"Kamisaka-kun, I hope you seriously consider what I've told you. Don't let a moment of youthful impulse bring you an unfortunate ending."
Nobuyuki Sugou was still standing in front of Yuto, endlessly lecturing him with his eyebrows slightly raised and a smug expression on his face.
Even the curve of his lips carried open contempt.
Yuto, however, had already stopped paying attention.
His gaze had shifted past Sugou's shoulder.
Kaguya, Asuna, and Hayasaka were walking toward them.
The three girls noticed him looking their way, and Yuto smiled before raising one hand in greeting.
They smiled back.
That tiny exchange was enough to shock the countless people who had been secretly watching Kaguya from across the hall.
Their curiosity toward the unfamiliar young man standing in the corner immediately grew even stronger.
Sugou, unfortunately, knew absolutely nothing about any of this.
His back was turned toward the rest of the hall, so he had completely missed what just happened.
All he knew was that Yuto had blatantly ignored him in the middle of his speech and waved at someone else.
To Sugou...
That was an unbearable insult.
He was obviously the one with higher status.
And yet this brat dared to ignore him?
Anger surged through Sugou's chest.
If they had not been standing in the middle of a formal banquet where he needed to preserve his image, he probably would have lost his temper already.
Even now, he was only barely suppressing it.
"Did no one ever teach you that when someone is speaking to you, you're supposed to listen?"
Sugou lowered his voice, the anger in his eyes becoming noticeably colder.
Yuto raised one eyebrow before smiling as though none of it mattered.
"Were you saying something just now? Sorry, sorry. I didn't hear you. I just noticed my friends coming over."
There was not the slightest trace of apology on his face.
If anything, that calm smile only made Sugou even angrier.
"Heh. Your friends?" Sugou sneered. "You mean Asuna, I assume. With your background, she's probably the only person at a place like this you could possibly know."
He quickly adjusted his clothes and restored his mild, pleasant expression.
Sugou had already decided that the "friend" Yuto mentioned must be Asuna.
Naturally, if she was approaching, he needed to put his mask back on before she arrived.
"As for what I said just now, you'd better be smart enough to keep it to yourself. Otherwise... I'm sure you understand."
Sugou leaned close to Yuto's ear, deliberately pretending familiarity as he quietly threatened him.
Yuto kept smiling from beginning to end.
Once he finished, Sugou straightened elegantly and turned around.
"Asuna—"
Her name had barely left his lips when he froze.
No.
He practically locked up on the spot.
Why...
Was Kaguya Shinomiya standing there?
For one rare moment, even Sugou's normally quick mind seemed to crash completely.
He hurriedly forced himself into a respectful posture, though the fear spreading across his face required no acting whatsoever.
He was genuinely terrified of the girl standing before him.
Sugou bent deeply at the waist, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor while cold sweat gathered across his forehead.
Even his back had become unnaturally stiff, making him resemble an animal instinctively cowering before something far more dangerous.
"Miss Shinomiya..."
"Mr. Sugou, my secretary has something she would like to discuss with you. Would that be all right?"
Before he could finish, Kaguya calmly interrupted him.
Sugou did not dare show even the slightest irritation or reluctance.
Still bent forward, he hurriedly nodded.
The contrast with the arrogant man who had just been looking down on Yuto was almost comical.
Only moments earlier, he had been lecturing someone else about status and hierarchy.
Now he looked like a lapdog dressed in human clothes.
"Mr. Sugou, shall we speak outside?"
Hayasaka looked at him without expression.
Sugou immediately nodded again.
He was confused, but he did not dare ask why.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, however, a ridiculous thought still managed to surface.
Perhaps...
The Shinomiya family had finally noticed his talents?
Hayasaka turned and walked toward the exit.
Sugou quickly abandoned his fantasy and followed her.
As he passed Asuna, he even gave her a friendly smile.
Asuna responded with the same expression she might have given a complete stranger.
And just like that, Sugou followed Hayasaka out of the hall.
Kaguya then turned toward Yuto.
The smile that appeared on her face was completely different from the polite expression she had worn for all the so-called elites earlier.
This one was genuine.
The happiness in it belonged entirely to an ordinary girl.
"Good evening, Kamisaka-kun."
She greeted him warmly.
Asuna did the same beside her.
"Good evening."
Yuto smiled and nodded.
His gaze briefly shifted toward the direction Hayasaka and Sugou had disappeared.
"Was that man a friend of yours, Asuna?"
He looked toward her.
Asuna's expression faltered before becoming apologetic.
"He's only one of my father's employees. I'm not close to him at all. I'm very sorry he offended you, Kamisaka-kun."
She bowed slightly.
That gesture immediately caused the people secretly watching them to react even more strangely.
Among those people was Shouzou Yuuki, who was currently surrounded by another group of guests.
His eyes narrowed as he watched his daughter and Kaguya Shinomiya standing around Yuto.
Shock and suspicion filled his heart.
At that moment, a man in a black suit approached him and leaned down to whisper several words into his ear.
Shouzou's expression changed dramatically.
After hurriedly apologizing to the guests around him, he quickly left the hall.
And the direction he headed...
Was exactly the same one Hayasaka had taken Sugou.
"What are you apologizing for?" Yuto looked helplessly at Asuna. "You don't need to do that."
The girl still looked guilty.
