"...."
Rin Ito chose not to have a driver, and instead walked out of the estate gate with Kaguya. Not far from the estate, although Kaguya's face was devoid of expression, her curious gaze swept around. From time to time, she raised the camera hanging around her neck to capture scenes that were ordinary for most people.
"You're near your own home... have you never been here before?" Rin Ito asked casually, pretending to be oblivious.
"No." Kaguya shook her head, her gaze fixed on the ordinary scenery in the distance.
According to Ai Hayasaka, Kaguya's life from childhood was a fixed route between the estate and the school. She was driven everywhere, and even her food and supplies were prepared by the servants. Her cell phone was an old model incapable of connecting to the internet, and she had no friends besides Ai Hayasaka. Cut off from almost all external channels, Kaguya's knowledge of the outside world came solely from the Shinomiya family's education and fleeting glimpses outside the car window on the way to school.
Rin Ito was in no hurry. He simply accompanied Kaguya on her "wandering" through the city. The slightly polluted air on the streets, the aroma wafting from street stalls—everything felt strange and new to Kaguya. The number of photos in her camera gradually increased. Although her photography skills were poor, she enjoyed it immensely. More than the sights she was seeing for the first time, she primarily photographed people: students on holiday outings with friends and classmates, fathers and mothers with their children, and so on.
"You said earlier that you wanted to know what I exchanged with Gan'an Shinomiya for you, right? And what I intend to do, right?" Rin Ito asked abruptly while Kaguya was engrossed in taking pictures.
"....Mhm." Kaguya fixed a cold gaze on Rin Ito. Rin Ito, without any reservation, revealed the truth.
"Ai Hayasaka asked me to take you out of the Shinomiya family."
"...Impossible." Hearing Ai Hayasaka's name, Kaguya's expression shifted, and her voice held a hint of resentment. "She betrayed me; why would she do that?"
"Because she didn't want you to become a tool for the Shinomiya family's interests. Gan'an Shinomiya handed you over to me for the same reason."
"....Impossible!" Kaguya's breathing visibly quickened, and her voice became agitated. "Hayasaka, who betrayed me, asked you to help protect me? And that father, who only talks about profit, would entrust me to you just so I wouldn't become a bargaining chip!?"
Kaguya's reaction was entirely expected by Rin Ito. Having been educated on self-interest since childhood, it was difficult for her to believe in love.
"You don't believe it? But it's the truth. Regardless of your father, both Ai Hayasaka and Nao Hayasaka, despite betraying the Shinomiya family and you, still love you."
Kaguya's cheek twitched slightly with anger. To Kaguya, Ai Hayasaka and Nao Hayasaka were closer than her parents or siblings, yet they had betrayed her.
Seeing her serious expression, Rin Ito's lips curved into a smile. "They betrayed the Shinomiya family for revenge, not because they wanted to betray you. They didn't want you to become a tool for exchange, so they asked me. They asked me to take you out of the Shinomiya family and help you reconcile with them."
"Impossible!" Kaguya instinctively retorted the moment Rin Ito finished speaking. Then, Kaguya thought of all the things The King had done. "If she wanted to reconcile with me, why didn't she go to school? Why didn't she come to see me?"
"Because she didn't dare face you. Because she felt guilty towards you. Because she knew you hated being betrayed, that's why they haven't come to see you."
Rin Ito was entirely truthful, and the reasons were compelling. This eased the anger on Kaguya's face considerably. If what he said was true, then... forgiving them might be possible. Kaguya was educated completely on self-interest, and she had no affection for the Shinomiya family. Kaguya was closer to the Hayasaka mother and daughter than to her own father.
"She should have just come and apologized to me directly..." Kaguya mumbled softly.
"Have you forgiven them?" Rin Ito asked with a smile.
"Mhm." Kaguya nodded. "Tell them I've forgiven them. Ask them to come see me, or... well, you take me to see them."
"Taking you to see them is fine, but..."
"But?" Kaguya frowned. "But what? You can state your conditions directly."
"No, no, no, that's not the issue." Rin Ito shook his head somewhat helplessly. "You are in pain from being betrayed, and they are also in pain from betraying you. If you simply forgive them, the guilt will remain in their hearts, and you won't be able to interact as you did before."
"How troublesome...." Kaguya pouted, but she understood this principle. She had learned how to use guilt to manipulate others at the Shinomiya family and knew how to resolve guilt. Ai Hayasaka's mentality was similar to that of a survivor who escaped an accident alone and failed to save others. Sometimes, the sole survivor will feel that it would have been better to die with them. Although Kaguya could forgive them, the guilt in their hearts wouldn't disappear, and the three of them wouldn't be able to return to how they were before.
"How do you want me to proceed? By punishing them to dissolve the guilt in their hearts?" Kaguya had learned how to use guilt and how to dissolve it.
"Very smart." Rin Ito smiled. "It is precisely by that method that we'll dissolve the guilt in their hearts. As for the punishment...."
"....You decide."
Kaguya handed the choice directly to Rin Ito. It wasn't that she didn't know how to punish. How could he go through all this effort to bring me out of the Shinomiya family without sufficient benefit? Kaguya didn't believe Rin Ito was a good person who would work so hard for three complete strangers. Just as she learned at the Shinomiya family: everything is about profit. He definitely has an ulterior motive! Whether the motive was related to her or the Hayasakas, he wouldn't do this otherwise. If he tried to obstruct this now, she might not see the Hayasakas again in the future. Moreover... she didn't want to owe him a favor. Debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay; everything is best handled as an exchange of interests—once the exchange is complete, the slate is clean with no lingering worries.
"While ordinary punishment can dissolve the guilt, once the wound heals, the scar remains, and it's difficult to return to the way things were. The best approach is to re-establish the bond between you."
Kaguya nodded. What he said was indeed true.
"The method is also very simple: just create a common enemy. That will put you back on the same side and allow you to rebuild your bond."
"So, what do I need to do?"
"It's simple..." Rin Ito showed a mysterious smile. "You just need to pretend to be threatened and bullied by me."