Chapter 204: Kaguya’s Complaints

Although she was fuming over Chika's shameless behavior deep down, Kaguya didn't actually say anything out loud.

She understood how unusually optimistic Chika was—always smiling, and not in a fake way. She genuinely radiated cheer and positivity.

But now, even someone like her had completely collapsed emotionally. That alone showed how serious the mental shock must have been.

The last time Chika had such a reaction was when Ren had exposed the ugliest aspects of human nature to them.

Everyone had thrown up back then—Chika, the eternal optimist, included.

And this time... it seemed even more serious than that.

So, fine. She'd let it go.

"Then what's with your appearance right now?"

Kaguya understood the general situation, but she still couldn't ignore the fact that Hayasaka was dressed in a nightgown.

"Because it wasn't appropriate for Ren and Miss Fujiwara to be left alone in the same room. If you walked in and saw just the two of them, it could've caused a huge misunderstanding. So, I took the initiative to stay with them."

"As for the nightgown... well, I need to sleep too."

"You wouldn't want me to stay up all night, right?"

Then, Hayasaka leaned in closer.

"Besides, if I sleep with her, she won't drag Ren into bed."

How could that woman possibly do something like that!?

Kaguya felt Hayasaka didn't understand Chika well enough. She was just about to retort when.

"Miss Kaguya, yesterday Miss Fujiwara told Amamiya that he perfectly fit her criteria for a potential partner."

That one sentence made Kaguya choke back the words stuck in her throat.

This was the first time she'd heard something like that.

"She actually said that?"

"Yes."

"…"

Kaguya's expression stiffened. She really hadn't expected that Ren would meet all of Chika's criteria for a partner... Wasn't she just spouting nonsense?

Hayasaka added at just the right moment.

"From my observation, she wasn't joking."

"She said she likes hardworking boys. But because of her family background, she rarely sees guys who are truly hardworking."

Kaguya completely understood that statement.

The Fujiwara family's situation was even more complicated than that of a major conglomerate. As a politically entrenched family, they operated under a special set of conditions, and there were naturally many restrictions in place.

The key part was what Hayasaka had said—Chika likes hardworking boys?

Seriously, that requirement alone eliminates almost every guy in Shuchiin.

From what Kaguya knew, among the boys in Shuchiin, there were almost no ones like Junin who truly embodied "hard work."

Most of the mixed-grade students were hardworking by default—after all, that was how they got into Shuchiin. The most typical example was Shirogane Miyuki.

He was the epitome of a hardworking student.

Kaguya inhaled deeply, trying to calm the stuffiness building in her chest.

"Then why not President Shirogane?"

"Because... something about his vibe feels off."

"So... Ren's vibe is 'right'?"

That sentence came out with a lot more grit in her voice.

In response, Hayasaka pointed to her own face, then pointed to Ren sleeping on the sofa—making Kaguya instantly understand the real reason.

Oh, I get it! So aside from the "vibe," it's also about the face, huh?

In her mind, she subconsciously compared Ren and Shirogane's faces.

Yeah, it's true—Shirogane, who's always buried in studying, constantly has dark circles under his eyes. Definitely a minus.

Ren might look sleepy at times too, but at least his dark circles weren't as extreme.

Objectively speaking, Ren really did have a much better-looking face than Shirogane.

...Fine, whatever. It's all a matter of time.

Their fates were already entwined anyway. Chika getting the diary too made it inevitable she'd grow attached to Ren.

Now it's Chika… and also Sonoko... and probably more to come.

From that perspective, Kaguya actually felt a bit more at ease. At least Chika's case wasn't completely incomprehensible.

Having adjusted her emotions, she now more or less understood the situation among the three people in the room and what had happened yesterday.

"Hayasaka, what happened outside while I was asleep yesterday?"

"Miss Kaguya, here's what happened..."

Hayasaka gave a brief explanation of yesterday's events, especially regarding the Hatamoto family, the bloody drama within their ranks, and how Hatamoto Natsue had ended up becoming one of Ren's followers.

"So it was part of the preparations Ren is making for the future?"

Kaguya nodded slightly. She didn't fully understand the reasoning, but since it was part of Ren's long-term plans, then it should be fine. Perhaps he intended to take care of the Hatamoto family later.

But speaking of the Hatamoto family, she still couldn't help but feel exasperated.

"That Hatamoto clan isn't even that large, yet they're a mess."

"And this Hatamoto Ichiro is totally unhinged. Just because the old man forbade close-relative relationships, he wanted to personally stab his grandfather to death over it. Doesn't he realize who's responsible for his cushy life right now?"

She hated her own father deeply, and yet even she never considered killing him.

She still had some sense of shame.

Even though she once considered using force when she gained power, she never thought about wiping them all out.

And this guy? Just because the old man rejected close-relative marriage, he actually tried to kill him?

Wow. Real "filial" behavior.

"As expected from someone born of close-relative marriage... his very existence proved the old man was right to ban it."

Hayasaka had the same opinion.

"Right now, it feels like only the puppet monarchy still wants to maintain that filthy bloodline."

Keep the royal blood pure? That's the root of why these so-called royals are all brain-dead.

Kaguya couldn't help but complain inwardly.

Hayasaka agreed completely.

Although cousin marriage wasn't legally banned in Japan, anyone who went through with it obviously had something wrong in their head.

In the end, children born from close-relative marriages nearly always ended up with genetic defects.

In a conglomerate family, the point of marriage wasn't to preserve the bloodline—it was to exchange genes efficiently. Like a political marriage.

(To be continued.)

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