'Thoughts' ← thoughts / "" ← speech

** ← actions / ~~ ← phone calls

[ ] ← Narrator

It was just Kaguya and Ryo in the council room as they finished the work they had left.

"It seems we still have a bit of free time," Kaguya said.

"Yeah, it seems like some time to relax to me" Ryo laid back on the couch.

"Then how about a game?" Kaguya pulled out a pack of cards.

"Cards? What game are you thinking of?" Ryo sat up.

"Old maid?"

"I haven't played Old maid in a while, sure why not" Ryo moved the stack of papers in front of him to the edge of the table.

"We can make it a bit more fun if you want?" Kaguya said.

"In what way?"

"Whoever wins gets to make a request of the loser".

'A request? I could get her to hang with Shirogane this way' "Sure sounds good".

'Is this a battle narrator?'

["I think we're good, but with this "Request" it could be?]

'So I should be careful?'

["Doesn't seem like a big thing. So I think we're fine for now, I'll check just to make sure though"]

`Alright, I guess I'll just have fun for now, I'm sure it's what Shirogane would do'.

"Oh, but nothing lewd or unreasonable, let's keep it to gentlemanly requests" Kaguya sat down opposite Ryo.

"That goes without saying". 'But I can't say it didn't cross my mind for a second'.

"If you want you can check the cards for any marks" Kaguya went to give the cards to Ryo.

"It's alright I trust you not to cheat".

["Oh is it my turn now?"] *Cough cough* ["Old maid! A simple game where players take turns drawing cards, and all pairs are discarded. The first to get rid of all their cards is the winner!"]

'Should I be suspicious of Kaguya right now? I mean this didn't happen in the anime but that doesn't mean it didn't happen in the manga. I feel like she has some kind of plan here'. Ryo was checking the cards he drew and threw the pairs away.

["All pairs the player starts with are immediately discarded. Ryo has 8 and Kaguya has 9 left"]

"I have the Old maid so I'll go first," Kaguya said.

["Old maid is usually played with three or more people… with only two players, every draw must be either… a card that forms a pair or the old maid. Nothing else. Since Kaguya already has the Old maid she naturally forms a pair. Ryo draws… And gets the Old maid on the first try!"

"That's rare, the Old maid on the first turn, must be my lucky day".

["He acts completely unfazed by it!"]

'I don't want to lose… if I know Kaguya I'm sure she'll think too much about this'. Ryo put a normal card higher than the others.

"Oh…? How cute" Kaguya said.

"What do you mean by that?".

"Well I didn't take you for someone who'd use such a simple trick". Kaguya moved her hand forward towards the highest card.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Ryo gave a smile.

"Oh I already know. All the cute things you'll do, president" Kaguya took the highest card, leaving Ryo with the Old maid.

"Must be my lucky day…" Kaguya had a dissatisfied look.

'Why is she dissatisfied? Isn't the point of the game to not get the Old maid? or does she have a plan…? It's possible she wants to lose but why?'

Ryo took one of Kaguya's cards but stared at her while doing it.

'Why is he staring at me? Has he already figured out what I'm after!?' Kaguya thought.

["Aha found it! Her plan is to throw the game and control what his request would be! But he's losing… maybe I'll let this play out it looks like he's having fun after all"]

'This is bad… If he's realized that my plan is to have him invite me to the movie, then… then… He might get the wrong idea and think I want to go to the movies with him!'.

Kaguya became worried and she tried not to show it. 'That's wrong! I just want to let him invite me to see it with him! This is me offering him a chance to do something his pride would never let him do! It's not like I like him or anything!'.

["As Kaguya thought to herself the game went on and right now Kaguya has one card left and Ryo two (with the Old maid)"]

"Your turn Kaguya" Ryo held up his two cards.

Kaguya reached out. 'I have to lose, please be the Old maid!'. Kaguya picked her card… and got a pair meaning Ryo lost.

"Guess I'm out of luck… well you get the one request. Ask and you shall receive" Ryo placed the Old maid on the table and leant back.

Kaguya scrambled all the cards back together. "We still have a bit of time left so… how about a rematch?"

"You sure that's what you want for your request?"

"Yes".

