Chapter 94: Volume 12 - CH 7

“—Good morning, Kanade-ojousama.”

March 14th, in the middle of Spring break, I uttered the same usual phrase, as I knocked on her door.

“Good morning, Jirou-kun.”

Immediately after, the door opened, and the single daughter of Rouran Academy’s board chairman—Suzutsuki Kanade appeared, wearing her school uniform.

“Kanade-ojousama, have you gotten some good rest last night?”

“……”

I tried speaking with as much of a polite tone as possible, to which the girl let out a long sigh.

“…Disgusting.”

“Hm? Have you yet to recover? If so, then we should take you to a hospital…”

“Not that. I really can’t sit still when you’re using such polite language towards me.”

“Even if you say that…”

“That being the case, this is an order, Jirou-kun.” She pushed her fingertip on my chest. “Drop the polite language right away.”

“Kanade-ojousama, I am dubious if I could listen to such an order as your butler…”

“Kyaaaa! Save me, Ichigo! Jirou-kun is using his position as a butler to do lewd things to his master!”

“…!” Alright! I get it already, so shut up, Suzutsuki!”

“Ah, no…Jirou-kun…you can’t…you’re so good…”

“Don’t make up for some weird acting!”

I was starting to fear for my life, so I returned to my usual tone, and threw in a retort. Damn Devil Suzutsuki. Making my life hell immediately. Does she want to kill off her own butler that badly?

“Fufu, that fits you much better.”

“Really now? Also, can’t you get used to it already? It’s been two months since I started working as your butler.”

“Butler? What are you talking about, Mr. Trainee?” Suzutsuki let out a snicker.

Damn it…I can’t argue back at all. I mean, she probably said that on purpose exactly because of that. That’s right, I’m a butler apprentice. Right now, that’s my job.

“Also, stop trying to call Ichigo-san over immediately.”

“My, why is that?”

“She’s going to kill me for good.”

Imagine that Suzutsuki Fanatic suddenly hearing an SOS from Suzutsuki. She’d probably do a public execution. Of course, the victim is me.

“I’m sorry.” However, Suzutsuki stuck out her tongue in a cute fashion. “Seems like it’s too late.”

“……”

That moment, I reflexively raised my arms. Immediately after, a cold object was pressed against my neck—A chainsaw. I mean, apparently it’s a dull chainsaw, but there’s only one person who would use this weapon.

“Trainee-san.” A robotic voice spoke up from behind my back.

I carefully turned around, spotting a familiar girl wearing an eye patch with a maid uniform—Saotome Ichigo.

“I just heard an SOS coming from Kanade-ojousama.”

“M-Maybe that was just your imagination?”

“It sounded like ‘Ah, no…Jirou-kun…you can’t…you should have Ichigo join us…!’ though?”

“That was clearly just your hallucination going crazy!”

“That’s right. It’ll be us three…Hm? Wait a second, if I remove Trainee-san now, it’ll be just me and Kanade-ojousama…”

“Um, Ichigo-san? You’re scaring me, so could you please put your chainsaw away?”

“NO. Today is a good day to use it.”

“What kind of day?”

“Trash collection day.”

“……”

Shockingly enough, Ichigo-san’s eyes were awfully serious. Is this power harassment? No, this is clearly threatening at this point. Since I didn’t want to be thrown into the trash just yet, I tried to explain myself.

“C-Calm down. Why don’t we call another servant over and ask for their opinion?”

“Another servant?”

“Yes, to guarantee equality.”

“YES. Now that you say it, the chef said ‘Can you bring me some ingredients for the fried chicken I’ll make this noon’.”

“There’s really no normal people living here, huh!”

By the way, the chef’s name is Samejima Kosame. Yankee, deviant, lolicon, all these words described that pervert of a cook. Also, fried chicken? She’s clearly talking about me, right? Who is she, Le*tor? I don’t like these kinds of black jokes.

“Yes yes, stop the fighting, you two. Ichigo, you’re helping with preparations for breakfast, right? Please take care of that.”

“YES. Understood, Kanade-ojousama.” Showing a polite bow, Ichigo-san walked away.

Terrifyingly enough, it’s been like this about every single morning since I came here. Even my habit of being unable to get up in the morning was fixed after two months. If I overslept, Ichigo-san would come punish me. She would say ‘Odd Jobs-san, I have 120 ways of punishing you, which one would you like?’, which completely took all the sleepiness from me.

