Unable to find a proper way to explain, I simply said, “Come and see for yourself.”
Honestly, it wasn’t the best approach, as it basically meant I was skipping the explanation.
How was I supposed to explain that my friend suddenly jumped over the wall last weekend and declared that she wanted to take over the empty maid position?
Even if I explained it as it happened, it was still absurd.
In the end, I figured they wouldn’t understand in one go, so I just told them to come and see.
As a result, it would’ve been better to just walk out confidently through the front door and get in the car.
Both Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah had troubled expressions, and it lasted the entire walk home.
If we had just taken the car, this awkward time would’ve been shorter.
…I don’t even know why I’m worrying so much about something like this.
Anyway, after that uncomfortable silence, we finally arrived at the mansion.
And—
“Welcome, Miss!”
A ridiculously cheerful, tanned, blonde maid greeted us.
“…Where’s the previous one?”
When I asked,
“She went to pick you up by car!”
For some reason, the new maid smiled brightly as she answered.
Ah, right.
Now that we had two maids, it wasn’t strange for them to split the work.
Normally, I would have stayed out for a while and returned later, so Yang Hye-in would’ve been here, but today, I came straight from school because of this “new maid” standing in front of me.
I felt a bit sorry for the chauffeur stuck waiting in front of the main gate because of Yang Hye-in.
“The handover—”
“For now, I’ve received urgent training centered on what I need to do when you return, Miss!”
…
Hmm, the maid seemed too excited, making it a little overwhelming.
Well, at least she buttoned her uniform up to her neck properly.
I guess it’s because she’s wearing a maid uniform, not a school uniform.
Although it wasn’t some cosplay-like design you’d see in a maid café, anyone could tell that it was unmistakably a maid uniform.
If she left the buttons undone like that, it would’ve looked too suggestive.
Not sure what she’s aiming for, but anyway.
When I looked to the side, Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah were standing there, mouths wide open, frozen like statues.
If this were a shounen manga, their expressions would scream, “I’m dead…!”
But since this was a visual novel, not a shounen manga, it wasn’t quite like that.
Even with those friends in front of her, So-hee continued to smile brightly.
Ironically, that smile, in a different way from Yang Hye-in, suited the maid uniform very well.
*
“I’ll take your coats.”
Although she still sounded like she might burst into laughter at any moment, surprisingly, So-hee managed to do everything right.
Guiding the three of us into the mansion, speaking at the right time to take our coats as we entered.
Of course, she fumbled a bit while taking our coats, more than Yang Hye-in would have… but still, she had probably passed the basic requirements, considering she hadn’t even been working for an hour yet.
Well, who knows what will happen when she gets into more in-depth tasks.
“A-ah, um, here,”
Ha-neul handed her coat to So-hee, almost as if it was being snatched from her.
As with Yang Hye-in, it seemed she wasn’t used to having someone serve her.
Plus, the fact that the person serving her was a friend she had just been hanging out with last week probably made it even harder.
“…”
On the other hand, Lee Soo-ah handed over her coat with a somewhat calm expression.
Her blue eyes were deep in thought, darker than their usual melancholy look, making them seem a bit intimidating.
“Shall I guide you to the dining room? Or would you like some time to talk? Or… perhaps you’d like to freshen up?”
I decided to ignore her last playful comment.
“We can wait a bit to eat, right?”
It seemed like I needed to offer some explanation, so I suggested that.
Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah both nodded simultaneously.
Ha-neul seemed like she hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, while Lee Soo-ah appeared to have understood everything far too well.
“…Let’s head to the room for now.”
“I’ll guide you!”
No, I know the way to the room, thanks.
*
It seemed Yang Hye-in had already registered So-hee’s fingerprint for the door lock, as she arrived at the door just before me and unlocked it.
Ha-neul once again gaped at this, while Lee Soo-ah remained expressionless, just observing.
…What’s with her? Why does she seem upset all of a sudden?
…Is she disappointed in me for employing a friend as a maid?
Feeling a bit deflated by her expression, I walked into the room.
So-hee’s things hadn’t fully arrived yet.
A rolled-up sleeping bag was still on the table, and the large bag she brought on Saturday evening was also sitting there.
There wasn’t a bed yet, but a clothes hanger had arrived.
Normally, I lived here alone, so whenever I took off my clothes, they would go straight into the washing machine or the Styler.
When they were done, they’d be put back in the closet when I wasn’t in the room.
Naturally, I didn’t need my own clothes hanger.
But it was different for So-hee, who was going to live here as a maid.
While I wouldn’t mind sharing my closet, it wasn’t proper for a maid’s outerwear to be handled by either another maid or me.
Of course, she’d need a simple hanger to hang her outer clothes.
So-hee hung the outerwear she had been holding on the clothes hanger in the corner of the room.
