"It's going in... Something warm is entering my body."
Lady Kaguya pressed her right hand against her cheek, her pretty face flushed red.
"It feels much more intense than yesterday." Lady Kaguya's voice was teasing. "It seems Natsuki-kun is very satisfied with little Kaguya's service."
To say he wasn't satisfied would be an outright lie.
If the ice-sculpture young lady was willing to offer salvation to all, the people who wanted to be stepped on by Kaguya could form a line from the main building all the way to the school gate.
"Out of ten points, I give it six. Barely passing." Natsuki evaluated with an unchanging expression.
Kaguya's pretty face hardened, quite displeased. "What's your reasoning?"
As a genius young lady, she either didn't do something, or if she did, she did it perfectly.
Even if it was just stepping on someone's back for a massage, she had to get a perfect score!
"You keep stepping on the same spot. Your position hasn't changed from start to finish. Negative review." Natsuki was well-reasoned.
"..."
Kaguya silently changed position.
"The pressure is too light. Negative review."
"..."
Kaguya pressed her beautiful lips together and silently increased the force.
"Service industry workers should make customers feel like a spring breeze. Your expression is too cold. Negative review."
"...You're asking for too much."
Kaguya gritted her teeth and continued adding force.
"Wait, it's about to break." Natsuki hurriedly called for a stop.
What was with this force that was even greater than Miko's?
What happened to the delicate, frail young lady?!
Your strength is way too much!
At that moment.
The activity room door was pushed open with a clatter.
A petite, slender girl with a cute appearance walked in.
"Ehhhhhh?!"
Seeing Natsuki and the young lady Kaguya in the room, the short-haired girl shuddered in fright. Her pink little face immediately went pale.
"I-I'm sorry!"
The short-haired girl frantically bowed ninety degrees, nearly prostrating herself. "I thought there was no one in the activity room... I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you!"
Kaguya quickly got off Natsuki. Even the ice-sculpture young lady couldn't help but have a flush rise to her pretty face at this moment.
"Kashiwagi-san, why did you suddenly come in?"
"Well..." The short-haired girl stammered, answering quietly. "I'm a member of the board game club. I came to get something."
Natsuki sat up and put his clothes back on. "Kashiwagi-san, what just happened was a misunderstanding..."
What kind of misunderstanding would result in being stepped on by Shinomiya-san?!
Tsubasa Kashiwagi covered her mouth, not believing a single word.
That afternoon after school when she'd returned to the classroom and seen Shinomiya-san and Amamiya-san facing each other at close range, she'd thought they were secretly dating... So it wasn't a dating relationship, but a slave-and-master relationship?!
Seeing Tsubasa Kashiwagi's little face getting redder and redder—clearly going wild with imagination—Natsuki couldn't help but sigh. "Fine, cards on the table. I'll stop pretending."
"N-No!"
Tsubasa Kashiwagi frantically shook her head.
The more you know, the more dangerous it becomes. If she learned the secret between Shinomiya-san and Amamiya-san, she might not make it out of the activity room alive.
While they were talking, Chika returned after finishing her phone call.
"Chika-chan!"
The short-haired girl seemed to have found her anchor, quickly hiding behind Chika.
"Tsubasa-chan, what's wrong?" Chika asked, puzzled.
Kaguya Shinomiya crossed her arms over her chest, her face hidden in the shadows cast by the sunlight, her voice cold and clear:
"Kashiwagi discovered our secret."
"Eh?"
Chika Fujiwara blinked, her gaze quickly dropping as she turned to close the door.
"Chika-chan?"
Asuka Kashiwagi grew even more nervous.
"Why did Asuka-chan come to the club room right now?" Chika tilted her head, the light in her eyes vanishing as her voice took on an eerie, ghostly tone that echoed with the color of night. "Since Asuka-chan saw us, there's no helping it."
"Eh-eh-eh?"
Asuka panicked even more.
What's happening, what's happening, what's happening?
Could it be that more than one person is bullying Natsuki, and Chika-chan is involved too?
Will Kaguya and Chika tie me up next and subject me to the same abuse as Natsuki?
Asuka retreated step by step until she reached Natsuki Amamiya's side, nervously grasping the hem of his shirt with her small hand.
In this moment, the two of them shared a common plight.
"Hahaha." Chika placed her right hand on her hip, her voice suddenly becoming bright and cheerful, her smile as radiant as sunshine. "Asuka-chan, how was my acting just now?"
Asuka Kashiwagi: "..."
"Kashiwagi, don't be afraid." Natsuki spoke gently. "My back was hurting earlier, so I asked Kaguya to help by stepping on it... You know about massage parlors, right?"
Asuka nodded unconsciously.
"Back-stepping is a legitimate massage service." Natsuki maintained a serious expression. "Please don't let your imagination run wild."
"..."
Asuka Kashiwagi left the club room in a daze.
"Not having our own club room is such a hassle." Kaguya's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"We can run for student council next week." Chika's voice rang out cheerfully. "The student council office is huge—floor-to-ceiling windows, desks, sofas, and we can even have tea. It's super convenient in every way."
As she spoke, Chika looked over, her eyes sparkling brightly:
"Natsuki, it's my turn now."
"I refuse." Natsuki finished buttoning up his shirt and stated firmly. "That's enough for today. We've verified that it works, so after school this afternoon, I'll have Miko help me at home."
"But I haven't gotten to step on you yet." Chika was greatly disappointed.
If you charge forward recklessly and step on me a few times, my bones really will break!
"I'm feeling a bit sleepy." Mrs. Kaguya stretched lazily. Now that she knew she could sleep without problems, she finally relaxed. "I'll take a nap first."
With that, she transformed into a wisp of light smoke and quietly settled onto Natsuki Amamiya's body.
"Let's go." Natsuki headed toward the exit. "Back to the classroom. I'm on cleaning duty today."
The three of them walked out of the club room.
"Oh, right." Chika turned to look at Natsuki. "Asuka just messaged me asking us to come over. Her friend is being constantly haunted by an evil spirit... I haven't replied yet. What do you think, Natsuki?"
Natsuki pondered briefly. "Where is she?"
"I asked—she's at Yokohama High School." Chika responded quickly. "It's only forty minutes by subway."
"Then let's go." Natsuki agreed.
One should reciprocate favors received.
The other party had just provided intelligence about guardian spirits, so naturally he couldn't refuse.
Since he wanted to establish a player mutual aid association, concrete action was essential.
The day passed quickly.
Before long, school was out.
"Natsuki, shall we head out?" Chika stood up and walked over. "I've already told Asuka-chan we're coming. She's waiting for us at school."
"Let's go."
Natsuki sent a message to Miko, then stood up.
"Kaguya-chan, we're heading out." Chika waved goodbye. "See you tomorrow."
Kaguya's pink lips moved slightly as she swallowed the words in her mouth, giving a small nod:
"See you tomorrow."
Watching Natsuki and Chika leave, the ice sculpture young lady quickly bit her lower lip.
A blonde girl dressed in gyaru fashion quietly appeared: "Young lady, you postponed yesterday's lesson. You can't postpone today's."
"I know."
Kaguya withdrew her gaze from the window.
Ahhh! I want to go with them! Why do I have to attend boring tea ceremony lessons!