Chapter 195: Fearless Kaguya

"I don't have time this afternoon." Amamiya explained, "Umi messaged earlier saying she wanted to continue studying role-play techniques, and I already promised I'd join her."

"…I see."

Kaguya folded her arms, her expression cool and composed. 'He made a prior commitment; there's nothing to be done about it... But it still makes me so mad!'

After practicing all day yesterday to perfect her invitation, she had finally managed to say it naturally—only to be immediately turned down. And the reason? He had plans with another girl! How could she possibly be fine with that?

"So, how many of you are studying this afternoon?" Kaguya asked nonchalantly.

"Three of us."

"…Does that include Fujiwara-san?"

"No, it's with a girl I met in Akihabara yesterday. Chika already has plans."

"Oh?" Kaguya's curiosity was piqued. "What plans does Fujiwara-san have?"

Unlike you, Miss Iceberg, Chika has friends across the school and plans galore during Golden Week. Of course she'd be out shopping and having fun with her friends!

"She's going to a dessert shop with her friends and then to karaoke. To keep bad luck from ruining her day, she asked me to add a luck charm for her this morning." After tidying up, Amamiya returned the cleaning tools to the utility cabinet and looked over at Kaguya. "…Didn't Umi message you an invite, too?"

"She did."

Kaguya looked slightly away, hiding her expression.

During lunch, Umi had asked if she'd like to join them for cosplay after school. But Kaguya had turned it down, thinking she'd be spending the afternoon together with him. Who could have predicted someone would beat her to it?

Suddenly, a faint buzzing filled the room.

Amamiya glanced over and saw a black-and-yellow wasp darting in through the door, hovering briefly in the air before heading straight for Kaguya.

No doubt about it; the wasp was drawn by her aura of misfortune.

"Watch out—a wasp," Amamiya warned, stepping forward to help.

This wasn't a harmless honeybee. If it stung, the pain would last for hours.

But Kaguya's expression remained unbothered. With a quick, fluid motion, she picked up the textbook from her desk and swatted the wasp in a single, decisive movement.

'Smack!'

The buzzing stopped instantly.

Without a trace of concern, she set the textbook back on her desk. "It was just a wasp. Slow as it was, all you need is a firm swat."

Not all girls react to insects in the same way.

Some will scream and flee at the sight of a cockroach, while others remain calm and reach "pest-eliminator" status.

Kaguya was decidedly in the second camp.

Not even a hornet could shake her resolve. If a cockroach were to fly in, she'd kill it on sight—no hesitation, no fear.

"Impressive, Miss Kaguya," Amamiya said, giving her a thumbs-up. "Three minutes in. Stay vigilant."

Kaguya: "…"

With the classroom clean, Amamiya didn't rush to leave. Instead, he settled into the seat next to Kaguya's, intending to read for a bit.

Leaving this ill-fated lady alone in the classroom didn't sit well with him.

'Stare—'

Kaguya's eyes narrowed, her gaze sharpening. A tense, intense aura began to emanate from her, filling the room with a palpable weight.

This was... the unmistakable atmosphere of sheer determination.

"Natsuki-san, you're quite diligent." Kaguya smiled, and her writing speed picked up noticeably.

"I don't deserve the credit," Amamiya replied casually. "I only spend 25 hours a day studying."

"There aren't even 25 hours in a day!"

"…"

The intense focus of their study session seemed to hold even bad luck at bay for a while, with no mishaps interrupting.

Time slipped by quietly.

The classroom fell into a comfortable silence.

"Hah…" Kaguya let out a small sigh after completing her last exercise, setting down her pen briefly. She rubbed her wrist, then glanced at the boy seated next to her. "It's been almost half an hour, right?"

Amamiya turned to her. "Three minutes left."

The classroom was especially serene in the afternoon.

A gentle breeze drifted through.

Sunlight poured in through the window, casting a soft glow on Amamiya's profile. From Kaguya's angle, he seemed to be faintly illuminated, his presence strangely captivating.

'Rustle.'

The wind caught the book on Amamiya's desk, turning the pages in a steady rhythm. A purple bookmark was lifted by the breeze.

Kaguya instinctively reached out to grab it, but her chair unexpectedly slipped beneath her, sending her off balance—and directly onto Amamiya's lap.

Bad luck had struck again.

"Ugh…" Kaguya's knees hit the floor as she groaned softly.

"It's still too early to let your guard down," Amamiya sighed. "You got careless."

"Who could've predicted that silly bookmark would fly up?" she muttered through gritted teeth, looking up at him. But then she felt a faint tug on her hair.

"Wait, don't move—your hair's caught."

"Where?"

"Not sure."

As the two fumbled to untangle her hair, the classroom door suddenly flew open with a bang.

A slender girl with short hair stood in the doorway.

"Amamiya-kun, you're still here—eh?!"

As her gaze fell, she froze, mouth agape at the sight of Kaguya sprawled across Amamiya's lap. Her expression was one of pure shock, as though struck by lightning.

"Is that… Shinomiya-san?!"

Shinomiya Kaguya—the serene, unreachable girl known for her elegance, doing 'that' with a boy? In the classroom, no less?!

This was beyond scandalous—utterly unthinkable!

Those who idolized Kaguya would be shattered to witness this scene.

"Kashiwagi-san." Amamiya turned to the girl calmly. "Your timing is really impeccable."

The short-haired girl was, in fact, a classmate who had once joined them at the arcade. Amamiya had his suspicions that she had an uncanny knack for catching people in compromising moments—how else could she always appear at just the wrong time?

"S-Sorry!" Kashiwagi Asuka stammered, bowing in a panicked apology. Her petite form trembled as she promised, "I didn't see anything! I swear I won't tell anyone!"

With that, she turned to make a swift exit.

"Stop."

Amamiya's voice was firm.

Kashiwagi halted, trembling slightly, unable to move.

"Come here," he commanded. "Look for yourself."

In a situation like this, only direct proof would suffice to clear their names.

If Kashiwagi left with this impression, both their reputations would be irreparably damaged. Amamiya could tolerate a tarnished reputation, but Kaguya—who had always held herself above reproach—shouldn't be burdened with a scandalous label.

"Y-You want me to come over and 'see'?" Kashiwagi, hands covering her flushed face, looked utterly mortified. Her mind spun, her cheeks alternating between red and pale as she grew increasingly dazed. Her brain seemed to freeze, unable to process.

If he was bold enough to do something 'that' intimate with Shinomiya-san in the classroom, why drag her into it too?

Could it be that Amamiya had an exhibitionist streak? Or… did he want 'her' to take over with Shinomiya-san?