“Now then, we should head over to the dining room.”

“Understood, Kanade-ojousama.”

“Polite language again? Well, hearing Kanade-ojousama from you doesn’t sound that bad…but it’s also making me feel ticklish.”

“Your personality is quite the spectacle, Kanade-ojousama.”

“Fufu, of course? I am your master after all. Now, let’s go, Jirou-kun.” She said, and started walking down the hallway.

A second later, I followed after her. Well, that’s how my day as a butler apprentice always begins.

×

The reason I didn’t become a butler but simply an apprentice is because of my fight with the old man. That fight—ended in a draw. According to what Konoe told me, I managed to knock out the old man with my last punch, but collapsed at the same time, so it was a double knockdown.

Well, simply managing to knock down the old man is like a miracle. After all, all my memories got knocked out of me. But, I’ll take it. However, that doesn’t mean that all problems are perfectly resolved. That being the case, I was given a half-baked position of being a butler apprentice. So that I could become a proper butler, I will be practicing here, or so I was told.

Well, I don’t mind that at all. Even if I won against the old man, I would have still been an amateur. That’s why, learning first won’t hurt me. Thus, I’ve been living here ever since, learning as a butler while still attending school. And right now, it’s spring break. So, as all the other students were enjoying their school-free days, I was…

“Still quite a way off, Jirou-kun. Still can’t compare to Subaru’s tea.”

It was currently 9pm in the evening. As the chandelier above illuminated the luxurious room, I spoke up to Suzutsuki, who took a sip of the tea I just brewed.

“Urk…I’m sorry.”

“Well, it can’t be helped, you’re still in training after all. Honestly speaking, the fact that you managed to score a draw with Nagare is exceptional.”

“…Yeah, I’m sure I was lucky.”

That day, I managed to knock down the old man. According to Kureha, he should have been strong enough to rival Mom. That’s why, holding my ground against him is like a miracle itself…

“What are you talking about, Jirou-kun.”

However…Suzutsuki spoke like I was joking around.

“The reason you managed to score a draw with Nagare—is because of your true strength.”

“Huh? You don’t need to be polite or anything. I mean, I did get stronger, but still…”

“No, that’s not it. You didn’t rely on luck, your strength is what defeated Nagare. After that trial…when I asked Nagare and Kureha-chan, the doubt I had on the final day of summer break was finally resolved.”

“Doubt?”

“That’s right. ‘Why did Nagare ignore my orders back during the leisure land incident?’, remember? Like I told you before at the Shrine, I ordered him not to hurt you.”

“Seems like it. It’s because he can’t stand me, right?”

Hate for someone similar to you—it’s because he’s seeing the young himself in me. That’s why he put more strength into his fists…

“You’re wrong. That’s because Nagare had to take you seriously. Remember? Back in April during the leisure land incident, you hit Nagare once.”

“Yeah, sure.”

But, that didn’t have any impact on the old man, and he immediately beat me up after that.

“That’s right. That one hit—hurt him quite badly.”

“…What?” I looked at Suzutsuki in confusion.

“You still don’t get it? Basically, your attack back then struck Nagare quite well. It landed right in his stomach, yes? He apparently felt strong pain from that hit. He might have even gotten scared.”

“Scared…are you serious?”

“Indeed. That’s why he ignored my order, and beat you up for good. If not, he feared that he might lose. Since his goal was to help Subaru get over her fear of knives, he could not afford to lose against you.”

“…But, it didn’t look like my punch had any effect on him. He simply laughed like a picture book villain.”

“You really have an awful memory, Jirou-kun. Remember, the voice you were hearing during that incident was me, Suzutsuki Kanade. That’s what I explained when you were recovering in my residence. That’s why that villain you were fighting always sounded so calm and relaxed.”

“………”

So basically, is that it? I always had the strength to actually fight the old man?

“But, that makes no sense. I never managed to win against Kureha.”

“You’re right. After that incident at the leisure land, you would always fight and train with Kureha-chan and Subaru, right? But, you couldn’t win against them. A while ago, I heard the answer from Kureha-chan.”

“Answer?”

“Yes. This is probably your weakness—You can’t go all out against girls.”

