Opening his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar Japanese-style room, unfamiliar furnishings, and unfamiliar bedding.
This was one of the guest rooms in Uehara Etsuki's house.
Smack! Smack!
After waking up, Kamiyā Yuu forcefully slapped his own cheeks to wake himself up. The moment he recalled last night's farce, his stomach immediately began aching faintly again.
"Speaking of which... last night..."
"At this point, I can only take things one step at a time."
Using the disposable guest toiletries in the room's washroom, he brushed his teeth and washed his face. With nothing else to do, he decided to wander around the absurdly large Japanese mansion.
The sky was still dim, with only a faint pale light appearing at the horizon. Everyone had gone to sleep around two or three in the morning, so nobody would be waking early.
Kamiyā Yuu went into the courtyard to stretch his body. Before long, a calm and gentle greeting came from the hallway.
"Good morning, Kamiyā-kun."
Uehara Etsuki was dressed in simple Japanese housekeeper attire and carrying a large, swaying red plastic bucket with both hands. Judging by the movement inside, it probably contained live fish.
"Sensei, let me help."
Kamiyā Yuu jogged over. Looking closer, he discovered several lively Pacific saury fish flopping around inside. There was too little water in the bucket, causing them to struggle restlessly. With Uehara Etsuki's physique, carrying such a large bucket of water around was naturally impossible.
Pacific saury was a classic part of a Japanese breakfast, alongside rolled omelets, miso soup, dipping sauces, rice, natto, and similar dishes.
"Thank you." Uehara Etsuki nodded.
As the two walked side by side, she suddenly apologized softly:
"Kamiyā-kun, Murasaki caused you trouble last night."
Cough cough!
Kamiyā Yuu nearly choked on air itself. His gaze darted awkwardly around as he asked:
"Sensei knows about it?"
"I know a little. Thinking about it now, no wonder the hot spring was so lively last night." Uehara Etsuki covered her mouth and smiled elegantly before noticing Kamiyā Yuu's uneasy expression.
"Wait, put the bucket down first."
Kamiyā Yuu froze briefly before obeying.
Uehara Etsuki reached out and straightened his suit before saying:
"Since this trouble was caused by Murasaki's temporary oversight, if necessary, I will explain things myself. Kamiyā-kun doesn't need to worry about anything."
"I didn't mean to blame her."
"Kamiyā-kun, in ordinary circumstances, that behavior may seem generous. But in special situations—or to certain types of people—it can also become the harshest form of punishment." Uehara Etsuki sighed softly.
The two entered the kitchen.
The spacious kitchen was mostly modern in style, fully equipped with every kind of utensil and appliance imaginable.
The moment they entered, they saw Morishita Aoi and Busujima Murasaki already busy preparing breakfast. Both were fairly skilled at cooking.
"Mr. Kamiyā."
Upon noticing him, Busujima Murasaki bowed respectfully, her attitude even more deferential than before.
Morishita Aoi wore a black yukata that unexpectedly suited her black short hair perfectly, giving her the aura of a cool beauty. Stirring the egg mixture with a whisk, she looked at Kamiyā Yuu in surprise.
"Yuu, why aren't you sleeping a bit longer?"
"I'll help."
"No need. Today, Yuu should rest properly. This is our apology for yesterday." Morishita Aoi shook her head seriously.
Kamiyā Yuu changed his wording and spread his hands helplessly.
"I'm worried your cooking won't taste good. Besides, a single breakfast isn't enough compensation for yesterday."
Kamiyā Yuu often made bentos for Yūki Chinatsu and occasionally let the others try his cooking. Though reluctant to admit it, Morishita Aoi and the others acknowledged that his culinary skills surpassed even those of famous hotel chefs.
Uehara Etsuki smiled.
"Then we shall look forward to Kamiyā-kun's breakfast."
Kamiyā Yuu removed his jacket, tied on a kitchen apron, and the moment he gripped the kitchen knife, his entire demeanor changed completely.
His knife skills were swift and precise. The speed, accuracy, and decisiveness with which he processed ingredients left Morishita Aoi and the others dumbfounded.
The three women who were originally supposed to make breakfast instead became his assistants, following his instructions by handing over ingredients and seasonings.
Whether Japanese knives, Chinese cutting techniques, or Western kitchen tools, he handled them effortlessly.
His combinations of ingredients and seasonings were wildly imaginative, making it impossible to guess what he intended to create.
More than an hour later, everyone except Kamiyā Yuu and Busujima Murasaki looked as though they had survived a world war—completely exhausted and drenched in sweat.
"Alright, everything's done."
Kamiyā Yuu untied his apron and placed the final dish aside. Looking at the now six-person audience gathered in the kitchen, he shrugged.
"What? Aren't you going to eat?"
Uehara Etsuki, Morishita Aoi, Busujima Murasaki, Gogyo Ruri, Yūki Chinatsu, and even the person Kamiyā Yuu least wanted to see—Kumamoto Alice—all stared at him in astonishment.
"Yuu, you should become a chef!" Yūki Chinatsu concluded seriously.
