"So, so, Kaguya-chan, did you and kai-kun end up kissing or not?"
Fujiwara Chika's eyes were firmly locked onto Kaguya—onto Shinomiya Kaguya, whose expression was currently one of utter panic, teetering on the edge of complete mental collapse.
Not far away, Shijo Maki had stopped swimming, her gaze shifting over to them.
The other girls weren't paying much attention to the conversation, as Chika had kept her questioning discreet enough to avoid drawing a crowd. Most of them were simply swimming or playing in the water on their own. Even so, Kaguya couldn't shake the inexplicable feeling of being surrounded by an army, trapped with no way out of this hopeless situation.
"At the very least, you held hands, right?"
"After all, Kai-kun's the aggressive, carnivorous type."
"Did you two get properly close? You know how he is—the moment a girl shows even a little initiative, he'll immediately take it and run with it~"
The corners of Chika's lips curled up in amusement.
Meanwhile, Kaguya was only growing more and more flustered, increasingly unsure of how to respond.
She couldn't calm down.
The Ice Princess of Shinomiya, who had always been able to maintain her cold demeanor no matter the situation, was now on the verge of a mental breakdown.
She wanted to brush it off with a simple "Nothing happened between me and Takakai-kun," but as someone who had witnessed Maki getting completely outplayed by Chika—who had seen firsthand how her friend had gone from being the third wheel to securing her position—she couldn't bring herself to say those words.
But if she were to tell the truth, to admit her humiliating retreat… she didn't have the courage for that either. When it came to pride, Kaguya was far worse than Maki. She'd rather die than admit her own embarrassing failures.
Besides, she knew all too well that Fujiwara Chika wasn't a woman who could be easily fooled. If she tried to lie and slipped up, it would only make things worse. Better to say nothing at all.
The problem was, that strategy only worked if Chika didn't already know. But she did know about Kaguya's date with Takakai yesterday. With that in mind, trying to evade her sharp-eyed friend was no easy task.
"Ehehe~ Kaguya-chan, you're really flustered. Don't tell me you've already gone all the way~?"
Chika leaned in closer, their bodies nearly touching in the water.
Her eyes sparkled with unmistakable curiosity and delight, and as she swam forward slightly, the pressure on Kaguya intensified.
"I… um… that is…"
Words failed her.
Kaguya couldn't speak at all.
She was terrified that if she said even one wrong thing, Chika would piece together every cringe-worthy move she'd made during yesterday's date—leaving her with permanent blackmail material.
Someone, please save me! Hayasaka! Hayasaka, where are you?! Hayasaka, hurry up and do something!
Shinomiya Kaguya screamed internally.
And, as everyone knows, maids in the 2D world possess mysterious sensory abilities. Thus, Hayasaka Ai quickly detected that her mistress was in an emergency situation (in reality, the smart surveillance system monitoring the pool had flagged the issue) and swiftly devised a solution.
Namely: sending Takakai a message and having him come to the rescue himself.
After all, in Hayasaka's eyes, compared to preserving her young mistress's dignity, it was far more important to finally solidify their relationship. Among the growing circle of girls around Takakai, aside from Yotsuya Miko—who was still somewhat on the periphery, lingering in ambiguous territory—Kaguya was the only one who hadn't officially confirmed her status.
Frankly, it was agonizing to watch. Especially after yesterday's failed date. It was even more agonizing now.
And that was precisely why Takakai had come to the swimming pool—specifically, the female-only section, which was normally off-limits to men. Shuchi'in Academy's swimming facility was high-end, divided into male, female, and mixed zones, to the point where Takakai had briefly wondered if he'd wandered into some kind of hot spring resort.
Since entering through the front door would've caused unnecessary trouble, Takakai employed the same method he'd used during his first infiltration of Shuchi'in—scaling the building from the second floor and sneaking inside. Carefully avoiding the girls coming in and out, he found a high vantage point to observe the pool below.
Hmm. The view's pretty nice.
That was the assessment Takakai silently made.
Splash—
Water droplets scattered as a girl rose from the pool, her glistening skin reflecting the light.
The dark blue school swimsuit—while not as revealing as a bikini—hugged her curves tightly, offering an equally pleasing visual experience.
Especially Fujiwara Chika, who was currently kicking her legs playfully in the water. Her swimsuit was noticeably strained, as if struggling to contain something restless and eager to burst free.
In contrast, neither Kaguya nor Maki could compete in terms of sheer volume. However, their waist-to-hip curves were more than enough to stand proudly above their peers. The way the sukumizu's lower half pressed into their skin, creating slight indentations, was nothing short of art.
Ah, and then there's the legs. Can't forget those.
Chika's thighs had a soft, plush look to them, practically begging to be touched. Meanwhile, Maki and Kaguya's legs were slender and pale. Though their height meant they couldn't match Takakai in sheer length, their proportions were nothing short of perfect.
"Huh? Kai-kun?"
Chika looked up and spotted Takakai hiding in the metal framework above the pool, clearly peeking at her.
What's he doing up there?
Before she could react further, Takakai raised his hands, curling them above his head to form a heart shape just for her.
"Pfft—!"
