Hayasaka spat out her drink, beating her chest while coughing. The news shocked her to the core since she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You WHAT!?" She spat aloud between her coughing fit.

Kaguya fidgeted as she handed her some napkins to clean up the splatter of juice that had covered the café table.

"I-I don't see what was so shocking of my request."

Hayasaka's eyes widened. The chair beneath her screeched against the tiled floor as she leaped to her feet, "With all due respect, Miss Kaguya... You want me to join the student council... THE student council. But why!? Certainly, there are better avenues to pursue your goals!"

"There ARE no better avenues than this one, which is why I'm getting you more involved." Kaguya gestured Hayasaka to get back on her seat. Hayasaka, realizing that she gathered a few on lookers, ducked her head sheepishly before once again taking her seat.

Hayasaka sighed as she sat back down and adjusted her chair, "For what purpose? It seems to me things are going steady with you and the President."

"That's... Slightly true. It feels like we're getting a bit closer. He gave me a ride on his bike, we keep playing off each other in the counsel room, and he even asked me to be the vice president after I fainted!" Kaguya squealed, spewing event after event of all the things that had happened in the last few months.

Hayasaka was a devoted servant to Kaguya Shinomiya. Hayasaka's entire family, spanning from generation to generation, vowed and pledged their undying loyalty to the Shinomiya family. They complete each task without fail and follow the whim of whatever their masters ask of them to do for their overall joy and pleasure.

Thus, it would be only reasonable that Hayasaka relish in the happiness that Kaguya was feeling through her tangent.

Though Hayasaka felt like her brain was melting. No- literally frying as Kaguya said this, Kaguya said that, and blah blah blah BLAH-

CRUNCH

Kaguya stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes darted towards Hayasaka; her plastic cup crumpled in her hand. Juice leaked between her fingers as the innocent cup became empty of its essence.

"Oh, I apologize, Miss Kaguya. I was just so overwhelmed with joy that I spilled my drink."

"It truly is wonderful, isn't it!? To be in love while in your youth- Hayasaka, I know you're overjoyed but you need not grip the table like that."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! I'm seriously about the flip this table on her!" Hayasaka threatened in her mind.

"My apologies Miss Kaguya, I don't know what came over me," Hayasaka muttered through clenched teeth and a forced smile as she let go of the table. "Anyways, what were we talking about? Ah, that's right. For what purpose do you need me in the council? From all you've told me you're already making great progress with him. Is it not enough?"

Kaguya sighed, her smile wiped away and her eyes staring intently at her lap, "It's not enough... I know it's selfish to say, but truly, I mean it. It's been over a year since he and I joined the student council. We've been going back and forth all this time, playing our mind games and such. But he has yet to confess."

Kaguya stared at the table, lips pursed, and eyebrows furrowed while an invisible hand gripped her heart, spreading a terrible poisonous chill throughout her body and mind. A blanket of silence fell between the two girls amongst the other patrons who chattered amongst themselves. At some point, a waitress came to clean up the mess that was made. A quick word of thanks came and went, and the wall of disdain was present once more.

Finally, Hayasaka reached out and grabbed Kaguya by the hand, "Miss Kaguya... You mustn't give up. It's not the Shinomiya way."

"... I know that... But I can't help it. It's funny, isn't it? I can plot the most elaborate schemes to get what I want, whether it be influence, favors, and whatnot with a steeled heart. But when it comes to love, I'm hopeless."

"But that's why you have me," Hayasaka placed Kaguya's hand against her chest, flashing a small smile, "We have each other. You're not alone, never forget that."

The warmth of Hayasaka's smile gave life to Kaguya. Her bleak and downtrodden expression now giving way like the first buds of spring.

"I know you have a plan. That's why you want me to join the student council, is that right?"

"Yes, that's right." Kaguya straightened her posture, her hands placed in front of her as she looked at Hayasaka with those same calculating piercing eyes that she was familiar with. "It has been a little over a year since President and I have been at our battle of wits. I am certain that he likes me. However, my fear of rejection and pride is the biggest obstacle that I have yet to overcome.

I have always wanted the President to be the one to profess to me first. Truthfully, I say that I still want to be confessed to... But I am running out of time. After a year and a half, we'll all graduate." Kaguya paused.

The thought of spending another year going through the same motions in the student council room weighed on her shoulders. Would she truly be happy? Would she be happy only having the President at arm's length instead of being in his arms? Would she be happy only having him address her by her last name instead of her first name?

