Asuka, the short-haired girl, happened to pass by and thought Kaguya was looking at her. Startled, she quickly bowed in apology.
Natsuki was sitting in the back corner, unable to hear clearly what the "ice queen" and Shimizu were saying. But from their body language, he could tell the ice queen was flustered.
In a blink, it was time for class.
The proctor walked in holding test papers, adjusting his glasses with a serious expression. "The test will begin now."
There's no need to explain much about Shuchiin Academy. Those who know, know.
Natsuki's parents were away on business. Though his family wasn't hurting for cash, and he had more pocket money than he could spend, they were still a ways off from joining the upper crust.
He'd gotten into Shuchiin through his own hard work and smarts.
Glancing at the test paper, most answers became clear to him right away.
After blazing through in thirty minutes, Natsuki stared at the last two tricky questions, deep in thought.
The other questions were easy points. Only the hard ones would determine the school rankings.
After mulling it over, Natsuki was still torn between the last two options. As the deadline loomed, an idea struck him.
Suddenly, half an eraser appeared in his hand.
It was blood-stained, supposedly from a top student. It could erase any wrong answer, but not the right ones.
"Doesn't seem useful... wait."
Natsuki remembered a post he'd seen online about choosing between winning the lottery or acing the college entrance exam.
Of course, you'd pick the perfect score. It could reveal the universe's secrets.
This eraser wasn't that powerful, but for scientists, ruling out one wrong answer could save tons of resources. Seemed a waste to use it for a few extra test points.
Too bad it was exam time. He couldn't test his theories now, so he tucked the eraser away.
.........….
The day flew by.
The exam wrapped up at 3:30 PM.
Natsuki stood up and stretched, ready to head home and walk his dog.
He'd never joined any clubs. Sports were too much work, and he'd planned to find something more chill. Now that he was in this weird horror game situation, he cared even less about joining anything.
"Heading home, Natsuki?" Mrs.Kaguya glided over.
"Yeah, let's go," Natsuki said, packing his bag. "What's up?"
"Oh, I'll always be by your side," Mrs.Kaguya made a scissors gesture. "I'll never let you be alone, Natsuki."
He thought to himself, "That's only 'cause you can't leave. Otherwise, you'd have run off with the Kaguya ages ago."
As they were talking, Kaguya walked over. She looked a bit worn out, probably from dealing with her "mom" all day. Her usual icy demeanor had softened a bit, making her seem more... human.
"I'm sorry if my mother has been causing you trouble these past couple of days," Kaguya said, sounding genuinely apologetic.
"It's no trouble at all," Natsuki replied honestly.
He thought to himself, "Mrs. Kaguya isn't really a kid. She doesn't need constant babysitting. A smartphone can keep her busy all day long."
Kaguya crossed her arms, her wine-red eyes fixed on Natsuki. "If my mother has any requests or needs, please let me know."
Natsuki hesitated before saying, "Apart from playing with my phone, she doesn't really need anything else."
"Mom can be... quite willful," Kaguya sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "If she makes any unreasonable demands, please tell me right away."
"To be honest," Natsuki said, "I think your mom only acts spoiled around you."
Kaguya was taken aback. "..."
She thought to herself, "What's wrong with this guy? After all that, why hasn't he asked for my contact information?"
Kaguya remembered clearly what she'd read in "The Manual for Raising a Loyal Boyfriend": girls must never take the initiative to ask for boys' contact information. Once they do, they've lost.
"I, Kaguya Shinomiya, will never admit defeat!" she thought fiercely.
At that critical moment, Mrs. Kaguya swooped in to save the day.
"Natsuki, why don't you add Kaguya's contact info?" Mrs. Kaguya suggested with a smile. "When we get back, I want to have a mother-daughter chat with Kaguya all night long!"
"I go to bed at nine o'clock sharp every night," Kaguya stated calmly.
Natsuki looked on in shock. "You're in high school, but you go to bed at nine? That's an elementary school kid's bedtime!"
Seeing Mrs. Kaguya wink at him, Natsuki finally caught on. He turned to Kaguya and asked, "Kaguya, can we exchange contact info?"
"Sure," Kaguya agreed, as if it was no big deal. She pulled out a phone from her bag.
"Wait," Natsuki couldn't help but ask, "What kind of phone is that?"
