Chapter 111: Tohsaka Family

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"...Alright, I agree. After you come back and finish your bath, come to my house. At that time, I will give you a reward," Kaede pouted, showing a look of anger yet also helpless shame, reluctantly agreeing to Hachiman's coercion.

'Damn, this guy Hachiman, does he really think I can be completely controlled?'

'Just wait. When school starts, I will have Makoto-chan and those disciplinary committee members strictly enforce Hachiman's discipline.'

"This is what you said. I'll come over at night, and you can't go back on your word," Hachiman smiled as he pinched Kaede's face, then looked at the quiet younger sister Suzu, who had been watching from the side, suddenly kissed her on the cheek, and quickly walked out the door, taking Makoto Usui to catch the train.

Actually, Kaede was not so easily subdued because by the time he finished dropping people off, took a bath, and went to Kaede's house, her parents would definitely be home. By then, it wouldn't be convenient for him to go find Kaede to claim his reward.

However, since Kaede was clearly trying to trick him into making a false promise, he wasn't planning to follow the normal route through the front door anyway.

After dropping off Makoto Usui and dealing with the Poiman family, he would come back and handle this stubborn tsundere Kaede, making her understand that pouting in front of him was useless.

Of course, he could let Kaede and the others relax their guard and then ambush them later. Before that, he should reward Iris and the others first.

"...", Suzu silently raised her hand to touch her cheek where she had been kissed after watching Hachiman run off right after sneaking an attack on her, 'Hmm... This time, it didn't feel as deep as when Hachiman bullied me at her house.'

"Suzu, why didn't you resist just now?"

Kaede looked at the calm Suzu with a disappointed expression.

'Being bullied by Hachiman and not resisting at all—what if Hachiman thought we are easy to bully?'

She assumed Suzu would stick with her. Given Suzu's situation, if she didn't stay with her and Hachiman, she would probably have a tough time. And after so many years of sisterhood, she couldn't bear to let Suzu leave her.

"...Did you successfully resist?", Suzu silently looked at Kaede for a moment before speaking faintly.

Clearly, even she couldn't handle Hachiman, yet she was trying to lecture her.

Originally, she thought that after she helped tie up Kaede's hands and feet and let Hachiman properly train her, Kaede would change her habit of saying one thing while meaning another. It seemed Hachiman hadn't trained her enough. She needed to find another chance to let Hachiman try some new knowledge.

"...It's all because you didn't help me. If you had fought Hachiman with me, he wouldn't be so arrogant," Faced with Suzu's questioning, Kaede fell silent for a moment, then immediately became embarrassed and angry, glaring at Suzu.

Seeing Kaede baring her teeth and claws about to pounce, the expressionless Suzu turned and ran.

The two of them playfully chased each other back home.

Asougi Shion and Komachi, who had been hiding at the corner of the living room eavesdropping, also went to collect clothes and prepare hot water for a bath.

———

On the way to the train station, the streetlights had already turned on.

Hachiman walked ahead with his hands in his pockets, while Makoto Usui carried a small purse, walking half a step behind him.

Their shadows—one long, one short—were cast onto the quiet street.

Actually, Hachiman wanted to take a taxi to send her home, but since taxi fares were too expensive, Makoto Usui was unwilling to spend so much money just to save a little time, and even more unwilling to let Hachiman spend so much money on her.

Makoto Usui looked at Hachiman's side profile, seeming hesitant to speak.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?", Hachiman suddenly spoke, looking at Makoto Usui beside him.

He wasn't unaware of her attention on him; he just hadn't really cared about her situation.

After all, he only knew that Makoto Usui was probably the heroine of some work, but just having the title of a disciplinary committee member wasn't enough to trigger any special memories in his mind.

There were too many heroines in this world before. Many heroines from hidden worlds could stand right in front of him, and he still wouldn't be sure who they were unless the system reminded him.

Although he knew that the identity of a disciplinary committee member generally meant disrupting order, whether in the surface world or the hidden world.

But even if he wanted to make a disciplinary committee member his, his first choice would be Kotegawa Yui, whom he knew better, rather than this Makoto Usui whom he didn't understand well.