“……”

No no no. Even if you suddenly tell me that.

“Stop joking around. I was always serious. If not, I would have been killed by Kureha.”

“But, Kureha-chan wasn’t feeling that way. She told me ‘Nii-san generally holds back when he’s fighting me or Mom’.”

“Wha…”

There’s no way that’s true—I wanted to retort, but I remembered the words Kureha told me during my special training.

‘You can’t give up! You still haven’t gotten fully serious!’

That’s what Kureha told me. In other words…

“You weren’t fully serious when it came to Kureha-chan. However, it sure sounds weird. You’re the eldest son of the Sakamachi Family, you’ve been training for over ten years now, so you should be able to have an equal battle with your little sister?”

“Well, you’re not wrong…”

“On top of that, you couldn’t go all out against Konoe either, as you’re friends. Or, it was because you saw her as a girl, and thus couldn’t go all out.” Suzutsuki took a sip from the tea. “Basically, you’re a feminist bastard who can’t go all out when fighting a girl.”

“…Did you have to phrase it that way?”

“Then, should I call you a kind person who subconsciously holds back against girls?”

“Urk…that also sounds awfully embarrassing…”

Still, not being able to become serious against girls, huh? No idea why things turned out that way, but…I can somewhat imagine. It probably happened when my old man died. Back then, I was the only man at home. As a result of that, I had to always protect Mom and Kureha—or I thought I had to at least. That’s why I probably never went all out against them. Eventually, that most likely was projected onto other girls as well…

“That’s why, the reason you managed to grasp your current position is because of your actual skill. You’ve been through several years of training…so your efforts have paid off.”

“……”

“These efforts finally showed in your battle with Nagare. Well, there’s still a difference of skill between the two of you—but, you achieved a draw. That’s all because you bet your life on the line, maybe?”

“…No, it wasn’t just my strength alone.”

It’s because I had all of them with me—Kureha, Masamune, Suzutsuki, and Konoe. Because they watched over me, I became stronger in my desire not to lose. Even Schrö-senpai and Nakuru gave me supportive messages. Well, that makes it sound like I was just trying to act tough, but…oh well.

“Fufu, you don’t have to be so modest.” Suzutsuki said with an oddly serious tone. “After all, you did something I couldn’t.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“It’s simple. Back in December, when you got hurt with the knife from Ichigo. You went to the hospital, whereas Subaru, Usami, and I were talking things out, and about our feelings for you.”

“……”

“Honestly speaking, I gave up. I was thinking ‘Maybe nobody here can become happy’. After all, this is reality we’re talking about…so I gave up.”

“………”

“But, Jirou-kun, you were different. You proposed to Subaru in front of everyone. You tried to change the ending. You knew that reality wasn’t so kind, but you still fought it.”

“………”

“Eventually, you beat Nagare, and became a butler apprentice. You inherited Subaru’s dream, and changed the ending. That is something I couldn’t do—That’s why I’m happy that you became my butler.” She spoke with a proud tone.

She called me her butler.

“Well, as for what I’m trying to say…you should work hard to make me happy. And, become happy yourself. That way, I can become happy, and get over the shock of being rejected.”

“Yeah, I can’t really say it too well, but that’s much like you.”

“Fufu, thank you. Well, it’s true that Usami-san and I were hurt being rejected by you. So is Subaru, who threw her dream away. You must feel guilty having rejected us. In the end, we’ve all been hurt…But even so.” She faintly smiled. “Even getting hurt…is important.”

“Eh…”

“From what I heard, there’s theatre plays with several Cinderellas, and obstacle races at sports events allow all participants of a group to pass the goal at the same time. It sounds unbelievable, but the parents tell the teachers ‘My child would get hurt if they lost, don’t you feel bad?’.”

“Well, every parent simply cares for their child.”

“But…I think that the experience of failing and getting hurt, being forced to get up again, is something that every person needs. After all…it’s impossible to never get hurt in life. That’s why…thank you. You may have rejected my confession…but at the same time, you took me and my feelings seriously. Of course, I was sad that my love could never come to fruition, and it hurt me. But even so…I have to get up again. Become stronger than I was before, and move forward.” She said with a clear tone, and smiled.

