[My artist neighbor is surprisingly talkative.]

  [In the evening, she es over with a casserole as with me.]

  [It's as if she knows I live alone and just wants to keep me pany.]

  [What a nosy neighbor.]

  [It seems our iions started when I rescued her the ht. Holy, I didn't even know who she was at first.]

  [I had just finished writing in my diary and was about to rest when I heard a woman screaming outside.]

  [Out of habit, I checked the situation, and since I was already there, I helped her.]

  [And somehow, that led to us staying in touch.]

  [But I 't help but sympathize with her.]

  [Being an artist in this try isn't easy, and the mohey make isn't as high as the celebrities I know from elsewhere.]

  [Yet, there are idol stars who genuinely work hard for their fans.]

  [Bringing smiles to those who support them, until they're nearly broken themselves.]

  [Heh~ My artist neighbor is really something.]

  [So, I decided to test something out.]

  [I helped ease her ive emotions, just using what I could do.]

  [Well, the results didn't surprise me. It worked perfectly.]

  [But after regaining her energy, she suddenly started feeling a bit unreliable.]

  [What a tradictory neighbor.]

  ---

  After reading the diary entry, Kaguya immediately called Hayasaka over.

  "Kaguya-sama?"

  "Hayasaka, is there a female artist livio Amamiya?"

  Hayasaka thought for a moment before nodding.

  "Yes. But she has a busy schedule and often travels for performances. She doesn't stay home for long."

  A female artist who rarely stayed home.

  No—the female artist herself wasn't the issue.

  Kaguya remembered that she had been involved with Amamiya because of a case.

  "Hayasaka, has this female artist been ected to any is retly?"

  "Yes."

  Kaguya frowned slightly.

  "Why didn't you report this to me?"

  "Miss Kaguya, you specifically instructed me to focus only on Amamiya."

  "…"

  Realizing it was her own and that had kept this information from her, Kaguya took a deep breath.

  She had given that order herself.

  And without crete evidence linking the female artist to Amamiya, it was reasonable for Hayasaka not to report it.

  "Miss Kaguya, would you like me to iigate?"

  Kaguya remained silent for a moment before shaking her head.

  "Fet it."

  "Amamiya deliberately avoided writing her name in the diary, probably to keep us from looking into her. Sihat's his choice, we shouldn't interfere."

  "Besides, if he didn't name her, it's likely because he doesn't want to use this e for anything."

  Hayasaka sidered this.

  "That's possible. And given Amamiya's rather reserved personality, that's not unlikely."

  Kaguya thought baamiya's demeanor.

  Hayasaka's guess seemed accurate.

  Amamiya wasn't the type t about his es.

  He was quiet, a little withdrawn, and alked much about himself.

  Most importantly, he always treated them as equals.

  Because of that, there were bound to be things he wouldn't tell them.

  How should I put it…?

  Kaguya didn't think this was necessarily a bad thing.

  From her perspective, Amamiya's personality wasn't just not bad.

  It was actually quite good.

  So good, in fact, that she felt guilty for having doubted him before.

  For assuming the worst about someone she didn't uand.

  "Miss Kaguya, maybe Amamiya isn't as bad as yinally thought."

  Hayasaka's words brought her back to reality.

  "…I hought he had a bad personality."

  The guilty look in her eyes said otherwise.

  Do you really believe that? Because I don't think you do.

  Hayasaka resisted the urge to say it out loud.

  In truth, it wasirely Kaguya's fault.

  Growing up in the Shinomiya family meant she had always been surrounded by scheming, manipution, and ulterior motives.

  Viewing everything through the lens of power and influence was sed nature to her.

  From a purely strategic perspective, her suspis about Amamiya were reasonable.

  The problem was, Amamiya Ren pletely ighat logic.

  He had never asked Kaguya for anything.

  If anything, he had ht reduced her advantages iain situations.

  This had caused Kaguya to instinctively search for ways to gain something from him.

  To establish a more favorable exge of bes.

  Because that was how she had always been taught to think.

  But Amamiya had reated their iions as transas.

  No matter what happened, he never asked for anything iurn.

  And that was something Kaguya wasn't used to.

  "Miss Kaguya, what exactly happened between Amamiya and this female artist?"

  "Hmm… It seems he helped his neighbor with something, which led to them getting closer."

  "He said he was just meddling."

  "But his neighbor seems to have ied with him a lot more sihen."

  "He even helped her with something signifit."

  Hayasaka raised an eyebrow.

  "Like what?"

  Kaguya hesitated before answering.

  "He… resolved her ive emotions."

  "???"

  Hayasaka was stunned.

  "That's… something you fix?"

  For a moment, she seriously sidered asking Amamiya for help herself.

  As a full-time maid and bodyguard, her stress levels were stantly high.

  Thankfully, she no longer had to report on Kaguya's daily activities to the Shinomiya family. That alone had lifted a huge burden off her shoulders.

  But even so, she still relied on… unventional methods to cope with stress.

  Like watg hydraulic press videos.

  Or those oddly satisfying floor-ing pitions.

  Or even cow hoof repair videos.

  Yes—those were the things keeping her sane.