Chapter Four: The New Member
Chapter Four: The New Member
As I held my hands up to the sky, the rays of sunlight shone through the gaps between my fingers so brightly that they dazzled me. With the end-of-term exams over, life was calm again. Now it was just a case of waiting for summer vacation to begin.
Although I was on the verge of mentally checking out and going into full-on vacation mode already, one thing prevented that. We still had a very special event between now and then. Yesterday, Lady Sakura had suddenly joined the Sky Salon, so today we’d be throwing her a little welcome party. I was hurrying over to the Sky Salon with Kirara so we could make sure it was in tip-top shape.
Lady Sakura was a sweet and lovely young lady in all kinds of ways, and I was starting to look forward to serving her. Of course, she already had a Seraph, so her Seraph would be the one doing most of the serving in practice. Still, it was pretty common to make tea for other mistresses or for small errands to be given to whoever happened to be nearby, so I’d have plenty of chances to lend her a hand.
Even better was that her Seraph was my classmate and good friend Sara. I was thrilled that we’d get to work at the salon together.
Not everyone was as enthusiastic as me, however. After we were done cleaning up, Kirara slammed a hand down on the table and grimaced. “Hmph. Today’s the day, huh?”
Kirara just didn’t see eye to eye with Sara. She didn’t pick fights, exactly, but the sense of rivalry was strong. Since Lady Sakura joining the salon inevitably meant Sara joining as well, I got the impression Kirara had been putting a lot of thought into how to keep her negative feelings in check.
Her voice shifted into a low, menacing laugh. From her expression, it looked like she wasn’t upset about the arrival of her nemesis—she was eager for it.
“Bring it on. I’m her senior at the salon, so I’ll take great pains to show her the ropes.”
It sounded like she’d convinced herself that it would all be fine as long as she wielded her seniority as a weapon.
“You know it’s not okay to bully her, right?”
“How rude! Imagine accusing me of such a thing.” She looked up at me and raised her eyebrows as if the idea was totally unthinkable. “Sara and I will be getting along very well. I’ll be sure to treat her with the utmost kindness.” She chuckled again.
I guess there are a lot of different ways for people to get along, and it doesn’t sound like they’ll be coming to blows, so maybe it’s okay for now.
While I was having that thought, the bell chimed to signal the elevator’s arrival. The mistresses had finished class for today, so as each one came, Kirara and I went to greet them and guide them to the central table for today’s party. Before too long, everyone was there except Lady Kagura. She had told us beforehand that she’d go to collect Lady Sakura personally, so I figured it would be a little longer before they got here. I went and waited by Himeko’s side.
I started picturing what would happen if someone with Lady Kagura’s level of fame at the academy turned up in a first-year classroom. Even the prim and proper Societal Arts students would go crazy for her.
Then the elevator sounded again and Lady Kagura, Lady Sakura, and Sara all stepped out. As Kirara and the Kokonoe sisters went over to greet them, it occurred to me that we now had every member of the Sky Salon in one place, including the new additions.
Lady Kagura looked around to confirm this for herself, then gave a small nod. “Sorry to keep you all waiting. As you know, Sakura chose the Sky Salon yesterday, which means that as of today, this is the new home away from home for both her and Sara, her Seraph. Sakura has only just arrived in Japan, so if she’s struggling with anything, I want you all to help her out. Sakura, don’t be afraid to ask if you have any problems either.”
“I’m so grateful for your concern. I did a lot of independent study regarding Japan before coming here, but there’s a difference between learning about a place and seeing it with your own eyes, so I’ll appreciate all the advice you can give me.”
Her Japanese really was impeccable. I actually started debating whether her language usage was better than mine.
“Typically,” Lady Kagura continued, “the members here don’t all sit together, but relax in their own personal spaces instead. We’ve arranged one for you as well, so you and Sara may feel free to use it as much as you like. It’s absolutely fine to chat with everyone else, of course. It’s up to everyone to decide how they want to spend their time. However, please let me know if you’d like to invite any non-members to visit. That’s because we sometimes have conversations here that we can’t allow outsiders to overhear.”
Lady Sakura’s smile said she knew what Lady Kagura was getting at. “Yes, that makes sense.”
In the end, the Sky Salon’s members weren’t here just to enjoy a pleasant chat over a cup of tea. Lady Kagura had assembled the ladies to support her goals, which in turn led to confidential business discussions.
