"Hayasaka… what were you thinking? Making me… do that? How am I different from those women?"
Now clear-headed, Shinomiya Kaguya's face burned as she chided Hayasaka Ai, though it felt more like pouting than scolding.
"…"
"And Fujiwara saw it! Good thing you tied her up with that ribbon, or we'd be in trouble."
Kaguya glanced at Fujiwara Chika, bound with a red ribbon in a rather artistic manner.
"Wuuuuh!"
Fujiwara squirmed, muffled by a towel, her eyes wide with panic.
"Speaking of, Hayasaka, why do you even have that ribbon? Wait, there's a note… 'The gift is me'…?"
Kaguya fell silent, then erupted, "Hayasaka!!"
The maid, caught betraying her mistress, averted her gaze, pretending to be lost in thought.
"Hmph. I'll deal with you later. First, we handle this mess."
Kaguya turned to Fujiwara, her wine-red eyes glinting ominously.
"Wuuuuh!"
Fujiwara wriggled in terror as Kaguya drew closer.
"If you blab about what you saw, I'll be in a tough spot, Fujiwara."
"Wuuuuh!"
"Don't worry, it won't hurt…"
"Wuuuuh!"
Click.
The door swung open. Samuel stepped in, closing it behind him, and looked up.
"???"
Fujiwara, bound in ribbons with a towel in her mouth, lay on the floor. Kaguya crouched beside her, pinning her down. Hayasaka watched like it was a show.
No evidence, but Samuel was certain something amusing had happened.
"Uh… Chairman…"
Kaguya's face flushed, her expression frantic, hands waving in a defensive gesture.
"…What are you all doing? Playing some weird game? Finish up, everyone's waiting!"
Samuel approached, causing Kaguya to stumble and sit on the floor.
He knelt beside Fujiwara, reaching for the towel in her mouth.
Click.
The door, a veteran of plot twists, opened again.
Thud.
Ishigami Miko dropped the items she was carrying, her face shifting from shock to righteous fury.
In her eyes, this was a blockbuster script: Samuel binding Fujiwara, coercing Kaguya, with a silent, resentful maid watching.
"I thought you were a good person…"
Sparks crackled around Miko.
"But you're this kind of person! Let go of Fujiwara-senpai and Shinomiya-senpai!"
"Wait, hold on!"
Before Kaguya could explain, lightning burst from Miko, blue-white light flooding the room, aimed at Samuel.
The current was measured—enough to knock out an ordinary person without lasting harm.
But Samuel wasn't ordinary.
The electricity dissolved into electrons the moment it fired. His AIM Diffusion Field directly disrupted Miko's calculations, locking her ability to manipulate electrons.
With a flick of his hand, Samuel shaped the air into a vortex, binding Miko. A pull of his right hand drew her in.
This was Airflow Control, its precision varying wildly by user. Samuel manipulated it at the atomic level, while Hayasaka merely wielded it.
Closing the door, Samuel pulled Miko closer.
"Eek…"
Miko instinctively recoiled, tripping over Fujiwara and falling.
"Ow!"
Fujiwara yelped.
"Sorry…"
Miko apologized reflexively.
Samuel loomed closer.
Now, Kaguya was the spectator.
"Wanna join, Miko-chan?"
"N-No… I'm… just a fledgling… I'd… ruin your fun…"
Miko's eyes welled up, her body inching back.
Thwack.
Samuel delivered a playful hand chop to her head. "I meant help untie Fujiwara. What did you think?"
"Huh? I… I meant that too…"
"Oh? So, little fledgling, wanna help?"
Samuel had guessed Miko's misunderstanding from her impulsive attack and decided to tease her as punishment.
"Wah! Chairman, Kaguya was so cute just now—"
"Shut it!"
Fujiwara, oblivious to tact, spilled what she saw the moment she was freed. Kaguya, face crimson, lunged to silence her.
Miko huddled to the side, blushing, caught in Samuel's verbal trap.
"Alright, let's go! Five days left—enjoy the beach vacation!"
***
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