Watching the rope disappear, Ai stepped forward and closed the window, planning to wait until Homura and Kaguya were far away before reopening it. Otherwise, the window that appeared in the CCTV footage would seem to open by itself.
She wasn't about to make that kind of mistake.
After closing the window, she opened one of the bento boxes, causing the aroma to waft through the air.
She took a bite, and in an instant, her eyes lit up with radiance while her lips curled into a satisfied smile as she nodded approvingly.
'Mmm, with this, I've got my lunch and dinner... Kaguya-sama will be back in the afternoon, right?'
As Ai thought this, she decided it was better to finish eating early to avoid a showdown over Homura's bento with Kaguya when she returned.
===
Meanwhile, on the other side, Homura reeled in the rope tied to the chimney.
"So, what's the plan now?" Kaguya asked as she watched him.
He attached a weight to one end of the rope, went to the edge of the eaves, and nodded while listening to the sounds around him.
"Like this!" Homura replied, swinging the rope and aiming for a thick branch of a large tree, securing it tightly.
It was actually the same technique the children used to escape in The Promised Neverland.
Before Kaguya could react, she watched as Homura skillfully stuck the rope to the tree branch.
"Minamiya-kun is truly surprising... How do you master so many amazing skills?"
"I just have excellent control over my body, so I can pick up simple skills quickly." Homura answered calmly, crediting his mastery of his various skills to his body control.
"A genius, maybe...?" Kaguya muttered to herself.
"Well, think what you want..." Homura shrugged his shoulders. "But if you put it that way, doesn't it mean that anyone who's good at something is a genius?"
He pulled out a metal water pipe shaped like a right angle, made by welding two short pipes together with a fitting, and wrapped a few layers of tape around it to increase grip.
"Go!" Homura gave the pipe to Kaguya.
Looking at the pipe in her hands and the way Homura had tightened the rope, Kaguya didn't say a word and went straight into action.
As Kaguya glided quickly, it was clear that she was quite skilled at it.
It was not strange.
Even though she looked like a delicate young lady, she had practiced martial arts and trained her body a lot. As a result, even if all she had practiced were just flashy moves, they still came in handy.
Seeing that Kaguya was getting close to the tree, Homura loosened his grip on the rope just enough to prevent inertia from causing her any harm.
As Kaguya climbed down the tree branch, Homura tossed the rope over to her and then went down the same way he had come up before.
Once outside the backyard, Homura pulled the rope back in.
However, throughout this process, Kaguya kept giving him a strange look.
"What?"
Feeling uncomfortable under Kaguya's gaze, Homura couldn't help but ask.
"So, are all these items prepared just for me? You don't need them at all?" Kaguya asked with a strange expression.
"Yeah..." Homura nodded. "Having strong body control has its perks. I can easily do things that many people can't."
Putting away all the items, Homura took Kaguya to a place where there was no surveillance.
Taking out a laptop, Homura listened to the surrounding sounds, and after confirming that no one was nearby, he restored the cameras around to normal.
Kaguya, with a curious expression, looked at the laptop screen, but being an IT novice, she couldn't understand anything.
"Alright, put this on."
Homura handed Kaguya a hat that could cover her face.
"Cover your face a bit, so you won't be recognized."
Kaguya nodded and put the hat on.
Instead of putting away the laptop, Homura checked the locations of the surveillance along the way and, with Kaguya, returned home from various blind spots.
At home, Elf and the others were preparing breakfast while Eriri and Utaha waited in the living room.
Seeing Homura finally return home with Kaguya by his side, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hello, everyone, long time no see." Kaguya greeted everyone.
"Long time no see, Kaguya..." Eriri sighed in relief. "Homura, you really pulled it off... and so quickly at that..."
"Nii-san, how did you do it?!" Sagiri's eyes sparkled.
Girls couldn't help but be fascinated by such manly actions, especially since Homura's act seemed like a scene from Romeo and Juliet.
However, Romeo merely climbed into Juliet's yard and didn't accomplish much, whereas Homura not only went in but also brought Kaguya out.
"Let's talk about it later. I'm currently doing my 'morning exercise' outside, and I'm still in the middle of it. I'll need to show my face again before I can come back."
With that, Homura set everything down and left once more.
"Homura is still the same, always working hard and not willing to leave any loopholes..." Elf muttered softly.
"Being careful isn't a bad thing..." Nanami sighed in relief. "I was on edge the whole time."
"Sorry for the trouble..." Kaguya said, bowing slightly in apology.
"No worries!" Eriri waved her hand. "Homura wanted us to brainstorm the solution together, but your family's defense is just too insane."
"Yeah, full surveillance with no blind spots, and the control room is in a different location! Is your home a fortress?" Elf complained as well.
"Eh? Is that so?" Kaguya said in surprise.
Her surprised expression left all the girls speechless.
How did she not know about her own house?
"I'm not very familiar with computers and networks... As for the specifics, Hayasaka is the one who knows them well..." Kaguya explained with an embarrassed expression as she saw everyone's reactions.
"Isn't Hayasaka your maid?" Eriri asked. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her in ages."
"Well... Hayasaka and Fujiwara-san don't get along well, that's why..." Kaguya replied awkwardly.
"What? Seriously? Someone actually can't get along with Chika?" Eriri said in disbelief.
How could anyone not get along with Chika who had that healing smile?
"It's because Fujiwara-san is too unpredictable... or maybe her randomness is just too much? Hayasaka is someone who takes everything seriously around her, but Fujiwara-san's actions always catch her off guard every time..."
Upon hearing this explanation, the girls somewhat understood.
"I see... compatibility issues, huh..." Utaha nodded.
"Um, that's why when Fujiwara-san is around, Hayasaka just disappears..." Kaguya continued.
"But she won't be gone forever, right?" Eriri asked with a raised eyebrow.
Kaguya smiled awkwardly again, not saying anything.
She couldn't just tell them that her maid disguised herself as a male to fool Chika, could she?
"Okay, there must be some complicated situation." Eriri nodded understandingly. "We won't pry anymore."
*Ding-Dong!*
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"I'll go!"
Nayuta stood up and hurried to the entrance.