“Other than that, there shouldn’t be any other issues. When it comes to all the facilities and how to use them, I assume it’s okay to share this information with Sara.”
“That sounds perfect, if you don’t mind.”
This topic had come up pretty quickly. I stole a glance at Kirara; it was subtle, but her imperious expression was almost a demand to give her the job of teaching Sara what was what. The Kokonoe sisters would undoubtedly have noticed it as well. I wondered what they and their mistress had in mind.
Lady Kagura herself probably was intending to assign the task to one or more of her Seraphs, but the twins spoke before she could.
“Kirara, you should teach Sara everything. You more or less understand it all by now, right?”
“And you’re both first years, so you’ll be more comfortable talking to each other. It’ll be much better than us lecturing her. If there’s anything Sara doesn’t know, she won’t feel too shy to ask.”
Something about Kirara’s attitude must have told them this would be an entertaining direction to take. That was their whole approach to life.
“Very well,” Kirara replied. “I’m happy to take on this responsibility.” She looked over at Sara, her face lighting up. “I’ll be an extremely thorough teacher, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.”
That gaze made Sara’s smile twitch ever so slightly. “Thank you, Kirara. I look forward to receiving your wisdom. I’m a fast learner and tend to remember all the fine details after only hearing them once, so please don’t hold back. Tell me absolutely everything.”
She replied with all the meek politeness expected of a new arrival, but she also made it clear that whatever Kirara had to say, she only wanted to hear it once. Sara’s strong spirit was still on display.
“Oh, there’s no need to rush ahead. If there’s anything you don’t know, I’m happy to tell you as many times as you like. After all, I am the experienced one here. Oh ho ho ho!”
Sara’s face twitched again. “That’s quite all right. Once will be plenty.”
Despite all the pleasantry on the surface, invisible yet furious sparks were flying between them.
Observing this, Lady Sakura laughed gently. “Please be gentle with her. And Sara, be sure to listen attentively.”
Maybe she sees them as the kind of friends who are so close that they argue all the time.
“Yes, milady. I’ll refrain from conducting myself in any manner that might sully your name.”
Given how perfectly she did every single thing in class, I had the sense this might be her first real challenge at Amanotsuka Academy.
Lady Kagura appeared to be fully on board with the twins’ suggestion. “Yes, I’ll gladly leave it in your hands. You and Sara look to have a relationship that lets you be open with each other. Why don’t we start by having you make tea together? After all, today is all about coming together and forming stronger connections.”
“You can leave it to me, milady. Come on, Sara!” she declared eagerly. “This way!”
“Certainly.”
It probably won’t be too bad, right? Kirara doesn’t deny that Sara’s a skilled maid.
This was no time for me to just stand and watch, though. “I’ll help too!”
“That would be great,” Himeko replied. With her permission, I chased after my friends.
“Listen,” Kirara instructed in the kitchen. “The mistresses here all have their own favorite teacup and saucer that they picked out themselves. You must be careful never to serve them tea in someone else’s cup by mistake. We sometimes have days like today where we have to serve everyone, so don’t assume you can get away with just remembering your own mistress’s.”
“Understood,” Sara replied.
“Don’t think you can just use any tea leaves you want either. Every lady has her own individual taste, and there are also cases where they heard about an exciting new flavor and ordered some in, or brought something here that they got from a friend. Some of those are free to use and some of them aren’t, so you have to really pay attention.”
“Do all of the Seraphs have to memorize each of those details? If I miss a day for some reason and the number of tea varieties increases in the meantime, will someone be kind enough to tell me?”
“Fear not!” Kirara replied, striking a pose. She’d clearly been waiting for this question. “We don’t just commit them to memory, of course. There’s a check sheet where all the supplies are listed, and if anything gets added, the Seraphs always write it down. One glance at that is enough to know what we have in stock, and if there’s anything that isn’t on the sheet, we know to look into it.”
“I see. It sounds very well thought out. It will give you experience of managing inventory that will prove very valuable in your future maid careers.”
The little nod she gave had an air of giving a good student a pat on the head. For her, it sounded like this whole concept was the most basic thing in the world.
