Kaguya did not react at all to Hayasaka brushing back her hair.
"Hayasaka, were you just texting someone?" Kaguya looked at her maid with suspicion.
Hayasaka kept her calm expression and nodded.
That instantly changed Kaguya's face.
"With who?" she quickly asked.
Hayasaka let out a helpless sigh. "Kaguya-sama, that's my private business, isn't it?"
Her tired answer made Kaguya panic a little. "Ah... um... y-you're right... never mind then... ha... haha..."
Her face turned a little red with embarrassment, and she lightly scratched her cheek with her finger—a habit she always had whenever she felt awkward or shy.
Hayasaka quietly sighed again, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
She understood very well why Kaguya was acting like this.
"But since you are my mistress, I guess it's fine if I tell you. I was texting the Boss."
The moment Hayasaka spoke, Kaguya's face changed instantly.
All kinds of emotions flashed through her eyes: shock, suspicion, disbelief, jealousy.
"So... were you the one who texted Kamisaka-kun first?" Kaguya asked with a stiff smile.
Hayasaka gently shook her head. "No. He was the one who texted me first."
Hearing that, Kaguya froze. "Ah... um..."
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
All the formal manners she had learned from childhood vanished.
She felt a little miserable!
"Did Kamisaka-kun need something?" she asked, forcing out a smile.
"Yes. And this matter also involves you, Kaguya-sama."
The moment Hayasaka said that, Kaguya's face brightened again.
'It involves me? So Kamisaka-kun didn't text me directly because he felt awkward? That has to be it! If he feels awkward... then could it be... that kind of thing?! Ugh... I do like him, but isn't this moving way too fast...?' Her thoughts quickly went completely off track.
Hayasaka was confused.
She watched as Kaguya's face slowly got redder and redder, until she even started smiling to herself.
For a moment, Hayasaka seriously wondered if her mistress had lost her mind.
Kaguya kept building up her own fantasy in her head until Hayasaka cut in.
"Kaguya-sama, I have no idea what you're thinking about, but please come back to reality."
"Ah! Y-yes, yes!" Kaguya quickly pulled herself together, though the blush on her face hadn't faded.
"So... what did Kamisaka-kun say?"
"It's like this. There's a manager in the Shinomiya Group... and that manager happens to work under one of your companies. I think the Boss probably didn't want to make you feel awkward, so he came to me instead. Even though he doesn't know that manager works under you, from his point of view, no matter who that person reports to, they still represent the Shinomiya Group.
"If he came straight to you, it would be like slapping the Shinomiya family in the face. I think he considered that. And if this matter isn't handled properly, it could affect how he sees you."
Hearing all of that, Kaguya froze again.
'Ah... so this was nothing like what I had imagined...'
Affect how Yuto saw her... Kaguya's face turned cold at once.
"Take me to the company. We're not going to school first."
With that one order, the luxury car immediately changed direction.
...
When it got close to eight, Utaha finally sent Yuto a message.
He understood her pretty well by now, she had probably just woken up.
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: Kamisaka-kun, I just woke up. I'm getting ready now. Let's meet at the station at 8:30. Don't be late. (angry face.jpg)]
Just like he had expected.
Yuto tapped out a reply and turned off his phone. He looked at Tohru in the restaurant.
"We're leaving now, right?!" Tohru had been waiting for the moment they would leave.
The instant she saw him look her way, she understood it was finally time.
She lit up with excitement, and Yuto nodded.
Tohru cheered happily like a little kid.
"All right, Tohru, wait here in the restaurant. I'm going to get Ainz and Rimuru," Yuto said with a helpless smile.
Tohru's eyes became even brighter with hope. "Boss, I want to go to another world too! Take me with you!"
Going to get Ainz and Rimuru meant crossing into other worlds, which was extremely tempting to someone as curious as Tohru.
Yuto thought about it for a moment, then agreed.
There didn't seem to be any big problem with bringing her along.
"All right. Come over here."
The moment he agreed, Tohru got super excited, quickly moving to stand beside him.
She kept swaying a little from side to side, her happiness completely obvious.
"Grab onto me."
This was actually Yuto's first time taking someone else across worlds during the day.
His gut feeling told him it would be fine, but just to be safe, he still told Tohru to hold onto him.
Tohru seemed to misunderstand and hugged him instead.
"You don't need to hug me. Just hold on," Yuto said helplessly.
Tohru only gave him a cheerful, innocent smile. "Huh? Isn't that the same thing? If I hug you, that means I'm holding onto you, doesn't it?"
Her thick tail wagged back and forth, she was genuinely excited right now!
Seeing that expression on her face, Yuto gave up on arguing.
If she wanted to hug him, then fine.
Honestly, it felt pretty nice.
He still remembered the first time Tohru hugged him; back then, her dragon strength had almost crushed the air out of him.
Now, though, she had her strength under perfect control.
Yuto focused his thoughts, and the two of them disappeared from the restaurant.
