Kaguya: "…What kind of expression should I be making right now?"

Hayasaka: "Just smile."

"How can I possibly smile?! I was only gone for four hours! When I came back, Father had been sent to the hospital, and the whole atmosphere in the main house has gotten so strange!"

Earlier, she had still been at the Kure Clan's compound.

At that time, she had been placed in a separate room.

Originally she had been relieved that she didn't have to share a bed with Karura—until her cover was blown. From the moment she entered the room, for an entire hour, people kept trying to open the door.

Every time it opened, it was a different face—always a young woman from the Kure Clan—and what they came for was obvious.

Feeling her values being shaken to their core, Kaguya locked every door and window, wrapped herself in blankets, and trembled.

Finally, the time came to switch bodies. Her consciousness returned to her own body, but before she could even take a breath of relief, an even more crushing blow came.

Her father, Gan'an, had suddenly fallen critically ill and was rushed to the hospital.

Now the entire main household was in chaos. Although Oko was currently in charge, the situation would not remain stable. The anxiety was plain to see on everyone's faces.

"I was surprised too," Hayasaka said blandly.

"Although it was hard to accept when Rinji acted, tonight there were zero casualties, which is something to be thankful for."

"…Thankful for what? Hayasaka, you haven't been spending so much time with Rinji-kun that you've started to think like him, have you?"

Kaguya sighed and looked at Hayasaka. "Father suddenly collapsed… That was Rinji-kun's doing, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't stop him?"

"Do you think I could have?"

"If it were you, Rinji-kun would definitely listen."

"Maybe. But if it lowered his favorability toward me, I'd consider that not worth it," Hayasaka said.

"So you just stood there and watched Father collapse?"

"I've been wishing for his death for a long time," Hayasaka said. "And Kaguya-sama, ask yourself—when Gan'an collapsed, were you really worried about him?"

"…"

"Wasn't it that not only were you not worried, you actually felt relieved? With the main family in chaos, no one would have the time to interfere with you and President Shirogane."

"Stop it."

Kaguya covered her face.

Her head was pounding.

It was true—as Hayasaka said, when she learned her father had collapsed, she didn't feel grief or sadness. What she felt was relief that the slumbering lion wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

"Kaguya, your relationship with President Shirogane will inevitably face many obstacles. That's the price you must pay as the daughter of a powerful conglomerate. Since childhood you've enjoyed privileges others could never have, and the trade-off is being a bird in a cage," Hayasaka said slowly. "I've always believed that happiness and misfortune in this world are equal in measure."

"…"

"If you want happiness, you have to pay the price. And that price will cause someone else's misfortune. You're not a bad person, so you can't really harm others—so Rinji took on the role of the villain for you. Honestly, I've always thought that was unfair to him, even if he was only playing his true self."

After all, Rinji did all the work, and Kaguya took all the benefit.

"True. Even though we've been at odds since school, there's no denying he's helped me a lot. I owe him," Kaguya said with a smile.

She didn't dislike Rinji—she even admired him.

That admiration had begun four years ago, when Rinji stormed into the main house—a strange sort of reverence for the villain deep in her heart.

"Rinji-kun really is an impressive person, with many attractive qualities."

"Mhm…"

Hayasaka narrowed her eyes at Kaguya.

"Kaguya."

"What?"

"Just a heads-up: you should keep up your relationship with the president over the next while."

"Of course I know that."

"Good."

Seeing Hayasaka suddenly so serious, Kaguya was puzzled—until, after a moment's thought, she smiled playfully.

"Speaking of which, after all Rinji-kun's done for me, I should thank him."

"Mhm."

"What do you think about giving him chocolate a month after the start of next semester?"

"…Kaguya-sama, are you out of your mind?"

A month into the semester was Valentine's Day. Everyone knew what it meant for a girl to give a boy chocolate then.

"Why not?"

"…"

Hayasaka looked at her, expressionless, and turned her head away.

"Sure, fine. Rinji's helped you so much, out of obligation you should give it. Yes—obligation."

She emphasized the word.

On Valentine's Day, obligation chocolates were for friends, true chocolates for lovers.

"Since his girlfriend doesn't mind, I'll give it to him."

"Kaguya-sama, do you enjoy teasing me?"

"No~"

That was a lie.

Kaguya was very pleased.

---

Rinji: "…What kind of expression should I be making right now?"

Fusui: "Just smile."

"I can't."

Looking at the pile of broken locks on the ground, Rinji stared blankly at Fusui and the beautiful young women from the Kure Clan behind her.

When he woke up after the body swap, he found a group of girls lying on top of him—some had even tossed their clothes aside.

He rubbed his temples and lowered his head.

"I'm saying—can't you just let me sleep?"

"I thought you were agreeing, Rinji."

"Why would I agree?"

"Before, if you didn't agree, you'd have installed multiple deadbolts. Just now you only locked the doors and windows. You know ordinary locks are nothing for our clan of assassins," Fusui said with a smile. "Besides, usually if we tried this, you'd have cursed us out. Just now you looked embarrassed…"

"Shut up…"

He guessed that when Kaguya had been in his body, the Kure girls' enthusiasm had scared her badly.

"Anyway, don't come again."

"Eh…"

"'Eh' my ass. Trying to take advantage of the situation."