Chapter 76
Chapter 76
I was so stumped that I just told them to come see for themselves.
Probably not the best move. It was essentially me saying I'd skip the explanation altogether.
How was I supposed to explain that my friend hopped the wall last weekend and declared she wanted to fill the empty maid position? Even if I laid it out exactly as it happened, it would still sound ridiculous. I knew they weren't going to understand in one go anyway, so I glossed over the whole thing by telling them to see it in person.
In the end, it went worse than if we'd just walked out the main gate and gotten into the car. Ha-neul and Lee Su-a both wore expressions that said they were wrestling with their own thoughts, and that lasted the entire walk home.
If we'd taken the car, at least this awkward stretch would've been a little shorter.
...Not that I know why I'm agonizing this much over something like this.
Anyway, after that uncomfortable silence, we made it to the mansion.
And then—
"Welcome back, miss!"
A blond, tanned maid greeted us with ridiculously energetic enthusiasm.
"...Where's your predecessor?"
I asked,
"She took the car to pick you up!"
Looking pleased about something, the new maid answered with a beaming smile.
Right. That figures. Now that there are two maids, splitting the work isn't that strange. Normally I would've killed time outside and come home later, so Yang Hye-in would've been here too, but today I came straight from school because of the 'new maid' standing right in front of me.
I felt a little sorry for the driver who was stuck waiting at the main gate because of Yang Hye-in.
"The handover—"
"For now, I've been trained mainly on what to do when you arrive home!"
.......
Hm. The maid's excitement is a little overwhelming.
Well, at least she's got the buttons done up all the way to her neck. I guess that makes sense, since she's wearing a maid uniform, not a school one. Even if the design isn't the cosplay-ish kind you'd see at a maid café, that outfit is unmistakably a maid uniform to anyone who sees it. If she'd left the buttons undone, it would've turned into something that looked deliberately staged.
Not that I know what she'd be trying to stage.
When I glanced to the side, Ha-neul and Lee Su-a were frozen like statues with their mouths hanging open. If this were a shounen manga, their faces would've screamed, 'They're already dead...!' But this is a dating sim, not a shounen manga.
Even with her friends looking like that, So-hee just kept on beaming.
Ironic as it was, that expression suited the maid uniform incredibly well, just in a different way than Yang Hye-in did.
*
"I'll take your coats."
Her tone still sounded like she might burst out laughing at any second, but to my surprise So-hee did everything she was supposed to. She guided the three of us into the mansion, then spoke up at just the right moment as we came through the door to take our coats.
Granted, she fumbled a little more than Yang Hye-in when taking the coats, but... didn't that count as a pass? She'd barely been working for an hour.
Then again, who knows how she'd handle the deeper tasks.
"Ah, uh, no,"
Ha-neul practically had her coat snatched away by So-hee. She'd been the same with Yang Hye-in, so I guess she just wasn't used to being served. And on top of that, the person doing it was a friend she'd been hanging out with just last week.
"......."
Lee Su-a, on the other hand, handed over her coat with a relatively composed expression. Her blue eyes were sunken deep, as if she were lost in thought....It was a little unnerving, because they looked different from her usual melancholic gaze.
"Shall I show you to the dining room right away? Or would you like a moment to talk first? Or... would you like to freshen up?"
I decided to ignore that last teasing suggestion.
"...The meal can wait a bit, right?"
Since I figured a little more explanation was necessary, I suggested it. Ha-neul and Lee Su-a both nodded at the same time. Ha-neul still didn't seem to have fully grasped the situation, while Lee Su-a looked like she'd grasped it a little too well.
"...Then let's head up to my room first."
"I'll show you the way!"
I mean, I do know how to get to my own room.
*
Still, it looked like Yang Hye-in had registered So-hee's fingerprint on the door lock, because So-hee, who'd reached the door a few steps ahead of me, unlocked it and opened it. Ha-neul's jaw dropped again at the sight, but Lee Su-a just watched blankly.
...What's up with her? Why has she looked like she's in a bad mood for a while now?
...Was she disappointed seeing me use a friend as a maid?
A little deflated by that blank expression, I went inside.
It didn't look like all of So-hee's things had arrived yet. The rolled-up sleeping bag was still on the table, and the big bag she'd hauled over on Saturday evening was still there. No bed or anything had shown up, but at least a coat rack had arrived.
Normally I live here alone. The coat I take off goes straight to the washing machine or the styler, and the clothes that have been taken care of are put back in the wardrobe while I'm out of the room. So of course I never needed a personal coat rack.
But So-hee, who'd be living in this room as a maid, was different. I didn't mind sharing the wardrobe, but... that didn't mean another maid or I could take care of a maid's outerwear for her. Obviously she'd need at least one rack to hang her coat on.
So-hee hung the coats she was holding onto the rack that had been brought into the corner of the room. Then—
"Ah, right. I'll leave this hanging here for now and put it in the styler a bit later."
She turned to face me as she said it. I nodded.
