"It's coming… something warm is entering my body."
Shimizu pressed her cheek with her right hand, her delicate face flushing.
"This feels more intense than yesterday," she teased, "It seems Amamiya-kun is quite satisfied with Kaguya-chan's services."
If he claimed to be unsatisfied, he'd be lying through his teeth.
If Miss Ice Sculpture ever deigned to save the masses, those eager to be stepped on by Kaguya would form a line from the student council all the way to the school gates.
"Out of ten, I'd give it a six. Barely passing," Amamiya stated with an unchanging expression.
Kaguya's pretty face froze in disbelief. "Why?" she demanded.
As a brilliant young lady, anything she did had to be perfect. Half-hearted attempts were beneath her. Even if she was simply giving someone a back massage, she expected nothing less than full marks!
"You kept stepping in the same spot and your posture never changed. I'm giving it a poor rating," Amamiya replied with a straight face.
Kaguya silently shifted her position.
"The pressure's too light. Poor rating."
Her lips tightened. Wordlessly, she increased the pressure under her feet.
"In the service industry, you need to make customers feel relaxed. If you're going to look that cold, it's another poor rating."
"You're too demanding," she grumbled.
Kaguya bit her lip and applied more force.
"Wait, you're going to break something!" Amamiya cried, urging her to stop.
Where was this monstrous strength coming from? Wasn't she supposed to be a delicate, refined young lady? This was too much!
At that moment, the door to the clubroom swung open with a loud bang.
A petite girl with short hair entered, looking cute but clearly startled.
"Eh? EHH? EHHH?!"
Seeing Amamiya and Kaguya in the room, the girl froze in fear. Her cheeks drained of color.
"I-I'm sorry!"
Bowing almost ninety degrees, she stammered, "I didn't think anyone was in the clubroom… I'm so sorry for interrupting!"
Kaguya quickly stood up from Amamiya. Even with her cool, composed demeanor, a blush crept across her cheeks.
"Kashiwagi-san, why did you suddenly come in?" she asked, attempting to regain her composure.
"Uh…" Asuka hesitated, her voice barely audible. "I'm part of the board game club. I just came to grab something."
Amamiya sat up, pulling his shirt on. "Kashiwagi-san, it's not what it looks like…"
What kind of misunderstanding could explain Kaguya stepping on him?
Kashiwagi Asuka, now covering her mouth, clearly didn't believe a word of it.
Earlier, after school, she had seen Kaguya and Amamiya standing close together, and she had assumed they were secretly dating. Now it seemed they weren't lovers, but… master and servant?
As Asuka's face turned redder, her imagination running wild, Amamiya sighed. "Alright, let's stop pretending."
"No, please don't!"
Asuka shook her head in a panic. The more she learned, the more dangerous it became. If she uncovered the secrets between Kaguya and Amamiya, she might not leave the clubroom alive!
Just as tension filled the room, Chika returned from her phone call.
"Chika-chan!"
Relieved, Kashiwagi darted behind Chika like a frightened animal.
"Asuka-chan, what's wrong?" Chika asked, puzzled.
Kaguya folded her arms, her face hidden in the shadows cast by the sunlight, her voice chillingly calm.
"Kashiwagi-san has discovered our secret."
"Huh?"
Chika blinked, her eyes quickly narrowing. Then, without another word, she turned and quietly closed the door.
"Chika-chan?" Kashiwagi whispered, her anxiety increasing.
"Why did Asuka-chan come here now?" Chika's voice grew faint and ominous, the cheeriness draining from her tone. "Since you've seen it, there's no going back."
"Eh? EHH? EHHH!?"
Asuka grew more and more panicked. What was happening? Could it be that Chika was also in on the bullying of Natsuki-san? Would Kaguya and Chika tie her up, subjecting her to the same torment?
Backing away, Asuka found herself beside Amamiya, her small hand clutching the edge of his shirt in fear.
And in that moment, they became comrades in suffering.
"Haha." Chika laughed brightly, her cheerful demeanor returning as she placed a hand on her hip. "Asuka-chan, how was my acting?"
Asuk stood dumbfounded.
"Don't be scared, Kashiwagi-san," Amamiya said gently. "My back was sore, so I asked Shinomiya-san for a massage. Have you heard of back-walking massages?"
Asuka nodded absently.
"It's a legitimate form of massage," Amamiya continued, maintaining his serious tone. "Please don't let your mind wander."
Still dazed, Kashiwagi left the room, her mind spinning.
"It's inconvenient not having a clubroom of our own," Kaguya murmured, frowning slightly.
"You could always run for student council next week," Chika chimed in. "The student council office is huge, with floor-to-ceiling windows, desks, sofas—you can even have tea. It's really convenient."
As she spoke, Chika's eyes lit up mischievously as she turned to Amamiya.
"Amamiya-kun, my turn!"
"I refuse." Amamiya buttoned his shirt, his response firm. "That's enough for today. I've confirmed the technique is effective, so I'll ask Miko to help me at home after school."
Chika pouted, disappointed. "But I haven't gotten my chance yet!"
If she stepped on him, his bones might actually break!
"I'm getting a bit sleepy," Shimizu said, stretching leisurely, finally relaxed. "I think I'll take a nap."
And with that, she vanished like a wisp of smoke, quietly settling on Amamiya.
"Let's go," Amamiya said, heading for the door. "Time to return to class. I've got cleaning duty today."
The three left the clubroom together.
"Oh, by the way," Chika suddenly remembered, turning to Amamiya, "Asuya-chan just messaged me. Her friend is being haunted by an evil spirit, and she wants us to go help. I haven't replied yet—what do you think?"
Amamiya paused for a moment. "Where is she?"
"Yokohama High School," Chika replied quickly. "It's just a 40-minute subway ride."
"We can go after school then," Amamiya agreed. As a person, you have to return favors. Since Asuya had helped provide information about the guardian spirit, he couldn't turn her down. Besides, to build a players' mutual aid association, taking practical action was necessary.
The day passed swiftly, and before long, it was time to head home.
"Amamiya-kun, ready to go?" Chika called, approaching him. "I've already told Asuya-chan we're coming. She's waiting for us at school."
"Let's go."
Amamiya sent a quick message to Miko, then stood up.
"Kaguya-chan, we're heading out," Chika waved goodbye. "See you tomorrow!"
Kaguya hesitated, her lips moving as if to say something, but she swallowed the words. She simply nodded slightly and said, "See you tomorrow."
As Amamiya and Chika left, Kaguya bit her lower lip.
A tall, blonde woman appeared behind her, speaking softly, "Miss, you canceled your lesson yesterday. You cannot cancel today's."
"I understand," Kaguya replied, tearing her gaze from the window.
Ahhh! I want to go with them! Why do I have to attend such a boring tea ceremony class!