Chapter 128: Endure for a Week

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'However, even if he's not dead, he's probably close. Councilor Ichinose is quite ambitious and somewhat ruthless. These two teachers dared to harm his daughter; it's likely he never intended to let them leave alive.'

"No, no... I mean, if you don't have someone else you like, and you don't mind, could you marry me...", Seeing that Hachiman was about to misunderstand again, Ichinose Ayano quickly shook her head in denial, her face flushed as she softly revealed her true intention for coming to the Service Club activity today. [T/N: Sure, I will]

"???", Hachiman was stunned, looking at Ichinose Ayano, who was staring at him intently, as if afraid he would refuse. He wondered if he had misheard.

This can't be right. Although he had previously thought about absolutely taming the love-struck fool Ichinose Ayano to be his bitch, he hadn't started yet. How could she be proactively asking him to marry her?

'The absolute taming skill isn't that outrageous, is it? Can it even tame someone in the void?'

"President, don't misunderstand. I'm not saying I like you, ah, no, that's not it, I don't like you, I mean...", Seeing Hachiman staring at her with a strange look, Ichinose Ayano hurriedly tried to explain, but perhaps due to excessive nervousness, she stammered and couldn't make herself clear.

"Calm down first, don't be too nervous, speak slowly. Even if Shino hears, she won't gossip. She's very tight-lipped," Seeing Ichinose Ayano stuttering incomprehensibly, Hachiman helplessly stroked the obedient and well-behaved Sakurase Shino in his arms, while also comforting Ichinose Ayano from a distance.

He was the one being confessed to and proposed to, so why was he the one comforting Ichinose Ayano?

"Yes...", Seeing this, Ichinose Ayano knew she couldn't continue like this. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, glanced at Sakurase Shino, who was letting Hachiman play with her, and prepared to explain again.

Sakurase Shino's mouth was indeed very tight. Even now, as the president played with her hand and touched her thigh, she didn't say a word, only her face gradually turning red.

This wasn't strange. What was strange was that even though she was just watching, she felt as if her own thigh was being touched by the president.

However, she thought it was just her excessive nervousness and didn't dwell on the slight peculiar sensations she was feeling all over her body.

Ichinose Ayano leaned forward, her legs tightly pressed together, and softly explained to Hachiman the reason she had suddenly asked if he could marry her.0

Ichinose Ayano and Hachiman hadn't spent much time together, not even privately. They had no feelings for each other, so she wasn't asking him to marry her out of affection.

However, her desire for Hachiman to marry her was genuine, not a slip of the tongue.

The real reason she said this was to escape her father's control.

She had thought long and hard about many things recently and realized that the true reason her life wasn't free was that she had no power. She didn't even have the freedom to make friends.

Because her life had already been planned out by her father. Her current school life was just a transition; her destiny was to marry into an alliance and contribute to the Ichinose family.

Even if her father could find another Ichinose to approach the elf princess in the Service Club, he wouldn't allow her to do nothing. She would still need to marry for an alliance.

Originally, she was very confused and didn't know what to do. But after hearing her father talk about the influence of the elf princess Iris, she suddenly understood.

Since she had to contribute to the Ichinose family no matter what, why not make a choice that would allow her to take control of her own life in the future?

If she followed her father's orders to please Hachiman and Iris, the benefits would go to her father. But if she did it for herself, wouldn't she no longer have to obey her father?

Her father was the head of the Ichinose family, but she was also an Ichinose. She could be the one in charge.

"So, you want to break free from your father's control? Become the head of the Ichinose family?", After listening to Ichinose Ayano's frank explanation, Hachiman was stunned, then couldn't help but laugh.

Honestly, marrying Ichinose Ayano was unlikely. After all, he had so many girls around him now. Whether in terms of emotional depth, strength, influence, or personal preferences, Ichinose Ayano wouldn't be the one.

But when it came to dealing with the not-so-upright Councilor Ichinose, he was interested.

After taking over the Poiman family's assets, he had some influence in the business world. If he could handle the Ichinose family now, he would have someone convenient to speak for him in the political arena.

Although the Ichinose family, like the Yukinoshita family, were just councilors and only influential in Chiba Prefecture, they were insignificant on a larger scale. But considering Iris's influence and support, the Ichinose family's strength wouldn't be a big issue. They were just there to do some dirty work for him.

The only problem was that Ichinose Ayano was a bit foolish, but that didn't seem too important. He just needed an obedient spokesperson.

A scheming politician like Councilor Ichinose could easily develop unnecessary ideas, but a foolish, love-struck person like Ichinose Ayano was perfect to be his dog.

