Storm of Confessions

Saturday.

The Shinomiya family's servants woke up very early.

Hayasaka Ai, one of the dozen or so maids serving in the mansion, typically rose at five in the morning. She would begin her day with a shower, and afterward, she'd officially switch into work mode.

By the time she finished her makeup and styled her hair, it would usually be close to six o'clock. Dressed in her maid uniform, Hayasaka Ai became her usual self—poised, polished, and composed. As a maid of the Shinomiya household, maintaining both beauty and dignity was part of the job description.

Between six and seven o'clock, since there were no higher-ranking servants or a butler present in the mansion, Hayasaka, as the most senior among them, was responsible for managing everything. She had to confirm the day's menu with the head chef and give instructions to the gardeners about trimming the courtyard. As the face of the mansion, the courtyard was particularly important—it stood as a symbol of the Shinomiya family's prestige.

At exactly seven, Hayasaka Ai would stand outside Kaguya Shinomiya's room.

She would wait until Kaguya summoned her. It was against the rules for a servant to enter a master's room uninvited.

"Hayasaka~"

Hearing Kaguya's familiar voice from behind the door, Hayasaka opened it.

Today was Saturday. With no school to prepare for, the atmosphere was slightly more relaxed than usual. There were fewer threats to worry about, no urgent information to gather—assuming, of course, there were no unexpected visitors. If guests did arrive, Hayasaka might find herself busy all day.

"Hayasaka~ What's wrong with you~" Kaguya murmured sleepily. She had stayed up late last night, and it showed—her mind was still foggy.

"Kaguya, what do you want to wear today?" Hayasaka asked, walking to her bedside.

As always, it was her job to help Kaguya get dressed.

"Uniform?" Kaguya tilted her head, half-asleep.

Hayasaka sighed inwardly.

This version of Kaguya—the groggy, manga-reading one—was the most troublesome to deal with. And of course, she'd been up last night reading shōjo manga. This was the inevitable result.

"Today is Saturday," Hayasaka reminded her gently.

"Hayasaka~ Can I not change clothes~?" Kaguya whined playfully, shaking her head with a goofy smile.

Hayasaka resisted the urge to groan. Asking for Kaguya's opinion had been pointless—she might as well have gone straight to the wardrobe and picked out something herself.

After selecting a set of casual clothes, Hayasaka helped Kaguya change.

"Hayasaka~ How's your relationship with Sakurai-kun?"

The question caught her off guard.

Kaguya, running on a sleep-deprived brain, had reverted to a mode where she simply blurted out whatever interested her at the moment. Lately, her number one interest had been Hayasaka Ai's so-called "romantic progress."

Kaguya believed she had already proven that Sakurai Saki wasn't difficult to conquer, so she couldn't understand why Hayasaka hadn't succeeded—or even made a move yet.

Hayasaka smiled wordlessly in response.

You should be asking Fujiwara Chika about that…

To someone like Hayasaka, a trained information gatherer, Fujiwara was an unpredictable force of chaos—a wildcard.

She'd already figured out last year that Fujiwara was difficult to read, hard to handle, and impossible to plan around. But after falling for Sakurai Saki herself… things had only gotten more complicated.

She now had to go to war with an unknown variable.

Problem:Find the probability that [Sakurai Saki] would accept [Hayasaka Ai]'s confession, given the current ambiguous relationship and no existing girlfriend.Also, calculate the probability that [Unknown F] would interfere when the confession occurs.

Answer:Unknown.

But Hayasaka suspected the interference rate was not low.

Fujiwara Chika practically glued herself to Sakurai Saki every day. Aside from classroom hours, she often chatted with him during breaks, and they always spent lunch together in the Student Council Room. After school was no different.

For Hayasaka, who had no access to the Student Council Room, this was a major handicap. In this war of love, she was naturally on the losing side. She knew a war of attrition wouldn't end well for her—so she had chosen to go on the offensive.

Did he understand what I meant that day…? she wondered.

Her words had basically been a confession—subtle, yes, but unmistakable. Or at least she thought so.

But on that Friday, Sakurai had acted like he didn't hear anything. At first, she assumed he was playing dumb. But then again, he was always like a block of wood.

It made sense. Maybe he genuinely hadn't understood.

Sakurai Saki, who had played the role of a dense blockhead for a whole year, had done so with such skill that even a seasoned intelligence officer like Hayasaka couldn't see through him.

"Kaguya, it'll take a little more time," Hayasaka said quietly.

She had a good idea what Kaguya was thinking. It wasn't about romance—it was revenge.

Kaguya had been teased and beaten by Sakurai a few times last year, even lost to him in ping pong. Now, she was clearly hoping Hayasaka would win him over… so she could get even through her friend.

"Then, Hayasaka~ Do you need my help~?"

Kaguya's voice turned sweet and innocent—the exact tone Hayasaka most dreaded.

Last time, when she was being petulant, Kaguya Shinomiya had actually succeeded in making Sakurai Saki blush!

That moment had taken Hayasaka Ai completely by surprise.

In her understanding of the world, Sakurai Saki would never have feelings for Kaguya Shinomiya. The two of them had always been like oil and water—constantly at odds. How could something like love arise between them?

"No, Kaguya," Hayasaka Ai replied gently, a soft warning in her voice.

Otherwise… we might not be able to be sisters anymore.

"Hmph! You stingy person!" Kaguya pouted, puffing out her cheeks in mock frustration.

She clearly still wanted to tease Sakurai Saki a few more times. Unfortunately for her, Hayasaka wasn't going to allow that.

"Kaguya, that's the person I like," Hayasaka reminded her, her tone quiet but firm.

"He and I are just playing around," Kaguya replied innocently, tilting her head like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Hayasaka stared at her blankly.

Was she lying? Or was she actually this oblivious?

"Just playing around," huh…

That phrase… she'd heard it before. Usually from people trying to justify emotional betrayal.

"It's fine, we're just going out to play.""Oh, it's normal for friends to go to a love hotel, right? We're just playing around. He's not cheating.""You're not jealous, are you? He just has a female friend—can't you accept that?"

Hayasaka Ai silently added Kaguya Shinomiya to her rival list.

Current Threat Level: C.

By the way...

Besides Kaguya Shinomiya, there were five other rivals currently on the list:[Fujiwara Chika – Threat Level: S]An unpredictable woman. Might make a move at any moment. Must be guarded against.[Shirogane Miyuki – Threat Level: D]Suspiciously close to Sakurai Saki. Hayasaka even doubted his sexual orientation at one point... but the probability was low.[Shirogane Kei – Threat Level: B]A little-sister-type character. Friendly with Sakurai Saki.Currently staying over at Fujiwara Secretary's house this week.Risk of alliance formation—monitor closely.[Iino Miko – Threat Level: F]Sakurai Saki's latest toy.Extremely cute, but shows no romantic interest.Harmless. Very safe.[All Female Students at School – Threat Level: C]A dark horse could emerge at any moment.Need to remain cautious and alert.And so, Hayasaka Ai spent her Saturday morning in deep suspicion—of her rivals, her master, and practically every girl in school.