Inside a cafe, Shirosaki Hana was happily eating cake, while Hayasaka Ai looked at Uchiha Ryo with a smile.
"Ryo-kun, did you know? I'm really happy today."
Uchiha Ryo swallowed the dessert in his mouth. "If you're so happy, then you can do a good job helping me train my maid this afternoon. I don't demand her to be skilled in both literature and martial arts, but she must be outstanding in housework."
When Bocchi-chan graduates, he, Uchiha Ryo, will be able to live a life like Shinomiya Kaguya's, where the maid does everything.
Hayasaka Ai looked out the window. For some reason, the originally clear sky had begun to drizzle.
"It looks like we're going to be trapped here for a while."
Uchiha Ryo: "I don't mind. The cafe has air conditioning and WiFi, and we don't have anything to do for the time being. What about you, Hana-chan?"
Shirosaki Hana nodded. "I'm meeting my friend in the afternoon, so I don't have anything to do at noon. It's fine to stay here."
For some reason, they were the only customers in the cafe. Apart from the slight noises from the staff, it was eerily quiet.
Hayasaka Ai lowered her head. "Ryo-kun, let's play a game. Whoever loses has to tell the other a secret."
"Play a game? What game?"
Seeing that Uchiha Ryo didn't seem to be refusing, and that Shirosaki Hana was silently eating with no intention of joining in, Hayasaka Ai also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Something simple. Let's just roll a die. Whoever has the higher number wins. If it's a tie, we'll roll again."
Uchiha Ryo: "That's it?"
Hayasaka Ai smiled. "We're just playing casually. Then I'll go first~"
The die landed on the table. The number facing up was three.
Uchiha Ryo picked up the die. Since Hayasaka Ai wanted to play casually, then he would play casually.
Mhm, the die felt fine. The weight was normal, and there was no filling inside. Although the air conditioning in the cafe was weak, it couldn't be ignored.
Sharingan activated. After all, he had actually used the system to exchange for colored contacts last time to test them out. The conclusion was that the effect was pretty good, so he had put them on when he went out.
After accurately calculating the force, Uchiha Ryo threw the die.
Uchiha Ryo: "It's a six..."
Hayasaka Ai sighed. "Yeah, it's a six.... Then I'll tell you a secret. But let's play one more time!"
"You want to ask about my affairs that badly?"
Uchiha Ryo thought for a moment, then deliberately rolled a one this time. Hayasaka Ai rolled a three again.
Hayasaka Ai looked at the dice on the table, then cupped them in her hands.
"Hana-chan, call me 'oneechan' and I'll order you another strawberry cake!"
Shirosaki Hana: "Oneechan~ Oneechan is so nice."
"Mhm, then I'll order two!"
Hayasaka Ai went to the counter to order two more cakes, then placed them in front of Hana-chan. She then sat down next to Uchiha Ryo.
"You owe me one secret, and I owe you one secret. Then I'll start asking...."
Uchiha Ryo nodded. He suddenly realized that this cafe seemed to be under the Shinomiya conglomerate. No wonder Hayasaka's order arrived so quickly.
"Ryo-kun, are you... really one of Shinomiya Un'yo's men? And what is your relationship with Shinomiya Un'yo?"
Uchiha Ryo smiled. "So that's what you wanted to ask..."
Hayasaka Ai's expression was very serious, as if this question was very important to her.
Seeing Hayasaka Ai like this, Uchiha Ryo also put away his joking expression and answered seriously.
"Shinomiya Un'yo and I are partners. I am not his man. We are equals."
Hayasaka Ai: "Partners..."
"What a coincidence... Actually, from the beginning, I wasn't one of Shinomiya Un'yo's people either."
Uchiha Ryo turned to look at Hayasaka Ai. At this moment, Hayasaka Ai was looking out the rainy window with a complicated expression.
"Ryo-kun, do you know the story from Aesop's Fables, 'The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse'?"
Uchiha Ryo: "Hmm?"
Hayasaka Ai seemed to be explaining it to Uchiha Ryo, but also as if she were talking to herself.
"One day, a country mouse and a town mouse were chatting. The country mouse said that the fields were vast and there was plenty of barley and grain to eat. But the town mouse scoffed."
"You're really living the life of an ant. Are you satisfied with just that? In our city, we can eat dried cheese, red dates, fruits, and even sweet water and honey."
"But the house mouse was chased by humans and fled everywhere, living a dangerous and frightened life. On the other hand, the field mouse, although ordinary, could live a safe and peaceful life in the countryside."
Hayasaka Ai sighed. "It's so nice. Although the country mouse can't eat the delicacies of the city, it can enjoy an ordinary and stable life. Although the city mouse eats well, it's always being chased by humans."
"Hey, Ryo-kun, which do you think is better, the city mouse or the country mouse?"
Uchiha Ryo fell silent, then suddenly laughed.
"I choose neither.... Putting aside the fact that I'd never become a mouse, this is just a boring question of 'people inside the fortress want to get out, and people outside the fortress want to get in'."
Hayasaka Ai: "Is that so... Then I'll tell you my real secret too. The Hayasaka family doesn't belong to Shinomiya Un'yo at all. From the very beginning... the Hayasaka family has been in the hands of the eldest son of the Shinomiya family, Shinomiya Oko!"
At some point, the staff in the cafe had all disappeared. What came out of the back kitchen was a group of bodyguards in black.
And from among the crowd, a bald head suddenly emerged.
A bald man in a kimono with a fierce look and a small mustache slowly walked to Uchiha Ryo's table.
"I was wondering why that useless third brother of mine had changed so much recently. It turns out a rat snuck in to give him advice."
Uchiha Ryo looked up. "Hayasaka, did you hear a dog barking? Who is it? Walking a dog in broad daylight without a leash."
Shinomiya Oko's eyes widened in anger! He raised his foot to kick over Uchiha Ryo's table.
"Get your facts straight! That trash Shinomiya Un'yo's subordinate is, as expected, also trash!"
But the next moment, Shinomiya Oko stumbled back several steps and sat on the floor, panting heavily, as if he had seen something terrifying.
Uchiha Ryo stood up. On the other side, Shirosaki Hana looked up blankly, as if curious about everything. She was just eating her cake, what was happening here?
"Hana-chan... are you feeling a little sleepy? How about you take a nap first?"
Shirosaki Hana turned to look at Uchiha Ryo. "I'm not sleepy...."
But the moment Hana-chan saw Uchiha Ryo's eyes, she quietly lay down on the sofa seat behind her.
"Hayasaka Ai, let me answer your question again. Only mice would desperately think about whether to go to the city or the countryside. And I... am a tiger!"