Kaguya-sama: Love is War IF - If Shirogane Had Embraced Her Behind the Gym
Shuchiin Academy. Student council president Miyuki Shirogane and vice president Kaguya Shinomiya are both secretly in love with each other. But due to their ridiculous pride—believing that 'whoever confesses first loses'—they continue their daily battles of wit.
Then one summer day, during sports festival practice, Kaguya feels dizzy from mild heatstroke and heads toward the infirmary. Worried, Shirogane follows her and calls out behind the gym where no one is around.
'Shinomiya, are you okay?
Kaguya-sama: Love is War IF - If Shirogane Had Embraced Her Behind the Gym - Manifestation of the Wall ― The Attendant's Cold Declaration
Orange light streamed through the windows of the student council room.
Three days had passed since that confession behind the gym. Nearly an hour after the after-school bell, the distant shouts from club activities and the laughter of students heading home still echoed from the hallway.
I—Shirogane Miyuki—was desperately putting strength into my hand to keep the teacup from trembling.
"…Here you go."
Across the mahogany reception desk. Sitting on an expensive-looking lace-knit sofa, her waist-length black straight hair swaying gently, was Shinomiya Kaguya. From the tea set she had purchased with her own money, the refreshing fragrance of Darjeeling wafted up.
As Kaguya accepted the cup, the corners of her mouth softened just a little. Usually, her expression was the perfectly composed mask of the "Ice Princess." But now, her profile bathed in the sunset seemed somehow gentle.
"[gentle]Thank you, President."
Just that. Nothing more than those words, yet she looked down and pressed her slender white index and middle fingers to her forehead. A habit that surfaced when she was nervous. Ever since that day of the confession, she had begun to lower her mask just a little, only in front of me.
(*She's adorable…*)
No, this isn't the time to be thinking that.
I cleared my throat deliberately and returned to my seat. My heart was still pounding, but if I got overly conscious now, it would ruin this nice atmosphere.
"[serious]…The sports festival preparations were rough, huh."
"[surprised]Ah, yes. The cheerleading squad practice ran late."
"But when I heard you were the squad leader, well… I thought it suited you."
Kaguya's deep crimson eyes widened slightly. Then, immediately, she lowered her elegant face again.
"[whispers]…Is that so."
The end of her sentence was faintly slurred. Her habit of saying "desu no" when she got embarrassed. I was probably the only one in this academy who knew about it.
Outside the window, the row of cherry trees in the courtyard swayed in the wind. It was already summer, so the leaves were a deep green, the blossoms long since scattered. But that green, illuminated by the sunset, shone golden and beautiful.
(*If only times like this could last forever.*)
I thought that. But somewhere in my heart, I knew it couldn't.
Shuchiin Academy, the school I attend, is a super-elite private school with over 130 years of history, located on a hilltop surrounded by embassies and grand mansions in Minato Ward, Tokyo. Over ninety percent of the students are born elites—sons of politicians, daughters of major corporation presidents, that sort.
I'm different.
A scholarship student. In short, a poor kid attending tuition-free. A 28-year-old 2DK apartment in Itabashi Ward, rent 85,000 yen. My father works away from home and barely comes back. My little sister and I scrape by on cup noodles and sale-priced chicken.
There's probably not a single person in this academy in the same economic situation as me.
And yet, the person I fell for was, of all people, Shinomiya Kaguya.
The Shinomiya Group. A colossal conglomerate with total assets exceeding two trillion yen, unknown to no one in Japan. She is their only daughter, a genuine young lady raised without a single want since birth.
"…President?"
Kaguya tilted her head at me, lost in thought before I knew it.
"[sad]Is something the matter? You look rather pale."
"No, it's nothing. Just a little lack of sleep."
A lie. The truth was, I couldn't sleep last night either, thinking about her. More precisely, brooding over the "difference" between her and me.
My mother left when I was still in elementary school. The reason was simple: money. My father was working at a small factory back then, but the pay was low, and my mother couldn't take it anymore.
"Love can't beat money."
Those words she spat out at the end still cling to my mind.
So I studied. Like my life depended on it, harder than anyone else, and won the scholarship seat at this academy. I thought that even without money, if I could surpass everyone through effort, I could overcome this complex someday.
But since I started going out with Kaguya, that conviction has been wavering.
I heard her monthly allowance is five hundred thousand yen. Twice my family's living expenses. Even for a single date, the restaurants I can afford and the ones she usually goes to are worlds apart.
(*Can I make Kaguya happy?*)
The center of my chest grows cold and heavy.
—Don't push yourself.
Someone's voice echoed in my mind. My own voice. At times like this, I tell myself that, as if I'm lecturing her.
Alright, I took a small breath.
"Shinomiya."
Kaguya looked up.
"Today, if you'd like… would you walk home with me?"
*Clatter.*
The teacup in Kaguya's hand made a loud noise against the saucer. She hurriedly steadied the cup. Her cheeks, white as porcelain, instantly flushed bright red.
"[surprised]T-Together, you say…?"
"Yeah. I mean, someone might see us, but… it'll be dark soon, and if we stagger the timing, I think it'll be fine."
She opened and closed her lips several times. All sorts of things must be swirling in her head. Her position as a daughter of the Shinomiya family, rumors at the academy, the possibility of her family finding out.
But she—gave a small nod.
"[whispers]…Yes."
Her voice was trembling, yet it sounded so happy.
Deep in my chest, something grew gently warm.
◆
For the next thirty minutes, we made a plan to leave the student council room separately and head to the school gate via different routes. She would go to the library first to return a book, and in the meantime, I would kill time pretending to clean the empty hallway.
