Night. The Shinomiya Mansion.
"Ehehe~"
"Kaguya-sama, is it just me, or..."
Hayasaka looked at Kaguya sitting on the bed.
"Do you look kind of... chibi?"
Since returning home, Kaguya had been sitting on her bed replaying everything that had happened with Shirogane. Her aura had become so adorable it gave off the illusion she had transformed into a two-head-tall chibi character.
Clutching a heart-shaped balloon, Kaguya practically looked like a mascot.
"It was just too amazing~ So many tiny balloons popped out, and heart-shaped fireworks lit up the sky."
"For the record, Rinji set those fireworks off."
"Mm~ As expected of Rinji-kun, he really gets me~"
"No, he just really gets President Shirogane."
Watching Kaguya get lost in her own world, Hayasaka sat down beside her.
"You seem pretty happy too, Hayasaka."
"Yeah, because I achieved my goal as well," Hayasaka said with a smile, though her cheeks were slightly flushed.
That moment when Rinji kissed her—his aura had a dangerous allure, a dominant energy she'd never seen from him before. It overwhelmed her completely.
"...Feels like Rinji has changed."
Yes, he had. But now he was back to normal.
That brief transformation was a result of breaking his mental shackles. Once he calmed down, he returned to being his usual self—or perhaps even dumber than before.
"I see, so you and Rinji-kun have made progress too~" Kaguya smiled. "Actually, President and I have taken a big step forward ourselves."
"Congrats. Care to share the details?"
"Of course~ President said he wants to go to Stanford and wants me to go to America with him."
"That..."
"He looked so cute saying it with a red face, I couldn't help but agree. And then I kissed him."
"..."
Hayasaka started wondering if Kaguya's brain had short-circuited.
She actually initiated the kiss?
Though she wasn't really in a position to criticize.
"Kaguya-sama, that was way too reckless," Hayasaka said seriously. "Making such a decision about your future without consulting your father—if Lord Gan'an finds out..."
Hayasaka couldn't help but think of Rinji.
Given how close Rinji and Shirogane were, if Shirogane decided to take Kaguya to the U.S., Rinji would surely support them.
And if Kaguya's father, Gan'an, tried to interfere at that point, the likely outcome was...
"Kaguya-sama, before you go to the U.S., at least call Lord Gan'an and let him know."
"Eh?"
Kaguya looked blankly at Hayasaka.
"Father would be mad if he found out, right?"
'Mad? He'd kill you both if not for Rinji.'
"He's still your father. You can't just disappear on him," Hayasaka looked away. "Even if I've been fired, I still worked ten years in this household. I should at least give a funeral gift if there's a burial."
Kaguya: "?"
She was so love-struck she couldn't make sense of what Hayasaka was saying.
"And also... you said you kissed, right?"
"Yeah, just a kiss between lovers~" Kaguya said cheerfully. "Just like in the movies—mouth to mouth."
"Oh..."
"And I slipped my tongue into his mouth."
"WHAT!?"
Hayasaka was dumbfounded.
She couldn't believe Kaguya would do something like that—let alone say it so casually.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Hayasaka?" Kaguya asked. "Didn't you and Rinji-kun do the same?"
"I never slipped my tongue in!"
"Isn't that normal in a kiss?"
"You saying that means something's already wrong with your head," Hayasaka groaned. "That's practically the final step in a relationship."
"It's just a kiss, nothing more."
"...If you don't believe me, just ask another girl who has a boyfriend."
"You've already got Rinji-kun, don't you? I'll just ask you."
"I didn't French kiss! And Rinji and Karura have been dating for ages and still haven't gone that far. I meant ask a normal couple."
"This is such a hassle..."
Kaguya gave her a 'Hayasaka, you're being weird again' look and dialed Kashiwagi Nagisa's number.
Soon, she got her answer.
A regular kiss to going all the way takes about three months.
A French kiss to going all the way takes 40 seconds.
"Seconds..."
Seeing Kaguya shocked back to her usual self, Hayasaka sighed.
"Face reality, Kaguya-sama. You better explain your lewd behavior to President tomorrow... And by the way, tomorrow's Friday, so I'll be going to Rinji's house. You're on your own from here."
"How am I supposed to face the President tomorrow!?"
"That's your problem."
With that, Hayasaka left the room, ignoring the stunned Kaguya.
Click.
Closing the door, Hayasaka blushed and held her lips.
That kiss from Rinji had hit her hard. She still hadn't recovered.
"I guess... it was a success... I'll have to face Rinji differently from now on... but it's okay. He's changed too."
She looked out at the moonlight through the window, recalling his expression that moment.
"Rinji... What is he doing now?"
---
At the same time, in Rinji's home—
"Forget it, forget it, forget it, forget it, forget it—!"
Wrapped up like a ball in his blanket, Rinji rolled around his bed, trying to shake off the embarrassment of his earlier actions.
For Rinji, Shirogane, Hayasaka, and Kaguya, this was destined to be a sleepless night.