She could understand her good friend Miko's worries, and she also knew she herself was not much safer than Miko. Not being able to see ghosts left her at a loss about how to escape danger when it appeared.
But she really could not see ghosts, so she truly could not empathize with Miko. Aside from comforting Miko, there was nothing she could do.
"Hmm!"
Yotsuya Miko nodded with complicated feelings, lowered her head and looked at the little charm pouch in her hand, and sighed softly.
In theory, if she was not so unlucky, occasionally encountering a ghost should be fine. The next day she could just come to school to receive Hikigaya-kun's life energy protection and have Origamine replenish her charm.
But she just felt extremely unlucky. If she were not unlucky, how would she have awakened a constitution that only frightened her but left her with no ability to resist.
"..."
Rurikawa Tsubaki looked at the extremely conflicted and distressed Miko, opened her mouth but then stopped, wanted to speak again then stopped, and in the end remained silent.
Actually, she knew of another kind of charm pouch with excellent protective effects that was also very simple to make.
If Yotsuya Miko was willing to do it herself, she could hang colorful little charm pouches all over her body. [T/N: If you can't understand this let me know in the comments.]
However, although that kind of charm could protect Miko from being frightened, after making and using them for a long time it would also...
"President Kaede, Vice President Rurikawa, this scent on you... is it intentional?"
Having temporarily resolved the problems that Miko and the others faced, Origamine Ouka glanced at Kaede, Suzu, and Rurikawa and asked.
At the mention of it, Origamine Ouka's face flushed slightly and she felt embarrassed to speak.
Not only did Kaede, Suzu, Tsubaki, and Shino share exactly the same aura, but the smell of that aura made people blush.
She was the shrine maiden of the Origamine exorcist family, and despite being a shrine maiden for so many years she had never seen such an outrageous protection method.
Normally humans with strong life energy attract ghosts, like Yurikawa Hana who easily got entangled by them.
There are also people whose life energy is so strong they can eliminate some weak ghosts; such people usually have an innate exorcist constitution.
But for someone to be so strong that the aura naturally emitted by their life energy blankets the entire school, making it impossible to see any ghosts or anomalies, and a mere portion of their life energy can protect others more effectively than her carefully made charms.
Origamine Ouka, thinking of her current role as head of the Origamine family, sighed inwardly. Not only did she need to exorcise spirits, fight demons, and protect peace among humans, she also had the responsibility to leave outstanding heirs. Her feelings were complicated.
If she were to have children with Hikigaya, their innate aptitude would surely be stronger than hers and could inherit the title of the strongest shrine maiden. But Hikigaya was Kaede's lover.
As a shrine maiden who took protecting the human world as her duty, how could she do something that would take someone else's love?
"...", Hearing Origamine Ouka's suggestive words, Kaede's face stiffened and her ears reddened.
Are all these demi-humans' noses that sensitive? She clearly felt nothing, and Suzu and Tsubaki had not smelled anything odd either.
Could it be that they had simply gotten used to it and so could no longer smell it?
Then would the classmates who were closer to her and had more contact with her notice the scent on her and Makoto?
Thinking of this, Kaede felt somewhat uneasy, but she forced a smile and explained the smell on them to Origamine Ouka.
"Actually, Origamine, you misunderstood. This was just because we were a bit rushed this morning."
"How can I put it, it might have some exorcism and protective effects, but it wasn't deliberate."
"...", Suzu watched her sister perform without reminding her that this would only cause more misunderstanding.
"Mm... President Kaede, you don't need to say more. I understand. I just hope you'll be a little more careful while at school. As the student council, you're a role model for students. We must set an example."
Origamine Ouka neither accepted nor rejected Kaede's explanation and only hinted at her request.
She could not control how the other student council members behaved privately, but doing such things at school was too indecent.
"Exorcism protection effects? Setting an example? President, have you discussed a better self-protection method against ghosts?", Yotsuya Miko stared at Kaede and Origamine Ouka in a daze, then glanced at Yurikawa Hana who was eating with relish beside her and couldn't help whispering.
What are they talking about? It sounds like listening to an encrypted call.
Had she been daydreaming for so long that she suddenly could not understand what they were saying?
"Uh... this, well...", Kaede was embarrassed by Miko's question, but she could not say that the special charm pouches were their exclusive method that could not be shared.
Although she wanted to recruit Miko into their human faction to resist the evil demi-human faction led by Aelice, bringing this up out loud would seem like blackmail.
