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Looking at the underwear in the storage basket, Amamiya Natsuki felt that his guess was ninety-nine percent accurate.
It was either Shiina Kaguya or Shinomiya Mashiro.
Having been taken care of since childhood, she had absolutely no concept of housework in her head.
By the way, she wouldn't need him to help her put on underwear tomorrow morning, would she?
Amamiya Natsuki fell into deep thought.
Probably not.
Helping with laundry, however, was very likely.
Shifting his gaze from the teddy bear, Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath and began to shower.
As for using the Sheltered Young Lady's underwear to self-gratify… only a pervert would think of doing such a thing, right?
Amamiya Natsuki only admitted to being a scumbag, not a pervert.
Bang bang.
A knock on the door suddenly sounded.
"P-president," the Sheltered Young Lady's stammering voice sounded from outside the door, "I forgot something in the bathroom..."
Amamiya Natsuki casually said, "Is it your underwear?"
Shinomiya Kaguya: "…"
It's one thing to see it, but don't say it so matter-of-factly!
Amamiya Natsuki continued, "Don't worry, I'm showering. I haven't done anything strange with your underwear."
"Strange things… what are they?"
The Sheltered Young Lady was confused, her knowledge base still somewhat lacking.
"Just don't worry," Amamiya Natsuki silently changed the subject, "I've already started showering. Are you sure you want to come in?"
"…"
Shinomiya Kaguya helplessly pursed her pink lips, her pretty face flushed, and she turned back to the living room, sitting on the sofa.
That day, she even let the President help her take them off… so being seen wasn't really a big deal, was it?
In a flash, he finished showering.
Amamiya Natsuki pushed the door open and came out, looking at the Sheltered Young Lady sitting on the sofa watching TV, and said, "I'm done showering."
"So fast."
Shinomiya Kaguya sat on the sofa, with no intention of getting up.
Seeing this, Amamiya Natsuki understood that this the Sheltered Young Lady truly had no concept of housework in her head.
If it were any other girl, she would have already run off to wash her own underwear by now.
Amamiya Natsuki inquired, "Do you want to wash the clothes together or separately?"
"Eh?"
The Sheltered Young Lady froze, blinking her eyes, and looked over blankly.
For so many years, she had never considered doing laundry. The maids were always responsible for washing them clean and putting them into the wardrobe.
Although she didn't think clothes would just clean themselves by sitting there, she truly didn't know how to wash them.
"Um…" Shinomiya Kaguya's tone was hesitant, "Together?"
Mrs. Shimizu extended a finger and said with a smile, "If you wash underwear with a boy's underwear, you might accidentally get pregnant."
"Impossible." Shinomiya Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest. She was no longer an ignorant, sterile girl. "It clearly needs to be… be…"
The words reached her lips, and Shinomiya Kaguya quickly stopped, swallowing the rest of the sentence.
As a girl, doing such a thing should never be spoken aloud, especially in front of her mother and a boy. She would be too embarrassed to face anyone!
"Ugh––"
Shinomiya Kaguya let out a cry of distress, covering her mouth with teary eyes.
Amamiya Natsuki looked over: "Did you bite your tongue?"
"B-bit it…"
The Sheltered Young Lady nodded tearfully.
"You rest for a while," Amamiya Natsuki said, "I'll do the laundry."
"No, I'll wash them myself!"
Shinomiya Kaguya had already realized that what her mother had just said actually meant that she shouldn't mix her clothes with a boy's clothes when washing.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Mrs. Shimizu and said, "Can you do laundry?"
Shinomiya Kaguya covered her pink lips, took out her phone with her other hand, searched for a tutorial video, and watched it at double speed:
"I can now."
"…"
It had to be said, this the Sheltered Young Lady was very capable with her hands.
After just watching one tutorial video, she used the washing machine skillfully and also learned common sense such as not washing socks with underwear, and that girls' underwear is best hand-washed separately.
"Phew… done."
After personally hanging the clothes to dry, Shinomiya Kaguya's lips curved slightly upwards, revealing a satisfied smile.
"Not bad," Amamiya Natsuki commented from the side, "Eight out of ten."
He had previously said this the Sheltered Young Lady was a counterpart to Shiina Mashiro, but now it seemed he was mistaken.
As long as the Sheltered Young Lady wanted to learn, she could do things quite well.
Shinomiya Kaguya's bright eyes turned, and she looked over, crossing her arms over her chest and saying, "What about the other two points?"
