Chapter 20: Answers, Acceptance, Happiness
An Italian restaurant named "The Garden of Words."
A man and a woman sat opposite each other at a table.
People around them frequently turned their heads, casting strange glances their way.
Honestly, no one could blame them.
The man looked perfectly normal. Dressed in professional business attire, his face was handsome enough, and he carried the calm, composed air of the social elite.
But the woman sitting across from him was a different story entirely.
She was dressed in filthy casual clothes, her long blonde hair messy and withered like dried straw. Although one could tell she had good features, right now she looked far from beautiful. It seemed she hadn't groomed herself in quite some time.
At this moment, she was burying her head in a plate of pasta, eating with a slothful, desperate hunger that lacked even a shred of elegance.
An elite-looking man sitting with a destitute, fallen woman.
That was why it looked so bizarre.
In fact.
Haruka, sitting at the center of this spectacle, felt it was strange too.
Ai Hayasaka.
The personal maid of the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya Conglomerate, one of the four great financial groups. She was born into a respectable family herself and had received a strict, elite education. She was proficient in disguise, combat, service, driving, stock trading, and countless other skills.
Even within the Shinomiya family, she was the kind of subordinate with massive potential, highly valued by her superiors.
How did an absolute elite like her fall to this level?
'Forget it.'
'It has nothing to do with me.'
'It's better not to invite trouble.'
'Bringing her here for a meal was already reckless enough.'
Haruka secretly regretted his decision. Why did he let a momentary flash of gratitude and curiosity compel him to bring her here?
He was just that kind of person. Aside from his family and Shoko, he kept his guard up against everyone else. Even toward Shoko's mother, or Hayasaka, who could be considered his benefactor in a way...
Ai Hayasaka suddenly lifted her head. Strands of hair hung down over her forehead, obscuring her eyes and making her expression unreadable.
"Why did you contact me?"
"As you can see, the current me is..."
She looked at herself and laughed softly.
Her voice was thick with self-loathing.
Don't misunderstand.
She wasn't disgusted with Haruka.
She was disgusted with herself.
Haruka thought for a moment before speaking. "After you left, my special treatment disappeared."
Ai Hayasaka looked at Haruka. "Yes. I went there that day to evaluate you."
It really was her.
So.
It must have been Kaguya Shinomiya who noticed him?
And Ai Hayasaka was sent to test his character?
A thousand thoughts spun through Haruka's mind, but his face remained impassive. "That explains it. As for your current appearance, what does that have to do with me? I just pitied you, that's all."
"..."
Seemingly unprepared for Haruka's blunt answer, Ai Hayasaka was left speechless.
Next, Haruka calmly drank his coffee, while Ai Hayasaka finished the pasta and downed her water with zero regard for her image.
"Thank you."
"No need. It's a small thing."
Afterward, Haruka tossed some cash onto the table for her. "Go clean yourself up properly. Don't go dying from a viral infection one day."
With that, Haruka stood up and left on his own, without a hint of hesitation or lingering attachment.
Leaving a dumbfounded Ai Hayasaka behind.
Suddenly, Ai Hayasaka shook her head and smiled.
"Kaguya-sama, I want to try one more time..."
She whispered to herself.
***
[A few days later, you saw in the news that the Shinomiya Group chairman announced his retirement, and the Shinomiya family was undergoing internal restructuring.]
[The restructuring list contains many high-ranking positions and powerful individuals, but you did not see Kaguya Shinomiya's name on the list.]
[Another few days passed, and Ai Hayasaka appeared at the entrance of your company.]
Ai Hayasaka walked in. Haruka's employees still recognized this woman who had once openly made advances toward their President, so naturally, no one stopped her.
At this moment, Haruka was in his office, fretting over the latest line of figures.
Anime merchandise like figures was actually very profitable, but securing copyrights and better sales channels was a massive headache.
Previously, due to Kaguya Shinomiya's test, he had obtained numerous copyrights from Shueisha, so he didn't have to worry about the IP side for the time being. But the distribution channels had run into problems.
Just as he was burned out and overwhelmed.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
"It's you?!"
"It's me."
Ai Hayasaka looked at him with a faint smile.
However.
The current Ai Hayasaka looked incredibly gaunt, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.
"I'm homeless. But on the bright side, I don't carry any baggage or trouble anymore. I wonder if you would be willing to give a pitiful person like me a job?"
"..."
Haruka looked at Ai Hayasaka and remained silent for a long time.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
She was homeless?
Connecting this to the news from a few days ago, Kaguya Shinomiya's situation was likely dire. She had probably lost the game of thrones...
'No, no, don't think about those things. Get involved with conglomerate drama as little as possible.'
'But, she said she doesn't carry any trouble anymore.'
'Is that true?'
'I really want to refuse...'
But...
Haruka glanced up at the top of his head, where signs of hair loss were beginning to show, and his mental balance instantly collapsed.
'Dammit!'
Finally, he opened his mouth. "Fine. How does Assistant to the President sound?"
"Fine. As long as it puts food on the table."
She smiled indifferently.
The unnatural pallor of her face made one worry if she was anemic.
You suggested she rest for two days first; after all, you weren't some blood-sucking capitalist who would hang workers from streetlamps.
But Ai Hayasaka said she wanted to work immediately. And by the way, she wanted to live in the company office, because she truly had no home!
Yes, no need to trouble anyone else; his office would do.
Haruka: ???
[Ai Hayasaka's capabilities were even stronger than you imagined. In just two days, she resolved the troublesome sales channel issues that had you burned out, and she even troubleshot several hidden risks within the company. As expected of a true elite raised by aristocratic education.]
[With Ai Hayasaka on your team, your workload instantly lightened. You no longer had to worry about the hair on top of your head.]
[You gradually shifted your focus back to Shoko.]
[Shoko had long since become a teacher at the sign language class. She taught a group of hearing-impaired children every day and lived a very happy life.]
Haruka got out of the car and walked familiarly to a small building, heading up to the second floor.
He stopped outside a room and listened carefully.
He could faintly hear some crisp, albeit short, spoken words.
"This is... Love."
"This is... Me..."
"I... Love..."
Through the glass window.
Inside the room.
A girl with sakura-colored hair wore a smile as warm and refreshing as sunlight on her pure, flawless face.
Below her sat a group of little boys and girls.
Their ages, clothes, and heights all varied.
Some opened their mouths wide, but could only emit unpleasant "ahhh ahhh" sounds.
Some tilted their heads, leaning their ears as far forward as possible, yet could only hear the faintest of sounds.
Others wore hearing aids, lips pressed tight, simply looking up with eager eyes.
The only thing they had in common was the innocent look filled with hope and joy when they looked at Shoko.
The warm golden sun slanted into the room.
It draped a holy coat over the scene.
Haruka watched from the outside, a gentle smile appearing on his face before he even realized it.
***
Edit: Sora Kasugano is no longer Haruka's twin. She will be his younger sister instead.
---
My dear readers, I really need your support!
For the fanfic to reach more people and for me to stay motivated;
your comments, your Power Stones, and—if you enjoyed the story—your reviews are extremely important to me.
So I prepared a few small perk for you:
📜 Every 100 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter
Thank you in advance for your support. See you in the upcoming chapters!
---
🔥 If you want to see extra character visuals,
🔥 Or if you want to read +20 chapters ahead,
I'm waiting for you on p 4trƐon.
You can search "Demonic_Fiction" on p 4trƐon, or you can find my p 4trƐon link in the synopsis or on my profile.