"Alright then" 'If she's so determined to lose then she must have a plan'.

["They played one more time this time Kaguya drew the Old maid and was determined to keep it. Ryo had 8 and Kaguya 7 after throwing the pairs away"]

Kaguya reached for one of Ryo's cards, she took one and slowly sat back. Ryo leant forwards and reached his arm out, Kaguya hid her smile behind the cards. Ryo picked one card and made a match knocking them down to 6 and 7. Kaguya took one of his and made a match making it 5 and 6.

'I will make the president win and invite me to see the movie!' Kaguya put one card higher than the others and one lower.

'If I'm correct she's trying to lose so she must have put the Old maid lower than the rest' Ryo aimed for the lower card.

"Are you sure you want that one president?" Kaguya said.

"I'm sure" Ryo took the bottom card and… made a match and as he put the match on the table he had a disappointed face.

'The president may be smart but he's simple minded' Kaguya took one of Ryo's cards and made a match leaving Ryo with 3 and Kaguya with 4.

["I have never seen two people so determined to have the Old maid!"]

"Your turn president" Kaguya held her cards up.

Ryo started to extend his hand forward then closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them back up, and looked Kaguya in her eyes with a determined look. He reached out and grabbed a card at random… making a match.

'He only has two left and I have three. This is my win' Kaguya smiled as she reached out to his last two cards and made the second to last match. Leaving Ryo with 1 and Kaguya 2.

'It's a fifty-fifty chance, It all comes down to if I'm lucky or not!' Ryo reached out one last time slowly getting closer and closer, he placed his fingers on one of the cards and Kaguya kept a straight face so he decided to take the one next to it.

Ryo leant back into the couch and looked at his cards. The Old maid was nowhere to be seen because he made a match. "Looks like I won," Ryo said with a hidden disappointed look.

"It appears so."

'I know there's something she's wanting… But what?' Ryo looked up at the ceiling. "Now then what should my request be?".

"Remember we agreed, nothing ungentlemanly" Kaguya straightened up the deck of cards.

"Right…" Ryo looked down at the floor as he rummaged through his thoughts trying to piece together what Kaguya was up to.

["I guess I'll give a little push in the right direction"]

"For example…" Kaguya banged the cards on the table a bit hard and made a stack of paper fall over. "Oh I'm sorry…" Kaguya went to tidy the paper but paused 'They're gone!? I know they were right there!'.

Ryo looked at her as she paused. 'Is she okay? She's looking around as if she lost something…' Ryo figured out half of Kaguya's plan. He figured out she played Old maid because she wanted something, and that something was hidden in the papers. But he couldn't figure out what it was she was hiding.

'If they're gone then…' Kaguya looked down.

Ryo also looked to the floor himself in one last attempt to try to put everything together. "Hm?" Ryo noticed two movie tickets by the leg of the table and then it clicked. 'She wanted to lose and somehow make me invite her to the movies… I think?' He picked up the tickets and kept them hidden by his leg.

["What are you going to request?"]

'I could maybe get her to use these and go with Shirogane… No, their relationship would be moving too fast. What do you think?'. Ryo looked at Kaguya. She had a straight face but a depressed look in her eyes.

["It's your request, you "won" after all"]

Ryo looked down at the tickets again. 'Right…' Ryo took a deep breath. "Kaguya these wouldn't happen to be yours would they?"

Kaguya looked at his hand holding the tickets. "Oh… yes they are" Kaguya took the tickets.

"Were they a gift from Chika?".

"They were, yes".

"Are you planning to take anybody?".

"No".

"Well then…" Ryo got up and walked past Kaguya and took one of the tickets. "I appreciate the invitation, does sunday work for you?".

"Hm?" Kaguya looked down at the single ticket in her hand. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"I mean wouldn't it be better to go with someone you know than by yourself?".

'I guess he isn't so simple minded afterall, he removed any love interest by making it sound like a date amongst friends. He is the president for a reason.' "I'm free on Sunday".

"Perfect" Ryo sat back at his desk.

["Today's battle result: A tie"]

To be continued in the next chapter.

Just making sure you know that this won't be a scheduled upload. It will pretty much be when I can. Thanks for understanding and reading.