"Oh, and I already ate. Before you guys got here. With my senior."
"...Senior?"
When I echoed her, So-hee grinned.
"Yeah. Senior Yang Hye-in."
"......."
Oh, right. A senior is a senior. Not like she could call her a superior at work instead.
Did she and Yang Hye-in get... well, friendly in that time? Probably not. It's not my place to say, but Yang Hye-in didn't strike me as the sociable type.
I perched on the edge of the bed.
"Still, isn't it a bit early to have eaten?"
Not that it's too early to eat dinner, mind you.
"It's fine. The servants' meals here are pretty good."
...So they do feed her. Well, she's a maid I brought in myself, so they can't just treat her any which way. Even if they coexist by ignoring each other, they can't exactly starve her. Not unless they plan to spend every day pulling each other's hair out.
"......So."
Ha-neul finally spoke up, as if she was only now coming to her senses.
"So-hee, you really decided to become a maid? Sara's personal maid?"
"Yep. If it weren't Sara's personal position, there'd be no reason for me to work as a maid here in the first place."
So-hee made the embarrassingly straightforward declaration without a hint of shame.
"...Ha. So that was an option."
Was it just my imagination, or did that sighing reply sound like 'I should've done that too!'?
"When did you get permission?"
Lee Su-a, who had been listening, asked. Her eyes were still deeply sunken, but at least she looked a little less scary now that she was talking. Her tone was no different from her usual self.
"On Saturday."
"Who let you in?"
"I let myself in. I climbed over the wall."
Seeing So-hee say that with her chest puffed out, Ha-neul and Lee Su-a's mouths fell open all over again.
"......Even so, that's."
I was just imagining the unspoken 'Even I couldn't do that,' right?
"......That's impressive."
Lee Su-a said it in a tone that was half awe, for some reason.
"For the record, I'm transferring to your school too. If I went to a different school, I wouldn't be able to do the maid work properly. If we're at the same school, I can take care of things for you on campus too."
"......."
Ha-neul and Lee Su-a watched So-hee, whose shoulders were broadening with pride, with what looked like envy in their eyes.
...I honestly don't know what there is to be envious about. Is it because the maid uniform is pretty? Is it some kind of yearning for a cute uniform? If it were me, I don't think I could do something like that, no matter how close the friend was.
...Don't tell me these two are going to say they want to do it too.
No matter how you slice it, saddling Yang Hye-in with three people is a bit much. And having all my friends working under me is more than a little uncomfortable, too. Sure, my school reputation might be that of a villain and an attention-seeker, but even I have lines I want to hold.
As I was sorting out my thoughts by myself, So-hee suddenly glanced at her wristwatch and said,
"Ah, it's about time for my senior to get back."
Apparently it was almost time for Yang Hye-in to return.
*
Since we got back way ahead of Yang Hye-in, we ended up in the opposite situation: instead of her welcoming us, we were the ones welcoming her. Though it happened because I ended up trailing behind So-hee as she dashed off to go greet her senior.
When Yang Hye-in opened the door and came in, she flinched the moment she saw us all standing in the lobby.
A very brief moment of silence.
...Uh.
What am I supposed to say here.
Usually in scenes like this, you'd get a touching exchange like 'Welcome back' and 'Glad to be back.' But unfortunately Yang Hye-in and I aren't on those kinds of warm, affectionate terms. Before that, we'd barely said a word to each other for the past three years, just awkwardly coexisting until we finally started having something resembling conversation.
"......I'm back, miss."
Well, I guess that kind of line does suit Yang Hye-in.
After all, she's someone who actually quit and then came back because I called for her. Though I don't know how much longer she'll stay.
And, if you think about it, she really did go outside and come back.
"......."
Um.
What do I say.
Everyone around me, even So-hee, had gone quiet and was watching me. They seemed to be waiting for me to speak. Uh, judging by their faces, they probably thought Yang Hye-in and I were having some kind of touching reunion.
"...Is the handover going well?"
Not that enough time had passed to judge whether it was going well or not, but since I had nothing else to say, I brought up a safe work topic.
"Yes, I will do my best."
And I got back an answer that was a little off-key.
I looked toward So-hee. The way she stood there beaming, glancing back and forth between me and Yang Hye-in, seemed like the complete opposite of Yang Hye-in in every respect. Even when Yang Hye-in showed emotion, her expression barely changed.
...Hm. Seems like things aren't going all that smoothly.
"Well, let's discuss how to handle things going forward once the handover is finished."
Actually, I hadn't even gotten to ask whether she wanted Yang Hye-in to keep working here, or whether Yang Hye-in herself even wanted that. I hadn't seen her face at all since last Saturday, when the Chairwoman dismissed her.
So I decided to gloss over it for now. Whether she stayed or not would depend on Yang Hye-in's wishes. I'd put off asking her until the handover was done.
"......Yes, thank you."
Yang Hye-in, who'd been mulling over my words for a moment, answered with a slight bow.
And the three people around me watched the scene with strangely warm eyes.
...Why?