Himari bent her head over her paper, the clarity Kyouya's explanation provided allowing her calculations to flow smoothly now. Yet, despite her renewed focus, a subtle unease lingered from their brief proximity. Her hand paused, hovering over a line of figures. She felt a prickle at the back of her neck, a familiar instinct honed by years in the cutthroat world of corporate espionage and high-stakes negotiation. It was the sensation of being observed.
Without turning, her eyes darted to the periphery of her vision, searching for the source. She scanned the distant figures of the other maids, discreetly tending to their duties. Her gaze sharpened, searching for a face, a posture, a subtle shift in movement that might betray an unusual interest. She was looking specifically for Mei. Himari knew Mei's true purpose here, and her loyalty to Himari's father, the conglomerate head. Her presence always meant something more was at play.
A soft, almost inaudible sigh brushed past her ear, directly behind her.
"Searching for someone, Himari-sama?" Mei's voice was a quiet murmur, perfectly calm, yet it made Himari's shoulders tense for a fraction of a second. She hadn't heard Mei approach.
Himari straightened slowly, turning to face her. Mei stood there, a serving tray with untouched refreshments in her hands, her expression utterly neutral, the very picture of an attentive maid. Yet, in her eyes, Himari caught the briefest flicker of amusement, a silent acknowledgement of their shared secret.
"You've been there for a while, haven't you?" Himari stated, her voice low, a challenge veiled in a question. She knew Mei's skills. If she wanted to be unseen, she would be.
Mei's faint smile deepened, though it barely disturbed the placid surface of her maid persona. "Since Kyouya-sama began his instructions for the current exercise, Himari-sama. My duties require me to be attentive to everyone's needs." Her words were innocuous, but the slight emphasis on "everyone's needs" implied the depth of her observation.
Before Himari could press further, a clear, resonant voice cut through the quiet of the room, carrying a subtle edge.
"A word of caution, ladies," Kyouya announced, his gaze sweeping the room with renewed intensity, landing for a pointed moment on the small tableau formed by Himari and Mei. His expression remained unreadable, but his tone held a new, firm authority. "While seeking clarification from myself is permissible, cooperation among participants is strictly prohibited. This is an individual assessment of your analytical capabilities, not a collaborative effort."
He paused, letting his words sink in, a silent warning hanging in the air. "Any hint of collusion will result in immediate disqualification. I trust I've made myself clear."
Himari felt a surge of frustration. Not at Kyouya's rule, which was logical, but at the sheer audacity of his timing. He had known, of course. He always seemed to know. Mei, ever the professional, simply inclined her head in a gesture of deferential understanding and glided away to attend to other distant tables, leaving Himari to return to her calculations, a new layer of observation added to the already complex test. Kyouya's game was far more intricate than anyone, save perhaps Himari and Mei, truly comprehended.
The air in the room, now thick with the scent of competition and the low hum of concentrated thought, was Kyouya's chosen laboratory. While the girls wrestled with the calculus of the swimming pool, his own analytical gaze drifted, no longer fixed on the mathematical problems. His recent interaction with Himari, and Mei's silent presence, had provided him with a fresh set of variables.
His eyes, sharp and dissecting, fell upon Himari Tennouji first. She was bent slightly over her paper, her posture precise, almost architectural. Kyouya's gaze wasn't one of casual appreciation, but of cold, calculating assessment. He noted the subtle curve of her back, the way her uniform stretched taut across her shoulders as she leaned, revealing the controlled strength in her frame. Height: Exactly 156.2 centimeters. Weight: 43.8 kilograms, accounting for her current attire. Three sizes: B79-W54-H80.
His mind, accustomed to reducing everything to data points, registered the elegant lines of her form, a study in refined proportions. He noted the slight tension in her shoulders, indicative of a perpetually rigid posture and an underlying athletic discipline despite no overt participation in sports during their shared history. Her skin, even under the direct sunlight, possessed a remarkable evenness, suggesting meticulous care routines and perhaps an inherited resilience. The precise angle of her jawline, the subtle prominence of her collarbones, the efficient muscle distribution—all spoke to a remarkably optimized biological structure.
Then, his eyes shifted, almost imperceptibly, to Mei Tsukishima. She was now attending to another participant, offering a fresh glass of water with practiced, silent efficiency. Mei's form was different – less overtly structured, more fluid, almost like a shadow given substance. Height: Approximately 168.0 centimeters. Weight: 52.1 kilograms, inclusive of her light fabric uniform. Three sizes: B85-W60-H88. Kyouya observed the gentle sway of her movements, the way her uniform draped rather than stretched, outlining a softer, more subtly defined silhouette.
He noted the rounded grace of her posture and the quieter, more yielding contours compared to Himari's taut composure. The way her hair, even in the slight breeze, maintained an astonishingly perfect cascade, suggested an almost obsessive attention to detail, contrasting with her otherwise yielding demeanor. The delicate arch of her foot, the elegant line of her neck, the subtle flex of her wrist—each element contributed to an impression of exquisite, almost fragile, precision.
Intriguing, Kyouya mused, his thoughts a rapid, internal monologue, utterly detached from any conventional sense of admiration. The variations in their physical forms are quite pronounced. Subject A displays a more rigid, almost tensile geometry, indicative perhaps of inherent resistance or a finely tuned defensive structure. Subject B, conversely, presents a softer, more adaptable volume, suggesting a different approach to absorbing external pressures.
His mind, racing through complex algorithms of observation, began to overlay these visual assessments with the psychological data he had already gathered. Himari's fierce pride, her direct intellectual challenge. Mei's seamless adaptability, her invisible efficiency.
This is a promising development, his intrusive thoughts hummed, cold and precise. To study such distinct physical presentations in conjunction with their demonstrated mental processes. It's an opportunity for a truly comprehensive, multi-layered analysis. I challenged myself to find an exceptional mind for my intimate experiment, but now... perhaps I can hit two birds with one stone.
To observe their distinct psychological frameworks, to probe their individual responses to intellectual pressure, and to overlay that with a meticulous mapping of their physical forms. The differences in their overall structures – the breadth of their intellectual capacity, the curve of their emotional responses, the depth of their underlying motivations – all of it is data. And data, when properly analyzed, reveals patterns. Patterns I intend to use to gain a deeper, more 'intimate' understanding.
His gaze, now returning to the equations on the girls' papers, held a new, chilling purpose. The pool problem was a mere catalyst. The real research, the true experiment, had expanded. Kyouya was now observing, dissecting, and anticipating, not just one, but two subjects for his unique brand of 'worship.'