★ New Semester, Summer Trip, and the Future ★
Chapter 354: Tonight, do you want to come to my house?
At the end of April.
Recently, Sakurai Saki noticed that Shinomiya Kaguya's behavior had been somewhat strange.
She suddenly reverted from her previous silly demeanor back to how she was two years ago — that same cold, distant version of herself.
Normally, human relationships progress from unfamiliarity to closeness, and finally to two hearts drawing near.
But Shinomiya Kaguya was different — she was like a sine wave, constantly oscillating between peaks and valleys.
...
The gloomy rain made people feel uneasy.
Shinomiya Kaguya hated rainy days — it was like meeting someone with the same personality, where instinctively, aversion and the desire to stay away would arise.
She hated the rain.
Ever since Hayasaka Ai left the mansion, she had been all alone.
Kaguya pulled her black stockings up from her ankles to her thighs, then put on her uniform. After adjusting her clothes, she glanced at the ribbon on the table, but ultimately decided not to wear it, keeping her long straight black hair loose.
She walked to the bed.
Pulling the curtains open, all she saw was a stretch of gray. Rain fell endlessly, and the garden was shrouded in a thin mist, veiled in an indescribably ethereal air.
"Time for school," Shinomiya Kaguya murmured softly.
Ever since realizing she liked Sakurai Saki, she had thought about it deeply.
And finally came to a conclusion —
She couldn't keep liking him anymore!
This wasn't stubbornness, but the result of thorough contemplation.
If she kept liking him, her mind would be filled entirely with his image!
To save her brain, to avoid becoming a girl obsessed with love, Shinomiya Kaguya had worked extremely hard!
Lately, she had been struggling to resist getting close to Sakurai Saki!
She even tried not to talk to him, and hadn't kissed him again ever since!
At the front door.
"Kaguya-sama, please get in!" — the female chauffeur opened the back door.
Kaguya got into the family's luxury car, got off near the school gate, and opened her umbrella as she walked.
All around, students bustled to and fro.
As she reached the gate, she saw Iino Miko.
As Iino Miko's senpai, Shinomiya Kaguya had always cared for the girl deeply, even promising to hand over the position of Student Council President to Miko next term.
"Shinomiya-senpai, good morning!!" Miko-chan, wearing a transparent raincoat, greeted her cheerfully upon seeing Kaguya.
"Good morning." Shinomiya Kaguya replied with a slightly cold tone.
"..."
Today Shinomiya-senpai feels so cold — Miko thought to herself as she watched Kaguya's back.
Shinomiya Kaguya didn't care. She was currently in "Ice Kaguya Mode," so it was inevitable that she might unintentionally hurt others.
When she entered the classroom, Shinomiya Kaguya glanced toward Sakurai Saki, who was sitting not far away.
That handsome face of his now carried a trace of fatigue, evoking a faint ache in her heart.
Shinomiya Kaguya forcibly suppressed her urge to talk to him, pulling out the textbook she needed for the next period from her bag.
Don't think about him, don't look at him, don't…
In short, keep your distance.
The reason Sakurai Saki looked tired today was because he hadn't slept well last night. Hayasaka Ai had to return to the Hayasaka household in Kyoto for a few days, so before leaving, she made sure to "fill Sakurai up."
Exhaustion always comes after being drained dry.
Sensing Shinomiya Kaguya's gaze, Sakurai Saki looked back at her.
The moment their eyes met, Shinomiya Kaguya glared at him, then immediately turned away.
'Just a while ago she said she liked me, and now she's glaring — women really are incomprehensible creatures.'
...
Shinomiya Kaguya buried her blushing face into the crook of her arm.
'I want to talk to him so badly!'
Having held it in for so many days was torture.
She wanted to hug him, to kiss him, to cling to him all day long!
Shinomiya Kaguya also knew that Hayasaka Ai had gone home for the next few days, and she felt this was a golden opportunity.
If she didn't seize it now, she might not get another chance later!
Think about it — when Hayasaka was still here, Sakurai had to go home every day, and even when he didn't, Ai-chan would come over to Shinomiya's house to hang out with her.
No matter how she calculated it, she had no time to approach Sakurai Saki at all.
Even their intimate moments had to be done in secret.
...
After school, in the student council room.
Because it was raining, there weren't many people there today—only two of them, while the others had already gone home.
Shirogane Miyuki had a part-time shift today, which he had informed them about beforehand, and he had asked Sakurai Saki to help check the documents.
"Kaguya…"
Sakurai Saki looked at Kaguya, who was sitting on the sofa, head lowered as she reviewed the papers.
"..." Shinomiya Kaguya said nothing.
"Why are you suddenly ignoring me?" Sakurai Saki asked with a worried tone. "Are you having any trouble?"
Although he always said he liked "Ice Kaguya," liked her cool and distant demeanor, when faced with this situation in reality, Sakurai Saki felt a bit uncomfortable.
Especially since she once said she liked him, and would always smile whenever she looked at him!
'Why did the affection progress bar suddenly drop to zero?'
I didn't reload the file or anything!
What's going on here?
"Trouble? None." Shinomiya Kaguya replied in an icy tone.
"Are you angry? Did I do something before that upset you? Tell me, please." Sakurai Saki softened his voice.
"..." Shinomiya Kaguya remained silent.
She turned her head away, pretending to stay calm, using the stack of documents to hide her face.
'It really works! Amazing!'
Keeping some distance really does make the other person worry about you…
At first, Kaguya thought this method felt a bit fake, but once she actually tasted the "sweetness" of it, she found it wasn't bad at all!
"The spring rain's really heavy. I forgot my umbrella again, I guess I'll have to wait until it stops." Sakurai Saki looked out the window.
Ultimate move — change-the-subject jutsu!
Shinomiya Kaguya said coldly, "Why didn't you bring an umbrella today? Are you an idiot?"
Hearing that, Sakurai Saki only sighed.
My adorable Kaguya-sama, just what on earth are you sulking about?
'Oh well, I'll just take it as a bit of fun.'
"When you're done with the work later, how are you getting home?" Shinomiya Kaguya said indifferently.
She was trying to subtly invite Sakurai Saki to ride home with her.
"Didn't I just say it? I'll wait until the rain stops and then go…" Sakurai Saki said halfway, then suddenly smiled. "Kaguya-chan, could it be that you're using this as a way to get my attention?"
Lately, he hadn't been cold to her at all.
But, he didn't expect her to use this kind of trick to seek attention.
"Who wants your attention?! You're just imagining things!"
Hearing that, Sakurai Saki became even more convinced of his thought.
"Alright, I'm just imagining things, I'm the idiot."
"..."
Kaguya regretted it immediately.
This is bad! She couldn't hold out much longer!
It's been almost a week since she last touched Sakurai Saki, and the "endurance bar" in her mind was about to max out!
Sakurai Saki put down his pen—the pile of documents was already reviewed.
"Kaguya-chan, I like you."
"Who's Kaguya-chan?"
"Kaguya-chan, would you grant me a kiss?" Sakurai Saki stood up, then sat down right next to her.
Their arms brushed lightly against each other.
Sakurai Saki turned his face, looking at her intently. "Do you not like me anymore?"
A hand gently brushed across her flushed cheek.
In that instant, every wall inside Kaguya's heart melted away.
"Like…"
A soft reply, so faint it was almost inaudible.
Sakurai Saki slowly leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips.
Shinomiya Kaguya wrapped her arms around his neck.
After the short kiss, the two rested their foreheads together, quietly savoring that fragile sweetness.
Kaguya's eyes carried a trace of shyness, her voice soft yet alluring:
"Tonight~ do you want to come over to my place?"