Chapter 18: The Maid and the Young Lady

“…So, how did it go, Sayaka?”

The door to the chairman’s office slid open, revealing Sayaka and Reizen-sensei standing side-by-side. For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of Chairman Toyohara inside, his sharp gaze landing squarely on me.

What was that look? Was he thinking, ‘You’re causing trouble,’ or was it more like, ‘If you’re going to do this, then just get it done’?

Either way──

“Yes, it’s all settled now,” Sayaka confirmed.

“That’s wonderful news, Hisaka-san,” Reizen-sensei said, her voice warm with affection as she patted Sayaka’s shoulder. “There are still a few formalities to take care of, but you can finally rest easy.”

The summons from the chairman had come right after Sayaka offered to pay the tuition fee herself. I had come to check on them during my break, just as the meeting was nearing its end.

“I’m glad it all worked out,” I said. “Still, the chairman is pretty forceful, isn’t he? Making you skip class just to see him.”

“Kiyomiya-kun, the chairman is an incredibly busy man,” Reizen-sensei chided gently. “He isn’t always on school grounds, so a certain degree of forcefulness is to be expected. He was even kind enough to allow my presence, so everything was handled quite amicably.”

“Amicably, huh…” Hard to believe, considering he’s the one who abruptly revoked Sayaka’s special scholarship status in the first place. I was worried he’d use this meeting to make some other unreasonable demand.

“However,” Sayaka added, pushing up her black-rimmed glasses, “it seems the chairman was already aware that the money came from you, Keiji-kun.”

“It might be best to eventually disclose to the school that Hisaka-san is staying at the Kiyomiya family’s old manor,” Reizen-sensei mused. “It’s better to explain the situation from the start rather than have someone find out later. Besides, Kiyomiya hired Saya as a maid through the proper channels. My Saya!”

“Sensei, if you’re going to let your true colors show, you might want to lower your voice,” Sayaka advised.

“Hush, I know that,” she snapped back at me. “I know.”

Could you please not switch personalities mid-sentence, Reizen-sensei? I had already informed her that I’d hired Sayaka, mostly because Sayaka herself had insisted, saying, “it’ll be scary later if I keep quiet.” Seeing how Reizen-sensei had understood, perhaps telling the school wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

“Ah, I need to get back to the staff room,” Reizen-sensei announced, glancing at her watch. “You two should hurry back to class too. Well then, Hisaka-san, thank you for your hard work today.”

“Yes, thank you very much, Reizen-sensei,” Sayaka replied with a polite bow.

With that, Reizen-sensei, back in her motherly teacher mode, hurried down the hallway. Teachers are always busy, I guess, even when it’s not the end of the year. I bet she’s still worried about Sayaka, though.

“We should probably get back to the classroom, too,” I suggested.

“Wait, one more thing,” I said, turning back to Sayaka. “Did the chairman say anything else to you?”

“Nothing of consequence. Just something along the lines of ‘continue to apply yourself to your studies.’ For a middle-aged man, he didn’t give me a single lecherous look.”

“What are you even looking for!?”

“There hasn’t been a middle-aged man in this world who hasn’t given me a lecherous look… As expected of the head of a prestigious family, I suppose.”

“What’s your opinion of all the old guys in the world?” Not that I feel any particular need to defend them… but yeah, it’s probably impossible for most men not to feel something when faced with a girl as beautiful as Sayaka. That old man Toyohara is, for better or worse, just built differently.

“So, for now, the chairman isn’t planning on pulling anything else, right?” I asked.

“From what I could tell, it didn’t seem like the chairman was the one who initiated the cancellation of my scholarship in the first place.”

“The way he talked certainly gave off that vibe, still, we can’t let our guard down.”

Chairman Toyohara held the highest authority in this school. He could do whatever he wanted with students like us—and since he seems to have a particularly low opinion of me, I had to be careful that Sayaka didn’t get dragged down too.

“Ah, Sayaka. Anyway──”

“It’s a good thing Hisaka-san wasn’t expelled.”

