Kaede's fists were clenching, hardened by watching Rin Ito act so much like he was in love.
Holding hands and strolling, exchanging different flavors of ice cream, sharing a cold drink with the same straw, cuddling while playing the claw machine... She hadn't done any of those things!
"When are you going to go up there!" Kaede gritted her teeth, keeping her voice low, as she spoke to Kaguya, who was aiming her camera at the couple.
"Are you already that impatient?" Kaguya's eyes held a hint of amusement. "I will bring him back from Ai Hayasaka's clutches for you."
"They look very happy," Chika, who had somehow produced a pipe and was holding it in her mouth, observed. "Maybe Ai Hayasaka isn't fooling him but is genuinely in love?"
"Impossible." Kaguya calmly looked at Ai Hayasaka not far away, then took off her light brown trench coat and deerstalker cap, handing them to Kaede. "Kaede-san, just wait for my good news."
Kaguya slipped into the crowd and quickly walked a short distance ahead of the couple's path. Then, she picked up her camera, walked towards them while taking pictures, pretending it was a chance encounter. When she reached a distance where Ai Hayasaka could see her, Kaguya aimed the camera's viewfinder at her.
"Ito-kun, shall we go to...." Ai Hayasaka, who was about to discuss what they should have for lunch with Rin Ito, froze when her eyes swept forward. Although the face of the girl in the distance was mostly obscured by the camera, having served Kaguya since childhood, she recognized the girl with the camera immediately as Kaguya.
Ai Hayasaka had never expected to run into Kaguya on the street. Stunned and forgetting to breathe, Ai Hayasaka grabbed Rin Ito's hand and hurriedly turned away, her voice betraying a hint of panic... She wasn't prepared and didn't know what expression to face Kaguya with.
"Let's go..."
But before she could take a step, Kaguya rushed up to Rin Ito, looking at the downcast and turned-away Ai Hayasaka.
"Ai Hayasaka? Why are you with Ito-kun?"
Kaguya's voice startled Ai Hayasaka. Although the voice was indeed Kaguya's, in her memory, Kaguya always spoke with an exceptionally cold tone. But now...
Jealousy? Was Kaguya jealous? Seeing her with him, was Kaguya jealous? Ai Hayasaka, whose mind was a mess, instinctively denied it.
"Wha... what are you talking about? I... my name is Hayasaka, not Ai Hayasaka."
Heh heh... are you that flustered when you see me? Kaguya laughed coldly in her heart, but on the surface, she still feigned the appearance of a girl heartbroken and jealous upon seeing the person she liked on a date with another girl.
"It's you, Ai Hayasaka, isn't it? I only said the surname 'Hayasaka,' I didn't say the name 'Ai'..." Kaguya's voice was laced with a hint of a tremor. Of course, this was also acting.
Watching Ai Hayasaka's fearful look, Kaguya actually felt like smiling. After a while, Ai Hayasaka finally looked up with trembling eyes, gazing at Kaguya.
Looking at the familiar Kaguya in front of her, Ai Hayasaka felt a pang of sorrow.
"Ai Hayasaka, it really is you." Tears welled up in Kaguya's bright red eyes. "Was betraying the Shinomiya family and betraying me not enough? Now... now do you have to steal him away too?" The tears gathered in Kaguya's eyes, then rolled down her cheeks. Then, just like the female lead in a comic who sees the male lead with another girl, Kaguya turned around, covered her face, and ran away, sobbing.
Hiss... Kaguya's acting is much better than Ichika's. If it was the first time meeting her, Rin Ito would definitely think Kaguya was genuinely upset. In reality, this was all acting. As she ran away, covering her face, her lips curved upwards at an angle that Ai Hayasaka and Rin Ito couldn't see.
Next to Rin Ito, Ai Hayasaka's shoulders trembled as she lowered her head, and teardrops could be seen rolling onto the pavement in front of her. This wasn't acting... Crybaby Ai Hayasaka was genuinely crying.
"Sorry, I don't want to continue the date today." After saying this in a cold tone, Ai Hayasaka also turned and ran away, covering her face and sobbing. At this moment, Rin Ito hadn't forgotten that Kaede and Chika Fujiwara were still watching him, in addition to Ai Hayasaka and Kaguya. Kaede didn't matter, but Rin Ito still needed to keep up the pretense in front of Chika. Catching up to Ai Hayasaka, Rin Ito feigned concern, only changing to a teasing expression once they were out of sight.
"The Kaguya you've been longing for, and yet you didn't even dare to speak?"
Ai Hayasaka wiped away her tears and glared fiercely at Rin Ito. "Did you deliberately arrange for her to be taking pictures on the street?"
"No." Rin Ito shrugged and put on a mischievous expression. "If I had arranged it, I would probably have arranged for you both to be in bed. Don't worry, I haven't made a move on her yet. The camera is a gift from me to her; she seems to have taken a liking to photography recently, but...."
"!!!" Rin Ito's words made Ai Hayasaka's body tremble. She believed Rin Ito... if he had made a move on Kaguya, when she saw Kaguya again, she would definitely be filled with cream puffs.
After calming down slightly, Ai Hayasaka finally realized... something about Kaguya seemed off just now. Why was Kaguya wearing a camera around her neck? Was she taking pictures on the street just now? When did she develop an interest in that? And... her tone just now wasn't cold at all.
Since childhood, Kaguya's personality had always been as cold as ice, but just now... Kaguya seemed jealous of her? And her tone was very strange, not cold at all. It was as if... she liked him.
"!!!" Ai Hayasaka shuddered at the possibility. Miss Kaguya Shinomiya most likely likes him. This made everything make sense.
Because she liked him, she changed and was no longer cold and icy. Because she liked him, she tried photography and did things she had never done before after being gifted a camera. Because she liked him, she became jealous when she saw him with her.
As for why she would like him? He freed Kaguya from her self-serving family and saved her from the fate of being a bargaining chip in a business deal... Plus, his smooth talk, it was completely normal for a young lady with no prior dating experience to fall for him.
Everything made sense, everything made sense. Although she was happy that Kaguya was no longer so cold, the thought that Kaguya changed because of this pervert made her heart ache.
No... this can't continue. She had to find a way.
...Wait!
A flash of insight struck Ai Hayasaka. Miss Kaguya misunderstood that she was on a date with him, which meant that in Miss Kaguya's mind, he liked her. Since that was the case, why not just go with it? Although she hadn't been eaten yet, her body had already been given to him as a reward anyway.
Ai Hayasaka looked up and flashed a smile at Rin Ito. "Ito-kun, let's continue our date~" Even if Miss Kaguya hated her, even if Miss Kaguya resented her... she had to destroy Miss Kaguya's feelings for him!