Amamiya Natsuki extended a finger and said, "One point for not helping me wash my clothes."
"Wash your own underwear," Shinomiya Kaguya retorted, "And the other point?"
How could she possibly ask someone else to wash that kind of thing!
Amamiya Natsuki extended a second finger: "Another point deducted for fear of you getting too arrogant."
Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't help but glare at him: "…Go wash your clothes now."
"…"
Back in the living room.
His phone suddenly rang.
"Kaguya-chan, it's your phone," Mrs. Shimizu called out loudly.
Shinomiya Kaguya walked over and picked up her phone, her expression quickly turning cold as she said in a low voice, "I'll take this call."
Amamiya Natsuki sat on the sofa, faintly hearing the voice of the middle-aged, long-haired man, Shinomiya Un'yo.
Their conversation didn't last long, only about a minute, and then Shinomiya Kaguya walked back, softly saying:
"My running away from home has been discovered."
Amamiya Natsuki picked up his teacup: "What did that old man say?"
Simply put, running away from home was acceptable, but from now on, Kaguya's entire financial source would be cut off, her usual allowance bank card would be frozen, she would no longer have a driver to pick her up or drop her off, and all future tuition fees, living expenses, etc., would have to be earned by Shinomiya Kaguya herself until she voluntarily admitted her mistake and returned home.
It was a simple yet effective method.
For a the Sheltered Young Lady who had never experienced hardship in society, running away from home was a very difficult thing. An ordinary girl might not even last a week before returning home in shame to admit her mistake.
Unfortunately, he miscalculated one thing: Shinomiya Kaguya was a player, and a quite formidable one at that, a player who had single-handedly established the player trading platform.
Any valuable item she casually brought out could easily sell for a month's living expenses. It could be said without exaggeration that she was already a self-sufficient little rich woman.
In terms of living, there would be no worries.
As for emotional aspects… a brother who had never shown close affection and was only slightly better than a stranger, of course, she would choose Mrs. Shimizu.
Shinomiya Kaguya let out a soft breath, looked at Amamiya Natsuki, and then said:
"The only problem is that the person has a very strong desire for control. If he finds out I'm doing well on my own outside, he's very likely to cause you trouble."
"That would indeed be troublesome." Amamiya Natsuki nodded, "But after careful discussion, I believe that long-haired old man will be very happy to agree to my request."
Shinomiya Kaguya tilted her head and looked over: "Request?"
Amamiya Natsuki's expression turned serious, and he said earnestly:
"Please entrust Kaguya-san's life to me."
The Sheltered Young Lady's eyes widened upon hearing this, and her pretty face quickly flushed red.
Requesting to entrust her life to him… wasn't that tantamount to a disguised confession?
It was too sudden, and the setting wasn't right either. At the very least, it should be more formal!
"I refuse."
A voice quietly sounded from the side.
Mrs. Shimizu said with a smiling face: "Hesitation is refusal. Give up, Natsuki, Kaguya-chan's life is naturally entrusted to me."
The Sheltered Young Lady immediately clenched her small fists: "Don't make decisions for me!"
"…"
As for causing trouble, Amamiya Natsuki didn't take it to heart at all.
As a player, there were too many ways to deal with an ordinary person; he could even make the other party disappear without a trace.
Of course, Kaguya was just running away from home due to a quarrel, not out of deep hatred, so it hadn't really reached that point.
At ten o'clock in the evening, Miko quietly snuck over from next door—ever since she experienced the joy of sleeping soundly until dawn, she couldn't bear to be alone and on edge in the middle of the night anymore.
Amamiya Natsuki had sent a message about the Sheltered Young Lady running away from home, so Miko wasn't surprised to see Shinomiya Kaguya in the living room; instead, she expressed support and understanding.
Next was the usual nightly routine at midnight, when everyone entered the Theater together to play mahjong with Sadako.
The night passed without a word.
The next day.
"Kaguya-san, good morning."
Amamiya Natsuki greeted the Sheltered Young Lady, who was sitting up groggily.
"President, good morning…"
Shinomiya Kaguya rubbed her eyes, her voice languid. Because she had just woken up, she looked quite soft, like a small kitten.
"Kaguya-chan, good morning." Mrs. Shimizu floated out from the kitchen. Although she was a ghost, she was actually wearing an apron and holding a spoon in one hand. "Go wash your face and brush your teeth, and get ready to eat."
