"Pfft—hahahaha!"
Miyuki Shirogane and Yu Ishigami were clutching their stomachs, struggling to breathe, while Chika Fujiwara had completely doubled over. Even Kaguya Shinomiya, raised under the strictest decorum, couldn't suppress a sharp, elegant snort of amusement.
"I have my reasons for not confessing to Kaguya," Shirogane gasped, "but if a girl were actually in my personal space like that, I'd be thrilled! Hikigaya-kun... you truly are a unique specimen!"
Back in the Chiba karaoke rooms, the students who knew Hachiman were losing their minds. "Did you see that, Hayama? The legendary loner actually turned into a blushing mess! He's pushing them away! He's actually running from a harem! Hahaha!"
Hachiman's "miraculous" display of bashfulness—systematically shoving beautiful girls out of his room—had the entire planet in stitches.
In the convenience store, the sound of muffled snickers and outright guffaws from the other customers made Hachiman's skin crawl. His face twisted into a mask of pure, existential dread, looking like a living rendition of Munch's The Scream.
"Pfft... ha... haha... Don't lose heart, Hikigaya-kun," Yukino Yukinoshita said, her shoulders shaking as she fought to maintain her composure. Then, in a rare moment of sincerity, she added, "To suppress the genetic instinct to pursue attractive members of the opposite sex... to refuse to be a libertine... it shows a level of character. You're a reliable man."
She swallowed the final thought—'For a girlfriend, or a wife, you'd be the best husband in the world'—as a faint blush colored her own cheeks.
"If you say so, Yukino," Hachiman muttered, his dead-fish eyes reflecting a soul that had already departed for the afterlife. His phone was buzzing incessantly with 'congratulatory' messages from his classmates, each one a fresh nail in his social coffin.
[On the screen, Hachiman spends an eternity rolling around in his blankets, letting out the internal monologue of a panicked rubber chicken. Finally, having composed himself and changed into proper clothes, he creeps out of his room.]
[The estate is less of a mansion and more of a fortress. It is vast, elegant, and filled with furniture that looks like it belongs in a museum. The hallways are a labyrinth of polished wood and stone.]
[Naturally, Hachiman Hikigaya gets hopelessly lost.]
[He opens a random door, expecting a broom closet or a bathroom, but steps into a massive, breathtaking library. The air is sweet and still, filled with the scent of old parchment and magic. The only inhabitant is a small girl with drill-shaped blonde hair. For a second, Hachiman thinks he's looking at his classmate, Yumiko Miura, in a doll-like form.]
["Sorry, sorry! My mistake. I didn't know this was..."]
[Even when dealing with a child, Hachiman offers his usual level of cautious respect. But before he can finish his apology, the girl mutters to herself, her voice tinged with surprise. "To arrive here on the first try... is it luck, I wonder?"]
[Hachiman rubs the back of his neck. "Uh, hello? Are you Roswaal's daughter? I think I've lost my way."]
["Roswaal's daughter?" The girl looks at him as if he's told a particularly dull joke. "Betty has no memory of ever becoming that man's offspring."]
[Beatrice looks him up and down. "Your mental state seems stable enough. Did something relaxing happen? You look much better than you did last night."]
["Last night? What do you mean?"]
["Emilia brought you to Betty last night. She said your spirit was in turmoil while you slept. Betty couldn't do much for a human's dreams, I suppose."]
[Hachiman blinks, realizing the weight of what she's saying. This girl—Beatrice—is a powerhouse in a world of magic. "Mind if I ask... how old are you, exactly?"]
[Beatrice returns her gaze to her book, appearing to lose interest in the conversation. She gives him a curt answer and dismisses him. As Hachiman steps back into the hallway, his mind is reeling. Beatrice seemed cold, but beneath the prickliness, he sensed a fundamental kindness.]
[He realizes with a start that in just two days in this world, he has met a handful of people—Emilia, Reinhard, Beatrice, and the maids—whom he actually wants to understand. For the first time in years, he feels the faint, unmistakable scent of the 'Genuine.']
[Among them, he feels the least pressure with Reinhard and Beatrice. One is a man, the other a child; neither triggers his defensive walls regarding romance or intimacy. He can just... talk.]
["Beatrice... can I come back to talk to you again sometime?"]
[The girl doesn't answer, but the door closes just a fraction slower than it would have otherwise.]
["Sister, Sister. It seems our guest is standing there like a fool."]
["Rem, Rem. It seems our guest is doing an excellent impression of a wooden puppet."]
["Hello to you too," Hachiman mutters, ignoring the commentary. "Can you take me to Emilia?"]
[The twins shift gears instantly, their playfulness replaced by professional grace. They lead him to the gardens, where Emilia is dressed in a soft blue gown, whispering to flickering motes of light—minor spirits. Hachiman waits patiently until she finishes.]
["Good morning," he says.]
[He's prepared a formal apology for his screaming fit earlier, but Emilia is already walking toward him, her expression full of gentle concern. "Are you alright now? Hachiman-kun, you have a sister, don't you? If you like, you could bring her here. I'm sure Roswaal wouldn't mind."]
[Hachiman freezes. "How did you know I have a sister?"]
["You told us yourself, little brother~"]
[Puck pops into existence, grinning mischievously. "You were mumbling in your sleep all night. 'My sister...' 'Komachi...' things like that. Lia was so worried she called me out in the middle of the night just to check on you."]
[The realization hits Hachiman like a truck. That's why the maids were looking at him with such warmth. As sisters themselves, they recognized his devotion to his own blood. He wasn't a stranger to them anymore; he was a fellow protector.]
In the real-world Roswaal mansion, the twin maids shared a rare, knowing glance.
"Rem, Rem. This guest is truly a man of character."
"Ram, Ram. This guest deserves a long and healthy life."
"Hehe!" Back in Chiba, Komachi Hikigaya scratched her head, her face a mix of embarrassment and pure joy. "Onii-chan is racking up some major points! Mumbling about your sister in your sleep... on a scale of one to a hundred, I'm giving you a thousand points, Onii-chan!"