Afternoon.
Inside the Student Council Room, everyone had arrived early.
Except for Kaguya Shinomiya.
"Maid outfit, maid outfit~ Kaguya-san's maid outfit! Yay!" Fujiwara Chika spun around happily, holding the folded maid outfit in her hands.
Among the Student Council members, Chika was undoubtedly the one most looking forward to seeing Kaguya in a maid outfit. She had never seen her in such clothes before. Even when she had stayed over last time, Kaguya's pajamas at the Shinomiya estate were quite ordinary—she didn't wear the fluffy pajamas Chika had recommended.
Chika herself liked to wear animal-shaped fluffy pajamas, but she hadn't worn them recently because summer had arrived and the weather was hot. If she wore fluffy pajamas, covered herself with a blanket, and turned on the air conditioning in her room, her father would lecture her. As a political family, the Fujiwara household had exceptionally strict rules.
"Kaguya-san wouldn't have chickened out, would she?" Sakurai Saki hadn't even prepared coffee today. He was waiting specifically for the black tea brewed by Kaguya Shinomiya for her 'Master'.
The bet stipulated that the loser had to call the winner 'Master'—a clause added by Sakurai Saki. As for the maid outfit, that could only be said to be Kaguya Shinomiya digging her own grave.
A few minutes passed.
Miss Kaguya walked in, still holding herself with dignity, surveying her surroundings with an expression like she was inspecting her territory. Then, upon seeing the maid outfit in Fujiwara Chika's hand, her expression subtly changed.
She walked calmly to Chika's side.
"Boys, please step outside first," she said.
Sakurai Saki and the other two boys watching the show moved toward the door.
"Hmph hmph~" Sakurai snorted twice.
"...A jar rumbling like thunder."
Kaguya Shinomiya rolled her eyes at him, but she was holding the maid outfit at the moment, so the gesture had no deterrent effect.
The last thing Sakurai Saki saw before the door closed was Fujiwara Chika's utterly lecherous expression.
Why does Chika seem more excited than I am?
It probably wasn't an illusion. Considering Chika had tolerated Shinomiya for so many years, the feelings between these two might not be shallower than between Sakurai and Chika. After all, as Chika had said before, it was Chika who had initiated conversation with Kaguya Shinomiya in junior high—just like Miyuki Shirogane had initiated conversation with Sakurai last year.
"Is there anything you two want Kaguya-san to do later?" Sakurai Saki asked.
Miss Kaguya had been so arrogant and overbearing in the Student Council for so long. Resentment must have accumulated. The common people were suffering. It was time to raise the banner of revolt!
"Uh, Sakurai." Miyuki Shirogane gave him a warning look. "Shinomiya has a bad temper. Don't go overboard and backfire…"
He wanted to avoid finding his own corpse added to Tokyo Bay tomorrow.
"It's fine, don't be afraid." Sakurai Saki was confident. "She lost the bet this time. As long as she has some shame, we won't be retaliated against. Even if she chops me up, the blood won't splash on your face."
Miyuki Shirogane glanced at the tightly closed door of the Student Council Room and lowered his voice. "It won't splash on me. We'll die separately. You'll die first, then I'll die."
Sakurai Saki looked at Ishigami Yu. "Ishigami, what about you?"
"Sakurai-senpai, I think Shinomiya-senpai is very good to me." Ishigami Yu spoke seriously. "I don't have anything I want to ask her to do."
If his legs weren't trembling right now, his words would have been quite convincing. Ishigami Yu was very afraid of Kaguya Shinomiya. Even though she had now exited her 'Ice Kaguya' mode and her attitude had softened, the fear etched into Ishigami Yu's DNA wouldn't be easily changed.
"You two are both cowards." Sakurai Saki sighed.
This country was so corrupt precisely because it lacked a spark. It was truly pathetic that no one dared to overthrow Kaguya Shinomiya, who oppressed others in the Student Council every day.
"Saki-kun, come in!!!" Fujiwara Chika's voice rang out.
Judging by her tone, she was very excited.
Hearing this, Sakurai Saki pushed open the door of the Student Council Room.
Then he froze.
Ishigami Yu and Miyuki Shirogane also pushed open the door.
Immediately after, they both froze as well.
The three of them said in unison: "Who are you?"
Inside the door.
Kaguya Shinomiya was wearing a maid outfit adorned with lace and frills, a maid's headpiece—a katyusha—on her head. Her posture was very proper, and most importantly, her expression was incredibly gentle at that moment.
So gentle that the men present felt afraid.
"This maid outfit looks like it's from Akihabara," Ishigami Yu recovered. The maid outfit had been folded earlier, so he had assumed it would be a normal maid style. He hadn't expected it to be so otaku-pleasing.
"These white stockings—aren't they cute!" Chika crouched down. "They even have bows on them. They're garter stockings~" She seemed to want to touch Kaguya's thigh, but unfortunately, Kaguya moved away with a smile.
"Fujiwara-kun, you mustn't."
Chika felt a chill.
This Kaguya-san is so strange.
Miyuki Shirogane also reacted at this point. "Shinomiya, your outfit is quite... cough, cute."
He sat directly on the sofa and rubbed his temples, falling into thought.
Shinomiya seemed to be getting stranger recently. Although Miyuki Shirogane wanted Kaguya Shinomiya to escape the cage of the Shinomiya family, was this method of escaping a bit strange?
"Master~" Kaguya Shinomiya lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed slightly to Sakurai Saki, her voice dripping with respect. "Is there anything you wish to command me to do?"
"Please be normal." Sakurai Saki's face was full of black lines.
Sakurai General Affairs was certain that Kaguya was trying to disgust him with this method.
"Master, Kaguya is always like this~" Kaguya Shinomiya tilted her head, acting cute. "Why do you say I should be more normal?"
No. This woman had found the most effective way to disgust him.
In Sakurai Saki's expectation, Kaguya Shinomiya should have looked disgusted but still had to do things for him to fulfill the bet. The outcome Sakurai wanted was not like this. This kind of Kaguya Shinomiya was useless except for being disgusting.
Sense of incongruity—yes, those three words. Everyone present felt it.
"Brew us some tea," Sakurai Saki sighed, then sat on the sofa.
For the next few minutes, the Student Council Room fell silent.
"Master~ Please have some tea." Kaguya Shinomiya smiled, placing the tea on the coffee table.
And then—
She sat next to Sakurai Saki.
She picked up a cup, blew on it a few times, and brought it to Sakurai Saki's lips.
"Master, the tea is a bit hot. Please be careful when drinking it. Otherwise, if you get hurt, Kaguya will worry about Master."
Sakurai Saki did not reach out to take the teacup.
He somewhat wanted to escape the Student Council Room.
"Do you want me to blow on it for you a bit longer?" Kaguya's voice was sweet, almost cloying. "You're so helpless~"
She blew on it a few more times.
Then she forcefully pressed the cup to Sakurai Saki's lips.
"Drink it, you bastard!! "
Kaguya's voice was ice-cold.
"You've shown your true colors, Kaguya-san." Sakurai Saki took the teacup. "Please be normal."
"You don't want me to listen to you, and you're so demanding." Kaguya Shinomiya rolled her eyes at him.
The remaining three people present all breathed a sigh of relief.
This state of Kaguya was much more reassuring.
They had probably just traveled to some strange singularity, Ishigami Yu thought.