Since he had already visited Nazarick once, he was more familiar with it, so he decided to go get Ainz first.
...
When Tohru opened her eyes, she found herself standing with Yuto inside a huge, luxurious hall.
The feeling in the air made her body tense up on instinct, her dragon instincts warning her that this place was dangerous.
Yuto could naturally feel her getting tense, as her grip on him tightened.
"Relax. This is Ainz's palace. You don't need to be nervous," he reached up and patted her head.
Only then did Tohru calm down, and curiosity filled her eyes instead.
Just then, Sebas appeared, taking shape out of thin air just like last time.
However, his attitude toward Yuto was completely different: he was extremely respectful.
"Lord Kamisaka, welcome. Lord Ainz has already informed us about what you and he will be doing next. He has been waiting for you for quite some time. Please come with me." Sebas's voice was steady and reliable, matching his powerful and dignified appearance perfectly.
After bowing halfway and speaking to Yuto, he looked at Tohru. "And Miss Dragon, please relax as well. I am not your enemy."
The moment Tohru saw Sebas, her instincts told her he was no ordinary being.
Feeling nervous in front of a powerful stranger was only natural, but after Yuto calmed her down, she relaxed, and her curiosity returned.
As they followed Sebas, Tohru kept asking Yuto questions.
"Boss, where is this place?"
"Boss, boss, how did we even travel here just now?"
"Boss, that Sebas guy is no joke..."
"Boss, so the skeleton actually lives somewhere this amazing?"
Tohru was like a little girl who had just started kindergarten, talking nonstop.
Her questions and comments made Yuto want to laugh.
He answered what he could and skipped the parts he couldn't really explain.
Sebas walked silently in front of them.
As the perfect butler, his manners were flawless.
After turning a few corners and using a magic circle once, the three of them finally reached Ainz.
It looked like Ainz had been explaining something to Albedo.
The moment Yuto appeared, Ainz turned his head toward him.
He almost greeted him in his usual way, but luckily, his reason kicked in at the last second, and he suddenly put on a serious face.
"Kamisaka," his voice was very deep.
Yuto smiled, understanding exactly why Ainz was acting like this, but Tohru looked suspicious.
"Ainz," Yuto nodded.
"Sorry. I was just explaining to Albedo about our trip to another world, so I couldn't come get you myself. That's why I had to send Sebas."
Hearing that, Yuto paused for a split second before quickly recovering.
"That's fine. Are you done explaining it to Albedo? If we're going on an adventure, we should get moving soon."
He had no idea why Ainz had chosen "adventure in another world" as an excuse, but for now, it was better to just go along with it.
"Albedo, you heard him. I'm leaving with Kamisaka now."
"Lord Ainz, please at least take guards with you! If anything were to happen to you in another world, it would be a pain we could never recover from!"
Watching this scene, Yuto felt like he was watching a comedy skit.
He was pretty sure Ainz was dying inside, but he only had himself to blame.
"That's enough, Albedo! Are you trying to stop something I have already decided?" Ainz said in a heavy voice.
"I would never dare," Albedo immediately bowed her head respectfully.
"Good. I'm going to another world for the future of Nazarick. I understand your concern, but I, Ainz Ooal Gown, am not someone who fears danger! If you keep trying to stop me, then you are doubting my courage and my strength!" Ainz swept his arm out, and his huge robe flared dramatically.
He looked seriously cool while doing it!
Yuto could only admire it in silence.
'This guy really is getting smoother and smoother at acting!'
Albedo struggled for a moment, but in the end, she still obeyed.
"I pray for your safe return, Lord Ainz," she said, sounding a little down.
Ainz nodded and signaled for Yuto and Tohru to follow him.
The three of them walked all the way to Ainz's bedroom.
Only after they got there did Ainz finally relax, letting out a huge breath and looking tired.
"You're really good at pretending," Tohru mocked him.
She already didn't get along well with Ainz, so now that she had a chance, of course she took it.
"Hmph. You don't understand," Ainz snorted.
Yuto just smiled helplessly. "Ainz, where did you even come up with that 'other world adventure' excuse?"
"Ahem. It was mainly to make myself look like a brave leader exploring the unknown. Don't think too much about it."
Ainz really was working unbelievably hard just to play the role of a leader.
After that, the three of them went to Rimuru's world.
This was Yuto's first time going there.
Rimuru always said it was just a small village, but now that he had actually come here, Yuto realized Rimuru had been way too modest.
This already looked more like a small town!
Goblins were busy everywhere; many brick houses were still being built, and roads were under repair too.
Calling it a "small village" really didn't fit anymore.
As soon as the three arrived, the goblins noticed them.
"Lord Ainz! Who are the people with you?"
Ainz was already a regular visitor here, so the goblins knew him.
They asked about Yuto and Tohru.
After getting an answer from Ainz, they immediately bowed respectfully.
"Lord Kamisaka. Lady Tohru."
That greeting made Yuto feel a little awkward.
Looking at the goblins, he was honestly surprised.
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