"Earthbound spirits ultimately aren't human. They may appear no different from when they were alive, but they don't actually possess true self-awareness..."
Having accidentally contracted Lady Kaguya as a Guardian Spirit, Natsuki naturally sensed her current state.
"But it's fine now." Natsuki looked at Kaguya. "Guardian Spirits are special. Her self-awareness has been restored. Learning and thinking are no problem."
"..."
"So I became a ghost. I didn't feel a thing." Lady Kaguya's face blossomed into a radiant smile. She extended a slender finger and gently poked Kaguya's pretty face. "It's like I slept for a very, very long time, and when I woke up, little Kaguya had become an adult."
"...Please don't do that."
Kaguya stepped back half a pace, avoiding Lady Kaguya's finger.
When she was very young, Lady Kaguya had passed away from heart disease.
After more than a decade apart, Kaguya's memories of her mother had long since grown hazy.
They were mother and daughter, yes, but becoming close all at once—that was still impossible.
"S-So mean..."
Lady Kaguya covered her cheeks with both hands, her shoulders trembling slightly as she began to cry.
"Mommy had to leave because of heart disease. I didn't abandon you on purpose... Little Kaguya must hate Mommy now, right?"
Kaguya said flatly:
"I don't."
"You clearly do." Lady Kaguya's voice grew even more aggrieved. "Little Kaguya used to smile so much when she was young. Now you see Mommy and don't even have a single smile. You obviously hate me."
"I don't hate you."
"Then smile for Mommy."
Kaguya Shinomiya: "..."
Ever since becoming the "Ice Princess Kaguya," she had no idea how long it had been since she'd smiled.
Of course, contemptuous smirks at others didn't count.
Chika Fujiwara occasionally shared jokes with her, then laughed so hard she nearly fell over, but Kaguya never understood what was funny. By now... she'd even forgotten how to smile.
But at this moment, facing a mother who was acting spoiled toward her daughter, she simply couldn't bring herself to coldly refuse.
"Fine." Kaguya pressed her fingers to her brow and sighed helplessly. "Stop fake crying."
"Mommy isn't fake crying. I just don't have any tears right now." Lady Kaguya spread her fingers apart, revealing one eye. "Little Kaguya, hurry up and smile."
"..."
Kaguya let out a soft breath, controlled the corners of her mouth, and produced a stiff smile.
"That won't do. Your expression is so rigid—anyone can tell it's a fake smile." Lady Kaguya put her hand on her hip. "Do it again."
Kaguya bit her lower lip. "It's not fake."
"Master, what do you think?" Lady Kaguya turned to look at him.
Natsuki had been watching from the sidelines, eating metaphorical popcorn. Hearing this, he hesitated briefly but decided to follow his heart:
"Objectively speaking, with such a stiff smile, it's definitely fake."
"Stare—"
Kaguya Shinomiya crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head slightly as she deployed the skill: Death Glare.
What are you being fierce about?
Believe it or not, I'll tattle to your mom right now!
Natsuki stepped back half a pace. "Please, continue."
"Little Kaguya, keep going, keep going." Lady Kaguya urged.
Kaguya had a massive headache. Left with no choice, she could only produce another smile.
"So half-hearted. Do it again."
"..."
Natsuki silently took out his phone, wanting to capture this moment.
He had to admit—with continuous practice, the ice-sculpture girl's smile rapidly became more natural.
Especially that last hint of a smile, which made Natsuki's heart traitorously pound faster.
Unfortunately, he was a moment too slow. If he'd captured that smile just now and sold it at school, he could charge ten thousand yen per photo and people would still fight over them!
"Young lady..."
The blonde maid pushed open the door and walked in, happening to catch the smile on Kaguya's face. Her eyes went wide with disbelief—she nearly thought she was hallucinating.
The young lady... could actually produce such a beautiful smile?
Could she have been hypnotized by that Natsuki Amamiya guy?
Hearing Ai Hayasaka's voice, the smile on Kaguya's face instantly vanished. She transformed back into the ice-sculpture girl.
"What is it?"
Ai Hayasaka reminded her, "It's already evening. The young lady should be heading home."
"I know." Kaguya was silent for a moment, then looked at Natsuki. "...Let's go."
The two headed downstairs together.
"There's something I need to tell you." Natsuki lowered his voice. "After signing the Guardian Spirit contract, your mother can only stay by my side. She can't go back with you."
Kaguya's footsteps faltered slightly, then she gave an almost imperceptible soft acknowledgment.
It was expected.
If Guardian Spirits could wander all over the place, they wouldn't be called Guardian Spirits.
However...
(My mother suddenly became a boy's Guardian Spirit—what kind of situation is this?!)
(Unable to be far from a boy—what about when bathing or sleeping?)
(And The Handbook for Training a Loyal Dog Boyfriend—I stayed up late last night and secretly finished reading it. Now with Mom around, how am I supposed to put it into practice?!)
"Get in the car."
Kaguya's inner turmoil continued to surge, but her expression remained cool and composed.
"Just drop me off at the nearby subway station." Natsuki got into the car from the other side. "Thank you."
Lady Kaguya sat beside the ice-sculpture girl, happily chatting away. Unfortunately, with the blonde maid and driver present, neither Natsuki nor Kaguya responded.
The journey passed in silence.
The black car slowly stopped at the subway station.
Natsuki said his farewells and got out. Lady Kaguya remained seated beside Kaguya, unwilling to leave.
Watching the black car slowly drive away, after a few dozen meters, Natsuki felt a flash before his eyes—and Lady Kaguya appeared directly beside him.
"The Guardian Spirit's range is only a few dozen meters?"
Natsuki silently noted this information.
"As I thought, it can't be done." Lady Kaguya's tone was regretful as she watched the black car drive into the distance. "Just now, the farther away I got, the more I could feel some mysterious force pulling at me. When I reached the limit, I suddenly appeared at Natsuki-kun's side."
As a Guardian Spirit, Lady Kaguya instinctively wanted to call him "Master," but under Kaguya's strong objection, the address was eventually changed to "Natsuki-kun."
Having Mom call a male classmate "Master"—what kind of terrible situation would that be?!
Absolutely unacceptable!
"Let's head back."
Natsuki walked into the subway station.
"Natsuki-kun, do I need to buy a ticket?" Lady Kaguya asked curiously. Having been in a hazy state for over a decade, now that her self-awareness had been restored, she simply couldn't stop asking questions.
"Of course not."
You're a ghost—what's the point of buying a ticket?!
Natsuki boarded the subway and headed home.
The journey passed without incident.
By the time he returned home, the sun was setting and dusk was falling.
Natsuki turned on the lights, changed into slippers, walked to the refrigerator, exorcised the human head spirit inside, and took out a can of green tea.
"Natsuki-kun, I want a drink too." Lady Kaguya's eyes were expectant. "It's been so long since I've had anything to drink."
Natsuki glanced over. "You can drink things?"
"I should be able to touch things..." Lady Kaguya tilted her head in thought, extended her right hand, and took the green tea from Natsuki's hand. "But it consumes energy."
"So you really can."
Natsuki was mildly surprised.
It seemed Guardian Spirits truly were special existences.
Just as Natsuki was about to test Lady Kaguya's other abilities, the doorbell suddenly rang.
He walked over and opened the door. Miko Yotsuya stood outside. "I saw your lights were on, so..."
Seeing Lady Kaguya sitting on the sofa drinking a beverage, Miko's eyes went wide with disbelief.
Had this mere Natsuki actually abducted and brought home the young lady of the Shinomiya family?