I created a foundation

That smile seemed to carry a sense of relief, a hint of heartfelt admiration, and... an almost imperceptible hint of girlish shyness, as light as the cherry blossoms in early spring.

Like now.

After finishing the documents at hand, Kaguya picked up the teacup and sipped the black tea, but her eyes drifted out the window and fell on the roof of the teaching building in the distance.

The sunlight gave her a soft golden edge, and that expression appeared again on her delicate and flawless profile.

Fujiwara Chika's heart skipped a beat.

This expression...she is so familiar with it!

She had seen similar expressions in the countless girls' comics she treasured, in those tear-jerking pure love movies, and when she caught Yamada, a classmate from the next class, secretly handing a love letter to Suzuki!

A bold and almost the only possibility struck Fujiwara Chika's pink bubble-filled brain like lightning.

The iron tree in her house that never blooms, her best friend Kaguya Shinomiya who always scoffs at the topic of love, believing that "that kind of thing will only affect learning efficiency"...

He must be secretly in love with her!

"puff--"

Qianhua almost spit out the strawberry milk she had just drunk.

She stood up suddenly from her seat, and the chair made a harsh sound as it scraped against the floor.

Kaguya was disturbed by her movement and turned her head in confusion: "What's wrong, Chika? You're so jumpy."

"No, nothing!" Qianhua waved her hands hurriedly, trying to hide the turmoil in her heart.

She sat down again, her heart still pounding.

in love!

Kaguya is actually in love!

This realization made Qianhua feel an indescribable complex emotion.

There is a little bit of loss and loneliness of being "abandoned" by a close friend, as if your beloved puppy suddenly ran away with someone else.

But more than that, it is the excitement as if discovering a new world, the burning gossip soul, and the sense of mission as a "love master (self-proclaimed)"!

She began to think carefully about Kaguya's recent abnormalities.

He always "mysteriously disappeared" after school and no longer went on the same route with her.

Several times she saw that Kaguya's exclusive car did not drive directly to the Shinomiya family, but turned in an unknown direction at a certain intersection.

Also, Kaguya was answering the phone more often.

Although Kaguya always lowered her voice and went to a secluded corner, Chika still managed to catch some key words with her extraordinary hearing (she thought so).

For example, that extra gentle "Yeah, I get it."

And that "Yes, President" with obvious obedience and dependence.

President?

Qianhua's little radar started beeping.

This name is very suspicious!

Could he be the president of a student organization? Or the president of some club?

It sounds like the setting of a handsome, rich, capable, domineering and gentle male protagonist in a girl's comic!

Even Kaguya's valet Hayasaka Ai has become elusive recently.

Hayasaka used to always be by Kaguya's side, but now she often disappears.

Occasionally, Chika would run into Hayasaka and try to find out about Kaguya's recent situation indirectly, but Hayasaka would just give her a formulaic smile and brush her off with some ambiguous words.

"The eldest lady has been dealing with some...important matters within the family lately."

"I'm sorry I can't reveal the eldest lady's itinerary."

Humph, this attempt to cover up the truth only confirms her guess!

This is clearly a cover-up for Kaguya's secret date!

All the clues are connected.

Frequent "something's happening", mysterious whereabouts, peculiar expressions, suspicious phone calls, and the perfect coordination of the attendants...

Fujiwara Chika slammed the table with her hands, her eyes determined.

there is only one truth!

Kaguya Shinomiya is, one hundred percent, absolutely, in love!

Moreover, the other party must be a very, very powerful man, who can make the arrogant Kaguya show such an admiring and shy expression!

"Damn it..." Qianhua bit her thumb nail, frowning as she fell into deeper thought, "Which unromantic brat actually dared to secretly kidnap my pure and innocent Miss Kaguya!"

Although it is a good thing that Kaguya is in love and deserves blessing.

However, as Kaguya's best friend and the recognized "love detective" of Shuchiin Academy, she has the responsibility and obligation to find out the background of that man!

She wanted to see who that man was!

Is he worthy of her Kaguya!

Did he bully Kaguya?

Will he make Kaguya sad?