Before she could come up with a reasonable explanation, two figures suddenly appeared in the student council office. Without any warning, they materialized between Rurikawa Tsubaki and Shino.
"Hachiman?"
"Master?"
Rurikawa Tsubaki and Shino looked helplessly at Hachiman and Sylpha who had suddenly appeared between them, and at how he scooped them up and pulled both onto his lap.
Hachiman had teleported and picked them up like this more than once, but they still found it a bit awkward.
At home it was fine, they were close sisters who often shared beds, but at school with others present it was really embarrassing.
Seeing that outsiders were present, Sylpha quickly got up from Hachiman's arms, stepped forward with her smooth, fair legs, stood straight behind the sofa, and stared forward without averting her eyes.
No matter how serious she acted, Origamine Ouka could clearly smell that same root scent on this seemingly indifferent blond elf from two or three meters away, the same origin as Rurikawa Tsubaki and the others.
'How strong is this Hikigaya? There is no sign that his aura has weakened.'
"Good afternoon, everyone~ I didn't expect Miko, Hana, and Vice President Origamine to be here~"
Seeing Sylpha shyly stand up, Hachiman did not force her back into his arms. He hugged Rurikawa and Shino, kissed them both on the cheek as mistress and maid, and greeted Origamine Ouka, Yotsuya Miko, and the others.
He hadn't expected Origamine Ouka to be in the student council office today. He had wanted to give Kaede and the others a little extra magic tutoring.
"Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun."
Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana, who would likely be troubled by Hikigaya often in the future, quickly greeted him.
"Hello, Hikigaya," Origamine Ouka stared at Hikigaya, whose aura seemed to boil with life energy, as if he were a giant life-energy furnace. She swallowed without a sound, her fingertips going white as she clutched them, forcing herself to control her troubled breathing.
'He wasn't this strong before.'
'Why is he getting stronger? Just facing him makes my body difficult to control.'
"Hachiman, do you want to listen to what you're saying? Origamine is our vice president. If she's not in the office, where would she be?", Kaede rolled her eyes at Hikigaya for teasing her good friends as soon as he arrived, glanced at the nearly finished lunch break, and scolded him.
"By the way, where did you run off to again? Origamine said you weren't at school just after noon. Why did you suddenly come back before the break ended?", She didn't know where Hachiman had gone. She also wasn't sure how many pretty girls he secretly wooed. She only had Lala's pink sympathy wristbands and black sympathy collars to patrol the campus and count when she checked.
But Origamine Ouka could sense Hachiman's life aura. Whenever Hachiman left Sobu High, Origamine would learn about it from others.
"I just went out to complete a request. Ms. Ebihara ran into trouble, Shizuka-sensei asked me for help, so Sylpha and I went out for a bit."
"Ms. Ebihara? Doesn't she have a fiance? You were hitting on her too?"
Hearing the surname Ebihara, Kaede's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Hachiman.
Although Hachiman's flirting with pretty girls had nothing directly to do with the requests the Service Club handled, students who requested home visits from the club often ended up swooned by Hachiman.
Gyaru girls, popular girls, withdrawn girls, socially anxious girls, sporty girls, all taken. His record was impressive.
Hmm... perhaps only teacher Hiratsuka, who often sent problem girls to Hachiman, had not been picked, but Hiratsuka was also a slender long-black-haired beauty, just a bit more short-tempered and eager to marry.
Kaede seriously suspected that once Hiratsuka could no longer send problem girls and lost her usefulness, she would end up targeted by Hachiman too.
"If I do something, I won't hide it. Don't slander me about things I haven't done."
Hachiman looked at his childhood friend who seemed to understand him so well through intuition without intending to argue much. He lowered his gaze to the two on his lap, Rurikawa and Shino, and explained Ebihara Urara and the cult situation to them.
"Ebihara-sensei's fiance ran off with invested funds. Shizuka-sensei asked me to help and had Ebihara Urara come to work as a maid at the Rurikawa household."
"But actually, there's more to it—"
"Sylpha and I eliminated that cult. The Lycoris agents cleaned up the scene."
"That's the rough situation. I'll have Councilman Ichinose contribute part of the money."
After explaining the cult incident, Hachiman gave some instructions to Rurikawa and Shino.
