The mental explosion was instant.
She definitely didn't smoke. That was Rinji smoking while using her body!
Now Shirogane was suspicious that she had picked up a bad habit.
This couldn't go on!
Kaguya didn't want her hard-earned boyfriend to think she smoked.
"President, I swear I—I mean, Shinomiya absolutely hasn't smoked."
"Eh? Really?"
"Of course. Maybe she was just somewhere people were smoking, and the smell stuck to her a little."
Kaguya forced a smile while cursing Rinji internally.
"But… the smell was coming from…"
Shirogane's face turned red. Kaguya's did too—she got what he meant.
Their date had ended with a kiss.
He had smelled the smoke directly from her mouth.
She was ready to drag Rinji out and beat him senseless. How was she supposed to explain this?
"Maybe… maybe it was second-hand smoke that stuck around in her mouth." Kaguya's smile was even more strained now. "You know how Rin—I mean, I—smokes around you all the time? Maybe Shinomiya inhaled a bit of that. President, you might even have a bit of that smell in your mouth too."
"Ah, I see."
Shirogane nodded.
"That actually makes sense."
'Safe.'
Kaguya quietly let out a sigh of relief.
"But it's rare for you to defend Shinomiya," Shirogane said with a grin. "I thought you two didn't get along."
'That's… actually true.'
"You've never really said anything nice about her before."
'So Rinji's always been talking crap about me to the President!?'
Though her face stayed composed, she was silently cursing Rinji.
'That bastard. Saying things like that behind my back. I wish…'
"But still, if it weren't for your advice, I wouldn't have had the courage to confess to her in the first place."
'I wish everyone could see how amazing you are… What a wonderful guy.'
Shirogane had no idea the person sitting in front of him was actually Kaguya, nor that Rinji's reputation in her mind was swinging wildly between extremes.
But since she was already in Rinji's body, Kaguya realized this was a rare opportunity.
She could ask things she normally wouldn't dare to.
"President, what do you think of Shinomiya?"
"I love her, of course."
"How much?"
"A lot. Probably more than you can imagine… Wait, what's with your face? Why are you blushing again?"
"N-no reason…"
Kaguya, wearing Rinji's face, turned red and waved her hand dismissively.
Just then, the door opened, and Shirogane's father and younger sister Kei returned home.
"Ah, Rinji-nii, you're already here."
"Hey, Kei…"
"Hm? You seem a bit stiff today, Rinji-nii," Kei said with a puzzled look.
"…"
Kaguya was startled.
She was both impressed and intimidated by Kei's sharp observation skills—what if she got found out?
"Rinji, since you're here, perfect timing. That company of yours is up and running now," Shirogane's father said as he hung up his coat and took a file out of his briefcase. He handed it to Kaguya. "I've set up the physical stores in these locations first. What do you think?"
"Ah… the company."
Kaguya quickly recalled what she'd been briefed on.
Before coming here, Hayasaka had given her a crash course: Rinji owned a company called Amano Pharmaceuticals, currently managed by Shirogane's father.
'If he could start a company on his own, he must know what he's doing. Good thing I'm familiar with business too. Just don't let anything slip…'
Kaguya took the file and started reading.
After a short pause, she spoke up, "If the company has sufficient funds, we should open more physical locations. To control costs, we can introduce a franchise model. Starting in Tokyo makes sense, but since we're selling health products, placing stores near residential areas is ideal. Commercial streets are more expensive. Of course, since we're focusing on health supplements early on, the best locations are those integrated with surrounding commercial zones like supermarkets or malls for mutual benefit…"
When she finished and looked up, Shirogane's father was staring at her in surprise.
"Um… did I say something wrong?"
"No, nothing wrong. Just rare to hear you speak so seriously," he said. "Usually after a few words you're already talking about making bioweapons."
"…"
Yep, Kaguya had to admit—she really couldn't play Rinji properly. His personality was too unpredictable.
"I've just been researching more about this kind of thing lately."
"That's great."
'Safe.'
Kaguya sighed with relief.
But as soon as she turned her head, she noticed Kei was sitting beside her, giving her a skeptical look.
"Rinji-nii."
"Y-yeah?"
"You're acting kinda weird today."
"Huh?"
Kaguya was startled, but still smiled and asked,
"What exactly seems strange?"
"I've been watching your movements since earlier. Whether it's the way you pick up documents or hold your teacup, it's all extremely formal. It's like you've had etiquette training since childhood," Kei said. "But usually, you're actually pretty casual."
'I'm done for.'
Kaguya had indeed received such training from a young age. Especially in etiquette, everything had been meticulously drilled into her. Every move was strictly regulated.
As a result, even now, those behaviors had become second nature to her. Even though she'd changed bodies, those habits weren't something she could just discard.
"Even the way you speak is different from usual—soft and gentle. Honestly, the way you're acting now feels like a proper noble lady... kind of like Shinomiya-senpai," Kei added.
"..."
Cold sweat trickled down Kaguya's forehead.
To be honest, under Kei's gaze, Kaguya felt quite uneasy.