Prologue

Two days after the Konohana family’s social gathering ended.

Monday morning. When I woke up, I remembered that I was still at the Konohana estate.

“…Right. I’m still her caretaker.”

I had a dream. It was about what happened just last week… when I stormed into this mansion alone to save Hinako.

Thinking back, I can’t believe I actually pulled off something so bold. That’s how much I thought Kagen-san’s way of doing things was wrong, and how much I wanted to help Hinako.

“Alright, time to give it my all again today.”

I changed into my school uniform and attended the staff meeting with the other servants.

After that, as usual, I headed to Hinako’s room.

“…She’s sound asleep.”

“Nn, mm…”

Hinako was sleeping with her futon kicked off and her belly showing, letting out little breaths.

Just seeing her peaceful sleeping face made me realize I was living in a warm, gentle world.

Still, I couldn’t afford to just relax all morning.

I gently shook Hinako’s sleeping body.

“Hinako, it’s morning.”

“Nn… Itsuki?”

“Yeah.”

I pulled open the curtains, letting sunlight into the room.

Hinako sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“…Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

As we exchanged greetings, I turned to face Hinako.

In the now sunlit room, Hinako let out a big yawn, then sighed.

“I don’t wanna go to the Academy…”

“Don’t be selfish.”

Acting is tough, sure, but going to the Academy isn’t pointless.

Someday, I want Hinako to want to go to the Academy on her own. And as her caretaker, that’s probably my duty.

I must not forget that there was a time when I almost got dismissed from this role.

I need to keep myself sharp, too.

As I was thinking that, I happened to notice Hinako’s mouth.

“Hinako, lift your face for a second.”

“Nn…?”

Looking puzzled, Hinako raised her face as I pulled something out of my pocket and held it out to her.

“What’s that?”

“A handkerchief. You’ve got drool on your face, so I thought I’d wipe it for you.”

“D-drool…”

Maybe her mind wasn’t fully awake yet, as she just repeated my words.

The next moment, Hinako suddenly panicked and ducked her head.

“What’s wrong? Why’re you hiding your face?”

“I-I’ll wipe it myself… so don’t look over here.”

I set the handkerchief in her outstretched palm, and she frantically started scrubbing around her mouth.

Normally, me wiping Hinako’s drool wouldn’t be a big deal—we’re way past that. So why’s she acting like this today?

“I brought your clothes.”

“…Okay.”

Hinako gave a tiny nod.

After waking her up, the next step was always helping her get dressed. At first, it made my head spin, but lately I’d gotten used to it and could keep my composure, so it didn’t bother me anymore.

“…Get out.”

“Huh?”

“Just go. Hurry, get out.”

Hinako, clutching her clothes to her chest, repeated herself.

Those words hit me like a lightning bolt.

“…Huh?”

Her face flushed red, Hinako pushed me out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind me with a soft thud.

“…Hmm.”

Yeah, there’s no way this is just my imagination.

Ever since the social gathering, Hinako’s been acting strange.

To be precise, her attitude toward me is different. She used to be so open, clinging to me without a second thought… What’s with this change of heart?

“Maybe she’ll go back to normal after a while…?”

After waiting by the door for ten minutes, Hinako finally came out.

Just as I suspected, she hadn’t managed to get dressed properly, so I had to help her in the end. Her shirt buttons were mismatched, and the skirt zipper was caught in the fabric. The only thing different from usual was that, while I was fixing those, Hinako kept averting her gaze, looking embarrassed the whole time.

After escorting her to the dining hall, I headed to my room to grab my bag with my textbooks.

On the way, I ran into Shizune-san.

“Izuki-san. Did something happen with Ojou-sama?”

“No, nothing in particular, I think…”

If I had to say, it’s that Hinako’s acting weird, but it’s not like anything specific happened.

“Ojou-sama said she doesn’t want you to wake her up anymore starting tomorrow.”

“What?”

“I’ll ask you again. Did something happen?”

She glared at me like I was a criminal.

I really wanted to clear up that misunderstanding, so I explained Hinako’s behavior since the social gathering. Maybe talking it through with Shizune-san would give me some kind of clue.

“So, Ojou-sama’s been acting strange…”

“Um… did I do something to make Hinako hate me?”

“No, if anything, that incident the other day made it clear that Ojou-sama’s quite fond of you…”

Hearing that made me feel both happy and embarrassed.

“It doesn’t seem like she’s unwell, but I’ll keep an eye on her. Let me know if you notice anything.”

“Got it.”

After parting ways with Shizune-san, I headed to the dining hall where Hinako was waiting.

It was about time for us to head to the Academy.