“Yeah, as long as the money’s paid, no one can complain── Wait, Anri-chan!?”

“Oh my,” a familiar voice chimed in from behind us. “You mustn’t. Calling me ‘Anri-chan’ here is a bit much.”

Maritsuji Anri was standing there, a gentle smile on her face. Though she admonished me, her tone held no anger.

“S-Sorry. Maritsuji-sa── Maritsuji, what are you doing here?”

“I was the one who referred you to the chairman, Kiyomiya-san,” she explained. “I was curious about the outcome.”

“I-I see. Well, thanks, Maritsuji. Thanks to you, we were able to sort everything out.”

“Yes,” Sayaka interjected, stepping forward as if to shield me. “And it seems the chairman’s advice is what inspired Keiji-kun to help me. If you trace it all back, it’s thanks to you, Maritsuji-san. Thank you.”

Whoa, the two great beauties of the school are facing each other. Isn’t this a pretty rare sight?

“This is the first time we’ve had a proper conversation, Hisaka-san,” Maritsuji said, her smile unwavering.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m Maritsuji Anri. I’ve known Kiyomiya-san since we were children.”

“I’m Hisaka Sayaka,” Sayaka replied coolly. “I’ve been getting close with Keiji-kun recently.”

Is it just my imagination, or… are sparks flying between them?

“Getting close, you say?” Maritsuji’s eyes narrowed slightly. “It’s a bit blunt of me to ask, but what is the nature of your relationship?”

“Seeing is believing, as they say,” Sayaka responded smoothly. “Maritsuji-san, are you free today?”

“Whether I have the time depends on the matter at hand. However, if it’s an invitation from Hisaka-san and Kiyomiya-san, I see no reason to refuse.” Maritsuji’s smile was the picture of graceful elegance.

Sayaka, in turn, offered a rare smile of her own.

What is this? Since when was a smile so terrifying…?

 

Later that day, after school──

As usual, Sayaka headed home first, and I followed a short while later. We convened in the drawing room, with me in my casual clothes and Sayaka already changed into her crisp maid uniform.

“Hmm, are you sure about this? Suddenly revealing that you’re working as a maid… I mean, Reizen-sensei is one thing, but telling other people…”

“I have nothing to be ashamed of,” Sayaka stated plainly. “I wouldn’t mind announcing it in the middle of the classroom.”

“L-Let’s not do that, please.” Ah, I’m so flustered my words are coming out all wrong. A boy and a girl, classmates, living under the same roof. And as master and servant, no less. It’s a situation that makes it impossible not to let your imagination run wild. If this were about someone else, I’d be dreaming up all sorts of scenarios myself──

Ding-dong.

“Whoa, the doorbell!? She’s here already!?”

“That was fast,” Sayaka noted. “I’ll go greet her. You wait here, Keiji-kun.”

“H-Hey…”

Without waiting for my reply, Sayaka hurried out of the drawing room. A few minutes passed in silence.

This is nerve-wracking. What kind of conversation is unfolding at the entrance right now? I kind of want to hear it, but at the same time, I absolutely do not want to hear it…

“This way.”

“Whoa!”

The drawing room door swung open without a sound, making me jump. Sayaka entered first, followed closely by Maritsuji.

“My, what a lovely drawing room,” Maritsuji commented, her eyes immediately scanning the space. “It’s so elegant and calming. My home is entirely Japanese-style, so the drawing room of a Western-style mansion is a refreshing sight.”

“W-Welcome, Maritsuji,” I stammered. “The daughter of the Maritsuji family must be busy. Was it really okay for you to come over so suddenly?”

“Ordinarily, a daughter of the Maritsuji family requires permission to go anywhere,” she explained. “However, I am still a student, merely taking a short detour on my way home from school. As it was a casual visit without a prior appointment──I shouldn’t be scolded.”

“Sounds like a pain in the neck…” It seems the Maritsuji family still has some troublesome traditions.

“Still, I’m glad I came. I must admit, I was quite surprised to find that Hisaka-san has become a maid for the Kiyomiya family.”

