Naturally, nothing was accomplished at this three-way eting.
With both Rinji and Shirogane's father causing chaos, the teacher completely gave up thinking.
When Kaguya left the office, she looked utterly defeated, resting her head against the wall as she reflected on her life.
"Ah, what an unforgettable eting," Rinji said, leaning against the hallway window, lighting a cigarette.
"Yeah, though we didn't accomplish anything," said Shirogane's father, cracking open a beer he'd brought to the school.
"All in all, I'd say it was perfect."
"True that."
"How can you say it was perfect?!" Kaguya spun around and shouted, "Because of you two, the teacher now thinks I'm a weirdo!"
"Now that's unfair. At most, he thinks I'm the weirdo."
Smoke drifted around Rinji as he calmly smoked.
"You see, this eting actually solved a lot of things for you. The result would've been the sa no matter who ca, right, niece?"
"Stop calling niece after the eting's over. You're not my real uncle."
"Then granddaughter?"
"Even worse!"
"If I'm not your uncle, I can only be your grandpa," Rinji laughed. "So what'll it be, Shinomiya? Uncle or grandpa?"
"Neither."
As Kaguya and Rinji bickered, Hayasaka and her mother Nao Hayasaka seed to have finished their own eting and walked out.
"Kaguya-sama, you're done too?"
"Yeah... thanks to these two, it ended in disaster."
"Is that how you talk to your uncle?" Rinji asked.
"Shut up. You're neither my uncle nor my grandpa now."
"What a willful young lady."
"…"
Kaguya was about to explode.
Nao asked, "So what did you all talk about?"
"Just future plans with the teacher," Rinji said. "I told Shinomiya it's about ti she broadened her horizons, so I suggested external studies."
"That's actually quite reasonable."
"It's not reasonable at all!!" Kaguya shouted. "Aunt Nao, you never should've let Rinji take your place!!"
Rinji: "What's with all this dissatisfaction toward your uncle?"
"I told you, you're not my uncle! Stop using that setup!"
"Okay, okay. I won't."
Rinji walked up to Kaguya, patted her on the shoulder, then leaned in and whispered with a smirk, "But you didn't seem to mind the student council president's dad acting as your father."
"Ugh..."
Kaguya's face turned beet red.
"I thought so. After all, one day, you'll have to call him 'Dad,' right?"
"Stop it…"
Kaguya covered her face. She had already lost count of how many tis today she'd wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Rinji, uncle has to go now. I've got so business to handle at the company."
"Okay, Uncle, you go ahead."
Rinji waved goodbye to Shirogane's father, then turned back to Hayasaka and her mother.
"It's almost the end of the school day. I've already booked the restaurant. Let's go eat together."
"Sure, I'll drive."
---
At a high-end Western restaurant in Minato, Tokyo.
A live band was playing soft lodies in the hall. The warm lighting created an elegant atmosphere.
Despite being dinner ti, there wasn't a single other custor. Rinji had booked out the entire place in advance.
"Rinji, you're pretty generous with your spending," Nao comnted, sipping red wine and glancing around.
"Did you take so kind of challenge to spend a set amount of cash in a limited ti?"
"No, I just think money isn't that important to ."
Rinji played with the ice in his glass of cola with a straw.
This al was just Rinji, Kaguya, and the Hayasaka mother and daughter.
"I heard my daughter's living with you now?"
Nao's words made Hayasaka's cheeks flush slightly, though she quickly returned to her usual expression.
"Yeah, though it's just on weekends. She cos over to rest after working for Shinomiya," Rinji explained. "Still, the Shinomiya family sure is sothing—having such a young girl doing that much work. And the target is Ai Hayasaka, too. This matter needs an explanation eventually."
Nao, like her daughter, usually had a poker face that gave nothing away.
After staring at Rinji for a while, she asked, "During that cohabitation, did anything... heart-pounding happen?"
Both Hayasaka and Kaguya turned bright red.
Early on, Hayasaka was simply blushing out of embarrassnt, but as for Kaguya…
Thanks to Fujiwara having taught her so inappropriate things, her mind was currently racing with wild thoughts.
"?? What are you talking about?"
"…There probably wasn't anything. Judging by your pure expression, I'd guess nothing happened at all," said Nao.
"Let's put that aside. Miss Nao, what do you think of the proposal I ntioned earlier?"
"You an about leaving the Shinomiya family and working under you?"
"Yes," Rinji nodded. "You're well aware of my relationship with the Shinomiya family. You were there when the tragedy four years ago unfolded. You saw with your own eyes—it was a fight to the death."
"I understand."
Nao swirled the wine in her glass, staring directly at Rinji.
"You want to pick a side, is that it?"
"It's not about choosing sides. I just don't want you standing with the Shinomiya family," Rinji replied calmly. "I know your Hayasaka family lost to them during the power struggle and was eventually absorbed. Since then, your family has been loyal to them. But one day in the future, I will clean house—especially those in the main branch."
"…"
"And it's precisely because you're Hayasaka's mother that I'm saying all this to you."
Rinji's gaze turned sharp.
"You should understand this well. I haven't acted against the Shinomiya family yet, but when the ti cos, I absolutely will. When that day arrives, I don't want to see you among the main house's people. Because if you continue doing their bidding, I won't be able to guarantee your safety—even if you are Hayasaka's mother."
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