That’s right, her name is Suzutsuki Kanade, and that’s her style of living. No matter how unreasonable life may be, she will get up again and grasp her own happiness. This kind of lifestyle is…

“By the way, Jirou-kun, have you gotten used to your life here?” She suddenly changed the topic.

This time, she smiled for a different reason…Damn it, this sadist. She shows my answer.

“Not at all. There’s many things I have to remember, many jobs I have to do…and then there’s also the other……quirky servants.”

“Are you talking about Ichigo or Kosame? Yeah, it will probably take some time until they accept you being here. So, you just have to work harder to make them accept you.”

“I know that.”

“Fufu, that’s my butler, alright. That reminds me, have you gotten closer with Mayoi-chan?”

“Yeah, she’s a great person.”

Hinata Mayoi—another maid here at this residence. She’s one year younger than me, and was accepted here as a maid through complicated circumstances……I wonder why, we sure get along. She has this conflicted aura that I see myself in.

“Well, she’s been through a lot.”

“A lot?”

“It would take around two manga volumes to explain her episode.”

“That really is a lot, holy smokes.”

“But, she was really attached to Subaru, so hearing about your marriage with her was quite the shock.”

“Yeah, I could tell…”

The first time I met her, she screamed ‘Please take care of Subaru-sama!’. To think there are Konoe fans even within the servants here. Subaru-sama is no joke, really.

“It’s fine, Mayoi-chan is a strong girl, so she’ll be able to stand up again.”

“I agree. How do I say this, she resembles Kureha a bit. She can surely get up again.”

“That reminds me, how is Kureha-chan doing?”

“Same as always. Rather, it feels like she’s become even more powerful.”

Sakamachi Kureha has been living back in the rebuilt Sakamachi Household—together with Mom. Mom came back home last month from her trip overseas that lasted a year and a half. She apparently is going to use the fight money she earned to make a fighting dojo.

“……”

…No, I know. Her ultimate goal is to raise someone who can rival her. I heard she’s been unrivaled during her trip overseas, so her only chance at some kind of thrill is to raise her ultimate sparring partner.

“I feel a bit bad for Kureha-chan. I basically stole you from her, as you don’t live with her anymore.”

“Well, she said something along the lines of ‘I need to learn how to live without Nii-san myself!’, so I think she’ll be fine. Not to mention that we still live in the same town, so it’s not as if we won’t ever see each other again.”

By the way, she’ll become the new captain of the handicrafts club once the new school year rolls around, or so I’ve heard. After all, Schrö-senpai and Ichigo-san will graduate. Luckily, Kureha seems motivated enough. I just hope that our handicrafts club doesn’t turn into some military unit.

“…Oh yeah, is Masamune okay?” I muttered that question.

Normally, it was Masamune’s turn to become the club president, but as she’s busy with her part-time job, she rejected that. Because she cut her ties with her family, she’s trying harder this year with work. That’s why we haven’t met much recently, but…

You are reading story Mayo Chiki! at novel35.com

“Oh yeah, I wanted to talk about you in regards to her.”

“Eh?”

What do you mean—is what I wanted to ask, but Suzutsuki immediately continued, saying “You can come in now”, calling out to the living room door. Slowly, it opened, and the person who entered was—

“……..Good morning, stupid chicken.”

It was Usami Masamune, undoubtedly. However, I was baffled at her appearance more than anything.

“What are you wearing?”

“~~~! T-This is…”

Indeed, Masamune desperately pulled down her cute skirt full of frills—a maid uniform. It’s the very uniform she is usually wearing while working at the maid cafe, her part-time job. Yet for some reason, she came here wearing that. Did she awaken to her cosplaying interests?

“Jirou-kun, let me give you a simple explanation.” There, Suzutsuki Kanade opened her mouth, seeming unable to hold back her excitement. “Starting today, Usami-san will be living in this residence.”

“………”

My brain froze up. W-Wait a second, so basically…

“Will she…become a servant here?”

“Exactly. Well, you should probably hear the details from Usami-san herself.” Suzutsuki smiled.

Waaah, this definitely is going to end badly. What was she planning now…

“M-Masamune, did something happen?” I asked the girl with a quivering voice.

To that, Masamune stuttered a moment, showing a vague smile.

“W-Well…I was kicked out of the flat.”

“What?”

“As I said, I was thrown out, so I have no other place to live.”

“………”

S-She’s a lost child? I know she’s poor, but that’s taking things a bit too far. Why was she kicked out anyway?

