Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Our House Maid is the School's Number One Villainess
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“Huu...”
I stood in front of our house's front door and let out a sigh.
I'd texted Naiad that I was bringing Akane home with me.
But now I had to explain the whole story from the beginning.
Explain... how the hell was I supposed to explain this?
Just this afternoon, I'd been dead set against letting Akane into our house.
And now here I was, dragging her along on purpose.
How was I supposed to explain why I'd changed my mind? Should I just say I felt sorry for her and brought her along?
Akane... to me, she was this existence that was hard to pin down exactly.
Love-hate relationship, maybe?
She didn't like me, and I didn't like her either.
And yet I'd gone and overlapped bodies with her. Created a situation where I had to take responsibility.
“...Akane.”
“What?”
“Don't say anything unnecessary to Naiad.”
“Unnecessary? Like what?”
“Just shut up. I'll handle the talking.”
“Hmph.”
Akane reacted with obvious dissatisfaction.
I felt uneasy. I couldn't hear any thoughts from her about screwing me over, but I was still anxious. I was already worried about how my worrywart sister would react once she learned about me and Akane.
This was exactly why people shouldn't live in sin. Damn it.
“We're home.”
“Pardon the intrusion.”
Akane and I stepped inside together.
Naiad came out to greet us at the sound of the door opening.
She was dressed in light casual clothes.
“Welcome home, Naibusu. And Akane too.”
“Sorry for coming so late, Teacher Naiad. I'll be in your care for a while. Thank you.”
Akane bowed her head politely in greeting.
“What's with the proper act?”
Akane put on this perfect front whenever she wasn't dealing with me.
I couldn't help throwing in a complaint at that fake demeanor of hers.
“I'm always polite.”
“Hmph, where'd you sell off all that politeness when you're talking to me?”
“I always match my manners to the other person's level.”
I shook my head at Akane, who wouldn't back down even an inch.
Watching us, Naiad gave a wry smile.
“Want dinner first? Or a bath?”
'Dinner? Bath? Or me?' Isn't that the classic set?
But even as I waited, the last option never came up.
Not that I could've picked it even if it did.
“I'm good on the bath. Took one outside. But I'm starving.”
“Outside...? Both of you?”
“Sorry. Dinner's fine for me too. My stomach's been upset ever since Naibusu fed me something weird.”
『Ugh. It's coming back to me. I feel like puking.』
“Hey. Akane.”
“What?”
I told you not to say anything unnecessary.
Even as I shot her a glare, Akane ignored it completely. She just stared daggers back at me with wide eyes.
Maybe I should just smack her one.
『When did these two get so chummy? ...No way, for real?』
What are you saying, Naiad? Chummy? Don't make pointless misunderstandings like that.
“Ah, um, okay. Akane, you can use this guest room. Make yourself at home.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“So shameless. Don't just play around—do some cleaning at least.”
“Hmph. I was gonna do it anyway.”
“Huh? Really?”
I'd tossed out the jab without much thought, and she fired back an unexpected response.
“Yeah. Cleaning, laundry, cooking, dishes—I'll do it better than you, so don't worry.”
Akane puffed out her chest proudly as she declared it.
『It's not like I practiced for your sake or anything, but I have no choice now. I hate freeloading for free.』
“Looks like we got ourselves a maid. Great.”
I nodded in satisfaction.
Akane had a rotten personality, but she had skills, so she'd be helpful in her own way. Time to work her like Cinderella.
“You two... your vibe feels different. Did something happen?”
Naiad asked with a curious look.
Akane beamed back at her.
“Yes, Teacher Naiad. Naibusu raped me.”
“Hey! I said no unnecessary crap!”
“...What?”
Naiad froze solid, and I scowled furiously.
Akane's expression and thoughts were utterly serene. I hadn't expected that bombshell out of nowhere and had no chance to stop it.
“Why? Why's that unnecessary? The teacher asked, so I answered.”
“Haa... You're hopeless. Just go back to your place.”
“You said you'd take responsibility for raping me. A man doesn't go back on his word, right?”
Unbelievable.
They say you shouldn't take in black-hearted beasts.
I was an idiot for pitying Akane even for a moment.
“...Naibusu. Is what Akane said true?”
“True or not...”
As I turned to make excuses, Naiad looked on the verge of tears.
“No, Naiad, wait. There's a deep story behind this.”
“I'm sorry, Akane. It's my fault for not raising Naibusu right...”
“Naiad. Let's talk inside first.”
I shoved Naiad—who looked ready to bow to Akane—into the room.
I followed after, shooting Akane a death glare.
“You, just you wait.”
“Hmph! Revenge for all the bullying so far!”
Akane stuck her tongue out at my threat.
Bullying? Who bullied who?
Ugh. Annoying brat.
I'll get her back next time we recharge magic.
“Naibusu. I'm sorry.”
As soon as we shut the door and entered the room, Naiad started undressing.
“It's because I didn't satisfy you properly, right? Naibusu did nothing wrong. It's all Naiad's fault.”
“Ah, seriously! Naiad, hear me out first!”
I grabbed her hands to stop her from unbuttoning and taking off her outer clothes.
Why did she always jump to conclusions like that? Treating her little brother like some rapist?
...Well, I had done it once or twice.
But my heart was still pure love all the way.
“I already know everything without you saying. It might be too late now, but...”
“That's not it.”
I forcibly sat Naiad down on the bed.
She wasn't seriously planning anything. She was just panicking, her normal thinking stalled out.
