Heartbeats and Illusions

In the corner of a quiet bookstore café, Natsukawa Kanade sat with a freshly purchased light novel in hand, its glossy cover promising a riveting tale. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, the words on the page seemed to blur into meaningless lines.

The plan had been simple—stop by the bookstore after school to lift his mood. But now, sitting here under the warm glow of hanging lights, his heart felt heavier than before.

Kanade's mind was trapped in a loop, replaying the image of an angel crying. The memory of Shiina's tearful face from the night before refused to fade.

What had made her cry? Kanade could only guess. Perhaps it was because she genuinely cared for him as a friend and couldn't bear the thought of his disappointment. Or maybe it was guilt—an echo of her past mistakes catching up to her.

Maybe it was both.

But for Kanade, it no longer mattered how Shiina viewed him. Whether she saw him as a loser or something more, his feelings were clear: he wanted them to get along as equals. Friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Whatever else would come, he wanted it to happen naturally.

But then, why had he let those words slip out?

"You thought I was a loser back then, too?"

He had thought the question might lighten the tension between them, a small joke to bridge the gap. Instead, it had pushed things to an extreme he hadn't intended.

Kanade sighed, flipping the novel shut without reading a single page. Sure, he regretted what he'd said, but regret alone wasn't enough to fix things. He needed to act. He needed to take the initiative and reach out to Shiina, not because he felt guilty, but because it was the right thing to do.

If he didn't, she might shut herself away entirely, lost in a spiral of overthinking and self-doubt. And for someone like Shiina, he feared where that might lead.

What he should've done last night was clear to him now. He should've offered her comfort—something simple, like a hug. Something to let her know that her past words hadn't left him wounded. That he didn't hold a grudge.

Yet, in the moment, his mind had been clouded. Hindsight might be a powerful thing, but Kanade would've happily traded it away for clarity when it mattered most.

"Ugh... I hate this."

Kanade buried his face in his hands, frustration bubbling over. In his self-reproach, he remained oblivious to the fact that two figures had been quietly observing him from the shadows of the bookstore's shelves.

Kaguya Shinomiya and her loyal attendant, Ai Hayasaka, had trailed Kanade all the way here, their presence cloaked in feigned subtlety.

"Hayasaka," Kaguya whispered, her tone laced with skepticism. "Are you absolutely sure this plan of yours will work?"

Last night, Ai had laid out a bold strategy, her confidence as unshakable as ever. But now, standing behind a row of shelves, watching Kanade from afar, Kaguya's doubts resurfaced.

The plan was simple enough on paper. Through casual conversation, Ai would try to determine whether Kanade had a girlfriend—or better yet, get him to reveal the name of the person he liked. Then, if that name happened to be "Kaguya Shinomiya," she would conveniently "overhear" the confession and confront him, forcing him to admit his feelings outright.

It all sounded wonderfully efficient. In theory.

But the more Kaguya thought about it, the more cracks she saw in the plan. Ai wasn't exactly close to Kanade, so why would he open up to her? And even if Fujiwara Chika, the ever-chipper mutual friend, had been enlisted for this task, the chances of her not botching it entirely were... slim, at best.

The image of Fujiwara accidentally blurting out, "Oh, so you like Kaguya, huh?" played out vividly in her mind. The mortification alone was enough to make her shudder.

No, this was far too risky.

"Hayasaka," Kaguya repeated, her voice low and urgent. "I really feel like this isn't going to work. It's not too late to reconsider."

"Miss," Hayasaka replied with a reassuring smile, "I guarantee this plan will work. You have my professional word."

Kaguya blinked. "Your professional word? Hayasaka, you're a maid. What does this have to do with romance?"

"A maid's duties extend far beyond household chores," Hayasaka quipped, the faintest hint of mischief in her tone. "Trust me, Miss. Just sit back and watch a master at work."

Despite her confident front, even Hayasaka knew this wouldn't be a cakewalk. Approaching someone as sharp as Kanade required a delicate touch. If she came on too strong, he'd retreat like a startled rabbit. Too cold, and she'd lose the chance to start a conversation entirely.

The balance had to be perfect. Just close enough to pique his interest, but distant enough to keep him from feeling cornered.

"I'm on it, Miss," she said with a confident nod.

Kaguya Shinomiya, peeking cautiously from behind a shelf, nodded back with a clenched fist of encouragement. "Go get him, Hayasaka!"

Hayasaka sighed inwardly at her mistress's dramatics but steeled herself nonetheless. With a practiced smile, she took her first step toward the seated figure in the bookstore café.

Kanade flipped through a couple more pages of the light novel in his hands, but the words only grew duller with each passing second. With an audible sigh, he shut the book and made up his mind to leave.

This outing had been a mistake.

The memory of Shiina's tear-streaked face from last night still clung to his thoughts, and no amount of coffee-scented air or escapist fiction could shake it off.

Just as he began to gather his things, a voice stopped him.

