Chapter 334: Mixer

"Hayasaka, how did the chat with Rinji-kun's mom go?"

"Well, I got her LINE, at least."

"Oh? That's quite a bit of progress. So the next step is..."

"It won't be that easy, Kaguya-sama."

Behind the classroom door, Kaguya Shinomiya and Ai Hayasaka were whispering.

Most students had already left after class, so Hayasaka had dropped her usual gyaru persona and returned to her expressionless maid mode.

"Auntie gave me her LINE because she wants me to keep an eye on Rinji at school and stop him when he's about to do something stupid. Nothing more."

"You never know. That could also be a sign of trust," Kaguya said with a smile.

"If only it were that simple."

Even Hayasaka herself didn't fully understand why Rinji's mother had said those things. She could at least confirm it was a kind of trust—but whether it meant she wanted Rinji and her to be together, that was unclear.

After all, his mom also seemed fond of Karura, and Karura was currently Rinji's girlfriend.

Seeing Hayasaka sigh, Kaguya felt relieved she didn't have to deal with that situation.

At least Shirogane was still single. If he ever got a girlfriend, Kaguya didn't think she could keep her cool like Hayasaka.

'Yeah, thank goodness the president isn't interested in other girls. That way my plans can...'

"Hey, Shirogane."

At the classroom door, two male students called out to Shirogane as he passed by.

"You don't have student council work today, right? And no part-time job either. Want to come sing karaoke with us tonight?"

"Karaoke? To be honest, I'm not good at singing."

"Don't worry about that."

One of the boys slung an arm over Shirogane's shoulder.

"It doesn't matter if you can't sing. That's not really the point."

"Huh?"

"There's a mixer for high schoolers happening over there," the boy said with a grin. "Honestly, we're too nervous to go alone."

"Well, since you asked... sure."

"Oh!!"

The two guys cheered the moment Shirogane agreed.

"Then let's meet after school at four, in front of the karaoke place near the station?"

"Sounds good."

After finalizing the plans, they left the hallway.

Hayasaka: "..."

Kaguya: "..."

Hayasaka: "...Kaguya-sama, you sure about this?"

"What's the issue?" Kaguya smiled. "It's perfectly normal for the president to hang out with friends once in a while."

"But this is a mixer."

"As student council president, it's perfectly reasonable to build connections with students from other schools." Kaguya remained composed. "I'm not the kind of woman who restricts the president."

"...Let me be direct. That's definitely a mixer."

"We have to stop him!!"

Kaguya immediately changed her stance.

"A mixer means... a boy and a girl from different schools pair up and do indecent things, right?!" she asked in a panic.

"...It's hard to explain, but basically yes."

"Then we absolutely must pull the president out of there!"

Clearly, Kaguya lacked basic knowledge in this area. As soon as she heard the word "mixer," her mind was flooded with censored imagery of a man and woman.

"You just said you're not the type to restrict him," Hayasaka said flatly. "So are you going in person?"

"You're going to throw me into a place full of male lust? How cruel!"

Kaguya snapped out of her panic and replied with distress.

"Besides... I can't go to that kind of place. If my family finds out, I'll definitely be disowned."

"That's true."

The Shinomiya household had strict rules. As the eldest daughter, Kaguya was absolutely forbidden from attending mixers. It would be considered a disgrace.

"...Wait, I don't have to go myself."

Kaguya suddenly looked at Hayasaka with a sly grin.

Hayasaka: "...You're throwing me into a place full of male lust? How cruel."

"No... I just want you to pull the president out of there. Knock him out and drag him away if you have to," Kaguya smiled. "Besides, you're a lot more free than I am."

That was true. While Hayasaka had been raised as Kaguya's personal maid from a young age, she wasn't bound by the same rules. At least she could do what normal high schoolers did.

Though the workload was far from normal.

"Kaguya-sama, your possessiveness is stronger than I imagined."

Just then, Hayasaka's eyes narrowed. She grabbed Kaguya and pulled her to a corner.

"Eh? Hayasaka, you..."

"Shh."

Hayasaka pressed a finger to her lips to signal silence.

Outside the classroom, Rinji walked up. Just as he was walking down the hallway, a figure suddenly rushed up behind him and hugged his head.

"Takamine-san, the cheer squad performance was a huge success~"

"Don't bring that up again!"

Rinji shoved the person away and turned to see who it was.

It was Koyasu Tsubame—the cheerful upperclassman from the cheer squad.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't think you'd take it that seriously," Tsubame said apologetically with hands together. "But to celebrate the successful event, the captain invited everyone to karaoke. Want to come?"

"...A celebration party?"

"You could say that."

"Well, I don't have anything planned after school, so sure."

"Great~"

Tsubame beamed and set a time with Rinji.

"Meet at four o'clock in front of the karaoke place by the station."

"Got it... By the way, is Ishigami going too?"

"Of course. He's part of the cheer squad too."

"Make him crawl there."

"Eh!?"

...

After Rinji and Tsubame left the hallway, Hayasaka and Kaguya stepped out from their hiding spot.

Hayasaka: "..."

Kaguya: "...So, what are you going to do?"

Hayasaka: "I'll go find a change of clothes. It won't be good if I get recognized."

"I see. So you are worried about Rinji-kun after all," Kaguya teased.

"Yeah, so I'll just go keep an eye on Rinji. You can handle the president yourself, Kaguya-sama."

"Come on, help me out just this once!"