It was impossible to be too lenient with someone as proud as Matsubara Miria. If they wanted Matsubara Miria to bow her head before her master, they had to completely reshape her into her master's mold.
Matsubara Miria was about the same as Hiratsuka Shizuka. She was at that age when desire was at its strongest, an older woman who needed to go on marriage interviews...
'Ahem! Forget it. Shizuka-nee is one of our own, so I shouldn't make things up about her.'
She felt that Matsubara Miria's will to resist was not very strong. As long as they did not restrict their methods too much, getting Matsubara Miria to give in would actually be even easier.
"Enjoying it too much?"
After listening to Karuizawa Kei's explanation, Takamine Ayako froze for a moment and looked carefully at Matsubara Miria lying on the floor.
Only then did she realize that the flush on the beautiful face hidden beneath Matsubara Miria's golden wavy hair was not from drinking too much, nor was it from anger.
Takamine Ayako carefully examined the black-stockinged legs tightly wrapped together beneath Matsubara Miria's blue hip-hugging skirt. Looking at the floor beneath her that seemed faintly damp, she hesitated and did not speak rashly again.
She had no experience, but she was not a child who knew nothing.
After Karuizawa Kei pointed it out, she immediately realized something was wrong.
Matsubara Miria... really did not seem to have gone blank from being treated rough.
Although wearing nothing more than a collar and ending up like this was already shocking. Absurd, even.
"Mm. Takamine, you don't need to worry. Matsubara is only a little dehydrated right now. She'll recover after drinking some water and getting a good rest."
The health room nurse, the silver-haired, wheat-skinned Tsukioka Anna, also spoke at that moment.
As the school nurse, she understood far more than Takamine Ayako and saw Matsubara Miria's condition at a glance.
Matsubara Miria had already collapsed on the floor. Whether it was pain or pleasure was easy to judge.
It was obvious that Matsubara Miria had enjoyed it very much. It was just that her body kept wanting something that never came. Things only went out and nothing came in, so she had become somewhat dehydrated.
That was also why Tsukioka Anna had merely watched from the side without saying anything and had not been worried at all.
Karuizawa Kei and Kushida Kikyo had never intended to punish someone through this. They wanted to use this opportunity to draw her in and recruit her.
Although she had secretly glanced into the bedroom a few times, she still could not understand how Hachiman could be so outrageous.
From her quick glance alone, seeing so many girls inside, she had felt that Hachiman should have died in bed. Yet in reality, it was those many girls who were being pinned down on the bed by Hachiman.
"We're not forcing Miss Takamine to accept the punishment."
"Of course, if Miss Takamine wants to experience it in Miss Matsubara's place, we won't stop you."
Seeing that Takamine Ayako was also an inexperienced older single woman, Kushida Kikyo smiled at her, encouraging her from every angle to press the shared-sensation collar herself.
"Didn't you think we were going too far? Then you should explain exactly how we've gone too far."
"After experiencing Miss Matsubara's feelings, it would make sense for you to criticize us."
They truly had not done this just to torment Matsubara Miria, but neither had they done it to make her happy.
Without trying the shared-sensation collar herself, Takamine Ayako had no right to criticize them. But once she put on the shared-sensation collar, she would become one of them. At that point, it would not matter how much she criticized them.
There were already enough little groups in the club. One more would not make a difference. If Takamine Ayako was unhappy, she could recruit people herself and oppose them.
"This..."
Takamine Ayako had no idea that Kushida Kikyo and Karuizawa Kei had been waiting for her to jump into the water herself. Looking at Matsubara Miria lying limply on the floor, seemingly dazed and unable to hear what they were saying, she fell into hesitation.
If it were work, she could help shoulder part of it. Even taking work home and working overtime would be fine.
But this was obviously different. It was not something she could finish just by working hard.
Even if she shared only half the time, her condition probably would not be much better than Matsubara Miria's.
"I can take Matsubara's place too. The two of us can share it together, right?"
At that moment, Tsukioka Anna spoke, "If only Miss Takamine helps, she may still end up like Miss Matsubara. Then we'll take turns replacing Matsubara. Whenever someone can't take it anymore, we'll switch."
Her expression remained calm as always, but what she said was astonishing.
"Miss Tsukioka?"
Takamine Ayako stared blankly at Tsukioka Anna's usual composed face.
This was a solution she had never considered. If they took turns replacing Matsubara Miria, with enough time to recover between turns, it really did seem much easier to endure.
"If you're willing, then that's fine too."
Kushida Kikyo and Karuizawa Kei exchanged a glance and did not reject Tsukioka Anna's offer.
