I'll ask her later. Hayasaka Ai now really wanted to know Fujiwara Chika's diet. It wasn't for herself, of course! It was... yes! For Lady Kaguya.
But with the Shinomiya family's resources, it's normal to make a few extra portions, right? And as the young lady's personal maid, it's normal for me to eat a portion too, right!
Hayasaka Ai made up her mind. She would definitely get to the bottom of it later.
"Why are you looking too? My homework is done... ahem, are the practice problems I gave you finished?"
Hayasaka Ai stopped writing. "Ryo-kun... what did you just say? The thing I'm doing right now is your class's homework?"
Uchiha Ryo said with great righteousness, "How could that be! This is all for the sake of your academic performance, a specially customized set of exercises. Am I the kind of person who would have others do my homework for me while I slack off!"
"...."
Although in the end, Hayasaka Ai still used her true abilities to finish Uchiha Ryo's weekend homework... congratulations were in order.
On the other side, Fujiwara Chika wasn't hiding her abilities like Hayasaka Ai. In a study session among such top students, she felt very lonely....
Shinomiya Kaguya: "Fujiwara-san, you should do it like this here."
Uchiha Ryo: "No, no, Fujiwara-san, my method is more effective, and it's very suitable for a student of your level."
Shinomiya Kaguya bypassed Fujiwara Chika to look Uchiha Ryo directly in the eye.
"My method is the fastest and most effective. Fujiwara-san can't go wrong using mine."
Uchiha Ryo snorted lightly. "Your method is fine for you to use yourself, but can Fujiwara-san's calculation ability compare to yours? Compared to your advanced method, my simpler algorithm should be more suitable for her."
The two were at loggerheads. Although they both calculated the correct answer using their own methods, neither was willing to acknowledge the other.
At this moment! A third person was needed to break the stalemate!
Hayasaka Ai understood this principle well, so she silently wrote (Uchiha Ryo's) homework, not planning to get involved in the matter between the young lady and Ryo-kun.
And Fujiwara Chika, at the center of the vortex, felt that Shinomiya Kaguya's method was too complicated and she couldn't calculate it at all. As for Uchiha Ryo's algorithm... Eh? You can do it like that!
"How about this, Shinomiya-san? It's useless for us to argue. Why don't we let Fujiwara-san do a problem and see which method she uses!"
A cold sweat broke out on Fujiwara Chika's forehead. The flames of war between the first and second-ranked students were about to spread to her!
An imperceptible smile appeared on Shinomiya Kaguya's face. "Mhm, I happen to be thirsty. The loser of this competition will go and serve tea to the other."
"I... I'm done...."
Just as Shinomiya Kaguya finished speaking, a certain pink-haired girl had already finished the next problem. And the method she used... was precisely Uchiha Ryo's simpler algorithm.
Shinomiya Kaguya: "...." She was a little unwilling to accept it!
Uchiha Ryo, however, pretended to cough. "Shinomiya, my throat is so dry. I'm a little thirsty~ Hurry up and pour the tea."
Shinomiya Kaguya gritted her teeth. "Why would Fujiwara-san use your method!"
"Shinomiya-san, I'm the one who's first in our year."
"You...."
Door: Bang!
Shinomiya Kaguya walked out. She must have gone to make tea for everyone. As expected of the multi-talented genius young lady who was also accomplished in the art of tea.
"Hey, hey, Ryo-kun, I've finished the homework."
Hayasaka Ai sat over, bored. She didn't want to study anymore.
Fujiwara Chika also immediately pushed away the exercise book in front of her. "Let's play!"
"Play? What can we play?" Uchiha Ryo looked at the pink-haired girl. Fujiwara Chika's head seemed to be full of all sorts of games.
But before Fujiwara Chika could think of what to play, the door was pushed open again, and Shinomiya Kaguya walked in with freshly brewed tea.
Shinomiya Kaguya: "Well then, let's continue studying."
"Eh! Kaguya~ No way, I want to rest." Fujiwara Chika refused to study. She felt that the amount of studying she had done in these few hours was almost equivalent to several days of classes at school!
Uchiha Ryo patted Hayasaka Ai's shoulder. "Since you want to rest, then let's go out first."
Hayasaka Ai seemed to have thought of something and immediately pulled Fujiwara Chika and ran out of the study.
"Let's go, Fujiwara-san. Let's get some fresh air outside first."
Fujiwara Chika seemed to have seen her savior, and so the two girls ran out hand in hand.
In the empty study, only Uchiha Ryo and Shinomiya Kaguya were left.
"It's just the two of us now."
Uchiha Ryo nodded. "Just the two of us. Are we still having a study session?"
Shinomiya Kaguya snorted coldly. "Of course not. And I have something to ask you."
"Loved before, save the mother, save my mom."
Shinomiya Kaguya: "???"
What was this person saying? Why couldn't she understand it at all?
"What I want to ask is... your true relationship with Brother Un'yo!"
"So that's it..." Uchiha Ryo's expression also became serious. He then sat on the floor and quietly looked at Shinomiya.
"Alright. Actually, I was sent by your brother to help you."
"Help me?"
Shinomiya Kaguya was even more confused. She felt that anyone sent by Brother Un'yo would be here to restrain her or try to control her. How could they possibly be here to help her?
"The three young masters of the Shinomiya family are currently fighting over the right of succession. You should know this."
Shinomiya Kaguya's expression remained cold, but she had sat down to listen seriously to Uchiha Ryo's explanation.
"As someone with no inheritance rights, it's hard for you to escape this vortex. So Un'yo found me and hoped I could become his partner, allowing him to focus on seizing power while you stay out of it and study well at Shuchiin."
Shinomiya Kaguya frowned. "How can you prove you're telling the truth?"
"I don't need to prove it to you. You can use your own eyes to verify it!"
Suddenly, Uchiha Ryo smiled.
"Shinomiya-san, actually, being caught in the vortex of the Shinomiya family, you're very lonely, aren't you?"
"...What kind of joke are you making? I am..."
"Although you have two relatively close people in Fujiwara Chika and Hayasaka Ai, you have no other friends at school, and the other students are distancing themselves from you, right?"
Shinomiya Kaguya fell silent, but still shook her head and stared at Uchiha Ryo.
"What is Brother Un'yo's purpose in sending you here? Or rather, what do you hope to gain by your appearance!"
What a troublesome woman....
Uchiha Ryo glared at Shinomiya Kaguya with some impatience. "Then I'll be honest too. I came here to get your affection! (And Hayasaka Ai's, and Fujiwara Chika's, and... Hayasaka Nao's.)"
Shinomiya Kaguya's heart trembled.
Since she was a child, of all the people who wanted to be her friend or confessed to her, not a single one wasn't after the Shinomiya family's status and power. Even conversations with relatives were all about the family business, things devoid of any emotion.
In Shinomiya Kaguya's eyes, there were probably no good people in this world.
Any so-called kindness and care were just a performance. The other party must have some ulterior motive in their heart!
But the moment Uchiha Ryo spoke, looking at his eyes, Shinomiya Kaguya always had a feeling... [What he's saying is true!]...
"Uchiha Ryo, what you've said, forgive me for being unable to answer for the time being. But I will be watching. I will use my own eyes to verify... your true purpose."