"So… why didn't you return until morning, and why did you bring a woman back?"
The next day, at nine in the morning, Samuel returned to the inn, only to face an inquisition.
It felt like a trial, surrounded by girls, though only Shinomiya Kaguya was interrogating him. The others seemed to be spectating.
Take Fujiwara Chika, the "Source of All Evil" and "Cancer of the Earth," reveling in the chaos.
"Exactly! How could the Chairman abandon us girls and stay out all night?"
Or Shokuhou Misaki, smirking at Samuel's predicament, though with a faint unease she couldn't place.
Dolly, with her innocent expression, asked, "Where did nii-san go last night? Was something up?"
And then there was the disciplinary committee member disrupting discipline.
Ishigami Miko's face flushed, stammering, "Ch-Chairman… h-how could you… in the m-middle of the night… do such… shameless things."
"Hey, what are you imagining?!"
Samuel groaned in exasperation.
The rest were just onlookers—though there weren't many left.
Under Kaguya's scrutinizing gaze, Samuel glanced at the nervous girl by the wall, her hands fidgeting. "This is Itsuwa. Just my subordinate. Our relationship is purely professional."
"Subordinate? Oh, why didn't you say so sooner…"
"Wait, you actually believe him?!"
Shokuhou Misaki stared at Fujiwara, baffled by her gullibility. Samuel's excuse was flimsy—how could she buy it?
"Um… hello…"
Itsuki spoke timidly.
Kaguya eyed her, exuding the air of a wife inspecting a concubine.
"Sigh."
Kaguya let out a heavy sigh, then said earnestly, "Chairman, I'm not saying this to nag, but you're a key figure in Academy City. Your actions reflect on it. Please avoid such reckless moves in the future. If someone saw and misunderstood, it'd be troublesome."
"Yes, yes, fine…"
Samuel didn't know why, but despite Kaguya being just a "hostage," he felt oddly humbled.
Like with Dolly—initially a "test subject," yet now he couldn't refuse her requests.
Human emotions were a mystery even to oneself, but… it felt good.
Kaguya, usually poised and commanding, revealed a childish side once alone with Hayasaka Ai in their room.
"Hayasaka… was I too harsh? Will he hate me?"
Kaguya's cool, authoritative facade crumbled, replaced by panicked, juvenile worry, like a girl in love.
"It's fine, milady. The Chairman won't mind such things."
Hayasaka sighed, not out of exasperation but delight at Kaguya's petulant, childlike display—something strictly forbidden by Shinomiya family rules.
"But… but…"
Kaguya's face showed worry and guilt. "I embarrassed him in front of everyone, questioning him, undermining his dignity. Won't that make him hate me?"
"…I don't think it's about undermining dignity. He probably doesn't have much to undermine…"
"What?"
"I mean… why not apologize with a gift?"
"Huh?"
Kaguya pondered, then asked, "Hayasaka, do you know what he likes?"
Hayasaka knew. Samuel liked many—Kaguya, Dolly, everyone here, and others she didn't know.
Was he after their bodies? Partly, but only a small part.
Hayasaka wasn't sure what Samuel truly sought, but he'd never let them fall for someone else.
Though, if he didn't want them, it was unlikely anyone else would catch their eye.
Shaking her head, Hayasaka returned to the moment, saying impassively, "Do this, and the Chairman will forgive you."
"???"
Kaguya looked at her curiously.
"Like this…"
Hayasaka knelt, demonstrating.
"Turn like this, pose submissively, like a puppy or kitten."
She curled up, hands and feet tucked, mimicking a tamed cat's playful posture.
"Uh-huh…"
Kaguya's mind was a mess, nodding instinctively to show she understood.
"Then say…"
Hayasaka narrowed her eyes, her expression pitiful, her voice soft. "Please be gentle."
"Uh-huh…"
Kaguya nodded mechanically.
"Do this to the Chairman, and he'll forgive you."
Hayasaka stood, reverting to her blank expression.
"Really?"
"Absolutely. Follow me, I'll teach you…"
"Like this…"
"Then this…"
"And finally say…"
"Please be gentle with me."
Click.
"Kaguya-san, I'm here to—"
Thud.
Fujiwara Chika opened the wooden door, dropping her fan as she saw Kaguya in a submissive, kitten-like pose.
She turned stiffly. "I saw nothing. I'm leaving."
The sudden intrusion snapped Kaguya out of her daze. Recalling the scene, her face flushed crimson, her gaze turning dangerous.
"Hayasaka!"
A whirlwind swept up Fujiwara. Air currents formed invisible hands, pulling her in. The door slammed shut, followed by Fujiwara's muffled "Wahh!" cries.
***
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