This instantly put a look of frustration on Kirara’s face, but she carried on regardless. “As for the sweets to serve, I can’t tell you what everyone will like. I mean, I do have a general idea of everyone’s tastes, of course, but you always need to make adjustments on the fly when it comes down to it. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution.”
“I understand. The mistresses’ mental and physical states can vary, which in turn will affect what they want to eat. Determining what they’re looking for and what to serve them will always be a case-by-case decision.”
“Exactly.”
Sara was quick to catch on as always—or, more accurately, she already knew all this.
“I’ll need to tell you all about cleaning up too, but maybe we can leave that for later. For now, the top priority is serving delicious tea and cakes to the ladies. The big question is what to offer.”
This wasn’t easy to answer. We could definitely serve everyone their favorite kind of tea, but the whole idea behind today’s party was different than a usual afternoon at the Sky Salon. It was Lady Sakura’s first day as an official member. It would be best to serve something fit for the occasion.
“Indeed. Would you mind if I take a glance at the list?”
“Go right ahead.”
Sara took the inventory check sheet from Kirara and gave it a once-over before nodding. “I see. You’re thinking of serving this to everyone, aren’t you?”
She pointed to the variety of tea leaves Kirara had written at the very bottom of the inventory list. It was a second flush Darjeeling that had just recently arrived. Darjeeling was Lady Kagura’s favorite kind of black tea.
Kirara raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think that?”
“First and foremost, you’re the one who ordered it, and the delivery date was only a few days ago. Compared to previous purchases, the volume was rather large. I can deduce that you were preparing in advance for the possibility of my mistress joining the salon—and a party like this being thrown.”
“Right. Uhm, I guess I’ll give you credit for your attention to detail. Still, we can’t decide based on that alone, right? Lady Sakura might want to drink something else.”
“No, I think it’s fine. As of today, she’s not a guest, but a member of the salon. Her first cup of tea here should be the same as everyone else’s so she can feel like part of a community. That particular variety is a favorite of Lady Kagura’s, I assume. If everyone partakes of it, it emphasizes who the leader is while fostering a sense of belonging. Also, serving everyone the same drink will drastically reduce the time it takes to prepare it. It’s important to serve the tea as efficiently as possible and to serve everyone at the same time. A table with nothing on it feels frightfully desolate, and any individuals who receive their drink late might feel uncomfortable, putting a damper on what’s supposed to be an enjoyable event.”
Sara continued, “If an individual does have a strong preference, it’s perfectly fine for them to receive that as their second drink. A similar approach can be applied to the sweets. For today, we should aim to serve large plates with enough for everyone to share. The ladies’ individual Seraphs can do the work of taking the portions and putting them onto smaller plates. This also aids in ensuring everyone has a sense of common ground and—”
Before Sara could even finish, Kirara growled in frustration and said, “Fine. Yes, you got basically everything right. I bet you think that’s cute.”
An innocent smile spread across Sara’s face. “I’m relieved. I actually wasn’t entirely confident. After all, harmony isn’t emphasized as strongly in Britain as it is in Japan. Everyone being served the same thing is more of a Japanese custom, I believe.”
“Pretty much. Don’t you dare think the plan was just to force everyone to follow Lady Kagura’s preferences, though. I took Lady Sakura’s taste into account as well.”
“I can see what you mean. My mistress is rather fond of Darjeeling, and she’s said that she finds all kinds of Japanese sweets delicious. I think what you’ve chosen should definitely satisfy her.”
“Of course it will. That’s the power of research!” She added a self-satisfied chuckle.
“Most impressive. I wouldn’t have expected you to get such a firm handle on Lady Sakura’s tastes in such a short period of time.”
Kirara fell silent for a moment; getting such frank praise from Sara left her with a slightly sour expression.
“I’m not stupid, you know. I listened to every word you told us about her and committed the details to memory. Obviously, that let me figure out some of her likes and dislikes.”
“Indeed!” Sara replied with a nod. “Though even if it was based on my remarks, remembering it all and putting it into action is still most impressive. I must say that on a personal level, I’m thoroughly overjoyed that you, Lady Kagura, and all the other members have been so welcoming toward my mistress. Thank you.”
Sara’s smile made her look so carefree. Talking about Lady Sakura seemed to give her a kind of childlike openness.
