The banquet hall was filled with many faces frequently seen in news and online media.
Given the status of the Shinomiya conglomerate, the attendees of the banquet were naturally all social elites. Even those who genuinely couldn't attend would send other family members in their place, arriving with apologies in tow.
Kaguya Shinomiya sat in a corner of the banquet hall—dressed in an extravagant gown, yet her calm expression gave off an icy aura.
Beside her, only Chika Fujiwara kept her company. It wasn't that no one else dared to approach Kaguya; in fact, many had initially tried to strike up a conversation with her.
However, those peers who attempted to get closer were promptly pulled aside by their elders, warned not to casually approach Kaguya Shinomiya.
Clearly, these people understood that Kaguya's presence here wasn't for their children to mingle with—there was another reason altogether.
"So, that Shin still hasn't arrived yet?"
Kaguya Shinomiya's gaze remained fixed on the hall's entrance—the doors had opened many times already, but each time, the person who walked in wasn't the Shin she was waiting for.
Though Kaguya only knew Shin by name (her old phone couldn't even receive photos of him), she had Chika Fujiwara by her side.
Fujiwara had met Shin before, so if he entered the hall, she would immediately point him out.
"The banquet hasn't officially started yet. It's not late if he hasn't arrived now."
Chika Fujiwara wore a carefree smile, but upon closer inspection, one could see fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
Kaguya had dragged her along to identify Shin, making Fujiwara feel as though her heart might leap out of her chest.
After all, she had already harbored inappropriate thoughts about Shin twice. Every time she saw Kaguya now, she couldn't shake off a guilty conscience.
Even in the student council, she avoided making eye contact with Kaguya as much as possible, afraid the guilt would overwhelm her.
But this time, she was the only one left by Kaguya's side. Knowing she couldn't escape, Fujiwara had no choice but to accompany Kaguya in staring at the entrance, waiting for Shin's arrival.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long.
The doors opened once more, and this time, Shin walked in.
Behind him, Ai Hayasaka followed closely in her maid outfit, giving Kaguya an inexplicable feeling—
It was as if Hayasaka was his maid, not hers.
…
The moment Shin stepped into the banquet hall, the attendees unanimously turned their attention toward him.
Logically speaking, the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar young man at such an event should have raised eyebrows. In cliché novels, some ignorant side character might even step forward to challenge him.
But nothing of the sort happened here—this was the Shinomiya family's banquet, and they certainly wouldn't allow anyone to ruin Shin's mood.
In fact, though the Shinomiyas hadn't explicitly stated it, many factions had already sensed something—the Shinomiya family seemed to have gained the support of some unusual power.
While many didn't believe in things like "superpowers," recent conflicts between the Shinomiyas and other conglomerates or corporations had indeed been met with events defying common sense.
These incidents might have seemed minor, but they had disrupted certain plans, allowing the Shinomiyas to gain the upper hand.
And before this banquet, the Shinomiya family had seemingly hinted at something—Shin appeared to be connected to that power.
Thus, although the attendees were seeing Shin for the first time, none dared to provoke him. Instead, they were all contemplating how to win his favor.
Many had already guessed that Kaguya Shinomiya might be part of the Shinomiya family's plan to recruit Shin, and they wondered if they should adopt a similar strategy.
"It seems many people are very interested in you, Master~."
Ai Hayasaka followed closely behind Shin. Noticing the stares directed at him, she couldn't help but giggle softly, whispering to him.
"...I just hope they don't cause any trouble for me."
Shin shrugged. While the Shinomiya family had likely leaked some information to ensure he wouldn't face any unpleasantness at the banquet, it seemed they might have overdone it.
The way people were looking at him felt… off.
They probably wanted his help with "supernatural abilities" too?
But matters related to Stand users were mostly handled by the Kiryu Group. Shin himself hadn't checked on their progress in over two weeks, only receiving daily reports from Kiryuu on his phone to know the group was thriving.
…
"Is that Shin?"
Though Chika Fujiwara didn't speak, Kaguya Shinomiya had already guessed the man's identity the moment she saw Hayasaka trailing behind him.
No wonder Hayasaka had been missing all afternoon—she'd gone to pick up Shin.
But after asking the question, Kaguya received no response.
Puzzled, she glanced at Fujiwara beside her, only to find the girl staring intently in Shin's direction, as if she hadn't heard the question at all.
Kaguya raised her hand and lightly tapped Fujiwara's arm, snapping her out of her daze.
"Fujiwara, are you alright? If you're not feeling well, do you need to rest?"
Seeing Fujiwara's flustered expression, Kaguya—unaware of what it meant—assumed she might be unwell. Out of concern for one of her few friends, she made the suggestion.
"N-no, I'm fine! I'm not unwell, I just zoned out for a moment."
Fujiwara awkwardly waved her hands, then shut her eyes tightly, inwardly scolding herself.
Chika Fujiwara, how could you be so weak? Just seeing Shin and Hayasaka walking together made those strange images pop into your head again!
How could you face Kaguya like this? You're her best friend! You can't keep having these thoughts about her fiancé!
To be continued…
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