Chapter 16: The Birth of a Maid

“Whoa, tonight’s dinner looks incredibly delicious again.”

“Are you implying it hasn’t looked delicious until now?”

“Th-that’s not what I meant.”

“I’m only kidding,” Sayaka said with a hint of amusement. “It’s just, you praised me so directly that my first instinct was to retort.”

“What kind of maid does that?” I muttered, but she simply brushed off my comment with a light gesture.

On the dining table, Sayaka had arranged a beautiful spread: a rich beef stew, a fresh salad, and the baguette we had bought earlier from Teijou Imai.

“You’re eating with me too, Sayaka,” I reminded her, as always.

“You don’t have to say that every time. I know,” she replied curtly, taking her seat across from me.

The maid uniform still felt out of place to me. “You know, you could just wear your regular clothes.”

“I told you, this is a symbol of my resolve,” she countered, her eyes flicking to my own attire. “Besides, if we’re talking about clothes, what’s with your outfit today, Kiyomiya-kun? You’re wearing a suit.”

“Well, I’m a rich kid too, you know. I own a suit or two.” Tonight, I had chosen a navy blue suit, restyling my hair and painstakingly tying a necktie to complete the look. “More importantly, I’m starving. Let’s dig in while it’s hot.”

“I am curious, but you’re right… Let’s eat.”

We fell into a comfortable silence, both of us focused on the beef stew.

“Yeah, this is delicious,” I said after a moment. “The flavor is rich, the meat is perfectly tender, and the vegetables are cooked just right.”

“Thank you,” she replied, a small smile gracing her lips. “You even eat stew elegantly, Kiyomiya-kun.”

“Well, I was taught proper manners as a child, for the most part.” No matter how much of an outcast I was, being raised in the Kiyomiya main residence meant I had learned the full set of etiquette. In the upper echelons of society, poor manners were simply not tolerated.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Sayaka,” I observed. “The way you use your spoon, the way you tear your baguette… it’s all quite refined.”

“I only learned a little from the Reizen family. It’s just a veneer, unlike someone born and raised as a young master or lady.”

“As long as you’re not vulgar, no one will laugh at you. From my perspective, you’re perfectly fine.”

“If you say so, Kiyomiya-kun, then it must be true.”

I’d rather she didn’t overestimate me so much, though…

Once we had finished our meal and the casual conversation that accompanied it, I decided to bring up the real reason for my formal attire. “My etiquette is nothing special,” I began, “but I can teach you a little.”

“Eh?”

“If you’re going to attend Sōshūkan, you should learn formal etiquette. You’ve already got the basics down, Sayaka, and you’re a quick learner, so you’ll pick it up in no time.”

“Wait a minute, Kiyomiya-kun,” she interjected, her expression clouding with confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Sayaka, I need to confirm your intentions. Do you still want to attend Sōshūkan?” I asked, my voice steady. “It’s a question of whether you want to or not. Assume all other conditions have been met.”

It felt unfair to pressure her like this, but I couldn’t afford to be picky about my methods. Sayaka looked conflicted for a brief moment, but it didn’t take long for her to give a small, determined nod.

“I didn’t choose such a prestigious school as a joke. I want to attend.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.”

I smoothly slid a hand into my suit jacket, retrieving a thick envelope. I offered it to her across the table.

“What is this?”

“See for yourself.”

She hesitated, her intelligent eyes searching mine. She must have guessed what was inside, but she took the envelope and smoothly pulled out its contents.

“Are there a hundred of these in here?” she asked, her voice carefully neutral as she fanned through the stack of bills.

“Unless the bank miscounted.” I couldn’t help but answer bluntly.

A wry smile touched her lips. “I’m a girl, you know.”

“Eh?”

“To be honest,” she continued, a playful glint in her eyes, “I’ve had my share of daydreams about Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, and the like.”

“I’m not buying you brand-name goods!”

“I know. A million yen wouldn’t be enough anyway. The brands you can buy with this amount are much cheaper, right?”

“Just how expensive are the things you want?!”

“I’m kidding,” she said, finally letting a small laugh escape.

