"Miss Kaguya, it is time for your bath."
In the Shinomiya mansion at night, the maid with long blonde hair walked slowly behind Kaguya Shinomiya and spoke in a calm, even tone.
"Mmh, I know..."
Standing in front of a window on the second floor, Kaguya Shinomiya nodded gently, her voice sounding somewhat absent-minded.
As a servant who had accompanied Kaguya for many years, Ai Hayasaka could tell that Kaguya had something weighing heavily on her mind right now.
Furthermore, she knew exactly what—or rather, who—was the root cause of this series of changes causing her mistress such distress.
Gao Hai.
A transparent individual with a resume that was almost completely blank. A man who seemed to do nothing but stay at home, possessing absolutely no interpersonal relationships.
Yet, Miss Kaguya had suddenly become involved with this man last month, meeting him privately several times. And it wasn't just Miss Kaguya; there was also the eldest daughter of the Shijo family, Maki Shijo. That woman had gone even further, nearly sparking a fire with that man and almost taking things to the final step.
Then, just two days ago, the second daughter of the Fujiwara family, Chika Fujiwara, also made contact with him. Her intimate posture actually showed a vague trend of surpassing Maki Shijo.
Incomprehensible.
Ai Hayasaka could not understand this situation at all.
Why would such a man, who appeared to have absolutely nothing special about him, suddenly attract the attention of Miss Kaguya, as well as the Shijo and Fujiwara families, in just one short month? This matter was simply too abnormal; it was impossible to understand or believe.
Who exactly was he? Why was it that for such a long time before, no trace of his existence could be found, as if he didn't exist, yet now he had suddenly become high-profile, capturing the hearts of so many descendants of prestigious families in one fell swoop?
And... why was Miss Kaguya unwilling to let me continue investigating him? It was as if my continuing to do so would cause something bad to happen.
Hayasaka felt somewhat uneasy.
But her unease wasn't solely because Kaguya was entangled with that strange man.
Another reason for her anxiety lay in her secret identity. She was actually a spy under Huangguang Shinomiya, the eldest brother of the current Shinomiya generation. She had been arranged to grow up with the Shinomiya family's youngest daughter, Kaguya Shinomiya, serving her while constantly monitoring her, reporting her every move to Huangguang Shinomiya's faction at any time and place.
When she reported Gao Hai's matters to the higher-ups previously, those people only told her to hold her position and maintain surveillance. But in recent days, after learning that the Fujiwara family's daughter had also been dragged in, those people seemed to have developed some ideas. They seemed to think that Gao Hai possessed very formidable social methods to bewitch so many people, and were beginning to consider having Hayasaka try to make contact with Gao Hai to confirm the specific situation of this individual.
And this was precisely the thing Miss Kaguya had warned her about several times, stating it was something she absolutely must not do. Although Hayasaka herself didn't know the reason, based on her understanding of Kaguya, she naturally realized that Kaguya was doing this to protect her, wanting to tell her not to get too deeply involved with Gao Hai, or she might encounter danger.
However, she feared she might not be able to comply with this order much longer.
Amidst her surging thoughts, Hayasaka suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing that Kaguya hadn't moved and was still standing there, looking at the sky outside the window.
"Miss Kaguya?"
Her worries seemed quite heavy today.
Hayasaka took a step closer, calling out to Kaguya, who was lost in deep thought.
As if suddenly startled awake, Kaguya lifted her head and turned to look at Hayasaka. Then, after hesitating for a moment, she spoke while looking at her.
"Hayasaka... I have a question I want to ask you."
Kaguya Shinomiya's expression appeared incomparably solemn.
"I am here."
Seeing Kaguya reveal such an expression, Ai Hayasaka knew she must be about to say something important, so she adopted a serious attitude as well.
What could it be?
For some time now, I've constantly felt that Miss Kaguya is hiding something from me. Is she planning to say it now?
With a heart full of apprehension, Hayasaka heard Kaguya's words in the next moment.
"Hayasaka, do you know... how to captivate a man?"
Kaguya, with a blush rising on her face and her fingers tangling together, asked in a tone that seemed very embarrassed.
Huh?
The expression on Ai Hayasaka's face froze in that instant.
Having finally summoned the courage to seek help, Kaguya took a large step forward and reached out to grab Ai Hayasaka's hands.
"So, Hayasaka, do you know of any method to charm a man so much that his soul turns upside down?"
"This is very, very important to me. The only person around me who I can think of that can help me is you."
"Please, Hayasaka, do you have any way? Hey, help me, Hayasaka."
How could an underage girl like me, who has never even been in a relationship, possibly have a method for that?!
Hayasaka wore a smile on her face, but inside, she was screaming.
At the same time that the master and servant on this side began discussing some rather discordant topics, the situation at Gao Hai's home on the other side was completely different.
"Ta-da! It's done."
Placing a bowl of egg fried rice onto the table, Chika said to Gao Hai with a grin, pulling out a chair to sit beside him.
"Thank you. Even though you're the guest visiting my home, you actually ended up cooking."
Gao Hai, whose culinary skills weren't much to speak of, looked slightly awkward. He had originally intended to just microwave yesterday's leftovers or order some takeout to resolve dinner. He hadn't expected Chika Fujiwara to be waiting at his door, and upon learning he hadn't eaten dinner, she volunteered to cook, frying him a portion of soy sauce egg fried rice.
"No need to thank me. The person who should be expressing gratitude is actually me. After all, without Ah Hai, it would have been impossible for me to leave that cave alive. Compared to that, a small matter like cooking counts for nothing. Alright, alright, anyway, eat it while it's hot. You aren't allowed to complain that I made it poorly."