Chika, whose sense of humor wasn't particularly highbrow, burst out laughing almost instantly.
"Hm?"
Only then did Kaguya notice something was amiss. She turned her head—
—and saw Takakai, now with his hands down, looking completely nonchalant.
Why is Takakai-kun here?!
Kaguya's eyes widened. Had he been hiding up there the whole time, watching her flounder in panic?
But because she'd turned away, she missed the moment when Chika—floating beside her—lifted a finger and lightly traced a line from her collarbone down to her chest, flashing Takakai a very suggestive look.
As for Shijo Maki, who had been silently observing the entire exchange (and fully understood the unspoken communication between those two), she merely shot Chika a look of utter disdain before preparing to leave.
[You look great in that swimsuit.]
Takakai's telepathic message slipped into her mind.
[Everyone's wearing the same thing. Saying that just makes you sound insincere.]
Maki's reply was sharp, though her tone carried the faintest upward lilt.
[Same outfit, different person. You're especially stunning in it. So, how about you wear it tonight while we play some games? I think it's a fantastic idea.]
And just like that, Takakai revealed his true nature.
[Wha—! N-No way! This is—this is a school swimsuit! Each one has a serial number! You can't get it dirty or—or tear it! I-It's just not happening! And besides, why are you always thinking about stuff like this?! Can't you be even a little serious?!]
Maki turned away, hiding her furious blush from the others while mentally snarling at him.
[So what you're saying is, as long as it's not the school swimsuit, there's no problem. Got it.]
Takakai, as always, zeroed in on the real meaning behind her words with terrifying speed.
[...]
Maki didn't dignify that with a response. Face burning, she shot him one last glare before climbing out of the pool in her dark blue sukumizu and storming off.
After sharing a few more highly covert (and utterly incomprehensible to outsiders) gestures with Takakai, Chika also swam off, leaving Kaguya alone in the water—completely baffled as to how she'd just been saved from her predicament.
Why did Takakai-kun come here? And why was he up there? Was he… peeping? Because this is the girls' pool, so he snuck in to watch?
The thought made Kaguya shrink slightly, torn between hiding from his gaze and wanting to straighten up, to let him see her more clearly.
But because she was in the water and not on solid ground, the moment her focus wavered—
Splash!
—she lost her balance and went under.
By the time she resurfaced, Takakai was already gone.
…Did he come here just to help me?
The thought left Kaguya strangely unsettled.
Meanwhile, Takakai had already made his way to the rooftop, where Hayasaka Ai was waiting.
"Thank you for your trouble, Master. My young mistress continues to cause you inconvenience."
Hayasaka bowed gracefully, exuding the aura of a perfect maid even without her usual uniform.
"It's nothing. Kaguya's just like that. I had some free time, so I figured I'd drop by."
Takakai waved it off casually.
But then—
The petite blonde maid stepped closer, pressing herself against him.
Hayasaka rose onto her tiptoes.
Takakai leaned down.
Their breaths mingled for a moment—
—before Takakai pulled back, gently stopping Hayasaka as she tried to follow.
"Alright, alright. We're still at school, you know. More importantly, are you ready for the fireworks festival? I'm looking forward to seeing you in a yukata."
Though his expression remained as calm as ever, Takakai couldn't help but marvel inwardly at the sight of the blushing, slightly breathless girl before him.
"The fireworks festival… I, as a maid, need to…"
I need to be on standby to serve Shinomiya-sama at all times, so I can't wear a yukata and enjoy the festival with everyone.
The words were practically reflexive, something Hayasaka would've said without thinking—
—but Takakai, already knowing what was coming, placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll be expecting to see you there, no excuses. Don't forget who you're calling Master now, Ai-chan."
The teasing, affectionate tone made Hayasaka shiver.
She didn't argue. Just nodded softly.
"…Mm."
With that, Takakai left, this time without seeking out any of the girls. Instead, he headed straight out of the school, making his way to the park to scout out the stalls and plan what he could do with Miko tomorrow.
Honestly, the number of girls I'm involved with just keeps growing. At this rate, even if I set aside one day for each of them, it'd take a full week to cycle through everyone. Who knows if more will get added later…
Physically, he could handle one vs. two without issue, but actually winning would take a while. If it were one vs. four or even five… well, victory was far from guaranteed.
As someone with supernatural abilities, he still couldn't confidently take on five at once. It made him wonder how those ancient emperors with thousands of concubines had managed. Then again, with his current power, recreating that kind of lifestyle was technically possible. The strength of a top-tier Player truly was on another level compared to ordinary humans.
Also, I've mostly finished distributing the [Mental Fragments] to Maki, Chika, and the others. They don't have full sets yet, but by the time the next game starts, I should be able to give each of them three for protection against mental corruption. Any extras can be dealt with inside the game itself.
His thoughts continued to spiral in chaotic directions as he walked.
Then—
He stopped.
Turned.
And saw the thing that had been tailing him for a while now—something that had somehow masked its presence well enough that Takakai had only just noticed it.
And that thing was—
[RIPE MANGO!]
Takakai: "?"
Standing behind him was a large cardboard shipping box labeled [RIPE MANGO].
What the hell is this?!
[To Be Continued...]