I became the emperor in the comic book series.

After this training program concluded, about twenty or thirty shrine maidens successfully graduated. Most of them were young women recruited from various places who possessed a certain degree of psychic talent.

She has already mastered the basic knowledge and skills that a priestess should possess.

After the training, based on their personal wishes, those who wanted to stay in Tokyo would be assigned to a local shrine, while those who wanted to return home would choose a shrine closest to their hometown and each take charge of a branch of the Unmu Shrine.

Yunmeng doesn't expect them to be perfect. Although some of them have psychic talents that aren't always effective, and their spiritual cultivation is only at the very beginning, they certainly can't be relied on in battle. So, as humans, they only need to do some community service-like care work in the local area, helping people find jobs, rent houses, find partners, provide a certain level of legal aid, and care for the elderly, children, and all those who are in trouble but want to improve.

And in the process, we can subtly spread the teachings and beliefs of Yunmeng that guide people toward goodness.

In terms of combat...

In fact, the Yunmeng pantheon has long accumulated too many subordinate gods who do not have their own shrines, yet possess a certain level of ability, and are bored and want to get some exercise because the Yunmeng laws prohibit them from acting recklessly.

According to the allocation of a shrine, a formal shrine maiden, and a subordinate deity, one has to wait in line for an unknown amount of time.

The shrine maiden is only responsible for communicating with and supervising the subordinate deities of the Unmu, spreading the faith among the local residents of the shrine's branch.

Meanwhile, those subordinate gods who were already restless were responsible for clearing the spiritual field within the scope of the Qinglang power and finding fault with others. If they could win, they would fight; if they couldn't, they would ask for reinforcements and fight together. If they won, they would incorporate them; and if they refused to submit no matter what, they would simply be eliminated.

For the first time, a shrine existed, and non-human beings created by the gods infiltrated it, eager to achieve great things.

After all, who says that being subordinate to God means you can't be considered God?

It's important to know that in the Yunmeng pantheon, whether or not someone has a fixed position and job is a major criterion for determining how much they are paid.

They were merely granted an identity card and received only a meager minimum living allowance, or even none at all. The temporary workers, who could only enjoy themselves at large events, were incomparable to permanent employees with established positions and benefits in terms of welfare and treatment.

Having tasted the purity of faith in Yunmeng and experienced that exhilarating feeling, it's hard to go back to being a couch potato.

Because there were so many unemployed subordinate gods, when it came to assigning colleagues, it was the priestesses who didn't have much power who chose the gods they felt they got along with, while the subordinate gods who wanted to take the job enthusiastically promoted themselves.

"Pick me! Pick me!"

"Hey! Little girl, look over here. I can take on three of them by myself!"

"You fart!"

"Look at me, look at me, priestess! I possess domain abilities! No matter how strong the opponent, they'll be utterly defeated by my domain!"

The scene was chaotic, with a bunch of subordinate gods releasing their powers and displaying their effects. Apart from not actually fighting, it was a chaotic dance of demons.

After this process was completed, Akira Higashino went up to each of the shrine maidens and distributed information about their work locations and identification documents according to their individual wishes.

Express encouragement and expectations to them.

I watched them leave with their partners and their hopes for the future, their faces full of energy and vitality.

In the end, four shrine maidens remained in the Tokyo area.

One of them was Amano Hina, who had promoted herself to Higashino Akira and, by a twist of fate, received a job recommendation from him and went to Yunmeng to receive vocational training.

Beside her was a female spirit who had been transformed from an evil spirit and recruited by Yunmeng as a subordinate god. She held a red umbrella in her hand, from which scarlet raindrops dripped incessantly. She was soaking wet, and her face was blurred and indistinct.

It's probably because the way we met and got to know each other was rather awkward.

The girl felt a little embarrassed when her own god stood in front of her.

However, Akira Higashino did not treat her specially, nor did he stay to reminisce or inquire about her recent situation. He simply followed the procedure, completed everything normally and ordinarily, and moved on to the next person.

While this made Amano Hina breathe a sigh of relief, she also felt a little disappointed.

