Diary Of Service Club, Helping The Elf Princess

The moment he saw Kaede tied up on the sofa, he guessed it was Suzu's doing.

However, he thought it was only Suzu, perhaps with the maid Shion. He hadn't expected that the noble lady Rurikawa Tsubaki would also be involved.

Rurikawa Tsubaki's personality shouldn't be as mischievous as Suzu and Shion's.

"I didn't participate, just observed."

With shoulder-length dark brown hair, delicate features, and an air of noble coldness, Rurikawa Tsubaki shook her head. Seeing Kaede tied up on the sofa with her figure highlighted by the ropework of Shion and Suzu, her pretty face flushed slightly.

As a dignified, virtuous, and well-mannered noble lady who was consistent inside and out, she naturally wouldn't personally do such things.

However, when had Shion learned ropework...?

"I acted on my own initiative; it has nothing to do with the young lady."

The treasurer of the student council, Shion, with her long silver-purple hair cascading behind her, and a quiet, cute demeanor, slightly bowed to Hachiman.

Although she had to wear the school uniform at Sobu High and not her maid outfit from working at Rurikawa's household, her status as a maid was no secret. Many people knew she was the maid of Rurikawa Tsubaki, the student council vice president, and also helped as the treasurer in the council.

"..." Hachiman looked at the master and servant pair, Rurikawa and Shion, silently.

Did they think Kaede was stupid? Even if Shion hadn't shown her scheming and sadistic side in public and appeared very ladylike, a maid wouldn't act on her own without Rurikawa Tsubaki's tacit approval.

Just Rurikawa Tsubaki standing by and doing nothing would make Kaede, once her embarrassment subsided, settle scores with her later.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

Seeing Hachiman forget to untie her and instead chat with Rurikawa and the others, Kaede, whose hands and feet were bound, struggled desperately on the sofa.

"Kaede, don't worry. I'll help you get into a more comfortable position."

Hearing the commotion behind him, Hachiman chuckled, turned, and lifted Kaede. He seated her on his lap, her back against him, holding her waist with one hand while removing the gag from her mouth.

Although he wanted to tease Kaede further, this wasn't their private space with just him, Kaede, and Suzu. With Rurikawa and Shion also present, there was no need to embarrass her further.

Otherwise, Kaede might vent all her anger from being tied up by Suzu and Shion onto him later, and he'd feel wronged.

"Hachiman! Untie me now! I need to teach Suzu and Shion a lesson."

Once Hachiman removed the gag, Kaede immediately shouted, glaring fiercely at Suzu, who was holding her phone, and Shion, who acted as if nothing had happened.

She had come looking for Hachiman to discuss something important. After class, she rushed to the student council room to wait for him, but before he arrived, Suzu and Shion had teamed up to tie her up, leaving her in this embarrassing position in front of Hachiman.

"Is that how you ask for help?"

Hachiman didn't untie her but loosened the ropes slightly to make them less tight. Then, he continued leisurely watching Kaede as she sat on his lap.

Suzu and Shion had given him a chance to play along, so there was no way he'd waste their effort.

He might as well take advantage of Kaede while he could; with her personality, who knew when he'd have another chance?

"Hachiman? Are you in cahoots with them?"

Hearing his words, Kaede turned her head in disbelief.

"What do you mean, 'in cahoots'? If you want me to help, you'd better ask nicely."

Hachiman rolled his eyes at Kaede, who still hadn't grasped the situation, wrapped his arms around her, and leaned down to sniff her elegant, slender neck.

Opportunities to take such liberties with Kaede were rare. And with Suzu and Shion diverting the firepower, he could afford to be a bit more audacious.

"Y-You— Hachiman, you're taking advantage of the situation. You'll regret this!"

Feeling his breath on her skin, Kaede's heart filled with an indescribable embarrassment. She suppressed her mixed feelings, attributing Hachiman's behavior to deliberate humiliation, and gritted her teeth while struggling.