"President?"

Kanade turned, his brow furrowing in mild surprise.

Standing nearby was a girl wearing the same Shuchiin Academy uniform as him, her long blonde hair catching the light like spun gold. She tilted her head ever so slightly, a soft smile gracing her lips.

For a fleeting moment, his heart jumped at the sight.

Blonde hair, delicate features, a faint air of grace—an angel?

But no, he quickly shook off the thought. The girl was a stranger, albeit an unusually striking one.

"Do you need something, Hayasaka-san?" Natsukawa Kanade's voice remained flat, his gaze detached as if he was speaking to a passerby rather than a classmate.

This lack of enthusiasm would've deflated anyone else, but Hayasaka Ai's resolve was ironclad. Her mission demanded success—failure wasn't an option, especially with Shinomiya Kaguya observing her every move.

Hayasaka took a deep breath, her golden locks glimmering under the soft light of the bookstore. She shifted her expression, aiming for a delicate mix of vulnerability and charm. "President, I—well, it's a bit embarrassing to say, but…"

Kanade tilted his head slightly, a flicker of curiosity sparking in his otherwise apathetic eyes.

Good. She had managed to hold his attention for at least another five seconds. Time to play her next move.

"I've been struggling with something lately," she continued, clasping her hands together as though summoning courage. "And I thought… maybe you could help me?"

For a moment, silence hung between them. The din of the bookstore—rustling pages, distant conversations, and soft footsteps—faded into the background.

Kanade closed his book with a soft snap and placed it on the table. His sharp gaze landed on Hayasaka, piercing through her façade with unnerving precision.

"Help you?" he echoed, his tone carrying the faintest edge of skepticism.

Hayasaka's heart skipped a beat. His expression hadn't changed, but she felt as though she was standing before a judge, awaiting a verdict.

"Yes! I mean, it's a small matter, really…" she trailed off, allowing a faint blush to creep across her cheeks. The timing had to be perfect—too much hesitation would seem unnatural, but rushing the conversation would only drive him away.

"...What kind of 'small matter'?" Kanade asked, leaning back in his chair.

There it was—a crack in his stoic armor. While subtle, his posture had relaxed ever so slightly, signaling that he wasn't entirely opposed to hearing her out.

Hayasaka resisted the urge to fist-pump in triumph. Instead, she adopted a sheepish smile, as though she hadn't just cleared the first hurdle of an Olympic sprint.

"Well, it's about our class project…" she began, her voice soft and hesitant. "I've been tasked with organizing the presentation, but… I don't know where to start. You've always been so composed and reliable, so I thought you might have some advice…"

Kanade's brow furrowed. "You came all the way here to ask me about a class project?"

Hayasaka blinked, caught off guard by the question.

He wasn't wrong—her excuse was flimsy at best. But the way he said it, with such calm detachment, made her feel as though he could see through every layer of her strategy.

"W-Well…" she stammered, fumbling for an explanation.

Meanwhile, Kanade observed her with the same level of interest one might reserve for a particularly persistent fly. While his outward demeanor was polite, his internal monologue told a different story.

Why does this feel like a waste of time? he thought, suppressing a sigh. She's probably another one of those admirers who thinks they can strike up a conversation with me because of some trivial excuse. And now she's flustered… Great.

Hayasaka, however, was far from deterred. Her internal monologue was running on overdrive.

He's tough—way tougher than I expected! Is this what it feels like to talk to an NPC with maxed-out charisma resistance?!

She glanced toward the corner of the bookstore, where she knew Kaguya was hiding behind a shelf, watching intently.

Miss Kaguya, your standards are unreal. How do you expect anyone to impress him when he's practically made of stone?!

Still, Hayasaka wasn't about to throw in the towel. She adjusted her posture, straightening her back and meeting Kanade's gaze with renewed determination.

"President," she said, her tone more serious now, "I know I might seem bothersome, but I genuinely admire your leadership. That's why I thought you'd be the perfect person to ask for guidance."

Kanade raised an eyebrow. Her shift in demeanor caught him off guard. While he wasn't particularly interested in flattery, there was something about the way she said it—earnest yet deliberate—that made him pause.

"...I see," he replied after a moment. "If it's advice you need, I suppose I can spare a few minutes."

Hayasaka's heart leapt. She had done it—she had breached the fortress that was Natsukawa Kanade's indifference.

"Thank you so much, President!" she exclaimed, bowing deeply.

As Kanade gestured for her to sit, Hayasaka allowed herself a small smile of victory. She could feel Kaguya's gaze from across the room, radiating approval.

But even as she took a seat across from Kanade, a thought lingered in the back of her mind.

This guy… He's sharper than he looks. I'll have to tread carefully if I want to pull this off.

Unbeknownst to Hayasaka, Kanade was having similar thoughts.

This girl… She's not as simple as she pretends to be. I'll humor her for now, but I'd better stay on my guard.

And so, the game began.