"It's not magic."
Hayasaka inspected the scene repeatedly but couldn't spot a single flaw. No matter how much she analyzed it, the phone was still floating mid-air.
'Magic?'
'Someone with superpowers?'
'Aliens, maybe?'
One thing was certain—those two were far from ordinary.
And what about her miss? Hayasaka's thoughts quickly jumped to Kaguya.
'Does she know about this strange situation?'
She probably does.
And that pink-haired idiot, Chika, most certainly knows too.
Hayasaka began to piece it all together. The clues were there—she had never noticed them interacting at school before, yet recently an abandoned classroom had been refurbished into a clubroom. They'd often meet there early in the mornings. The truth was practically laid bare.
Holding her breath, Hayasaka narrowed her eyes. Her mind swirled with thoughts that would go well beyond the grasp of an average high school girl.
'"Campus Mysteries"?'
'"Time-Stopping Powers"?'
'"Demonic Apps"?'
When ordinary people gain supernatural abilities, they often lose control of their inner desires and spiral into darkness—especially teenage boys. Her Miss, Kaguya, that fool Chika, and Umi were all stunning girls, each beautiful in their own right.
It wouldn't be a shock if Amamiya's inner desires got the better of him and he started pursuing them.
And now…
Silently, Hayasaka heightened her alertness, prepared to make her escape.
'A smart person knows when to leave danger behind.'
As a spy, when the intelligence doesn't match the situation, the proper course of action is to retreat, gather more intel, and revise the plan.
If you know something is wrong and still push forward with the original plan, you're a fool.
Crouched low on the balcony, Hayasaka decided it was time to retreat. She began preparing to leave when, all of a sudden, a dog's barking echoed through the quiet night.
Umi flinched. "Could it be the evil spirit?"
Amamiya stood up calmly. "Let's check."
The two made their way toward the balcony.
'Oh no.'
Hayasaka's expression shifted. Without hesitation, she moved to the edge, grabbed the rope she'd secured earlier, and rappelled down silently. Unfortunately, her foot brushed against some hanging laundry, sending a piece of clothing fluttering down in the breeze.
With a soft 'thud', Hayasaka landed gracefully. She quickly pulled the rope down and, in a reflex, caught the fallen garment before hugging the wall for cover.
Meanwhile, Amamiya and Umi stepped out onto the balcony, scanning the street.
The dimly lit road below was empty and quiet, a picture of eerie calm—at least to ordinary eyes. But to Amamiya and Umi, the street was quite "lively."
There were far more spirits roaming at night than during the day.
"Is that one under the streetlight?" Umi pointed.
"No," Amamiya narrowed his eyes. "That's just a faceless man holding an umbrella, wearing a black suit."
"It looks like they haven't caught up yet."
"Let's head back. We'll have Mrs. Shimizu, keep watch tonight."
"Got it."
"You can go take a shower now if you want."
"…"
As Hayasaka exhaled in relief, she heard the sound of footsteps above suddenly pause.
"Wait."
Amamiya's voice cut through the stillness.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Umi tilted her head in confusion.
"It feels like… something's missing." Amamiya's gaze swept the area as he muttered, "Where's my underwear that was hanging out to dry?"
"…"
Hayasaka looked down at the blue boxer briefs in her hand, frozen in place.
If she dropped them now, there was no way she wouldn't be discovered.
"It must have been blown away by the wind, right?" Umi crossed her arms and speculated with a serious tone. "Only a real pervert would steal a guy's underwear."
Hayasaka couldn't help but puff her cheeks indignantly.
'I'm sorry for being such a pervert then!'
The sound of footsteps soon receded from the balcony.
Silently stepping out from the shadows, Hayasaka glanced at the boxer briefs in her hand. After a brief moment of hesitation, she slipped them into her pocket, thinking they might prove useful later.
As for the streetlamp…
The spy maid turned her gaze toward the nearby streetlight. Its glow was faint, casting an eerie light on the empty street below. There was no one standing beneath it, only a few insects fluttering around. The faceless man in a suit, holding an umbrella, had been nothing but an illusion.
A chill wind blew past, causing Hayasaka to shiver. She pulled her collar up over her mouth, then quietly slipped away into the night.
"Do you want to shower?"
Amamiya glanced over at Umi, who still looked slightly flushed.
"I definitely need to." Umi downed the rest of her Coke in one gulp. "I showered before leaving home, but I got all sweaty on the way over. It's uncomfortable."
"Then you go first."
"Thanks."
After a relaxed shower, the clock had already ticked past 10 p.m. without them realizing it.
"Looks like the evil spirit with the scythe hasn't caught up to us yet," Umi remarked, strolling onto the balcony for a quick check. She returned yawning. "Amamiya-kun, how are you planning to sleep tonight?"
Amamiya responded without hesitation, "You can sleep in the guest room—it's right next to mine."
