"Dammit, all that effort for nothing," Natsuki grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "The mission got ruined at the last second."
A timid voice piped up from the doorway. "I-I'm so sorry!" A short-haired girl stood there, fidgeting nervously. "I forgot my keys in class. I'll grab them and go—I didn't mean to interrupt!"
"Hold it." Kaguya's cool voice cut through the air.
The girl froze, turning back with fear in her eyes.
Kaguya pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed. "This is a public space. Just get your keys and leave."
"Oh! Thank you, Kaguya!" The girl's face lit up. She scurried to her desk, snatched her keys, then bowed deeply. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you two! Your secret's safe with me!"
Natsuki's eyes flew open. "Wait, what? We're not dating! Don't go spreading rumors!"
Kaguya crossed her arms, her face a mask of indifference. "We are not in a relationship."
The short-haired girl tilted her head, a mischievous glint in her eye. "But... I saw Natsuki touching Kaguya's head just now."
"So what?" Natsuki protested. "That doesn't mean anything! If touching someone's head means dating, then I guess touching their feet means you have to marry them!"
"You're mistaken," Kaguya said, her tone growing dangerous.
The girl paled. "S-sorry! My mistake!" She bolted from the room.
Once they were alone, Natsuki sighed, showing Kaguya the ladybug in his palm before tossing it out the window. "Well, that's that. Mission failed, huh?"
"Indeed."
"We'll have to try again," Natsuki mused. "But the classroom's risky. It's not long after school—more people might come back."
Kaguya frowned slightly, considering their options.
"Let's take a break," she finally said, her voice steady despite the lingering blush on her cheeks. "We'll regroup in half an hour."
Natsuki nodded, pulling out a book to pass the time.
Thirty minutes flew by. The school grew quiet, the hallways empty.
"Ready to try again?" Natsuki asked.
"Let's do it."
Their eyes met. The nervousness of their first attempt had faded, replaced by determination. Natsuki found himself admiring Kaguya's ruby-red eyes, no longer seeing her as an ice queen.
A faint blush crept across Kaguya's pale skin.
This time, there were no interruptions. Mission accomplished.
Natsuki stood, stretching. "My eyes are killing me. I'm heading home, Kaguya. See you tomorrow."
"...See you tomorrow," she murmured.
As Natsuki left, a blonde girl with a side ponytail slipped silently into the room, a lollipop tucked in her cheek. Her movements were stealthy, almost cat-like.
"Miss, it's time to go," the blonde girl said, twirling her lollipop.
Kaguya rubbed her temples, her voice cool. "Did you get the information I asked for?"
"Right here." The girl pulled a file from her bag.
Kaguya's eyes flickered to the photo of Natsuki on top. Age, birthday, address, family... all there.
"Childhood sweetheart?" Kaguya's eyebrows arched slightly.
"That's Miko. She's in my class," the blonde explained. "Natsuki's neighbor and old classmate. They're pretty close. Might end up dating, who knows?"
Kaguya frowned, silent.
The blonde pulled out two books. "Found these while snooping. Thought you might be interested."
"What are they?"
Kaguya's eyes widened as she read the titles: "The Manual for Developing a Loyal Boyfriend" and "100 Days to Make a Rich Tokyo Woman Fall for Me."
"They actually publish stuff like this?!" Kaguya exclaimed.
"Supply and demand," the blonde shrugged, licking her lollipop casually. "There was also 'Your Guide to Winning Over the Wife Next Door'..."
"Hold up, that last one's definitely crossing a line!"
"Details, details," the blonde waved her hand. "You're new to this love game, Kaguya. You need all the help you can get. Otherwise, you might lose your boy to someone else."
Kaguya's cheeks flushed. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't like him."
"Yelling doesn't make it true," the blonde smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "You've barely eaten lately. And those dark circles under your eyes? Dead giveaway."
"That's because..." Kaguya bit her lip.
She'd told her friend about the weird incident from two days ago, but without proof, her words fell flat. It was frustrating, to say the least.
"Let's just go home," Kaguya sighed, her tone softening.
The blonde girl held out the book. "Want to read this? If not, I'll toss it."
Kaguya hesitated, then silently took the book and slipped it into her bag. "Don't litter," she said coolly.
.........…
Meanwhile, on the way home...
Natsuki ran into Miko and Hana by chance.
"Hey, Natsuki!" Hana waved cheerfully. "Want to study together again today?"
Miko yawned, dark circles prominent under her eyes.
"Rough night?" Natsuki asked, concerned.
"You have no idea," Miko muttered.
She couldn't exactly explain about the many-eyed spirit that had crawled under her bed last night. Sleep had been... elusive.
As they approached Natsuki's house, Hana piped up. "Let's study at your place today!"
Natsuki hesitated. "I don't know..."
"Come on, we're friends!" Hana grinned, linking arms with Miko. "Plus, Miko's here. You won't try anything funny."
Miko's eyes narrowed. "Don't drag me into this. I'm staying out of it."
Natsuki sighed, unlocking the door. "Fine. Slippers are in the cabinet."
Inside, Hana politely arranged everyone's shoes while Miko headed straight for her usual fish-shaped slippers.
"Drinks?" Natsuki asked, opening the fridge. "We've got barley tea, oolong, or cola."
He froze. There, nestled between the milk and leftovers, was a ghostly human head. Natsuki's heart skipped a beat.
"Barley for me!" "Oolong, please!"
The girls called out their choices, oblivious.
Natsuki's face went blank as he activated his spirit-repelling aura. The ghostly head let out a hollow wail before dissipating into mist.
"Seriously?" Natsuki thought. "Breaking in is one thing, but haunting the fridge? That's just rude."
He handed out the drinks and led the girls upstairs to his room.
"Wow, it's so clean!" Hana marveled, looking around. "I kinda expected it to be a mess."