"Hayasaka Ai, I like you."
"I will definitely take you back from the Shinomiya family."
"No matter how difficult it is, no matter how many obstacles stand in my way."
"You, and the entire Hayasaka family—I will reclaim them with my own hands. I swear it."
"If it ans helping you live a life of freedom—free from the shackles of duty, deception, and despair—then I'm willing to do anything."
Yukima Azuma's voice was gentle, like a soft breeze brushing across her cheek, yet it held a steel-like conviction. Each word he spoke reverberated with quiet strength—unshakable, undeterred.
His hand, warm and reassuring, rested gently on Hayasaka Ai's face.
Her breathing quickened.
Though her eyelids remained closed and her expression still, her heart pounded beneath her ribs like a drum echoing through a quiet battlefield.
She was pretending to be asleep. That much was true.
But after hearing those words—after hearing him—Hayasaka Ai could no longer focus on keeping up the act.
He likes ?
Not Hasaka.
Not the cheerful, convenient mask I wear to keep people at arm's length.
But —Hayasaka Ai.
That thought alone sent her entire world tilting.
Suddenly, the strange behavior Yukima Azuma had exhibited over the past few days—the way his tone softened, how he stared at her too long, the flickers of intensity in his gaze—it all clicked.
Everything made sense now.
Because from the very beginning... he had seen through her.
Even when she introduced herself under a false na, even when she wore a different personality like a costu, Yukima Azuma had spoken to her with a strange, almost painful sincerity.
Because he wasn't speaking to the facade.
He was speaking to her—the real her.
Hayasaka Ai didn't know exactly what her mother had said to him. But judging from the depth of his words, it was likely that he already knew much of the truth. He knew the Hayasaka family's sha. He knew how her mother and ancestors had beco vassals to the powerful Shinomiya clan.
He might even know the ugliest truth of all—that she wasn't just Kaguya-sama's loyal maid, but also a pawn, secretly reporting to Kaguya's older brother.
Even so.
Even knowing everything, Yukima Azuma still—
He still wanted to save her.
Still wanted to free her from this life.
Still wanted to... like her.
How? Why?
Why would soone so kind, so bright, so brave—choose her?
This affection, this resolve—it was so overwhelming, so blindingly sincere, it made Hayasaka Ai's chest ache. Her nose stung as if she were on the verge of tears.
"Today, Hayasaka is especially cute," Azuma murmured with a fond chuckle. "Though... she's definitely plotting sothing."
He softened his voice into a teasing tone, half-joking.
"Whether it's annoyed Hayasaka or slightly mischievous Hayasaka... you're always adorable."
"So much so that I can't help but tease you... Am I being too an?"
"When you wake up later, will you confess to ? I feel like you might."
He paused, his voice growing wistful.
"In retaliation, you might even try to seduce a little. What should I say in response?"
"Should I just agree right then and there? If I do... I'd get to date Hayasaka... No, wait—Hasaka, right?"
That montary hesitation in his voice was unmistakable.
A sigh escaped his lips. "...What am I even thinking?"
"I've already asked so much from her. She's clearly exhausted."
"And here I am... selfishly hoping for more. What kind of guy does that make ?"
Yukima Azuma's voice had grown heavy with self-reproach. "I should probably turn her down later."
It was a rejection.
But sohow, hearing those words—
They were sweeter than any confession she had ever dread of.
As his hand slipped away from her cheek, the warmth lingered.
Her skin still burned where his fingers had rested.
So ti later—
Hayasaka Ai "woke up" with a soft groan, fluttering her lashes and lifting her head groggily.
"Ehh? Did I fall asleep?"
She glanced down at her watch.
"...No way. Three hours already?!"
Realizing how long she had dozed, she buried her flushed face in her hands in mock embarrassnt.
Except... this wasn't entirely fake.
That blush on her porcelain skin was real.
So was the quiet sting of emotion rising in her chest.
