Chapter 17: The Maid Entertains the Guests

“This way, please, Rina-san, Maritsuji──no, Anri-san.”

I led the Maritsuji mother and daughter down the hallway from the entrance lobby, my heart still racing from the tense greeting. Somehow, I’d managed to welcome everyone from the Maritsuji family without incident. Originally, the next head of the family, Anri’s father, was supposed to come too, but apparently he’d caught a cold. Maritsuji had even brought a doctor’s note to prove they weren’t declining the invitation on purpose, so it seemed he really was ill. According to her, the next head tended to fall ill often.

Well, with such a difficult wife and daughter, it must be tough… I can relate, since I have a difficult maid myself.

“I’m fine with being called Maritsuji, as always. More importantly, Kiyomiya-san, you look rather serious, don’t you?” Maritsuji peered at my face with a concerned expression.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. I’m just a bit tense. It’s my first time formally welcoming guests at the old manor, after all.”

“Hehe, if anything, I’m the one who’s tense. This is my first time coming to the old manor on a formal invitation, you know.”

Maritsuji smiled as she took a seat in the reception room. Next to her, Maritsuji Rina-san was already seated, her posture impeccable. The daughter wore an elegant white dress with a cherry-colored jacket, while the mother was dressed in a white-based suit, her attire impeccable without a single flaw.

“Keiji-san.”

“Ah, yes.” When Rina-san called out to me, I unconsciously straightened my back.

“There’s no need to be so tense. You’re still a child. As long as you behave in a way that isn’t rude, that’s sufficient. That’s what modern etiquette is all about.”

“…Yes.”

It’s not like we’re in a samurai household where I’d be cut down for a breach of etiquette. Reizen-sensei said something similar, so I should try not to be too stiff.

“Pardon the intrusion. I’ve brought the tea.”

Sayaka entered the reception room and deftly placed teacups in front of Maritsuji and Rina-san. I also sat in front of the Maritsuji mother and daughter, and a cup was placed before me as well. Her movements were perfect. As expected of Sayaka; learning etiquette from her mother, who was a professional maid, was no mere affectation. During our practice runs, Sayaka’s hospitality had been flawless from the very start.

“Madam, Ojou-sama, if you’ll excuse me──”

“Wait, Sayaka-san. You stay here too.”

“Eh…”

Rina-san stopped her, and Sayaka, who was about to leave the room, halted. Huh, was there some rudeness?

“Did I… commit some faux pas?”

“No, I just want you to stay. I’d prefer if you sat there, but that might be hard for you to accept. It’s fine as long as you’re in the room.”

“Yes.”

Though bewildered, Sayaka responded without hesitation. Yeah, panicking would be the worst thing. Sayaka stood a little distance away from me. Rina-san nodded in satisfaction and took a sip of tea.

“Oh my, this tea is delicious. Did you prepare it?”

“Yes, under Reizen-sensei’s guidance.”

Sayaka answered honestly without hesitation. She was quite composed──actually, almost too composed. We really owed a lot to Reizen-sensei. Mama’s meddlesome nature was alive and well outside of school, too──though only toward Sayaka.

“I see, it’s even more delicious than the tea I had before. You’ve truly improved, haven’t you, Hisaka-san?”

“Thank you very much, my lady.”

Sayaka smiled and gave a slight bow to the younger Maritsuji. Whoa, so far so good…

“I’ve visited the Kiyomiya Family Main Residence several times, but this is my first time here. Keiji-san, how are you finding life here?”

“The servants take good care of me, so I’m living here without any issues.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. These days, some households don’t even have servants. The Maritsuji family keeps a minimal staff now, with only two live-in attendants. And that’s mostly just to provide lodging for our younger employees.”

“That’s surprising.”

Indeed, when I’d visited the Maritsuji residence before, I hadn’t seen any servants. For a mansion of that size, maintenance without staff would be impossible, but they were keeping numbers down, huh.

“Eventually, as the wife, I’ll handle all the household affairs, so we could introduce Hisaka-san to a new job.”

Maritsuji smiled cheerfully while looking at Sayaka. Alright, here it comes.

“No, my master still considers himself quite inexperienced, so marriage is still a distant prospect. Until then, I, Hisaka Sayaka, will serve my lord with all my being. Please rest assured.”