"Nope." Umi immediately shook her head. "It's dangerous, and you're going to sleep alone? You're just like those idiots in horror movies."
Amamiya raised an eyebrow. "Then how do you want to sleep?"
"Hmm…" Umi folded her arms, pretending to think it over for a moment. Then, with a teasing smile, she winked playfully and suggested, "How about we sleep together?"
"Sure," Amamiya replied calmly.
"Wait, what?" Umi's hands flew to her chest, her face turning a shade redder. "I meant on the tatami! On the floor!"
With a slight chuckle, Amamiya turned toward the closet, pulled out a spare quilt, and said with a grin, "I was talking about the tatami too. What did you think I meant?"
"…Amamiya-kun, you're teasing me!"
'What goes around, comes around!' He thought. 'If you enjoy messing with people, don't be surprised when someone messes with you back!'
"Make your own bed."
"Got it."
After setting up the tatami, Amamiya switched off the lights. The two of them lay down, ready to sleep.
"Don't worry, Umi-chan. Leave the night watch to me."
Shimizu had taken over the duty.
As a ghost, she didn't need sleep and wouldn't risk nodding off, making her the perfect candidate for night watch.
"The barrier's already in place." Amamiya turned to the blonde girl next to him. "You don't roll around in your sleep, do you?"
"Hmm... I used to when I was a kid, but I've outgrown that now."
"Then there shouldn't be any problems."
"..."
Meanwhile, at the Shinomiya family villa, Hayasaka returned home, her mission a success. She took a bath to unwind, then returned to her room in a bathrobe and powered on her computer.
After a few quick maneuvers, the feed from the surveillance equipment at Amamiya's home appeared on the screen.
"Are they going to sleep in the living room?"
"No intimacy, no kissing, not even any physical contact... Tsk."
"It doesn't seem like they're in some worshiped, goddess-like relationship."
"Just regular friends?"
"And that phone..."
Hayasaka bit her finger as she continued watching the live feed.
On-screen, a phone floated midair above the sofa, its display shifting on its own.
It was as if something invisible was controlling it.
'Impossible.'
'Absolutely unscientific.'
Hayasaka couldn't make sense of what she was seeing, but her curiosity compelled her to continue watching.
As time passed, the phone eventually connected to its charger, and the battery icon began to fill.
The rest of the night passed in silence.
---
The next morning
At precisely seven o'clock, Kaguya's internal clock woke her right on time.
"Good morning, young lady," Hayasaka stood at her bedside, "Today's breakfast is French bread and milk."
"Good morning," Kaguya greeted her, tying her hair back with a red ribbon. Suddenly, she blinked in surprise. "Hey, Hayasaka, why do you have dark circles under your eyes?"
"Ah..." Hayasaka hesitated for a moment before quickly brushing it off, her tone casual. "I stayed up late reading a really interesting manga and lost track of time."
That was a lie.
The truth was, she'd spent the entire night glued to the surveillance feed, sleepless.
Unfortunately, she hadn't gathered any meaningful information.
'But there's no need to reveal that yet.' Instead, there was something else on her mind.
"Miss," Ai pulled out a pair of boxer briefs from behind her back, "What do you make of this?"
Kaguya glanced over curiously, her brows furrowing as she inspected the garment. "It looks like... underwear? But the style is so strange."
Hayasaka watched Kaguya's expression closely.
No reaction.
It was clear the young lady had no idea these were boys' boxer shorts.
Still, better to be cautious.
"I found these in the garden this morning. They're obviously not yours, so I'll dispose of them later." Hayasaka tucked the boxers away as if nothing had happened. "By the way, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"In physics, when something stretches, it usually becomes thinner and longer. Can you give me an example of a special exception?"
Kaguya frowned, thinking hard for a moment before shaking her head. "What's the exception?"
"I don't know either," Hayasaka replied with a small yawn.
"Then what's the point of the question?" Kaguya asked, sounding slightly exasperated.
'There's a point to everything.'
For example, this exchange had proven one thing: the young lady remained untainted, still the pure, naive person she always was.
Now, all that was left was uncovering the boy's true identity.
---
On the other side of town, Amamiya was awakened by the sound of his alarm clock. It took a moment for him to fully come to his senses. When he turned, he saw a girl beside him, sleeping soundly on her side like a curled-up cat.
"Good morning, Amamiya-kun."
A sweet, cheerful voice floated through the room.
Shimizu sat on the sofa, her body faintly transparent, a warm smile on her face.
Amamiya, already accustomed to the sight, sat up and stretched. "The sickle-wielding spirit didn't show up last night?"
"No," Shimizu shook her head, "If it had, I would've woken you immediately."
At that moment, Umi stirred awake, sitting up groggily.
Despite being away from home, her sleep had been restless.
"Morning, Amamiya..." she muttered, stretching as she spoke. Her pajama straps slipped from her shoulders.
One word flashed through Amamiya's mind:
"Shoulders really are slippery... the ancients weren't wrong."