"I was going to wake Hasaka up," Yukima Azuma said gently, "but you looked really tired... so I let you sleep a bit longer."
"So embarrassing... uwu..." she whimpered, peeking at him through her fingers.
When the heat in her cheeks finally dulled slightly, she whispered the line she had carefully prepared beforehand:
"Soone like ... you could've just ignored and gone ho, you know."
But the mont the words left her lips, their weight changed.
The sadness behind them felt too raw.
"There's no way I could leave Hasaka alone," Yukima Azuma said softly.
The exact reply she had expected.
But when he said it—her heart tightened.
"Azuma-kun..."
Her voice trembled slightly as she looked up at him.
And this ti, there was no mask.
The emotion in her eyes was real. Open. Vulnerable.
"Ne, Azuma-kun... would you like to try dating ?"
She forced the words out, clinging to her rehearsed lines like a lifeline.
"I know we haven't known each other that long... It might seem sudden."
"But we can try it out... ninety percent as friends, ten percent as lovers."
"If you end up liking soone else, you don't have to feel guilty. Just go for her."
"Think of as a backup girlfriend. I wouldn't mind."
Her lips curled into a practiced, sweet smile.
But she couldn't hold it.
Instead, she lowered her gaze, eyelashes quivering.
Because despite preparing for this mont, despite bracing herself—
It still hurt.
It still felt like jumping off a cliff without knowing what lay below.
If he rejected her... did that an he really cared for her, enough to hold back?
If he accepted... did that an he really liked her, enough to make a selfish decision?
Either way—her heart would be shaken.
"...I'm sorry," Yukima Azuma said quietly, "but I already like soone else."
The final judgnt fell.
Hayasaka Ai didn't speak.
She simply stood, her chair scraping softly against the floor.
Then she turned and walked away—at first briskly, then faster, until she was running.
Each footstep echoed through the bookstore like a silent sob.
A trail of glistening tears marked her path.
Crystalline droplets fell to the ground and shattered.
Watching her retreating figure, Yukima Azuma clicked his tongue.
"...Was I too harsh?"
He scratched his head, feeling the sting of guilt.
He'd known she was pretending to be asleep.
He'd spoken anyway.
Had he toyed with her too much?
No... he hadn't lied.
He did want to reclaim the Hayasaka family.
And if that day ever ca—
Maybe Hayasaka Ai would finally be free to walk alongside him.
But that was a bridge to cross later.
For now, all he could do was move forward.
Yukima Azuma sighed, gathered his things, and picked up the manga volu he had been reading.
Then, with quiet footsteps, he left the bookstore.
Later that evening, after returning to the Yukima household—
His phone buzzed.
A LINE notification appeared.
"Hasaka" had removed him from her friend list.
Yukima Azuma swiped the red dot away, and with a soft pop, the notification vanished.
But instead of closing the app, he tapped the chat window.
Azuma: "Hayasaka, good evening. Have you eaten?"
Hayasaka: "Azuma onii-chan, do you need sothing?"
Azuma: "Why so cold?"
Hayasaka: "Because that's the extent of our relationship now."
He stared at the final ssage.
Then closed the app and leaned back with a stretch.
The screen dimd to black.
anwhile—
At the grand Shinomiya estate—
"Hayasaka, what's wrong?"
Shinomiya Kaguya tilted her head, brows furrowed in concern.
Technically, Hayasaka Ai was her maid.
But in reality, they were far more like sisters.
If anything, Kaguya often felt like the younger one between them.
Today, Hayasaka had asked for a rare leave.
When she returned, she didn't report in.
Instead, she locked herself in her room for nearly an hour.
And when she finally erged, her eyes were red.
Her face—always calm, always perfect—still bore the remnants of tears.
It was impossible not to notice.
"...Kaguya-sama, I'm fine," Hayasaka Ai croaked softly.
That answer, of course, was completely unconvincing.
Kaguya's frown deepened.
Soone had clearly made Hayasaka cry.
And Kaguya would find out who.
Then—she would make them pay.
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