SCIAW: Chapter 142/143

Chapter 142: Kaguya Knows Everything

After dinner, Kaguya quietly rested in her room.

She had no additional lessons to attend, making this one of her rare moments of free time.

Even after freeing herself from the Shinomiya family's constraints, she continued studying the subjects she had learned before.

But now, the meaning behind her studies was different. This time, she was learning to enrich herself, not because she was forced to.

And the intensity of her studies was nowhere near as suffocating as before.

Now, Kaguya had plenty of free time.

In addition to the things she wanted to learn, she also needed to train her control over her abilities.

She wouldn't let distractions get in the way of her priorities.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

The quiet room was suddenly filled with the sound of vibrations.

Kaguya frowned slightly, breaking out of her meditation. She walked to the bedside and picked up her phone.

Seeing the name of the caller, she paused for a moment.

Then, she straightened her posture and adjusted her appearance before answering.

"Amamiya-san."

Her voice was calm and composed, befitting the image of a refined young lady.

"Shinomiya-san, are you free right now? I need your help with something."

Kaguya was momentarily surprised but quickly composed herself.

"Of course, I'm free."

"It's not even late yet, and I was just resting after dinner."

The implication was clear, she had plenty of free time.

"It's like this," Ren explained.

"My neighbor, a female artist, recently ran into some trouble. After talking to her, I suggested that she establish her own independent studio."

"But I'm worried that her current agency might retaliate against her, so I wanted to ask for your help."

Next-door neighbor?

Kaguya immediately recalled the information she had read before, about a certain brown-haired, popular female artist.

Her expression subtly stiffened, an inexplicable discomfort rising in her chest.

But she didn't let it show on her face.

"Of course, I'll help."

"Amamiya-san, give me fifteen minutes to look into it. I'll contact you then."

"Thank you, Shinomiya-san."

The call ended.

But the conversation lingered in Kaguya's mind, stirring a strange feeling inside her.

Hah…

Letting out a slow breath, her expression shifted, becoming more visibly emotional.

The first time he calls me… and it's to help another woman?

And it just so happens to be his female neighbor.

To be honest, Kaguya didn't feel particularly inclined to help.

But this was Ren's request.

She didn't have a choice, she had to help.

So, with a sigh, she picked up her phone and called her maid.

She didn't have much experience with this sort of situation, but Hayasaka might.

"Hayasaka!!!"

Within three seconds, the door to Kaguya's room opened.

Standing there was Hayasaka, dressed in her pajamas, clearly about to relax for the evening.

"Hayasaka, I need your help."

The moment she saw Hayasaka, Kaguya abandoned all pretense of composure.

She immediately rushed over and pulled Hayasaka, dragging her further into the room.

"???"

Hayasaka tilted her head slightly, confused by her mistress's sudden urgency.

"What happened to you, Miss Kaguya?"

"It's like this, Amamiya-san just called me."

That single sentence was enough to spark Hayasaka's curiosity.

She had already noticed that something about Kaguya had changed.

It was a subtle shift, but it was something that had never been present in the perfectly rational, almost cold Kaguya before.

And Hayasaka knew exactly what had caused this change.

Ren Amamiya.

Like a ray of light piercing through the darkness, he had given Kaguya the chance to be free.

The moment Kaguya had stood against Shinomiya Oko, with confidence, Hayasaka knew.

Her mistress had truly been set free.

And after that freedom, she began to change.

Especially when it came to Ren.

There were probably multiple reasons behind this change.

But Hayasaka believed the biggest reason was gratitude.

The gratitude for gaining control over her own destiny.

And because of that gratitude, Kaguya started paying a lot more attention to Ren.

That increased attention led to subtle changes in her behavior.

And now, those changes had become impossible to ignore—especially at this very moment.

Listening to Kaguya speak, Hayasaka could feel the faint irritation in her tone.

Interesting.

She was very interested.

"Amamiya-san said he wants my help with his female neighbor."

"Miss Kaguya, what's the reason?"

"…It seems she's having some issues with her agency."

"Amamiya-san suggested she go independent, but he's concerned that her agency will make things difficult for her, so he's asking for my help."

The situation was clear. Hayasaka nodded in understanding.

But seeing the subtle dissatisfaction on Kaguya's face, she had a good idea of what was really going on.

"Miss Kaguya, you don't actually want to help, do you?"

"Of course I'll help!"

Kaguya didn't hesitate in the slightest.

Since this was the first time Amamiya-san had ever contacted her, she couldn't possibly refuse such a simple request.

"If that's how you feel, then why do you look so upset right now?"

"I…"

Kaguya was caught off guard, unable to respond for a moment.

She struggled to come up with an answer, her face growing slightly red in the process.

But no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't bring herself to say it.

Hayasaka sighed, shaking her head slightly.

She decided to just spell it out.

"Miss Kaguya, is it bothering you that the first time Amamiya-san called you… it was about another woman?"

"!?"

Kaguya's eyes widened.

The words "How did you know?" were practically written all over her face.

Hayasaka didn't bother explaining.

Instead, she leaned in slightly, preparing to whisper one last thought into Kaguya Shinomiya's ear.

"Kaguya-san, you do realize that Amamiya-san is already much closer to Mouri-san and Suzuki-san than he is to you, right?"

Kaguya froze.

Of course, she already knew that.

Before their weekend trip, Ren had referred to them formally—Mouri and Suzuki.

But after that weekend, things changed.

Now, he called them Ran and Sonoko.

And in return, they had stopped calling him Amamiya.

Instead, they now called him Ren.

What did that mean?

Kaguya understood it better than anyone.

"So, Miss Kaguya—"

Hayasaka's voice took on a teasing edge, almost like a devil whispering temptations into a human's ear.