She thought that she wasn't charming enough to attract Higashino-sama.

Recalling her initial anxiety and uncertainty about whether she should agree if Higashino-sama was willing to accept her, or how to agree appropriately, the girl silently criticized herself for being unnecessarily shy and having unrealistic expectations.

At the same time, her thoughts changed, and she secretly decided that since Higashino-sama did not take a liking to her, she could only devote herself more diligently to her work and serve Higashino-sama in order to repay his kindness.

.........

In the afternoon, everyone at Yunmeng Group was busy taking a solid step toward future development.

An unfamiliar car quietly pulled up in front of the Xiuzhi School.

Kaguya Shinomiya, who deliberately kept a distance from Hayasaka at school, left the school alone. When she arrived at the school gate, as was her custom, she would take the car that used to be the private residence of Shinomiya, which is now the residence of Higashino, back to the mansion and start her work as a maid.

But today is an exception.

As soon as she stepped out of the school gate, a woman approached her.

"Good day, Miss Kaguya. It's been a long time. I'd like to catch up with you. Do you have the time?"

Despite asking the question aloud and displaying a helpless expression, the woman showed no intention of moving aside.

With a cold expression, Shinomiya Kaguya knew she couldn't refuse, so she could only nod and say, "Lead the way."

The two of them arrived at the car that belonged to her brother, one after the other. The woman respectfully opened the car door for the young lady.

Not far from the two, Hayasaka Ai, who had been following at a moderate distance, changed her expression upon seeing this scene. She clenched her fists with some worry, gritted her teeth, and finally took out her phone to send a message to Higashino Akira.

Although she is now a servant of three masters, she has quite a few superiors.

But his feelings for Kaguya are genuine.

Everything was for the purpose of better infiltrating and gaining Akira Higashino's trust. It was also necessary to pass on information about one of his superiors to the new superior!

Xiao Ai has her own unique understanding of what it means to be a spy.

.........

.........

P.S.: Approximately 4,500 words, combined into one, still 25.5 chapters missing.

Chapter 296 Persisting in the Visit

Not long after, the reply to the report came.

"understood."

Seeing the brief yet reliable reply from Higashino-sama, Xiao Ai breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

Relieved, the maid showed no sign of distress. She greeted several friends she had met at school, left the school gate, and headed back to the mansion alone.

Seize this opportunity, Lady Kaguya.

This is my last ripple!

Worried about Kaguya-sama?

How could that be? She was just an ordinary maid who asked Lady Kaguya to leave. But she was Lady Kaguya's "family." What could she possibly do about it?

She can't do anything.

Although the specific reason for her being asked to leave is unknown, it is impossible for Lady Kaguya's life to be in danger as a result.

Therefore, for the sake of Kaguya's happiness, she had no choice but to use her extraordinary wisdom!

Using this incident as a pretext, they devised a plan to lure Higashino, who was able to engage in dialogue with the Shinomiya family on equal footing, into rescuing the damsel in distress.

Then, Kaguya-sama, please develop genuine feelings for this man and fall in love with him.

Otherwise, spending the rest of one's life with a man simply out of a family duty or mission would be a very boring thing.

Hayasaka Ai has been incredibly devoted to her family.

According to her young mistress's current progress, as a dowry attendant, if she doesn't help push things forward, it won't be convenient for her to take things further unless Kaguya and Akira's relationship progresses. It's possible that Ai will be a cook for life, and even in her old age, she'll never experience what it's like to be a woman.

Don't do things like that.

Not only can one not experience a normal, sweet romance, but one also cannot experience the collision of love. Such a life is too tragic.

Back at the mansion, Hayasaka Ai changed into her maid uniform and began to work diligently.

Recalling the way Higashino-sama pinched her cheek when he left the house, the intimate distance and the unforgettable masculine charm that emanated from him made the girl's face blush slightly.

Even though she knew he was a philandering and philandering bad man.

However, she couldn't help but feel her heart race at the slightest bit of intimate contact.

This can't be entirely blamed on her; the increasingly alluring Higashino-sama also bears a great deal of responsibility.