“Oh, but I think a servant’s duties are sufficient for maintaining the mansion. Even if marriage is some ways off, as his fiancée, it’s possible for us to live together. I can support Kiyomiya-san both mentally and physically.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on. Even if we get engaged, cohabitation is a bit much──”

The sparks flying between Sayaka and Maritsuji were scary, but I couldn’t let that last comment slide, so I had to interject.

“We wouldn’t mind at all. The Kiyomiya family has a thousand-year tradition. If she is to marry into the family, she needs to learn the Kiyomiya ways before the formal marriage.”

“Th-that’s something she could learn by commuting, couldn’t she…?”

To my surprise, Rina-san was also in favor of premarital cohabitation. If Sayaka and Maritsuji were under the same roof, it could lead to a bloody tragedy. In fact, I’d probably be the first one to start coughing up blood from the stress.

“Moreover… Keiji-san needs to build his influence while he is still a student.”

“……”

Rina-san’s face was deadly serious. Is this why she accepted my invitation?

“Right now, I hear the Fujikawa family holds the largest faction in the high school division. How lamentable. The Fujikawa are merely a distant branch of the Kiyomiya family. The Maritsuji maintain a beautiful tradition of neither forming nor joining factions, embracing splendid isolation──but…”

“Kiyomiya-san, I’ve been thinking I might join your faction. Lately, there are far too many upstarts… It’s all so terribly dull, you see.”

“W-we’re not forming factions for fun.”

Not only has my plan to form a faction been exposed, but Maritsuji is declaring her intent to join before I’ve even invited her. Also, that Kyoto dialect is as intimidating as ever, Anri-chan.

“Anri-san, the Fujikawa may be upstarts, but they have financial power, so you mustn’t underestimate them. We were once suppressed by warriors with military might, and now we are suppressed by upstarts with wealth.” Rina-san said this and elegantly sipped her tea. “That said, the one we mustn’t underestimate the most is the Kiyomiya family, which possesses the highest pedigree, wealth, and a male heir. The Maritsuji lack wealth, and the Toyohara lack a male heir.”

“O-our family is pacifist. We don’t intend to compete with other houses…”

“Takatsugu-san is, yes. He seems to keep his involvement in the Kiyomiya Group companies to a purely formal one. But his heir is not to be trifled with, wouldn’t you agree?”

“That heir… you mean me?”

“Who else would there be? No matter what the rabble may say, the Kiyomiya heir is you, Keiji-san. And if any of your Kiyomiya relatives complain, I’ll be more than happy to silence them for you.”

“R-Rina-san, your Kyoto dialect is quite beautiful.”

“Oh my, pardon me. I’ve been traveling between Kyoto and Kanto since I was a child.” Hohoho, Rina-san laughed in a deliberately elegant manner.

This mother-daughter pair is similar in so many ways… Talking to both of them is starting to get confusing.

“Shall I tell you why we chose Keiji-san as our daughter’s fiancé?”

“Y-yes, please.”

“It seems it was for a rather simple reason…”

“Hm? Sayaka, what do you mean by that…?”

I glanced over at Sayaka, but she merely gave a slight bow, as if to say, my apologies for interrupting.

“The maid is a clever one, isn’t she? You’ve figured it out already. Yes──Kiyomiya Keiji-san, it’s because I like you.”

“Huh? Y-you do, Rina-san?”

The one who seemed to dislike me the most… A bastard child like me should be the last person she’d consider as a suitable husband for her daughter. Could she be a tsundere? Is the madam a tsundere?

“Yes, as I’ve said many times, I approve of you as a partner for her.”

Now it was Anri-chan’s turn.

“I’ve known you since we were children, Kiyomiya-san, and I’ve been watching you all this time, from elementary school to this first year of high school. The people who have sensed your abilities aren’t just Hisaka-san, Sogano-san, and Fujikawa-san. The first to notice might have been us Maritsuji women, my mother and I, you know?”

“Maritsuji, I’m still treated like trash at school.”

“It was a splendid camouflage, Kiyomiya-san. I wanted to be the only one who knew your true value, so it would have been perfectly fine for you to keep it up.”

