Chapter 25: The Maid Becomes a Mom

“Hah…”

“You seem quite tired again, Keiji-kun.”

“Whoa!”

Having finished dinner and a bath, I had just returned to my room and collapsed onto the bed when, before I knew it, Sayaka was standing right in front of me.

“S-Sayaka, since when were you here?!” I stammered.

“I have the master key, you know,” she replied calmly. “I can enter your room whenever I please.”

“That’s not why I gave it to you.” I gave it to her so she could clean and tidy up any room freely. But even if she can come and go as she pleases, isn’t it just bad manners to enter someone’s room without permission?

“Hah… That girl, Maki, seems serious about living in this mansion.”

“Yes,” Sayaka confirmed. “She’s staying over tonight, and apparently she’ll bring her change of clothes and other belongings tomorrow.”

“Seriously? Living alone with a female classmate is already a situation ripe for misunderstanding. But Maki isn’t a servant, whch would only add fuel to the fire.”

“Hmm, on the contrary, with Maki-san, it might just be okay.”

“Huh?”

Sayaka gave a slight nod before sitting down on the edge of my bed. Man, having a girl sit on the same bed as me makes me nervous.

“You and Maki-san really just look like friends,” she continued. “I doubt many people would think you have a suggestive relationship, don’t you think?”

“…You think so?” In its own way, doesn’t that just mean I’m being underestimated as a man?

“So, what’s this Maki doing now?” I asked, changing the subject.

“She’s in the bath. I lent her my shampoo and body soap, but it seems Maki-san didn’t like them. They were the cheapest ones at the drugstore, so perhaps they don’t suit a young lady.”

“A young lady, huh… I heard the Sogano family isn’t that prominent of a noble house, though.”

“That’s probably a lie,” Sayaka stated flatly.

“Eh?”

“There’s something not ordinary about her, right? I can’t imagine the Sogano family is ordinary either.”

“I’ll admit Maki’s not ordinary, but it’s possible for an exceptional person to be born into a normal family.” Just because a family is prominent doesn’t guarantee a superior person will be born from it. Then again, since they can spend more money on their children’s education, they often turn out to be quite capable…

“That’s right. How you raise them is what’s important,” Sayaka said, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “From now on, I’ll have to do my best to raise you, Keiji-kun.”

“You’re acting more like a mother than a maid now.”

“How about the concept of a motherly maid?”

“That kind of shatters the fundamental concept of our business relationship.” And I’m not really into calling a girl my age ‘Mom’—am I?

“Anyway, Sayaka. What did you come here for?”

“Looking after you is my job. It’s obvious I came to take care of you, Keiji-kun.”

“Take care of me? There’s nothing in particular I need. All that’s left is to study and then go to sleep.” Now that I’ve declared I’ll stop being scum, I can’t just crawl into bed the moment I feel tired.

“You can go rest too, Sayaka. As for Maki, even if we leave her alone, she’ll be fi— Mmph!?”

“There now, be a good boy.”

“S-Sayaka!?”

With a gentle tug on my shoulders, Sayaka pulled me down. I was caught completely off guard, and my head landed softly on her lap—or rather, her thighs. Through her skirt, I could feel their soft, supple warmth.

“This is called a lap pillow. The thighs of Maid Mom, feels good, doesn’t it?”

“I told you, don’t say ‘Mom’!” I retorted, my voice muffled. “I know what a lap pillow is!”

“Rest for a little while, Keiji-kun. You seem tired from fighting a battle you’re not used to and from bringing Maki-san here.”

“I-It’s not like I’m that ti…”

“Your environment has changed dramatically, hasn’t it? There’s no way you haven’t accumulated fatigue from all this. My top priority is always to help you relax.”

“Well, thanks for that… But you’re the one whose environment has changed too, Sayaka.”

“I’m a maid. I’m trained,” she said simply. “Pampering you is a simple task.”

As she spoke, Sayaka began to gently stroke my head. She’s really getting motherly now. I lost my mother when I was young, so I don’t have any memories of a lap pillow. I’ve only ever seen her face in photographs, and I barely even remember her name. Being treated like a child with a lap pillow is… but…

“This is bad… I’m getting slee…”

“It’s alright, you can sleep. I’ll allow you to skip your studies today.”

“I see, in that case… …Hey, wait a minute!”

I shot upright with a start.

“I just decided to stop being scum, how can I skip my studies already!” I was dangerously close to just falling asleep on her lap. So a lap pillow is very effective on me since I never knew my mother, huh… Good to know. I’ll have to be careful.

I moved away from the bed and sat down firmly at my study desk. I can’t let myself be swayed by a pretty, motherly maid; I need to study hard.

“It’s good that you’re motivated,” Sayaka said with a smile. “I’ll go check on Maki-san. I also need to confirm she hasn’t planted any cameras or listening devices.”

“That’s crossing the line into spy territory, you know.”

“Also, Keiji-kun. You should tidy up your room a bit more. Organize your notebooks, workbooks, and reference books properly to study more efficiently.”

“Your room was a mess too, Sayaka.”

“Even if my room is messy, I know exactly where everything is.”

“…Is that so.” Doubting Sayaka, who has already produced results, would be not knowing my place. There’s still an overwhelming gap between first place Sayaka and hundredth place me.

“I’ll bring you some tea later.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Sayaka left the room as silently as she had appeared.

Come to think of it, even though I just hired her, she’s performing her maid duties perfectly. A lap pillow is clearly not part of a maid’s duties, but it’s not like it’s a loss for me or anything…

“She seems to be cleaning my room properly too, huh.”

Every day, I noticed the placement of my notebooks and workbooks had changed slightly. My English dictionary, for instance, which I had carelessly tossed aside, was now neatly placed on the desk shelf.

“She’s been doing it every day since I gave her the master key. She’s very dedicated to her work.” To be honest, I don’t mind her coming into my room and cleaning it without my permission.

“Huh, if I look closely—she’s rearranged the books on this shelf too. Such attention to detail, Sayaka.”

I pushed back from the desk and walked over to the bookshelf against the wall. It was lined with children’s books I’d read as a kid and novels I’d started in middle school. Many in the upper class are avid readers, and we are disciplined to be familiar with at least the famous novels.

The collection of children’s books, domestic and foreign literary works, mysteries, and historical novels had been meticulously rearranged by genre, and then by author in alphabetical order.

“…”

My eyes landed on an old hardcover children’s book, a story about a young boy on a long journey to find his missing mother. It had been my favorite when I was little. It was also the only book I brought here myself during the move, instead of leaving it to the movers.

I pulled the book from the shelf and flipped through its worn pages. Tucked safely inside was a single photograph.

“I guess there’s no need to hide it anymore. This isn’t the Kiyomiya main residence, after all.”

It was a photograph of my mother—Wakura Honoka. In it, a young woman with long, brown hair tied in a braid stood beside a chair where I sat, a toddler of two or three. Her hand rested gently on my shoulder.

“Then again, I’m not really at an age to be displaying a picture of my mother. What should I do with this?” My mother, whose very existence was a taboo in the Kiyomiya family.

I understood from a young age that I couldn’t openly display her photograph. In the end, I guess I have no choice but to keep it tucked away in this book, just as I always have.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, I noticed something was off.

Wait a minute, what is this—?