"..."
Hayasaka Ai's fingers tightened ever so slightly.
Her perfectly manicured nails almost dug into her palms.
That's right.
She was supposed to report everything about Kaguya-sama to Shinomiya Oko.
Yet, ever since her confession, she had reported nothing at all.
Oko's appearance today could only be read as a warning.
But before Ai could open her mouth, Kaguya stepped forward.
Her body completely cut off Oko's line of sight.
The gesture looked casual, yet brimmed with protectiveness.
"Ai-chan is my personal maid. What she does is no concern of yours, Brother."
Kaguya's voice was still calm, but it brooked no dissent.
"If there's nothing else, I'm heading to the hospital to see Father."
She inclined her head ever so slightly.
The etiquette was flawless—impossible to fault—yet it carried an icy distance.
—Oko's face went livid, a vein throbbing at his temple.
Never had he seen Kaguya so unyielding.
Still less had he expected Hayasaka Ai, long under his thumb, to slip free of his control.
Just as he was about to explode,
Kaguya turned and left the hall, taking Ai with her.
Their heels struck the marble floor in crisp beats—like the drums of victory.
…
A luxurious black sedan glided smoothly through the streets of Tokyo.
Only after Ai confirmed in the rear‑view mirror that the privacy partition was up, and the driver could not hear, did she finally blurt out:
"Kaguya-sama, angering Oko-sama like that…"
Her voice carried unconcealed worry.
"Ai-chan."
Kaguya cut her off, gazing through the window at the distant, flickering lights.
"Do you remember what Rei Ao said?"
Ai blinked.
Rei Ao had indeed said many memorable things, but the one that stood out most was:
"You are not anyone's appendage."
Back then she had stood behind Kaguya, habitually maintaining a maid's deferential posture—yet Rei Ao had looked straight into her eyes as he spoke, as though piercing every disguise.
Kaguya did not wait for a reply.
"He said the rules of our world do not bind him.
At the time I thought he was just flaunting strength."
A wry smile tugged at her lips.
"But now I understand: rules shackle us only because we allow them to."
Ai was startled to see a light in Kaguya's eyes she had never seen before—a little… like Rei Ao?!
The discovery left her both relieved and uneasy: relieved that her lady was finally living for herself; uneasy about the danger this change might bring, especially with Kaguya's two brothers watching.
"What does milady plan to do?" Ai asked softly.
Kaguya's smile was faint.
"First, we take back the Hayasaka family—don't you think?"
…
VIP ward, Tokyo Central Hospital
The scent of disinfectant was barely masked by costly aromatics.
Shinomiya Gan'an reclined in bed, his withered fingers pinching a financial report.
Sunset bled through the window, dyeing the room crimson and lending his gaunt face an eerie vitality.
When Kaguya entered alone, a flicker of surprise crossed the old man's clouded eyes.
He had expected Shinomiya Seiryu, Shinomiya Un'yo, or some other board member.
"Father."
Kaguya bowed respectfully, then met his gaze head‑on—no longer avoiding it as before.
"I have something important to say."
Gan'an motioned the orderly out.
When the door clicked shut he rasped,
"Oko's giving you trouble again?"
His voice scraped like sandpaper.
"It's not about Brother."
Kaguya drew a deep breath, her chest rising slightly.
"It's about my origins."
The air seemed to freeze.
Gan'an's fingers quivered; the report slipped onto the sheet with a soft rustle.
"Mm…"
A crow outside let out a harsh caw.
"I know I am not Father's biological daughter."
Kaguya's voice was soft, yet stabbed like a blade.
"And I know you have known from the very start."
Gan'an's chest heaved, and suddenly he coughed violently.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
His skeletal hand clutched at his chest.
Kaguya hurried forward, but he warded her off.
Even at his weakest the titan of commerce refused to show frailty.
"Who… told you?"
His voice was frighteningly hoarse, a dying beast's last vigilance flashing in his eyes.
"That isn't important."
Kaguya shook her head, black hair glinting like red wine in the sunset.
"What matters is that I have come to ask Father for two choices."
A sharp glint re‑emerged in Gan'an's murky eyes—that gaze only the head of the Shinomiya clan possessed.
He signaled her to go on, fingers drumming the bed‑rail, betraying inner turmoil.
"First,"
Kaguya straightened, shoulders firm yet graceful.
"publicly acknowledge my identity and let me leave the Shinomiya family. I will return all assets and the Shinomiya name—
"including the shares Mother left me."
Gan'an's pupils contracted; the wrinkles on his face deepened.
"Do you understand what that means?
Without the Shinomiya shield you will have nothing."
Sorrow impossible to fathom tinged his voice.
"The wolves who covet you will swarm—"
"But I will have freedom,"
Kaguya answered evenly, eyes unwavering.
"True freedom—to study, befriend, travel… even love whomever I choose."
The old man was silent for a long, long time,
until the scarlet light outside faded to deep violet.
Shadows lengthened in the ward.
A nurse tapped softly, asking whether to turn on the lights, and was brusquely dismissed.
"…And the second option?"
Stars seemed to spark in Kaguya's gaze.
"Keep me as a daughter of the Shinomiya family—but let me compete equally for succession."
She paused, then added,
"Not as a token vase, but a real contender.
"Whichever path, I will pursue my own freedom."
"Absurd!"
Gan'an's palm slammed the bed‑rail; the monitor lines spiked wildly.
~~~
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