"…Mom?"
After a moment of daze, Shinomiya Kaguya quickly woke up, and a warm feeling gently and softly overflowed in her heart.
Being called by her mother to eat breakfast was already a very blurry fragment of light and shadow in her memory. Now, she was clearly experiencing it again… running away from home was indeed the right choice!
Mrs. Shimizu suddenly blinked, a joyful smile on her face:
"There are many ways to tempt boys. Just exposing yourself isn't enough, you know."
"Eh?"
Shinomiya Kaguya was startled. She looked down and realized that the buttons of her pajamas had come undone at some point, revealing her collarbone and cleavage. Her pretty face immediately flushed red, and she quickly raised her hand to cover her chest.
"I didn't intentionally tempt the President!"
Shinomiya Kaguya puffed out her cheeks, wanting to retract her previous words.
She regretted it.
Living with this scoundrel mother every day was not the right choice at all!
After breakfast.
Under Mrs. Shimizu's guidance, the Young Lady had initially mastered the secret of cohabitation life, actively clearing the dishes and preparing to wash them.
Looking at the housemaid the Sheltered Young Lady in the kitchen, wearing an apron and with her hair wrapped in a towel, Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but take out his phone to take pictures as a memento.
After taking several photos, Amamiya Natsuki put down his phone with satisfaction.
"No, I need to share these photos of the Young Lady's first time as a housemaid with someone."
Amamiya Natsuki pondered for two seconds and sent a message to Maid Hayasaka.
"Are you there? I have something nice to show you."
It was already past eight o'clock, so Hayasaka Ai had naturally woken up and quickly replied:
"Is what Natsuki-kun is talking about proper?"
Amamiya Natsuki: "Improper."
Hayasaka Ai: "Then I'm interested."
Amamiya Natsuki sent the photo of the housemaid Kaguya, then added text:
"Maid-chan, you don't want your the Sheltered Young Lady to do housework every day, do you?"
Hayasaka Ai: "…"
Damn it!
You little senpai, don't be too arrogant!
Today was a holiday, so Amamiya Natsuki and the Sheltered Young Lady didn't go out to play. They stayed at home and maxed out the luck value of the coin. According to the previous sequence, it was now Shinomiya Kaguya's turn to flip the coin.
However, Shinomiya Kaguya didn't use it immediately but decided to wait until tomorrow—Chika and Marin both wanted to gacha in mobile games and planned to have Kaguya help them draw tomorrow.
The day passed quickly, and evening arrived in a blink of an eye.
As the sun set, the doorbell suddenly rang.
"I'll get it."
Shinomiya Kaguya got up and walked over, soon exclaiming in surprise: "Eh, Hanamori?"
"Kaguya-chan, good evening." Hayasaka Ai smiled brightly, greeted her, and walked in, carrying a suitcase with a grunt.
Shinomiya Kaguya asked in confusion:
"Why are you suddenly here, and with a suitcase…"
Hayasaka Ai wiped the sweat from her forehead, her right hand on her hip, and said:
"Senpai said he was too lonely, so he asked me to come and keep him company."
"Wh-what?!"
Shinomiya Kaguya's brows immediately furrowed.
You have me accompanying you, and Mom is here too, yet you still say you're lonely?
That's too much!
Amamiya Natsuki was cooking in the kitchen when he suddenly felt a chill. He couldn't help but walk out of the kitchen and raised an eyebrow: "Hanamori, why are you here?"
This Hayasaka, wearing a black wig and black-rimmed glasses, and possessing voice actor-level voice-changing ability, had not been exposed by Kaguya's true identity until today.
"Where I lived before, there were always people singing and disturbing the peace downstairs in the middle of the night, seriously affecting my rest and study." Hayasaka Ai clasped her hands in front of her chest, showing a pitiful expression, "So, I asked Senpai to let me stay for two days."
Good heavens, staying was fake, coming to take care of Kaguya was real, wasn't it?
The Sheltered Young Lady just ran away from home yesterday, and you followed today. How inseparable are you!
Amamiya Natsuki said calmly:
"What about the income from the items you sold last time? You could easily stay in a hotel every day, right?"
Since Hayasaka Ai came with a suitcase, she had naturally considered all problems. She clasped her hands and said:
"I've saved all the money. My mother isn't well, and if something happens to me someday, that money can ensure my mother's livelihood."