As the saying goes, a dog relies on its master's power. Once Ichinose Ayano was properly trained and no longer foolish, she would naturally know to please him to secure her position. Otherwise, her fate would only be worse.

Oh, right, there was another issue. If she wanted to be a councilor, Ichinose Ayano wasn't old enough yet.

He would probably have to let Councilor Ichinose stay in power for a few more years before stepping down and letting his daughter take over.

"President... is it possible...", Ichinose Ayano looked at Hachiman, who was deep in thought, with hopeful eyes.

Honestly, she wasn't very confident about today's request. She had no feelings for the president. If it were Yukinoshita Yukino, who was very close to the president, the success rate would probably be much higher.

But she decided to be bold this time. After all, the president and Iris were people even her father wanted to curry favor with. Plus, Iris and the president didn't seem to be in a romantic relationship, so even if Iris found out about her request to the president, it wouldn't be a big deal.

At worst, she would just be arranged by her father to marry for an alliance. It couldn't be worse than the current situation.

"Hmm... I'm very interested in your idea, but marrying you is impossible. I have no feelings for you," After thinking it over, Hachiman shook his head at Ichinose Ayano and smiled.

"How about a different transaction that interests me more?"

"But... I don't have anything to offer as payment...", Seeing Hachiman refuse to marry her, Ichinose Ayano bit her thin lip and whispered.

She had some self-awareness. She had nothing to offer, so why would Hachiman abandon her father to help a clueless high school student like her?

Although it was shameful to say, reality was like this. The only thing she could offer was herself. Other things probably wouldn't interest Hachiman.

"This isn't urgent. You're not old enough yet. Come find me when you think of something you can offer," Hachiman thought about it. It wasn't urgent to put Ichinose Ayano in power yet. After all, she was still clueless, and having her in power wouldn't help him much.

Even with Iris's influence, it wouldn't be possible to make too many exceptions to let Ichinose Ayano rise to power at such a young age. For now, it was better to let Councilor Ichinose be the dog.

Once Ichinose Ayano was properly trained and no longer so love-struck, it wouldn't be too late to have Councilor Ichinose step down.

"But... in a year or two, my father will arrange for me to marry for an alliance...", Ichinose Ayano hesitated, her face showing a troubled expression as she whispered.

Being from a councilor's family, although she didn't care much about politics, she at least knew that one had to be at least 25 years old to qualify as a candidate for the House of Representatives, and 30 for the House of Councillors.

Originally, she thought since she had to marry for an alliance anyway, she might as well choose someone she felt was good and would indulge her. She noticed Hachiman seemed a bit promiscuous, but he treated the girls around him well, and they were all very free.

But now, waiting until she was 25... her father wouldn't let her stay unmarried until then.

"Your father is simple. Just get close to Iris and find a reason to say that getting married would make it inconvenient to interact with Iris, so it's better to marry later," Hachiman picked up Sakurase Shino beside him and sat her on his lap, leisurely lifting the hem of her short skirt covering her thighs, smiling at the nervous Ichinose Ayano.

"However, your real problem now is why I should trust you."

"Not long ago, you were a fool who didn't even know how to resist when threatened. Now you want to replace your father and take charge. What if you're actually pledging allegiance to me for the sake of that teacher? Wouldn't I be at a huge loss?", Although he didn't think Ichinose Ayano was that clever to think of such a convoluted plan to save her teacher, he obviously couldn't let her take advantage of him.

He had always been the one taking advantage of others, reaping all the benefits. How could he let a fool like Ichinose Ayano manipulate him?

Even Rurikawa Tsubaki, who was a good friend of Kaede, sacrificed herself for her family, not only helping him manage money but also having to face many of his unreasonable demands in the future, enduring the joy and torment of betraying her good friend Kaede day and night. There was no reason he should have no demands for Ichinose Ayano.

"This... then what do you want me to do, President... I really don't understand...", Ichinose Ayano had no choice but to look pitifully at Hachiman, waiting for his final verdict.

She roughly understood that the President didn't think much of her, but it also seemed like he hadn't completely rejected her. With her limited experience, she couldn't fully grasp what was going on.

Because all she could offer now was herself, and offering herself to marry Hachiman was her greatest show of sincerity.

After all, she had no other way to prove her sincerity.

"If you can endure not taking it off for a week, then I'll believe in your sincerity, and you won't have to go through with the arranged marriage. When you come of age, I'll let you become a council member and replace your father," Hachiman pointed at the silver bracelet on Ichinose Ayano's wrist. He was too lazy to continue dragging things out with Ichinose Ayano. With this untrained fool, it was better to be direct.

"This bracelet? Just wearing it for a week without taking it off is enough?", Ichinose Ayano was stunned, hesitantly looking at the silver bracelet on her wrist.

