"My feet are so sore." Miko climbed down from Natsuki, her forehead slightly damp with sweat. "I'm exhausted."
Natsuki sat up: "It's about the same as walking. How are you tired?"
"It's way harder than walking." Miko raised her right hand, her slender pale fingers tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she complained. "I have to maintain my balance so I don't fall, worry about pressing too hard and hurting you, you're down there completely motionless without any cooperation, and you're comfortably playing on your phone..."
Miko suddenly bit her tender lip, a flush rising to her face as she turned, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door:
"I'm going home."
Natsuki put on his clothes and went downstairs with Miko.
Mrs. Kaguya sat on the sofa in a lazy yet elegant posture, her eyes bright as she played with her phone.
Compared to her ethereal, blurry form from this morning, her body had clearly solidified considerably.
Hearing the two coming downstairs, Mrs. Kaguya looked up with a smile:
"Little Miko, thank you for your hard work."
It really was hard work.
It's all thanks to Miko's hard work upstairs that you can play with your phone so carefree!
"I didn't really do anything." Miko turned her face away, exchanged a few brief words, then took her leave. "I'm heading back."
The two houses were next door to each other—no need to see her out.
Miko pushed open the door and walked out, just in time to encounter her elementary school brother.
"Sis, are you officially dating Natsuki-nii?"
The elementary schooler Kyousuke had the same dead-fish eyes as Miko.
"Don't talk nonsense." Miko denied it. "We're having exams, so we were just studying together. We're not dating."
Stepping on a boy's back and such—it was indeed somewhat embarrassing. She didn't want to tell anyone about it.
The elementary schooler, backpack on his shoulders, looked her up and down with an expressionless face:
"Sis, I'm not a little kid anymore. Don't lie to me."
"I'm not." Miko's gaze wandered.
The elementary schooler sighed helplessly:
"Then tell me—if you were just studying, why are your stockings missing?"
"..."
Miko looked down, quickly covering her skirt with her hand as a deep blush flooded her face.
She'd forgotten to put back on the stockings she'd taken off earlier. Sleep deprivation really does cause memory decline!
"Anyway, it's not what you're thinking." Miko placed her right hand on her hip, summoning her authority as the older sister. "Hurry up and go home. Do your homework."
"..."
Meanwhile.
Natsuki took out the leash and collar, looking at Mrs. Kaguya: "Stop playing with your phone. We're going out to walk the dog, and I'll get you a phone card while we're at it."
"Thank you, Natsuki-kun."
Mrs. Kaguya's eyes lit up, her face blooming with an impossibly sweet smile.
Natsuki's heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
It had to be said—this Mrs. Kaguya was incredibly beautiful, even surpassing the ice queen.
Too bad she's a ghost.
At least when Ning Caichen became an undead knight, he could still touch Nie Xiaoqian.
Mrs. Kaguya was almost intangible. Hoping to enjoy a married lady's company was complete wishful thinking.
Natsuki, dog leash in his left hand and Mrs. Kaguya on his right, left the house.
First, he spent a good while walking the dog in the park. Then, as the sunset faded and evening approached, he went to a convenience store to get Mrs. Kaguya a phone card. After grabbing dinner out, he finally returned home with fruit and drinks—it was already eight o'clock at night.
At the same time.
"...Why hasn't he messaged me yet?"
Kaguya Shinomiya, already washed up and sitting on her bed in pajamas, kept glancing at her newly replaced smartphone.
No messages.
Nearly five hours had passed since school let out at three-thirty. Rounded up, that was basically a whole day.
Not a single message in all that time—what is that guy even doing!
"Rule Ten of How to Raise a Loyal Boyfriend: To take something, you must first give." Ai Hayasaka sat in a chair by the bed, arms folded. "Milady could message Amamiya-kun first."
"How could I possibly message him first? That would be like raising a white flag in surrender!"
Kaguya couldn't help but shout.
The one who messages first is no different from surrendering!
It's basically saying "I can't hold back anymore" or something similar. She couldn't afford that humiliation!
Buzz buzz.
The phone suddenly vibrated.
Kaguya's eyes brightened slightly as she casually set down her book and quickly picked up the phone.
A new unread message appeared.
With inexplicable anticipation, Kaguya opened it. Sure enough, it was from Natsuki Amamiya.
"Sorry, just got back."
Just got back?
He's in the go-home club, and according to Hayasaka's investigation, he doesn't have a part-time job either. What was he doing?
As if reading her mind, Natsuki immediately sent a second message explaining the reason.
"Just got back from going out with your mom."
Kaguya: "???"
Going out with Mom—what does that even mean? It sounds so strange!
Watching the ice queen puff out her cheeks, Hayasaka's finger twitched as she barely suppressed the urge to pull out her phone and take a commemorative photo.
So cute!
In all these years, this was the first time she'd seen Milady make that face. Not preserving it for a lifetime would be such a waste!
So what exactly is special about that guy that caught Milady's attention?
Just being good-looking and having good grades alone wouldn't make her give him a second glance.
The mysterious dark circles, suddenly stopping while eating, insisting on changing cars yesterday on the way to school... What exactly happened to Milady?
Seeing the message was read but no reply came, Natsuki sent another message to the ice queen:
"Here's your mom's phone number. It's not a stranger—add her and you can chat."
Kaguya extended one slender, pale finger like a scallion and gently tapped the screen. Being her first time using a smartphone, her movements were inevitably clumsy, which only revealed a certain endearing awkwardness.
"...I understand."
After finally finishing the message, Kaguya turned to look at the blonde girl by the bed, speaking casually:
"Hayasaka, you can go. I'm going to sleep."
Sleep is just an excuse—you really just don't want me watching you chat, right!
"Ah, finally time for a bath." The blonde maid stretched, turning toward the door. "See you tomorrow, Milady."
"All set. You two can chat now." After helping Mrs. Kaguya add Kaguya Shinomiya's contact and seeing the friend request accepted, Natsuki stood up and headed toward the bathroom. "I'm going to take a bath."
The moment Natsuki finished his bath and emerged, Mrs. Kaguya on the sofa waved him over: "Natsuki-kun, come quick! The phone's broken!"
"Hm?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow and walked to Mrs. Kaguya's side. "The screen went black and won't turn on?"
"No." Mrs. Kaguya held up the phone, explaining. "I was just on a video call with little Kaguya, but I can't see anyone on the phone."
Curious, Natsuki looked at the phone. An ice queen with no makeup, her lustrous hair cascading over her shoulders, was clearly visible on screen.
As a smartphone novice, Kaguya also thought something was wrong with the phone and was checking it in various ways.
Natsuki's gaze instinctively drifted downward.
Below her slender, graceful neck was a snow-white, delicate collarbone. Further down, the collar of her pajamas hung slightly open.
So flat... wait no, just very flat.
Wearing only a moon-white silk nightgown, the ice queen used her body to demonstrate what it truly meant to be "dangerously flat."