Inside the Student Council Room.
Kaguya Shinomiya held the coffee Hayasaka Ai had brewed and took a sip. Setting down the coffee cup, Kaguya-san spoke to Sakurai-kun.
"If Sakurai General Affairs wishes for Hayasaka to end her work as a maid, it's not difficult at all. It doesn't even require my consent." Her voice dropped. "But Hayasaka is my close attendant…"
Kaguya Shinomiya's tone grew more dejected as she spoke. She did not want to part with Hayasaka Ai.
"Kaguya-san, I won't resign now." Hayasaka Ai interjected, standing by her side.
She had secretly, behind Kaguya Shinomiya's back, reported information about her to the Shinomiya family—to be precise, to Kaguya's elder brother, Shinomiya Kōyasu. She had almost never stopped doing this. Ever since she had become Kaguya Shinomiya's close attendant, it was an everyday occurrence.
Hayasaka Ai didn't want to be disliked by Kaguya Shinomiya. As a betrayer, no matter how hard the work or how willful Kaguya's demands, she could endure. If she were to resign, Hayasaka Ai wanted to tell Kaguya everything she had done in person before leaving. She was afraid Kaguya would hate her if her actions were exposed—so she didn't dare to explain yet.
More importantly, Kaguya currently had no other reliance and was all alone. Hayasaka Ai couldn't bring herself to leave her.
"Hayasaka~" Kaguya Shinomiya looked at her, her face full of emotion.
Indeed, her maid cared more about her than her boyfriend. That's right—Hayasaka and Sakurai General Affairs had only known each other for a year. How could that surpass her decade-plus relationship with Hayasaka? Hmph hmph~ Sakurai General Affairs, I'm sorry!
Facing Kaguya's moved expression, Hayasaka Ai sighed. "Kaguya-san is both spoiled and sharp-tongued, and always says the opposite of what she means. I simply can't feel at ease leaving her."
Kaguya Shinomiya tilted her head. "Hayasaka? Are you speaking ill of me?"
"Kaguya-san, you should be a little more self-aware!" Hayasaka Ai rolled her eyes at her.
"Huh? How am I spoiled and willful?"
Sakurai-kun took a sip of coffee, listening to them argue. Their relationship was indeed quite good. Hayasaka's coffee-making skills were also excellent—her past claim of disliking coffee must have been an act. How could she have such skill if she disliked coffee?
"When did I say I wanted Ai-chan to resign?" Sakurai-kun asked.
Kaguya blinked. "...You don't?"
"I'm just angry that she wouldn't tell me what she was doing after school, despite me asking so many times." Sakurai-kun set down his cup. "It's not that I object to her being your maid."
He had seen their relationship was good and didn't think Hayasaka would be bullied. In fact, it would be more likely for Kaguya Shinomiya to be bullied by Hayasaka. Kaguya-san's cunning was still too naive compared to Hayasaka Ai's.
Hayasaka Ai knew everything about Sakurai Saki's private activities, but Sakurai Saki knew nothing about Hayasaka's life outside school—and that was why he was angry. Even Hayasaka Ai's other personality, the White Cat, had been unwilling to speak.
If she was truly just a maid, why would the pressure be so great that it could manifest a peculiar entity?
It seemed there was a hidden reason. But for now, knowing this much was enough for Sakurai Saki to feel relieved. Couples should have private space—no need to ask too many details.
However, the Shinomiya family's maid…
Sakurai Saki suddenly remembered Hayasaka-kun, the butler who liked Hayasaka and also worked for the Shinomiya family.
"Kaguya-san, your butler—his name is Hasaka, right?" He asked casually. "I had a pleasant chat with him last time. Do you have his contact information?"
Sakurai General Affairs mainly wanted to chat with him. It wasn't jealousy or anything.
Hayasaka Ai and Kaguya Shinomiya exchanged glances. Then they exchanged opinions with their eyes.
"Of course." Kaguya Shinomiya nodded. "I'll have him add you on LINE when I get back. He'll definitely want to be friends with Sakurai-kun too."
Then Kaguya looked at Sakurai Saki with an expectant gaze. She had recently gotten a new phone and had just finished downloading LINE—she didn't have many friends on it yet. Unfortunately, Sakurai Saki didn't understand her meaning. However, Hayasaka Ai, standing nearby, understood.
"Kaguya-san wants to add you as a friend," Ai-chan reminded him.
As soon as she spoke, Kaguya Shinomiya's delicate face instantly flushed crimson. "I don't… I don't want to at all."
Sakurai Saki didn't pay attention to her tsundere words and took out his phone. "Go ahead and add me."
One minute later, Kaguya Shinomiya's face was beaming with joy. She looked as if she was about to jump up and down a few times to relieve her inner excitement.
"You can chat with me if you need anything!" she said brightly.
Not lingering long in the Student Council Room, the three of them got up to attend the Sports Festival closing ceremony.
At the closing ceremony, Principal Adolphe announced Sakurai Saki's punishment: a one-week suspension for reflection, plus three self-reflection essays from different angles, each at least one thousand words, handwritten.
The students below reacted quite strongly. Shuchiin Academy's rules were very strict. Even with many students having distinct personalities, those who dared to openly cause trouble were extremely few. Yet he hadn't been expelled for this. Connecting it to Kaguya Shinomiya, they could all accept it. The Shinomiya family was the de facto controller of Shuchiin Academy, and it was rumored that the chairman was Kaguya-san's elder brother.
After school, Sakurai Saki tutored the Five Sisters as usual and informed them that next week's tutoring would proceed as scheduled, at their home.
During the tutoring session, Nino's expression was very downcast, as if a haze enveloped her, making her appear somewhat gloomy.
Sakurai Saki's confession today had also aimed to make Nino give up. He had never considered Nino as a romantic interest—which was why he hadn't bothered to explain it to her until recently. Today's incident, besides clarifying what his girlfriend was doing in private, also aimed to help Nino make a clean break.
Nakano Nino's conditions were so good. There was no need for her to abandon a whole forest for him, a single tree. She deserved better—not him, a scumbag who was preparing to juggle two relationships and working toward it. Two were already troublesome enough. Sakurai-kun couldn't handle more.
Around six o'clock, he returned to the apartment entrance.
Tomorrow, his mother would return home. Tonight was her last night staying at his place. The next time they met would likely be at the three-party meeting, after the start of the next semester, in September.
Pushing open the door to the rental apartment—
Sakurai Saki was dumbfounded.
"White Cat?"
His little ghost follower, Yakumo Shiro, was currently being held by Ms. Jinguji, teary-eyed, like a small white cat whose fate was clutched by the scruff of its neck.
"Sakura-kun~ save me!" Yakumo Shiro's eyes brimmed with tears. She didn't want to cry, but Sakura-kun's mother was really scary. "She's going to eat me!"
Jinguji Tamaki lightly stroked her cheek with her left hand, her voice soft as a clear spring. "You little rascal—you're staying in my darling's room with ill intentions, and you're blaming me now?"
She had thought for a long time that afternoon and finally decided to invade her son's privacy. Originally, she had wanted to see if her son was hiding anything strange. She didn't find any naughty books—but she found something unusual in the closet. With a slight maneuver, the White Cat, who had just been far away at Shuchiin Academy observing the surroundings for Sakurai Saki, was pulled back by her.
"Darling, can you tell Mama why?" Ms. Jinguji's amber eyes were full of pressure as they swept toward Sakurai-kun.
In her vision, a red thread connected Sakurai-kun to Yakumo Shiro.
This was also why Ms. Jinguji hadn't gone for the kill.
Patreon Rene_chan for advance chapters