"Do you want to take this opportunity to get closer to Amamiya?"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 143: Awakening of Love

"So, do you want to take this opportunity to get closer to Amamiya?"

Kaguya's eyes widened as she stared at Hayasaka.

She wasn't that naive, she understood exactly what Hayasaka meant.

Something inside her stirred, but her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"Hayasaka… what do you mean?"

In response, Hayasaka's voice remained light, carrying a hint of amusement.

"Do you really not know?"

"Your attitude toward Amamiya is different."

"W-What… what's different?"

Kaguya tried to maintain her composure, but deep down, she was anything but calm.

"It seems that your attitude toward Amamiya-san changed when you first read the diary."

"And if I recall correctly… wasn't it when you came across the part mentioning his female neighbor?"

"Back then, I even suggested that you should pay attention to that female neighbor. But you immediately refused."

Hayasaka's words triggered a memory.

That had happened.

"If it were the old you, would you have ignored such an opportunity?"

"I…"

Kaguya found herself unable to answer.

She had always been the type to plan ahead, to make strategic moves.

Gaining leverage over someone's weaknesses was one tactic.

Helping them so they would owe her a favor was another.

If this had been before, Kaguya wouldn't have hesitated.

She would have done both, securing a weakness while ensuring gratitude.

That was the correct approach.

But when it came to the issue of Ren's female neighbor, she hesitated.

And in the end, she did nothing.

Why?

If she wanted to phrase it in a more dignified way, she could say she didn't want to manipulate Ren into befriending her.

But to be brutally honest.

She was afraid that if Ren saw through her schemes, he would grow to hate her.

That was why she hesitated.

That was why she ultimately backed off.

If this were just a matter of personal interests, then her choice had been wrong.

But if emotions were involved.

Then her choice had been right.

And what exactly were those emotions?

"Because you care, right?"

Hayasaka's words struck Kaguya like a thunderbolt.

"If you didn't care, you would have made the rational choice, the one that benefited you the most."

"But because you do care, you rejected that choice, thinking it was wrong."

"The variable here is Amamiya-san."

Seeing Kaguya momentarily speechless, Hayasaka knew she had hit the mark.

Today, she had to make sure Miss Kaguya realized what was in her heart.

That way, her approach toward Amamiya would finally change.

"I… but… it's too fast…"

Kaguya looked deeply conflicted.

She understood what Hayasaka was getting at.

Wasn't this basically an admission that she had started caring about Amamiya? That her feelings were beginning to shift toward liking him?

But her upbringing, her pride—made her feel like it was all happening too quickly.

Like she was being careless.

Like her emotions had changed before she had even realized it.

Watching Kaguya's tangled expression, Hayasaka immediately understood the issue.

It was her pride.

This was something every high-class young lady struggled with.

…Well, except for Miss Suzuki.

From Hayasaka's intel, Sonoko had already asked Amamiya out on a date before she even knew his secret.

And her relationship with him had developed even further after Ran dragged her into confessing.

From that perspective, Kaguya's concern for Ren wasn't too fast at all.

If anything, it was perfectly natural.

It was only because she was so reserved that she was still hesitating.

Which meant…

Kaguya's outdated thinking needed a little adjustment.

"Miss Kaguya, think back to your past life, the life of a canary in a cage."

Kaguya's thoughts were a mess, but Hayasaka's words guided her.

And when she did think back.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

"You spent your days trapped in a life you had no control over."

"And then, out of nowhere—there was a light in front of you."

"A light that Amamiya unconsciously cast but one that became the only hope in your desperate life."

Kaguya couldn't deny it.

That was the truth.

"With that hope, you broke free from your shackles."

"You took control of your destiny and stepped on the Shinomiya family to do it."

"Then, you took the initiative to contact Amamiya."

"And what did he do?"

"He made no excessive demands of you. All he did was warn you about the risks of making money from the diary."

"That by doing so, your fate would become intertwined with his."

"And in that moment, your connection with Amamiya was formed."

"You couldn't help but grow curious about him and from that curiosity, you gradually began to care more and more."

"At first, it was gratitude."

"But now, it's something else."

Hayasaka's voice was soft, her words logical and methodical.

She was painting a picture, one that forced Kaguya to step back and look at her emotions from a third-person perspective.

And from that distance, she saw the truth.

Yes—her interest in Ren had started from gratitude.

But now—

It had grown.

"Amamiya-san has no ulterior motives toward you. He doesn't even react to your tests or attempts to tempt him."

"It's precisely because he's different from others that you care about him more."

"To the point where… even the mere mention of another woman makes you uncomfortable."

"Miss Kaguya, this emotion is called love."

"And that uncomfortable feeling? That's called jealousy."

Kaguya was completely stunned.

For the first time—she realized it.

Her emotions weren't just curiosity.

Her emotions weren't just gratitude.

She was jealous.

And she was feeling love.

"If it were anyone else, you might have used your usual methods."

"But with Amamiya-san, those methods won't work."

"Besides—"

Hayasaka paused, her voice carrying a sharp edge.

"You should also realize something else—"

"You will never be able to monopolize Amamiya-san."

"Why!?"

Kaguya flinched.

Those words not being able to monopolize, struck a deep, painful chord in her heart.

"Because of the diary."

Kaguya's mind froze.

"Didn't Amamiya-san himself say it?"

"Your fate is intertwined with his."

"But it's not just your fate."

"It's also Sanzenin-san's. And Mouri-san's."

"And in the future, there will be even more diary holders."

"Maybe even Fujiwara-san will be among them."

"Your dream of monopolizing him… is destined to be impossible."

(To be continued.)