Ai Hayasaka, one-quarter Irish by blood, is the daughter of an executive in the Shinomiya Conglomerate, and also the personal attendant of the heiress to the Shinomiya family.
Ever since that encounter, after regaining her senses from the fright, she immediately began various investigations—things she previously wouldn't have dared to look into.
But now, she took the risk to dig deeper.
What she didn't know in the past—now that she had run into something abnormal—she had to understand it.
If something like that could happen to her, then it's not impossible that Kaguya-sama, an ordinary person, might encounter it too.
Thus, in order to protect Kaguya-sama, Ai Hayasaka had to understand what exactly that abnormality was.
In fact, during an investigation half a year ago, she had unintentionally come across some incredible information—rumors of a world beyond the reach of normal people, where people possessed mysterious powers.
At the same time, that world harbored terrifying things.
Back then, she didn't take such strange information seriously. But now, after experiencing something herself, she realized it wasn't fake—she had encountered something supernatural.
After her dog consumed a black substance, it transformed into a terrifying three-headed beast straight out of hell.
And then, she was saved by someone she thought to be totally unrelated to elegance, someone who looked like an average otaku—just another unremarkable high schooler you could find anywhere, the kind who drifted through life with no clear plans for the future.
In her eyes, such a person—Yazuki, the supposed fiancé of Kaguya-sama—was unworthy of her.
But the way he appeared then... the memory was vivid and unforgettable.
His demeanor was so cold it didn't seem human at all. He clearly belonged to a realm beyond normal people like her.
He also showed a power that stunned Hayasaka, easily killing that three-headed beast—and doing so in an extremely cruel fashion.
She had completely misjudged him. Maybe this was the real reason the Shinomiya family insisted on marrying Kaguya-sama to him.
Later, after investigating further, Ai Hayasaka really did uncover a lot of information.
The world they lived in was the "surface world," the ordinary world for regular people. But there also existed another world—one that looked identical to the surface world, known as the "hidden world."
And within it, there were heroes?
Yes, heroes, just like those from light novels—those who travel to other worlds to defeat Demon Lords. And there wasn't just one or two; there were hero academies, savior academies, and all kinds of institutions—it was all very hard to believe.
Normally, it's nearly impossible for regular people to enter the hidden world unless guided by someone special.
However, that doesn't mean there are no ordinary people there—some are related to those with special powers, or members of secret governmental agencies from the surface world.
And the hidden world isn't only home to humans.
There are elves, demi-humans, and even humans from other worlds. Some of them came here after saving another world and chose to settle down, even starting families. Others simply preferred the peacefulness of this world and moved here.
In short, everything Hayasaka had previously believed about the world had been shattered. She needed to rebuild her worldview from scratch.
Continuing her investigation, she discovered that the day she encountered the supernatural was the same day the hidden world had experienced a major crisis—it was invaded by terrifying entities, placing both the hidden and surface worlds on the brink of destruction.
As for the exact details—sorry, she couldn't find out anything more.
That being said, it was clear that her encounter was likely a result of the hidden world's crisis spilling over.
And that man—Kaguya-sama's fiancé—must've come to deal with it.
Yet, the fear she felt from him was terrifying—she nearly wet herself from the pressure he emitted.
And that wasn't an exaggeration.
If she had stayed around him just a second longer back then, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold it in.
Despite how dangerously powerful he seemed, Ai Hayasaka still had to observe him carefully. Wasn't she afraid of being recognized?
She didn't think so.
She had been so disheveled back then, hair all messy, and judging from his cold gaze, it was clear he didn't even consider her worth remembering. He stood far above people like her.
Later that day, when she went to LaLaport TOKYO-BAY in Chiba to get some equipment, she was shocked to spot him—shopping with several girls?
Playing the field?
Impossible. She just couldn't imagine someone like him being that kind of person.
But as she impulsively followed him, she became confused again.
She had thought he was just pretending to be an otaku, but it really looked like that was his true nature.
It didn't seem like an act at all.
Come to think of it, someone as cold as that version of him wouldn't pretend to be an otaku, right?
So Ai Hayasaka came to a conclusion: he likely had two personalities.
One was the otaku persona used in daily life, and the other was a cold and powerful version possessing supernatural abilities.
The very next day, she completed all the necessary paperwork and transferred into Chiba Municipal Sōbu High School.
There, she also saw a pink-haired girl by his side, whom she suspected might not be human—perhaps someone dispatched by his other personality to look after his normal self.
In her new class, she ended up right next door to his—specifically, next to the class of a girl named Yukinoshita Yukino.
Hayasaka immediately sensed that Yukino was not someone to approach lightly. She was clearly an extremely intelligent student.
Though Hayasaka hated to admit it, apart from background and status, she felt Yukino was not at all inferior to Kaguya-sama.
To avoid exposure, Hayasaka knew better than to approach Yukinoshita too early.
Instead, she used other classmates to gather information about Yazuki's reputation at school—and it wasn't great.
Later that noon, something strange seemed to happen—Yukino had disappeared? Then reappeared right before class started.
And Yazuki had also mysteriously vanished?
Hayasaka wasn't sure what happened. Whether the disappearances were real or not was impossible to verify—she didn't dare tail them too closely.
Finally, during PE class, she decided to approach the mysterious Yazuki directly.
As expected, he didn't recognize her. He showed no special reaction—just treated her like any other classmate.
She discovered that in his normal persona, he was actually easy to get along with.
He was laid-back and generally wouldn't initiate contact with others, but if someone talked to him sincerely, he would respond kindly. If you wanted to be friends, he probably wouldn't refuse.
Also, he wouldn't show favoritism just because someone was a girl. If someone tried to mess with him, he'd fight back without hesitation.
Then, despite clearly being unfamiliar with tennis, he suddenly merged what looked like martial arts techniques into the game—fiercely overwhelming his opponent.
At that moment, Ai Hayasaka began to suspect he had help from his other personality.
And just then—he pulled a muscle. His back gave out because he hadn't warmed up.
Seriously? Someone that powerful could get back pain?
Oh, right—the intel did mention that people with abilities become normal when in the surface world, didn't it?
Regardless, wasn't this the perfect opportunity to get closer to him?
Advance, Ai Hayasaka!