The young girl raised her small head and spoke seriously, her two small feet swinging back and forth.
"How could I possibly complain? Well then, itadakimasu."
Picking up his chopsticks, Gao Hai rapidly finished off the bowl of fried rice. Due to the influence of the enhancements and the Blessing, his physical constitution had been greatly strengthened, and his appetite and digestive capabilities were far superior to ordinary people. Therefore, Gao Hai finished this large bowl of fried rice in less than three minutes with ease, and even felt it was slightly insufficient after finishing.
I feel like if this goes on, just eating meals is going to be a troublesome issue in the future.
Just as Gao Hai was lamenting this in his heart and put down the bowl, Chika Fujiwara at his side handed over a tissue. Gao Hai paused for a moment before accepting the tissue to wipe his mouth. Following that, Chika took away the bowl and chopsticks, walking into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
"You really don't have to go this far..."
Being taken care of so earnestly by the other party, Gao Hai really couldn't sit still. He walked into the kitchen wanting to wash the dishes himself.
"Ehehe, just let me take care of Ah Hai a little bit for today. Being willfully self-indulgent like this shouldn't make Ah Hai hate me, right?"
The girl wearing an apron merely giggled as she spoke to Gao Hai, with absolutely no intention of stepping aside.
"How could I possibly hate it? It's just a bit difficult to get used to..."
Eventually, Gao Hai was shooed back to the living room, sitting on the sofa in a state of restlessness as he waited for Chika to finish tidying the kitchen and come over.
Speaking of which, what exactly is going on?
Gao Hai fell into deep thought.
Following Maki Shijo, this was the second time a girl had come inside his home as a guest. But unlike the situation when Maki arrived, Chika Fujiwara behaved even more like the homeowner than Gao Hai did. Conversely, Gao Hai felt a bit like the guest. This point truly felt strange.
"Hey, hey, Ah Hai, can you take me on a tour of your house? There shouldn't be any secret rooms that girls aren't allowed to see, right?"
While he was thinking, the girl's voice suddenly came from beside his ear. Gao Hai turned his head to see Chika Fujiwara standing behind him, wearing a somewhat mischievous smile.
"How could there be a room like that? Mm, then I'll show you around."
Scratching his head and standing up, Gao Hai led Chika out of the living room. For some reason, he felt that the tempo of his actions had been completely taken over by her.
Regardless, Gao Hai took Chika along, passing through room after room.
"This is the guest room. Mm, there are three guest rooms in the house total, though the other two don't have blankets laid out."
Opening a door, Gao Hai pointed into the room as he spoke.
"Oh, oh! In that case, Ah Hai's house can accommodate many people living here."
Chika nodded solemnly, stroking her chin as she analyzed.
Why is [Can accommodate many people] your direction of analysis?
Gao Hai really wanted to ask that, but in the end, he didn't voice it, merely opening another door to continue the introductions.
"This is the bathroom. There's also a large bathtub, though I haven't used that thing."
"Oh, oh! It feels like two or three people could bathe together at the same time."
"This is the laundry room. Washer, dryer, it has everything."
"It feels like it can wash many people's clothes."
"This is the backyard. It's still all weeds right now; I haven't decided if I want to plant anything."
"Mmh, mmh, it's a good place. Everyone can have a meal together in the yard."
Why does this girl keep emphasizing 'many people'...
Gao Hai felt that Chika meant more than she was saying.
"This is the study. However, I don't particularly like reading, so there aren't many books in here."
"Ehehe, are there really no little H-books?"
Finally, Chika stopped talking about the number of people, although the topic she switched to wasn't anything to be happy about either.
"No. I am a gentleman of integrity; I don't buy H-books."
Gao Hai's expression as he answered was incomparably sincere.
"This is the game room. I put some game consoles and gaming equipment in here."
"That's quite nice. But I have to be 18 before I can play games. Can Ah Hai teach me how to play when the time comes?"
"Of course I can. If you want to play, you can play right now."
When they arrived at the game room, Chika revealed a slightly longing expression. However, it was clear the young girl was very compliant with her family's rules. Although she indeed had the urge to try playing, she ultimately shook her head and refused, not touching those game consoles.
The final place they arrived at was Gao Hai's bedroom.
"This is where I usually sleep. Mm, I haven't really tidied up. Sorry, it might be a bit messy."
When opening the bedroom door, Gao Hai realized he hadn't folded his sheets, so he felt somewhat awkward.
But at the same time, Chika Fujiwara had already taken a step forward, diving directly onto the bed.
"Wah-pu— Hehe, it's actually a soft bed."
She grabbed the pillow Gao Hai slept on, hugging it to her chest.
Chika rolled over on the bed just like that, facing Gao Hai at the door with a somewhat silly smile.
"Ah, indeed it is."
Gao Hai turned his head slightly to the side, answering casually.
She flashed me, this girl...
In that moment when Chika rolled on the bed just now, Gao Hai clearly saw the girl's skirt fly up, along with the fair skin of her thighs wrapped in silk stockings, and a glimpse of the colors of the indescribable area above that.
Even for a social expert, even for someone overly familiar, this is a bit too much, right?
I feel like I can't see through this giggling girl at all anymore.
"Found an opening!"
The next moment, the girl clutched the pillow and suddenly leaped up from the bed, jumping toward Gao Hai.
Gao Hai subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to block, but then, realizing something, he took a step forward and extended both hands. Consequently, Chika Fujiwara landed directly in his embrace, and that pillow followed, gently tapping the top of his head.
"Whoa-ah, was it a trap?"
Chika exclaimed softly in surprise. Her tone was cheerful as always, but the blush on both sides of her cheeks had completely betrayed her state of mind at this moment.
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