All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 152: Hayasaka Ai, I Like You

Today's lunch, Hayasaka Ai ate without any sense of taste.

At first, while eating, she had planned many small interactions.

But in the end, she completely lost the mood to do anything.

As someone who always has a plan, Hayasaka Ai likes to calculate everything before taking action.

She had investigated Yukima Azuma thoroughly, without missing a single detail.

Adding to that was the day of interaction yesterday.

Hayasaka Ai was confident that she had grasped Yukima Azuma's personality and psychology.

Based on Yukima Azuma's personality, she had devised a step-by-step conquest strategy with tight connections.

But as it turned out, the plan, although seemingly perfect step by step—

None of the steps actually connected with each other.

Hayasaka Ai felt as if the progress bar for conquering Yukima Azuma was flashing erratically before her eyes.

Sometimes full, sometimes disappearing.

His attitude truly left her unable to understand what he was thinking.

Frustrated, she took out her anger on the food in front of her.

...

As Hayasaka Ai angrily ate in a frenzy—

Yukima Azuma simply sat next to her, smiling as he observed her.

This girl's intention to conquer was so obvious that it couldn't be hidden.

But thanks to her thorough intelligence work, the effectiveness of her conquest was actually quite good.

It could even make someone's heart flutter a little.

After all, in the art of conquest, information is extremely important.

If Yukima Azuma didn't know Hayasaka Ai—

If the person who interacted with Hayasaka Ai yesterday was truly Yukima Azuma himself—

Then today, perhaps he would have actually been swayed by her.

Unfortunately, there were no "ifs."

Yukima Azuma knew very well that the person before him was the multi-layered actress maid, Hayasaka Ai.

He knew that this dark-hearted maid was acting from head to toe.

When you already have the answer in mind while analyzing a situation, naturally, you won't fall into Hayasaka Ai's trap and have your heart race.

Moreover—

A bigger issue was—

The one who interacted with Hayasaka Ai yesterday wasn't Yukima Azuma.

It was Miyamizu Mitsuha, the simple and innocent cute girl from the town of Itomori.

Using Miyamizu Mitsuha's personality to design a trap—

It was only natural that Yukima Azuma wouldn't step into it.

As for Yukima Azuma's unpredictable attitude—

It was precisely to throw Hayasaka Ai off balance.

If Hayasaka Ai had been able to cling tightly to her plan—

Then no matter what happened today, she would have remained steady at the top, unshaken.

But now—

Yukima Azuma looked at Hayasaka Ai, puffing her cheeks in frustration as she ate.

Now, Hayasaka Ai was clearly no longer calm.

In a game of chess, when the mind is in turmoil—

Whether due to anger or excitement—

It means you've stepped into the game.

At that moment, the roles between the player and the chess piece would be reversed.

—

Lunch quietly passed.

Hayasaka Ai adjusted her emotions and looked toward Yukima Azuma.

No matter what, based on Yukima Azuma's behavior today, she had indeed made him waver a little more toward her.

Even though the plan was a mess—

As long as the success rate remained high, there was no reason to give up.

The afternoon plan would proceed as scheduled!

"Azuma-kun, let's go for a walk at the bookstore. How about checking out some light novels together?"

Hayasaka Ai extended an invitation.

"Sure."

Yukima Azuma readily agreed.

And so, the two arrived at a large bookstore in Ginza.

This bookstore not only had a rich collection of books—

But also had a café and a relaxation area for customers.

Hayasaka Ai picked up a volume of Saekano.

Although she considered herself a fan of the "Youth" series—

In reality, she had never read Saekano or Bunny Girl Senpai.

After all, as the personal maid of Shinomiya Kaguya, her work was very busy.

The moments of leisure to read light novels were almost nonexistent for Hayasaka Ai.

On normal days, the pressure was so high that whenever she had time to relax, she mostly watched entertainment videos or soaked in the bath to unwind.

Information about those two book series, she had only skimmed over online.

Now, picking up the book was merely to score points in front of Yukima Azuma.

Yukima Azuma picked up a copy of The Legend of the Phantom Blade.

This was a fantasy battle light novel series that had once been very popular, but it hadn't existed in Yukima Azuma's previous life.

Now, with some free time, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

After all, it was a work that had once stirred the market, it must have some unique aspects.

"Finally, I can read it again. I've wanted to re-read it for a long time, but never had the time~"

"Hasaka, are you usually so busy?"

"Yes, the studies are very intense. After all, it's a private girls' school, where academic performance is very important, and I have to study around ten hours a day."

"Ten hours... That's really tough. Is today a rare holiday?"

"Yep! It's an incredibly rare holiday! Spending time with Azuma-kun is truly wonderful."

At this point, not everything Hayasaka Ai said was a lie.

At least, her complaint contained some real emotion.

As the close maid of the Shinomiya family,

Ten hours of waiting with high intensity in one day was considered little.

There were times, such as when Shinomiya Kaguya attended high-class galas,

In the daytime, Hayasaka Ai had to prepare outfits and arrange schedules for Kaguya, and at night, she had to ensure her safety.

She had experienced days spinning non-stop for twenty-four hours.

That was completely normal.

Today was also a day she took off to go out.

