Chapter Five: Summer Vacation Begins
Chapter Five: Summer Vacation Begins
Beep! Beep! Beep! went the alarm clock next to my head. Half-awake, I reached out and groped for the button.
The end-of-term ceremony was over, and today was the first day of vacation at last. With no class to go to, I could have slept in, but I didn’t want to rest on my laurels. Himeko had a meeting in the morning, so I was thinking of seeing her off, then heading to the Sky Salon to do a deeper clean than was usually possible.
All in all, I had to get up. I couldn’t let myself fall back to sleep.
Next to me, Himeko was still sleeping soundly. Careful not to wake her, I slipped out of bed. We’d slept in the same bed plenty of times by now on weekends and so on, but from today, it wouldn’t be the kind of isolated event it had been so far. During the vacation, not only would Kirara be gone, but so would my other two roommates, who were both going home to see their families. Until they got back, I’d be sleeping over in Himeko’s dorm every night.
I’d be here from “good morning” all the way to “good night.” Was that the full-fledged maid lifestyle? Or maybe that was more like a cohabiting couple? It wasn’t much different from my current situation, yet it made me feel closer to Himeko and her life somehow.
Her sleeping face had a hint of a smile on her lips, as if she was having a good dream. I know she’s got a lot on her mind lately because of Lady Shion, but at least her dreams are Shion-free.
I quickly changed into my maid uniform and got myself cleaned up. Since we were on vacation, it would have been fine to wear my own clothes, but having a preset outfit to wear saved me the time it would take to choose. Plus, at this school, walking around in a maid uniform was the normal option.
Even with no classes, some of the restaurants on campus would stay open throughout, so eating breakfast at one of those was an option. However, Himeko tended not to like going out if she didn’t have to, so often I would make her sandwiches and things with ingredients I’d bought beforehand.
Speaking of which, I should make Himeko some sandwiches before she wakes up.
I fried some eggs, opened a can of tuna, and prepared a potato salad with ham. It’s mostly premade, but isn’t that the whole point of sandwiches? And hey, even if it’s not obvious from this particular meal, I am learning to cook, slowly but surely.
I neatly laid out the sandwiches on a plate and brewed some tea, then I was done. After washing my hands, I cheerfully went back into the bedroom to wake up my mistress.
Gently whispering in her ear, I said, “Himeko, I’ve made you breakfast. Time to get up.”
No response. This was typical, though. On school days she got up relatively easily, but as soon as it was a day off, it got much harder. It was like a switch turning on and off.
“Himeko, you have a meeting today, remember? You don’t want to be late.”
Still nothing. Looking at the sleeping princess’s lovely profile, I thought about poking her cheek to see if that helped, but it felt a little too disrespectful.
She really does look beautiful when she’s asleep, though. Naturally, she looked beautiful when she was awake too, but then I couldn’t spend too long staring at her face, since the awkwardness always got to me first. That made this a special treat.
Still, I couldn’t stare at her all day. We had things to do. Just as I was considering how much force might be okay, her arm suddenly stirred, reaching out from under the covers. With a yelp, I was dragged into bed with her.
“Can’t we lie here a little longer?” she murmured sleepily, embracing me from behind. “It’s our vacation, and the meeting’s not until nine so we have an hour more than we normally would. Take it easy, Misaki.”
It didn’t feel like she would be letting me go anytime soon. She pressed her cheek against mine and hugged me like I was a body pillow.
“Fine. Only fifteen minutes, though. I already made breakfast.”
“All right, I understand.”
I wasn’t sure if she really had understood, but her measured breathing told me she’d fallen asleep again, so for now all I could do was wait.
When she finally woke up with a big yawn, it was half an hour later. After the first fifteen minutes, she’d demanded “just another five” three times, and I eventually gave in.
As I poured her tea, I kept glancing at the clock. “You’ll be okay for time, right?
To be fair, if what she said earlier is true, she should easily make it.
“It’s completely fine,” she replied, confirming this. “Besides, it doesn’t matter if I’m at the meeting or not. All I’m ever there for is to sit and listen and maybe sign something at the end to show I approve. Today there might not even be that much. They’ll be discussing business for next term, so there’ll probably be nothing for me to deal with.”
“Oh, really?” I replied hesitantly. I had absolutely no clue what Himeko’s work as the deputy chairman of the board involved, so there wasn’t much else I could say.
“I think it’ll end early in the afternoon. What are you planning for today?”
“I’m thinking of going to the Sky Salon. I’ll have time to do the usual upkeep plus some extra-deep cleaning.”
