Reflecting on this, Kagura withdrew his phone and searched the name "Mai Sakurajima."
"By the heavens, no wonder she seemed familiar—she's a celebrated film star! That explains her peculiar expression when I failed to recognize her."
Kagura, a man wholly indifferent to the allure of celebrity, finally recalled where he had so often glimpsed her visage: on television screens, in shopping arcades, and across the boundless expanse of digital streaming platforms.
To Kagura, the beauties confined within screens were mere phantasms; only those he could embrace and savor in reality held true substance—such as his devoted attendant, Ai Hayasaka.
Hours later, having returned home, dined, and bathed, Kagura—who never troubled himself with homework—maintained a precarious balance on the cusp of passing grades in every subject. He had never required remedial lessons, for his mastery of music ensured his academic ascent, leaving his teachers with little recourse to reprimand him.
Thus, eschewing his studies, Kagura perched upon the desk in Ai Hayasaka's chamber, legs crossed, playfully disrupting her tranquility.
"Lord Kagura, if you've no intention of attending to your assignments, might I suggest you practice the piano instead?"
Hayasaka produced a compass, deftly removing the protective cap from its needle with a sharp *click* and brandishing it toward him.
The glinting point drew perilously close to his posterior.
Kagura winced as a prickling sensation assailed him, coughed lightly, and slid off the desk. Leaning against her chair, he inquired, "Hayasaka, are you acquainted with the school's tales concerning 'Senpai Mai'?"
"Oh… does this pique your curiosity? If pressed, I suppose I know a few."
Hayasaka traced circles with her compass, her focus unwavering—a paragon of multitasking.
"Pray, enlighten me."
"Much like every institution boasts its 'Seven Mysteries,' Sobu High is no exception. Let me see… foremost among them must be 'Hide and Seek,' a tale surely known to all but you. Then there's 'The Ritual,' 'The Calling Window,' 'The Cursed Stone,' 'The Stairway to Another Realm,' 'The Maiden in the Mirror,' 'The Six-Year Cherry Blossom,' 'The Nonexistent Room Four,' and so forth…"
"From your recounting, it seems there are more than seven? You've named eight already."
Kagura diligently recorded each on his phone, his thoughts drifting to Mai Sakurajima, whom he'd encountered that day. Was she investigating 'The Maiden in the Mirror'? This, alongside 'The Nonexistent Room,' comprised the only two legends he knew tied to "Senpai Mai."
"Isn't it common knowledge that the 'Seven Mysteries' exceed seven?"
Hayasaka's tone remained unruffled, as if anticipating his query.
"Fair enough… but tell me, did a student named Mai Sakurajima truly perish at Sobu High forty years ago?"
Simultaneously, Kagura searched his phone, though pairing "Mai Sakurajima" with "Sobu High" invariably summoned the reigning film star, her prominence drowning out any trace of the past.
"Though the name remains uncertain, a girl did indeed meet her end in the old schoolhouse forty years prior… later dubbed 'Senpai Mai' in widespread lore. Are you perchance seeking a topic to broach with Yukino? I daresay she's not one for such matters… Speaking of which, did you encounter Yukino today? I believe she departed straight after classes."
"No… I didn't see Yukino, but I met Mai Sakurajima—quite the coincidence, wouldn't you say?"
Kagura snapped his fingers with a gleeful chuckle.
To converse privately with a maiden of such caliber naturally lifted a man's spirits.
"Mai Sakurajima, Class 3-C. Measurements: 86-52-88, C-cup, height 165 centimeters, leg length 87 centimeters, last recorded weight 50 kilograms. Since enrolling, she's consistently ranked second in her year. An Asian cinematic luminary, she debuted at six, though she withdrew from the screen two years ago at sixteen for reasons undisclosed, and has yet to return. Personal wealth exceeds fifty billion yen—a veritable embodiment of talent and beauty. Your taste is impeccable."
Upon hearing the name, Hayasaka recited her profile with the fluency of a savant, all while calmly sketching geometric aids on her workbook with ruler and pen.
"…No need to flatter me. I didn't even recognize her when we met."
"I find it odd myself. I seldom see Senpai Mai Sakurajima at school, yet you, Lord Kagura, managed to cross paths with her on the first day of term. Truly befitting a wastrel young master newly embarked on a cad's romantic conquests."
Having completed her diagram, Hayasaka tilted her head back, nudging Kagura's spine with a soft *heh* of amusement.
"Oi! What's this about a cad's conquests? I merely seek a suitable partner for matrimony…" Kagura began to chide her, then paused, rubbing his chin with a hiss. "By the by, you said she's perpetually second in her year? Who claims first?"
"That would be Utaha Kasumigaoka of Class 3-A, who achieves perfect scores in every subject, every time. Measurements: 89-58-90, D-cup, height 168 centimeters, leg length 88 centimeters, last recorded weight 54 kilograms. Outwardly the epitome of scholarly virtue, yet privately a recluse akin to your sister, friendless and immersed in otaku pursuits. A light novel author, she penned *Love Metronome*. Personal assets: approximately three hundred million yen. Did you not once sponsor her endeavors?"
Hayasaka continued her recitation without pause.
—*I am a dispassionate herald of figures.*
"Oh, her… Her figure sounds rather splendid too, doesn't it? Though perhaps a tad plump?"
The name stirred a memory: over a year ago, shortly after clinching first in the Chopin Piano Competition, a publisher named Fushikawa Shoten approached him to promote "Kasumi Shiko's" *Love Metronome*, offering ten million yen.
Kagura's condition was clear: "Keep the money—I wish to meet Kasumi Shiko." Wealth he had in abundance; his curiosity stemmed from his sister Eriri's fervor for her work. He needed to ascertain the author's character.
Lest she impart anything untoward to Eriri.
Thus, he met her—a beauty of considerable allure. In subsequent interviews, he lent her a subtle endorsement. When a host inquired about his pastimes, he brandished *Love Metronome*, declaring it his current read.
The book surged to the pinnacle of national light novel sales, reprints numbering in the tens of thousands.
"That's owing to her proportions being marginally more voluptuous than Senpai Mai Sakurajima's. Both possess figures of near perfection. I'd advise against dreaming of a 165-centimeter, 40-kilogram maiden with a D-cup. Alternatively, you might turn left at the door and join Lady Eriri in her devotion to two-dimensional idols."
Hayasaka, mildly irked, nudged his back once more with her head.
"Fear not—I'm aware you're a B-cup, and I shan't disdain you for it."
With that, Kagura turned and pressed his hands to Hayasaka's chest, kneading gently.
"This has naught to do with my measurements! How did we veer to this topic? You truly are…"
Hayasaka tensed at the mention of her bust, her ears flushing crimson.
Ever sensitive to her modest proportions, she faltered.