Game room.
"Kaguya-chan, how did you even...?"
Chika Fujiwara stared, dumbfounded, at Kaguya Shinomiya wrapped layer upon layer in cables, before turning to Utau Hoshina, who stood arms crossed nearby:
"I just asked Kaguya-chan to fetch some VR headset cables, right?"
Utau didn't deny it, merely explaining what she'd witnessed:
"Then Shinomiya-san got the cables and apparently had a sudden idea to connect them to her own VR headset while uncoiling the bundle in her hands."
"As the cables fell, she urgently reached to catch them... then somehow started spinning in place... and somehow ended up tangled in them..."
"Impressive, in a way," Utau remarked flatly.
To manage such a feat, Kaguya was truly something else!
"I'm just not good with tech products!!" Kaguya shouted from the floor, face burning.
"And shouldn't you untangle me first?!!"
"While I won't deny Kaguya-chan's tech struggles, cables hardly qualify as tech products, no?"
Hearing Chika Fujiwara say this, Kaguya Shinomiya's face instantly turned red:
"Even so, Fujiwara-san shouldn't be pointing a camera at me to take photos, should you?!"
Click! Click!
The sound of photos being taken rang out several more times.
"Can't you stop?" Kaguya Shinomiya was completely exasperated.
"Sigh." Utau Hoshina let out a breath and crouched down, finding a loose thread. She told Kaguya not to move, then took the thread and wound it around Kaguya's arm counterclockwise, unravelling the tangle.
"Thank you, Hoshina-san." Kaguya stood up timidly.
At that moment, Utau Hoshina, who had connected the thread to a VR headset, simply said indifferently:
"Don't mention it. Just helping out where I can."
"Is that so..." Kaguya murmured softly, then suddenly reached out and pinched Chika Fujiwara's cheeks on either side, pulling them outward as she said:
"Fujiwara-san? Could you hand over your phone to me for just a moment?!"
"...I wiw nuh gib in," Chika Fujiwara mumbled her determination through distorted cheeks, clutching her phone tightly.
Utau Hoshina glanced at the two mischief-makers, adjusted the VR headset, then lay down on what looked like a recovery bed nearby, before putting on the headset with its long trailing cord.
Before long, Utau Hoshina said:
"It's ready to power on now, Chika. How exactly do you play this thing?"
"You need to download Test Server 3 first." Chika Fujiwara freed herself from Kaguya's pinching hands and turned to answer.
But then Chika suddenly realised a crucial issue:
"Speaking of which, Kei-chan hasn't arrived yet!"
"And Ai-chan went to make tea with Luo Shu-kun and hasn't returned either?"
"I'll call them."
Hearing this, Kaguya thought Chika would take out her phone to send messages, but instead saw Chika standing still, seemingly spacing out.
'What's wrong with Fujiwara?'
Meanwhile, the "spacing out" Chika in Kaguya's eyes was actually rapidly sending messages.
[Chika Fujiwara: Kei Shirogane, Kei-chan~ The machines are all set up, come quickly to play Pokémon GO!!]
[Kei Shirogane: Sorry, there's been an accident on the train. Might need another fifteen minutes! prayinghands.jpg]
[Chika Fujiwara: We'll wait for you then~~]
[Chika Fujiwara: Luo Shu, Director Director, where are you~~]
[Chika Fujiwara: It's fine if you don't come, but you have to bring Ai-chan over! The team mode requires five people!]
[Ai Hayasaka: ???]
[Ai Hayasaka: Um... we're already bringing the tea. Can you wait one more minute?]
Just as Kaguya was puzzling over this, Chika suddenly snapped back to attention and said:
"I've already asked. They're bringing the tea now."
Suddenly, Chika froze.
The one who just replied to her... was that... Ai Hayasaka?
At that very moment, the game room door opened, and Ai Hayasaka entered carrying tea:
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Ai placed the tea tray on a nearby glass table, then turned to see Chika's sparkling eyes.
"Ai-chaaan~~"
The sickly sweet voice made Ai sigh involuntarily:
"Yes, it's me!"
"Yay~~" Chika hugged Ai tightly and began rubbing their cheeks together.
Seeing this, Utau Hoshina, who was lying on the bed, couldn't help but glance at Kaguya Shinomiya:
"Their relationship is this good?"
"I have no idea." Kaguya looked utterly bewildered.
At this moment, Kaguya inexplicably felt a strange sense of betrayal.
Since when did Ai Hayasaka and Chika Fujiwara become so close?
Although Ai had met Chika before, it was always while disguised as a male butler. This was the first time they'd interacted as women, wasn't it?
Getting this familiar on their first meeting?
'Fujiwara-san really is a shameless woman...' Kaguya thought darkly, her heart souring.
'And Hayasaka, letting Fujiwara-san cling to her like that... how utterly disgraceful.'
Just then, Ai Hayasaka, who was being clung to by Chika Fujiwara, gave Kaguya a relaxed smile.
Seeing this, Kaguya froze momentarily.
She felt like Ai had changed in some way, yet also hadn't.
Was it just her imagination?
At that moment, Ai pinched Chika's cheek, pulled her away, and asked Kaguya:
"Weren't we going to play games? What should we play?"
Chika hugged the VR headset and said cheerfully:
"Let's play Pokémon GO! The virtual reality version!"
Utau looked curious: "I'm fine with anything, but... what about that Mr Luo from earlier?"
"Don't worry about Luo Shu." Chika waved her hand dismissively with a look of disdain: "Men who secretly deceive girls are the worst."
"Huh? Who did he deceive?" Utau was confused. How had Luo Shu deceived anyone? Did Chika know something?
"He deceived Ai-chan~" Chika declared righteously.
Kaguya was shocked: "Hayasaka was deceived? What was she tricked out of?"
Chika said with absolute certainty: "The most important thing a girl has."
"Well, that's..."
At this point, not only did Utau not believe it, but even Kaguya thought Chika was making a terribly distasteful joke.
Seeing their reactions, Chika put her hands on her hips:
"You don't believe me? Hmph, as someone who personally experienced it, I can verify this."
"You're getting more and more ridiculous."
Utau couldn't help but complain.
Chika grinned mischievously, "Ridiculous? Ai-chan can prove I'm telling the truth~ And right now, you could say I'm Ai-chan's big sister~~"
At that moment, Ai, who had been standing nearby, covered her face:
"Fujiwara-san."
"I beg you to look behind you..."
Chika's triumphant expression instantly froze.
She slowly turned her head to look behind her.
There stood Luo Shu, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe with a cold smile.
Seeing this, Chika's face twisted into something between a smile and a cry:
"Luo Shu..."
"W-would you like some candy?"