“Then it sounds like we can have lunch together. What should we have? Something cold would be a treat. Sushi or soba maybe.”
“That sounds great. If we can have dessert too, I’ll have no complaints at all!”
She giggled. “Then let’s meet at the Sky Salon.”
“Great!”
We left François House together and were soon struck by the relentless summer sun. I hurried toward the former school building, which housed the Sky Salon, conscious of the dark shadows the intense rays were casting on the ground.
I’d walked this route countless times by now, but it had a different air about it on the first day of summer vacation. On a typical day off, it was usually pretty deserted, but now I could see smatterings of people about. There were a lot of Societal Arts students walking around accompanied by Domestic Arts students, all of whom were carrying large bags. I guess they’re on their way home today.
I wondered if Kirara had set out already. I had no real way of contacting her, so I wouldn’t find out about her time at Lady Kagura’s home and how it all went until she got back. It was possible she’d call if she had time, but I figured if she didn’t, I’d treat it as “no news is good news.” It was all in Kirara’s hands, at the end of the day. I didn’t think she’d have any trouble though. The Kokonoe twins’ special training was clearly paying off, since her skills were getting more and more impressive.
Her rivalry with Sara looked like it had lit a fire under her too. Sara was in a class of her own, but Kirara was among the top students in our grade as well.
I looked around to see if anyone I knew was nearby, but I didn’t spot anyone, so I just made a beeline for the salon.
When I arrived using the old-fashioned elevator, I noticed something strange. The air conditioner was already running. Someone had arrived before me.
In my mind, I ran through the Sky Salon members who were staying over the break. It wasn’t Himeko of course, and it was unlikely to be Lady Saeko or Lady Sakura.
What about Matsuri, Lady Saeko’s Seraph? She’s a bit of a workaholic, so maybe she had the same idea as me and got started on it before I did. I could see it happening.
Standing in the entrance, I looked around for her, but she was nowhere in sight. Figuring she might be cleaning her mistress’s personal space, I headed over there, only to see someone I definitely hadn’t been mentally prepared for. Not that her being there was a problem, of course. If anything, I should have expected her there.
Still, I couldn’t keep myself from yelping in shock.
Lady Saeko licked her lips when she saw me. “What a crude noise you just made. Did you see something unpleasant, perhaps?”
I whimpered in panic. “No! Erm, not at all! I was just surprised, that’s all! I was expecting to see Matsuri, and then you were here!”
She leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. “Matsuri’s not here,” she murmured, a distant look in her eyes. “She’s gone somewhere else.”
Now that I looked, her table didn’t have a drink on it, just a paperback book that she’d probably brought with her.
“Erm, she didn’t tell you she was through, did she? Or go back to her family saying that she couldn’t take your harsh daily discipline anymore?”
Beckoning me over with a smile straight out of hell, Lady Saeko slowly said, “Misaki, why don’t you come over here? Just for a moment.”
I took a few steps back, wishing I could run away. “I’m joking! The heat is getting to me! It’s making me talk nonsense!”
It was pretty clear that Lady Saeko was the only one here. No one would be coming to help me, so maybe cutting and running was the best plan.
Before I could, she replied, “Don’t worry about it. Look, what I said about her being somewhere else was true, but it’s not because we’ve had a big, dramatic breakup or because she was running away from me.” She rolled her eyes and let out a weary sigh.
“Oh, really?” I ventured.
“Matsuri is—”
Before she could finish, the bell signaled the elevator’s arrival. Someone else had arrived. Was it Matsuri, I wondered?
It was not.
“Oh, the air conditioner’s been switched on,” Lady Sakura remarked, making the same observation I had. “Someone’s here already.”
“So it seems,” Sara agreed.
“It sounds like Lady Sakura and Sara,” I said to Lady Saeko.
“Indeed it does. You should go and say hello to your friend.”
She started waving goodbye, so I decided to take her up on that. “Yes, erm, that’s a good idea. Bye for now.”
Grateful for their timing, I went over ready to thank them profusely. “Lady Sakura! Sara! Hello!”
“Oh, Misaki, good day,” said the mistress, going into a curtsy so elegant that it made me stop and marvel.
“Good day, Lady Sakura.” I returned the greeting, trying to imitate her mannerisms.
When I did, Sara, who had been watching our exchange, smiled and grasped her skirt in the same manner. “Good day!”
It looked like Sara had relaxed a little now that we were on vacation—unless it was because Kirara wasn’t here to put her on edge.
“How are you two spending your day?” I asked.
