Ai Hayasaka.
Born into the main house of the Shinomiya family, she received elite education and became Kaguya Shinomiya's attendant as early as the age of 7.
The perfect handmaid, she is one-quarter Irish and Miss Kaguya Shinomiya's most powerful helper and closest confidante.
It was Ai Hayasaka who was observing Ethan Walters.
Ai Hayasaka was well-acquainted with Ethan.
In fact, she harbored a bit of resentment towards him due to her mistress.
As a versatile maid, Ai Hayasaka had been tasked with gathering information on Ethan.
The Shinomiya family, one of the four great conglomerates in Sakura Country, had a plan for everything.
With her genius mind, Kaguya Shinomiya had always been ranked top in entrance exams.
However, she was surpassed by a relatively unknown individual named Ethan Walters in the crucial entrance examination for higher education institutions.
After checking his information, Kaguya felt even more frustrated.
Surpassed by a commoner, her idea was to recruit such talent.
In this way, she could easily gain control and reap full benefits.
A typical chaebol mindset.
Thus, Ai Hayasaka was given the task of recruiting Ethan.
Now that she had coincidentally encountered her target, Hayasaka naturally paid attention.
However...
'I've been discovered!'
Ai Hayasaka was a bit surprised.
Her surveillance skills were professionally trained.
On paper, Ethan was just an ordinary boy with a sharp mind.
Hayasaka felt things might not be as simple as they appeared.
Something was amiss!
Discovered by the target, Ms. Ai Hayasaka decided to...
approach him directly.
"Excuse me, are you out shopping with your sister? Do you need a guide?"
"My name is Smith A. Hasaka, and I'm quite good with fashion."
Ai Hayasaka approached Ethan with a smile.
Her youthful attire, resembling a JK school uniform, added a cute charm.
Faced with such a charming approach, most boys would find it hard to resist.
So, Ai Hayasaka got the response:
"You're lying."
Ethan stated calmly.
Hayasaka's smile faltered briefly but she quickly recovered, tilting her head with a grin.
"Eh? No, I'm really good with fashion."
Ethan shook his head. "I meant your name."
Caught, Hayasaka tried to play it off, "I was caught, my name is Ai Hayasaka, hehe."
Ethan simply responded with an "oh" and stopped engaging with her.
Ai Hayasaka, a bit anxious, insisted:
"Ai Hayasaka is my real name, I swear!"
Ethan remained indifferent.
"Oh, but it doesn't seem relevant to me. Sorry, I don't need your help."
Ai Hayasaka lowered her head and walked away.
Once out of sight, her previous demeanor vanished.
Everything earlier had been an act.
"The name's been exposed, and continuing with my real name won't work..."
"No choice, this interaction ends here. Persisting would only cause resentment."
Ai Hayasaka concluded.
Soon, she frowned again.
"A strange person, very different from the paper information... I need to gather more data."
To Ai Hayasaka, Ethan was significant.
Because her mistress, Kaguya Shinomiya, had designated him as someone to recruit.
If due to insufficient information a dangerous person was recruited, it could endanger Miss Kaguya.
That was her responsibility as a maid.
As for Ethan, after dissuading Ai Hayasaka, he had no special reaction.
Ethan didn't know Ai Hayasaka.
Well, he hadn't watched the romantic comedy featuring Kaguya.
However, his heightened observational skills, a result of his inhuman level of perception, made him aware of Ai Hayasaka's abnormality.
Her acting skills, physical coordination, and other aspects were not normal.
She seemed like a professional trained by a conglomerate.
Unfortunately, Ethan had no desire to engage with such an organization at the moment.
He hadn't yet gained decisive power.
Therefore, he simply persuaded her to leave.
At that moment, Annie emerged from the fitting room.
The clerk's recommended dress had been turned down by Annie.
She ultimately chose a sporty outfit, which suited her perfectly.
"It's a great fit. If Annie were on campus, she'd receive rave reviews and attract many admirers."
Ethan commented with a smile.
Annie, unsure how to respond, remained silent.
Ethan didn't mind.
That's just how Annie was.
If she had said something like 'thank you for the compliment,' it would have been an insincere, forced response.
After purchasing three outfits, they left the shop.
Annie finally felt like a modern girl.
Next, they went to buy some personal items, a process that was rather tedious.
Throughout, Annie kept a cold demeanor, her eyes fierce enough to intimidate the shop assistants.
Ethan could only shake his head helplessly.
Teasing Annie at that moment would earn him an elbow and a decline in favorability.
So, Ethan passed that stage without issue.
Afterward, they headed to Chiba's largest comic and light novel publisher: Yingshusha.
Yingshusha was a renowned publisher in the industry.
Meeting a famous editor there was typically difficult without an appointment.
But...
There was a young lady at the front desk.
Ethan, being both handsome and impeccably built, had his charms.
Thus, with a few exchanged lines, he found out where a major editor's office was located.
Moreover, the editor happened to be coming downstairs.
The receptionist whispered to Ethan:
"That's Editor Ami Furukawa, responsible for publishing light romance novels and Weekly Shonen Jump."
After thanking her, Ethan focused on the editor.
However, the editor was not alone.
She was escorting a girl with long black hair out.
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Miss Kasumigaoka-senpai?"
^IMAGE IN COMMENT ^