“If you really don’t want to go, isn’t it fine to just refuse?”
When she finally faced Asano Toru’s request, the Amamiya Shizuru who spoke this line seemed to have transformed into some kind of sharp-tongued female lead villain from a family ethics romance drama.
This sentence was just like “If you don’t want it, she won’t give it to you either?”
Without a doubt, it shoved all the responsibility onto the other party.
Amamiya herself also knew this was excessive.
But if it really wouldn’t work, Amamiya Shizuru had already thought it through.
When they were at the review camp, couldn’t she just barge in and take Asano Toru out?
Presumably Asano Toru himself would be very willing, right?
The downside, though, was that it might cause a little irreversible damage to both of their reputations.
But that didn’t matter either.
Amamiya Shizuru thought this coldly in her heart.
Just like in middle school, she hadn’t gotten along with the other girls.
One reason was that Yaegaki had been stirring things up from behind.
On the other hand, it was also her own personality. She simply didn’t want to get mixed up in it.
It was only with Yaegaki’s support that those girls had dared to secretly envy her behind her back.
Whether in looks, family background, or ability, they fell far short of her, yet they still deluded themselves into wanting to press her down a head.
Then work hard properly, all right?
What use was there in only hiding in dark corners slandering other people?
In the end, it seemed Suzuki Shion didn’t want the atmosphere to stay too stiff, so she spoke up.
“Studying is something you have to exchange with each other in order to progress together. Everyone can think this over a bit more.”
And so a buffer period was left behind.
But for Amamiya Shizuru this was of no use.
She had clearly already made her decision, yet she was changing it again and again.
Wasn’t that exactly a display of indecisiveness?
***
After returning home and finishing dinner, Amamiya Shizuru went back to her own room.
On the desk in the room sat two books.
—1,000 Sentences That Fill You with Energy
—Accepting Mediocrity Is Actually Not Mediocrity
What was the deal with these books?
Just from the titles you could tell how low-level the contents were, empty chicken-soup with no nutrition.
It made one curious just who would even read books like these.
And who on earth had put them on her desk?
Had Yaegaki snuck into her room at some unknown time and placed these two books inside?
Was the intent to use this method to lower her taste and spread the rumor that “my taste is low”?
Then there must be an expert advising Yaegaki from behind.
The harm this method caused her was far greater than everything Yaegaki had done in the past.
Amamiya Shizuru clapped her hands.
The room door opened at once.
“Miss, is there something you need to instruct?”
The person who came in, wearing a maid outfit, was Amamiya Shizuru’s exclusive maid, named Morikawa Saku.
She was a reliable, mature woman.
Though rather than a maid, Amamiya Shizuru felt she was more like a bodyguard.
“These two books. Do you know who put them here?” Amamiya Shizuru asked.
“Aya! These are my books! Why are they here?”
Morikawa Saku tilted her head in confusion.
“Uh…”
Amamiya Shizuru sighed.
“You didn’t secretly slack off in my room again, did you?”
◇
Morikawa Saku was a bold person.
Amamiya Shizuru had known this for a long time, but this was not praise.
She had an excellent quality as a maid: enthusiasm!
But that was the only quality.
At the beginning Amamiya Shizuru had even suspected the other party’s purpose in coming to be a maid.
Because on the first day, when the other party came into contact with her, she had said with disappointment, “Why isn’t this young lady the type who doesn’t understand anything? It’s not fun at all.”
That sentence had immediately put the still-young Amamiya Shizuru on alert.
She had even suspected whether someone wanted to harm her.
But later facts proved that Morikawa Saku had only been talking.
That was just her personality.
She especially liked to rely on her “rich in life experience” side to “bully” Amamiya Shizuru.
But after Amamiya met her with a cold face, she would leave of her own accord, having found no fun.
Then it would be the next cycle.
◇
“How could that be? It must have been when I was cleaning the room and I accidentally left them here.”
Morikawa Saku gave an utterly unconvincing answer.
Amamiya Shizuru couldn’t be bothered to expose her and handed the two books back to her.
“Oh, right.” After taking the books, Morikawa Saku suddenly remembered something.
“About Miss’s request to go to the review camp, Madam has already agreed.”