“Well, we’re planning to make a start on our campus exploration adventure,” Lady Sakura explained, “but I’m rather parched, so it made sense to come here first.”
“Yes, I see.”
I guess Sara will take care of serving Lady Sakura, so maybe it’s okay for me to start cleaning.
Before I could move a muscle, though, Lady Saeko came out, smiling at us all. “If you’d like a really refreshing drink, I can take you somewhere great. You might get to see something quite interesting as a bonus!”
Lady Sakura smiled back. “That is a very intriguing offer!
“Of course, it would mean setting out again when you just got here.”
“I don’t mind. To be honest, I’m too curious not to take you up on it. You phrased it so tantalizingly. What are we going to see?”
“It’s not as exciting as I’ve made it sound. It’s actually the same place you went to the other day, Erisu’s École Kitchen.”
Now this was a surprise. Last I remembered, Lady Saeko had hardly ever been there; she’d said it didn’t suit her palate. To be fair, the food there has changed a lot, so maybe she’s started going there more often. I’ve never seen her there, though. Himeko and I went there pretty often, so it felt pretty unlikely that we’d never bumped into her.
The shock must have been visible on my face. “Goodness, Misaki,” Lady Saeko remarked. “Is it so unexpected for me to mention Erisu’s?”
What could I do but be honest? “Kind of.”
“It’s true that I hardly ever go there, but today is, well, a special occasion, you might say.”
There was something unusually deliberate about her words. What was happening at Erisu’s today?
“Now, let’s all go there.”
Despite my doubts, Lady Saeko escorted Lady Sakura back into the elevator.
It can’t be anything that far out of the ordinary, right? It’s just Erisu’s École Kitchen.
With absolutely no idea what to expect, I followed behind them.
✤
Erisu’s École Kitchen was still open during summer vacation and had students going in and out already. By now, there was no sign it had ever been unpopular. It seemed to have gained a reputation of being a hidden gem.
Squinting in the light of the sun, which had risen fairly high in the sky, Lady Saeko stood in front of the door. Sara burst into action, nonchalantly stepping in front of the ladies and opening the door with a carefree motion.
I gasped. Had I made a huge mistake not thinking about this? What did I normally do when Himeko and I came here? I had a feeling that sometimes she opened the door and sometimes I did. At any rate, I definitely hadn’t taken the initiative to go in front and show her in.
“There, there, Misaki,” Lady Saeko said, stroking my head like she was consoling a child. “You have a good example to follow for next time.”
Ouch. This is even more painful than being lectured. Hanging around with other people makes it really clear just how lenient Himeko is with me.
Groaning, I replied, “I’ll take it to heart.”
Just when I thought I was improving, I’d been shot down again. Lady Saeko was right, though; Sara was a great example to follow. Now that she’d joined the Sky Salon as well, I’d have to absorb everything I could from her.
And wouldn’t it be fun to try and level up while Kirara’s not here and surprise her when she gets back?
“Thanks, Sara,” Lady Saeko said as she stepped into the restaurant.
After that followed the usual cry of “Welcome!” from Hanaka, the waitress.
Except that it didn’t. The voice I heard from inside belonged to someone else. Huh? Who was that?
It didn’t sound like any of Erisu’s three Exousias. It was definitely familiar, but as far as I knew, no one else worked here apart from Hanaka, Mizuki, and Yukina. It also wasn’t the owner herself.
Just as I peered in from behind Lady Saeko, the waitress suddenly froze.
“Lady Saeko!” she said, audibly shocked. “I didn’t expect you to—”
“Goodness, is it so horrible to see your own mistress?”
“Matsuri, is that you?” I asked.
It was true. Lady Saeko’s Seraph, Matsuri, was serving as a waitress at Erisu’s École Kitchen.
What was she doing here? All kinds of scenarios ran through my head. Had she left the Sky Salon? Had Lady Saeko’s bullying finally become too much for her? Or had she been a spy from the Paradise Palace all along?
“Hurry up and show us to our seats. Misaki’s so confused she’s about to explode.”
“I’m not going to explode!”
I couldn’t object to the rest, though. The “confused” part was entirely true.
“Would you like a private booth, or—”
“Out in the open is perfect. I want to be able to watch you work.” Lady Saeko grinned.
“Certainly. This way, please.”
Matsuri led us to our seats with experienced poise. I could have believed she had always worked here.
Once we were seated and she’d gone into the back, I whispered a baffled question to Lady Saeko. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why is Matsuri working here? She’s your Seraph, so she doesn’t need another job, right? You haven’t canceled her contract, have you?”