"Um... I want to know, what do you think of Kaede and the others?", Makoto Usui, seeing that Hachiman was looking at her, felt nervous inside. She immediately took a deep breath, making herself less nervous, then put on a serious face and looked at him.

"What do I think? Did you discover something? Otherwise, you wouldn't have specifically found time to talk to me alone about this," Hachiman was thoughtful—so Makoto Usui really was Kaede's good friend, deeply concerned about her.

"Although I don't know what exactly you think, if you like Kaede, please stop getting entangled with other girls," Makoto Usui saw that Hachiman wasn't denying it, so she stared at him seriously and continued.

"Kaede is a good girl, and so is Suzu. If you don't plan to take responsibility for them, please don't play with their feelings."

"I understand what you mean. But I have no intention of hiding things from her," Hachiman smiled in satisfaction at Makoto Usui, who was wholeheartedly thinking about her friend.

Although he didn't know what role Makoto Usui played in the original story, at this moment, she was Kaede's good friend. For this reason alone, if Makoto Usui ever encountered danger, he would have to save her.

"Ah? Kaede knows?", Makoto Usui was stunned, 'Kaede actually knows that Hikigaya is in ambiguous relationship with other girls?'

Given how openly Hikigaya was flirting at school, she had suspected it before, but she still found it hard to believe that the excellent Kaede would remain silent and accept Hikigaya's flirtatious nature.

"Actually, she's not completely clear on everything... Usui-san, you should know, right? My career aspiration is to become a househusband," Hachiman thought for a moment. Since explaining Kaede's exact thoughts was inconvenient, he decided to put it another way.

"This... Kaede did mention it...", Makoto Usui nodded blankly, a little puzzled as to why he was suddenly bringing this up.

"But Kaede doesn't like my career aspiration. She thinks it means I'm slacking off and being irresponsible with my life."

"That's obvious...", Makoto Usui understood. Although they were only first-years and didn't need to choose a career path yet, there were indeed quite a few girls who wanted to be housewives.

However, a boy openly stating he wanted to be a househusband was extremely rare.

After all, in this society, men were still the primary earners, and it was harder for women to support a family under the same conditions.

Hachiman's career dream is almost like telling Kaede, "I am going to find a rich woman."

After all, only by finding a rich woman can Hachiman be at ease as a househusband, without worrying about other matters.

Kaede had privately complained to her a few times about Hachiman's career dream. However, what surprised her was that Kaede simply disliked Hachiman's idea but did not reject Hachiman himself. Instead, she would think about how to correct Hachiman's "wrong" idea.

"I told Kaede that I am very popular at school and that finding a girlfriend is very easy. She just doesn't want to believe it," Hachiman smiled helplessly, "She even made a bet with me: If I can successfully pursue the elf princess Iris and the noble ladies like Yukinoshita Yukino, and if all of them agree to accept each other's existence, then she will agree to let me have a harem. Otherwise, she wants me to marry her right after graduating from high school."

"A harem? And with those noble ladies? And an elf princess?", Makoto Usui looked at Hachiman, wanting to speak but stopping herself. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she held back.

If it were just about Hachiman's looks and personality, finding a beautiful girlfriend wouldn't be too difficult. But if it was about having a harem, that was a bit too far-fetched.

Not to mention that his targets were noble ladies and an elf princess from another world.

In terms of looks and personality alone, these girls might not necessarily surpass Kaede, but their family background and status undoubtedly crushed Kaede completely.

If Hachiman could get just one of them, it would already be an incredible stroke of luck. As for gathering so many and forming a harem… Such a thing could only happen in the fantasy of a movie plot.

No wonder Kaede wasn't worried about Hachiman wanting a harem. She even made a bet with him, forcing him to marry her right after graduation.

"Kaede is lucky to have a good friend like you as her best friend. I hope you can continue to be her good friend in the future," Seeing Makoto Usui's expression, Hachiman knew she didn't believe him either, but he still smiled and praised her.

He never intended to make Makoto Usui believe him. He just didn't want her to interfere in his matters for Kaede's sake.

After all, she was worried about Kaede and wanted the best for her. If she really interfered in his affairs, he wouldn't know whether to go easy on her or be harsh.