Saying this, Hayasaka Ai suddenly realized that it seemed like all her vacations this year...

Had been used to spend time with Yukima Azuma.

Immediately, she gritted her teeth.

When she conquers Yukima Azuma...

She would make him pay back this debt a hundredfold!

Vengeance Will Be Mine!!!

"I'm the same, usually so busy. To be able to enjoy a rare holiday with Hasaka…"

"Really, it's truly wonderful."

Yukima Azuma's voice then sounded almost like a whisper to himself.

Hayasaka Ai paused for a moment.

Suddenly, she remembered that the young man before her was the president of Laplace Corporation.

This person... Does he really have it easier than her?

Hayasaka Ai understood how difficult it was to run a corporation.

Perhaps, the young man before her was even more exhausted than she was.

Thinking about that,

Hayasaka Ai unconsciously felt a bit of sympathy.

At the same time, she couldn't help but feel curious.

He was so outstanding, why did he still have to work this hard?

Yukima Azuma didn't need to look at Hayasaka Ai's expression to know that she had definitely fallen for it.

This cunning maid, in reality, was very sensitive inside.

As long as he disturbed her reasoning,

It would become incredibly easy to stir her emotions.

Hayasaka Ai pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered that she was still in the middle of her conquest plan for Yukima Azuma.

So, she suppressed all the emotions in her heart,

Pretending to be tired, slowly resting her head on the table.

Her voice in the conversation also gradually grew softer.

After a while of staging, she pretended to fall asleep.

Saying she was tired was just an excuse to fake sleeping.

She was confident that if she slept here,

Yukima Azuma would never leave her side.

In this way, she could create the scene of "sleeping soundly without any defense, while Yukima Azuma stays by her side, watching over her."

If she could successfully recreate this moment,

Then when she woke up,

She could pretend to be shy and moved, and take the opportunity to confess her feelings.

Such a confession would become completely natural.

Moreover, it could blur the lines between "friends" and "lovers."

This would significantly increase the chances of a successful confession.

Once they entered a romantic relationship,

The subsequent steps of the conquest would become incredibly simple.

Everything just according to keikaku!

Hayasaka Ai lay on the table, smiling with a very Aizen-like expression, silently cheering for her plan.

With such a tight plan, how could she possibly fail?

Time slowly passed.

Hayasaka Ai squinted her eyes, secretly glancing at Yukima Azuma.

He... had been sitting beside her reading a light novel the whole time.

This made Hayasaka Ai sigh inwardly.

Does he even like her?

If he did, she was sleeping right next to him, why was there no reaction?

And if he didn't, then what about the hand-holding at the movie theater?

Could it be... that the upcoming confession would fail?

As Hayasaka Ai was lost in thought, Yukima Azuma suddenly closed the light novel.

His gaze turned toward her.

Hayasaka Ai immediately closed her eyes, adjusting her breathing, not revealing any flaws.

Just as she was wondering what he would do—

She felt a gentle warmth brush past her cheek.

Hayasaka Ai suddenly froze.

This guy...!

He actually touched her cheek while she was sleeping?!

Holding hands was one thing, because she initiated it.

But this action... it was clearly crossing the line, right?!

Could it be that he was just pretending to be righteous, but deep down he was a pervert?

Just as she was thinking this—

"Are you really asleep… Looks like your daily work must be very tough, huh?"

Yukima Azuma's voice gently reached her.

It was so warm it was almost unbelievable.

If recorded, it would surely become a lullaby for countless young girls.

Hayasaka Ai's heart skipped a beat.

But it wasn't because of the gentle voice.

It was because...

'Work?'

Why did he say she worked hard?

Didn't she say she was just a high school student?

Before she could think further—

Yukima Azuma's next words directly answered her question.

"Hayasaka, you've worked hard. Just sleep peacefully."

Yukima Azuma said.

The hand on the other side of Hayasaka Ai tightened.

She wanted to jump up immediately.

How did he know?!

Did she slip up somewhere?

She had disguised herself as Hasaka so perfectly, no one should have seen through it!

Then when did he realize?

If he knew she was Hayasaka Ai, then what the hell was this guy doing the whole time?!

Hayasaka Ai recalled what had happened in the past two days.

She only felt like she had been toyed with.

A tremendous sense of embarrassment surged within her.

She wanted to jump up right away, pin Yukima Azuma by the neck with her thighs and twist hard.

Just as her fingers tightened to the point of turning white—

"I wish the person dating me was Hayasaka Ai, not Hasaka."

Yukima Azuma gently caressed Hayasaka Ai's cheek, his voice full of regret.

The soft touch of his finger, as if it contained all his love.

"At the Shinomiya house, you must have suffered a lot, huh?"

"Having to live behind all those layers of masks every day must be exhausting."

"You're clearly a young lady of the Hayasaka family, why do you have to endure such hardships?"

"Hayasaka Ai, I like you."

"I will definitely take you away from the Shinomiya family."

"No matter how difficult it is, no matter how many obstacles there are on that path."

"You, and the entire Hayasaka family, I will definitely take you back. Definitely!"

Hayasaka Ai's breath became completely disordered.

(note: This chapter has a very strong Kaguya-sama: Love is War feel)