In truth, how much time they shared did not matter. Once there was a first time, there would be countless more.
So far, they had never seen anyone capable of resisting their master. Mermaids, elves, dragons, succubi, angels, demons... all of them eventually knelt before their master.
"Ah... um... then... I'll join too..."
Tachibana Hina looked at Tsukioka Anna and Takamine Ayako, who were willing to sacrifice themselves, then looked at Matsubara Miria trembling on the floor. She wanted to say something, but after swallowing, she said none of the words of doubt or persuasion she had been thinking of. Slowly raising her hand, she spoke with difficulty and chose to join them in sharing the burden.
They had all been drinking together just moments ago. Now everyone was willing to help save Matsubara Miria. If she alone did nothing and merely watched from the side, there would definitely be distance between them afterward.
Besides, according to Karuizawa Kei, the Tachibana family was already preparing to throw themselves into Hikigaya's camp. She and her younger sister Rui might already have been targeted by their own family.
Perhaps in the future, she would need Tsukioka Anna, Takamine Ayako, Matsubara Miria, and the others to help share the burden for her as well.
"You've made the right decision. Taking turns replacing Miss Matsubara and sticking together will make things much easier."
Seeing Tachibana Hina choose to join on her own, Kushida Kikyo smiled and looked toward the door.
"Should we call the people outside in too? They don't need to accept punishment either. If that many people take turns, each person would only need to hold out for a little while."
"No need! The four of us are enough!"
Tachibana Hina's heart tightened. She hurriedly shook her head, and Takamine Ayako and Tsukioka Anna also refused.
The three of them, together with Matsubara Miria, made four people. If four people taking turns still could not manage it, then the problem was no longer simply one of numbers. Bringing in more people probably would not help.
If the four of them had not already entered and been unable to leave, they would never have accepted these terms so easily. If they dragged Kirisu Mafuyu, Hiratsuka Shizuka, Chabashira Sae, and Hoshinomiya Chie into this as well, they would suffer a huge loss.
Though all of them vaguely had the same thought at that moment: if Hiratsuka and the others came in, things might become even worse.
This was the women's dormitory arranged by the school. So many girls had become involved with Hachiman. Did Hoshinomiya Chie, Chabashira Sae, and Kirisu Mafuyu really know nothing about it?
They knew, yet they had still brought them here to drink.
"Then let's begin. Four people total. Switch every fifteen minutes. That means every hour, each of you gets forty-five minutes to rest, until Master finishes."
Seeing they would not drag anyone else in, Karuizawa Kei stepped forward and stopped the shared sensation for Matsubara Miria, while Kushida Kikyo immediately activated the shared sensation for Tsukioka Anna, Takamine Ayako, and Tachibana Hina together.
"Of course, for the first time you can all experience it together. This time you'll have plenty of rest."
This thing was not difficult to operate, but once it started, no matter how miserable the person before you had been, the next person would find it hard to back out halfway.
As the shared-sensation switch was pressed, the shared-sensation state ended, and Matsubara Miria finally stopped trembling.
Even so, she lay on the floor for quite some time before gradually coming back to her senses and slowly getting up.
Her legs were weak and powerless. Her sturdy, shapely black-stockinged legs knelt halfway on the wooden floor.
Supporting herself against the wall with one hand, she gasped for breath. Fine beads of sweat continuously seeped from her forehead, flowed down her lovely flushed face to her chin, and dripped onto the wooden floor.
In fact, she could have pressed the shared-sensation button herself to stop it. Anyone who suddenly found a shared-sensation collar around their neck would realize something was wrong. Feeling around and experimenting for a bit would have solved it easily.
It was just that this was her first time experiencing such a thing. At first she did not react, and later, once she could no longer control her body, she could only leave it to fate.
What she did not know was that she was fortunate the people currently wearing the resonance bracelets were Kashima Risako and Kisaragi Miyuki, two newcomers.
Although their service level was gradually increasing, the effects of serving Hachiman were still not that strong.
If it had been anyone else, not even Lala or Iris, but just Karuizawa Kei herself, Matsubara Miria probably would have fainted already.
Nowadays, whenever newbies joined the Service Club, the first service activity they faced after putting on the shared-sensation collar was a trial.
"You can come over to the wall and quietly watch Master. See how the shared-sensation collar works and whether it's really connected with Kashima Risako and Kisaragi Miyuki..."
Matsubara Miria slowly raised her head and saw Karuizawa Kei and Kushida Kikyo bringing Takamine Ayako, Tsukioka Anna, and Tachibana Hina to the edge of the bedroom doorway to look inside.