“Of course not. I finally got my very own sla— uh, Seraph, so why would I get rid of her? Matsuri always gets part-time jobs during long vacations, that’s all. This time she’s working here because Erisu asked if she could help out every once in a while.”
“But—”
“But what about her Seraph work? Why do I allow it?”
She’d predicted all my questions, so I just nodded in silence.
“It’s all to reduce the amount of time it takes for her to pay off the debt. There isn’t much work for her to do during vacation, so why would I say no? The money’s important to her.”
“That’s true,” I replied hesitantly. In theory, there was nothing suspicious about any of that, but something was still gnawing at me.
Thinking back to how Lady Saeko had looked at the Sky Salon, she hadn’t looked fine with Matsuri not being there. She’d spoken about it in kind of a joking way, but she had undeniably looked quite lonely.
Matsuri came back with water and a menu. “Here you are.”
“Thank you,” her mistress replied. “You’re getting very good at this. Maybe I should ask Erisu if you can work here all the time.”
“Please don’t,” she squeaked. “I’m your Seraph, milady. I couldn’t.”
Smirking, Lady Saeko took the menu. “Don’t worry about that. It’s important to think about your future, isn’t it?”
This wasn’t too different from their usual banter, but there was definitely something a little weird about Lady Saeko’s tone. Her cruel teasing was normally accompanied by genuine concern about Matsuri’s well-being. Now it was almost like she’d thrown that off altogether.
She opened the menu, then quickly closed it again and passed it to me. Apparently not in the mood to decide for herself, she said, “I’d like a drink and some kind of snack. What would you recommend?”
“For today, we have a mango parfait available. We also have mango pudding, or cheesecake with mango sauce. To match that summery atmosphere, I’d suggest having the tropical juice.”
“In that case, I’ll have the cheesecake and a tropical juice. What about you, Sakura?”
“Hmm, the pudding sounds good to me. Do you want the same as I’m having, Sara?”
“Yes, milady. That sounds jolly good.”
“And you, Misaki?”
I thought for just a moment, then said, “I’ll have the same as you, Lady Saeko.”
When I handed back the menu, Matsuri smiled and said, “Two cheesecakes with mango sauce, two mango puddings, and four tropical juices. Coming right up.”
She gracefully bowed her head and started walking back to the kitchen. Every movement looked so comfortable that I’d never have guessed this was her first day on the job.
I could see that Lady Saeko was surreptitiously watching her as well. There was a strange look in her eye, a mixture of affection and loneliness.
While waiting, Lady Saeko engaged Lady Sakura in some casual chatter.
“Where in Britain are you from?”
“Just outside of Mayfair.”
“Oh, that’s not far from Buckingham Palace, is it?”
“Correct. You’re awfully well versed.”
“I visited as a child. The Changing of the Guard was so impressive that I had to watch it several times.”
“Oh, really? I always used to go and watch it as well, so maybe we were even there at the same time once.”
Lady Saeko laughed. “What a romantic idea.”
Soon I saw Matsuri returning with a tray in her hands. Her mistress noticed as well and glanced her way.
“Misaki, I have an idea,” she said with a grin. “Why don’t we have some fun?”
That kind of smile always meant she was up to no good, which put me on high alert. “Huh? What do you mean?”
“When she gets here, stick your foot out to trip her up.”
“What? I can’t do that!” This was a crazy idea to suggest out of nowhere.
“I’m not saying you should make her fall flat on her face and hurt herself. It can be more subtle, just to make her stumble a little.”
“No, I really can’t!”
“Are you sure? That’s a shame.” She sighed in disappointment.
Her finding ways to bully Matsuri was nothing new, but I wouldn’t have expected this. It could have resulted in injury or damage to the restaurant. There’d probably have been a mess to clean up.
With no idea of what Lady Saeko had been planning, Matsuri returned. “Thank you for waiting!” Placing our orders on the table, she added, “Is this everything?”
“Yes, thank you,” the mistress replied. “Matsuri, be sure to work hard. Don’t do anything to cause trouble for the restaurant.”
The Seraph nodded cheerfully at this encouragement. “I’ll do my very best, milady.”
Lady Saeko’s whole tone was changing back and forth so rapidly that I had no idea what was going on in her head. How did she really feel about all this?
“Anyway, let’s dig in,” she said.
There’s definitely something going on here, but I don’t know what it is.
