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Three-thirty in the afternoon.
The dismissal bell rang on time.
Amamiya Natsuki closed his Japanese textbook and turned to look in Hayasaka Ai's direction.
The golden-haired girl with a side ponytail was resting her chin on her hand, idly twirling a pen. Noticing Amamiya Natsuki's gaze, she closed her right eye and subtly pointed her pinky finger out the window.
"Understood."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded.
When she messaged him in the morning, Hayasaka Ai had already said that she had something to do after school and asked Amamiya Natsuki to wait for her at the dessert shop first.
This was a lie.
There was no "thing" of course. The reason she said that was just to avoid any unexpected situations as much as possible—
She was carried to the infirmary just yesterday, and it took an entire night to make My Lady stop being jealous. If they walked together on campus today, she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
He packed his things and left the classroom.
Amamiya Natsuki first went to the Gymnastics Club, stayed with his senpai for a few minutes to help add some skills, and then walked towards outside the school.
Just as he reached the school gate, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
He took it out and saw that it was a message from Juju.
"Um… are you free this afternoon after school?"
"I'm free. If Juju summons me, I'm free even if the world ends."
"Hmph."
Juju lightly snorted: "Today at school, I encountered a super scary evil spirit that kept following me and scaring me. It's super annoying."
Amamiya Natsuki understood Juju's implied meaning and mused:
"I have something to do for now. I'll probably be back after five. You can go to my house and wait first. I told you where the spare key is last time. You can help walk the dog."
Juju: "Hey, what about being free?"
Amamiya Natsuki: "The world hasn't ended yet, so I'm busy for now."
"…Liar!"
"…"
Putting away his phone, Amamiya Natsuki arrived at the agreed-upon dessert shop.
There weren't many customers in the afternoon. Amamiya Natsuki found a corner to sit in and then waited silently.
A moment later, Hayasaka Ai, carrying her school bag and a lollipop in her mouth, walked in through the door.
Her steps paused slightly. Hayasaka Ai's gaze shifted, and she quickly found Amamiya Natsuki sitting in the corner, then walked over.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Hayasaka Ai put down her school bag and sat across from Amamiya Natsuki.
"I just got here." Amamiya Natsuki waved a waiter over. "Hayasaka, what do you want to eat?"
"Tsk~" Hayasaka Ai pulled the lollipop out of her mouth and corrected him, "Please call me Hayasaka-san. We don't seem to be that close."
You say you're not close, but last night you wanted kisses, hugs, and to be lifted up high!
"Got it, Hayasaka." Amamiya Natsuki nodded. "I have a bad memory, so Hayasaka, please remind me more often in the future."
"Tch."
Hayasaka Ai couldn't help but retort: "You, the top student, say you have a bad memory? Even if you're making an excuse, at least put some effort into it."
"It was exposed so quickly."
"Even an elementary school student could see through that."
"I'll be honest, it's because I had love at first sight for Hayasaka…"
Before he finished speaking, his right foot under the table felt a slight pain.
Hayasaka Ai took the menu: "I only came today because I happened to be free. I haven't tried the desserts at this shop yet, so let's order something. I have to go to work after eating."
"…"
"Please enjoy your meal, two guests."
The desserts were served quickly.
"Thank you."
Hayasaka Ai thanked him politely.
Despite her campus gyaru image, she was surprisingly polite.
Scooping a piece of tiramisu into her mouth with a spoon, Hayasaka Ai's beautiful azure eyes quickly curved into a smile.
Indeed.
No girl can refuse dessert. That's absolutely right.
"Hayasaka, are you in a club?"
Amamiya Natsuki asked casually.
"No."
She was busy running around for My Lady every day, so busy that she had no time to join a club.
"What do you usually do after school in the afternoon?"
"Work, earn money." Hayasaka Ai rested her right hand on her chin, looking up. "My parents are divorced, and I live alone now. I have to work every day to earn living expenses, so give up. I don't have time to waste on dating."
Dating is impossible. If I dated you in front of My Lady, the world would be destroyed!
"Also, please keep your distance from me at school." Hayasaka Ai continued, "If you talk to me, Chika-chan will get jealous, right?"
You're overthinking it. Compared to a younger sister who wants to fall in love, your matters are not important at all.
Amamiya Natsuki interlaced his fingers: "It seems Hayasaka doesn't trust me much."
"What do you think?" Hayasaka Ai took a bite of dessert and retorted, "It's been so long since school started, and we haven't spoken more than ten sentences. Then suddenly you confess and say it's love at first sight… I'm telling you, you didn't lose a bet with someone and are just playing a cruel confession game with some random girl, did you?"
Amamiya Natsuki raised his right hand and said earnestly:
"I can prove myself. I'm definitely not playing a game."