All of this seemed to have caught Kirara off guard. Her voice sounded a little shrill as she replied, “No need to say thank you. What else were you expecting? Now, we’d better not leave the ladies waiting.”
“How shall we organize ourselves?”
“Good question. How about this: I’ll arrange the tea set while you boil the water and warm the teapots. You can also bring the leaves over. Misaki, you focus on the sweets.”
“Jolly good.”
“Will do!”
After enthusiastically agreeing, the three of us set about getting everything ready.
It felt slightly odd for us all to be here. When I’d first met Kirara at the entrance ceremony, she’d been pretty antagonistic toward me. Then we’d become friends, but she’d developed a rivalry with Sara—who was now here with us too. Who’d have expected it to end up like this?
Personally, I was overjoyed. I couldn’t help chuckling quietly to myself as I watched Kirara and Sara working side by side.
“What are you laughing at, Misaki?” Kirara asked, bearing down on me. “Are you finished with your job?”
“Quite,” Sara agreed, doing the same. “If you shirk your duties, it will only lower your own standing.”
They came so close that they were pushing me back into the table, but this only made me happier still. Laughing, I replied, “But don’t you think it’s wonderful that all three of us are here together?”
“What are you talking about? Having Sara here doesn’t make me happy at all!”
“As for me, I’m quite content as long as I can be with Lady Sakura.”
“Huh, really? I could have sworn you were looking forward to this, Kirara. And Sara, you were excited about joining the Sky Salon, right? Am I imagining all this?”
“For sure.”
“Indeed. I merely felt that this was the most appropriate salon for my mistress.”
With them being this insistent, I couldn’t push back any further. Still, if they felt this comfortable saying what was on their mind, our relationship seemed pretty good to me. I guess they both have personalities that make it hard to say anything positive about each other.
“Fine, if you say so.”
“There is nothing ‘fine’ about any of this! Stop blathering when there’s work to do!”
“All right! Your wish is my command. You are the head Seraph around here.”
“What are you talking about?” she replied, suddenly nervous. “If anyone hears you call me that, there’ll be hell to pay.” Kirara moved away, trembling with fear.
Obviously, the salon had a lot of older Seraphs to look up to. Every one of them was far more skilled and impressive than us, with the Kokonoe sisters at the top of the list. I didn’t think anyone would have been genuinely annoyed by my little joke, but we’d be teased and mocked more than enough to make up for it. That would probably have been worse than getting shouted at.
Turning to Sara, I said, “By the way, don’t let yourself become the older Seraphs’ plaything.”
“I’m not entirely sure what you mean, but I shall have to be careful.” There was trepidation in her voice; a faint bead of sweat formed on her temple as she moved away.
Once the tea was ready, we carried it back to the central table, where everyone was already chatting pleasantly.
“Sorry for the wait!”
“Ah, thank you,” Lady Kagura said. Gesturing with her hand, she added, “Please serve those to everyone.”
“Yes, milady.”
On her signal, we handed out the sweets to all the ladies. Even though Lady Sakura was new, this was otherwise a totally normal event. However, I sensed that Kirara was extremely nervous. Her restless gaze kept shifting between her hands and elsewhere.
The “elsewhere” was Sara. It looked like Kirara was very conscious of everything our newly arrived Seraph was doing.
That was when it hit me. Sara’s whole bearing was markedly different from ours. Her back was straight as an arrow as she gracefully held the tea set. Every one of her movements was captivating, but that wasn’t what really stood out. It was that as she moved the tray and set each cup down on the table, it didn’t make even the slightest noise.
Kirara was doing a far better job than I was, but I didn’t measure up to either of them whatsoever. Every step I took made the vessels on the tray clatter loudly against one another, which made me stand out as an inexperienced novice. When I put the cups down, I tried my hardest not to spill any of the contents, but my posture inevitably slipped. The tea turned into a stormy ocean, with the waves rolling over and splashing into the saucer.
Watching how carefully Kirara was working to avoid all this, the Kokonoe sisters giggled and stroked her bottom.
“Looks like Sara’s got you beat, Kirara!”
“You need to concentrate harder!”
Unable to say anything to counter that, or to raise any objections to their grabby hands, Kirara gritted her teeth in frustration. They were making her feel the clear difference in rank. Even so, Kirara didn’t lose heart. She tried to copy Sara’s movements exactly, closing the gap between them as best she could.