They called it "quietly," but in reality they made no attempt to hide it.
Tachibana Hina, Takamine Ayako, and Tsukioka Anna met the eyes of Kisaragi Miyuki and Kashima Risako, who were lying on the bed facing their direction. All three instinctively looked away.
But in the next second, they realized there were some things they could not ignore just because they wanted to.
Because of the shared-sensation collar, they vividly felt Kisaragi Miyuki and Kashima Risako's embarrassment, shame, excitement, and everything else at being watched by them.
They deeply experienced just how intense Kisaragi Miyuki and Kashima Risako's sense of collapse was at that moment.
N-No wonder the always-proud Matsubara Miria had not dared raise her head earlier, keeping her eyes tightly shut while lying limp on the floor... it wasn't that she couldn't speak.
She simply didn't want to.
She did not want to open her mouth at all.
———
[A Room not Far Away on the Same Floor]
A tall, stunning blonde woman with shoulder-length hair sat by the bed. Even loose sleepwear could not hide her tall, well-shaped figure.
Holding a cute blonde girl in her arms, she looked at Mikado Ryoko, who was still sitting in a chair deep in thought.
"Ryoko, what are you thinking about?"
"Didn't you say you'd stay over at my place tonight so we could chat? Aren't you going to take a bath?"
"Ah? Oh, I'll go now."
Mikado Ryoko came back to herself, smiled at her good friend Tearju Lunatique, picked up a white bathrobe, and walked into the bathroom.
'Hachiman is playing far too wildly...'
A private gathering had turned into something so excessive that she felt too embarrassed to bring Tearju over to meet Hachiman.
She had not come here tonight for the gathering. She had wanted to bring Hachiman and her good friend Tearju together.
Having never truly dealt with Hachiman face to face before, Mikado Ryoko felt that although tonight's gathering had become so chaotic and excessive because Hachiman was too much of a womanizer and went after every pretty girl.
Part of the reason also lay with Itashiro Kurumi, Kisaragi Miyuki, Tsukioka Anna, Kashima Risako, and the others themselves.
These coworkers had been suppressing themselves for so long. When they saw such an attractive and energetic young man as Hachiman, they simply could not hold themselves back.
Well... a small number of them might have joined because of special circumstances and had no choice but to go along with the crowd, but most of them had been very willing, or at least half-willing. As long as they found a suitable excuse, the moment Hachiman became a little forceful, they immediately gave in.
It was not impossible to understand. Even she was amazed by Hachiman's potential. How long had it taken him to grow from an ordinary person into a powerful figure who now had many magical girls under him and the support of various major factions?
The earlier one invested in Hachiman, the better. Otherwise she would never have thought of introducing her good friend to someone as outrageously unfaithful as Hachiman.
Of course, most of those people had not possessed that kind of foresight. They had simply been lucky enough to meet Hachiman and had then been completely won over by him.
Her good friend Tearju might call herself a single mother, but in reality she had never even been in a relationship. She was a perfectly respectable girl.
If she could gain the approval of her daughter Eve, then there was even the chance of getting two for one.
Well... the first "one" was Eve(Ivu), and the second "one" was Tearju.
Not only was Eve far stronger than Tearju, but Tearju cared deeply for Eve, the daughter she had created from her own cells.
Thinking of this, Mikado Ryoko quietly shook her head.
'Forget it. Next time.'
With the current situation at Sobu High gradually taking shape, along with Princess Lala and the others' support for Hachiman, as long as Tearju stayed at Sobu High, there would be plenty of time and opportunities for her relationship with Hachiman to deepen.
If Her Majesty the Queen accepted Hachiman, then for the sake of future successors, she might even support him taking a large harem and having more daughters to shoulder the responsibility.
Although Tearju had told her that, just like Princess Lala, Her Majesty had fallen in love at first sight with that person back then and pursued him passionately.
She had even gathered the cosmic biologist Tearju to create a daughter in order to force his hand and make him stay.
Still, Mikado Ryoko could not be sure whether Her Majesty would support Hachiman having a harem.
Unless... Princess Lala and both of her younger sisters all fell in love with Hachiman. Then Her Majesty would have no choice but to accept reality.
Recalling those secret rumors about Her Majesty, Mikado Ryoko turned on the shower, rinsed herself off, then soaked in the bathtub.
The water rippled in the tub as hot water continued pouring down from the shower.
Mikado Ryoko gently stroked her body, closed her eyes, and felt the scorching water flow over her.
She did not know whether it was intentional, but this time Hachiman had not blocked the sound.
Though she had also been deliberately eavesdropping...