"Consoling the victims and providing them compensation should be handled by Councilman Ichinose. Tsubaki, you don't need to be involved. Shino, coordinate with Takina and the Lycoris side."
"Normally Ebihara's fiance should be among those cultists, but Takina hasn't found any information on Saijo Takayuki yet. He might be using an alias, or he may have been shot by the Lycoris."
"When Takina finds news of Saijo, Shino, you can tell Ebihara. For now have her do maid work to pass the time."
Kokutetsu Academy and the Self Liberation Association's illegal forces, including the loan company worker who blackmailed Ebihara with debt, had been taken down. Those who accidentally died were lucky. The survivors would go to prison and be properly tormented.
However, Ebihara's fiance had not been found for the time being. He didn't even know how to confront Ebihara.
He didn't care whether Ebihara would hate him for killing Saijo Takayuki, but if he announced the fiance's death before finding the body, the blame would be on him unfairly.
Moreover, without concrete evidence that Saijo was a cultist, Ebihara would not easily believe him.
"Tricked by her fiance into huge debts and nearly dragged into a cult... understood, Master. I will give Ebihara-sensei a proper maid education."
Recalling Ebihara Urara's appearance and usual dress, Shino glanced at the Rurikawa heiress leaning in Hachiman's arms, thought for a moment, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
She had been worrying that the Rurikawa household's maid corps was too small to win Master Hikigaya's heart.
A black-haired, refined, dignified female teacher like Ebihara Urara would be a perfect addition.
Quiet and elegant like a Yamato nadeshiko, Ebihara Urara stood out among the many black-silk-clad teachers. Her figure might not be the best, but her legs were certainly the best.
———
"It's almost time for class. If we don't go now we'll be late again."
After Hikigaya arranged the part-time maid work for Ebihara Urara, Kaede stood up and addressed Origamine Ouka, Rurikawa Tsubaki, Yotsuya Miko and the others.
"Aren't you skipping magic class this afternoon? If you don't want to learn magic I can give you extra lessons."
Seeing Kaede so eager to leave so she could attend class again after Hikigaya's return, Hikigaya tried to detain her.
"The exam is tomorrow. As student council president you should set an example and take first place. Tsubaki, try for a perfect score too."
As a childhood friend, he had to give Kaede and the Suzu sisters private tutoring. Otherwise, as student council president Kaede would be so busy with affairs she might not keep up academically with the school's top female students.
Although they were practically his proteges, Tsubaki who was essentially supporting him would naturally get tutored as well.
Grades were mostly about face. They didn't need to study for jobs, so a slight drop in grades wouldn't matter. But learning amplification magic to enhance self-protection must be studied, and studied well.
If others could use amplification magic on Kaede but she couldn't use it on others, that was a major disadvantage.
Combat magic was secondary. In a chaotic world with elves, ghosts, yokai, and aliens, there were magical girls secretly protecting the city when disasters struck. Even the angel Gabriel did not intervene, so they certainly didn't need to.
Kaede, Suzu, Tsubaki, and Shino would at most learn flying magic to fulfill the age-old human dream and experience flying at high altitude.
"Cut the act. Don't pretend I don't know your intentions. Don't try to get us to skip class again," Kaede rolled her eyes at Hikigaya, grabbed the blushing Rurikawa and the hesitant Suzu, and started to leave.
"I won't stop you from causing trouble for other girls, but club activities mustn't run too late today."
"The Takamine family is busy dealing with attacks from the Rurikawa and Ichinose houses. They won't have time to make your sister Touka fulfill the engagement. Tonight she'll bring your cheap little daughter home to thank you. Don't keep her waiting."
She knew what Hachiman intended and understood that his hyper-efficient study methods benefited them. It would be a loss not to take advantage.
But she admitted the learning method was too efficient; even ignoring the various stimuli during the process, the pure knowledge gain was highly satisfying.
Overuse of this method would certainly create dependence. Later when studying on her own she would feel nothing and need to activate the sympathy wristband to get in the zone.
Unless learning magic which required extraordinary talent, she would never rely on that method for daily study.
Anyway, her grades were already very good. Being busy with student council work, a slight drop didn't matter.
Even if these girls in school study well now, in the end they would listen to her, right? After all, she was Hachiman's childhood friend.
Although Hachiman had two unseen countryside childhood sweethearts, they were just a pair of country sisters. They could not possibly beat her.
She was not alone; she had many girls at home. No pair of sisters could defeat her.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.