Crossover: After deciding to give up, i became popular

"Milady, have you been slacking off lately?" Hayasaka Ai asked, taking the towel from a despondent Shinomiya Kaguya, who was seated on her bed.

Kaguya's usual clumsy antics could be endearing in their own way, but seeing her so silent and preoccupied worried Hayasaka more. This wasn't the composed, cold Kaguya of old—this was someone with a head full of tangled thoughts.

At this rate, she'd bottle everything up and break down.

"Eh? No, I've been keeping up with my studies…" Kaguya began.

"I meant with Master Natsukawa," Hayasaka clarified.

The evidence? Kaguya hadn't come to her for advice on romantic schemes in days. Hayasaka had actually been getting proper rest. After all, with Kaguya's level of initiative, her plans were always so juvenile they wouldn't fool even a grade-schooler.

"..." Kaguya fell silent before looking up at Hayasaka with a pitiful expression. "Hayasaka, what should I do…"

She then poured out all her worries about the past few days.

"Milady, are you afraid Isshiki Iroha will replace you?" Hayasaka asked. Knowing her mistress as well as she did, she didn't even need Kaguya to spell it out.

"…Yes." Kaguya nodded meekly, though it wasn't just the fear of being replaced. She was also terrified that the President might no longer rely on her.

"You don't need to worry about that. Your role is unique and irreplaceable, milady. No matter what, Master Natsukawa won't abandon you," Hayasaka said gently.

The Kaguya of old—cool, brilliant, and secure—would never have entertained such fears. Backed by the Shinomiya family's influence, Natsukawa wouldn't dare forsake her if he valued his position as student council president.

But the current Kaguya was a girl caught in the throes of love, fretting over trivial matters and losing herself in anxious spirals.

"If you're really concerned, why not ask him directly?" Hayasaka suggested, holding up Kaguya's phone as if to encourage her to send a message.

From Hayasaka's perspective, whether Natsukawa still had pragmatic or emotional ties to the Shinomiya family, he wouldn't easily cast Kaguya aside.

"I can't do that! What if he misunderstands and thinks I like him?" Kaguya protested, her denial as reflexive as ever.

Hayasaka gave her a sharp warning. "But if you don't act, Master Natsukawa really might leave you for someone else. Imagine him holding another girl close while you're left crying, wishing you could take her place…"

"!!! I know that already! But, but…" Kaguya slammed her hand on the bed in frustration before softening, her voice trembling. "I just can't do it…"

Confessing her feelings first? Impossible.

Hayasaka sighed. Her mistress was still unable to overcome her own barriers.

"Then why not deal with Isshiki Iroha directly? Threaten or bribe her, perhaps?"

"Absolutely not! The President entrusted her to me! How could I betray his trust?" Kaguya's sudden resolve surprised Hayasaka.

"Then at least hint to her that she shouldn't get too close to Master Natsukawa. Or better yet, confide your feelings to her outright…"

"What if she betrays me? What if she tells him everything? I can't reveal my heart to someone I don't fully trust," Kaguya said, shaking her head. She hadn't even told her closest friend, Fujiwara Chika—there was no way she'd share her feelings with someone she'd just met.

"..."

"If nothing else, I could approach Master Natsukawa myself to probe the situation further," Hayasaka offered. She was running out of options. Her advice was being shot down at every turn, and she couldn't bear to see Kaguya in such turmoil.

Her frustration boiled over internally. This is all Natsukawa's fault!

What was he thinking, introducing an auxiliary member at such a sensitive time—especially someone who was also a candidate for student council president?

From Kaguya's description, Natsukawa's attitude toward Isshiki seemed unusually lenient.

But by any measure, Kaguya was more capable. Even in terms of looks, Isshiki didn't hold a candle to Fujiwara Chika. And a student council only needed one "eye candy" member at most.

No matter how much Hayasaka tried to puzzle it out, she couldn't discern Natsukawa's motives. Was this truly a spur-of-the-moment decision?

That seemed unlikely. Natsukawa was a deliberate and decisive individual, as evidenced by how methodically he had approached Kaguya in the past. Every move he made served a purpose.

So what was his goal? If he cared for Kaguya, creating a "rival" could be a way of inducing external pressure. But wasn't Hayasaka's original assessment that he didn't like her?

Had she misjudged? But the events of that day remained vivid in her mind…

Frowning, Hayasaka felt like her thoughts had hit a dead end, boxed in by impenetrable walls.

She decided to stop overthinking. If push came to shove, she'd take the risk and meet with Natsukawa herself.

"Looks like there's no other choice…" Kaguya said hesitantly but eventually nodded.

If there were a better option, she wouldn't dream of sending Hayasaka back to meet the President again.

She still vividly remembered the aftermath of Hayasaka's last encounter with him. Whatever they had discussed, Natsukawa had acted strangely for days, and Hayasaka had even taken leave for several days afterward… Could it be that Hayasaka had confessed to him and been rejected?

It wasn't impossible. The President was so exceptional that even Hayasaka, constantly hearing about him, might have developed feelings.

But Kaguya trusted Hayasaka and leaned toward another explanation: Hayasaka, while probing for information, might have inadvertently let slip something that made Natsukawa think she liked him. In his usual straightforward manner, he'd rejected her outright, leaving Hayasaka humiliated and sulking for days.

After all, the President is a kind person. If he had to reject someone to their face, of course, he'd feel bad about it afterward. That explained his subdued mood during those days.

"Yes, that must be it!" Kaguya nodded emphatically to herself.

Her heart swelled with reassurance. The President cared deeply for her. For other girls, he offered only the politeness expected of a student council president. Nothing more.