'What special meaning does this bracelet have? Just wearing it for a week without taking it off? Isn't that a very easy task?'

"Didn't you feel anything just now?", Hachiman wasn't in a hurry when he saw that Ichinose Ayano still didn't understand.

He had been talking with Ichinose Ayano earlier and hadn't used any extreme methods on Sakurase Shino. But now, to let Ichinose Ayano know what she was about to face, he needed to go a bit deeper.

"Feel what? Mmm~", Ichinose Ayano looked at Hachiman in confusion, then glanced down at the bracelet on her hand. Suddenly, her body went soft, and the strange sensation that came from within almost made her cry out.

She leaned against the armrest of the sofa, her body tense as she looked up in disbelief at Hachiman, who was smiling at her.

'What was that feeling just now? This definitely isn't an illusion, right?', She had always thought it was just her body reacting to stress, but now Ichinose Ayano realized that the strange sensations coming from all over her body were real.

"This pair of bracelets is actually a special magical tool that can connect the senses of two people. Whatever Shino feels now, you will feel the same. Does that make sense to you?", Seeing Ichinose Ayano's flushed face and her incredulous look, Hachiman leaned down and kissed Sakurase Shino, who was still trying her best not to cry out even at this moment. He leisurely tested the depth of his relationship with Sakurase Shino, seeing how much endurance Sakurase Shino had compared to Ichinose Ayano.

Of course, this silver bracelet wasn't a magical tool. He said that just to make Ichinose Ayano think it was something given to him by Iris.

Speaking of which, he remembered that in some otherworldly themes, there were similar tools that connected senses, and they were also related to elves. He should ask Iris about it later.

But he probably wouldn't get much information. Although that elf was beautiful, one of his favorite elf characters, the problem was that he only remembered her beauty, not even her name.

Just knowing she was an elf, and possibly an adventuring elf, wasn't enough for Iris to find her.

"There's actually such a magical tool...", Ichinose Ayano lay on the armrest of the sofa, looking at Sakurase Shino, who was also weak and nestled in Hachiman's arms, her face flushed and silent. She was a bit shocked.

She really didn't doubt it. Iris and Hachiman had such a good relationship; it was normal for her to give him a magical tool. As the princess knight guarding Iris, Aegis was stern-faced to everyone except Iris and Hachiman. Perhaps this magical tool was meant for Aegis to use.

She just found it incredible, 'Are Iris and the others playing such a big game?'

'From the surface, Iris seems like an incredibly pure, noble, and elegant elf princess.'

'To think they are using such tools... No wonder they have such a good relationship with the President. They must have had this kind of relationship for a long time...'

"So, now that you know the function of this bracelet, are you still willing to accept this challenge?", Hachiman looked at Ichinose Ayano, who had almost collapsed after her first experience with the shared-sense bracelet, and smiled.

"As long as you can endure not taking off this bracelet for a week, I will fulfill your request."

The shared-sense bracelet was probably a perfect match for the Absolute Taming ability. He had been wondering how to use this passive ability, which had no clear method of use, since he couldn't really treat people like dogs to train them.

But now, with the shared-sense bracelet, he could try using it to adjust and educate Ichinose Ayano.

From body to mind, starting with extreme sensory stimulation, making Ichinose Ayano's body and mind dependent on him.

"A week...", Ichinose Ayano bit her lip, her eyes fixed on Sakurase Shino, who was suffering the same stimulation.

'A week... I should be able to endure a week, right...'

After all, she had already prepared herself to marry Hachiman and become his wife. Compared to a lifetime, a week should be very easy.

Sakurase Shino was also going to be treated like this by President Hachiman, and she could endure it. There was no reason she couldn't.

The only difference was that Sakurase Shino was being directly handled by the President, while she was just experiencing the same stimulation through a magical tool.

"Don't worry, I won't use this bracelet to cause trouble without warning. I'll give you a few minutes' notice," Hachiman looked at Ichinose Ayano, who was still hesitating and hadn't agreed yet, and relaxed the conditions to comfort her.

Even though he could do it anytime, he wouldn't act recklessly. If Ichinose Ayano was crossing the street or going down stairs, it could be dangerous.

At most, he would have Iris, Shino, and the others take turns wearing the shared-sense bracelet, letting Ichinose Ayano experience all their feelings.

"No, I agree... It's just that, could you please let me catch my breath first...", Unaware of Hachiman's sinister intentions, Ichinose Ayano suddenly reached out and grabbed Hachiman's hand, which was still on Sakurase Shino's thigh, her face flushed as she softly pleaded.

'Talk if you want to talk, tease Sakurase Shino if you want to tease her, but don't talk to me while teasing Sakurase Shino!'

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