(4/5)
Sitting in the back row of the classroom, Ren paused slightly as he watched the two transfer students introduce themselves to the class.
"Shinomiya Kaguya... Hayasaka Ai..."
"I didn't expect them to show up so soon."
He had expected one of the diary holders to eventually make an appearance.
But to directly transfer into his school?
This was too blatant.
Ren had thought the diary holders would approach him cautiously, testing the waters before revealing anything.
But this? This wasn't subtle, it was a head-on confrontation.
He couldn't figure out what kind of strategy this was.
After all, no one else would be as foolish as he had been, testing the diary's rules by exposing their identity outright.
"So, are the rules for diary holders different from mine?"
That seed like the most plausible explanation.
But even if their rules were different, why was Shinomiya Kaguya one of the holders?
He rembered Kaguya as soone confined within the golden cage of the Shinomiya family, a sheltered girl with little freedom.
If she had rely co to observe the school on a whim, he could have understood.
But openly transferring like this? Would the Shinomiya family even allow it?
Although his mory of the Shinomiya family dynamics was from sixteen years ago, he distinctly rembered that Kaguya Shinomiya didn't have this much freedom.
"So, what's the situation now?"
He couldn't understand it, but it didn't stop him from observing.
The new transfer students were undeniably eye-catching.
As soon as class ended, Kaguya and Hayasaka were surrounded by a group of curious girls.
Kaguya, with her aloof deanor, maintained the elegant composure of a noble lady, speaking politely but always keeping others at arm's length.
Her mannerisms weren't rude, but the invisible barrier she erected around herself made her feel unapproachable.
Hayasaka, on the other hand, was much livelier and quickly ward up to the girls in the class.
"Hayasaka, do you know Shinomiya?" soone eventually asked.
Hayasaka smiled and answered without hesitation, "I'm actually Miss Kaguya's maid."
"Maid?!"
The word stunned everyone around her, boys and girls alike.
The students all turned to look at Kaguya, who was sitting by the window. While they had only been speculating about her earlier, Hayasaka's statent confird their guesses.
"She really does seem like a noble lady, her cold temperant, the distance she keeps from others..."
"Miss Kaguya doesn't an to seem distant," Hayasaka clarified with a calm smile. "It's just that her upbringing has always been strict. It's a habit of self-protection, not a lack of kindness."
"So that's it..."
Hayasaka's explanation made sense to everyone.
Kaguya ca across as a noblewoman who had grown up in a world of caution and etiquette. It wasn't that she deliberately kept people at a distance; it was simply the result of her upbringing.
"It's like she was raised as a 'canary in a cage,' always trained to be cautious of others," Hayasaka continued, her voice calm and asured. "Because of her family's expectations, Miss Kaguya sotis struggles to understand others' emotions, which can lead to misunderstandings."
Hearing this, the surrounding students nodded in understanding.
They couldn't fault her for her upbringing, she was, after all, the daughter of a powerful family.
Her refined manners and distant aura fit perfectly with their idea of a true young lady, soone akin to a delicate flower blooming high on a mountaintop.
"It's not arrogance," Hayasaka concluded. "It's just the way she's always been taught to behave."
While so people might label such behavior as "young lady syndro" when displayed by ordinary girls, in Kaguya's case, it wasn't an act. It was a direct result of her family's "crisis education."
Ren, sitting quietly at the back of the classroom, noted Hayasaka's explanation with interest.
"She's not hiding her role as a maid but openly admitting it?"
"This maid is... intriguing."
Hayasaka's directness had revealed a lot about their situation, and Ren silently took it all in.
"But judging by this, it doesn't seem like they're planning to approach anyti soon."
He decided not to dwell on it and instead packed up his things. Quietly, he left the classroom without drawing any attention.
For now, his priority was confirming the whereabouts of Ran and Sonoko.
---
"Bang!"
Just as Ren turned a corner, a sudden collision made him stagger backward.
He looked down to find a girl sitting on the ground, rubbing her sore backside.
"Suzuki Sonoko?"
Ren recognized her instantly.
"Was she running because of Kaguya?"
Before he could say anything, Sonoko stretched out her hand toward him.
"Hey, help up! My butt hurts too much—I can't stand up."
Without a word, Ren reached out and helped her to her feet.
"Hiss!"
Sonoko winced as she pressed her hand against her lower back.
"I really need to stop running so fast..." she muttered, half complaining, half laughing at herself.
"Sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going," she added, bowing slightly.
"...It's fine," Ren replied, shaking his head.
He had expected her to complain, but she apologized instead.
Ren stepped aside, intending to continue on his way.
But just as he took a step, Sonoko moved in front of him again.
"Hey... classmate, can we get to know each other?"
"???"
The sudden question left Ren montarily stunned.
Was she... hitting on him?
"Suzuki-san..."
"Oh, so you know ? That's great!" Sonoko interrupted with a bright smile. "Let's exchange contact info! You know, so we can get to know each other better."
Her enthusiasm was so unexpected that Ren found himself complying before he even realized it.
"Amamiya Ren," he said, watching as she saved his na in her phone.
"Got it! Let's stay in touch, Amamiya Ren," Sonoko said cheerfully. "I'll see you later, I have to go find that 'ice queen' Shinomiya now!"
And with that, she rushed back into the classroom.
Ren stood there for a mont, staring at the contact information newly saved in his phone.
"Suzuki Sonoko is... a fiery one," he murmured to himself.
Then he glanced back at the classroom, where Sonoko was already chatting animatedly with Shinomiya Kaguya.
"Still, a girl like her is kind of... charming," Ren thought, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.
Her straightforwardness and boldness were refreshing, and he couldn't help but think she was surprisingly cute in her own way.
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