Dark Moon
"Hello, Master. Might you be in need of a maid?"
I stared blankly at her for a moment before snapping back to my senses. Then I unconsciously looked around, checking to make sure she wasn't speaking to someone else. There was no one around.
And a beat late, I answered her.
"Uh... well... first of all, I'm not your Master. As for a maid...."
I don't need one.
Unlike maids on real Earth, maids in Neo London were high-class personnel. There were cases where middle-class households forced themselves to hire maids only for the employer-employee relationship to reverse due to wages. The maid you'd hired to do the work would end up becoming the master of the house.
The two-story house I'd bought in District S was old and cramped. There wasn't much furniture or decoration either. It was a place I could manage just fine on my own without a maid.
And right now, I didn't have that much money.
Seven hundred thousand credits.
A citizen's monthly salary was a hundred thousand credits. In other words, I only had seven months' worth of pay. I'd only just settled in Neo London. There would be plenty of places to spend money going forward.
So firmly....
"I need one."
A completely different answer from what I was thinking burst from my mouth.
But I had no regrets. If anything, it felt refreshing. From the moment I'd heard her words... no, from the moment I'd seen her, I'd already made up my mind.
The economic issue was fine. I was a 5-Class mage. Even if I was only half-baked, I could confidently say I was far superior to a 4-Class mage. Money was something I could easily earn if I put my mind to it.
"There's a maid looking for work right here, Master. Will you hire her?"
"Of course. I'd like to hire you as my maid right this instant, but there are procedures that need to be followed to hire a maid. I'll need to prepare a contract... and as an employer, I need to know what kind of person you are. To my house... no...."
I thought of the old two-story house in District S. Until just a moment ago, I'd felt nothing about the house, but now it felt embarrassing. The thought that if I took her to that rundown place she might run away flashed through my mind.
"...The house might be a bit much for you. Would you care to talk things over at a nearby café?"
"Of course. Anytime."
I headed to a nearby café with her. I felt my heart beating faster than usual.
Suddenly Neo London looks lively. As expected of Neo London. A famous city-state that even the Freesel Kingdom can't ignore.
Rattle-rattle.
I heard the sound of a suitcase rolling. A sudden thought made me stop in my tracks. Then I held out my hand to her.
"I was out of my mind for a moment, Lady. Please allow me to carry your luggage."
She smiled faintly.
"Master. I am a maid. Carrying luggage is also a maid's job."
"We haven't signed a contract yet. Lady, please don't make me out to be a rude bastard."
"...Then may I ask you to?"
"Of course."
I took her suitcase and umbrella and started walking. She walked slightly behind me. I didn't like that distance, so I subtly slowed my pace. She slowed down along with me. I had no choice but to walk at my original speed, then took the opportunity to slow down again. Of course, her reaction was the same as before.
Only after repeating this little incident three more times was I able to walk side by side with her.
I didn't particularly answer.
Normally, walking in silence with someone you've just met would be awkward. But right now, I didn't feel the slightest bit of awkwardness. If anything, it was comfortable. I didn't know why. It just was.
"You're a troublesome one."
"I like it this way."
We entered a shop with the childish name Fairy Café. It was a café built of wood. At least on the outside.
"What would you like to drink?"
"I like black tea."
I ordered black tea and went up to the second floor with her. The first floor of the café had no partitions, making it hard to concentrate.
I sat facing her. My gaze was drawn to her jewel-like blue eyes. Looking at her strangely put my heart at ease. It couldn't just be because she was a beauty. Strangely, she didn't feel unfamiliar.
"Lady, my introductions are late. I'm Yujin Meier. I arrived in Neo London a week ago."
"A rookie, I see."
"Yes. A London rookie."
In Neo London, people who were visiting for the first time were called rookies.
"...Is there a problem because I'm a rookie?"
"No problem at all. Anyone can hire a butler or a maid."
"That's a relief. And I... am a 5-Class mage."
I put strength into my voice in a way that didn't sound unnatural. Advertising that I was an impressive man.
"A mage...."
She opened her mouth in surprise. White teeth showed between her plump pink lips. Seeing her surprised expression filled me with pride.
"Haha. Magic. When you get down to it, it's nothing special."
Showing off, I spread my palm. I deliberately drew a small magic circle and used Fire magic. A flame a little larger than a candle flame blazed up with a whoosh.
"Amazing!"