“Y-You were surprised, huh? But this is a proper business arrangement. She’s officially employed, so it’s not anything weird.”

“But of course,” Maritsuji said, a sweet smile playing on her lips as she unleashed her terrifying Kyoto dialect. “If it were anything improper, I wouldn’t rest until I had broken off the contract.”

“Breaking off the contract is a bit of an exaggeration… Ah, please, have a seat.”

“Yes, if you’ll excuse me.”

I gestured to the sofa, and Maritsuji sat down with an elegance that seemed to defy gravity. As expected from a young lady of a truly prestigious family. Even a simple act looks beautiful.

“The tea is ready. Here you go.”

Sayaka, who must have slipped out of the room unnoticed, returned with a tray. She placed two teacups on the table and began pouring tea from a porcelain pot.

“I’m still a new maid,” she said, her voice even. “I apologize for any poor etiquette.”

“Not at all, thank you,” Maritsuji replied, picking up her cup and taking a sip with the same refined grace she did everything else. “Ah, this is delicious. At the very least, it seems you’re not just playing at being a maid. I hear you have ties with the Reizen family; were you trained there?”

“My mother was originally a maid.”

“I see, so you were taught by a professional servant,” Maritsuji mused. “This is a quality of tea that could be served in the servants’ break room at the Maritsuji residence.”

“…” Sayaka responded to Maritsuji’s calm words with only a silent, unreadable smile.

This is why their back-and-forth is so terrifying…

“Your hospitality as a maid is passable,” Maritsuji declared. “Hisaka-san, please, have a seat as well.”

“It’s my house, though.”

“Pardon me.”

“…!”

In a swift, fluid motion, Sayaka sat down right next to me, so close that our bodies were pressed together.

“My, how wonderful that you two are so close.”

“I feel like there’s a hidden meaning in that!” I yelped.

The sight of Maritsuji covering her mouth and smiling elegantly was just too damn scary.

“No, please don’t mind me,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “It’s just… Hisaka-san, your posture is also quite proper. I almost mistook you for a young lady from some noble family. Did your mother teach you that as well?”

“No, not particularly. I was only taught how to behave as a servant.”

“Is that so? To my eyes, you are── No, perhaps I’m overthinking it.” Maritsuji placed a slender hand on her shapely chin, lost in thought.

Was there something that bothered her that much?

“Well, very well,” she announced finally. “I shall also recognize you as a maid of the Kiyomiya Family’s Old Manor.”

“On what authority are you saying that?” I asked.

“Having the approval of the Maritsuji family’s young lady is a big step,” Sayaka said. “I need to solidify my position, after all.”

“I feel like my escape routes are slowly being cut off.” Are these two girls moving forward with some important conversation without me?

“I will leave the life in the Kiyomiya Family’s Old Manor to you, Hisaka-san,” Maritsuji continued. “Please support Kiyomiya-san’s daily life.”

“He says he’s going to stop being scum,” Sayaka replied. “As the top student in our grade, I’ll handle that support as well.”

“I’m only around thirtieth in our grade. Academically, I could never hope to compare to you, Hisaka-san.”

Let me just say, the idea that Maritsuji can’t beat Sayaka is a huge lie. She has no desire to be at the top academically; in fact, she seems to find the act of cramming and competing for the top spot rather unsightly. And yet, she still ends up in the top quintile on every single test. If Maritsuji were to ever get serious, she could probably give Sayaka a run for her money for first place.

“Let’s get along, Hisaka Sayaka-san,” Maritsuji said, standing up and extending her hand. “Once again, I look forward to working with you.”

“Yes, I look forward to it as well, Maritsuji Anri-san,” Sayaka replied, standing to meet her handshake.

Both of them still had smiles plastered on their faces, but──

I couldn’t help but worry that their clasped hands were about to be crushed with the force of a vise.

Seriously, why are you two so tense?

Just when the scholarship problem was finally solved, my stomach was starting to hurt all over again.