"Tch… How will you prove it?"
"It's simple." Amamiya Natsuki said, "Tomorrow morning, I will confess to Hayasaka-san in front of the entire class and ask everyone to record a video. If it's a prank, I'll be exposed online. No one would risk social death for a prank."
Hayasaka Ai: "…"
Their eyes met.
The Spy Maid's ear tips slightly reddened.
Her heart rate also involuntarily sped up by half a beat, as if something was quietly flowing out.
Darn it, darn it, darn it!
This guy is actually serious!
If she nodded now, he might really confess in front of the whole class tomorrow.
He's not even afraid of social death… Could this guy really have fallen in love with her at first sight?
Impossible.
Hayasaka Ai quickly shook her head, suppressing the thought in her mind.
There's no such thing as love at first sight in this world; it's just lust at first sight.
When they were in Haunted Town, this guy even kissed Fujiwara, that source of chaos. Don't think she doesn't know.
He kissed other girls and now he's confessing to her. She absolutely cannot believe him!
Amamiya Natsuki calmly ate his dessert, completely unperturbed.
Given this Hayasaka's identity, she would never agree to him confessing to her in front of Kaguya.
In this war of asymmetric information, the outcome was decided from the very beginning.
"Hoo…"
Lightly exhaling, Hayasaka Ai was about to speak when her gaze inadvertently swept past the window. She suddenly widened her eyes, quickly ducked down, and hid under the table.
"What's wrong?"
Amamiya Natsuki asked in confusion.
Hayasaka Ai quickly reached out, grabbed Amamiya Natsuki's wrist, and urgently said:
"Crouch down."
Amamiya Natsuki knelt down with the flow.
The space under the table was small, and the two were almost pressed against each other, clearly feeling each other's heartbeats and breaths.
"Who did you see?"
Amamiya Natsuki asked curiously.
"...Don't speak."
Hayasaka Ai bit her thumb.
Damn it.
The Young Miss was outside the window; she should have gone home, so why was she here?
Did she have a tracker on her?
Impossible.
The Young Miss wouldn't do something like that.
What on earth was going on?
"Come in quickly! The desserts at this shop are super delicious, especially the fruit mousse—highly recommended! And there's tiramisu, egg tarts... we have to try them all today."
Along with the server's welcome, a clear, sweet, and familiar voice entered Amamiya Natsuki's ears.
"It's Chika."
Even hiding under the table, Amamiya Natsuki instantly recognized the speaker's identity.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Hayasaka Ai, who was biting her thumb and looking nervous.
If it was just Chika, Hayasaka Ai shouldn't be so nervous...
The next moment.
Another familiar, cool voice rang out.
"That's too much; we can't finish it."
Amamiya Natsuki's eyebrows twitched slightly.
It was Shinomiya Kaguya, as expected.
Only Shinomiya Kaguya could make Hayasaka so nervous; there would be no one else.
No wonder she pulled him to hide under the table with her; if they had continued sitting on the sofa and were discovered by Shinomiya Kaguya and Chika, they would definitely come over to talk, and then Hayasaka Ai, hiding under the table, would definitely be caught red-handed. The Asura field between master and servant would be indescribably terrible.
Seeing Hayasaka Ai look at him with a suspicious gaze, Amamiya Natsuki said calmly:
"Don't hide anymore; let's get up. It's the perfect time to confess to you right in front of Chika..."
Why Chika and Shinomiya Kaguya also came to eat dessert had nothing to do with him; it was probably Chika's invitation.
"Stay down!"
Hayasaka Ai grabbed Amamiya Natsuki's shoulder, bit her silver teeth, and warned in a low voice:
"Don't get up without my permission."
"It's just Chika. Why are you so nervous?"
Amamiya Natsuki pretended not to understand.
"It has nothing to do with Chika," Hayasaka Ai whispered. "I just saw someone I didn't want to see. All in all, don't expose my whereabouts, or else I'll never speak to you again!"
"..."
At the same time.
The voices of Fujiwara Chika and Shinomiya Kaguya were constantly approaching.
"Kaguya-chan, there's an empty table in that corner," Fujiwara Chika said. "Shall we sit there?"
Hearing this, Hayasaka Ai's heart immediately leaped into her throat.
The empty table in the corner was likely referring to them.
Once they walked over, they would be 100% exposed, and there would be no way to explain it!
"There are still desserts on the table," Shinomiya Kaguya's voice was cool. "Someone is already there."
"Ah, what a pity," Fujiwara Chika said with regret. "Let's find other seats; there's one over there."
"..."
Listening to their voices move away, Hayasaka Ai couldn't help but sigh in relief, though her face showed no signs of relaxing her guard.
The crisis was not yet over.