“What review camp?” Amamiya Shizuru looked confused.
It couldn’t be the one I’m thinking of, right?
“Huh? After dinner, Madam received a call from Miss Yaegaki saying she wanted to study at a camp together with Miss Amamiya, so of course Madam agreed.” Morikawa Saku said. “I was even wondering why Miss didn’t go tell Madam in person.”
“……”
So Mom agreed without even asking me once?
Ai…
This was like, in the parents’ eyes, the child having a “very good friend” invite her out to play, and not only would they not mess around, they would even be going to study.
With this kind of proper reason, of course the parents were willing.
“Ai, and there’s also the young ladies’ tea party. It’s really enviable.” Morikawa Saku sighed.
“What’s there to envy.” Amamiya Shizuru said lightly. “I hate Yaegaki Ruri. It’s not like you don’t know.”
◇
Amamiya Shizuru took off her school uniform and changed into loungewear.
She undid the ribbon and pulled down the zipper.
The pleated skirt slid to her feet, revealing long, straight legs wrapped in black stockings.
She first peeled off the long stockings.
Her fair feet stepped onto the carpet, her toes curling slightly, before she reached for the long house dress on the hanger.
The shirt slipped from her shoulders, revealing the curves outlined by her undergarments.
Amamiya Shizuru’s figure belonged to that type that looked slender at a glance but was actually quite well-endowed.
Morikawa Saku stood to the side, looking with slight envy at the girl’s striking figure.
Normally speaking, shouldn’t a young lady’s figure be rather barren?
That way, she as the maid would have been able to use that point to properly laugh at her.
But speaking of which.
Although Miss Amamiya’s face was cold, in reality, even when she met other people’s enthusiastic requests, she would only resist a little and then finally agree.
She really was… like a cat!
And she was amazing too, having to learn so many things.
She couldn’t help sighing, “If only Miss, you were a young master.”
“…?”
Have you gone crazy?
Amamiya Shizuru didn’t really want to probe what strange thing her family’s maid was thinking again.
She would have liked to become a young master.
But Heaven was not kind!
“Hehe.” Amamiya Shizuru tugged at the corner of her mouth. “If I were a young master, I absolutely wouldn’t want any maid.”
“That’s really cold…”
“Is the bathwater ready?”
“Of course it’s prepared.”
Mm…
After washing, she could go do today’s problem sets.
Then polish the final campaign speech draft a bit more.
Finally read a little, and then she could sleep.
What a leisurely life.
Just as Amamiya Shizuru was thinking this.
Morikawa Saku suddenly said:
“Miss, tomorrow’s bento ingredients have also been prepared. The other portion is still for that Asano-kun?”
Amamiya Shizuru nodded.
……
Wrong!
How did she know it was Asano Toru’s?
All along, Amamiya Shizuru had used “I’ve been growing lately” and “there’s loss when cooking” as reasons to ask for extra ingredients.
She had never said she was preparing two bento.
And even if it were discovered, Amamiya Shizuru could have brushed it off with “a friend at school,” of course a female friend.
But why had she skipped those two steps and known it was Asano Toru directly?
Amamiya Shizuru’s expression stayed calm.
After thinking for a moment, she decided not to ask extra questions and said directly, “Do Mom and Dad know about this?”
Morikawa Saku seemed surprised by Amamiya Shizuru’s reaction.
“Eh? Don’t tell me Miss you really…”
“No!” Amamiya Shizuru cut her off at once. “Of course it has nothing to do with that.”
She furrowed her brow.
What she feared most was other people misunderstanding, especially a relationship between a man and a woman.
“Nn… if Miss wants to make friends, of course I won’t stop you.” Morikawa Saku said with a smile.
As if you could stop me…
“Don’t worry.” Morikawa Saku added another line. “I haven’t told anyone else.”
“That’s good.”
Amamiya Shizuru replied lightly.
After getting an affirmative answer, Amamiya relaxed.
“Aren’t you going to ask how I found out?” Morikawa Saku asked.
“No need~”
Amamiya Shizuru’s tone was calm.
Think about it and you would know.
As a maid of the Amamiya family, she must ordinarily also be hiding nearby in secret for the sake of protecting her, right?