Chapter 21: The Maid’s Absence

“Haa… I want to die.”

“Oi.”

On what should have been a refreshing morning, the maid’s eyes were utterly lifeless.

“What’s gotten into you, first thing in the morning?”

“Crying in the classroom… that’s a dark mark on my history that will be remembered for generations to come…” she lamented, slumping deep into a dining room chair.

How long is she going to dwell on what happened during yesterday’s lunch break?

“I’m quitting school. I can’t face the classroom anymore…”

“Don’t talk like a bullied kid.”

You’re the model student—as far from being bullied as one can get.

“As of yesterday, I have officially left my life as a student behind. From now on, I will dedicate myself solely to my duties as a maid.”

“Don’t you dare waste the effort I went through, pleading directly with both Reizen-sensei and the chairman.” And the one million yen tuition, for that matter.

“But seriously, can I take the day off today? I’m not exactly made of steel, you know.”

“Fine, do as you like. It’s your tuition money, after all— Oh, right, has the paperwork been formally completed?”

“Miyabi-san handled it for me in the end. I even got the chairman’s official seal.”

“Ah, so it’s unlikely to be overturned now. You don’t have to worry anymore, Saya.”

“That’s a relief… but why is Reizen-sensei here so early in the morning?”

Beside Sayaka, Reizen-sensei was sitting primly in a suit.

“I can’t just leave two students, a boy and a girl, living together unsupervised,” she announced. “I’ll be coming to check on you from time to time.”

“We’re just an employer and an employee. It’s a common arrangement in the homes of other Sōshūkan students, isn’t it?”

“But between classmates? That’s unheard of. I’ve reported the situation to the chairman, but one wrong move and this could blow up into a massive scandal.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Should I tell her Maritsuji already knows?

“I may have left this matter in your hands, but when it comes to Saya, leave her to me. I alone will protect her.”

“You have another one of your students sitting right here. Can I get some of that protection?”

“I’m off the clock. Outside of school, I wouldn’t lift a finger even if you, Kiyomiya, were being kidnapped.”

“That’s taking professionalism a bit too far, don’t you think?” Come on, forget being a teacher, as an adult, you should at least step in to help.

“By the way,” Sayaka interjected, “I’m taking the day off so it doesn’t matter for me, but shouldn’t you and Keiji-kun be getting ready to leave soon, Miyabi-san?”

“Ah.”

“Crap! The grade head is going to chew me out again!” Reizen-sensei uttered a pathetic whine before hurriedly shoveling in the last of her breakfast and standing up.

“Ah, Kiyomiya. I have my own car. Is it alright if I drive here from now on?”

“Be my guest. The garage can easily fit five or six cars.”

“I see. Then I’ll be sure to show you my prized Reizen-go.”

“…”

She gives her car a nickname like a middle schooler.

While I was lost in that thought, Reizen-sensei hurriedly departed from the dining room.

“Well, it certainly gets lively when she comes to visit.”

“This mansion could easily pass for a haunted house, you know. Even the hallway lights are dim.”

“Ah, I’ll have to fix those areas up and make it more livable. I plan on staying here for my three years of high school, at least.”

“In that case, I’ll put together a remodeling plan for the historic Kiyomiya Manor.”

“Please do— Crap, I need to hurry, too. Well then, Sayaka, I’m leaving the rest to you.”

“Yes, have a good day.”

Sayaka smoothly drew her body close to mine and gave me a light, tight hug.

Whoa, she’s so soft, and she smells so good! I can feel the swell of her chest… my mind is about to go into overdrive──

My maid, the moment she got hired… isn’t this closing of the distance between us insane?

 

The atmosphere in the classroom had clearly changed.

I’d always been treated like an outsider—“the illegitimate child”—but now, the distance between me and my classmates felt wider than ever.

“…”

Well, it was obviously my fault that Sayaka started crying. And then holding her hand so intimately… if our classmates didn’t think something was up after that, there’d be something wrong with them.

For now, I sat down as if nothing had happened and began the self-study that was fast becoming my daily routine.

With Sayaka absent today, their imaginations are surely running wilder than ever.

“Keiji, Keiji, Ke-i-ji ♡”

“What a pain.”

