Ah-choo—
Inside a vast, classical Japanese courtyard belonging to the Shinomiya Family, Kaguya, who was soaking in a hot spring, suddenly yawned.
"Kaguya-sama, are you catching a cold?"
Tilting her head, Hayasaka Ai, dressed in a Victorian-style maid outfit, asked Kaguya with concern.
"No~ I just suddenly felt annoyed, like I've been wrongly blamed for something!"
Frowning, Kaguya said with a cold tone.
If an ordinary person had said this, Hayasaka Ai might not have cared, but Kaguya was different; her intuition was always uncannily accurate.
"Could it be that Master Gan'an wants to stage a comeback, or perhaps Young Master Oko and Young Master Un'yo have some plan?"
Hayasaka Ai said with a solemn tone.
These were the only things she could think of that might trigger Kaguya's intuition, as she still didn't understand why the Shinomiya Family suddenly came under Kaguya's control.
She had grown up with Kaguya, but... when did Kaguya establish official connections, and such terrifying ones at that?
One could only say the young miss was unfathomable.
"It shouldn't be... Father is reasonable, and as for those brothers of mine... heh~"
Kaguya shook her head. She spoke of her father with a hint of respect, but when mentioning her brothers, her tone was full of disdain.
"The only way they might take power is if they wait for me to die!"
Kaguya said confidently.
But if that was the case, who was defaming her behind her back, causing her to sense it?
Kaguya couldn't figure it out...
Time quickly arrived at the afternoon of the next day.
In a cafe beside the street outside Yukinoshita's apartment, two waitresses were gossiping as they watched the beautiful, shoulder-length, short-haired lady sitting next to the glass wall.
Although professional ethics prevented them from talking about customers behind their backs, they couldn't stop their gossiping eyes from staring at her.
Moreover, according to their colleagues who changed shifts, this lady had been drinking coffee here since last night.
At the same time, her gaze kept darting toward a specific floor in the high-end apartment building across the street... Was her boyfriend cheating?!
Did the crush she adored go home with someone else?!
Husband and mistress... In short, although there was no verbal communication, countless story templates were constantly being applied in their minds.
Until... a very attractive young couple walked out of the high-end apartment building across the street.
The boy was fresh and handsome, and the girl was cool yet carried a hint of charm—contradictory yet unified, truly combining innocence and allure!
"Clang!"
Watching the couple, Haruno, sporting a pair of panda eyes, slammed the coffee cup onto the table, startling the cafe waitresses.
At the same time, they realized that this lady was waiting for them!
But looking at Miss Haruno's face, which bore some resemblance to the beautiful girl's features...
'Could this be a script about sisters fighting over a husband?'
Regardless of what the waitresses thought, Haruno had already secretly followed them.
Although she couldn't save her poor sister, how could she just give up and go back to rest?
Even if it was painful to watch, and her heart was twisting in agony, she had to witness the abyss Little Yukino was in.
However, the more she watched, the more she felt something was wrong.
Why did it seem like Little Yukino really liked that boy... No, Yukino isn't that type!
'My adorable sister has been trained until she's unrecognizable!'
Haruno thought with grief and indignation.
At the same time, she noticed that Little Yukino was exceptionally charming today; no man on the street could resist looking at her.
Cyclists stopped their bikes, drivers pulled over, office workers paused their steps, and even the elderly, young adults, and children.
They couldn't help but sneak glances at Yukinoshita... Some even wanted to approach her but were scared off by a single look from Hayashi.
'Hiss, this aura, he seems to have something going on.'
Haruno's opinion of Hayashi improved slightly, but only slightly. She still hated this guy, and as for the unusual charm surrounding Yukinoshita... it must be the evil influence of Kaguya!
She thought with immense grief and indignation that her sister had been made so charming by that poisonous woman, Shinomiya, and this bastard named Hayashi!
Just a little imagination was enough to make Haruno feel heartbroken and furious!
Then she watched Hayashi and Little Yukino enter the movie theater. Although the environment was dark, she could still make out their silhouettes.