“Stupid chicken, do you remember why I was living in that flat?”

“Eh? Because it was like a haunted property, and…Ah.”

That’s right. It was like a haunted flat, which is why the rent was exceptionally cheap at like 40,000 yen a month. However, that’s a story of the past. Ever since Kureha and I lived there, the supernatural events have come to an end, and the ghost haunting the place (Sakamoto-san) has been exorcised by Kureha with a German suplex.

“Come on, remember the hole Subaru-sama and Suzutsuki Kanade made to connect their flat to ours? The owner and worker came over last month…and that’s when they found out that the place isn’t haunted anymore.”

“……”

“Naturally, the price went back to normal, but I can’t afford that. That’s why they kicked me out.”

“……”

S-So unreasonable. To think misfortune would happen after the ghost has been exorcised.

“W-Were you okay?”

“Of course not. I was working part-time, but it wasn’t enough money.”

“Well, that does make sense.”

She can’t ask her parents for money either, not after everything that happened before. Rather, they might just ask her for money instead as reparation.

“That’s why…I stayed at the maid cafe for a while, and then slept at Nakuru’s place and your home while searching for a new place…But I don’t have any guardians, and not enough money to afford any proper place to live at…”

“Thus, Usamin came to ask me for help.”

“Shut up! Don’t call me Usamin!”

“Don’t scream like that. I asked my father to employ you here, remember?”

“Urk…I am thankful for that, but…”

“Still, as I thought, a maid uniform looks best on you, Usamin.”

“Don’t call me Usamiiiiiiiin!” Masamune threw in a retort, gasping for air.

Will she be okay? I’m worried she might collapse from all the retorting.

“Hey, Masamune, are you serious about becoming a maid here?” I asked, trying to confirm Masamune’s feelings.

To that, Masamune puffed out her chest.

“Of course? Listen, stupid chicken, I chose to be here not because I had no other place to go to.”

“What do you mean?”

“Huh? You still don’t get it?” Masamune shook her head in disbelief. “I mean, we’re currently in a job drought, right?”

“……”

Masamune-san, why are you bringing up such a realistic problem right now?

“That’s why I chose this situation to find myself a proper job.”

“It sounds so believable despite being all over the place…”

“Of course? I was planning on working right after graduating from high school, so now I can work here immediately. According to Suzutsuki Kanade, I’m allowed to attend school while working here. On top of that, I get food and a place to sleep, and the pay is great!” Masamune smiled.

…I wonder, she really thought this through. She’s like a dandelion blooming through the asphalt. She could probably survive everywhere.

“Also…” Masamune showed a somewhat bashful reaction. “Working here…I can live with everyone.”

“Masamune…”

“Ah, don’t get the wrong idea! It’s not like I was feeling lonely or anything! It’s just…living together with everyone last December…was fun…” She spoke with a voice about to disappear.

…For crying out loud, she really can never be honest. But, Suzutsuki said it. ‘The people of my residence are like family’. If so, then it’s like we’re a big family, and that’s probably the best environment to offer for Masamune. After all, it’s what she’s been looking for.

“That being the case, I’ll be working here starting today, stupid chicken.”

“Yeah, let’s get along, Usamin.”

“Why are calling me that way now too, stupid chicken!?”

“Fufu, you don’t need to get so angry, I think it’s adorable.”

“E-Eh, really?”

“Yeah, it makes you sound like a pet.”

“Are you making fun of me!?”

Master and maid already got into a bit of banter. Well, I’m happy that she’s here. I don’t think I could deal with that sadistic rich lady’s pranks on my own. I’ll have Masamune do that now. I’m counting on you, Usamin.

“Ah, that’s right.” Masamune seemingly remembered something, as she spoke up. “Where is Subaru-sama? I haven’t seen her yet.”

“………”

Suzutsuki went silent. For a brief moment, no sound was heard in the room.

“She’s not here.” Suzutsuki declared.

“Eh? Not here…What do you mean?”

“Exactly how I said it. Now that Jirou-kun has become my butler, she has no place to stay here. That’s why she went to where her mother’s family lives.”

“Wha…” Masamune froze up.

That’s right…Konoe doesn’t live here. She’s living with the Takanashi Family. After all, she’s not a butler anymore.