"I invited Kamisaka-kun here personally, and yet you ended up being treated like that..."
"Don't think of it that way. You didn't do anything wrong. You invited me to your birthday banquet, so if anything, I should be thanking you."
Yuto patiently reassured her.
It took a little while before Asuna finally relaxed again.
After that, the three of them tacitly stopped mentioning Sugou.
As for what happened to him afterward...
Some things did not need to be spelled out.
Yuto exchanged a glance with Kaguya.
Then he smiled faintly.
He was certain that whatever "business" Hayasaka had taken Sugou outside to discuss...
It was undoubtedly very serious business.
"Oh, right. This is for you. Happy birthday, Asuna~"
Yuto reached into his pocket and took out the necklace he had prepared earlier.
Asuna accepted it with delighted surprise and immediately put it on.
The pale-blue gemstones rested beautifully around her neck, and against her elegant, swan-like neckline, they added an almost mysterious charm.
A faint trace of envy appeared in Kaguya's eyes.
It certainly was not because she lacked jewelry of this quality.
But...
Who gave it was what mattered.
"Thank you, Kamisaka-kun!"
Asuna smiled brightly.
Her joy made her look far livelier than the carefully composed young lady who had spent the evening greeting guests beside her father.
Simply seeing that expression was enough to make the people around her want to smile as well.
At that moment, Shouzou hurried back toward them.
He had only just returned from outside, and the fear in his heart clearly had not settled yet.
He still could not understand exactly what Sugou Nobuyuki had done to offend Kaguya Shinomiya.
Sugou was an employee he had trusted.
But right now, that so-called trust meant absolutely nothing.
If this matter was not handled properly...
The Yuuki family itself might be dragged into trouble!
"Father!"
Shouzou's sudden appearance startled Asuna.
Until that moment, nearly all her attention had been on Yuto and the necklace he gave her.
Even now, one hand was still lightly touching the gemstones around her neck.
Shouzou gave his daughter a brief, strained smile before approaching Kaguya with an almost humble posture.
"Miss Shinomiya..."
"Mr. Yuuki, if you have something to say, could we discuss it later?" Kaguya smiled calmly. "I'm currently speaking with someone very important to me, and I would prefer not to be disturbed."
Shouzou could only answer with a quiet, "Of course."
As he turned to leave, however, he could not help glancing toward Yuto.
The shock in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Someone...
Very important to Kaguya Shinomiya?
Just who exactly was this young man?
Shouzou swallowed.
He did not dare continue thinking about it.
Without looking back again, he hurried away.
His curiosity was practically screaming at him to turn around and investigate, but he still understood which concern mattered more at the moment.
"Are you going back to the restaurant later, Kamisaka-kun?"
Once Shouzou was gone, Kaguya immediately resumed their conversation.
"Actually..." Yuto gave a helpless smile. "I kind of want to leave right now."
He was telling the truth.
There was not much reason for him to remain at the banquet anymore.
He had already seen both Asuna and Kaguya.
He had given Asuna her birthday present.
Even if he left immediately, it would not really matter.
"Eh? Already?"
Asuna could not help exclaiming.
Disappointment appeared in her eyes.
"There are people waiting for me back at the restaurant too."
Yuto smiled apologetically.
Asuna could only murmur a quiet "Mm" before nodding.
At that moment, Hayasaka returned.
Her expression was perfectly calm, giving no indication whatsoever of what had happened outside.
After greeting Yuto, she leaned close to Kaguya's ear and whispered something.
Kaguya smiled lightly and nodded.
Then she looked toward Yuto.
"Once everything here has been handled, I'll visit the restaurant too. When I do, I hope Kamisaka-kun will take good care of me."
Kaguya covered her lips with an elegant smile.
With her quiet nobility and graceful appearance, she resembled a purple rose beneath pale moonlight.
"Of course."
Yuto smiled.
He was just about to say goodbye and leave when another commotion suddenly erupted near the entrance.
He stopped and turned.
Everyone else in the hall did the same.
Kaguya's expression changed instantly.
The faint smile on her lips disappeared.
What remained was a perfectly unreadable calm.
"What a lively banquet, Mr. Yuuki. You don't mind me dropping by uninvited, do you?"
The man speaking from the entrance appeared close to fifty.
He was bald, broad, and carried a presence vaguely reminiscent of a lion king.
Dangerous.
"Of course not! Mr. Shinomiya, you must be joking. Your mere presence here already brings tremendous honor to this banquet."
"Hahahaha! Mr. Yuuki certainly knows how to talk."
"Not at all. I'm only speaking the truth."
The bald man smiled.
"I heard you invited my younger sister to tonight's banquet. Is that right?"
Shouzou's expression shifted uneasily.
Then the man turned his head and quickly spotted Kaguya.
"Oh, there she is! Isn't that my adorable little sister?!"
He laughed loudly.
Kaguya's expression, however, remained utterly calm.
Beside her...
Hayasaka visibly tensed.
Yuto noticed immediately.
And just like that, he remembered the strange reaction Hayasaka had shown during lunch earlier that day.
A thought crossed his mind.
He turned toward Asuna.
"Who is that?" He asked quietly.
Asuna answered in a low voice.
"Oko Shinomiya."
Yuto nodded faintly.
So...
His guess from earlier that day had been correct.