Rei Ao was thinking about whether to get himself a personal maid.
But somewhere else, someone was already living a life where they couldn't go on without a personal maid.
…
"Ai-chan~ How many days are left until the monthly tests?"
"Sigh…"
Faced with Kaguya Shinomiya's question, Ai Hayasaka let out a heavy sigh.
"My lady, this is already the seventh time you've asked me that question today, and my answer remains the same: three days."
"My lady, don't you think you're getting a bit too worked up over these upcoming tests?"
From her observations, the lady had been studying exceptionally hard lately. In the past, she would never have cared; she'd always been very confident in her abilities.
But now, her attitude was strangely… anxious.
Kaguya Shinomiya said solemnly, "This time I absolutely must surpass him!"
"Him?"
Ai Hayasaka suddenly caught on.
"My lady, you mean Rei Ao from class?"
"That's right—him!"
She hadn't forgotten that her first-place spot had been taken; the sting remained.
"Oh, I see. But, my lady, I'm not sure if I should say this…"
"Ai-chan, if you have something to say, just say it."
"All right, I want to point out that Rei Ao got perfect scores in all subjects last time. You can't surpass a perfect score; at most, you can only tie him."
"Huh?"
Kaguya froze. She blinked and said, "Ai-chan, are you suggesting that he might get perfect scores again?"
It didn't sound very likely, did it?
"…"
Ai Hayasaka didn't answer out loud. Because, in her heart, that's exactly what she thought.
Ai Hayasaka had been paying attention to Rei Ao.
What happened that noon had left a deep impression on her—not just because it had been her rare day off. On that day, not knowing how to spend her free time, she went shopping at a mall but found it boring. As she was about to leave, she witnessed what looked to be an imminent car accident.
From her estimate of the out-of-control vehicle's speed, a girl in front of it would have no way to avoid disaster.
But something bizarre happened instead: no injuries at all, the girl stood safely by the roadside. Ai Hayasaka was certain she'd seen a blur speeding from a distance, heading straight for where the girl stood. When the car came to a halt, not only was the girl safe, but now there was also a man beside her who hadn't been there before. That was Rei Ao.
Putting together all that she'd seen, she formed a thought:
That flash of a blur could very well have been… Rei Ao.
But for someone to achieve that speed and reaction time to save the girl… wasn't that superhuman?
From that day on, she started looking into Rei Ao and searching for information about "superhuman" individuals. Even now, she'd found nothing reliable on the news or major headlines; most of it was vague or obviously fake. She trusted none of that, choosing instead to trust her own eyes.
She also began quietly studying Rei Ao at school, especially that outstanding performance in PE. Even the PE teacher had tried to recruit him into sports teams multiple times, only to be refused. The key point was that all his stats shattered school records, reaching a level that matched professional athletes—and he looked completely at ease. He was an all-rounder, which was truly shocking.
From her investigations, it was exceedingly rare worldwide to find an athlete who excelled at every metric. Moreover, the timeline of him breaking records in PE lined up with his midterm test results, which were all perfect. After that period, the Rei Ao she had researched seemed like an entirely different person.
In the words of one rabid fangirl she knew:
"He used to be simply good-looking. Now he's not only handsome but also has presence—and he's unbelievably strong. The change is huge."
All this convinced Ai Hayasaka that her guess was not without basis:
"Rei Ao might be superhuman, so my lady may not necessarily be able to surpass him."
Hence Ai's belief.
Kaguya Shinomiya pouted.
"Ai-chan~ whose side are you on?!"
The "Ice Princess" would only act spoiled like this in front of Ai Hayasaka.
"Of course I'm on your side, my lady," Ai replied with a deadpan expression, realizing that continuing the conversation would only lead to more trouble. She said something she didn't truly believe:
"My lady, it's late. You should wash up and rest early."
That was to keep Kaguya from pressing further. Ai directly reminded her about the time…
"But…"
Seeing her mistress's eyes wander back to her books in indecision, Ai spoke abruptly: "If you don't get enough sleep, it'll affect your memory. Then if you fail to surpass Rei Ao because of that, I suspect you'd regret it, wouldn't you, my lady?"
"…"
The remark hit Kaguya Shinomiya right in her weak spot. She pursed her pink lips.
"All right, I'll go wash up now."
Kaguya gave up her plan to keep studying. Ai Hayasaka let out a quiet sigh of relief. Since she was the lady's personal attendant, if the lady didn't sleep, she wouldn't get to sleep either.
"Ai-chan, let's take a bath together."
Kaguya suddenly said.
"…"
Ai paused for a moment, then, keeping her face stiff, refused politely: "I'm sorry, my lady. Your bathroom is only for your use. I, as a servant, am not qualified."
"Hmph, I figured you'd say that." Kaguya gave a smug smile. "So tonight, I'll take my bath in the maids' room with you, Ai-chan."
"But, my lady, your position—"
"Who cares about all that 'position' nonsense? I know you're my friend, and what's so wrong about friends taking a bath together?"
Kaguya cut off Ai's formalities, her gaze cold as she issued what wasn't much of a threat but still a threat: "If you refuse, I won't speak to you for three days!"
"…"
Ai Hayasaka very nearly said:
If you don't talk to me for three days, that essentially means I get three days of vacation, which is good for me.
It's exactly because you call for me every time I turn around that I'm so exhausted…
Though it was true, she definitely wouldn't say it out loud. Faced with her lady's spoiled side, she had no choice but to nod helplessly.
"All right."
"Great, let's go!" said Kaguya happily, heading to the door.
"My lady, you haven't prepared any clean clothes yet," Ai reminded her just as the words left her mouth, but Kaguya had already dashed to the far end of the corridor.
"Sigh…"
Ai heaved a resigned sigh.
"In the end, I still have to do all the work."
A small complaint, but it couldn't hide the faintly gentle smile at her lips.
~~~
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