The Versatile Maid

"So, the main thing is not to be discovered, right?" Elf pondered for a moment and then said, "Faking illness?"

Homura shook his head.

"Let's say that If I bring you a bunch of doctors, what kind of illness can you fake?"

Elf immediately became defiant.

"This lady is just feeling unwell and wants to sleep for a day. What's wrong with that? Anyone is not allowed to disturb this lady for a whole day!—something like that?"

"With that reason and temper, you might end up with a whole set of medical examinations in the hospital."

Elf rolled her eyes.

"These rich people really annoying..." Elf shook her head, clearly displeased.

'Bruh, have you forgotten that you're also among the ranks of the wealthy?' Homura retorted inwardly.

"The goal itself isn't the problem, but maybe we should think about taking a different approach to avoid getting caught. Faking an illness stirred up quite a scene."

Homura said his reason and pondered, suddenly thinking of the versatile maid, Hayasaka Ai.

"As long as we discreetly bring out Kaguya, and then have other 'Kaguya' appear in front of others, it shouldn't be a problem."

Elf glanced at him. "What? You're going to switch people?"

"Well, not exactly switch, but Kaguya has an exceptionally skilled maid. Pretending to be Kaguya for a while shouldn't be a problem."

"Then, let's do it that way."

Homura and Elf briefly discussed and came up with a simple and straightforward plan. It was time to start informing the person herself.

"Kaguya, it's me, Homura. Are you home right now?"

"Minamiya-kun? Well, I am at home." Kaguya's expression seemed a bit surprised; she didn't expect Homura to call her.

"Can you find a place where no one else can hear us? Oh, and bring Ai with you."

"...Is there something wrong? I'm in my room right now, and Hayasaka is here too." Kaguya's confusion grew.

"Let me ask you a question first. Tomorrow morning, can you go out without anyone accompanying you?" It was unlikely, but he still had to ask.

Just in case she could actually go out on her own, he didn't want to embarrass himself by saying a lot of useless things.

"I can go out, but my family butler will definitely accompany me." Though puzzled, Kaguya answered his question.

"There's a butler, huh... Can the butler allow you to go to a concert without reporting to your father?"

"Impossible. Not to mention a concert, my family wouldn't even allow me to go anywhere. And even if it were for something trivial, once I leave, the butler will surely report to my father." Kaguya immediately denied it. "That's just how it is..."

Homura sighed. "I asked that for a reason. Do you want to go to the concert tomorrow? Everyone is going."

No response.

After a while, Kaguya's somewhat bitter voice came, "What's the point of whether I want it or not? It doesn't really change anything."

"I'm asking if you want to. Once you decide, leave the rest to me."

"But—Wait! Hayasaka!" Kaguya was still hesitating, but Ai beside her couldn't stand it anymore!

"Nee~ Let me take over now, Minamiya-sama. This is Hayasaka AI." Ai intervened, blocking Kaguya with one hand and holding the phone to continue the call with Homura.

Homura couldn't help but smile. It's at times like these that Ai steps in! Even though Kaguya and Ai appear to have a master-servant relationship on the surface, in private, they're like sisters and best friends!

"Don't call me 'sama' or anything like that. We've known each other for quite a while now. Just call me casually..." Homura chuckled. "By the way, can I ask you for a favor?"

Ai's expression remained unchanged; she seemed even calmer than a saint.

"Please go ahead."

Homura shook his head. The setting for Hayasaka Ai, in the form of a maid, was this kind of serious and elegant demeanor, so he didn't intend to emphasize anything either.

"Tomorrow morning, let Kaguya sneak out of the Shinomiya residence without anyone noticing, so she can have a holiday with her friends. What do you think?"

"No problem." Without asking anything else! Ai just agreed right away!

"Of course, to ensure that Kaguya wouldn't face blame afterward, I also asked you to disguise as Kaguya and handle the butler."

In fact, if there was a chance, Homura also wanted Ai to come along. Unfortunately, she was too cautious and didn't want her male butler form to appear in front of others, as not everyone would be as oblivious as Chika. So, he could only wait for another opportunity in the future.

Listening to Homura, Ai was somewhat surprised. Her eyebrows trembled almost imperceptibly. "I was thinking of doing the same thing, so please make sure Kaguya-sama has a great time."

"Rest assured, that's what friends should do. I'll call Chika right away and have her meet Kaguya tomorrow morning outside the Shinomiya residence."

"Understood! That's settled then. Take care and goodbye." And without even asking for Kaguya's opinion, she just hung up.

"..." Homura was speechless.

This version of Ai was really something!

"Chika? What are you up to? Why does it sound so chaotic over there?" As soon as he called Chika, Homura felt there was some commotion.

"Ah~? Oh, it's Homura-kun! I'm at Manke Bunko Store, reading manga!" Chika's innocent and lively voice reached Homura's ears, leaving him momentarily baffled.

"Manke Bunko Store? You actually went out to investigate yourself?"

"Yeah! I mean, I wanted to see what interesting manga there are~ I prefer finding things on my own rather than relying on others' recommendations. Oh, by the way, I read your other manga too! They're really fun! Especially 'The Promised Neverland'!"

'The Promised Neverland... fun? The fuck?'

Homura scratched his head. Did Chika have a particular interest in psychological horror stuff?

"If you like it, that's great. Anyway, do you have plans for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? I'm going shopping with Moeha, why?"

"Cancel the shopping trip. Can you?"

"Ehh~?" Slightly surprised, Chika seemed to sense something. "Does that mean... Homura-kun has something even more fun planned?"

"Get Kaguya out of her castle and have her join everyone in having fun."

Chika's eyes instantly lit up!

"I'm interested!"

"That's good then. Tomorrow, I have a concert planned and I'm inviting everyone to come, so Kaguya will slip out of her house tomorrow morning. Chika, you go pick her up. I need to be at the concert venue to check for any oversights, so I won't be able to meet Kaguya."

'It's getting more and more interesting! Kaguya-san's going to sneak out? This time, she must enjoy herself!'

Various plans flashed through her mind. She had to give it a shot when the opportunity arose!

"By the way... how should I pick up Kaguya-san?"

"The concert's in Akihabara. Tomorrow morning, I'll send you the location. After picking up Kaguya, just head to the specified spot to meet us." Homura quickly arranged and added, "Oh, bring Moeha along too. Consider it changing your plans without actually canceling."

"Yeah, got it! No worries, Homura-kun! I'll take care of Kaguya-san!"

"Alright, that's all for now. I'm going to hang up the call."

"Bye-bye~!"