(Continuing from the plot at the end of Chapter 53.)
"You really look alike…" Diego gazed at Hori, his brows habitually furrowing slightly as he finished the memories in his mind.
"Hm? What did you say, Dio?" Hori bent at the waist, a faint almost-smile playing on her lips.
Diego shook his head, hopped off the bed, and ran into the changing room. He responded softly, "At least let me change clothes first."
A short while later, Diego reappeared in his classic blue sweater and yellow jodhpurs, looking sharp.
"So why did you all come to my house? Didn't I say in advance I'd be sleeping for a few days?" Diego grabbed an ice-cold cola from the fridge, sat on the sofa, and started drinking. "Hey, what's with those expressions?"
"It still feels like the girl outfit was cuter."
"Yeah, yeah."
"I wanna see Lolita death!"
Bang!
"Hey! Stop talking among yourselves and ignoring me!" Diego slammed the table hard.
"Oh right, my contractor—the moment of your dark wager draws near. The hour of life-or-death choice has arrived!" Takanashi Rikka extended one finger, puffed out her chest, and declared with an air of grandeur.
"Huh? What does that mean?" Hori looked confused, her eyes turning into little beans full of curiosity.
"It means exams are coming up—the bet with Shinomiya Kaguya…" Diego clutched his head, swaying slightly as he grinned. "Well, yeah—I really need to think about the most humiliating way to get revenge on her."
"So evil…"
"That's so mean of Dio…"
"You're that confident you'll win death?"
"Would this lord ever lose?"
...
—Shinomiya Residence—
"By the way, Kaguya-sama—the bet with Diego is coming up soon." Hayasaka Ai held a stack of study materials and suddenly looked up, speaking calmly. "How's your review going?"
Shinomiya Kaguya stretched lazily and smiled. "I don't need last-minute cramming. Tests are just to measure your own ability. Staying in a natural state is best."
This was a lie!
For once, this woman was genuinely planning to bring out her full strength.
To her, losing wasn't necessarily humiliating.
To avoid being alienated by those around her, she—who always held back to about sixty percent of her ability—saw losing as just one way of handling things.
But this particular bet was different.
During the SBR Competition, to seize glory for the family, Shinomiya Kaguya had broken her own rule for the first time in ages and used ninety percent of her strength.
Yet she had been utterly crushed by some monkey named Diego Brando who appeared out of nowhere.
If that had been all, fine—she could just win the next one.
But the archery club match had been the final straw that crushed Shinomiya Kaguya. Even when the genius Shinomiya went all out, she was still pinned down by Diego Brando, tasting the humiliation of defeat over and over.
Unbearable!
For her, that was the first true loss in every sense.
It was an insult her sky-high pride could never tolerate!
Lately this woman had even canceled plans to hang out with Fujiwara Chika. Far from last-minute cramming—she had been burning the midnight oil for a full month, determined to crush Diego Brando underfoot!
"Hayasaka, you're in the same class as Diego Brando, right? I heard that guy hasn't come to school for three straight days—is that true?" Shinomiya Kaguya picked up the freshly brewed black tea Hayasaka had prepared, blew on it leisurely, and slowly sipped.
"Hm?" Hayasaka Ai's body gave a slight tremor when called on. She set down the collected materials and replied like an emotionless robot, "Yes. After the school trip ended, Diego stayed home for these three days with absolutely no sign of studying."
"Chickening out before the fight…" Shinomiya Kaguya pinched her chin in thought. Then the corners of her mouth curved up slightly—she had figured out the whole story. "Pretending to be sick and skipping out because he's afraid of me, Shinomiya Kaguya… how cute…"
Watching Shinomiya Kaguya already imagining the bet's punishment, Hayasaka Ai let out a soft sigh. Anxiety filled her heart with worry.
On one side was her mistress of many years—practically a sister. On the other was the man who had saved her from despair, the one she deeply loved. Hayasaka Ai was caught in painful indecision about whose side to take.
Kaguya-sama… underestimating him like this will make you lose. The monkey you think you're facing is actually the Great Sage Equal to Heaven…
Sigh, whatever. Worst case, I'll just act cute and beg Dio—he'll go easy on Kaguya-sama.
This was the truth!
This woman's head was filled with fantasies of doing naughty things with Diego. Saying she would plead for Shinomiya Kaguya was just a side benefit.
Blushing, Hayasaka Ai chose to prioritize romance over friendship.
