Chapter 185: Ice, Maid, and Honor on the Board
Shinomiya Kaguya stood frozen in place, the soft night wind stirring the ends of her raven hair.
She had just bowed deeply in gratitude, her voice restrained but sincere.
"Yukima-onii-san... thank you for saving me once again."
The man in question, Yukima Azuma, simply raised his hand and—without a word—placed it gently on her head.
Kaguya’s breath caught.
The sensation was... utterly foreign.
In her meticulously controlled world of prestige and propriety, no one had ever patted her head before. Not her father. Not her butlers. Not even the caretakers hired during her childhood.
The Shinomiya household had no room for affection—only rules, performance metrics, and discipline.
So to Kaguya, such an act was either a condescending gesture... or a calculated display of power. And yet...
This was neither.
Azuma’s touch was warm, soft, almost brotherly. It wasn’t meant to belittle.