“T-That’s a lie. Just when I thought we could live together…”

“Masamune…” I opened my mouth, about to call out to the girl who was close to breaking out in tears, when…

“I’ve returned, my lady.” A familiar alto voice reverberated.

Standing there was Konoe Subaru, the former butler of the Suzutsuki Family.

“Welcome back, Subaru.” Suzutsuki greeted her like it was nothing.

Seeing her, Masamune was baffled, and took a few seconds to process this information.

“…Suzutsuki Kanade, were you…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would believe my lie of Subaru being gone.”

“You lying weeeeeeeench!”

“But, I wasn’t lying? It’s true that Subaru went back to her mother’s family. Right, Subaru? How was the grave visit?”

“Perfect thanks to you.” Konoe nodded with a bright expression.

That’s right…for the past few days, Konoe was away, visiting her mother’s grave. Basically, she went to the same location we had visited last summer break. She apparently wanted to tell her mother about what happened these past few days. That’s why she took some time off work, and came back like this…

“It’s been a while, Kanade-ojousama.” Now, a husky voice spoke up.

Konoe Nagare appeared behind Konoe. Just like Konoe, he had taken a few days off.

“Thank you very much for everything. To think you would allow us a break like that.”

“Don’t worry about it. A grave visit is an important event for you two, so of course you and Subaru both should be able to go.”

“Still, letting us go on a trip…”

“It’s fine, you should get to spend some time as a family.”

“…Indeed. Thank you very much, Kanade-ojousama.” The old man showed a deep bow.

Hm, that’s a butler for you, he perfectly gets his attitude and moves down. That’s to be expected from a butler of the Suzutsuki Family, I’d say…

“Hm?”

There, the old man gave me a dubious gaze.

“I was wondering who that kiddo with glasses was, but it’s the shitty brat? You still haven’t gotten fired?”

“……”

Let me correct that, the second he uses such foul language in front of his master, he’s questionable as a butler.

“Shut up. You’re back now, so do your damn work.”

Over these past few days while he was gone, work has practically been hell with everything being pushed onto me. Well, I agree that their trip together was important, and I’m sure they had a lot of things to talk about.

“Hmpf, I don’t want to hear that from you. I’m a butler of the Suzutsuki Family, so you have to catch up with me. You can’t stay an apprentice forever.”

“Really now? Are you sure about that? You were the one who said that if I became a fully-fledged butler, you would allow me to marry Konoe, right?”

“…Ah.” The old man seemed to have remembered, as he pressed his fingers on his forehead with a groan.

It’s exactly as I said. After my fight with the old man, that’s what he said. It’s the condition to marry Konoe. Once I become a fully-fledged and commendable butler, I get the permission. Basically, our current idea is to date with marriage in mind.

“I take back what I said, you should stay an apprentice forever.”

“Hell no. I’ll show you, old man.”

“Heh, go and try, shitty brat.”

After we both threw insults at each other, the old man gave a brief ‘Then, if you would excuse me, Kanade-ojousama’, and left the room. He’s probably off to work. He might have a nasty personality, but he takes work pretty seriously at least. That being said…

“Hm? What’s wrong, Jirou?”

Konoe must have felt awkward because I was practically staring at her, tilting her head. I mean, how do I say this…

“You really are cute.”

“Wha…W-W-W-Where did that come from!?”

“I mean, I’ve always seen you wearing male butler clothes, so seeing you like that made me realize that even more.”

“Urk…You think so?” Konoe blushed, and looked down at her own clothes.

Namely, she was wearing a maid uniform. Specifically, the one tailored for the Suzutsuki Family.

“Um…since she’s wearing this…that means that Subaru-sama is a maid at the Suzutsuki Family?” Masamune asked.

Oh yeah, since Masamune only recently became a maid, she had no idea. Well, I was also surprised at first.

“…Yeah. I quit as a butler after all. But, if I work as a maid, I can still stay here…and live in this residence. That’s what my lady said.”

“But, Subaru, you don’t have to keep up your tone like that. Just call me ‘Kana-chan’ again like you did before.”

“I-I can’t do that, my lady! I am simply a beginner as a maid! That’s why, calling you that in front of everyone is…”

“Then you’ll call me that way if it’s just the two of us?”

“I-If so, then maybe…” The maid blushed, faintly nodding.