“No, Anri-san. We need you to drop the camouflage. Your father-in-law──the current head of your family is observing from a distance since Anri-san has approved of you, but he will eventually want to verify your true worth himself.”

“……”

Alright, let’s calm down a bit. Today, I invited the Maritsuji family to first and foremost gain their approval. And on top of that──

“Madam, Ojou-sama, would you like a refill on your tea?”

“Oh, how thoughtful of you, maid. Yes, please.”

Suddenly, Sayaka stepped forward and spoke, and Rina-san nodded. Sayaka left the reception room for a moment and returned with a teapot. That was quick; Reizen-sensei and Maki must have prepared it. We couldn’t keep our guests waiting, so that was a big help. Anyway, it was good to have a brief pause to compose myself. As expected, the Maritsuji mother and daughter were formidable… If I can get through this, no high-pressure interview will ever scare me again.

“Please wait a moment.”

Sayaka brewed the tea with practiced movements. In just a short time, she’d become quite the proper maid. But she’s actually an Ojou-sama from a good family, so is it okay for her to become so maid-like…?

“…Honoka-san.”

“Eh?”

“Ah, my apologies. For some reason, looking at the maid reminds me of her.”

“You flatter me. To me, she is my lord’s mother.”

She casually tells a huge lie. How terrifying.

“Wait a moment.”

Suddenly, Rina-san half-rose from her seat, leaning forward to stare at Sayaka’s face. The Maritsuji matriarch’s expression was unusually serious, filling the reception room with tension.

This is… bad, isn’t it?

“Maid, your face resembles Honoka-san’s as well.”

“…Rina-san, I thought you didn’t remember much about my mother?”

“Yes, I had forgotten. But lately, I’ve been strangely recalling her──and looking at the maid’s face again, there’s a shadow of her in it…”

Rina-san stood up and scrutinized Sayaka closely.

This is seriously bad──even I noticed the resemblance, so for Rina-san who knew the real Wakura Honoka, the chances of her noticing were high. Sayaka and Wakura Honoka look alike. Not just their facial features, but the intellectual aura that comes through even in photographs is strikingly similar.

“…No, that’s impossible, isn’t it? Keiji-san and Sayaka-san are the same age. It couldn’t be that Takatsugu-san and Honoka-san had another child──how ridiculous.”

Rina-san smiled in a troubled way and sat back down.

Ah, a cold sweat is beading on my back. Good thing Rina-san is the type to prioritize logic over intuition. She’d never dream that the Kiyomiya family would pull a “switch” with a servant’s child.

“My apologies, maid──no, Sayaka-san.”

“Please don’t worry about it. Here you are──ah!”

As Sayaka tried to place the cup in front of Rina-san, she dropped it. The cup shattered on the table with a crash, spilling hot tea──

“Hot!”

“Ah…! I-I’m terribly sorry!”

The spilled tea splashed onto Rina-san’s arm, soiling her sleeve.

“It’s quite all right. But that was improper. Such a mistake would not be permitted in a public setting.”

“Y-yes…”

Uncharacteristically, Sayaka is shaken──no, she spilled the tea because she was shaken, not the other way around. For Sayaka, Rina-san is someone who knew her real mother, and she had just come dangerously close to having her connection to Wakura Honoka exposed. It would be strange if she wasn’t shaken──

“No, Rina-san.”

I stood up and bowed my head.

“A servant’s mistake is my responsibility as the master. I deeply apologize.”

“That’s right. You’ve acknowledged the mistake──so what will you do now? Keiji-san, will you dismiss the rude maid as a sign of your apology?”

“Huh? W-wait, Rina-san. Just for spilling some tea──”

“Servants are replaceable. An apology means nothing without action to back it up, does it not?”

“……”

She’s applying an incredible amount of pressure. And the scary part is, she’s not wrong. She probably doesn’t actually care whether Sayaka gets fired or not. Of course, spilling tea isn’t a huge deal. Anything would have sufficed as a trigger. Rina-san is testing me to see how I’ll handle protecting my maid──

“No, I’m sorry, but Sayaka has no replacement.”

“…Keiji-kun.”

I heard Sayaka murmur.

“To me, she is a maid, and yet so much more.”