"Actually, having a good friend like Kaede is my real good fortune...", Looking at Hachiman's gentle smile and the approving gaze in his eyes, Makoto Usui pursed her lips, not knowing what to say next.

'So Kaede wants Hachiman to settle down and marry her after playing around enough. No wonder she remains so calm even after seeing so many outstanding and beautiful girls appear in Hachiman's home…'

Although Hachiman's explanation sounded a bit ridiculous, there was no reason for him to lie to her, as such a thing would be easily exposed.

Since Kaede already knew about it, she didn't need to interfere too much in their relationship matters…

But what about Suzu?

Makoto Usui suddenly recalled the scene she had witnessed at Kaede's house. Looking at Hachiman's face, she hesitated but didn't ask further.

Suzu and Kaede looked very similar, so perhaps they wanted to marry Hachiman together.

Their bond was deep, and they were twin sisters. No matter who married Hachiman, it would be the same, right? If they didn't tell anyone, others wouldn't even know who was truly Hachiman's wife while they lived together.

Makoto Usui finally understood Kaede and Hachiman's relationship issues. The atmosphere between them softened considerably, and they started chatting casually as they walked into the train station and boarded the train.

When they arrived at their stop and got off, Hachiman walked her to her doorstep.

As she waved goodbye to Hachiman and was about to enter her home, Makoto Usui suddenly turned back. She leaned close to Hachiman's ear and chuckled softly, "Hachiman, even if Kaede might not refuse you, please be more mindful of taking protective measures."

"As a member of the disciplinary committee, I must remind you that impure romantic relationships are prohibited in school."

———

[Poiman Family, Chiba City Residence]

Although this was merely a temporary residence of the Poiman family head in Chiba City, it was still luxuriously decorated, extremely grand and magnificent.

At this moment, classical music filled the mansion. Maids and attendants, dressed neatly and elegantly, moved between the dining tables, providing service to the distinguished guests from the political and business worlds.

The current head of the Poiman family was in his prime, having gained prominence at a young age. He had already made a name for himself in both politics and business. Even though this banquet in Chiba didn't feature any particularly good business projects, many notable figures from Chiba still attended.

Naturally, Yukinoshita Haruno from the Yukinoshita family was no exception. Even though she personally didn't want to attend, as the daughter of a politician, she needed to understand the dynamics of this circle—otherwise, she wouldn't even know if someone was targeting her.

She followed her mother into this high-society gathering, greeting the socialites she knew with a bright and cheerful smile while secretly observing the distinguished guests scattered throughout the venue, forming small circles and conversing in low voices.

Although high society appeared glamorous, in reality, it was just divided into different circles based on wealth, reputation, influence, and other factors.

In terms of pure financial power, the Yukinoshita family couldn't compare to the financial conglomerates that monopolized industries and controlled the national economy. Even within Chiba, many large corporations matched the Yukinoshita family's level.

However, as a political family with a sitting politician, the Yukinoshita family had higher social recognition and public influence than many local business groups—though this influence diminished significantly outside of Chiba.

'Hmm… I don't see anyone from the Tohsaka family… The Ichinose family isn't here today either…'

"Haruno," Suddenly, Yukinoshita Haruno heard someone calling her name from behind. She turned around and saw a lady with long, straight black hair—elegant yet resolute. The white lace-trimmed dress she wore accentuated her full figure, and her serene eyes carried a faint hint of melancholy.

"Touka, long time no see~", When Yukinoshita Haruno recognized the person, she immediately spread her arms and tightly embraced her. Even when she saw a slightly resistant expression on the other girl's face, she didn't let go. Instead, she smiled mischievously and hugged her even tighter.

The girl with the long, straight black hair was Tohsaka Touka, the eldest daughter of the Tohsaka family. She was of a similar age to Haruno and also her close friend.

Because of their similar circumstances, their friendship was deeper than a typical social relationship.

"Touka, I heard you're preparing to fulfill the old marriage contract with the Takamine family. Have you really thought it through? Why not try negotiating for a different fiancé? Once you're married, there's no turning back," Yukinoshita Haruno pulled Tohsaka Touka to a more secluded spot before bringing up her arranged marriage with the Takamine family.

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