"I heard from Sister Ruri that it should be here, right?"
Just as Kamijou Mutsuki left Starry and was preparing to return to his current big house—
A blue-haired girl wearing a JK skirt and looking rather boyish checked the location on her phone and scratched her head.
"I thought it was something related to the company… but I ended up coming all the way out here."
"Your body hasn't even recovered yet. What are you even thinking…"
The girl muttered softly while confirming the direction.
"It should be this way…"
While the blue-haired girl was heading toward her destination, two other girls had already arrived at the villa entrance.
"Thank you so much, Mutsumi-chan,"
Standing beside Wakaba Mutsumi, Nagasaki Soyo's eyes were filled with the joy of having her wish fulfilled.
"…For giving me this opportunity. You really are my best friend!"
Clearly, when faced with Soyo kneeling down, Mutsumi had ultimately softened and agreed to her request.
Three sentences—that was all it took to make Mutsumi change her mind!
Sure enough, this move of hers still worked. The only problem had been Kamijou Mutsuki.
But even if Mutsuki didn't agree, so what? She had still managed to get in—this maid job was happening no matter what!
…Wait.
She was so happy about rushing over to offer herself as someone's maid…
Soyo's feelings suddenly became a bit complicated.
Forget it. As long as she could get close to Sakiko Togawa, nothing else mattered.
Soyo shook her head and revealed an expectant look, as if she could already see Sakiko being moved by her actions and changing her mind.
"..."
However, beside her, the silent Mutsumi felt somewhat conflicted.
She could guess that Soyo had come to her only because things hadn't worked out with Kamijou Mutsuki.
And Sakiko's rejection of Soyo had almost never been hidden.
Mutsumi herself didn't know whether what she had done was right or wrong. It was just that seeing Soyo like that, she truly couldn't bring herself to refuse.
She could only hope that everything would move in a better direction and not turn out too badly.
That was the only thing the girl could wish for.
After entering the villa, Soyo could hardly wait to ask Mutsumi for a maid outfit.
Her eagerness even made Mutsumi start to wonder whether Soyo's true goal wasn't Sakiko, but rather that she simply had some unusual hobby.
After putting on the maid outfit, Soyo looked at herself in the mirror and felt that she looked absolutely beautiful.
The only problem was—
The girl tugged lightly at her collar.
This maid outfit fits Sakiko Togawa perfectly; for Wakaba Mutsumi it's even a bit roomy, but for Nagasaki Soyo it's a little small.
If it were Mutsumi-chan, she probably wouldn't have this kind of trouble, right?
Soyo thought this with a hint of envy.
Still… as expected of me!
Looking at the breathtakingly beautiful maid girl in the mirror, the corner of Soyo's lips couldn't help but curl into a somewhat self-satisfied smile.
She hadn't expected that she would look this good in a maid outfit. Even she couldn't help feeling a bit captivated looking at herself.
Yet Kamijou Mutsuki had kept pushing her away and refusing before—he really didn't know what was good for him!
But if Kamijou Mutsuki saw how she looked now, he would definitely be so charmed that he'd lose his senses, regret all his previous refusals and excuses, and then…
Wait, she came here to make Sakiko change her mind, not to seduce Kamijou Mutsuki. What on earth was she thinking?!
The girl hurriedly shook her head and patted her cheeks, dispersing the redness on her face.
Just then, a familiar voice came from outside, causing the girl's eyes to suddenly brighten.
Was Sakiko here?
The girl didn't even bother fixing the hem of her maid skirt and hurriedly ran out.
"Soyo?"
Sakiko had seemed to be saying something to Mutsumi just a moment ago, but when she saw Soyo she instantly widened her eyes.
"Oh, it's Saki-chan."
Even though she had met Sakiko quite a few times recently, Soyo still felt an inexplicable nervousness, like meeting again after a long separation.
"I didn't expect we'd run into each other here. What a coincidence!"
"..."
Do you even hear what you're saying?
Hearing Soyo's words, even Sakiko almost couldn't keep the cold expression on her face.
"Why is she here?!"
Sakiko-sensei didn't even want to respond to Soyo and directly turned her questioning toward Mutsumi.
"Saki-chan, don't blame Mutsumi-chan."
Soyo still had a bit of conscience. Seeing Sakiko-sensei get angry, she immediately shielded Mutsumi behind her.
"I'm the one who asked Mutsumi-chan to bring me here…"
"What did you come to see me for?"
Sakiko barely suppressed her emotions, but when she noticed the maid outfit Soyo was wearing, she showed a look of surprise.
"And what's with what you're wearing?"
"It's a maid outfit~"
Hearing Sakiko's question, Soyo's eyes brightened slightly and she spoke eagerly.
"Starting today, I'm also a maid at Kamijou-kun's house."
"I only recently found out that something like that happened to Saki-chan's family."
"It was my fault before—I didn't even notice…"
"But that won't happen anymore!"
"I'll be a maid together with Sakiko. We'll share hardships and happiness together…"
"How do you know about my situation?"
After Soyo said so much, the only response she received was Sakiko's suppressed, angry questioning.
"Eh?"
Sakiko-sensei's reaction was completely beyond the girl's expectations.
"Don't do unnecessary things."
At this point, Sakiko no longer cared about where Soyo got her information and spoke coldly.
"This place doesn't need extra maids. You should go back."
"I… I just want to help Saki-chan."
Soyo believed that she was so understanding, gentle, and considerate—sharing hardships and happiness together with Sakiko.
She might not be deeply moved by it, but at the very least she should change her attitude toward her a little.
Why was she being so cold to her?
Had she done something wrong?
"Why would you say something like that?"
Soyo's voice sounded somewhat aggrieved.
"Pretending to act as if it's for my sake."
This kind of posture might be very effective against Wakaba Mutsumi, but Sakiko Togawa wasn't moved in the slightest.
"You really are good at being insincere, aren't you?!"
She could tell at a glance that Soyo's purpose wasn't pure.
"Insincere…?"
Hearing Sakiko's words, Soyo couldn't help but try to refute them.
"But I really just want to help Sakiko. If there's one more maid, Sakiko's work would become easier too, right?"
"I just…"
"I don't need your help!"
Soyo didn't understand that being a maid had never been something forced upon Sakiko by others—it was the way Sakiko Togawa maintained her own self-respect.
Therefore, the help Soyo offered so self-righteously only angered Sakiko-sensei.
"Clinging on and refusing to let go like this… isn't it a bit too unsightly?!"
....................