It had been worth getting Matsuri’s recommendation. The dessert and drink were both absolutely delicious. As we ate, the restaurant steadily got busier and busier. I could tell that by now, Erisu’s was a pretty popular place. Both Matsuri and Hanaka were rushing from table to table to serve everyone. Thinking about it, I hadn’t seen Yukina or Mizuki at all so far, but I figured they both had to be in the kitchen.
Just as we were finishing up, the owner herself, Erisu Kumashiro, came over and offered a delicate curtsy. As always, she looked as pretty as a doll. “Oh, I didn’t expect to see all of you here! Misaki comes here all the time, but it’s lovely to see a few more unusual faces. Good day, and welcome to Erisu’s École Kitchen.”
“Good day, Lady Erisu,” Lady Saeko replied. “Since my Seraph is working for you starting today, I thought I’d come and see how she was getting along.”
“Ah, I see. To be honest, she’s already doing a better job than my own Exousias. I think she can probably teach them a thing or two.”
“Don’t be silly. If she makes any blunders, you shouldn’t hesitate to give her the discipline she deserves!”
Lady Erisu heaved a sigh of mild discomfort before saying, “I’ll leave that up to you.”
Although she could be strict with her Exousias, she definitely didn’t practice the kind of physical punishment Lady Saeko was a fan of.
“And you’re Sakura, aren’t you? It’s lovely to have a chance to speak to you at last. I’m a member of the Paradise Palace, but my restaurant isn’t part of the salon, and Misaki and Himeko are actually regular customers. So, if you like it, you can come whenever you want without worrying that you’re breaking some unwritten rule. I’d be thrilled to see you here! The staff are still learning, of course, so sometimes the flavors don’t match up to other restaurants—although that might be a matter of personal taste.”
“Good day, Lady Erisu. Thank you for letting us use your restaurant for my sake the other day. I’m sad that I can’t join you at your salon, but I felt a great kinship with the Paradise Palace members, and the dish I ordered today was absolutely delicious as well. I’ve hardly been anywhere else on campus yet, but your restaurant has a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere. I’m certain I’ll be coming here again.”
I was pretty sure Lady Sakura was sharing her true feelings here. She’d eaten the mango pudding and drunk the tropical juice with great gusto.
“I’m so happy to hear you say that! And this must be your Seraph, Sara.” Lady Erisu turned to her and smiled. “Feel free to come here on your own too, of course!”
“Thank you most kindly. I’ll be sure to do so.”
Next, Lady Erisu looked toward me. “I see you’re here without Himeko today.”
“Yes, my mistress is in a meeting right now.”
“I see. She has it rough even when we’re all on vacation.” She let out an absentminded sigh.
“By the way,” I said, “I don’t think I’ve seen Yukina or Mizuki today. Are they busy in the kitchen?”
“Mizuki’s toiling away in there, but Yukina’s not here at the moment.”
“She isn’t?”
“She’s gone to train at a restaurant run by my family. I’m planning to send all three of them, one after another, and promote them all to Seraphs if they make it through unscathed.”
I let out a small yelp. “After all this time!”
“Yep, I’m finally doing it. You helped them out a lot, you know. If they do become Seraphs, I’ll be sure to send them your way to say thank you.”
“What? But I hardly did anything! It’s all because of their hard work.”
“They were working hard, I’ll grant, but they were going in the wrong direction.”
I replied with an awkward laugh.
“It’s all fine now, though. Anyway, that’s why I needed Matsuri to step in.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
So Yukina, Mizuki, and Hanaka were finally going to be Seraphs. “Finally” was the word; they were clearly good enough for it. I’d thought that all along.
“I’ll leave you alone now. Enjoy the rest of your time here!”
“Thank you very much.”
Was I imagining the spring in Lady Erisu’s step as she walked away? She’d no doubt been eagerly awaiting this day as well. As someone who knew all the intimate details of the situation, I found myself breathing a big sigh of relief.
As she lifted the last of her cheesecake to her mouth, Lady Saeko murmured, “Yukina’s a third-year student, isn’t she? I wonder what will happen to this place after she graduates.”
After eating it, she continued, “Maybe Erisu will take on some other hired help. The real question is what happens after she graduates and only the building is left. Maybe someone will buy it up? It would be a waste otherwise. Hmm, maybe I can cajole Matsuri into buying it. What do you think, Misaki? Should I make Matsuri buy this nice place?”
“Huh? There’s no way she can do that, surely? Besides, Matsuri’s a third year. She’ll graduate before Lady Erisu does.”
“Good point. Hmph, what am I going to do then?”
Those last muttered words didn’t sound like they were directed at me.
I’d never seen Lady Saeko behave like this before. She was saying some really weird things. Was something going on?