Diary Of Service Club, Helping The Elf Princess

'I... I am really going to make a friend, ain't I?'

Gotō couldn't help but roll back and forth on the ground when she thought about how her first nickname and her first potential friendship were likely linked to the boy in front of her, Hachiman.

She didn't know why rolling on the ground was her response, but that's what she always did at home. Whenever her emotions swelled up, rolling around was her way of letting them out; otherwise, she'd feel like she'd go insane.

'Anyway, there's no one else around here, so I'll just roll for a bit.'

"You're really cute..."

Watching Gotō lost in her own world, Hachiman sat to the side, grinning as he observed her.

Maybe it was because beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, but even though Bocchi-chan's face was mostly hidden by her long bangs, and her overall demeanor was awkwardly accentuated by her nervous laugh, Hachiman already had a clear understanding of who Gotō really was.

Under these circumstances, he found Bocchi-chan, who was rolling around in excitement over a nickname and a compliment, to be endearing, almost like a lovable pet.

If possible, he'd even like to have his own little Bocchi.

Although a househusband's job is simply managing the household, a househusband can't just do nothing at home, right? Having a pet around seemed like a practical addition.

Right now, he already had a cat at home. Both he and Komachi enjoyed playing with it. However, in the future, he couldn't always compete with Komachi over the cat, so maybe it was time to consider getting another pet.

'Hmm... maybe it's this new "Absolute Taming" ability I recently acquired that's making me want to tame something...'

Hachiman suddenly felt his thoughts were getting a bit problematic. But, well, having a little Bocchi seemed pretty great.

Gotō continued her meltdown on the ground for a while, and only after venting her emotions did she slowly get up, reverting to her timid, helpless self. She sat with her arms wrapped around her legs, her head hanging low, and stayed silent.

She had felt so happy just moments ago, but now that she had calmed down, regret washed over her.

She was sure her earlier behavior had scared Hachiman. Why else would he be sitting there silently?

She knew she was unlikeable. She'd never had friends growing up. Every time there was a group activity, she'd always end up alone, tagging along beside the teacher.

Nowadays, even speaking to strangers took a lot of courage. Outside of going to and from school, she'd have to steel herself just to step into a crowded place like the supermarket.

'Someone like me probably can't make friends...'

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

Gotō lowered her head toward Hachiman and stammered an apology in a low voice.

"Why are you apologizing? Did you do something wrong to me?"

Hachiman looked at the girl, who was too shy to meet his eyes, and reached out to pat her on the head, gently running his hand through her long, pink hair.

"Ah..."

Gotō froze under his touch. She was about to say something, but when she heard his question, she was taken aback.

'Why am I apologizing...?'

She thought she needed to apologize for her earlier behavior to Hachiman.

'But why exactly...' she couldn't really say.

"We're just temporary teammates practicing together. Bocchi-chan, whatever you did earlier didn't bother me at all, so there's no need to apologize."

Hachiman continued patting her head as he spoke.

"Or is it that you already see me as a friend and feel embarrassed about what you just did?"

"Honestly, I thought it was pretty cute. There's no need to apologize."

"But if you still insist on apologizing, then let's make a deal—become my friend first, and then you can apologize."

Gotō looked up at Hachiman with wide, dazed eyes. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

'He's... he's so good at talking!'

Compared to her, who became a nervous wreck whenever something happened and couldn't find the right words to say, Hachiman seemed so calm and composed.

After hearing his words, she even felt like the two of them really should be friends.

'Wait—friends?'

'Hold on... what?'

"Y-you... you-you-you, would you, uh, um, maybe..."

Gotō's clear blue eyes widened as she stammered at Hachiman, trying to confirm something.

But at this moment, her anxiety spiked, making it even harder to get the words out.

"Are you trying to ask if I'd be willing to be your friend?"

Hachiman didn't stop patting her head. Instead, he spoke slowly and calmly.

"Mm-hmm!"

Gotō, utterly tongue-tied, vigorously nodded her head upon hearing him say it first.

"Of course. I've always wanted a little pet."

Hachiman smiled and nodded.

"Mm!!!"

Hearing him say yes, Gotō felt a rush of relief and overwhelming joy.

She had made a friend.

She really had made a friend.

It seemed she'd been right to attend a school far from her middle school. It had only been a little over a month since school started, and she already had a friend.

However, once she calmed down and thought about it, she realized something about Hachiman's words felt... off.

"Um... a little pet?"

Why had it turned into getting a pet? Weren't they supposed to be friends?

"Bocchi-chan, if you want to make more friends, you can come to my Service Club. There are plenty of shy and introverted people there, and maybe you can become good friends with them."

Hachiman didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he kept patting her head and offered her some advice.

Currently, the Service Club has Hayase Saki and Sakurase Shino, two introverted problem children. Gotō has plenty of kindred spirits.

In fact, Hayase Saki's friend, Narahashi Miki, could also count as one, but he hadn't managed to lure her into the Service Club yet.

Now that he had brought in Hayase Saki, she mentioned that the captain of the girls' swimming team had been wanting to talk to him.

If he went to recruit members from the volleyball team too, he felt like other clubs might start surrounding the Service Club in protest one day.

"What is the Service Club? What kind of club is that?"

Gotō, who hadn't immediately broken free, allowed her head to be

patted for quite a while. At this moment, she no longer resisted but instead thought of something she had overlooked earlier.

At the start, Hachiman introduced himself as someone from the Service Club, but she had no idea what the Service Club actually did.

"The Service Club is a group dedicated to helping others. For example, if you're looking for friends, you can come to the Service Club and make a request, and we'll help you find friends."