As long as Shinomiya Kaguya and Chika hadn't left the dessert shop, there was always a risk of exposure.
Now there was only one way left.
Hayasaka Ai quickly made a decision. As a Spy Maid who had received professional training, she could find a glimmer of hope even in desperate situations.
At this moment, that hope lay in her school bag.
Hayasaka Ai held her breath and reached for her school bag, but quickly furrowed her brows.
She couldn't reach it.
The space under the table was too narrow, making movement difficult, and with the obstruction of the table legs, she couldn't reach her school bag. Unsure of Shinomiya Kaguya's current position, she didn't dare to make too much noise.
"Natsuki-kun, your arms are long. Could you help me get my school bag?"
Hayasaka Ai whispered.
"I'll try; it should be fine."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded lightly, stretching out his arm to get the school bag, though his posture was quite awkward.
Under the table, the two were pressed close to each other, almost to the point of intimacy, and could even clearly hear each other's heartbeats and breaths.
The hot breath on her neck made Hayasaka Ai feel a little uncomfortable. She turned her head to face the wall, using the method of self-reflection to maintain her composure.
"Got it."
A moment later, Amamiya Natsuki successfully retrieved the school bag.
Just as he finished speaking, a curious voice suddenly rang out in their ears.
"What are you two doing?"
Hayasaka Ai jumped in fright, suddenly turning her head, and her soft, moist, pink lips suddenly touched a burning presence.
"Mmm—!"
In the aisle, an elementary school student from the next table had, at some point, bent down and was looking at the two of them with a face full of curiosity.
After seeing the two accidentally touching, she turned to Madame at the next table and shouted:
"Mommy, the big brother and big sister are kissing under the table!"
"..."
Even the Spy Maid, who prided herself on being emotionless, quickly flushed red at this moment, her head quickly tilting back, pulling away from Amamiya Natsuki.
Sh-she actually touched him!
Not only did she encounter the Young Miss, but she also sacrificed her purity. If she had known this, she shouldn't have agreed to today's date!
"Don't disturb the big brother and big sister playing a game."
Madame smiled apologetically, then pulled away the elementary school student, who was full of curiosity.
"They're not playing a game," the elementary school student said innocently. "They're clearly kissing; their lips touched."
You're so young, but your eyesight is so good. Don't you know not to look at things you shouldn't?
"Sorry for the trouble."
Madame apologized and quickly pulled the elementary school student away.
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head to look at the Spy Maid, whose pretty face was flushed crimson with embarrassment. He pursed his lips and could taste a faint strawberry flavor.
Case closed. It was a strawberry-flavored lollipop just now.
"Don't worry, Hayasaka," Amamiya Natsuki said seriously. "I'll take responsibility."
"I won't get pregnant, so who wants you to be responsible!" Hayasaka Ai covered her chest with both hands, unable to help but complain in a low voice.
Amamiya Natsuki showed a thoughtful expression: "So, you mean, if I make you pregnant, you'll make me responsible?"
"Please go to the police station and turn yourself in immediately, Pervert-kun."
"I'm sorry, I misspoke just now. Please believe in my character."
"Believe in your big head!"
"..."
Hayasaka Ai took a deep breath and pulled out her phone from her school bag. "Don't speak."
They had already kissed; she couldn't just kill him to silence him. The most urgent task was to get the Young Miss to leave as soon as possible.
The method was simple.
"Chika-chan, I found a newly opened ramen shop! It's super delicious! Come quickly!"
She edited the message and clicked send.
Hayasaka Ai was friends with Chika at school, and they had each other's contact information, so she naturally knew Fujiwara Chika's weakness, or rather, what she was interested in.
As a ramen expert who was determined to visit and review a hundred ramen shops, she naturally wouldn't sit idly by when she encountered a newly opened ramen shop.
"Where, where?" Fujiwara Chika quickly sent a message back. "I'm coming right away!"
Hayasaka Ai sent the address, then took out a small mirror, extended it from the corner of the table, and carefully observed the movement in the aisle.
After confirming that Shinomiya Kaguya and Chika had left the dessert shop, and waiting silently for a moment to rule out the danger of Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly returning, Hayasaka Ai finally relaxed. She quickly got up, packed her school bag, and bit her silver teeth: "Goodbye, never to see you again!"
Amamiya Natsuki shrugged, finished the remaining dessert, and then got up to go home.
Stepping out of the dessert shop, a light drizzle began to fall outside.
Amamiya Natsuki opened his umbrella and walked into the rain.
The journey was silent.
Upon returning home, he found the door unlocked. Remembering the message he sent to Juju, he pushed the door open and entered the house.
"I'm home..."
At the same time, a soaking wet elementary school student just walked out of the bathroom.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories