Chapter 20: The Maid’s Discipline

“Keiji-kun, you have five minutes to wolf down your lunch.”

“Huh!?”

During lunch break in the classroom, Sayaka suddenly made this declaration. She had taken the seat in front of me without permission and turned to face me, her expression leaving no room for argument.

“The lunch break isn’t long,” she stated plainly. “I’ll have you eat in five minutes. We’ll devote the remaining forty to studying.”

“…Are you sure serving me isn’t just your pretense for humiliating me?” I whispered, leaning in so that no one else would hear.

Aren’t you just trying to completely dominate me at school, Sayaka?

“That’s that, and this is this,” she replied, unfazed. “I’m moving forward with my plan to make you a man worthy of being my Master. Specifically, I’d like you to stand at the top of Sōshūkan.”

“The top!? Isn’t that overstepping the bounds of a maid?”

So I don’t even have time to eat lunch slowly?

“As long as I remain at Sōshūkan, I will not let you have it easy. But don’t give in.”

“Don’t just tack on some random encouragement at the end!”

Between yesterday’s clash with Maritsuji and now this──

Did I make a mistake saving Sayaka from expulsion?

Seeing that talking was a waste of precious time, I took out the lunch I’d bought at the convenience store. As expected, Sayaka seemed to have her hands full just making breakfast and hadn’t been able to prepare a bento for me.

“Oh, right. Sayaka, what about your lunch?” I asked.

“I had a jelly drink. Now that I have an income, I can afford a proper lunch.”

“That’s not what I’d call a proper lunch!” I couldn’t help but retort, my voice louder than intended. A few classmates turned to look our way, and I quickly lowered my head.

Crap, I was trying to keep a low profile.

“…Hey, you should eat something more filling,” I said more quietly.

“I’ve always been a light eater,” she explained. “I want to eat delicious things, but I don’t need large quantities.”

“I’ll give you a sandwich, so eat it. It’s a shrimp cutlet sandwich today. It’s good.”

“Thank you. I handle breakfast, and you handle lunch, Keiji-kun.”

“Well, a convenience store lunch is good enough for me.”

Having Sayaka make me a bento is an option, but there’s no way the two of us could bring the same lunch to school.

People would start thinking that we live together— though that wouldn’t be too far from the truth.

The two of us faced each other and finished our convenience store lunch in a hurry.

“Thank you for the meal,” Sayaka said, dabbing her lips. “The shrimp cutlet was delicious.”

“Glad to hear it. The tuna mayo, konbu, and fried chicken onigiri were good too.” I wasn’t a big eater myself, but as a high school boy, two onigiri just weren’t enough.

“Now then,” Sayaka announced, her tone shifting back to business. “Let’s begin our studies. I mean no harm by this, but this is just a common aluminum ruler.”

“Who uses an aluminum ruler in high school!?”

In her hand, Sayaka held a thirty-centimeter aluminum ruler, tapping the tip against her palm with a sharp thwack.

It’s a substitute for a disciplinary whip, isn’t it.

“I get it, I just have to do it, right? I’ll do it,” I said, surrendering. I quickly spread out my workbook and notebook and began solving the problems one by one, feeling a sense of dread. To think that hiring a maid, far from making life easier, would mark the end of my idle days.

“Hey, Sayaka…” I began, checking our surroundings. There were no other classmates within earshot. “So you’re acting normal at school. Isn’t it hard to switch back and forth?”

“I can only speak about being a maid to people who can keep a secret,” she replied. “The young lady of the Maritsuji family is an exception to the exception.”

“I see…”

“I’m paying a million yen to attend, so I intend to protect my school life as well.”

“Well, if you started serving me at school too, there’s no telling how people would look at us.”

“Rest assured, I’ll be a proper maid at home,” she said with a faint smile. “Honestly, you were so eager to make me submit, yet you put up such strange resistance that you missed out on the twisted pleasure of subjugating me until today, you know?”

“Could you not talk as if I have some kind of warped desires?”

To be honest, Sayaka in a maid outfit really does something for me. I refuse to acknowledge any guy who wouldn’t feel something seeing a girl he likes in a maid uniform.

“Alright, don’t let your hands stop while you’re talking. Keep solving those problems.”

“Like I can be that dexterous. This workbook is pretty high-level.”

“…If there’s something you don’t understand, you can just come crying to me,” she offered, a hint of superiority in her voice.

“See, you’re trying to lord it over me whenever you get the chance!”

At home, she obeyed me as a maid, but at school, she was determined to drill and discipline me like a teacher.

