hadn't been particularly useful yet, but having more would allow him to distribute them among the people around him.

Shion Asougi wasn't the kind of girl to take advantage of his kindness. He didn't mind supporting such an obedient and sensible girl for the rest of his life.

While lost in thought, Hachiman suddenly noticed that Shion's arms around him had loosened. Her white towel slipped off and fell to the floor, soaking in the water that had pooled there.

"Sorry... Hachiman... Onii-san..."

"I have nothing else to repay you with..."

———

'Is this what made 2D world heroines unique?'

[T/N: For some slow readers, 2D world means 'manga/manhwa/manhua' worlds. In this case it is 'Doujinshi', a type of manga.]

On the surface, Shion Asougi seemed no different from the girls in the real world—beautiful, with a cool and aloof demeanor typical of long, black-haired beauties.

Yet, in situations like this, she became incredibly decisive and proactive.

Even though she was also a black-haired, long-haired beauty like Yukinoshita Yukino, given time to mature, Shion wouldn't lose out to her.

Well... in some aspects, Yukinoshita couldn't even compare to the yet-to-be-fully-grown Shion.

Feeling Shion tightly hugging him from behind, Hachiman turned his head to look at her delicate face and the silky black hair cascading over her shoulders. He didn't respond immediately but sighed with a hint of reflection.

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