When she thought of this, Fujiwara Chika felt the burden on her shoulders became much heavier.

She solemnly took out a slightly worn but cleaned deerstalker hat, the same style as Sherlock Holmes', from her schoolbag and put it on her head.

Then she took out an equally old magnifying glass from the drawer and held it in front of her eyes seriously.

“Hehehe…” She lowered her voice, a smile of “everything is under control” appeared on the corner of her mouth, “Love Detective Fujiwara Chika, officially accepted the commission!”

"Target—Shinomiya Kaguya's secret lover!"

"Mission - Find that man and conduct a comprehensive background check and character assessment!"

She had no idea that this exciting "detective game" of hers would open the door to a magnificent and bizarre new world for her.

She didn't even know that the true identity of the so-called "underground lover" was far beyond the limits of her poor imagination.

At this moment, Fujiwara Chika, immersed in her own reasoning, has begun to formulate a detailed battle plan.

Her first action plan is to track Kaguya in all directions starting tomorrow!

Fujiwara Chika almost didn't sleep all night.

In his mind, the abnormal behavior of his best friend Kaguya Shinomiya played on repeat like a movie clip.

And that phone call, the faint shyness and expectation in Kaguya's voice that was hard to conceal was like a feather, tickling Fujiwara Chika's heart.

"Definitely in love!"

This is her intuition as a "love detective", no, it is her professional judgment.

The next day, just as the sky was getting light, Fujiwara Chika jumped out of bed.

She had two light dark circles under her eyes, but her eyes sparkled with a light brighter than the morning light, which was the excitement of a hunter when he found his prey.

She dug out a set of dark grey sportswear from the deepest part of her closet, which she had treasured for a long time and which she believed only a "professional spy" would wear.

The suit is lightweight, form-fitting, and most importantly – inconspicuous.

She then found a wide-brimmed baseball cap and pulled the brim down low, almost covering most of her face.

The self in the mirror looks mysterious and professional.

She nodded with satisfaction.

For this "big operation", she even "borrowed" a pair of brand new, black rubber gloves from the kitchen drawer.

"Perfectly removes fingerprints without leaving any traces."

She made a shooting gesture in front of the mirror, a self-proclaimed, unfathomable smile on her lips.

At the breakfast table, facing her family's concerned inquiries, she just waved her hand mysteriously.

"Today we are conducting important research on the ultimate mystery of human emotions."

Fujiwara no Scribe, her father, shook his head helplessly, thinking that his daughter was just playing some new game.

The younger sister Mengye blinked her big eyes and looked at her elder sister with admiration.

Only Qianhua herself knows that what she is about to undertake is a "secret tracking investigation operation" that will put the happiness of her best friend at risk.

As soon as the school bell rang, Fujiwara Chika rushed out of the classroom like an arrow.

Instead of chattering with Kaguya as usual to discuss where to go for dessert, she lurked in front of Kaguya on the route she had to take to go home.

A big tree with lush branches and leaves provided her with perfect cover.

She pulled out a hardcover notebook from her schoolbag, with "Top Secret Love Affair Book No. 1" written on the cover in crooked handwriting.

Turning to the first page, she saw the "Suspect Kaguya's Action Route Map" and "Possible Lover's Profile" that she had drawn up last night.

"Target appears!"

Qianhua lowered her voice, as if she was carrying out some special mission...

Not far away, Kaguya Shinomiya appeared at the school gate.

Hayasaka Ai still followed her closely, and the two of them were talking in low voices.

Soon, the familiar black extended Rolls-Royce, which symbolized the wealth of the Shinomiya family, slowly drove over.

Kaguya and Hayasaka Ai got into the car one after another.

"The action begins!"

Qianhua suddenly jumped out from behind the tree, her movements as agile as a trained raccoon cat.

She ran to the roadside at the speed of a 100-meter sprint, raising her arms high and waving them with all her might.

"Taxi! Taxi!"

An empty taxi stopped in front of her.

Qianhua opened the car door and sat in, breathlessly pointing at the Rolls-Royce in front that had started to accelerate.