You're using family affection as an excuse? You really just make things up as you go!
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya and shrugged:
"Now Kaguya-san calls the shots."
Wh-what!
I'm not the mistress, why should I call the shots?
You should decide for yourself.
Hayasaka Ai turned her head, looked at the Sheltered Young Lady, whose pretty face was flushed and lips curved in a smile, and bowed:
"Please, Kaguya-senpai."
"I understand." Shinomiya Kaguya raised her hand to brush a strand of hair from her ear. "Since that's the case, then stay for a while."
With Mom here, and Miko still coming over occasionally at night, having one more Hanamori staying over actually wasn't a big deal… it wasn't a world for two anyway.
However, Shinomiya Kaguya quickly regretted it.
After Hayasaka Ai put down her suitcase, she immediately started to snatch the housemaid's work, reaching out to stop her:
"Kaguya-senpai, put down that onion. Let me wash it. Don't irritate your eyes."
Shinomiya Kaguya said speechlessly:
"I've already searched online how to wash onions…"
Hayasaka Ai rolled up her sleeves: "Just let me do it!"
"Kaguya-senpai, I'll carry the rice cooker."
"…"
"Kaguya-senpai, put down the dishes. Let me wash them."
"…"
After showering in the evening, Hayasaka Ai popped out again, "Kaguya-senpai, those clothes…"
"I can wash my own clothes." Shinomiya Kaguya firmly refused, "You don't need to help."
I ran away from home precisely because I wanted to experience a new life. Now, if you're going to snatch every task, I won't have any opportunities to grow and improve!
"Alright then." Hayasaka Ai reluctantly agreed.
Amamiya Natsuki sat on the sofa and said impolitely:
"I'm thirsty. Hanamori, pour me a cup of tea."
Hayasaka Ai glanced at him: "Senpai, you shouldn't drink it. Drinking too much tea at night will make you want to go to the bathroom."
Amamiya Natsuki said as if nothing happened:
"It's fine, my kidneys are good."
"Tsk." Hayasaka Ai pouted disdainfully, "Holding your pee is clearly a bladder matter, it has nothing to do with your kidneys."
Amamiya Natsuki sighed: "Have you ever heard a famous saying from the criminal world?"
"What saying?"
"You know too much."
While the Sheltered Young Lady was still washing clothes, Amamiya Natsuki grabbed Hayasaka Ai's wrist, pulled Hayasaka into his arms, and whispered, "You just came over like this, aren't you afraid of exposing your identity?"
Hayasaka Ai sat on Amamiya Natsuki's lap and whispered, "The Miss is in the bathroom. Is the perverted senpai not afraid of being exposed by eagerly bullying me?"
"A little afraid." Amamiya Natsuki spoke truthfully, the terror of Yandere Kaguya still vivid in his mind, "But… it's very stimulating."
Hayasaka stretched out her arms, wrapped them around Amamiya Natsuki's neck, and smiled, "I think the same as the perverted senpai."
"…"
What an incredible perverted maid! Coming to take care of Kaguya is a small goal; her real intention is to cause trouble right under Kaguya's nose and enjoy the pleasure of immorality!
By the time the Sheltered Young Lady came back after washing her underwear, Amamiya Natsuki and Hayasaka had already separated. They sat properly on the sofa watching TV.
The night passed without incident.
With Kaguya watching, Hayasaka Ai was relatively well-behaved and didn't cause any more trouble.
The next day.
Monday.
It was time for school again.
"Senpai, Kaguya-senpai, I'm leaving first." Hayasaka Ai said goodbye and left ahead of them, which was actually to change clothes midway.
Amamiya Natsuki walked to school with Kaguya and Miko.
After arriving at the Student Council and finishing their daily work, they waited for Kashiwagi to leave first. Everyone closed the Student Council door and began their daily lottery.
"Kaguya-chan, I'm counting on you." Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands in front of her chest, "I want a full-star character and a full-star exclusive weapon!"
"Me too." Kitagawa Marin followed, handing over her phone, "I want you to draw for me too."
Shinomiya Kaguya flicked a coin, gaining the favor of luck. She first helped Chika and Marin draw characters and weapons.
Six golds in ten draws, instantly maxing out their characters. Even whales would shed tears seeing this.
Then came the daily Blind Box, from which a special item was opened.
Next was the Witch's Inheritance Crystal Ball.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya and asked curiously, "How is it? Any gains?"
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