Crossover anime, and you call this a slice-of-life story?

Chapter 41 Kaguya Shinomiya: "Married?!"

Shangguan Yun received a "working man" card and became a proud working man.

Kaguya, on the other hand, relied on her good fortune in money to hit several "lucky squares" in a row, and her face became increasingly dark.

Yukino Yukinoshita got into a top university thanks to her "nerd card," while Chika Fujiwara became the owner of a pet shop.

After breaking through the children's area, the group entered the adult area, and the events on the grid began to change.

'I didn't expect this game to be so well-made; it seems that the other participants in the development team, besides Fujiwara, all have pretty normal thinking.'

Shangguan Yun thought to himself that he had not encountered any strange events so far.

He casually picked up the card corresponding to the number that had just been rolled.

"Hmm? This is..."

Looking at the card in her hand with a wedding photo printed on it and the word "married" written on it, Shangguan Yun felt a sense of unease.

Ishigami Yu glanced at the card in Shangguan Yun's hand, compared it with the rulebook, and said with a look of novelty, "Oh! That's a 'marriage square.' The person who steps on it has to marry the player closest to the square, and then the effect of the square they stepped on will be shared by the two married players."

"The president is getting married?!"

Kaguya's eyes widened, and her heart began to pound.

'The object of... is...'

A surge of intense anticipation welled up within Kaguya. Could she be the student council president's marriage partner? If so, she…

"Ah! The closest person is Yukino! Congratulations to Yukino and the student council president on their marriage! Hehehe~"

Fujiwara Chika excitedly pointed to the square closest to Shangguan Yun, which represented Yukino Yukinoshita.

"what?!"

Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Kaguya Shinomiya stared in disbelief at Yukino Yukinoshita's checkered pattern, as if she had been petrified.

'The president... got married, but the person he married wasn't me...'

'No, no, no, this is just a game, this...this is just a game...this is just an event that happens in a game, you can't confuse it with reality!'

Kaguya kept giving herself positive self-talk.

A hint of unease flashed across Yukino Yukinoshita's face, but she quickly concealed it.

Aside from initially letting out a gasp, she remained relatively calm afterward, but a closer look reveals that her ears were slightly red.

Shangguan Yun was also somewhat embarrassed. If it were Kaguya, he probably wouldn't be so embarrassed, because he does have a different kind of affection for Kaguya than for others.

Even if it was Fujiwara, that would have been fine, but who knew that it would be Yukino Yukinoshita instead.

Even though it's just a game, the thought of marrying his junior in the game still felt very strange to him...

But since they'd already gotten this far, and Yukinoshita hadn't said anything, he could only endure the awkwardness and continue.

'We must be very careful about any games that Fujiwara is involved in developing in the future!'

Yu Ishigami, standing next to him, added very professionally: "By the way, the other players have to give them a red envelope of 50,000 yuan."

"Senior! I didn't ask you to give cash!"

Yu Ishigami quickly stopped Kaguya as she stiffly took out 50,000 yen in cash from her wallet.

Has this senior lost sight of reality because of gaming?!

Kaguya then successfully established her company and obtained ten million in funding.

"Hehe... How lucky I am..."

Kaguya's tone was flat and monotone; she seemed to have become a puppet on a string.

"Ah! It's a birthing ceremony! The president and Yukino have had a baby! Yukino became a mother at such a young age?"

"Senior, senior!"

Even though Yukino Yukinoshita tried to appear calm, she couldn't quite handle Fujiwara Chika's lewd words.

"Can you please not speak so ambiguously?" Shangguan Yun looked at the excited Fujiwara Chika with a hint of exasperation.

"Hehehe~"

"This time it's 100,000 yuan... Please, senior, take the cash back!"

Kaguya rolled the coin square several more times, and her progress in the game was very smooth.

But she couldn't be happy at all, because the student council president had already had a bunch of children with Yukinoshita...

Then, in the next throw, Kaguya threw out a card that read "Identity Swap".

"Identity swap, swapping identities and all assets with the player closest to you in the grid. The one closest to the senior is..."

"It's Yukino!"

"W-what?!"

Kaguya and Yukino exclaimed in surprise again.

Kaguya perked up instantly when she heard that she and Yukino were going to switch identities. The other person's identity was... the student council president...

Thinking of this, Kaguya's face began to burn, and her previous gloom vanished.

She currently has the most assets on the field, and switching roles means she might lose the game, but she doesn't feel any regret at all.

'Switch identities?'

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the pile of cards representing herself and Shangguan Yun, and couldn't quite describe her feelings.

Of course, she hadn't known Chairman Shangguan for very long; at most, she had a good impression of him, but it wasn't enough for her to fall in love with him.

But this game caused a subtle change in her mindset. Even though she knew it was fake, the sudden transformation of her things into someone else's still made her feel very awkward.

After switching identities, the game passed amidst the complex and inexplicable feelings of the group, and the one who ultimately emerged victorious was Yukino Yukinoshita, who had switched identities with Kaguya.

Then there's Fujiwara Chika, who for some reason never encountered any strange incidents involving the grid, while Shangguan Yun and Kaguya, who were in charge of raising the children, were at the bottom.

But Kaguya was still in a good mood. After "marrying" the president, she seemed to have a change of luck, rolling three production squares and "giving birth to three children for the president".