Hmmm, as I thought, a maid uniform really looks great on Konoe, alright. I’m still not fully used to seeing Konoe with her hair down. As she felt guilty for stealing the love interest of her master, she decided to quit as a butler. Right now, I’m taking over her dream to become a butler, trying to grant it for her. At the same time, she focuses on her dream to become a maid. If we both manage to achieve our dreams, we can always be together—

“By the way, Jirou, were you properly doing your work while I wasn’t here?”

Crap, she’s far too cute. She’s my girlfriend, you know. Not to mention that she probably never would have been able to say that before, but she really managed to change.

“……”

Thinking about it, it’s been a long yet equally short year. But even so, we all changed to become someone better. This year, I managed to overcome my gynophobia. I’ve met some crazy people, and experienced all sorts of things. All of that changed me. Sometimes I was lost, and scared like the chicken bastard that I am, but I still changed. I managed to change…

“Are you sure about flirting around like that? You’re my butler, so I’d appreciate you actually working. And, I hope you can help in making things exciting, Jirou-kun.” Suzutsuki Kanade said, smiling.

She’s the girl that now became my master.

“For crying out loud…Also, since we’ll both be living here starting today…I’m asking you to take care of me, stupid chicken.” Usami Masamune looked at me, clearly excited about the future.

She’s the girl I lived with for almost a month, someone who became my family.

“…Alright, let’s do our best with our work. I need to become a professional maid as quickly as possible. Right, Jirou?” Finally, Konoe Subaru called out my name, as her long hair shook.

She’s the girl who wished to always be with me.

“…Yeah, you’re right.” I answered all of them.

That’s right, for their sake as well, I have to try my best today. That’s my chicken bastard style. Also, even if I skipped out on work, I’ll get scolded immediately. They’re pretty scary folks if you make them angry after all. Seriously, why are there only scary girls around me. Such a waste of cute looks.

“……”

Yeah, girls are scary. Because of the gynophobia I had, I can declare that, and from a boy’s point of view, girls can be terrifying. All of these girls are quirky and unique in their own way. When I’m with them, everything turns chaotic and fun, and I’ll surely be wrapped up in even more trouble from now on. Honestly speaking, I feel a bit nervous in regards to that. But even so…

“……”

Even so—I love all of them. That’s probably the one answer I reached over this year. Back when I first came to this residence in April, I could only think that girls are scary. But now, I’m different. My mindset has changed.

“Ah, that reminds me, Jirou.” There, Konoe Subaru opened her mouth.

As her apron dress shook, she spoke up.

“I heard that Nakuru-chan is writing a new novel.”

“Urk…Has to be about glasses again, right?”

“No, this time it seems to be different. Apparently, the novel depicts me as a girl. Before, she asked me ‘Can Nakuru write a novel with all of you as models?’ via a phone call.”

“Us as models?”

“That’s right. Nakuru-chan apparently compiled everything that happened this year. That’s why, it’s not really that much fiction? She might come interviewing all of us at one point.”

“I’m genuinely scared just thinking about that.”

“But, isn’t it fine? I want to read that story. So that I won’t ever forget what happened this past year.” She smiled.

…Well, whatever. As long as she’s smiling, nothing else matters. I think it’s a good idea, really. Fits her best, as she’s been crazy following me around and going crazy about glasses.

“……”

This past year, we’ve gotten lost from time to time, scared like chicken bastards, and yet we still moved forward to create this special story of ours. Really, a lot happened this year. Just like the seasons are changing, and time passes on, there is nothing neverending in this world. Even so, we worked hard to acquire this happiness.

‘If you want something, grab it with your own hands.’

Just as the old man said, in the midst of this unreasonable and unfair world, we crawled along the ground, got up on injured feet…and grasped an irreplaceable happiness.

“……”

The result of all these struggles is the daily life we have now. I think we can be proud of ourselves. We were hurt, but managed to grasp what we have right now. That’s why I don’t ever want to forget this one year. Of course, we can’t just stop here, so that we won’t lose this happiness. I want to always remember this story.

“…Subaru.” Calmly, I called out to the girl. “Did she already decide on a title?”

“…Yeah, Nakuru-chan told me.” Konoe Subaru moved her lips with a somewhat bashful expression. “—The Stray Butler and Chicken Me.”

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