"Sorry, I can't make food that glows or makes people's clothes explode." Kamiyā Yuu replied jokingly.
Naturally, breakfast received unanimous praise. Everyone ate roughly twice their normal portions.
...
Time passed peacefully.
By the afternoon, nobody mentioned the abnormal events of the previous night's hot spring incident.
As evening approached and everyone prepared to part ways, Kamiyā Yuu finally resolved himself to proactively contact Kumamoto Alice and request a private meeting.
No matter what, he had to deal with the troublesome blue lace panties.
Borrowing a private guest room in Uehara Etsuki's house, Kamiyā Yuu immediately placed the blue lace panties on the table the moment Kumamoto Alice arrived.
"These belong to you, right?"
Kumamoto Alice still maintained her calm, elegant smile.
"How exactly is a lady supposed to answer a question like that?"
Kamiyā Yuu rubbed his temples.
"I'm just returning them. If you don't want them, I can throw them in the trash for you. Returning them here is simply my way of expressing my stance."
"Last night was very interesting. Consider this garment a commemorative gift for President Kamiyā. The right of disposal belongs to you. Throw it away, burn it, or keep it as a collection item—anything is fine." Kumamoto Alice replied indifferently.
"You're making me sound like some kind of pervert." Kamiyā Yuu clicked his tongue unhappily while putting the panties away again.
Kumamoto Alice pondered thoughtfully.
"President Kamiyā really is beloved by everyone. Then let's treat last night's incident as settled. I would also like to sincerely apologize for my willfulness yesterday evening."
"Why didn't you warn everyone from the beginning? Miss Kumamoto already knew I was in the hot spring, didn't you?"
Kumamoto Alice laughed softly.
"Because President Kamiyā is very interesting. Besides, if nothing happened after such a manga-like development, wouldn't that have been too much of a waste?"
Kamiyā Yuu's expression darkened.
"I don't recall ever mentioning that I'm actually a very petty person. Based solely on what you just said, I already think it's necessary to dismiss you."
Seeing that Kamiyā Yuu was not joking, Kumamoto Alice's expression also turned serious.
"Can't President Kamiyā separate business from personal matters?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not that kind of person."
"Could you forgive me once out of consideration for me being a lady?"
"I'm sorry, but your actions last night could have hurt other people."
"I promise I won't do anything like that again—anything that could damage President Kamiyā's relationships with others."
"But the mistake already exists. If someone makes a mistake, they should accept punishment."
"I flew all the way from Britain specifically to join Yosuganosora Animation Studio."
"And Yosuganosora Animation Studio was built by me personally from the ground up. The effort I poured into it far exceeds the effort of you flying here from Britain."
Only now did Kumamoto Alice finally realize both her mistake and the fact that Kamiyā Yuu was not some British gentleman from high society.
He did not care about reputation.
At the same time, he valued her artistic talent more than the beauty she had always been praised for.
Most importantly, her actions had crossed a certain line for him.
"Is there any way to make up for it?" Kumamoto Alice still refused to give up.
"I genuinely think it's a pity. Yosuganosora Animation Studio is losing such an outstanding art director."
Kamiyā Yuu sighed regretfully.
He truly did not want to dismiss such a talented art director.
But the meaning behind his words was equally obvious.
There was no second option.
After a long silence, Kumamoto Alice bit her lower lip and spoke with a trembling voice:
"I can forgo my salary. I can accept demotion to an ordinary art staff member. I can agree to all of your demands."
She had never realized she could so easily say words that damaged her own pride.
That alone proved how much she truly wanted to remain at Yosuganosora Animation Studio.
"I don't lack money. Even without you, I can personally fill the gap in the art department. Besides, Japan doesn't lack talented artists. As for the final condition, I currently have no interest in it, and you wouldn't be capable of going that far anyway."
...
...
"I understand. After the three-day company vacation ends, I will submit my resignation."
After speaking quietly, Kumamoto Alice asked one final question:
"When did you decide to dismiss me?"
"The moment I understood your intentions and actions last night." Kamiyā Yuu answered calmly.
Given Kumamoto Alice's intelligence, she should have fully understood the consequences if things had unfolded exactly as she intended.
Yet despite knowing that, she still chose without hesitation to hurt others.
The previous night's incident had not begun because of her—
But she had been the only one harboring malicious intent.
Her malice was not true cruelty, but rather arrogance born from not caring about other people's feelings.
Different in nature, yet capable of causing the same harm.
Kumamoto Alice had once been a celebrated figure in elite social circles. She possessed exceptional talent and beauty, and had even flown from Britain specifically to join Kamiyā Yuu's small animation studio.
All of that hid a deep arrogance within her.
Kamiyā Yuu did not know where that arrogance came from.
But he felt it necessary to shatter it.
Dismissal had already been decided.
As for whether she could remain at Yosuganosora Animation Studio—
That depended entirely on herself.
Kamiyā Yuu had given her a chance.
She failed to grasp it.
Of course, Kamiyā Yuu had not completely cut off all possibilities.
There remained the faintest sliver of hope.
But if Kumamoto Alice failed to change—
That sliver of hope might as well not exist at all.