"Don't move, or I won't let you go."

Hachiman tightened his grip on her as she struggled, pulling her closer while whispering in her ear.

Kaede's figure wasn't as slim as Yukino Yukinoshita's or as voluptuous as Saki Hayase's. She had a soft, full figure that felt perfect to hold, with her white stockings enhancing the appeal.

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

Kaede froze and glared at Hachiman but stopped demanding he let her go, her face flushed as she glanced at Suzu and Shion.

If Hachiman's actions became public knowledge, she'd also be embarrassed as his childhood friend and feel obligated to cover for him.

But this kind of cover-up was mortifying... She'd make him pay later.

Ignoring her surface anger and inner shyness, Hachiman rested his chin on her shoulder, his arm around her waist, and his hand on her thigh.

Kaede's thoughts were easy to read—reluctant to be proactive and flustered when he made the first move. But with a proper excuse, he could go even further.

Between the two sisters, the truly enigmatic one was the younger sister, Suzu, always expressionless and impossible to read.

Still, based on Suzu's actions today, she probably liked him too.

After all, he'd stolen a kiss from her behind Kaede's back yesterday, and today, Suzu had tied Kaede up for him.

"It seems President Kaede is about to fall to Hachiman," Shion remarked with a soft smile, her ladylike demeanor betraying none of her mischievous nature.

She usually appeared very ladylike, rarely speaking, and behaved more politely and gracefully than most wealthy young ladies. However, even her seemingly innocent younger sister, Suzu, had a side that couldn't be judged by appearances—quietly tying up her own older sister without a word.

"..."

Suzu stood silently in front of Hachiman and Kaede, her phone camera still pointed at the two of them. Her expression was calm, and she said nothing.

Kaede, on the other hand, was extremely annoyed by her sister's behavior and deeply wished Suzu could experience the same embarrassing situation she was currently enduring.

However, Hachiman didn't seem to mind. After all, being watched by a few beautiful girls while holding Kaede wasn't a big deal—it wasn't like he was engaging in any intimate actions that couldn't be seen by others.

"By the way, Kaede, what exactly did you call me here for today?"

Hachiman, with his arms wrapped around Kaede's waist, rested his chin on her shoulder and stared at her profile as he asked.

This morning, it was Kaede who had asked him to come to the student council. Clearly, what she had in mind wasn't tying herself up and letting him do whatever he wanted.

If Kaede were truly that cunning, he would have already been drained by the two sisters long ago. There was no way things would still be stuck at this ambiguous stage—more than childhood friends, but not quite lovers.

"Well... it's actually because of me..."

Before Kaede could answer, the elegant and dignified noble lady Rurikawa Tsubaki hesitated and spoke up.

"Was it you, Vice President, who called me here?"

Hachiman looked hesitantly at Rurikawa Tsubaki, the poised and elegant noble lady.

He didn't seem to have much interaction with her. Although Rurikawa Tsubaki was not only the student council vice president but also the class representative of Class 1-F, to be honest, he wasn't very familiar with her. Even in their class, he didn't have much to talk about with her.

The only times he interacted with Rurikawa Tsubaki were when he was around Kaede, and even then, their exchanges were minimal.

"I'm the one who asked you to come, but it's indeed because of Tsubaki's matter that I called you here."

Kaede, no longer dwelling on her own situation with Hachiman, spoke seriously.

"Yes, due to certain circumstances... I plan to resign from my position as vice president, so I wanted to ask you to take my place in the student council."

Rurikawa Tsubaki nodded slightly and spoke softly, looking at Hachiman.

"Resign as vice president? Does this mean you're planning to transfer or drop out, Vice President?"

Realizing the implications, Hachiman's expression shifted slightly as he asked, puzzled.

The position of vice president didn't involve a lot of work. If Rurikawa Tsubaki wasn't planning to leave Sobu High, there was no need for her to specifically resign from the role.

Could it be... something had happened to Rurikawa Tsubaki's family?