She clapped her hands in surprise. Seeing her sparkling eyes made my shoulders rise.
"Excuse me, sir. The use of any supernatural abilities, including magic, is prohibited in our café."
The male waiter who had brought the black tea said with a stiff face.
What the fuck, you bastard. You wanna die?
I barely held back the curse that almost slipped out and shook my palm. The magic disappeared.
"I'm sorry. This is my first time at this café, so I didn't know."
"It's fine. Please be careful from now on."
The waiter set the black tea on the table. Before leaving, he glanced at her. Irritation surged for a moment, but I held it back.
She leisurely held the teacup and took a sip of black tea. Even in that ordinary motion, there was a sense of dignity. Perhaps she was of noble birth, I speculated as I drank the black tea.
...This tastes like shit.
I carefully set down the teacup so my brow wouldn't furrow.
"The black tea is terrible."
She said. My eyes went round. I was surprised that her thoughts matched mine, and felt a bit of joy as well. I knew my palate was unusually picky compared to others.
"I feel the same way, Lady. I don't know much about how to brew black tea, but the aroma seems far too weak. I don't think I'll be ordering black tea from this café again. Well, I don't have high hopes for the coffee either."
"Hehe."
She laughed. I tilted my head. Had I made a funny joke?
"......?"
"Pardon me. I briefly thought, Master is a picky one."
"Uh, ah, no. I'm not that picky a man."
"Yes. I know."
"......I'm glad you know, but the way you say it so firmly feels a bit strange. Have we met before?"
"Well. Perhaps we have. Now, let me continue with my introduction. I'm Yuria Grace."
"Yuria Grace...."
"Yes. Please feel free to call me Yuria. And I'd like you to drop the formal speech. That would be more comfortable for me."
I thought for a moment before speaking.
"If Lady... no, if Yuria is more comfortable with that, I'll respect it."
"Thank you. May I open my suitcase for a moment? My ID and letter of recommendation are inside."
"Ah. Of course. Should I give you some privacy?"
"No. It's fine."
"Then I'll move this tasteless... no, this terrible black tea to the next table."
"Hehe."
Yuria laughed again. A beauty laughing was a pleasant sight.
Is she the type who laughs a lot originally?
"Excuse me for a moment."
She placed the suitcase on the table and began unlocking it. It was a suitcase with a sixteen-digit password, plus fingerprint recognition and iris authentication.
When the lock opened, I tensed up without realizing it. Just how amazing of an item was inside to need this level of security?
"......!!"
The first things I saw were weapons. A pistol and bullets. A sword in its scabbard. But what truly shocked me was the clothing next to them. More precisely, underwear. A purple pair of panties and a bra were carelessly placed there! And they weren't ordinary underwear either.
They were slightly see-through underwear! On top of that, the bra was large enough to comfortably hold my face, and the panties had a smaller surface area than my palm.
I unconsciously imagined Yuria wearing this underwear... and met Yuria's eyes.
"Ahem, ahem. Sorry. I saw them unintentionally."
"It's fine. Are you interested?"
"Uh, if I had to say which way... I, I think I might be a little...."
"You have a good eye. This was made with a recently developed new material. It's extremely light and feels wonderful to the touch. Contrary to appearances, its durability is also excellent. Try touching it once."
"Uh, uhh?"
Yuria smiled faintly and handed me the purple panties. Her action was so fast I couldn't even refuse. I carefully fondled the panties resting on my hand. As she said, they were incredibly soft.
Especially the texture of the center part of the panties was outstanding. I even felt warmth. It was a hundred percent my imagination, but still.
"I wore these yesterday."
"......!"
I held my breath without realizing it.
"Just kidding."
"...Ha, haha. That's a startling joke."
"Actually, I was wearing them until this morning."
"Huk...!"
"That's also a joke."
Yuria laughed. Seeing that meaningful smile made me suspicious. Was it really a joke?
"Will you return them now?"
"Ah. Sorry. I was touching them too much. If it's laundry, I can do it with magic...."
"It's fine. They're not dirty. Here, look. Clean, right?"
She held the panties with both hands and spread them out. Seeing the tightly stretched panties, I coughed awkwardly in embarrassment and nodded.
I wasn't a virgin who knew nothing of women, but I'd never had this kind of experience. Yuria was completely different from Lexy or the girls in my class.
She put the panties back in the suitcase and handed me her ID and letter of recommendation.