I already knew I was hopeless. I did my best to follow in their footsteps, but I had no idea how to make it that perfect.
Lady Kagura was watching Kirara as well. A soft chuckle came from her lips. “It seems as though Sakura and Sara’s arrival will be quite the motivating factor around here.”
“I can see what you mean,” Lady Sakura replied. “Sara’s also putting in extra effort today. I’m sure she’s quite self-conscious about Kirara and Misaki being here.”
Sara politely denied this. “No, milady. This is my standard level of performance.”
“Is that so? I don’t remember you being so exacting before.”
“If it appears that way, then I’d ask you to consider it proof that I’ve learned and improved in my time at this school.”
“Hmm, yes. If you put it that way, I’ve no choice but to celebrate my Seraph’s improvements.”
“Indeed, milady.”
Bowing her head respectfully, Sara quietly laid a plate of sweets in front of her mistress.
They’re the picture-perfect pair. I hope Himeko and I can look like that one day.
Meanwhile, despite my attempt to really focus, the cups on my tray were bouncing around and colliding with a noise that sounded like laughter. “Here you go, milady,” I said, my voice a bundle of nerves.
Himeko stifled a laugh, then apologized. “Sorry. Maybe you can learn a little from Sara too, though. I’d be happy to see you get better at this, Misaki.”
I lifted my head. “Yes, milady! I will!”
Hearing that was a pleasant surprise. So far, Himeko had given me very little to go on when it came to my maid duties. She’d never told me what she wanted from me on that front. I knew that was because we had a special kind of arrangement, but Himeko had finally pushed past that barrier.
There was a momentary look of realization on her face too, but she quickly smiled again without saying a word. Maybe she didn’t think I’d noticed anything.
The rest of the party was an amiable affair, with Lady Sakura fitting in perfectly at the Sky Salon right from the word go.
Once the sweets had all been eaten, Lady Kagura looked around at everyone and said, “By the way, summer vacation will be starting very soon. Could I ask what everyone’s plans are? I assume some of you will be visiting your families and others will be staying on campus.”
Lady Saeko spoke up first. “I’m staying here. I have all sorts of minor business to attend to.” She bared her fangs in a bold, suggestive grin. Whatever business she was talking about, my instincts told me not to ask.
“I’ll be going home,” answered Lady Inaho. “I have to help out there.”
Similarly, Lady Sumire said, “I’m afraid I’ll be going to a summer resort for some rest and recuperation.”
Lady Sakura’s plans were no surprise. “I’m staying. I only just got here, after all.”
Soft laughter bubbled across the room.
I guess it would be pretty exhausting to go back so quickly anyway. She hasn’t even been here one month yet.
“Since I’m here during the summer holidays,” she continued, “I might as well take this opportunity to look around every nook and cranny of the school.”
“Good idea,” Lady Kagura agreed. “The campus is so large that there are plenty of places even I’ve never been to.”
The school grounds really were enormous. The high school alone had two buildings that looked like castles with vast gardens surrounding them. Also, while I hadn’t seen it, there was not only a junior high on the other side of the hill, but apparently a university as well. Adding all that together, the scale had to be immense. If she wanted to explore every corner, it really would take the entire vacation.
“I’m staying on campus as always,” said Himeko. Turning to me, she added, “What about you, Misaki?”
“I’m thinking of staying here too.”
More to the point, I didn’t exactly know where I’d go “home” to if I did decide to go home.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want to help you, and someone has to take care of the Sky Salon during the vacation.”
“Excellent,” Himeko replied, grinning and gently stroking one of my pigtails.
“In general, it sounds like everyone’s sticking to their usual plans,” Lady Kagura concluded. “I’ll be going home for the first half, so I’ll leave the salon in the hands of those of you who are left.” Turning to Kirara, she added teasingly, “I’d like you to come with me this time, Kirara.”
“Oh! Yes, milady!”
During Golden Week, Kirara had stayed on campus to try and win over Lady Minako, so this would be her first visit to Lady Kagura’s family home. It was a big step. This was set to be Kirara’s place of employment after graduation. I could only imagine how she felt about the prospect of setting foot in that house as a first-year student.
Thanking her mistress with a nervous expression, she shot up from her chair and bowed. In my mind, I gave her a silent cheer of encouragement.