He vaguely remembered that in the original story, Rurikawa's family had gone bankrupt due to failed business ventures, brought down by a rival. Subsequently, Rurikawa Tsubaki was sold to the rival family as a maid.

However, in this world, Shion didn't originally belong to Rurikawa Tsubaki. Things had already changed, and he thought this event wouldn't happen here.

"Yes... I'm planning to take a leave of absence..."

Rurikawa Tsubaki pressed her lips together, nodded lightly, her mood somewhat gloomy.

Although it was a leave of absence, with the option to return to school in the future, for her, it was likely the end of her school life.

If she could, she wouldn't want to leave school. However, given the dire situation her family was facing, she had no choice.

As the young lady of the Rurikawa family, she had enjoyed the support of her family and now had to shoulder her responsibilities. She couldn't continue to enjoy school life while ignoring her family's plight.

"Milady, would you like to eat first? Lunch break is almost over," Shion, the maid, reminded softly.

"Yes... I had Shion prepare plenty of delicious food to bring here. Let's eat and talk."

Rurikawa Tsubaki composed herself and gave Hachiman a faint smile. However, this smile appeared incredibly forced.

"Alright, then I'll thank the Vice President in advance."

Hachiman, lost in thought, didn't say much. He continued holding Kaede as he watched Suzu and Shion take out the lunchboxes and set them on the coffee table.

Rurikawa Tsubaki sat across from Hachiman on the sofa and picked up her chopsticks. Seeing that Hachiman still had no intention of letting go of Kaede, and that Kaede wasn't protesting, she nodded to herself.

Even though she had been preoccupied with her family's troubles, as the class representative of Class 1-F, she knew that Kaede's childhood friend had been quite popular in class recently.

With Kaede's personality, if this continued, she might really end up as a loser in love.

Although her time spent with Kaede wasn't extensive, under Kaede's cheerful and outgoing nature, the two had become good friends.

Her high school life was coming to an early end, but Kaede still had a long and vibrant school life ahead of her.

Before she left school, she wanted to help Kaede and also find someone to take over her position as vice president.

"In short... my family's business is struggling, and I have to return to personally manage it."

"Struggling? Will your involvement help, Vice President? Have you even managed the family business before?"

Hachiman looked at Rurikawa Tsubaki and asked.

"I do have a talent for business. It's just that I'll be too busy with family matters in the future and won't have many opportunities to see you all again."

Facing Hachiman's skepticism, Rurikawa Tsubaki responded vaguely.

It was true that she had to take a leave of absence to save her family, but the way she intended to do so wasn't quite as she described.

Although things hadn't been finalized yet, she was still trying to find a way to resolve the family crisis.

However, the Poiman family, a powerful noble house with significant influence in both politics and business, had already crushed many of the Rurikawa family's businesses. If her leave of absence didn't resolve the crisis, it might turn into a permanent withdrawal from school.

She might even have to accept the Poiman family's outrageous demands...

"Unfortunately, I don't understand these things, but Tsubaki, I'm sure you'll overcome this."

"If there's anything I can help with, I'll do everything I can!" Kaede encouraged her good friend, Rurikawa Tsubaki, hoping she could return to Sobu High soon.

However, Hachiman, who heard the system notification sound in his ear, knew it wasn't that simple.

[Ding~]

[Triggered character quest—'The Last Pride of a Fallen Noble.']

[The Rurikawa family is on the brink of bankruptcy due to the assault of a powerful rival. The young lady of the Rurikawa family, Rurikawa Tsubaki, is about to face the fate of being sold by her family.]

[To save the Rurikawa family and preserve its dignity, Rurikawa Tsubaki is willing to let go of her pride and do anything.]

Hearing the quest triggered by Rurikawa Tsubaki, Hachiman's expression shifted.

How should he handle this quest?

Take out her family's rival directly?

Or should he use money to buy out Rurikawa Tsubaki and resolve the crisis?

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator

🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.

https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y