Neither of them noticed Shinomiya Kaguya's gradual transformation from Ice Queen to Goofball Queen. Of course—even if they had noticed, the evolution was unstoppable.
...
Shuchiin Academy offered both liberal arts and sciences tracks, with five major exams each year. Diego and Shinomiya Kaguya's bet was on the second one.
Diego had skipped the first exam entirely. Because of that, Shinomiya Kaguya had no intelligence on his academic performance and could only estimate based on his usual behavior.
And the data-driven prediction was that Diego would suffer a crushing defeat.
Time flew like an arrow. Three days passed in a flash, and soon it was the day results were posted.
That morning Shinomiya Kaguya arrived at school early. Her steps were light, and she hummed softly—clearly in a great mood.
"Uuu~~ I wonder how I did… I'm so nervous~~" At the school gate, Fujiwara Chika hesitated to go in. Looking up, she spotted a familiar figure. "It's Kaguya-chan!"
Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly heard Fujiwara Chika's voice. She turned and saw Fujiwara Chika running over crying, immediately bear-hugging her.
"Waaah~~ Kaguya-chan, you've been so cold to me lately! We haven't seen each other in forever—are you tired of me?!" Fujiwara Chika dangled little tears like pearls, crying like an eighteen-year-old with 36D proportions. "I'm telling you—I have a bad feeling I'll do terrible this time. If I do, my allowance is gone… waaah…"
"It's Fujiwara-san. I, on the other hand, have a good feeling I'll do quite well—probably just first in the grade level." Shinomiya Kaguya brushed back the hair by her ear and smiled composedly, full of confidence. "Heh heh~ I can't wait to see the results board!"
Fujiwara Chika's face froze. She cried even louder: "Waaah! This is betrayal! A wife's betrayal of her husband! Kaguya-chan, you're so mean and sneaky—cheating behind your husband's back, getting intimate with studying, and even producing results!"
Shinomiya Kaguya flushed in embarrassment and anger. "Wait! What do you mean husband? What do you mean cheating?!"
"But speaking of results—what's going to happen with your bet against Diego-kun, Kaguya-chan?" Fujiwara Chika smoothly changed the subject, temporarily forgetting the unfavorable words about herself.
"Huh? Well… I'm going to give that man a harsh lesson so he never dares look down on the Shinomiya family again!" The moment Diego Brando was mentioned, Shinomiya Kaguya instantly entered a furious red-hot state.
Just then, Diego passed through the school gate, glanced at the two, and said indifferently, "Impudent—which man?"
"Diego Brando?!" Shinomiya Kaguya whipped her head around and glared at him.
Diego ignored Shinomiya Kaguya's mental assault, strode straight through the gate, and headed toward the classroom without a backward glance.
"That arrogant jerk…" Shinomiya Kaguya clenched her fists so hard she trembled with rage.
"Kaguya-chan… calm down. Diego-kun is just like that—he doesn't mean any harm. He's a good kid." Fujiwara Chika tried to soothe her, hands fluttering up and down uncertainly as she babbled explanations.
"Diego-kun?" Shinomiya Kaguya's voice rose a pitch. She eyed her friend suspiciously up and down, probing, "Calling him by first name… you two are close? I remember you're in the same class, right?"
Hayasaka the traitor already defected—surely Fujiwara-san hasn't too…
"Mm!" Fujiwara Chika looked like she'd been hit in a sore spot. Sweat instantly beaded on her forehead. Her eyes drifted upward as she guiltily whistled silently. "N-No way… I like Kaguya-chan the most! How could I be close to him…
But since we're classmates, I can reluctantly put in a good word for him. If Kaguya-chan wins the bet, could you not make any super harsh demands?"
Shinomiya Kaguya blinked, let out a relieved breath, and spoke lightly, "You mean that? Don't worry—I wasn't planning anything big anyway. The stakes were added by Brando-kun himself."
Since Fujiwara-san said so… when the time comes to sink Diego Brando in Tokyo Bay with concrete, I'll allow him to keep his head above water.
Hatred leaves a deeper impression than love. Shinomiya Kaguya's thoughts were dangerous.
"Come on—let's go see the results board." Shinomiya Kaguya took Fujiwara Chika's hand and headed toward the announcement board.
The two arrived on the sports field. A dense crowd had completely surrounded the board.
"Who do you think will be first in the grade this time?"
