She walked quickly. She crumpled the torn black stockings into a ball and threw them in a public trash can, then hurried back toward Advanced Nurturing High School, her stiletto heels clicking sharply against the pavement.
It wasn't that she intentionally wanted to distance herself from the estate, but she had no choice but to return to her headquarters. Regardless of whether Mrs. Yukinoshita's probing was intentional or unintentional, Sae Chabashira had lost all her leisurely pace.
Arriving at the gates of Advanced Nurturing High School, located far from the city center, she caught a glimpse of a black crow circling high in the sky.
'This is my territory,' Sae thought, her eyes narrowing. 'If Mrs. Yukinoshita wants to interfere here, then she shouldn't blame me for completely siding with Eri Kisaki.'
Of course, Sae still needed to prepare alternative options. Looking at this massive school—nominally meant to cultivate the nation's future social elites, but in reality only producing ruthless, cunning schemers—she couldn't help but reveal a meaningful, predatory smile.
She used to despise this place. Because she was also one of the broken products cultivated here.
Now? She liked it very much. Because she now had the absolute right to stand outside the chessboard, or even to violently overturn it. Seiran was her boundless source of confidence.
The only regret was... her little man didn't seem to have any intention of producing offspring right now. She stroked her flat lower abdomen with considerable regret. She desperately wanted to have a child with Seiran. Having his child would make her feel entirely secure in the household hierarchy.
But if her little man didn't have that idea yet, she could only make up for her value in other ways. For example…
'Suzune Horikita?' Sae couldn't help but frown and shake her head. 'No, that one still needs some more rigorous training to break her pride. Arisu Sakayanagi? Honami Ichinose? Kikyo Kushida? Or perhaps…'
'Chie Hoshinomiya…' she silently added a certain older woman who always liked to act cute to the chopping block.
Sae composed herself, adjusting her glasses. She couldn't be too hasty. These things always needed careful, meticulous planning…
The Shinomiya Zaibatsu: Main Estate
At the same time, Ai Hayasaka made a rare trip back to her former "home"—the sprawling estate of the Shinomiya Zaibatsu.
In fact, Ai Hayasaka was the only maid in the Minazuki mansion who didn't have to work on a rotating shift schedule. Ai knew this was Seiran's perverse sense of humor. When she was innocently wiping the windows, Seiran would directly lift her maid skirt from behind and… well. When she made the bed, she could easily be pounced on. When she went to wake him in the mornings, she was always pulled under the heavy covers, shivering from the sheer heat of his attention.
In short, serving Seiran was far more physically taxing than serving Kaguya Shinomiya ever was. Because there was an additional, permanent service required: "taking care of his desires."
Naturally, Ai had become the woman who suffered the most "scalding" attention among all the women in the house. Clearly, this level of relentless pampering was exceptional. But Mrs. Yukinoshita and the others failed to notice the true dynamic.
Ai, however, had her own sharp judgment. She knew she was actually the strongest hidden contender for the mistress of the house. She just intentionally kept a low profile most of the time…
A black crow flashed past like lightning in her field of vision, keeping watch over her. Ai felt no surprise.
She arrived at the grand gates of the Shinomiya Zaibatsu in her chauffeured car. Gan'an Shinomiya, the ruthless patriarch, was actually already waiting at the front gate, accompanied by his three ambitious sons.
Kaguya Shinomiya was also present. This stirred up a subtle, incredibly complex emotion in the young heiress. Ai used to be her personal maid, bound by contract, but now she was being treated like visiting royalty…
However, Gan'an Shinomiya, the cold, ruthless man who had built the Shinomiya Zaibatsu into an empire, didn't show any overt fawning or pathetic flattery. Instead, he genuinely treated Ai as if she were an honored part of his own family, showering her with warmth and support. His words and actions were all meticulously calculated to help this "married-out daughter."
The problem was his sons…
On the way to the front doors, Un'yo Shinomiya, the gloomy third brother, frequently stole nervous glances at his older brothers—Oko and Seiryu Shinomiya. Their father's respectful attitude and words were perfectly fine. Even Seiryu might have had some political ulterior motives but knew how to behave. But Oko, the arrogant eldest son…
"Alright, Ai's rarely back, cheer up," Gan'an ordered smoothly. "Kaguya, go talk to Ai."
Kaguya's mind was a mess. 'This is… bad. I've basically become the maid now…'
And Gan'an Shinomiya's attitude brightened Ai's eyes. She had always harbored a secret, petty dream: to have her former mistress, Kaguya Shinomiya, give her a massage. It seemed… this dream wasn't so difficult to achieve after all.
At the grand dinner table, Gan'an prepared a lavish feast to welcome Ai back. Kaguya, meanwhile, kept Ai company, whispering politely amongst themselves.
Taking advantage of the pleasant atmosphere, Gan'an pulled out a thick, sealed document: the Hayasaka family's master contract.
The Hayasaka family was now officially free, no longer an indentured appendage of the Shinomiya family. But legally, the Hayasaka family's assets would still be subject to Ai's direct control, effectively becoming her own personal property.
This was Gan'an's ultimate display of "sincerity" to her—and by extension, to Seiran.
This level of sincerity made Ai nod with considerable satisfaction. Perhaps in Seiran's household, she appeared unassuming, submissive, and only knew how to pitifully endure being pampered. But outside those walls? If you really wanted to be serious, everyone in the secular world now had to respectfully address her as "Madam."
Just as she was about to express her polite gratitude and reach out to accept the contract, an incredibly inappropriate, arrogant remark suddenly rang out across the dining hall.
"Hehehe... Ai, we've sacrificed so much to train you, you have to remember our family's kindness..."
"..."
Cold. It was incredibly cold.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the dining room became so freezing that Kaguya physically shivered.
Who dared to say such a stupid thing?
Oko Shinomiya. Her eldest brother.
'No, this is bad...' Kaguya thought, glancing at her father's face with a chill running down her spine.
Gan'an remained perfectly calm, his expression entirely unchanged, still smiling. He then glanced at Ai Hayasaka. She also acted as if she had heard nothing, but her hand, which had been reaching for the contract, halted mid-air.
Only Un'yo was ashen-faced, suddenly looking at his good older brother in sheer horror. Seiryu maintained a stiff, contemptuous smile, also realizing the magnitude of the blunder.
'Two brainless idiots...' Un'yo thought, panicking. 'What do you think Father is doing?! Treating people with respect? Bestowing favors? This is fucking ingratiation to a God!!'
At this moment, Un'yo was so terrified he couldn't speak, his palms sweating profusely. He was going to be killed by his brother's idiocy. Would their father possibly suspect that the three brothers had plotted this disrespect together?
Of course not. What the brothers thought was entirely secondary. The most important thing was appeasing the girl sitting across from them.
"Ai-chan..." Gan'an spoke smoothly, breaking the ice. "Who do you think should be the heir of my Shinomiya family?"
Upon hearing this, Un'yo quickly lowered his head in terror. Oko and Seiryu both frowned in unison, outraged by the question being directed at a former servant.
However, Gan'an ignored his sons completely, his hand still holding the contract out to Ai. If she wouldn't accept it, he would just keep holding it. That was his absolute attitude. If a mistake was made, he had to rectify it immediately. Whether it was his mistake or his foolish son's.
"...What if I said, let the young lady inherit?" Ai replied softly, her blue eyes meeting Gan'an's.
"Alright." Gan'an nodded without a single moment of hesitation. "Then let Kaguya inherit. Tomorrow... no, today, I will announce to the public that Kaguya Shinomiya is the sole, undisputed heir of the Shinomiya Zaibatsu!"
.....
.....
.....
Give me powerstones.
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter