"The Magic Club, the Service Club, the Tennis Club... Isn't the roster of members recruited for this volunteer activity a little too random?"
Asakura counted on his fingers, then looked back at Hiratsuka, "So what exactly are the criteria for recruitment?"
"It mostly depends on whoever pops into my head during a sudden flash of inspiration." Hiratsuka replied placidly, "Besides, it's not just you guys; there are others too."
"The number of victims has increased."
Hachiman sighed.
He looked around, saying with a hint of disappointment, "Has Saika still not arrived yet?"
"Maybe he has arrived and already went to the venue of the volunteer activity to make preparations?" Hiratsuka said, though it was unclear whether she was being serious or just joking.
"Because the gorgeous yet unpretentious, refreshing and sweet scent that Saika carries isn't here, he definitely hasn't arrived yet."
Hachiman stated.
The way everyone else looked at him instantly turned bizarre.
"To think you actually remember Totsuka's scent so vividly..." Hiratsuka's mouth twitched.
"No, it's not like that, you guys are misunderstanding! It's just that after Tennis Club activities ended we always changed clothes together, so the memory is just a fraction more deep-rooted... I say, can you all stop acting like I'm carrying some kind of infectious bacteria?!"
"...It's fine, I believe you." Asakura said with a light cough.
"Asakura..." Hachiman revealed a deeply moved expression.
"Hold on, don't come over here. It's best to maintain approximately this distance." Asakura said with a business-like smile, speaking in a tone that mirrored an automated customer service robot.
He casually shuffled two steps to the side, adopting a stance that generated an insurmountable Absolute Terror Field between them.
Hachiman was heavily struck, his entire being turning a stark, ashen white.
However, this guy's mental fortitude was unexpectedly resilient—though it was also highly probable that he had simply grown accustomed to psychological trauma on the level of absolute social death—as he very quickly pulled himself back together: "Setting Saika aside... I haven't seen any sign of the other Tennis Club members either..."
"Because the only living sacrifices from the Tennis Club are Totsuka and you."
Hiratsuka dropped a statement in a thoroughly calm manner that shook Hachiman to his core.
"Motherfucker! Why?!" He let out a voice that sounded exactly like a Masked Rider.
"I feel a bit self-conscious using jabs on students whose faces aren't familiar to me." Hiratsuka explained.
"So it's fine just because my face is familiar?!" Hachiman was shocked.
"When it comes to you, I generally deploy the Hiratsuka Smash." Hiratsuka remarked.
"That's great, Hachiman! You're special to Hiratsuka-sensei!" Asakura clapped his hands to congratulate him.
"What part of that is great?! That's far too hazardous for an ordinary person like me!" Hachiman complained.
"Besides, having too many people makes them difficult to manage. After all, bratty teenagers going through puberty frequently do things that are incredibly tough to comprehend."
Hiratsuka explained further, then immediately shifted her gaze back toward Asakura, "On the other hand, regarding your Magic Club, I did mention that you could let them participate in the volunteer activity too, but you rejected it across the board."
"No, I simply said that Asagumo wasn't feeling very well and couldn't make it to the volunteer activity, I didn't reject letting the other members of the Magic Club join." Asakura threw up his hands, "Yui, Yanami... oh, and Chihaya... as long as you want them here, Hiratsuka-sensei, you can call them all over."
As a side note, the primary reason he didn't call Asagumo over—aside from the possibility that her body might genuinely be a bit unwell—was that whenever Asakura saw her lately, he would instantly recall her expression back at the love hotel: a face overflowing with a crushing sense of pressure, charming yet enchanting, pure yet completely saturated with raw desire. It would trigger his PTSD and cause his legs to go weak...
Gua, I really don't have a single drop left...
"Yui has already confirmed her participation as a member of the Service Club." At this moment, Yukino, who had barely spoken a word since the beginning, suddenly spoke up, "She should be arriving in just a little while."
"That girl Anon is a transfer student and a year below you all; I didn't think it was quite appropriate, so I didn't invite her. As for Yanami..."
Hiratsuka sighed: "In order to prevent the activity's campsite from experiencing a food resource shortage, inexplicably falling into a situation where wilderness survival is required, it is still better not to call her."
"A wise choice."
Asakura agreed.
In fact, Hiratsuka's impression of Yanami was still stuck on when the other party was normal, whereas the current Yanami had an appetite that was already four times what it used to be—well, her weight was too.
"In other words, this volunteer activity has a total of two people from the Service Club, two people from the Tennis Club, one person from the Magic Club, plus the off-roster Komachi, making a total of six people?" Komachi counted on her fingers.
"No, there are others."
But Hiratsuka shook her head.
"Who else?" Asakura asked curiously.
"They should be arriving quite soon..."
Hiratsuka looked at her wristwatch, failing to directly answer Asakura's question.
Asakura raised his eyebrows and asked again: "By the way, although it's constantly being called a 'volunteer activity, volunteer activity,' what is the actual content? Don't tell me it's looking after little kids or something?"
Although his memories regarding the plot of Oregairu had become increasingly hazy along with the incidents, within his hazy memories, there indeed seemed to be a similar plotline, remembering that a mini version of Yukino apparently appeared in it...
"Actually, that option did exist originally. Chiba Elementary School was going to host a mountain summer camp and had specifically contacted Sobu High before, hoping to find some students to offer voluntary help. However, after the massive fire broke out on Mount Kumotori later on, the wildfire issue received widespread attention from society. The Chiba Elementary School side had no choice but to cancel the mountain summer camp, and word is they changed it to running off to the seaside instead—so be glad, you won't have to look after those arrogant little brats!"
Hiratsuka said cheerfully.
"Then what is our job?" Hachiman also pressed further.
"You should know that not long after school starts, the third-year students will be going on their school trip, right?" Hiratsuka countered with a question.
"I see..."
Asakura nodded thoughtfully.
"Eh? Did Komachi accidentally skip through the dialogue? Why does Asakura-senpai look like he already understands?" Komachi asked in surprise.
"Since a school trip was mentioned, then it must definitely be a job strongly correlated with it, like cleaning up the forest cabins that need to be used for the school trip." Hachiman explained to his younger sister.
"So that's how it is!"
Only then did Komachi come to a sudden realization.
"Pretty much," Hiratsuka validated everyone's speculation at this point: "The main thing is just to let you guys be the first to experience the three-day, two-night school trip, inspect potential issues within the itinerary, as well as areas where various facilities need maintenance and repair. Don't worry too much about it, just treat it as a three-day trip on public funds."