Chapter 19: The Maid’s Hesitation

“Keiji-kun, it seems you didn’t eat much tonight.”

“Ah, well, just a bit,” I replied, managing a weak smile.

Tonight’s main course had been salmon meunière. The skin was perfectly crisped and fragrant, the flesh light yet seasoned beautifully──it was delicious, truly. The problem wasn’t the food.

“My stomach’s just a little upset, is all. It should be fine soon.”

“Oh, really?” Sayaka’s expression clouded with regret. “I should have prepared something easier on your stomach.” As she spoke, she began to clear away the plates. I had managed to finish the portion she’d served me, but I hadn’t found the appetite to ask for seconds on rice or soup.

“I’m going to head back to my room and lie down for a bit. I’m alright, so please, just take care of the cleaning up.”

“…”

“Hm? What is it, Sayaka?”

She was giving me a strange, meaningful look, her eyes scanning me from head to toe as if she were trying to commit my entire being to memory.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “Yes, please rest well. If you need any stomach medicine or something to drink, please don’t hesitate to call.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

This mansion was so large that every room was equipped with an interphone, allowing me to contact the living room, dining room, or kitchen with the press of a button. Not that I’d ever used it. Even if she’s a servant, something about calling for her in an authoritative tone just feels… wrong. Maybe it’s the commoner half of my blood, but I just can’t bring myself to act like a proper nobleman.

Not that I have to, I muttered to myself as I returned to my room and closed the door behind me.

I let myself fall onto the bed with a heavy thud. Just when I’d finally made Sayaka’s employment official, the daughter of the Maritsuji family had to show up.

That girl, Maritsuji Anri… I’m not so unflappable that her sudden arrival wouldn’t leave me tense and utterly exhausted. To make matters worse, she and Sayaka seemed to be at each other’s throats from the moment they met.

“Ugh… my stomach…”

To think I’d be dealing with stress-induced stomach pain at this age. Maybe I should’ve stayed as a degenerate scum…

“I should probably get some medicine… no, some warm tea sounds better.”

Slowly, I pushed myself up from the bed and left the room. I could have just used the interphone to call Sayaka, but asking someone to go to the trouble of making tea for me still felt too awkward. I grew up in a household with servants constantly around, so where did this ingrained commoner mentality even come from?

I wonder if Sayaka is done cleaning up. About thirty minutes had passed while I was lying in a daze. She might have already finished and returned to her own room. If so, I’d just have to make the tea myself.

“…Hm?”

As I made my way toward the kitchen, a faint sound from the dining room stopped me dead in my tracks.

“As I thought, since I’m now a maid, Master has to come first. Keiji-kun is the one I must serve, not that black-hearted young lady.”

Black-hearted young lady? She must be talking about Anri.

“I wonder how this would look, though. Keiji-kun might be put off by it… I really don’t get what boys think. What is their deal, anyway?”

It sounded like she was taking a jab at all boys for some reason? What on earth was she doing in there? Eavesdropping felt wrong, so I decided to simply open the door.

“Sayaka, what are you do──”

“M-Master, I’ve kept you waiting, nyan~”

“What in the world are you doing!?”

“Ah!?”

Standing just beyond the door was a cat-eared maid. Yes, a bona fide cat-eared maid.

“K-K-K-Keiji… kun!”

“Is that… Sayaka?” I couldn’t help but ask. The girl before me felt like a completely different person.

Her light brown, semi-long hair was let down, topped with a fluffy cat-ear headband. The maid uniform she wore was a far cry from her usual one; the chest was cut wide open, and the miniskirt was so short it exposed most of her thighs. To complete the look, a long tail extended from beneath the skirt. How is that thing even attached?

“…Hey, Sayaka. Can I take a picture?”

“If you do, my soul might just abandon my body from the shock.”

“It’s that shocking!?”

If anyone’s shocked here, it’s me!

Not only had she transformed into a cat-eared maid, but she was frozen in a strangely dynamic pose, her hands curled like a maneki-neko and one leg lifted playfully. In a way, she was the perfect picture of a cat-eared maid. It seemed I had opened the door at the exact moment she struck her pose. The timing was impeccable for me… and absolutely devastating for her.

“Th-This is! I was just… trying to find a way to soothe you, Keiji-kun! I just happened to try on this cosplay outfit I bought on a whim at a department store a while ago!”

“You call this a whim, huh.” And she somehow thought this would soothe me.

“Your pose is perfect, too. You sure this is your first time?”

“I-I’ve only tried it on once before! It’s not like I scoured the internet researching poses or anything!”

So you did research it… That would explain why the pose was almost unbelievably cute.

 

I seriously wanted to take a picture.

“H-Hey, how long are you going to stare! I won’t forgive you for this, Master!”

“Is it a sin so grave that even a Master can’t be forgiven!?” I was the one who was having this spectacle sprung on me, after all. “And how long are you planning to hold that pose…?”

“Eh? Ah, kyaa… ahn!”

“Ah!”

Sayaka seemed to finally realize she was still frozen in her cat pose. In her frantic haste to straighten up, she lost her balance and tumbled to the floor.

“O-Oi, Sayaka.”

“Nn… my butt hurts… Hey, where are you looking!?”

She had fallen right on her bottom, leaving the inside of her skirt completely exposed. Her plump, soft-looking thighs and a pair of surprisingly cute pink panties were in full view.

“M-Mmph!”

With a stifled cry, Sayaka quickly tucked her legs beneath her, pulling her skirt down. Ugh, I didn’t even get a full ten seconds. The panties of the devastatingly cute cat-eared maid vanished in an instant.

“…Keiji-kun, I won’t be performing that kind of service yet,” she declared, her cheeks flushed. “No matter how much you offer to pay, I won’t do it.”

“I-I know,” I stammered, nodding hurriedly as she glared at me.

Hiring a female classmate as a maid was already a questionable life choice. If I started demanding “services” that went beyond her actual duties, I’d be finished as a person. Wait… did she just say “yet”? I couldn’t just let that slide. Was I supposed to read some deeper meaning into that?

“Jeez… my butt really hurts.”

“My stomach still hurts, you know.”

“My heart was hurt, too!”

“I-I see.” I was pretty sure this entire incident, from start to finish, was a classic case of self-destruction on her part.

Sayaka pushed herself to her feet, still clutching the back of her miniskirt.

“S-So, what did you come here for, Keiji-kun?”

“Ah, right. I was thinking of having some hot tea.”

“I-I understand. Please wait in the living room. I’ll bring it to you shortly.”

“Alright, thanks.” I was going to ask for it to be lukewarm and weak, but I figured Sayaka would probably understand without me having to say it.

As I turned to leave the dining room, I noticed she was still blushing, one hand holding her skirt down.

“You can go change first, you know.”

“…It’s fine. As a special treat, I’ll bring you your tea as a cat-eared maid.”

“Ooh, that’s the best!”

“You really are trash, you know…”

“…You’re right.” I couldn’t help but nod in solemn agreement.

“Jeez, you pervert.”

“Pervert!?”

Between the maid who decided to dress up in a cat-ear outfit and the master who walked in on her and got an accidental panty shot, I’d love for a third party to judge which of us was the real pervert here.

In any case──

Hiring a girl as a servant clearly meant that accidents like this could, and probably would, happen. I would just have to do my best to maintain a master’s decorum. After all, it was just the two of us alone in this old mansion.