Hayasaka Ai was very clear that this was not love.

Rather, it's an involuntary attraction, a fluttering feeling that makes you want to get closer to that person.

Just like water encountering sugar, it will unconsciously approach the sugar, dissolve the sugar, and take on some of the sugar's properties.

It is closer to the essence of life than love.

He is a higher being.

　Ai Kosaka was unwilling to accept that, as a descendant of a retainer of the Shinomiya family, she couldn't even make her own decisions about her love life and had to be a dowry maid for her mistress.

But if the object of affection is Akira Higashino.

She wasn't entirely against it.

.........

Meanwhile, Kaguya Shinomiya was led by the woman to a private club.

It wasn't a formal occasion like the Shinomiya family gathering or a company event.

Seeing this, Kaguya Shinomiya understood. No matter which of his brothers invited him, it must have been done in secret, without daring to let others find out.

Upon entering the private room and seeing the figures inside, Kaguya Shinomiya's eyes flashed with a knowing look.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you. I'm so happy to see you still looking so energetic, brother."

The girl greeted him coldly and expressionlessly, devoid of the girlish charm she displayed when spending time with Hayasaka in private, and the soft, gentle demeanor she showed in front of Higashino Akira. She was as cold as an iceberg.

The fourth house's yellow light doesn't care about Kaguya's attitude.

He also didn't want to respond to her greeting that addressed him as her brother.

He cut to the chase, "I heard that Father transferred some of the shares of the Shinomiya Group to you?"

So that's why?

A hint of disdain flashed in Shinomiya Kaguya's eyes as she nodded in agreement, "Yes."

"You have no use for this thing. Give it to me."

Shinomiya Hikari calmly uttered these heartless words, his heart filled with desire, completely forgetting that the reason his "sister" possessed all of this was as compensation for "voluntarily" sacrificing herself to atone for the mistakes of her brothers.

Even Kaguya Shinomiya, who had somewhat anticipated this, was still slightly taken aback by the man's blatant display of malice.

Why?

"Don't look at me like that." Shinomiya Hikari faced the girl's wavering and questioning gaze and asked, "How much longer do you think Father can hold on?"

He added, "Now that Father is keeping things under control, the Shinomiya Group is already at risk of splitting up and is in grave danger."

"If your father suddenly passes away, and there isn't a capable person to suppress those disloyal individuals and unite everyone to deal with external enemies, the Shinomiya Group will collapse. How much value do you think your shares will be left?"

Kaguya Shinomiya looked at him. "Do you think you have the qualifications and ability?"

Shinomiya Huangguang's expression was serious. "I think I do!"

The relationship between the two has completely cooled down.

Shinomiya Hikari didn't care. "Instead of waiting for those shares to become worthless or even debt, you might as well hand them over to me in advance. For your father's sake, I will give you a considerable sum of money to buy them. Take that money and leave the Shinomiya family. Quit your current job and stop showing yourself as a descendant of the Shinomiya family. Whether you live out your remaining years in vain or whatever you do, it doesn't matter."

Upon hearing this, Kaguya Shinomiya's eyes reddened slightly. "Do you know what you're saying?"

Do you think she embarrassed herself?

When these brothers were fighting amongst themselves, making a fool of themselves and causing the Shinomiya family to make a major enemy, and tacitly agreeing to send her away to appease the other party's anger, didn't they feel ashamed?

Now that the group has just stabilized and is starting to improve, they're already trying to cut ties with her?

If my father weren't still alive, who knows how many more hurtful things he might have said or how much more outrageous things he might have done.

Shinomiya Huangguang avoided answering the question, only saying, "I know about the shares you own, and soon they will also know that you can't hold onto them."

That's all I have to say.

Kaguya Shinomiya stared silently at her brother, whom she didn't have much affection for but was still family, with red eyes.

Shinomiya Hikari quietly endured her piercing gaze.

He clenched his fists in shame, yet had no choice but to harden his heart and do this.

As a man who had won against countless others from birth and whose life had been smooth sailing for half his life, he was undoubtedly proud—proud of himself and of the Shinomiya surname.