“How could you say that to a friend! I have feelings too, you know!?”

“Really…? And here I thought you’d been quiet for a while.”

Leaning over my desk with both hands planted firmly on it was, of course, Sogano Maki. Today, with her blonde shortcut and sloppily worn uniform, she was as flashy as ever.

“’Cause, like, doesn’t Hisaka-san kinda hate me?”

“You wouldn’t care even if she did, Maki.”

“You really don’t see me as a maiden, do you?”

“I don’t think of you as a maiden… more like one of my rough-and-tumble guy friends.”

“Alright, I’ll show you just how terrifying a modern info broker can be. Unlike the old days, rumors spread in seconds in this digital age.”

“Wait, wait! Don’t ruin my reputation any further!” I cried, firmly grabbing the wrist of Maki, who had seriously started tapping away at her smartphone.

“Hmm. You’ve never cared about your reputation before, Keiji. You never even denied being a scumbag.”

“I’ve been thinking that if I don’t start acting a little more decent, I won’t be popular with the girls.” Even saying something so half-assed, I’m still a scumbag.

“Aren’t I enough for you? You’ve already made Hisaka-san yours and you still want to be more popular?”

“I haven’t made either of you mine! It’s just that Sayaka is—”

“I’m interested in that story too, Kiyomiya.”

“…”

Fujikawa approached my desk, his arms crossed. He was grinning, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“You’ve been on a roll lately, haven’t you, Kiyomiya? Making a girl cry in the classroom… that’s not something you see every day, huh?”

“The heir of the great Fujikawa family is interested in idle gossip? You should try to live with a bit more class.”

“You’re really getting cocky. Oi, Kiyomiya, I want a word with you.”

“Can I come too?” Maki chimed in. “As the school’s information broker, I can’t miss a clash between the son of the Kiyomiya family and the heir of Fujikawa.”

“You’re a real nuisance,” Fujikawa sneered. “You’re the one getting too cocky, Sogano. A woman from a family I’ve never even heard of… how long do you plan on throwing your weight around this school?”

“You think so? I think my face is pretty small,” Maki retorted with a grin, stroking her own cheek. She didn’t flinch in the slightest before Fujikawa, the undisputed leader of the class’s boys.

“Just meet me after school, Kiyomiya. It’s not like I’m planning to beat you to a pulp.”

“A violent incident at Sōshūkan would be a very bad look.”

In the nine years I’ve attended Sōshūkan, I’ve never officially heard of any violent incidents. However, as the affair with Iwakura proved, they certainly happen. Even at a prestigious school, it’s impossible for hundreds of teenage boys and girls to gather without a single act of violence.

In other words, even if incidents occur, they’re all covered up within the school.

“Well then, after school. Don’t run, Kiyomiya.”

“Hah… Running from you, Fujikawa? The aftermath would be far too terrifying,”

Fujikawa shot me a hateful glare for a moment, then walked away as if nothing had happened.

“This is bad, Keiji. You’re going to get beaten to a pulp, you know?”

“Probably.” I’m not so naive as to take Fujikawa at his word. Still, I’ve always put on a scumbag’s face, laughed foolishly, and run away from physical danger until now.

“Could it be that Fujikawa was after Hisaka-san? I mean, he’d be pissed no matter who stole her away, but he must be absolutely furious that it was you, Keiji.”

“A crime of passion, huh. If I was going to end up in this mess, I should’ve at least made Sayaka truly mine first.”

“Haa… I guess it can’t be helped.” Maki sighed, hopping to sit on my desk. From her too-short skirt, her thighs were almost completely bare.

“Here, I’ll use some of the dirt I have to threaten— I mean, negotiate with Fujikawa and get you out of this, Keiji.”

“Maki, you spoil me quite a bit, don’t you?”

“Well, you’re my one and only friend. Even information brokers get swayed by sentiment sometimes.”

“You’re so kind, Maki. Unlike a scumbag like me. I never even realized that until now.”

“…?”

Maki silently placed her palm on my forehead.

It’s a cliché, but it seems she’s asking, “Do you have a fever?”

“I have to become a man worthy of being your friend,” I declared. “And to start— I guess I’ll take care of the problem right in front of me.”