Kaguya tilted her head, confused by the question. "It's... a Nokia?"
"Wow!" Natsuki thought. "The legendary Nokia, a brick phone with actual buttons. It looks ancient. No wonder she's clueless about social media trends. That thing can barely make calls, let alone surf the internet."
"Oh, how nostalgic," Mrs. Kaguya sighed. "Before I passed away, all phones looked like that. Why doesn't little Kaguya have a smartphone?"
"I'd like to know that too," Natsuki chimed in, genuinely curious.
He couldn't wrap his head around it. A mega-rich heiress using an antique phone? It just didn't add up.
"It's like finding out a billionaire's favorite food is instant ramen," he thought. "No one would believe it."
"I don't need anything fancy," Kaguya said, crossing her arms. "No one calls or texts me, and I don't need to contact anyone... except Fujiwara."
She didn't mention Hayasaka, who she lived with anyway.
"Oh, sweetie," Mrs. Kaguya cooed, hugging Kaguya. "From now on, Mom will send you good morning and good night messages every day."
Natsuki suppressed a smirk. "Good thing you're playing the mom role," he thought. "If you were a guy, you'd be coming on way too strong."
They quickly exchanged contact info.
"Kaguya, honey, you should really upgrade your phone," Mrs. Kaguya suggested. "Then we could video chat!"
Natsuki was impressed. "She's picked up on video calls already? Fast learner!"
Before Kaguya could respond, Miko and Hana walked past the classroom.
Mrs. Kaguya's eyes lit up. She tugged at Natsuki's sleeve. "Natsuki, let's walk home together!"
Natsuki pocketed his phone and nodded to Kaguya. "We're heading out. See you tomorrow, Kaguya."
Kaguya followed them to the corridor, watching Natsuki, Miko, and Mrs. Kaguya (who was practically clinging to the blonde girl) walk away. She bit her lip in frustration.
"The young miss is quite troublesome," a voice said.
A hot blonde in a loose uniform appeared, casually sucking a lollipop. It was Ai Hayasaka.
"Should we kidnap Natsuki and lock him in the basement?" Ai suggested nonchalantly.
"That's a crime," Kaguya pointed out.
"Is it wrong to commit a crime for the boy you like?" Ai asked confidently.
"I suppose... it's not wrong?" Kaguya hesitated, then caught herself. "Wait, I don't like him!"
She thought to herself, "I just need to check on Mom, that's all. It's too soon to say I like anyone!"
Ai crossed her arms. "If you don't like him, why do you want his contact info?"
"He asked for mine first," Kaguya said defensively. "I didn't ask. ...I want to change my phone."
"What kind of phone are you looking for?" Ai asked.
"One that can make video calls."
"All phones can do that these days," Ai said, pulling out her lollipop with a pop. "Any other requirements?"
"No, that's all."
"Changing her phone just to video call a boy. Our little Kaguya is growing up," Ai teased.
"It's not for video calling boys!" Kaguya protested.
"Sure, sure," Ai replied, unconvinced.
......…..
Meanwhile...
"I'm heading home," Hana waved goodbye. "See you tomorrow, Natsuki, Miko."
"See you, Hana," they replied.
After Hana left, Natsuki turned to Miko. "Want to come over?"
Miko nodded. "Yeah, if I go to your place, we won't have to deal with my annoying brother."
"I'm home," Natsuki called out as he pushed open the door. Their Akita dog was waiting behind it, tail wagging furiously.
Miko knelt down, a small smile on her face as she petted the dog's head.
This Akita was a puppy they'd rescued in junior high. Back then, it was tiny enough to fit in their palms. They couldn't bear to see it die, so they took it in. Natsuki's dad was already sick then, so Natsuki ended up taking care of the pup.
"It's only been a year since we got him," Natsuki said, watching the Akita showering Miko with affection. "He was so small then, and now he's such a chonker."
"A little chubby is cute," Miko retorted, looking up at Natsuki. "Besides, it's your fault for overfeeding him."
"Yeah, yeah," Natsuki conceded, walking to the fridge. As he opened it, another ghostly head stared back at him with lifeless eyes. Ignoring it, he asked, "What do you want to drink? Green tea or cola?"
"Green tea," Miko replied.