Although Homura never expected them to come here, it's not really surprising to run into them in this place.
One of them is a heiress from a powerful conglomerate, and the other is the cherished gem of a minister's family. It's perfectly normal for their families to be invited by Eriri's father.
"Oh, Homura-kun, it's been a while!" With a smile that could warm anyone's heart, Homura was greeted by Fujiwara Chika, who always left a soft impression on him.
"Long time no see, Minamiya-kun." Shinomiya Kaguya replied with an unchanged expression, before falling silent.
Homura stood in front of them, conveniently blocking the view of the other people in the courtyard.
"This time it should be fine, right? According to the situation with the Shinomiya family's head, there shouldn't have been any need for you to be so cautious, Kaguya." Homura said.
Kaguya let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest, saying, "What can I do...? Who knows if someone else will report to my father? Besides, several bodyguards came along..."
Even Saori and Tsumugi shook their heads, and Homura rolled his eyes. "The Shinomiya family's head is quite something. He should learn a thing or two from the Makishima family."
Saori smiled bitterly, "The Shinomiya family's head has always valued tradition and etiquette. It's impossible to change him."
"That's true. Although I've never met the head of the Shinomiya family, my father told me that he has remained unchanged since they first met." Tsumugi reminisced, recalling her father's occasional mentions.
"It's not that I have any dissatisfaction with their emphasis on tradition and etiquette." Homura waved his hand. "What bothers me is his attitude towards Kaguya. Heaven knows how many times he's spoken to her in the past ten years."
"It's fine, really... I'm used to it..." Kaguya said with a forced smile, though anyone could see she was trying to put up a brave front.
"If it wasn't for Chika forcing you to get to know us and the rest, you'd probably still have that title." Homura sighed helplessly.
"Speaking of titles... what was Kaguya's previous title?" Saori pondered, unable to recall.
"I know, I know!" Chika, who had just finished her juice, suddenly emerged from behind Saori. "It was 'Ice Princess'!"
"Kaguya-chan was so cold back then..." Tsumugi reminisced. "Her tone, her gaze, even being close to her felt chilly!"
"Really?" Chika leaned closer to Kaguya, rubbing against her playfully. "What? It's normal. I thought I could use Kaguya-san as an air-conditioner during summer..."
"..." Kaguya gazed at Chika with a flat expression.
"Even if she was chilly back then, that was in the past, right?" Homura teased. "Now, with everyone's support, Kaguya has warmed up."
"Oh, really..." Chika's puzzled expression cleared up. "But I really want to see Kaguya-san burst into laughter! It's been my dream!"
"Don't worry, Fujiwara-san. I won't be that carefree." Kaguya replied with a hint of mystery.
"Really?" Homura chuckled mysteriously. "Don't be too sure about it. I must admit though, I do believe Chika has that ability."
"No."
"Then let's wait and see." Homura turned to Chika again. "Go for it. After you make Kaguya laugh heartily, you have to tell us how it happened."
"Sure!" Chika nodded, taking charge. "Leave it to me. It's my dream after all!"
"It seems interesting..." Saori felt her excitement rising. "If that day really comes, the gap-moe would be incredibly touching..."
"Gap-moe?" Kaguya looked puzzled. "What's that?"
"It's when you display behavior that's completely different from your usual self. By breaking the expectations others have of you, it creates a heartwarming feeling in them. That's gap-moe." Homura explained.
Kaguya nodded as if she understood and didn't at the same time. Despite hearing his explanation, she had no understanding of otaku culture and found it difficult to grasp its meaning.
"Did you come to this party voluntarily, Kaguya?" Homura asked with enthusiasm.
"Ah... it's not that I wanted to come. Fujiwara-san insisted on dragging me along..." Kaguya replied, averting her gaze awkwardly.
Homura smiled and said nothing, knowing well that Kaguya truly wanted to come too. It was fun to see her pretend. So, he decided not to expose her.
"Um?" Chika, who was munching on a pastry, looked at Kaguya with a puzzled expression.
"What is Kaguya-san talking about?" Chika mumbled with her mouth full, then quickly swallowed the pastry. "Oh~! This tastes amazing! Doesn't anyone want some?"
Kaguya looked exasperated, covering her face with her hand.
"Fujiwara-san is still the same as always..."
"I'm just being myself, you know..." Chika said, her expression becoming even more delighted as she swallowed the food again.
"Hey, have this, Kaguya-san, this is really delicious!" Chika handed something to Kaguya.
"Eh? A-Ah, thank you..." Kaguya replied subconsciously but still offered her thanks.
Homura stood still, still shielding Kaguya from view, but he looked around and noticed someone who should have been there was missing.
That person was Kaguya's servant, Hayasaka Ai!
She seemed to wear countless facades because she would hide her true self from everyone except Kaguya. Although, Homura couldn't even be sure if Kaguya had ever seen her true self. She was just so mysterious!
Homura knew of three of her forms—the maid form for the Shinomiya family, the cool girl form for the Shuchi'in Academy students, and the male butler form specifically tailored for Chika.
As for why she had a form for Chika—it was because Chika was someone whom Ai couldn't predict at all. Every time Chika was around, she brought endless trouble to Ai, leading to the creation of this form.
Moreover, she was exceptionally cautious. The male butler form had never appeared when Chika and others were present at the same time.
'Is she not coming?'
Homura said inwardly and decided to forget it; he didn't intend to ask too much. What if Ai had some secret she couldn't talk about? It would be annoying to go and ask and potentially upset her.
"Ah! So you were here! You made me look all over for you!" Eriri complained as she arrived.
"Yo! You finally came!" Homura handed her a glass of juice and continued to shield Kaguya from view.
Eriri took the glass and downed its contents in one gulp. After swallowing, she quipped, "Hahh, I couldn't leave until all the guests arrived, as per my mom."
"Ahh! It's so annoying!" Eriri suddenly became irritable, shaking her hair. "Why does my dad always organize this stupid banquet? He should learn from Uncle Minamiya! He never throws these things!"
"Haha, my dad is just a 'Based' dad, he didn't care about it..." Homura chuckled.