“…Wait,” she said suddenly, leaning over my workbook. “Keiji-kun, no joke, you’re doing much better than I thought. This problem you just solved is a level that would even make me pause for a moment.”

“Sorry to interrupt your meaningful-sounding statement, but for what it’s worth, I did pass the entrance exam for Sōshūkan and have been attending for nine years,” I reminded her.

Of course, the curriculum here was advanced. You naturally acquired a certain level of academic skill whether you liked it or not. Even the students at the bottom of the regular exams were at a level where they could get decent scores on national mock exams.

“In that case, if I teach you, your rank might go up surprisingly quickly.”

“I might as well pay you a tutoring fee on top of everything.”

“I’m training you for my own personal reasons, Keiji-kun, so I can’t accept any money for this.”

“Personal reasons…? You call the thrill of bullying me a ‘reason’?”

“It’s true that teaching you so strictly ignites my sadistic heart,” she admitted without shame, “but the enjoyment is just a byproduct.”

“So you’re not going to deny that you’re enjoying it.”

Well, if it weren’t interesting, she probably wouldn’t bother teaching me when she doesn’t have to.

“Right, since we’re at it, shall we decide a few things here?” I proposed, glancing around again. It seemed more than a few students were paying attention to us, but they kept a strange amount of distance.

I guess while they’re curious about my conversation with Sayaka, their pride as children of good families won’t allow them to stoop to eavesdropping.

“As I said at the beginning,” I continued, “the one million is a contract fee. For now, let’s say it’s for this fiscal year.”

“Meaning it’s money I get to keep as long as I don’t quit being a maid midway through the year.”

“That’s right. It’s not something I like to think about, I’ll take sickness or injury into consideration. But generally, I’d almost never ask you to return the million yen.”

“I will gratefully make use of the money you used to buy me, Keiji-kun.”

“There was an extra comment in there somewhere,” I deadpanned.

I know she’s joking, though.

“But there’s no point in just paying your tuition. You have a life to live too, Sayaka. First, I’ll guarantee your food, clothing, and shelter. This school requires money for things other than tuition, like funds and donations, so I’ll cover those too. Separate from that, I’ll of course pay you a monthly salary as well.”

“That’s quite generous of you.”

“The salary itself is low. Think of it as about what you’d get from a part-time job.”

“That’s more than enough. With food, clothing, and shelter covered, I hardly need anything else.”

“This is a serious employment contract,” I insisted. “Please let me pay you properly.”

Even though I’m not the heir, I’ve watched my father, a man who was born to stand above others. If there’s one thing I’ve become convinced of, it’s this: throughout all of history, those who do not compensate their workers properly have no right to employ others. And I’m not just talking about paying them a fair wage either.

“Right, I know this isn’t the place for it, but let me make one thing clear here.”

I closed my workbook and notebook and placed both hands on the desk, looking her directly in the eye.

 

“You don’t have to worry about anything anymore. From now on, I’ll protect you, Sayaka.”

 

“……”

Sayaka was expressionless, peering intently into my eyes.

Huh, this reaction is different from what I expected? I thought I said something pretty bold, to the point where I was worried I’d said too much.

No, to be precise, it’s not “I’ll protect Sayaka,” but rather “I’ll responsibly ensure Sayaka’s livelihood,” right? Did I not use enough words? Did I say something that could be misunderstood?

“Sayaka, to be more specific──”

“Don’t say it.”

“Eh?”

Just as I registered her quiet words, a single tear rolled down from her left eye, even as her face remained a stoic mask.

“Thank goodness…” she whispered, her voice broken. “I was so worried about what would happen to me… All I can do is study, I have a bad personality, there’s no way I could survive on my own… I really thought my life might be over…”

Her words were faint, but I could hear every one of them.

I see. So Sayaka was truly that anxious. Of course she was. Even the beautiful, brilliant, and aloof Hisaka Sayaka is still just fifteen year old girl. Separated from her family, without a home to live in, crashing in a stranger’s house… there’s no way she wouldn’t feel anxious about that.

Why didn’t I notice Sayaka’s anxiety, and why did I keep refusing to hire her as a maid? Especially since I’ve liked her from the start. That’s why I won’t make a mistake from here on out. Who cares what kind of misunderstandings people around us might have right now. What I need to do isn’t to take Sayaka away, nor is it to make excuses to everyone.

“…Keiji-kun.”

I reached out and took Sayaka’s hand, which she had placed on the desk. This was all I could do for a girl crying out of anxiety──but I was sure it wasn’t the wrong thing to do.