“Naiad. You know Akane died and came back, right?”
I decided to explain everything from the start, step by step, to convince her.
“...Akane did die, right? She really died and came back to life?”
It was natural for Naiad to doubt at that point.
It was more believable that they'd faked a living person's death from the start than someone actually coming back from the dead.
“She really died. I confirmed it myself.”
“...Then? How'd she come back?”
“I don't know the exact method. Probably some kind of magic revived her, but the person who did it is already dead, and no one knows how. Anyway, I think she could be revived because her body was relatively intact when she died.”
This was a guess, but I figured Shuji and Akane survived because their heads weren't severed.
The rest of the dead guys mostly had their throats slit, and that one extra from our class had a hole in his brain, so no way they came back.
“...So, as long as the neck or brain isn't damaged, even dead people can be revived?”
“Who knows... Is what came back even alive...?”
Could we even call Akane a living person?
This was a pretty philosophical question.
No one knew if that was really Akane herself, or—as Student Council President Mizuki put it—'something else' that thought it was Akane and mimicked her. Probably not even Akane knew.
“Akane's definitely not normal now. She's like a doll powered by batteries. She probably doesn't even need to eat.”
“A doll? Doesn't need to eat?”
“It's not that she has no appetite because of me... she literally doesn't need to eat. She's running on magic power right now, so no need for food energy.”
“On magic power... So that's why you had to recharge her?”
“Oh, as expected of Naiad. You get it.”
All that explaining paid off.
But Naiad let out a deep sigh.
“Naibusu. If that's the case, why's it rape? You could've just talked it out and done it consensually.”
“Well... she kept refusing and holding out, so I forced it.”
Naiad stared gently at my face.
Her expression screamed, 'You call that okay?'
But I couldn't explain the details.
She was whining inwardly about not wanting to die but stubbornly refusing on the outside, so I forced it anyway. If I said that truthfully, it'd reveal I read her mind, so no way.
“Naiad, no need to worry. You saw her vibe too, right? She's totally fine. She's just saying that to mess with me.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. If it was real rape, would she follow me home like a lost puppy?”
What Naiad was worried about was the legal side.
A Rune Holder using their powers to rape a woman was a crime where, like I'd done before, summary execution was fair game with no complaints.
“No legal issues. Akane's in a legal blind spot right now.”
“Because... she died and came back?”
“Yeah. Akane's legally dead. Think of the one out there as... just a doll that looks like Akane.”
Whatever I did to Akane now, she couldn't fight back.
If she ran to the cops claiming I raped her, it'd come out that she's registered as dead. They'd investigate, find out she died and revived, and then she'd get dragged to some shady lab for frog dissection ending.
“...Naibusu. Are you okay?”
“Huh? With what?”
Even after hearing my flawless logic, Naiad couldn't erase the shadow from her face.
“No regrets or guilt? Doesn't bother you at all?”
“Guilt?”
I wanted to ask right back at my hesitant sister why I should feel any guilt.
“I made the best choice I could. If I went back to that moment, I'd do the same thing. So regretting it now is pointless, right?”
Naiad's worries were always a bit off-kilter.
Like she was concerned I might be mentally cornered or something?
Obviously, I was fine. I wasn't like Shuji and those guys. Always cool-headed, rational, normal. Nothing to worry about.
“...Okay. But... if anything hard happens, you have to tell Naiad, alright?”
“I got it.”
Man, Naiad worried way too much.
No other young guy lived as wholesomely as me, with a healthy body and sound mind.
I was the model pure love fanatic, after all.
Every student at Rune Academy should look up to me as an example.
After wrapping up the talk with Naiad and leaving the room, a savory aroma wafted through the house for some reason.
I sniffed around, scanning the place.
Akane, apron on, was bustling in the kitchen.
“Ah. It's not ready yet. Wait five minutes.”
Akane must've jumped straight into making dinner.
What a busybody.
“Akane, you made this?”
“Yeah. Just reheated stuff from the fridge.”
Grilled mackerel, miso soup, fresh tofu, spinach namul.
A classic Japanese spread.
“Sorry, Teacher. I helped myself to the fridge.”
“Oh, no, it's fine... And thank you. You must be tired.”
“Not tired at all. Let me do this much since I'm imposing.”
“Looks decent enough.”
I plopped down at the table right away.
Slurped some hot miso broth.
“Hm. Taste is... passable.”
“Always with the complaints. I didn't make it—the teacher did, I just reheated.”
“Mm, mm. Tastes good now. You didn't spit in it, right?”
“Don't eat it then.”
“Hmph. You gonna eat or not?”
“I'm good. Thanks to someone, I lost my appetite.”
I'd said it over and over, but it wasn't my fault.
She just didn't need to eat anymore.
Hm.
Wait...
Doesn't 'not needing to eat' also mean no bathroom breaks?
In that case—
“Akane. By any chance...”
“By any chance? What?”
“...Nah. Nothing.”
A new magic recharge method popped into my head, but I shook it off quick.
Not dinner-table thoughts.
Akane glared at me with furrowed brows.
“Naibusu, you just had some weird fantasy again, didn't you?”
“No? Not at all.”
I lifted my head confidently and denied it.
I could face the heavens without shame. This was all for Akane's sake. Definitely not weird.
...How'd she know, though? Mind reading? Or was it on my face?
“Be honest!”
I hid behind my rice bowl and focused on eating.
The food was decent enough.