"But honestly, there's no need to look far. There are already plenty of girls in the Service Club who aren't good at making friends. For instance, Yukinoshita Yukino doesn't have any friends. Bocchi-chan, you can try befriending Yukinoshita Yukino."

Hachiman chuckled. He wondered how Yukinoshita Yukino would react to another big-busted, not-so-bright problem child joining the club.

It seemed like Yukinoshita Yukino was always being "bullied" by new club members. Even the smallest in stature, Iris, had more to show than Yukinoshita Yukino.

Of course, truth comes from practice. He had neither seen Yukino's figure nor touched it. Perhaps Yukinoshita Yukino had developed well after all.

"Many... people..."

Hearing Hachiman say that there were many introverted girls in the Service Club who weren't good at making friends, Gotō's eyes lit up.

But when she realized there were "many people," she couldn't help but shrink her head again.

No way would introverted, socially anxious people gather together in one place. Hachiman was definitely lying to her.

Gotō thought that joining the Service Club was absolutely out of the question. A club with so many people was definitely not a place for her.

However, if her new friend insisted on her joining...

"Don't worry. If you don't want to join the Service Club, I won't force you. I'm your friend, so I'll definitely consider what's best for you."

Noticing Gotō's worry, Hachiman smiled.

Gotō's thoughts were completely unguarded, all written clearly on her face. Perhaps she was just too honest, which led to some inappropriate thoughts being exposed and causing her to be alienated or rejected by her classmates.

"Th-thank you..."

Hearing Hachiman's reassurance, Gotō secretly breathed a sigh of relief and whispered her thanks.

'So this is what it means to have a friend...'

'The feeling of having a friend is amazing!'

"You're welcome. Friends should help and understand each other. But, Bocchi-chan, now it's your turn to help me warm up."

"Ah! Yes! I'll do my best."

"No need to be so tense. Relax a little. There's no need for friends to be so calculative."

Seeing that Gotō's reaction hadn't changed much, Hachiman smiled and continued to reassure her.

Although he wasn't sure if interacting with Bocchi-chan would always go as smoothly as it did today, there was no doubt that today was a good start.

This was just fine for now. When dealing with someone like Bocchi-chan, who had social anxiety, rushing things would not work.

After patting Bocchi-chan for a while and warming up, Hachiman didn't rush to spar with her. Instead, he stayed in this secluded corner to chat with her.

His goal in finding Bocchi-chan wasn't to practice tennis. If he really wanted to play tennis, he should be looking for someone strong like Miura Yumiko.

Since he had just become friends with Bocchi-chan, he figured he should strike while the iron was hot by interacting more with her and letting her get used to his presence.

Otherwise, who knew if the next time he met Bocchi-chan, she'd still be as easy to get along with as she was today?

People with social anxiety had ever-changing thoughts. Today, things might go well, but the next time they met, she might overthink and start avoiding him.

The worst part was that such people tended to keep their thoughts to themselves, leaving him guessing why they were alienating him.

Bocchi-chan quietly breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Hachiman wasn't insisting on playing tennis right away. Her physical fitness was poor. If they played tennis, she'd probably be panting and sweating after just a few rounds.

If he didn't notice her exhaustion and kept playing, she might end up lying on the ground and crawling to pick up balls.

Today was her first time spending time with her first friend. She didn't want to embarrass herself like that.

Although she was still very nervous and didn't dare look Hachiman in the eye, and although she had already shown several broken expressions and done some strange things in front of him, Hachiman didn't seem to mind at all. Instead of laughing at her or saying anything about her odd behavior, he simply smiled and waited for her to calm down before continuing their conversation.

Moreover, she wasn't sure if it was the excitement of making her first friend that was overpowering her fear of strangers, but Gotō felt particularly brave today. She had actually managed to stammer through a long conversation with a male stranger.

In the past, even talking to a female stranger for that long was impossible for her. As for males? She would usually just run away!

"Hachiman, what are you doing here?"

Suddenly, Hachiman heard Gabriel's voice and realized that the angel from his neighboring desk had arrived with her friend Raphiel. They greeted him from a distance before walking over.

"We're just chatting. Gabriel, why are you and Shiraha-san here?"

Seeing the unexpected arrival of the angel duo, Hachiman was a little surprised.

"I just noticed that Yuina-san and the others weren't with you, and I got a bit worried, so I came to check on you."

Gabriel's delicate, flawless face turned slightly red as she explained bashfully.

She knew Hachiman was a kind person who loved helping others, but in class, apart from Yuina and the others, he didn't seem to have close relationships with anyone.

So, after being dragged away by Raphiel and seeing Yuina teaming up with Miura Yumiko without accompanying Hachiman, she started to worry.

"Looks like I was underestimated. But still, thanks for your concern, Gabriel."

Hachiman shook his head with a smile. He was glad he hadn't decided to corrupt Gabriel into a fallen angel; otherwise, what would he have done with such an adorable little angel?

Comparing the two versions, the angelic Gabriel was understanding, thoughtful, and gentle, while the fallen Gabriel probably would only act kindly if his life was in danger.

Though, in some ways, the mischievous fallen angel version had its charm. But as long as he had the angelic version, he figured he might eventually win over the fallen version as well...

Hachiman had a bold idea, but given that his relationship with the little angel wasn't that close yet, he suppressed the dangerous thoughts that might lead him straight to heaven.

"You two... started calling each other by first names?"

The silver-haired, sly angel Raphiel, standing nearby, looked at Gabriel and Hachiman with a strange expression.

Just yesterday, she had heard them addressing each other by their last names. How had their relationship suddenly become so close?

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