After class ended, Haruto's phone buzzed several times in his pocket.

When he checked, the caller ID flashed: Hayasaka Ai.

Haruto answered immediately.

"Hayasaka? What's wrong?"

He didn't know why, but a sense of unease crept in — perhaps leftover instinct from the last incident at Kisaragi Station.

"President, are you… worried about me?"

Her voice came through clear and calm — that same cool, mechanical tone she always used.

Even so, Haruto caught a playful undercurrent in it.

"Yes," he replied simply. "I am. After what happened at Kisaragi Station, I'm just relieved you're okay."

Haruto was not the kind of light novel protagonist who tried to sound cool by denying his emotions.

If he liked someone, he said so.

If he worried, he admitted it.

That honesty was the only way to truly connect — to understand and be understood.

There was a short silence. Then, Hayasaka's tone softened a little.

"…I'm happy to hear that, but this call isn't actually about me. Miss Kaguya asked me to—"

Before she could finish, the sound of a muffled whimper came through the receiver.

And then, static — rustling fabric — a little chaos.

Apparently, Kaguya was trying to stop her from talking.

But she had failed spectacularly.

Hayasaka continued, unfazed:

"Miss Kaguya heard about the president's upcoming trip… and insisted on—"

A loud "Mmmph!" interrupted her.

Kaguya had clearly covered Hayasaka's mouth.

But after a short pause, Hayasaka freed herself and finished:

"…she insisted on joining the same staycation. No matter what."

Haruto chuckled.

"It's Kanagawa."

"Understood. I'll report it to Miss Kaguya," Hayasaka replied smoothly.

Just as the line was about to disconnect, her voice came again — soft and low.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Then the call ended.

=====

Meanwhile — in the Shuchiin Academy Student Council Room.

"HAYASAKA!!!"

Shinomiya Kaguya was seconds away from bursting into tears — her face red enough to fry an egg.

She stared at Hayasaka with eyes that screamed, "You betrayed me!"

And technically, she wasn't wrong.

Yes, it was Kaguya who had asked Hayasaka to investigate Haruto's staycation plans — but she had meant discreetly. Secretly. Subtly.

She never said "call him directly and sell me out over speakerphone!"

Yet that was exactly what happened.

The moment Kaguya heard Haruto's voice on the other end, she instinctively leaned in closer.

And right then, Hayasaka casually exposed everything — from "Miss Kaguya wants to join you" to "spending a sweet youthful time together."

If Haruto actually believed all that, Kaguya would have to bury herself alive.

"Y-you… you traitor! How could you say that out loud!?"

Her voice cracked between rage and mortification.

Hayasaka sighed, completely calm.

"Miss Kaguya, you can't afford to be sloppy in emotional matters."

"Eh—?"

"If you want to make a move, do it cleanly. Being indecisive only ruins opportunities."

Hayasaka crossed her arms, giving her young mistress a look of absolute confidence.

"You and the president have already passed the stage where you need 'chance encounters' to get closer."

Her words were blunt — a direct hit to Kaguya's pride.

But deep down, they were true.

If Kaguya kept wavering, she might really lose her chance. And Hayasaka knew it — knew Haruto too well.

Though she herself once harbored feelings for him, she was a realist. Whether convincing Kaguya to give up or tying Haruto to herself — neither was realistic now.

So she did the next best thing: she pushed Kaguya forward.

Ironically, this wasn't how things were supposed to go.

It had all started when Kaguya asked Hayasaka to investigate Haruto.

Now somehow, Hayasaka had become the investigator… who'd fallen for the subject.

Talk about occupational hazards.

She once wanted Kaguya to stay far away from him.

Now she was practically helping her climb into his arms.

It was like losing the wife and paying for the wedding. A business deal so terrible even the Shinomiya family had never made one.

Still… meeting him made it all worth it.

Hayasaka didn't dare imagine what her future would've been like otherwise — as the "fourth servant" of the Shinomiya family, the undercover agent installed by Kaguya's brother, destined one day to betray her.

Just thinking about that possible future made her chest ache.

Compared to that — the present was paradise.

She remembered a conversation from years ago, when Kaguya was still a child.

"Hayasaka, Hayasaka! Let's marry the same person and never be apart!"

At the time, it had been a childish joke.

Now… it felt disturbingly prophetic.

The two of them had indeed fallen for the same man. And somehow, it didn't feel tragic — just strangely, quietly right.

Hayasaka shook her head with a helpless smile.

"Ahem. Anyway, let's plan the trip first."

Kaguya's cheeks were still bright red.

"…Fine. You handle it."

Thus, the decision was made.

Originally, Shuchiin Academy had already planned a staycation.

Now, under Kaguya's direction, the schedule was conveniently set for next Monday — and the destination, of course, was Kanagawa.

With Kaguya personally footing the bill, every expense — travel, meals, lodging — was fully covered.

Not that Shuchiin's wealthy students needed the help. But when the heir of the Shinomiya family makes the call, no one objects.

Money buys convenience.

Status buys silence.

And love… buys an entire school trip to the same prefecture as one boy.

However, while Shuchiin prepared for their elegant staycation, the Foundation had bigger problems.

Reports came in from one of their parallel reality sites — a reality known as the Spirit World.

Massive spatial fluctuations were detected — a full-scale spacequake.

A new Spirit had appeared.

And something — or someone — had neutralized most of the destructive impact.

According to the readings, the unknown energy resembled that of the Little Witch — a possible reality warper.

The ruling body of that world, the Global Occult Coalition, had already mobilized large-scale search and suppression teams — deploying weapons far too heavy for a mere Spirit emergence.

The scale and aggression suggested something more.

Haruto, who oversaw the spirit operations, immediately decided to go in person. If a reality warper was truly involved, even an MTF might not be enough.

Before departure, he headed to the Foundation's internal labs — specifically, to meet Murasame Reine.

By now, Reine had fully regained her memories.

For the Foundation, memory restoration was routine work — especially with someone as important as her.

Yet, even after regaining them, she wasn't quite the same person anymore. The essence of who she was had changed.

She was no longer a spirit — but a human.

And when one's nature changes, even shared memories no longer feel identical.

"Dr. Murasame Reine," Haruto began. "Do you have any idea which Spirit appeared this time?"

Reine fell silent for a moment.

Then she answered quietly,

"It should be the Ice Spirit."

Her conclusion came from analyzing the transmission pattern of a certain Sephira Crystal.

Haruto nodded, then hesitated.

"In fact, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."

Reine tilted her head slightly. "Yes?"

"What do you think is the true relationship between you and those Spirits?"

The question lingered in the air.

Even though she was under observation for safety reasons, Haruto couldn't help but seek the truth — not the Foundation's truth, but hers.

What did Murasame Reine truly think of the Spirits…

Or, more precisely — what did she think of the humans those Spirits once were?