“Try not to joke about that.” What are we even talking about?

I took a breath to compose myself. “Anyway──” I began again, my tone serious. “I know it’s insensitive to just hand you money like this, but I want to show my intentions in a clear, tangible way.”

“It’s almost like I’ve been bought with money.”

“In a way, that might be true,” I admitted. “I’m providing this one million yen as your tuition for this academic year. In return──”

Ah, once I say this, there’s no going back. Am I really going to do this? I had to. The moment I offered her the money, there was no turning back.

 

“Hisaka Sayaka, work for me as my maid in this mansion.”

 

“…Explain further.”

I worked up all my courage to say it, and that’s still not enough for her? “You’re a greedy one, Sayaka.”

“This money,” I explained, “comes from the operating budget of the Kiyomiya Family’s Old Manor. To be more precise, it’s part of the personnel expenses. Just as you said before, there’s no way I can maintain this massive mansion by myself, so my father told me to hire servants.”

“You haven’t hired anyone, have you,” she did ask— she merely stated it as fact.

“Any high school guy would choose to live alone freely, wouldn’t he?” It was true. I had planned to endure some minor inconveniences for the sake of solitude. I could never have predicted that a female classmate would end up at my doorstep, much less that she would want to work as a maid.

“And also…” I hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I’m the child who isn’t acknowledged by the Kiyomiya family. I’ll admit, I was hesitant to use their assets. I planned to live quietly, to not stand out at school, to just grin and bear it when people made fun of me, and to have nothing to do with upper-class society.”

“You’re being too self-deprecating,” she said softly. “You’re too concerned about your mother’s origins.”

“You’re right.” I had let my “outsider” status define me, becoming overly conscious of it. “I’m sorry, Sayaka.”

“Eh?”

“If I had wanted to, I could have produced this money at any time. But I was so hung up on my own origins that I took the long way around.”

“That’s…” Sayaka was at a loss for words. Of course she was. Even someone as sharp-tongued as her wouldn’t have the nerve to say, “You’re right, you should have helped me sooner.” But I couldn’t help but apologize.

And one more thing── “That’s why I’m done being scum.”

It was a pathetic line, I knew, but nothing would start if I didn’t declare it. That’s right, let’s start from here. “Even if it weren’t for you, Sayaka, I probably would have run into a situation like this eventually. This whole affair was a good catalyst.”

“Are you saying you’re going to use me as an excuse to immerse yourself in the upper-class lifestyle?”

“No, I’m not going to be immersed.” I stood up from my chair, placing my hands on the table and leaning towards her, my gaze intense. “I’m going to be the one to change my surroundings. To start with, Hisaka Sayaka, you will──become my maid.”

“I have one condition.”

“Hm?” I’m hiring her with a salary, and the one being employed is laying down conditions? But she was right. This wasn’t something that could be solved with money alone. “Fine, tell me.”

Her expression was deadly serious. “I will become a maid who offers you my body, my heart, and even my future. Will you accept that?”

“Your future!? I-Isn’t that too much!?”

“You’re paying a large sum of money to make me your maid and have me work for you, are you not? I want you to take responsibility.”

“I-I understand.”

She was pressing me to form an official contract, to accept the weight of her declaration.

There’s no turning back now.

I gave a small, firm nod. “I will carry the weight of Hisaka Sayaka’s life. Think of this one million as just a contract fee. I’ll calculate it properly and pay you a salary as well. I’m serious about smashing my way into this shitty upper-class society. I want you to support me as I crush all this absurdity, Sayaka.”

“I understand,” she said, and a brilliant smile bloomed on her face.

 

“I look forward to working with you, Master.”

 

She stood from her chair, took a step back, and with a pinch of her maid uniform’s hem, gave a graceful curtsy.

I needlessly straightened my posture and adjusted the collar of my suit.

With this, the contract was official. Hisaka Sayaka could continue to attend Sōshūkan. And from this day forward, she would truly, genuinely serve Kiyomiya Keiji as a real maid. They were no longer just children playing house; their relationship was now one bound by contract and money.