"We had so much fun! Let's all come and play together again next time!"

Upon hearing Fujiwara Chika's words, everyone's faces darkened, and they all said in unison, "Impossible! Don't even think about a next time!"

"Huh? You seem really happy?"

Shangguan Yun decided that he would prohibit Fujiwara Chika from promoting the games she created in the student council from now on.

With a somewhat complicated expression, Yukino Yukinoshita bid farewell and left, resolving in her heart to keep her distance from a certain Fujiwara-senpai.

Afterwards, Yu Ishigami provided Chika Fujiwara with a very serious game improvement plan, which was quite brainwashing.

……

After school, not far from the school.

"Miss, I would like to request two days off."

"Okay... By the way, are you alright, Hayasaka? You look terrible, should you go see a doctor?"

Kaguya Shinomiya looked at her attendant, Ai Hayasaka, with some concern. Hayasaka's lips were pale, and she looked haggard, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

This forced her to abandon any idea of ​​sharing what had happened that day with the other party, and her request for leave was immediately approved.

As her personal maid who had been by her side since childhood, Hayasaka Ai was arguably the person closest to her, and Kaguya was somewhat worried when she saw her like this.

"No need, I'll be fine after a couple of days of rest. I'll be going now. I've already made arrangements for work, so please go back, Miss."

"Okay... alright, but if anything happens, you must tell me."

Kaguya knew Hayasaka Ai's personality; she wouldn't speak about things she didn't want to say.

"Ok."

As the Shinomiya family's car drove away, Hayasaka Ai looked somewhat dazed.

She pursed her pale lips, her steps slightly unsteady, and walked forward.

Chapter 42 Hayasaka Ai's Encounters

Recently, Hayasaka Ai has been feeling that she is in a very bad state.

I've been having nightmares every night for the past week, and almost all of them are about Kaguya-sama.

Hayasaka Ai wakes up in fright every time she dreams of Kaguya's cold gaze after learning the truth.

Every time she thinks about how the things in her dreams might become reality someday, she trembles with fear.

'I'm simply not qualified to be the young lady's friend.'

Since being trained to be Kaguya Shinomiya's personal attendant, Hayasaka Ai has been doing a job so demanding that it could wear down an adult.

I get up at five o'clock every morning.

Taking a shower after waking up is how she starts her day. She's completely unprepared when she first wakes up, and this is also a ritual to activate her professional skills.

Then comes brushing my teeth, putting on daily disposable contact lenses, putting on makeup, and blow-drying my hair.

Once she puts on the maid outfit, she's complete her usual persona; maintaining a dignified appearance is also one of her job requirements.

Six o'clock is the start time for attendance.

The Shinomiya Bessou has about twenty employees. The Shinomiya family members from the main residence in Kyoto often use this place when they come to Tokyo, so they must be fully prepared and ready to go.

The rules for servants in the Shinomiya household are very strict. Unless summoned, they must never appear in front of their master or visitors. If they fail to clean thoroughly, they will be dismissed. If their plates and silverware are stained, they will also be dismissed.

Since there were no high-ranking servants like butlers in the mansion, all of this had to be directed by Hayasaka, who was the most senior.

Discuss lunch and dinner arrangements with the head chef, confirm the visitor's dietary preferences and allergies, and arrange the menu.

Afterwards, she would also have to direct the gardeners, as the courtyard, being the face of the residence, had to display the majesty of the Shinomiya family.

Every season, we purchase plants from abroad, review design plans, confirm budgets, and perform pruning when there are no visitors.

At seven o'clock, I need to help the young lady get up, help her get dressed, and confirm her schedule.

After watching the young lady go to school, he quickly finished a simple breakfast, checked the mailed items, and while heading to school, he brainstormed the content of his reply, writing a draft on his phone.

Even while attending classes at school, one must keep an eye on the young lady's movements and gather information from classmates.

You must always be vigilant about any problematic classmates who appear around Kaguya.

The only private space she could count on was the student council office. Entering without permission would result in reprimand, and besides, with that President Shangguan around, she didn't dare to enter easily.

After school, I would try to ride with Kaguya home together, using that time to discuss various matters with her.

Back at the mansion, things get even busier than in the morning, and I'm forced to chat with my silly young lady about completely meaningless topics.

This is simply not a job that a seventeen-year-old girl should be able to handle.

However, the Shinomiya family had no concept of obeying the law, and Hayasaka Ai never questioned it.

In the dead of night, when she is exhausted and on the verge of collapse, although she wants to rest as soon as possible, this is the most agonizing moment for Hayasaka Ai.

Back in her room, she performed the last, and most unsettling, task, which filled her with unease and guilt.

It means to report Kaguya Shinomiya's every move in detail to the family members.

After finishing the report, I prepared for tomorrow while watching stress-relieving videos online before finally falling asleep.

And so, every single day, every single day, every single day, every single day, every single day, Hayasaka Ai…

Since becoming Kaguya's attendant, she has felt overwhelmed by guilt every day for the past ten years or so.

Her sense of guilt seemed to be amplified infinitely over the course of the week.

Just like during that time when she inexplicably wanted to end her life, Hayasaka Ai once again had this thought uncontrollably.