Between 'couples,' and perhaps even as part of Kaguya's mission, flirting and intimacy were naturally unavoidable.
Moreover, Hayashi and Yukino didn't choose a large screening hall but a slightly smaller one, mostly equipped with private couple seating.
What happened inside could be seen from Haruno's increasingly hollow gaze...
"Little Yukino, your older sister is useless; I can't do anything!"
Just as Haruno, utterly dispirited, followed the two out of the theater and then arrived at the amusement park.
At this moment, Haruno suddenly noticed that Hayashi and Yukinoshita had acquired another tail behind them.
That was...
"The Yuuki Family's girl? Yuuki Asuna?"
Asuna had originally just come to the amusement park with friends, and she was just thinking how great it would be if she had the courage to ask Hayashi out.
She suddenly saw Hayashi and Yukinoshita-senpai together...
'A date? Or are they executing a mission?'
Feeling strange inside, Asuna quickly found an excuse to leave her friends and followed Hayashi and Yukinoshita.
However, she hadn't expected that while secretly tracking them, she would be called out by someone.
"You are from the Yukinoshita Family... Miss Haruno, Yukinoshita-senpai's older sister!"
Asuna exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the person who suddenly called out to her. The Yuuki Family wasn't considered a major clan, merely a rich family, and she had met Yukinoshita at a certain banquet.
Naturally, she had also met the jewel of the Yukinoshita family, the impressive Miss Yukinoshita Haruno.
Haruno immediately caught the key word in Asuna's tone.
'Senpai!?'
If Haruno remembered correctly, Asuna shouldn't be a Sobu High School student but a Shuchiin Academy student, and she was the same grade as Yukino.
Why would she call Yukino 'Senpai'?
And looking at her eyes.
"Do you like that boy named Hayashi?"
Haruno, intending to gather more information, decided to try startling the snake out of its hole.
"Ah, I don't... I just felt a bit… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have followed them..."
A flustered Asuna immediately bowed and apologized.
"Ara~ Ara~ Miss Asuna, don't panic."
"I am Yukino's older sister, after all. I'm a little concerned and curious about Hayashi... Could you tell me about him?"
"Ah~!"
Looking up at Haruno's sunny, 'friendly' smile, Asuna couldn't help but shiver. Haruno seemed to have forgotten that she hadn't slept all night, and her dark circles were prominent.
Her current friendly 'mask' was practically that of a demon.
"Hayashi? He's actually a very good person..."
Although slightly startled by Haruno's expression, Asuna thought that since she was Yukinoshita-senpai's sister, perhaps she was just worried Yukino might be deceived by a boy.
So, even though she felt a little conflicted, Asuna honestly spoke highly of Hayashi.
Then Haruno listened with a strange expression as Asuna described Hayashi.
In her description, Hayashi was simply a gentle, reliable, resolute, peerless good man who gave people a sense of security just by standing there...
'The Yuuki family raised a girl with a love-struck brain!'
Subconsciously, Haruno made this judgment and categorized Hayashi as a scumbag.
After all, in her view, what could a man who perfectly matched the description of a Prince Charming in a maiden's fantasy be, other than a scumbag only interested in deceiving women?
Was she talking about a normal man!?
Moreover, could a transfer student from an ordinary family background deserve these evaluations!?
Haruno thought speechlessly, but she didn't let Asuna off the hook, as she keenly sensed that Asuna seemed to be hiding something.
Because when mentioning certain things about Hayashi, she stuttered, and she didn't even seem to think there was anything wrong with Yukinoshita liking Hayashi.
She just seemed a little disappointed... But no matter how Haruno tried to probe, this seemingly innocent girl kept her mouth shut tight.
She didn't tell her a single piece of useful information!
Feeling that Asuna was a bit difficult to deal with, Haruno simply decided to take Asuna along to follow Hayashi and Yukinoshita.
Until... the setting sun slanted down, the amusement park crowds gradually dispersed, and Hayashi and Little Yukino, walking by the river, suddenly said something.
The atmosphere between them suddenly became terrifying.