Absolutely not.

"I don't want to play games anymore, Hayasaka." Kaguya resumed, "If it means achieving happiness with the President, then I'll have to be the one that makes the first move."

Hayasaka blinked. Was she hearing her correctly?

Hayasaka swallowed a lump in her throat, "You-You're serious about this?"

Kaguya nodded.

Hayasaka fell back on her seat, a wave of relief and disbelief washing over her.

"I cannot believe it... After all this time, you're finally going to take action."

"I have no other choice," Kaguya stirred her cup of black coffee, staring at her warped reflection against the surface of the bitter liquid. "But I am still the same old me. Prideful and scared of rejection. To mitigate this, I'm going to employ you, Ai Hayasaka, to become the General Affairs manager of the student council.

"The cultural festival is only shy of two months away. During that time, we'll need to maintain not only club relations but public relations as well."

"That's a lot of responsibility. I understand club relations, but why public relations as well?"

Kaguya rested her elbows on the table, "That Miko Ino girl was correct about how the general public perceives Shuchiin Academy. I worry that when it comes time for the cultural festival it'll limit our ability to do certain activities."

"And so, if we manage to improve how Shuchiin is perceived by other schools and the public, it'll allow you to complete whatever you need to do during the cultural festival to confess to the President."

Kaguya smiled, "My, my, aren't you clever."

Hayasaka flashed her a smile back, "I've been with you since childhood. Of course, some of your cleverness would rub off onto me."

"You're too kind," Kaguya chuckled. "You'll be a great asset to the council, Hayasaka. With you being inside our circle you'll be able to create more opportunities for me and the President to get closer, as well as getting more intel on him."

Hayasaka nodded, albeit a bit begrudgingly. Sure, she was the maid of Kaguya, but just the thought of being confined in a wall with a number of "interesting" characters for a good majority of the day just drained her of her social battery. It didn't help that she was always in "gal" mode when she was present in school, a personality of hers she used to disguise herself amongst the students of Shuchiin.

"I will admit you have thought this through, and I am always at your service, Miss Kaguya. But I worry that these new responsibilities will interfere with my duties as a maid."

"Not to worry, your duties will be allocated to someone else during your tenure in the student council. In addition, I already ran the idea of your position with the President and he's all for it. All you have to do is come into the student council room tomorrow."

Hayasaka looked down at her lap, a feeling of unease hovering over her, "I see..."

"Then the matter's settled," Kaguya placed down her cup, "I look forward to working with you, Ai Hayasaka. Welcome to the Student Council."

"The pleasure's all mine."

The two then left the café and were chauffeured back to the Shinomiya residence before Hayasaka tended to Kaguya before getting ready for bed herself. As she went through the motions of her nightly routine, she couldn't wash away the sense of unease. The conversation at the café played back in her mind over and over again.

"Welcome to the Student Council..." She muttered in the steam from the bath.

With each replay she sank deeper beneath the surface of the bath, the hot water doing nothing to calm the encroaching cold that enwrapped her. But why? She always planned and schemed with Kaguya to win Shirogane's affection for her mistress; this was no different.

So then why?

The question plagued her throughout the night and into the next day where she stood in front of the doors of the Student Council room. Just beyond those doors would be her target, Miyuki Shirogane, where she would assist her mistress in professing her love for him.

She gripped the door handle, the metal feeling uncomfortably cold against her palm. She could hear muffled laughter on the other side. She turned the knob, but only half-way, hesitating. It didn't feel right. It felt wrong somehow like she was going to regret it for the rest of her life.

Maybe she should tell Kaguya that this wasn't the best course of action.

Hundreds of excuses and alternatives ran through her head, and she convinced herself to turn back. But just as she let go of the door knob a flood of natural light washed over her as the door before her creaked open. The room was absolutely blinding compared to the dim hallway that she had to walk through to get there.

From the blinding light popped out a pink-haired girl with a black bow on her head. Her eyes sparkled and her smile as radiant as the sun.

"Ah, Ai! Get in here, we've been waiting for you!"

The pink-haired girl, Chika Fujiwara, grabbed her hand and pulled her in. Hayasaka wanted to protest, but before she knew it her foot was through the door.

"Ah... This is it, there's no turning back now... Maybe I'm just overthinking things." She thought.

As Chika proudly introduced Ai Hayasaka to the rest of the council, the doors closed behind her.

Her fate was now sealed.