“Oh my, I suspected as much──”

Now the Maritsuji daughter stood up, glaring sharply at Sayaka.

“Perhaps being a maid is just a cover, and you’re actually dating Kiyomiya-san? With that face and body, are you seducing the next head of the Kiyomiya family? Such vulgar tactics──”

“How rude! I will not tolerate such disrespectful accusations toward myself and Keiji-kun, even from a Maritsuji!”

“W-whoa, Sayaka…!”

“Stay quiet, Keiji-kun.”

Sayaka pushed me back and stepped forward. Rude? What era are you from──wait, that’s not the issue!

“You can keep your vile speculations to yourself, Maritsuji-san. I am serving Keiji-kun strictly as his maid. Any further relationship is impossible. Your words are an insult not only to me but to Keiji-kun as well.”

“‘Insult’ is such a stuffy way to put it. Well, allow me to say this: I──find you to be an eyesore, Hisaka Sayaka-san.”

Maritsuji said this, a smile still playing on her lips. The fact that her Kyoto dialect, which usually comes out when her emotions run high, isn’t appearing now makes it even more terrifying…

“As long as no baseless suspicions are cast, I do not find you to be an eyesore in the slightest, Maritsuji-san. I believe no one is more suitable than you as my lord’s fiancée.”

“Oh, how lovely to hear. Perhaps I will retract my ‘eyesore’ comment. I went too far, I apologize. That was rather classless of me.”

“Indeed it was.”

“Sayaka, hey, Sayaka, she’s a guest. That’s enough…”

“No, that was a splendid response. Sometimes, turning away a rude guest is a part of hospitality. Standing up to protect your master head-on. That’s quite gallant. Very impressive indeed.”

Rina-san seemed genuinely impressed with Sayaka. Well, no ordinary maid would ever say such things…

“I’m starting to truly like you, Hisaka Sayaka-san. If my daughter were to move into this old manor, I would almost want to come along as well.”

“Cohabitation accompanied by her mother──so, co-residence.”

It’s too novel of an idea; I’d probably be the first to run away. It might be better if I weren’t even there. Three beautiful girls and one beautiful woman, an all-female share house… sounds kind of interesting.

“However, Rina-san. Sayaka is our family’s maid, so she serves only me. She may be an unusual maid, but Sayaka is mine alone.”

I stood up and looked at the faces of the Maritsuji mother and daughter in turn. Sayaka had fought as a maid for my sake. Then, as her master, I couldn’t just stand by and silently watch. I’d invited the Maritsuji family to draw them to my side, but now, I was about to do the very opposite. I knew it was a foolish move, but I couldn’t stop myself. No, I probably decided from the very start that I would say this to the Maritsuji family, in front of Sayaka, here in our precious mansion──

“Maritsuji──Anri-chan. Just for now, let me call you what I used to. What you said was classless, but you weren’t entirely wrong.”

“…Kiyomiya-san?”

“I am being seduced by Sayaka. And have been, since even before she became a maid.”

Having said that, I walked over to Sayaka and──

“K-Keiji-kun? What are you saying?”

“Sayaka, I probably invited the Maritsuji mother and daughter here just so I could say this. The place doesn’t matter, but allow me to say it here, in our precious mansion.”

I grasped Sayaka’s slender wrist and gently pulled.

“Kya…!”

I tightly embraced Sayaka’s delicate body, wrapping my hand around her slim waist and holding her small head close. Sayaka had hugged me many times, but this was probably the first time I’d ever hugged her.

“Anri-chan, Rina-san, listen to me. I’m in love with Hisaka Sayaka.”

“K-Keiji-kun…!?”

“Because I love Sayaka the maid, I can’t get engaged to you, Anri-chan. I’m sorry. I should have told you from the start.”

“Kei-kun… are you serious? You’re choosing the maid over me?”

Maritsuji also stood up, looking at me with astonished eyes. Her voice was calm and her expression composed──but

“I’m choosing Sayaka the maid. Of course, I’ll have to wait for her answer.”

I wasn’t so arrogant as to think I could claim a girl just for my own convenience. But right now, in a suitably aristocratic and forceful manner──I wanted to declare that I would take what I desired most in this world.

Sayaka remained silent. But she didn’t try to escape from my arms as I embraced her slender body.