Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World-Chapter 238: Who Doesn’t Like Cute Maids?

Saturday morning, 5:30 a.m., Ren's house.

Awakened by her internal clock, Hayasaka opened her eyes as usual.

Normally, her biological clock would have her up even earlier, but out of consideration for Ren and Chika, who had been sleeping in over the past week, she had been adjusting her schedule, sleeping nearly half an hour longer each day.

Lately, whenever she opened her eyes, she would always see that calm and adorable sleeping face beside her.

But today, the feeling was a bit different.

From today onward, she would be standing on the same starting line as Miss Kaguya.

Hayasaka felt an unfamiliar sense of security and belonging, something she had never experienced before.

In this moment, she finally understood a little why Chika was so greedy for Ren's embrace.

Now that she had experienced it herself, she understood completely.

Thinking this, Hayasaka shifted her body into Ren's arms, burying her face against his chest.

Just as Chika had said, Ren's embrace really did give off an incredibly comforting feeling.

Peaceful and warm, making her want to continue enjoying the moment without getting up—even though her maid training and discipline told her otherwise.

"Hmm..."

Maybe because of her movements, Hayasaka suddenly heard a faint sound. She looked up from Ren's arms and saw him slowly opening his eyes.

The hand resting on her waist moved slightly and instinctively pinched her hip.

The unexpected action startled Hayasaka a little, and she looked up, locking eyes directly with Ren.

The shy Hayasaka and the half-awake, stunned Ren met each other's gaze.

The sensation from his hand, combined with Hayasaka's bashful expression, immediately made Ren realize exactly where his hand was.

Just as Ren was about to say something, Hayasaka quickly reached out and covered his mouth.

With a soft tone and a bit of embarrassment, she leaned closer to his ear.

"Don't wake up Fujiwara."

Ren took a deep breath, nodded slightly, and quietly moved his hand away from Hayasaka's hip.

The two of them began to get up with the quiet understanding they had developed over the past week.

Hayasaka sat up carefully, gently lifting the quilt.

Ren, using tentacles formed from the grey fog, picked up Chika, waiting until he was fully standing before carrying her directly.

Hayasaka got out of bed at the same time, composed herself, and then opened the space door leading to Chika's room.

Working together seamlessly, they returned Chika to her original bed without waking her.

After completing the task, the two quietly returned to Ren's room.

Hayasaka walked ahead, saying nothing. She simply closed her eyes and stood on tiptoe.

Ren took a deep breath, lowered his head slightly, and kissed her lips, bare of any makeup.

After a long moment, the two parted naturally.

Hayasaka opened her eyes, filled with a gentle smile.

"You should practice your kissing skills more. Miss Kaguya isn't the type to take the initiative. She's much more timid than Sonoko. Some things will require a bit of guidance."

"But it's fine. Whenever you need, I'll be happy to help you practice, my master."

Her thoughtful maid demeanor made Ren's heart race uncontrollably.

Who doesn't like a sweet, attentive, and cute maid?

At that moment, Ren made what could be considered his first bold request.

He hugged Hayasaka tightly.

"Hayasaka, can you stay with me for a while longer?"

Held tightly in his arms, Hayasaka blushed deeply, her expression softening into acceptance.

"Of course."

Under the excuse of "practice," Hayasaka stayed at Ren's house for another half hour.

At 6:11 a.m., a space door opened in Hayasaka's room, and she returned, still in her pajamas.

Back in her room, Hayasaka lowered the flush on her face slightly, but she couldn't help bringing her hands up to cover her cheeks.

"Ah... Why did I say something so bold to Amamiya?"

"And offering to help him practice kissing with Miss Kaguya... wasn't that like challenging Miss Kaguya directly?"

Caught up in the mood of the moment, Hayasaka had acted on impulse, doing things she wouldn't normally dare.

Now that she was back in her room, she finally realized how daring she had been.

At this moment, Hayasaka fully recognized that her behavior had definitely crossed the line with Miss Kaguya.

Fortunately, the soundproofing of the Shinomiya family mansion was excellent. Otherwise, someone outside might have overheard her.

After reflecting on her reckless behavior, Hayasaka gradually calmed herself down.

"Well... it's fine. Amamiya won't tell Miss Kaguya about this. As long as I don't mention my... overstepping, she won't find out."

Although she had once vowed never to betray Miss Kaguya, Hayasaka decided that, at least for now, she wouldn't explain the kiss to her.

Of course, she wouldn't lie about her feelings for Ren either.

In fact, Hayasaka knew she couldn't hide her emotions, especially since she needed to be upfront about Chika. If she pretended otherwise, it would be the true betrayal.

Steeling herself, Hayasaka took a deep breath.

"As long as I don't deny my feelings for Ren, it's fine."

She walked to the full-length mirror in her room and checked her lips carefully.

Not particularly red.

Both she and Ren lacked much experience. Their kiss was more instinctive exploration than any sort of skilled practice.

Aside from the kiss, the two of them had been very well-behaved.

Hayasaka could feel that Ren had been a bit impulsive this time.

But she didn't dislike it at all. On the contrary, it proved that Ren wasn't completely indifferent to them. There had only been an invisible wall between them before.

Now, that wall was beginning to crumble.

Gently patting her cheeks, Hayasaka confirmed that she had returned to her usual composed "maid mode," then quietly left her room.

Next, she needed to confess to Kaguya everything that had happened this past week.

(To be continued.)