We would wait for the students to completely disappear, then meet under the large camphor tree near the gate.
(*It's like a secret mission.*)
I gave a wry smile as I put away the broom and walked down the hallway.
Shuchiin Academy has a clear "hierarchy." Parents' annual income, family background, connections. Those invisible walls exist everywhere—in the classroom, the cafeteria, the grounds. Just like when the upperclassmen who heard I confessed to Kaguya laughed their heads off and told me to "know my place."
A relationship between a scholarship student and the daughter of the Shinomiya family is "unthinkable" at this academy.
That's why we needed to avoid being seen. To avoid putting unnecessary pressure on Kaguya, too.
When I arrived under the camphor tree, Kaguya was already standing there.
"Did I keep you waiting?"
"[gentle]No, I just arrived myself."
She said that, but her breathing was slightly uneven. She probably ran a little. That clumsy kindness of hers was unbearably dear to me.
"…Well then, shall we go?"
We started walking side by side. The academy at dusk was quiet, and only the sound of someone's trumpet practice in the distance rode on the wind.
Kaguya and I were close enough that our shoulders almost touched. Her long black hair swayed, and the faint scent of her shampoo drifted over.
I felt I had to say something, but the tension kept the words from coming. Kaguya, too, kept her head down and said nothing.
But I didn't mind that.
About a hundred meters from the gate, Kaguya's right hand moved softly.
She grabbed the hem of my school uniform.
She didn't look at me, just kept facing forward. Her fingertips were trembling, and that hand, with its V-shaped manicured nails, looked terribly small.
(*—Is this okay?*)
My heart pounded like a warning bell. The sheer joy nearly made my mind go blank.
I tried to reach my own hand toward hers.
I wanted to intertwine our fingers, to hold hands like lovers. That was the moment.
"[cold]That's enough playtime, milady."
From the shadow of the shrubbery beside the school gate, a female student appeared.
Blonde hair slightly longer than her shoulders tied in a side-tail, three piercings in her right ear, two in her left. At first glance, a modern gyaru.
—Hayasaka Ai.
The classmate who's always cheerfully chatting with friends in the classroom.
But now, she seemed like a completely different person.
Her intelligent blue eyes sharply fixed on us. Her usual soft smile was gone, replaced by a cold, nearly expressionless face. Her movements were supple, yet utterly without waste.
Kaguya's fingers instantly let go of my hem.
"…Ai."
Her voice trembled faintly. The blood drained from her face, making her porcelain skin look even paler.
Hayasaka slowly approached. Her footsteps were eerily quiet, almost like a cat's.
"[cold]The main house has been in contact. They say you've been returning home late recently, milady. The household is worried."
Kaguya bit her lip tightly.
"[serious]…It's still early for me to go home."
"[cold]No. Today's extracurricular activities were scheduled to end at 5 PM. Over an hour has already passed. Furthermore—"
Hayasaka's sharp gaze turned toward me.
"Given your station as a scholarship student, would you kindly refrain from behavior that further damages the young lady's reputation?"
My heart made a sickening thud.
"Hey, Hayasaka, you—"
"[cold]President. You may not be aware, but what do you think would happen if the daughter of the Shinomiya family were photographed walking alongside a man from an ordinary family of different standing? No, even if a student on campus took a photo and posted it on social media, it would be a major problem."
Each of her words was like a finely sharpened blade. Because they were facts, I couldn't retort.
"[scared]…Ai."
Kaguya called her name in a weak voice.
Hayasaka stopped in front of Kaguya and gave a deep, perfect bow.
"[cold]Milady. The car is ready. This way."
Those weren't the words of a friend. They were the words of a master and one who serves.
Kaguya glanced back at me for just a moment. Her deep crimson eyes were moist, wavering as if she wanted to say something. But in the end, she couldn't say anything.
Her responsibility as a daughter of the Shinomiya family.
The invisible chains that bind her.
(*She can't defy them.*)
I understood that painfully well. Her father is the chairman of the Shinomiya Group. I'd heard before that when she lost a piano competition for the first time as a child, he raged at the young Kaguya, "How dare you tarnish the Shinomiya name."
Losing is unforgivable.
Sullying the family name is even more unforgivable.
That was the true face beneath the armor of the girl they call the Ice Princess.
"[whispers]…I'm sorry, President."
Saying that, Kaguya was led away by Hayasaka toward the school gate where a black luxury car waited. Her back looked surprisingly small.
Left behind, I just stood there, clenching my fists.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
I couldn't say anything. I couldn't protect her. A mere poor scholarship student could do nothing against the colossal power of the Shinomiya family.
"—Now then."
As I stood rooted to the spot, Hayasaka, who had put Kaguya in the car, had returned before I knew it.
"[cold]Let me reintroduce myself, President Shirogane. From here on, I will speak not as your classmate, but as a valet of the Shinomiya family, and the assessor who manages Lady Kaguya's personal affairs."
Her words were cold, as if reading from a bureaucratic document.
"…Assessor?"
"[cold]It is my job to investigate every person the young lady comes into contact with, and to eliminate those deemed unsuitable."
Hayasaka pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket.
"[cold]Shirogane Miyuki. Resident of Itabashi Ward. Father works away from home, living with younger sister Kei. Household monthly income approximately 280,000 yen. Current savings approximately 120,000 yen. Full tuition exemption as a scholarship student."
That was everything about me.
I had a vague idea I was being investigated. But when the facts were thrust before me in numbers from someone else's mouth like this, I felt my existence shrinking smaller and smaller.
"…So what?"
I desperately squeezed out my voice.
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