"I think Kaguya-san from the distinguished family has a good shot. Last month she tied with Maki-san for first—maybe she'll take it outright this time."
"Well, I think it'll be the ice queen Yukino. Coming third last time was humiliating for her. Knowing shame leads to courage, and courage leads to victory in a hundred battles."
"Nibutani Shinka-san has a chance too!"
Suddenly someone shouted.
"Make way, make way—the student council is here to post the list!"
The students in front of the board parted instinctively. Members in student council uniforms posted the rankings and quickly left.
The moment of truth…
I performed really well this time. First place is basically in the bag…
Shinomiya Kaguya thought so.
Suddenly a commotion rippled through the crowd around the board, interrupting her thoughts.
"Holy crap!? Who the hell is Diego Brando?!"
"As expected of the SBR champion. He skipped last exam, and now he comes out swinging."
Shinomiya Kaguya jolted. She pushed into the crowd and stared fixedly at the board, pupils slightly dilated, unwilling to miss a single detail.
Faculty Announcement: The top fifty outstanding students of this exam are listed below. We hope all students will continue to take them as examples and strive ever upward.
1st Place: Diego Brando, 491…
2nd Place: Shinomiya Kaguya, 483.
The moment Shinomiya Kaguya appeared, the atmosphere fell into dead silence.
She stood frozen, mouth slightly open, betraying her turbulent emotions. And finally she understood why, when she had found Diego earlier, he had looked so surprised.
I see… no wonder he didn't recognize me. I was never even on his radar!
Shinomiya Kaguya suffered another heavy blow. All her pride shattered completely. After a moment of silence, she walked away in a daze.
Phew—loser pays up. Time to fulfill the promise.
Damn it… someday I'll make him acknowledge me. He'll never dare ignore my existence again—I'll make him see me as an equal opponent.
Shinomiya Kaguya's fighting spirit reignited.
After she left, scattered voices rose around the board.
"I remember—didn't Shinomiya Kaguya-sama have a bet with Brando-kun?"
"There's gonna be a show…"
...
"Kaguya-chan, don't take it too hard. Just like you didn't care about the bet, Diego-kun has probably already forgotten the whole thing."
On the way back to the classroom, Fujiwara Chika frantically comforted the dejected Shinomiya Kaguya.
Shinomiya Kaguya forced the corners of her mouth up into an extremely strained smile. "He can forget, but I can't. A loss is a loss. Let's go ask what he wants…"
[If you lose, I'll tear apart that lofty dignity of yours in a way far more humiliating than stuffing you in shoes to stew soup!]
Shinomiya Kaguya swallowed hard, feeling as nervous as a death-row prisoner walking to execution.
"Yo, isn't this Shinomiya Kaguya? I was just about to look for you." Diego approached from the front, the corners of his mouth curling into a wicked smirk. "Time for the loser to fulfill her obligations. You actually thought you could beat this Dio…"
"So… cute."
He still remembers!
Fujiwara Chika was on the verge of collapse.
"That's why I'm here. What are your demands?" Shinomiya Kaguya maintained her icy demeanor, but the sweat on the back of her neck and the faint trembling of her body betrayed her unease and humiliated anger.
Diego's smile grew even more sinister. He playfully walked to Shinomiya Kaguya's side, placed a hand on her shoulder, crouched slightly, leaned close to her ear, whispered two sentences, and quietly left.
Not long after Diego departed, Shinomiya Kaguya snapped out of her daze. She stared at his retreating back in disbelief.
"Kaguya-chan… he didn't make any outrageous demands, right?" Fujiwara Chika asked.
"No… if anything, it's so lenient it feels like a trap."
Shinomiya Kaguya bit her thumb and pondered Diego's request carefully.
[Shinomiya Kaguya, your performance in these recent exams has been truly impressive. Though I really hate you, I have to admit—you're genuinely talented. You've perfectly met my requirements for a second-in-command…]
[Oh right, I got sidetracked. You still remember I'm running for student council president, right?]
[Good. My demand is simple: help me out. Become my vice president in the student council.]
[Why not Hori? That's none of your concern. Anyway, I have high hopes for you. Don't disappoint me.]
Whatever—soldiers block, water covers.
Shinomiya Kaguya gave up thinking.
Today's victory: Hayasaka Ai wins!
She had secretly slipped off to cling to Diego for a few hours, thoroughly enjoying herself.
(This woman had completely forgotten about pleading for Shinomiya Kaguya.)
...