Then—
“Oh, right. I’ll leave this here for now and put it in the Styler later.”
She turned to me and said.
I nodded.
“Oh, and I already ate. Before you guys arrived. With my senior.”
“…Senior?”
When I asked, So-hee grinned widely and answered.
“Yes, Yang Hye-in senior.”
“…”
Ah, right.
She is a senior.
It’s not like she could call her “superior”.
I doubt they’ve become close in that short time.
Not that I’m one to judge, but Yang Hye-in didn’t strike me as the sociable type.
I sat down carelessly on the bed.
“But isn’t it a bit early for dinner?”
It wasn’t too early to have missed dinner, though.
“It’s fine. The food for the staff here is actually quite good.”
…At least they’re feeding her well.
I suppose, since I personally brought her here, they couldn’t treat her poorly.
Even if they wanted to ignore her presence, they couldn’t starve her.
Unless, of course, they planned to pull her hair out every day.
“…So,”
It seemed like Ha-neul was finally coming back to her senses, as she opened her mouth.
“So-hee, you really decided to become a maid? Specifically for Sara?”
“That’s right. If it weren’t for Sara, I wouldn’t bother being a maid here.”
So-hee said something embarrassingly bold.
“Hah, who knew that was possible.”
Was it just me, or did Ha-neul’s sigh sound like she was saying, “I wish I’d thought of that”?
“When did you get permission?”
Lee Soo-ah, who had been quietly listening, finally asked.
Her eyes were still deep with thought, but at least she was talking now, making her seem less intimidating.
Her tone hadn’t changed from her usual self, though.
“On Saturday.”
“Who let you in?”
“I let myself in. I jumped over the wall.”
When So-hee proudly said this while puffing out her chest, both Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah’s jaws dropped again.
“…No way.”
Did I just hear, “I could never do that,” in their reaction?
“Amazing.”
For some reason, Lee Soo-ah spoke with a voice full of admiration.
“By the way, I’m transferring to your school. I wouldn’t be able to properly do maid work if I went to a different school. If I go to the same school, I can look after things for you even while we’re at school.”
“…”
As So-hee straightened her back even more while she spoke, Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah looked at her with envious eyes.
…I don’t understand why they’re envious.
Could it be that they think the maid uniform is cute?
Maybe they admire her for getting to wear a nice uniform?
If it were me, no matter how close we were, I wouldn’t be able to do something like that.
…Surely, they’re not going to say they want to do it too.
No way.
I can’t imagine leaving all three of them under Yang Hye-in’s care.
Plus, having all my friends working under me is a bit much.
Even though I already have a reputation as a villain and a show-off at school, there are still lines I don’t want to cross.
While I was organizing my thoughts, So-hee suddenly checked her wristwatch and said,
“Oh, it’s time for senior to come back.”
It was about time for Yang Hye-in to return.
*
Since we arrived much earlier than Yang Hye-in, instead of her greeting us, we ended up greeting her.
It happened because we followed behind So-hee, who ran out saying she was going to greet her.
When Yang Hye-in opened the door and saw us standing in the lobby, her shoulders twitched.
A brief moment of silence.
…Um,
What should I say?
In scenes like this, people usually say things like “I’m back” or “Welcome home,” to create a touching moment, but unfortunately, Yang Hye-in and I didn’t have that kind of relationship.
After all, for the past three years, we hadn’t exchanged a single word and only recently started talking.
“…I’m back, Miss.”
Still, it was a fitting thing for Yang Hye-in to say.
She had quit for real but had come back because I called her.
Though I don’t know how long she’ll stay.
Also, technically speaking, she really did come back from outside.
“…”
Hmm.
What should I say back?
Judging from the fact that everyone, including So-hee, was silently staring at me, they were waiting for me to say something.
Uh, from their expressions, it seemed like they were expecting a touching reunion between me and Yang Hye-in.
“…Is the handover going well?”
Even though not enough time had passed to assess that, I didn’t have anything else to say, so I just brought up the work.
“Yes, I will do my best.”
And her response was somewhat off-kilter.
I glanced over at So-hee.
She was smiling brightly, looking back and forth between me and Yang Hye-in, a stark contrast to Yang Hye-in’s minimal expression of emotion.
…Hmm, it doesn’t seem to be going smoothly.
“Let’s talk about what happens next once the handover is complete.”
To be honest, I hadn’t asked Yang Hye-in whether she wanted to keep working here or not.
I hadn’t seen her since last Saturday when she was fired by the Chairwoman.
So I decided to leave it vague for now.
Whether she stays or not depends on her decision.
I’ll leave asking her about it until after the handover is done.
“…Yes, thank you.”
Yang Hye-in thought over my words for a moment, then bowed slightly as she answered.
And for some reason, the three people around me were watching this scene with warm eyes.
…Why?