In reality, Su Rui had only noticed Kaguya Shinomiya's gaze on him, except for Shizuka Hiratsuka beside him who was too happy to notice.
Kaguya Shinomiya's gaze was too direct; anyone paying a little attention could notice it.
However, let her watch him.
What kind of reaction would Kaguya have?
Since she didn't come forward to speak, Su Rui waited silently.
He waited until Shizuka Hiratsuka beside him had finished eating, put down her skewers, and wiped her hands clean with a tissue.
At this moment, the other maidens had also eaten their fill, either holding their stomachs and sitting on chairs, or holding a drink in their hands, or still holding skewers trying to continue eating.
In short, the maidens were all a bit sleepy from eating, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings, just leaning back in their chairs and chatting casually.
Su Rui saw that some, like Shirai Kuroko, had already fallen asleep.
Having just arrived with few friends, she had been focused on eating and now was leaning directly on the chair, her breathing already steady.
He would have the maidens cover them with a blanket later.
Thinking this, Su Rui reached out and took Shizuka Hiratsuka's wrist, whispering:
"Let's go, quietly, don't let them find us."
Shizuka Hiratsuka put down what was in her hand, nodded silently, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Su Rui.
Afterward, Su Rui gave instructions to the maidens beside him, then pulled Shizuka Hiratsuka and turned to walk out of the courtyard; he planned to take Shizuka Hiratsuka on an adventure in the forest.
In reality, a portion of the forest outside the castle courtyard and even the road were considered Su Rui's land; this was Neon, where private land ownership was a very normal thing.
So there was no need to worry about anyone being impolite enough to disturb them, though occasionally some small animals would wander in.
Small animals were not a threat to Su Rui, which was why he confidently took Shizuka Hiratsuka into the forest.
However, while Su Rui noticed, Shizuka Hiratsuka did not notice a little tail quietly following them from behind.
Kaguya Shinomiya looked at the dark forest, her lips tightly pursed in tension, then glanced at the maidens around the bonfire, and at Hayasaka Ai, who was lying there comfortably.
'Hayasaka, I wish she were with me.'
But calling Hayasaka Ai now might mean losing track of Su Rui.
With this thought in mind, Kaguya Shinomiya gritted her teeth, a determined look flashing in her ruby-like eyes, and then she stepped into the depths of the forest.
Anyway, Su Rui had given her an amulet before, and its energy should be able to protect her.
Thinking this, Kaguya Shinomiya tightly gripped the amulet, which was worn as a necklace around her neck, and followed Su Rui and Shizuka Hiratsuka's footsteps into the forest.
In reality, Su Rui didn't care about Kaguya Shinomiya following him, mainly because the place he intended to go was somewhat secluded, and with a little detour, it would be almost impossible to find.
Su Rui had only found a beautiful and very suitable spot for a tryst between the forest and the mountain path when he had previously used his wings to fly.
Moreover, the forest at night was very deep, and it was easy to get lost if one wasn't careful.
Kaguya Shinomiya had an amulet so her safety wasn't a concern; perhaps the maiden would just go back if she felt a little scared?
With this thought, Su Rui led Shizuka Hiratsuka to a place deep in the forest where they could see the star-studded night sky and a bright full moon, and he leaned against the stone wall with his arm around Shizuka Hiratsuka's waist:
"The environment here is great, isn't it? Such a sight, you never get tired of looking at it, no matter how long you watch." And Kaguya probably wouldn't find this place; it's a very quiet place to relax.
"Yes, I'm with you now, but you're focusing on the starry sky."
Shizuka Hiratsuka patted Su Rui's arm in dissatisfaction, but still held his arm, embracing Su Rui with her chest, and enjoying the night sky with him.
"Of course I'll stay with you; it's a promise, and I'll definitely keep it."
Su Rui rubbed his cheek against Shizuka Hiratsuka's: "But that doesn't prevent me from being curious about other things... Don't you think? This sky and moon, for me who can fly, are like a box filled with jewels."
"You're truly romantic. So, are you still considering ruling the entire universe?"
"That kind of thing, of course not... But if I had the chance, I do hope to collect all these jewels."
Su Rui joked casually, then suddenly picked her up when Shizuka Hiratsuka was relaxed:
"Alright, we've admired the night sky, now it's time to admire you."
"Weren't you just being poetic? Why the sudden change?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka was startled by Su Rui's sudden move and couldn't help but complain loudly.
"Didn't you just feel I was neglecting you? Now I'm going to neglect the whole world just to be with you alone."
"You... how are you so good at saying such sweet things?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka was very shy from Su Rui's words, turning her face away, not daring to look into Su Rui's eyes, but the blush on her cheeks already betrayed her feelings.
Su Rui smiled, embracing the older maiden in his arms, then pulled Shizuka Hiratsuka, and began a pure and lively dance under the moonlight.
However, what Su Rui didn't expect was that Kaguya Shinomiya had made up her mind this time.
Even though the maiden was very timid in the dark environment, she still mustered her courage and fumbled through the dark forest.
At first, Kaguya Shinomiya indeed couldn't find her way due to the darkness and the complexity of the forest, but just as the maiden felt timid and even wanted to retreat, she suddenly heard a loud complaint from Shizuka Hiratsuka.
This sound immediately gave Kaguya Shinomiya direction, and she began to walk towards where Su Rui and Shizuka Hiratsuka were.
'Su Rui and Shizuka Hiratsuka are probably on a date, right? I also want to go on a date with Su Rui... but, it's better not to disturb them casually. I'll wait until they finish, then ask Su Rui to spend time with me.'
Adhering to the idea that she didn't want her own date to be disturbed, and therefore she shouldn't disturb others' dates, Kaguya Shinomiya decided to quietly search for Su Rui and Shizuka Hiratsuka, and even if she found them, she would wait for the two of them to finish talking before appearing herself.
This led to Kaguya Shinomiya's carefulness ensuring she wasn't discovered when she finally found Su Rui and Shizuka Hiratsuka dancing together under the moonlight.
Then, under the bright moonlight, Kaguya Shinomiya saw Su Rui and Shizuka Hiratsuka dancing intimately, as if draped in silver gauze by the moonlight.
Kaguya Shinomiya witnessed the true world of adults.